"Not convinced? Don't you find it laughable? You claim your talent surpasses Nie Feng's, but that's merely your self-righteous delusion. Do you know your greatest flaw? It's your inability to see yourself clearly. Even if your talent truly surpassed Nie Feng's, you would still never be his equal. You rely too much on shortcuts, but some things in life simply can't be rushed."
Daniel Davis's voice was calm, yet piercing, as he stared at the furious Duanlang. Talent, while important, was never the sole determinant of greatness. Character and resolve mattered just as much. Take Jian Chen, for example: his talent was undoubtedly on par with Wind and Cloud's, but his achievements in martial arts were utterly mediocre. Aside from his debut victory over the Sword Saint, he had nothing to his name.
In Daniel's eyes, the talent gap between Duanlang, Nie Feng, Bu Jingyun, and even Jian Chen wasn't vast. The significant difference lay in their character. Nie Feng and Bu Jingyun persevered, diligently honing their skills through constant hardship. Jian Chen's resolve was weak, leading to his downfall. And Duanlang? His obsession with shortcuts in both power and politics ensured his mediocrity.
Duanlang's poor decisions had plagued his entire life. Early on, he clashed with Xiongba when the latter only accepted Nie Feng and Bu Jingyun as disciples. Granted, Duanlang was young at the time, and his childish defiance could be forgiven. But as he grew older, his pattern of shortsightedness continued.
He pledged loyalty to Wushuang City, falsely acknowledged the fake Dugu Yifang as his godfather, and later betrayed Wind, Cloud, and Frost to side with Xiongba after Wushuang City fell to Tian Xia Hui. His betrayal ensured Xiongba's dominance, but it didn't earn Duanlang much in return—just a minor position.
If Duanlang had instead allied himself with Wind, Cloud, and Frost, helping them prepare for battle with Xiongba, he might have risen to take over Tian Xia Hui after Xiongba's fall. After all, neither Nie Feng nor Bu Jingyun harbored any desire for power, and Qin Shuang certainly didn't. But Duanlang lacked such foresight. He thought only of immediate benefits and assumed Xiongba's favor would secure him a hall master position.
In terms of martial arts, Duanlang was equally shortsighted. Rather than refining his skills through effort, he sought easy power. Unable to defeat Wind and Cloud, he willingly became Empyrean Deva's pawn, accepting his dark powers instead of relying on his own strength.
By comparison, even Second Blade Emperor—Second Dream's father—was more respectable. Despite his twisted obsession with surpassing First Blade Emperor, he at least trained relentlessly to achieve his goal.
Duanlang's arrogance knew no bounds. Defeating a weakened Bu Jingyun once made him believe he was superior. In a life-or-death struggle, exploiting an opponent's moment of weakness was fair game, but claiming superiority based on such an encounter was nothing but self-delusion.
"Enough talking. No matter what you say today, your fate is sealed. Someone like you, who lacks even the slightest gratitude, doesn't deserve my words."
Daniel cut off Duanlang before he could respond. Someone like Duanlang—a man consumed by his distorted worldview—was beyond reasoning. Even Naruto, the so-called master of "Talk no Jutsu," wouldn't be able to reach him. The only ones Naruto successfully persuaded were those with a sliver of goodness left in them. Duanlang? He had none.
To Duanlang, kindness was mockery, a form of pity. This twisted perception alienated even those closest to him, like Du Yuling, who eventually left him.
Without giving Duanlang another chance to speak, Daniel's figure vanished in a blur, appearing directly in front of him. Realizing his life was at stake, Duanlang gathered all his inner energy and unleashed a blazing palm strike.
Daniel dismissed the attack with a casual wave of his left hand, dispersing the fiery wave instantly. He then grabbed Duanlang's right wrist, breaking it with a crisp snap, before seizing him by the head. With a surge of energy, Daniel immobilized Duanlang's entire body.
"Truly irredeemable." Through his Double Soul Technique, Daniel sensed the malevolent thoughts coursing through Duanlang's mind. Whether it was Xiongba, Nie Feng, Bu Jingyun, or any who had wronged or slighted him, Duanlang harbored cruel fantasies of revenge, concocting sadistic punishments for each.
"This must be the Sun-Eclipsing Sword Technique," Daniel muttered. Despite Duanlang's wretched nature, the technique was undeniably among the finest sword arts in the martial world. Since Daniel had already decided to kill Duanlang, he saw no harm in preserving this legacy.
"Farewell, Duanlang."
After extracting the Sun-Eclipsing Sword Technique, Daniel released his grip. Before Duanlang could react, Daniel plunged the Fire Kirin Sword into his chest.
"I'm not willing! Why is the heavens so unfair to me?! I haven't even restored the Duan family's glory yet!" Duanlang roared in despair as his life ebbed away. In his final moments, he pointed a trembling finger toward the sky before collapsing, lifeless.
"Nie Feng, you should thank me for this," Daniel muttered, unmoved by Duanlang's dying words. Even in the original timeline, Duanlang failed to restore his family's reputation, instead becoming a reviled figure hunted by the martial world.
Daniel ignited a flame in his palm, tossing it onto Duanlang's corpse. In moments, the body was reduced to ashes.
"The Fire Kirin Sword. I wonder who forged this."
As one of the Seven Dragon-Slaying Weapons, the Fire Kirin Sword wasn't as simple as the original story claimed—that merely embedding a Fire Kirin scale into a sword would create it. If that were true, the Fire Kirin Sword could have been mass-produced.
A regular sword couldn't withstand the Fire Kirin scale's power for long without breaking. The craftsmanship required to create the Fire Kirin Sword was undoubtedly extraordinary.
"Duanlang, I'll borrow your identity for a while. Who knows? I might even make your name famous across the martial world."
Certain tasks would be easier to accomplish under Duanlang's name than his own. Daniel didn't even need to use a disguise, transformation techniques, or modern technology to impersonate Duanlang. Simply wielding the Fire Kirin Sword would be enough to convince others of his identity.
With his strength, he wasn't concerned about the Fire Kirin Sword's potential drawbacks.
"Next, it's the Sword Demon's turn," Daniel said as he retrieved the unconscious Sword Demon from his spatial storage. Extracting the Vein-Severing Sword Qi from the Sword Demon's memory, Daniel shook his head at the man's pitiful obsession with Madam Ao.
After burying both Duanlang and the Sword Demon's remains together, Daniel left to reunite with Nie Feng and Bu Jingyun. His immediate goal was to deliver the Snow Drinking Saber and the Ao Han Six Techniques to Nie Feng.
Arriving at Houling (Queen's Tomb), Daniel didn't have to wait long before Bu Jingyun and Chu Chu showed up.
"The Supreme Martial Sect is useless as ever. How could the Queen's Tomb be occupied without them doing anything about it?" Daniel remarked, watching Bu Jingyun furiously slash at the Time-Sealed Stone with the Peerless Sword. Unfortunately, the sword remained dull, unable to cut through the stone.
"Nie Feng's not here. Makes sense—he wouldn't visit Kong Ci in this situation."
Daniel couldn't help but marvel at Xiongba's manipulative genius. By arranging for Kong Ci to marry Qin Shuang, Nie Feng's senior brother, Xiongba sowed discord among his disciples. And Kong Ci, lying in Bu Jingyun's arms, confessed her love for Nie Feng on her deathbed. How did Nie Feng feel in that moment? Daniel was curious.
It was a testament to Nie Feng's character that he harbored no romantic feelings for Kong Ci. Otherwise, the relationships between Xiongba's three disciples would have been even more complicated.
Nie Feng's romantic interests were straightforward. His first love was Mingyue; his second was Second Dream. Figures like You Ruo and Dugu Meng were mere fleeting encounters in his life.
"Bu Jingyun, are you trying to break the Time-Sealed Stone?" Daniel suddenly stepped out from the shadows.
Startled, Bu Jingyun instinctively positioned himself between Daniel and Chu Chu, gripping the Peerless Sword tightly. Years of wandering the martial world had made him far more cautious than Nie Feng.
"You can open it?" Bu Jingyun asked after a moment of tense silence.
"Yes," Daniel replied simply.
Bu Jingyun hesitated briefly before raising the Peerless Sword and offering it to Daniel. "Open it, and it's yours."
Daniel chuckled. "I have no interest in that sword."
Unlike other Dragon-Slaying Weapons, the Peerless Sword was unique in that it could only display its full power in Bu Jingyun's hands. The sword had already recognized him as its master. For others, it was no different than an ordinary blade.
"What do you want, then?" Bu Jingyun asked. To see Kong Ci one last time, he
was willing to give up anything—even the Peerless Sword.
"Your martial arts: Cloud Dispelling Palm and Holy Spirit Sword Technique."
Bu Jingyun agreed immediately. His obsession with opening the tomb overrode any hesitation.
After using his Surgical Fruit ability to cut an entrance into the Time-Sealed Stone, Daniel gestured toward the opening. "It's ready. You can go in."
Bu Jingyun glanced back at Chu Chu. "Wait for me here."
Then, without another word, he hurried into the tomb, his steps betraying his nervous anticipation.
Daniel observed Chu Chu, who was pacing anxiously outside the tomb. Though he wanted to speak, he ultimately held his tongue. While he believed Bu Jingyun and Chu Chu weren't suited for each other, he had no intention of interfering at this stage.
Roughly thirty minutes later, Bu Jingyun emerged. He seemed far calmer now, as though some great weight had been lifted from his shoulders.
Daniel resealed the Time-Sealed Stone and addressed Bu Jingyun. "From now on, you'll only be able to enter again under two conditions: when the Peerless Sword is sharpened, or when your strength surpasses the stone's defenses."
In a quiet forest nearby, Bu Jingyun fulfilled his promise, teaching Daniel the Cloud Dispelling Palm and Holy Spirit Sword Technique. True to his character, he even pointed out that the Cloud Dispelling Palm was incomplete, with a portion of it still held by Xiongba.
"Your desire for revenge against Xiongba is clear, but you're not strong enough to face him yet. Here, take these: five True Man Pills to enhance your inner power and five Blood Bodhi Fruits to heal your injuries and increase your strength."
Bu Jingyun hesitated, suspicious of Daniel's intentions. "Why? Why are you helping me?"
"Don't worry; they're not poisoned. I need to meet Nie Feng. I have something that belongs to him—his family's Snow Drinking Saber."
Hearing this, Bu Jingyun finally nodded and agreed to introduce Daniel to Nie Feng. After all, Nie Feng's family heirloom deserved to be returned to him.
Under Bu Jingyun's guidance, the three soon arrived at a rural courtyard where Nie Feng was releasing a carrier pigeon—likely corresponding with Second Dream.
The sight of the Snow Drinking Saber wiped the gentle smile off Nie Feng's face, replacing it with shock and seriousness.
"This was found in Lingyun Cave," Daniel explained, recounting the events that led to his discovery of the saber. He also mentioned how he had buried Nie Renwang's remains.
"Thank you," Nie Feng said earnestly. After the tragedy in Lingyun Cave, he and Duanlang had only been able to erect a cenotaph for their fathers, unable to recover their remains.
Afterward, Daniel and Nie Feng exchanged martial arts. Daniel taught him the Ao Han Six Techniques, while Nie Feng shared the Ice Heart Technique and Wind God's Kick.
Daniel had no intention of taking advantage of Nie Feng. His goal was to compare the incomplete versions of martial arts from Nie Feng and Bu Jingyun with the ones Xiongba possessed. He was also curious about the Ice Heart Technique, known for its calming effects, even if it didn't directly enhance combat ability.
With the Ice Heart Technique, one could truly embody the mantra: "If the heart remains pure as ice, even the heavens cannot shake it."
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Surgical Fruit in the American Comics Universe (Chapter 1289)
American Detective: From TV Rookie to Seasoned Cop (Chapter 1316)
American TV Writer (Chapter 1402)
I Am Hades, The Supreme GOD of the Underworld! (Chapter 570)
Reborn as Humanity's Emperor Across the Multiverse (Chapter 660)
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