Chapter 106: Drawing the Sword

He also found Jiang Fan irritating. Explaining Sky Sword Peak to him along the way made Jiang Fan quite uncomfortable. This was the perfect opportunity to put Jiang Fan in his place and humble him a little.

So he smiled and said, "Sect Master Gong, our Sky Sword Peak has a Sword Tomb. It houses 108 excellent swords. Please, Sect Master Gong, allow me to lead the way."

Gong Caiyi nodded with pleasure. She had long heard of Sky Sword Peak's reputation within the Qingyun Sect. While its swordsmanship might not be the most advanced, its collection of renowned swords was unmatched among the Nine Sects. She was eager to see what magnificent swords they possessed.

The group arrived at the mid-slope of Sky Sword Peak, before a massive stone wall. The wall was covered with numerous crisscrossing sword energy etchings. Powerful sword energy subtly pulsed around them, capable of erupting at any moment to injure someone. Unique longswords were embedded directly into the stone. Each sword gleamed with spiritual light, indicating they were at least mid-grade magical artifacts. Many were exceptional even among mid-grade artifacts.

Jiang Fan looked on, his surprise growing with each sword. Not a single sword here was inferior to Xu Youran's Azure Sword, and countless others were superior.

"What do you think, Sect Master Gong?" Li Qingfeng asked, quite proud.

Gong Caiyi didn't hold back her praise: "It truly lives up to its reputation." Even without handling the swords, she could sense their extraordinary quality.

Li Qingfeng said, "Sect Master Gong, if you find one you like, please choose it as a small token of my appreciation."

Gong Caiyi's eyes lit up. Who wouldn't appreciate a fine sword? Even if she didn't use it herself, it would be a valuable addition to her collection.

"Then I thank you, Peak Master Li." With that, she approached the stone wall, intending to retrieve one of the longswords with a black hilt.

Li Qingfeng quickly interjected, "Sect Master Gong, please wait. These renowned swords have been tempered by the elements and contain powerful sword energy. Only someone highly skilled in swordsmanship can safely remove them; otherwise, they risk injury."

Yuan Zhiyu nodded, confirming, "Master, that is indeed true. These swords cannot be touched carelessly; one must use swordsmanship to divert the inherent sword energy." Having trained in swordsmanship since childhood, she was considered one of the few true sword masters within the Spirit Beast Sect. She could tell the Sword Tomb's extraordinary nature at a glance.

Gong Caiyi nodded, "Then retrieve that black sword for me."

Yuan Zhiyu bowed, "Yes, Master." Confidently, she approached the Sword Tomb, leapt into the air toward the black sword, grasped its hilt, and pulled it out.

*Whoosh—*

A powerful surge of sword energy erupted from the wall the moment the hilt was drawn, shooting directly towards Yuan Zhiyu. Yuan Zhiyu was startled. This sword energy was far stronger than she had anticipated. She hastily drew her own sword, attempting to deflect the energy, but to her surprise, the fierce sword energy directly knocked her sword from her hand. She was also thrown backward, landing rather ungracefully on the ground.

With so many eyes on her, Yuan Zhiyu's face flushed crimson. Mortified, she returned to Gong Caiyi's side. "Master," she stammered, "this disciple is incompetent."

Gong Caiyi immediately felt her own reputation tarnished. "Never mind," she said, "this sword is not meant for me."

This made Li Qingfeng anxious. His original intention was to embarrass Jiang Fan, but instead, Yuan Zhiyu took the fall, and Gong Caiyi had also lost face because of it. He couldn't help but glare fiercely at Ding Wanping. *Look at your terrible idea!*

Jiang Fan hesitated. If Gong Caiyi were to leave now, his mission would surely be considered a failure. So he cupped his hands and said, "Sect Master Gong, if you truly desire this sword, I can retrieve it for you."

"You?" Gong Caiyi looked astonished. "You know swordsmanship?" She had already mentally labeled Jiang Fan as having no spiritual roots. If he truly lacked spiritual roots, then anything related to martial arts should be beyond his capability.

Jiang Fan replied, "I know a little."

Yuan Zhiyu was still fuming from her embarrassment, with no outlet for her frustration. Seeing Jiang Fan foolishly step forward, she sneered, "You should probably just give up. That sword energy is unusually powerful. Don't just look at me falling. You could get seriously hurt. We wouldn't know how to explain that to your master."

Jiang Fan simply said, "Don't worry." He then approached the stone wall. Both Li Qingfeng and Ding Wanping exchanged mocking glances. Finally, Jiang Fan was going to make a spectacle of himself. They anticipated watching him utterly humiliate himself.

Jiang Fan activated his movement technique, swiftly ascending the sheer stone wall. Then, he seized the hilt and drew the sword out with the speed of lightning. The immense sword energy contained within surged out like a breaching tsunami. Jiang Fan, quick-witted and agile, immediately performed "Lone Star Pierces the Azure." He guided the incoming sword energy, redirecting it to shoot far away.

*Crack!—*

A tree, as thick as a man's torso, was struck by the sword energy and snapped instantly. Jiang Fan, with a graceful backflip, landed with the black sword in hand and presented it to Gong Caiyi. "Here," he said.

Gong Caiyi froze. Yuan Zhiyu froze. Li Qingfeng and Ding Wanping both froze! He had actually succeeded in drawing the sword, and without a scratch?

"You've been keeping quite a secret!" Gong Caiyi exclaimed, astonished. Others merely assumed she was praising Jiang Fan's swordsmanship. In truth, she was admiring his movement technique. While others hadn't noticed, she had clearly seen him employ a subtle movement technique. Such techniques typically require an exceptionally high level of comprehension to master. Few martial artists across the Nine Sects truly mastered movement techniques.

Yuan Zhiyu was dumbfounded. She couldn't help but doubt the intelligence she had gathered about Jiang Fan. *Could he really be without spiritual roots? He certainly didn't seem like it!*

Li Qingfeng, equally astonished, stroked his beard. "Strange," he mused, "his swordsmanship is surprisingly good. Could I have truly misjudged him before?"

Ding Wanping gritted his teeth. Not only had he failed to embarrass Jiang Fan, but he had also allowed him to show off. Unwilling to accept it, he scoffed, "That was just some crude swordsmanship; hardly anything remarkable."

Gong Caiyi shot him a dismissive glance. After all, Jiang Fan was the companion she had personally chosen. Was he someone just anyone could disparage? She said coolly, "Elder Li, your disciple seems quite extraordinary. Would you mind having him demonstrate how to retrieve a sword? It would be good for Jiang Fan to learn from his 'exquisite' swordsmanship."

"This..." Li Qingfeng found himself in a predicament. If the swords in the Sword Tomb were that easy to retrieve, he wouldn't have specifically intended to trouble Jiang Fan earlier. Although Ding Wanping's cultivation was high, he had never actually attempted to retrieve a sword from the wall. There was no guarantee he could do it.

Ding Wanping, however, felt completely disrespected, especially after being outshone by Jiang Fan right in front of Sky Sword Peak's masters. He couldn't swallow his pride. "Since Sect Master Gong insists," he declared, "then this junior will humbly demonstrate!"

He rushed to the stone wall. Leaping into the air, he drew a sword.

*Whoosh—*

Sword energy, far more potent than he could control, blasted him several yards away. He crashed heavily into a stone table. Lying on the ground, he groaned in pain.

*Snicker—*

Yuan Zhiyu couldn't hold back a laugh. "Is that all he's got? He's not even as good as me!"

Gong Caiyi felt a sense of satisfaction. *Serves you right for being so loud and looking down on Jiang Fan's swordsmanship! And that's all you could do?*

She rose to her feet. "Jiang Fan," she announced, "take me to the peak where your sect's finest swordsmanship is practiced." Her curiosity was genuinely piqued. She wanted to know the true extent of Jiang Fan's swordsmanship. From his recent display, among his peers, he seemed to be at an upper-middle level, didn't he? She decided to find a few swordsmanship prodigies to test his true abilities.

Consequently, shortly after, they arrived at Free and Easy Peak. The moment Zhao Wuji saw Jiang Fan, he exploded in anger. "You impudent brat! How dare you show your face on my Free and Easy Peak?"