Chapter 198: Yanqing, Oh No, Someone's Snatching My Sword
Three days later.
Yanqing sat cross-legged, staring at the blade resting across his knees. He had come to a rather startling conclusion: his new sword spirit teacher was distracting.
In truth, the young lieutenant of the Cloud Knights had never harbored much interest in romance or women. Even when crossing blades with female seniors who possessed stunning swordsmanship, his singular, burning thought was always how to dismantle their guard and defeat them in a duel. But facing this particular sword—or rather, the spirit residing within it—he found himself entirely out of his element.
He was just a kid. When dealing with ordinary women, he kept his head down, minded his manners, and never let his thoughts wander in strange directions. But a fine sword? That was a completely different story.
'How could a sword be this beautiful?'
Yet, for the first time in his life, Yanqing didn't dare to casually fiddle with his newest blade. Because this weapon housed a sentient spirit, he felt that scrutinizing the metal too closely bordered on inappropriate, much like staring at a lady. Especially since this sword could project a physical form, chat with him casually, and offer deep guidance on his swordsmanship. It was the absolute dream weapon of countless Cloud Knights.
He had hesitated for hours, pacing around his room before finally mustering the courage to ask his sword spirit teacher what brand of premium flying sword maintenance oils she preferred.
"If I were to let my student go to such expense, wouldn't that reflect poorly on me as a teacher? Just use your sword intent to temper the edge three times a day."
Yanqing's face flushed a brilliant shade of crimson. Manually maintaining a blade that housed a sentient spirit... wasn't that basically the equivalent of helping her bathe?
Tempering the edge with sword intent sounded like a perfectly orthodox method of Xianzhou cultivation on paper. But the actual process—the deep blending of sword intent and the intimate connection of vital energies—felt dangerously close to a state of deep familiarity.
He vigorously shook his head, slapping his cheeks lightly to drive the messy thoughts from his mind. "One mind, no stray thoughts," he muttered to himself, gripping the hilt with renewed focus.
Little did the poor boy know, the spirit was actually a highly advanced personality matrix installed by Rekka. At that very moment, the system was silently analyzing Yanqing's biometrics, rapidly generating various dialogue options specifically calculated to maximize his favorability. That was just the cold, calculated nature of technology.
"Teacher, the maintenance is finished," Yanqing announced, standing up and adjusting his uniform. "I'm going on duty now."
"Take me with you," the sword's voice echoed softly in his mind. "I'll accompany you."
"Ah... okay," he stammered, securing the blade to his waist.
With the Luminary Wardance fast approaching, the flow of tourists and warriors flooding into the Xianzhou Luofu had multiplied exponentially. Naturally, the Cloud Knights were dealing with far more security breaches than usual.
Case in point: a sudden skirmish in the bustling market district. Several Borisin had abruptly broken their disguises, lunging from the dense crowd with bared fangs. Yanqing reacted instantly, barking orders to evacuate the screaming civilians while summoning his array of flying swords to suppress the wolf-like abominations. He pinned down the majority in seconds, but before his blades could reach the last two stragglers, a young girl intercepted them.
"It seems Luofu swordsmen... are nothing special," a clear, slightly mocking voice rang out. "So slow to act."
Yanqing blinked. Standing amidst the downed Borisin was a barefoot girl. She casually rested a massive, dark iron greatsword against her shoulder with one hand, while her other hand casually pinched one of Yanqing's own flying swords between her fingers.
Yanqing's brow furrowed, but he maintained his polite, disciplined demeanor. "Thank you for the assistance, Miss. Now, please return my—"
"Oops, no time!" The girl flashed a cheeky grin, casually pocketed his prized flying sword, and bolted down the street at breakneck speed.
Yanqing stood frozen, his jaw dropping. 'My sword! Someone is openly snatching a sword in the middle of the street?!'
Before he could give chase, the cool voice of his teacher echoed from his waist. "Stay here and don't move. I'll go chase her down for you."
The new sword unsheathed itself with a crisp metallic ring. The blade spun gracefully in mid-air before coming to a dead, steady halt directly in front of Yanqing's face. The tip of the sword bobbed up and down, offering a distinct, reassuring nod telling him not to worry.
Yanqing hesitated. The sight of an autonomous weapon volunteering to chase a mugger was undeniably bizarre. However, remembering that this was a senior sword spirit with deep martial knowledge, he finally nodded back. "I'll leave it to you, Teacher."
The blade hummed, instantly transforming into a blinding streak of light that vanished down the alleyway in the blink of an eye.
Yunli's bare feet slapped lightly against the blue stone tiles as she nimbly leaped and wove through the Luofu's complex maze of streets and alleys. She carried her heavy greatsword, Laotie, in one hand, while her other hand playfully twirled the trophy she had just rescued. She even hummed and whispered to the stolen flying sword as she ran.
"I see... mhm~ I understand. You were being mistreated, weren't you?"
Suddenly, her ears twitched. Her playful gaze instantly sharpened into the deadly focus of a predator. Kicking hard off the stone tiles, Yunli used the explosive momentum to spin backward in mid-air. She swung Laotie in a fierce, devastating semi-circle, perfectly intercepting the silent streak of light attacking her blind spot.
Clang! Sparks erupted in a blinding shower as metal ground against metal.
Yunli didn't even have time to register her surroundings. The moment her greatsword made contact, a terrifying kinetic shockwave traveled down the shaft. Her entire right arm went completely numb, feeling as though it had just been struck by a high-voltage lightning bolt. She crashed heavily onto the stone slabs of a narrow alleyway, skidding several feet before regaining her balance. Her eyes widened in absolute shock as she stared at the floating weapon.
'What was that just now?! A star-skiff cannon?! No, that's not right!'The sheer physical force behind that single strike was absurd. Yunli wasn't even sure if swinging Laotie with every ounce of her monstrous strength could produce that kind of devastating impact. For a terrifying split second, it felt as if her beloved greatsword had almost shattered.'What is going on?'
As a prodigy of the Zhuming, Yunli firmly believed that all swords possessed spirits. Some cursed swords, possessed by parasitic Heliobi, were violently bloodthirsty. Other ancient, revered blades were cold and aloof. Yet, no matter the weapon, she could always perceive the underlying intent hidden within the steel.
But this hovering sword? It had absolutely zero intent.
'What kind of sword is this?'She narrowed her eyes, gripping Laotie tighter.'No, no, no, that's not right. It's not that it lacks intent. It feels like there is an impenetrable wall blocking my senses, making it impossible to feel anything at all. Very suspicious.'Yunli lowered her stance, holding Laotie defensively in her right hand while keeping Yanqing's stolen flying sword tucked safely in her left. Her mind raced to the only logical conclusion.'That's right... this monstrous power, this blocked intent... it must be a Heliobus cursed sword!'
The young girl's eyes burned with absolute certainty. "Hunt the cursed swords, sever them all!" she shouted, her battle aura flaring.
High above the alleyway, the sword spirit hovered in eerie silence. Inside its core, Rekka's installed AI matrix was already running a complete, hyper-speed data analysis on the barefoot girl. Grip posture, center of gravity distribution, micro-fluctuations in breathing frequency, skeletal muscle tension... every single variable was ruthlessly dismantled into cold, hard numbers and calculated within the advanced framework of the Sonnet Algebraic Formula.
Target Analysis Complete. Threat Level: Medium.
A synthetic, perfectly calm female voice projected from the blade. "Leave the flying sword in your hand."
Yunli gritted her teeth. 'A cursed sword dares to give me orders?!'
Minutes later, the once-confident girl stood beside a short, elderly man, looking thoroughly disheveled and out of breath.
She couldn't win.
It was a crushing realization. Though Yunli desperately wanted to act tough and maintain her pride, her arms were currently trembling so violently that she lacked the strength to even lift her greatsword. When you clash blades with an opponent whose every single strike is a mathematically perfect parry, instantly followed by a flawless reflection of kinetic force, your hands are bound to go completely numb.
The old man leaned heavily on his wooden cane, his sharp eyes squinting as he looked up at the silently floating sword.
"Grandpa, I..." Yunli started, her voice laced with frustration.
"Don't be in a hurry, child," the old man said, raising a calloused hand to gently stop her words. "Let Grandpa have a look."
General Huaiyan of the Zhuming studied the weapon intently. From its outward appearance, the metallic alloy of the blade seemed rather common, lacking the radiant luster of divine iron. Yet, the underlying forging technique... it looked strangely familiar, almost impossibly precise.
Huaiyan tucked his free hand behind his back, took half a step back, and thoughtfully stroked his long white beard. "Hahaha..." A low chuckle escaped his lips. "This isn't a cursed sword, Yunli."
Yunli blinked, utterly stunned. "Not a cursed sword? Grandpa, if it's not a cursed sword, how can it possibly be this strong?!"
She certainly hadn't forgotten the dark history of her family. She remembered all too well how her father, Hanguang, had smelted Heliobus cursed swords, ultimately leading to the devastating tragedy of the Yanlun Palace. Every single one of those cursed blades possessed a power so overwhelming it bordered on pure wickedness, entirely fueled by the parasitic nature of the Heliobi.
"This is an Ingenium flying sword," Huaiyan stated calmly.
"An Ingenium?" Yunli cried out, completely unconvinced. "A Luofu Ingenium flying sword can reach this level of combat processing?!"
She absolutely refused to believe that the artisans of the Zhuming could possibly be inferior to the Luofu in mechanical craftsmanship.
Huaiyan continued to stroke his beard, his sharp gaze lingering on the perfectly still, hovering blade. "Hahaha... I'm afraid this little toy wasn't made by the Luofu, either."
Suddenly, the sword emitted a soft chime. A high-definition holographic projection flickered into existence right before the grandmaster and his granddaughter. After all, with the impenetrable, chaotic firewall code personally written by Rekka, it would be an absolute miracle if Yunli's innate sword-sensing abilities could pick up even a fraction of the weapon's true nature.
The blue light coalesced into the vivid image of a woman. She possessed a slender, elegant figure and an incredibly cold temperament. Her sharp eyes carried a distinct hint of aloofness, naturally projecting an aura that kept ordinary people at a strict distance. She was dressed in a carefully tailored, traditional Xianzhou robe, her ink-black hair cascading like a dark waterfall down her back.
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