Death… and me

The situation kept changing constantly. Chu Yang’s attack separated into two mighty torrents, just like streams of two different rivers. His attacks then rushed towards Young Master Yu, and pounded down abruptly.

Nine tribulations Sword, Nine Heavens Sword Technique- the sixth move!

Young Master Yu was just about to meet the enemy head-on when he suddenly discovered that something about these two powerful streams — one was hot, and the other was cold! One was Yin, while the other was Yang! The two streams intertwined with each other, and formed a tornado which rolled down violently!

[Such a sword-play also exists in this world!]

Young Master Yu exclaimed in admiration in his heart, and concentrated his martial power so as to not show any weakness as he moved forward to meet Chu Yang’s attack.

The sizzling-hot sword-wind threw itself at Young Master Yu. Young Master Yu felt as if his body was being roasted in fire. He forcefully burst out of the flames, but immediately came in contact with the cold wind. In fact, this wind was so cold that it could freeze the bones.

Bellowing loudly, Young Master Yu launched a counter-attack with all his might!

At the time he had used his attack, Chu Yang had clearly felt that his own martial power was falling short! So much so that it was nearly impossible for him to employ this move to its full extent!

[My martial power is not enough! My cultivation is also insufficient ah… ]

After this clash had concluded, Young Master Yu’s clothes were left tattered and looked like the attire of a beggar. Only a few strips of cloth remained hanging from his body, putting him in an extremely embarrassing situation.

Even traces of blood could be seen dripping from the corners of his mouth. 20% of Young Master Yu’s strength should have been near-invincible in the Lower Three Heavens. However, he had sustained injuries counterattacking Chu Yang’s sword energy.

Of course, the situation would’ve been entirely different if Young Master Yu had used a killing move. But the issue was… he could not!

“Really fierce!” Young Master Yu sat down cross-legged. He could see that Chu Yang was laying some distance away, and wasn’t making any movements. However, Young Master Yu wasn’t worried. Young Master Yu had full faith in this youngster: [This fellow won’t die until his head has been cut-off! ]

As expected, Chu Yang, whose body lay motionless on the ground suddenly twitched; and then twitched again…

“F*k!” Young Master Yu closed his eyes since watching his foe would only be bothersome for his mind. [Full on healing.]

Prior to this, he would never have anticipated that a battle with a Revered Sword Artist would reach this stage; this was truly surprising…

However, this fight had been immensely inspirational for Young Master Yu as well!

Especially that wonderful sword-play of Chu Yang’s…

In fact, Young Master Yu even hoped, [His sword-play is so much better!] Chu Yang was drawing support from him to practice martial arts. However, was he not doing the same by utilizing Chu Yang’s oppression to comprehend his own bottleneck?

In fact, Young Master Yu had always yearned for such unusual skills.

Lanterns were lit as the early hours of evening approached. Chu Yang suddenly jumped up, and stood face-to-face with Young Master Yu. He was bursting with energy and vigor.

“Let’s fight again!”

“Come on!”

Both of them felt hungry after finishing the match. Hence, they both entered the city walking shoulder to shoulder; smiles on their faces. Young Master Yu first looked for a change of clothes. Then they went to a small bistro to eat and drink to their heart’s content since they both were tired and hungry. As they ate and drank, the other people continuously raised their eyebrows to cast sidelong glances at them!

In just a moment, piles of meat bones had stacked on the table in front of the two. The waiters hurriedly cleaned it up when they heard those two starving ghost-like guys hooting at them, “Come back with another pot!”

Following the shout, Chu Yang slapped a gold ingot on the table. The waiters’ eyes beamed with joy as they hastily went back to make preparations.

“You even pay a bill for eating?” Young Master Yu said gulping wine from one hand, and gnawing at the meat bone from the other. He then squinted as he said, “I just use a slap on the face to pay the bill!”

“You think everyone is an evil bully like you?” Chu Yang replied smiling bitterly.

He recalled the scene of Young Master Yu going to buy clothes. Unexpectedly, he had entered a ready-made clothes store almost stark naked. He had stripped even before he took out some clothes from the rack.

He put on the clothes, and actually started walking out. He didn’t even greet the shopkeeper.

That fat boss came out to block his way, but got a slap on his face as a clearance of dues. The man was obviously left to bleed from the mouth and nose.

[He is such a villain,] Chu Yang grumbled.

After they finished their meals, they got up with great difficulty feeling their perfectly round bellies, and staggered to go out. They obviously left a lot of people whispering about them.

“I guess these two guys are beggars. It seems like they haven’t eaten their full in a lifetime… just look at their table manners.”

“That can’t be right. If they had been begging for food, where did the gold come from?”

“They must’ve begged for food. However, today they must’ve picked up a gold ingot from somewhere. Hence, they must’ve come here to eat. Didn’t you see that they ate a lifetime’s worth of food today… ”

“Right; curse those two bastards. They probably left to prevent their intestines from breaking apart… ”

The waiters looked at the table full of meat bones. The corners of their mouths twitched as they thought, [even a group of hungry wolves wouldn’t have been able to eat so much… ]

By this time, another fight had begun on the outskirts of the city…

They fought for ten consecutive days. The two were almost inseparable during the battles.

Chu Yang repeatedly used the first six moves until Young Master Yu was driven beyond the limits of forbearance. “Again? You still don’t feel annoyed by it?! Ah!”

Chu Yang had learned these moves by heart by now. Hence, he probed further to try out the seventh move: [The sun and the moon thunder at my will!]

There was a burst of aura after several days of battle, and Chu Yang made a breakthrough. This was his second breakthrough during these ten days of fighting!

Fourth Grade Revered Sword Artist!

After several days of thorough and rigorous fighting, Chu Yang finally succeeded in using the eighth move: [Chopping Mountains and Breaking Peaks under Blood Red Sky!]

These days, they were fighting a dozen times a day. The Sword Spirit had been frantically consuming the remaining medicinal efficacies. The Sword Point and Sword Edge had been sullenly swaying back and forth inside his Dantian the entire time…

Eventually, the power of the medicinal efficacies was almost squandered. Chu Yang’s breakthrough had also been achieved… Owing to Young Master Yu’s oppression over these past few days, his inner state had been stabilized completely.

Metaphorically, Chu Yang resembled a block of steel-and-iron whereas Young Master Yu was the sledgehammer. Days of incessant strikes had tempered him into his present state.

He was only short by one step, and then he would be capable to acquire the third fragment of the Nine Tribulations Sword!

However, he needed to proceed in an orderly way for this step. As it is said, if the pressure is too huge, even a precious jade could stand to be destroyed. At this point, the Sword Spirit acted very accurately by proposing to stop promptly.

Only a very small amount of medicinal efficacies were remaining in Chu Yang’s meridians. The Sword Spirit wasn’t prepared to use them since they were to remain untouched… until needed to save someone’s life.

On the tenth day, after the last battle had already been settled, Young Master Yu suddenly felt a gush of dense aura. He suddenly raised his hand, and burst into laughter as the hollow of his palm sent out a formidable attractive force!

The clouds suddenly began to frantically surge over from all directions…

It seemed as if marshals had gathered to summon a mighty army — with thousands of men and horses rushing over from all directions!

He broke through!

Young Master Yu also broke through!

Young Master Yu’s breakthrough had been no easier than Chu Yang’s. Nobody knew that he had been stuck in this bottleneck for three years!

He had been worried to a point where his hair had started to turn white.

He had never thought that he would attain a stage realization in the middle of a fight with a Revered Sword Artist, and make his breakthrough as a result!

Young Master Yu exhaled a long breath after the breakthrough. Suddenly, he became very quiet. He crossed his hands behind his back, and looked at the sky. An earnest expression surfaced in his eyes as the white clouds slowly scattered.

“Congratulations on your breakthrough.” Chu Yang extended his greetings smile.

“Yes ah, I have waited three years for this day,” Young Master Yu said as he smiled gently. “I should thank you. If it weren’t for you, I’m afraid this bottle-neck would have continued for a long time.”

“But you should also be grateful to me,” Young Master Yu said as he turned around and saw Chu Yang smiling. “Although I do not know why you were so crazy about breaking through in such a short time, I am sure you had your reasons.”

"Right,” Chu Yang said, smiling faintly. “Anyway, becoming a little stronger is not a bad thing after all.”

“Haha… ” Young Master Yu gave a hearty laugh. He asked Chu Yang candidly, “Can I take the liberty to ask the name of the person who taught you this marvelous sword-play? From where did you learn it?”

As he said this, Young Master Yu stared intently at Chu Yang’s face.

“This is nothing to be regarded as taking liberty,” Chu Yang said with a chuckle. “In the past I bumped into an old man when I was in Beyond the Heavens Sect. At that time, I was preparing a barbecue. Ah, I forgot to tell you earlier that I am really good at roasting hunted wild animals… ”

Chu Yang’s eyes revealed the color of obvious recollection, “The old man was probably very hungry. We ate roasted meat together. Then before leaving, he passed on eight moves of this swords play to me. He also said a few words- if you can grow up, these moves of the sword technique will let you move unhindered in the Nine Heavens.”

The affair that he spoke about was naturally a true experience but hadn’t occurred in Beyond the Heavens Sect. It had happened in his previous life. In his previous birth, he had accidentally met an old man in the Middle Three Heavens. He had met the old man in the Cang Lan Battlefront. That person had not taught him the Nine Heavens Sword Technique but a marvelous core technique.

Young Master Yu looked at Chu Yang’s eyes filled with deep recollection and finally concluded that it was not a lie. Such a genuine expression is impossible to fabricate.

“Far more than being able to move unhindered in Nine Heavens… ” Young Master Yu sighed. “If you can go on to a higher level, you will be able to rule over the Nine Heavens.”

He looked enviously at Chu Yang and said, “Chu Yang, this is your greatest blessing!”

“Yes, it is,” Chu Yang nodded and asked, “Young Master Yu, can I ask… what realm are you in right now?”

“Me?” Young Master Yu’s smile gently spread on his whole face. “My cultivation level… when you can see it, you will naturally know at once… “

Chu Yang nodded, with a pensive look on his face.

He knew that Young Master Yu did not want to tell him. It was as if he knew that telling would do him no good. If Chu Yang found out that the opponent he had been fighting with for half a month and had been evenly matched with, was actually on a level that was simply beyond his imagination… It would’ve been a huge blow to Chu Yang.

Chu Yang had asked the question to exorcise his own inner demons. Young Master Yu did not answer to maintain Chu Yang’s clear state of mind. It could be said that these questions and answers seemed like idle talk. They were seemingly nonsense. However at this moment, Chu Yang’s inner state became rock solid.

This was a wonderful situation; one that could only be sensed and not conveyed in words.

“I smell the sweet fragrance of Lotus,” Young Master Yu said, crossing his hands behind his back. “Ah Lu should arrive soon,” on saying her name this time, Chu Yang clearly saw a conflict in Young Master Yu’s eyes.

“This time, becoming number one under the heavens should not be a problem for Young Miss Ah Lu,” Chu Yang said in a soft voice.

“I have never cared about this ‘First Under the Heavens’ thing… ” Young Master Yu said smiling. “But this girl… must have something to do. Otherwise, won’t she be very lonely?”

“Let’s go take a look,” Chu Yang proposed.

Young Master Yu grunted, took a step and said, “Chu Yang, when your business in the Lower Three Heavens is finished, you must come quickly to the Middle Three Heavens! The Middle Three Heavens… along with the Upper Three Heavens is bustling with excitement.”

"Excitement?"

“The Three Stars Divine Clan has appeared,” Young Master Yu said in a heavy tone. If you get an opportunity to fight with them, you will find that it will be completely different from your experiences in The Nine Heavens…”

Not only the Middle Three Heavens but the Upper Three Heavens have also suffered more intensely from the attack of the Three Stars Divine Clan. All personnel have already gone back,” Young Master Yu said. “This is a fierce battle! The course of events can also eliminate the Nine Heavens once again.”

He said in a deep voice, “Chu Yang, participate in it as early as possible.”