As waves of emotion churned quietly in Xiao Se's heart, the maid stepped forward, lowered herself in a respectful bow to the group, then turned and walked toward the pavilion to deliver the report.
Following the direction she indicated, the young man tilted his head and looked at Xiao Se. Upon seeing that gentle, refined face, a trace of emotion flickered uncontrollably across his own expression.
"Your Highness, has a guest arrived?" Inside the pavilion, the middle-aged man noticed the subtle change in the young man's face. Following his line of sight, he saw one man and two women—three young people in total. A strange glint passed through his pitch-black eyes, and he asked curiously.
"Hehe, some friends of Qinghe have arrived. I'll excuse myself for a moment, Teacher—please don't take offense," the young man replied with a smile, his expression already back to normal.
"No matter. If His Highness has friends to attend to, then I'll come visit another day," the middle-aged man said calmly. Outwardly, he showed no reaction at all, but inwardly his curiosity only deepened. For a crown prince of a nation to set aside even his own teacher just to meet a few young people—this was truly puzzling.
While the two were speaking, the white-robed old man standing atop the pavilion roof suddenly opened his eyes. With a light tap of his foot against the tiles, he leapt down and landed in front of Xiao Se. His expression solemn, he spoke directly.
"Young man. Have you practiced swordsmanship?"
Xiao Se's face remained calm. "For about two years."
The old man's expression turned serious. "I sense an astonishing sword aura within you. Would you be willing to spar with this old man?"
"I don't mind," Xiao Se replied evenly, "but before that, we should probably ask the host."
He looked toward the young man and the middle-aged man who were already walking over.
By now, Xiao Se had already guessed their identities. The young man went without saying—he was Qian Renxue in disguise, posing as Xue Qinghe, the crown prince of the Heaven Dou Empire. The middle-aged man was Ning Fengzhi, the sect master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. As for the old man before him, with that profound, unfathomable presence—he was none other than Sword Douluo, Chen Xin.
"Brother Xiao Se, we meet again," Qian Renxue was the first to speak, smiling warmly.
"It's been quite a while," Xiao Se replied lightly. "I really didn't expect your true identity to be the Heaven Dou Empire's crown prince."
A subtle glint of cunning flashed through Xiao Se's dark pupils as he smiled faintly.
"Heh, when making friends, sincerity matters most. Identity isn't all that important," Qian Renxue said with a chuckle. Then he turned toward Ning Fengzhi and Chen Xin. "Allow me to make introductions. This is Ning Fengzhi, sect master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, one of the Upper Three Sects—and also my teacher. And this is Elder Chen Xin, known as the strongest attacker among Title Douluo, the Sword Douluo."
"Xiao Se," Xiao Se said, giving a small nod as he introduced himself to Ning Fengzhi and Chen Xin.
"Little Medical Fairy."
"Zhu Zhuqing."
Immediately after, Little Medical Fairy and Zhu Zhuqing also introduced themselves in turn.
"Xiao Se?" Ning Fengzhi paused for a moment upon hearing the name, then quickly realized something. A trace of surprise flashed through his eyes once more. He first smiled and nodded politely at Zhu Zhuqing and Little Medical Fairy, then turned back to Xiao Se with a faint smile.
"Could it be that you're the Xiao Se who defeated one of the Golden Iron Triangle—Flander—with a single punch in Soto City?"
"If you're referring to Shrek Academy's headmaster, Flander, then yes—that would be me," Xiao Se replied calmly.
Hearing this, realization dawned on Ning Fengzhi. No wonder Sword Uncle, who was always so proud and aloof, would take the initiative to speak to a young man.
Flander was a Level 78 Battle Soul Saint. To defeat him in a single move was something that ordinary Soul Douluo simply could not accomplish. Only a Title Douluo could manage such a feat.
And yet, Xiao Se looked no more than fourteen or fifteen years old.
How he could possess such terrifying strength at such an age left Ning Fengzhi deeply perplexed.
While Ning Fengzhi's thoughts were racing, the Sword Douluo—who had remained mostly silent—looked toward Qian Renxue and spoke solemnly.
"Your Highness, this old man wishes to exchange sword techniques with this young friend. Would that be convenient?"
He had always been a straightforward person, never one to beat around the bush.
"Please, Sword Douluo, go ahead," Qian Renxue replied, though helplessness flickered in his heart. He shifted his gaze toward Xiao Se. "Still, it ultimately depends on Brother Xiao Se's willingness."
"I'd be happy to oblige," Xiao Se said with a calm smile. He had never crossed swords with a true sword-path expert before, and the prospect stirred his fighting spirit.
Seeing that Sword Douluo intended to spar with Xiao Se, Ning Fengzhi's interest was immediately piqued. He was also quite curious—what kind of ability did this Xiao Se possess, the one his precious daughter praised so highly?
The group stepped back, and at Qian Renxue's command, attendants cleared out a relatively open area behind them.
On the open ground—
Sword Douluo's gaze was sharp, his back straight, his entire body standing like a sword itself.
Twenty paces away, Xiao Se stood calmly, movements unhurried, expression relaxed.
"This sword is called Seven Kill," Sword Douluo Chen Xin said slowly. "Its length is four chi and three cun, its width three cun, and the hilt one chi two cun. I have practiced swordsmanship for over seventy years. Since my debut, I have never encountered a rival on the path of the sword—hence my title. Young man, I sense an extremely powerful sword aura within you. May I ask who your master is?"
With a flick of his right hand, an ancient, massive sword appeared out of thin air in Chen Xin's grasp.
"My master's name is Yi Bao," Xiao Se replied calmly, a trace of mischief rising in his heart. "But I doubt you've ever heard of him."
Of course he couldn't tell the truth—that his sword mastery was… borrowed. After all, in the world of Supreme Sword Dao, the Sword Formation Marquis's teacher was a several-hundred-year-old Sword King who had reached the Life-and-Death Realm.
"Yi Bao?" Chen Xin narrowed his aged eyes slightly. "Forgive this old man's ignorance—I've never heard the name. Still, anyone capable of teaching a disciple like you must be a grandmaster of the sword. If fate allows, I would very much like to pay him a visit someday."
Throughout his life, Chen Xin had met countless people, yet he had never encountered anyone whose sword cultivation surpassed his own.
The two stood more than twenty paces apart—one with eyes sharp as blades, the other serene and composed.
To the side, aside from Little Medical Fairy—whose cultivation had reached Seven-Star Dou Huang—and Qian Renxue, who concealed his true strength deeply, even Ning Fengzhi and Zhu Zhuqing found themselves holding their breath, staring unblinking at the two figures in the clearing.
Buzz!
A faint purple glow bloomed in Xiao Se's right hand as the demonic sword appeared. He spoke lightly.
"If there's a chance, I'll take you to meet him."
"Xian'er, Xiao Se actually drew the demonic sword. Looks like he's serious," Zhu Zhuqing whispered to Little Medical Fairy from a corner at the edge of the clearing.
Little Medical Fairy nodded slightly, her expression solemn. "This Sword Douluo is incredibly strong. He's probably not much weaker than those Dou Huang elders from the Inner Court."
Inside the pavilion, a cunning glint flashed through Ning Fengzhi's eyes as he murmured inwardly, Sword Uncle is serious too. Xiao Se… let me see just how much of a surprise you can give me.
The moment the demonic sword entered his hand, Xiao Se's aura changed.
His eyes turned sharp in an instant, like sword light capable of piercing the heart. Without any warning, the Dou Qi within his body surged outward, transforming into streams of razor-sharp energy that spread in all directions.
What is this presence? Chen Xin's thoughts flashed rapidly. Why is my Seven Kill Sword… trembling?
He was slightly startled.
He had known Xiao Se's sword cultivation was high—but he never imagined it would be this high. To the point where Seven Kill itself was producing a faint sense of submission.
And yet, it made sense.
The concept of sword intent lay far beyond the understanding of the Douluo Continent. Unlike the Dou Qi Continent's philosophy of overwhelming power breaking all techniques, sword intent was something intangible, born of comprehension and insight. Even in the world of Supreme Sword Dao, where personal—one's innate understanding—reigned supreme, those who could truly grasp sword intent were exceedingly rare.
And now—
Standing before him—
Was a boy who had done just that.
(End of Chapter)
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