Chapter 21: A Heaven-Shaking Sword Strike

Wu Renyou was stunned for a moment.

Then, he let out a cold laugh.

He cleared the crowd, leaving a large open space for himself and Su Xuan.

Clearly, being defied by a Loose Cultivator in front of his colleagues had made him fly into a rage.

“I won’t bully you.

As long as you can last 5 breaths against me, I’ll consider you qualified.”

As he spoke, he cracked his neck, making a series of crisp sounds.

His originally gaunt and hunched body seemed to inflate; his muscles filled out, brimming with a sense of power.

Su Xuan looked at Wu Renyou’s arms, which were as thick as an ordinary person’s calf.

He estimated his own body could not withstand a single punch.

‘I can’t do it.

I can’t give him a single chance to get close.’

He silently set the tone, secretly circulating the Ningnian Jue in his hands while staring at Wu Renyou.

“Here I come!”

Wu Renyou stared at him and licked his lips.

Immediately, he lunged forward in a bow-step, throwing a punch that carried his body quickly toward Su Xuan.

Seeing the youth remain motionless, as if frozen by fear, Wu Renyou’s angry expression twisted into a cruel smirk.

He felt he had been more than fair, but since the boy didn’t know how to appreciate it, he couldn’t blame him.

It had been a long time since he felt the wonderful sensation of a fist piercing through a human body.

He even missed it a little.

“Get out of the way!”

Lu Zhiyi grabbed Lin Zhiwei’s arm and tried to rush forward, but her Senior Sister held her back firmly.

Unable to move, she could only shout anxiously.

In a corner she couldn’t see, Lin Zhiwei had already quietly pulled out her Dagger, gripping it so tightly her knuckles turned white.

Su Xuan ignored his disciple’s shouts.

He fixed his gaze on the approaching Wu Renyou, silently calculating the distance.

5 meters…

4 meters…

Finally, he could clearly see Wu Renyou’s certain, cruel smile, and even the man’s goatee was sticking up high.

‘Now!’

He gritted his teeth and kicked off with his left leg, dodging to the side.

Simultaneously, he swung his left hand — the one that had been secretly accumulating Spiritual Power — with a sudden force.

Clang!

The sharp sound of clashing metal rang out.

A cold flash of light suddenly flew from Lin Zhiwei’s hand, accompanied by a sharp whistling sound.

It sliced right into Wu Renyou’s shoulder.

It was the Dagger she always carried with her.

The Dagger pierced Wu Renyou’s shoulder, carving a deep gash where the white bone was faintly visible.

He screamed, crashing heavily to the ground, clutching his shoulder and howling in pain.

“What?”

The recruited Loose Cultivators were in an uproar.

Their mouths hung open, and they failed to react for a long time.

Is that… Sword Control?

Was this frail-looking youth actually a Sword Cultivator?

And had he already refined a flying sword?

Compared to the Loose Cultivators, the stewards, who possessed more experience, stared at the Dagger on the floor with even greater disbelief.

They exchanged looks, feeling that this youth had a significant background.

“Stewards, I wonder if my combat level is sufficient?”

Su Xuan ignored the downed Wu Renyou.

Panting slightly, he addressed the man’s colleagues.

That move just now required both speed and precision.

It had consumed a lot of his energy, and doing it again would likely be very difficult.

Wu Renyou was certainly humiliated and enraged right now.

Asking him would only provoke him further, so Su Xuan turned to his colleagues instead.

“The younger generation is truly formidable.

Your Sword Control Technique is quite exquisite.

Might I ask who your master is?”

Among the stewards, a noticeably older man spoke up.

‘Sword Control Technique?’

Su Xuan was briefly stunned, then realized they had misunderstood.

“My master is but a fisherman by the Luoshui.

His name is not worth mentioning.”

He decided to play along with the mistake, deliberately speaking in vague terms.

Luoshui.

That explained it.

Disciples from there often traveled to the mortal world for experience, and every one of them was incredibly low-key.

This boy was likely a disciple of the Luoshui Sword Sect.

The old man keenly caught the name of the location.

The way he looked at Su Xuan carried a hint of awe.

“Damn it… damn it!”

To the side, Wu Renyou acted like a wounded beast, silently picking himself up from the ground while staring at Su Xuan.

He took a stance, ready to attack.

“Enough!

Manager Wu, haven’t you embarrassed yourself enough by bullying a junior?”

A sharp light flashed in the old man’s eyes.

He let out a cold shout and blurred in front of Su Xuan, grabbing Wu Renyou and throwing him into the crowd.

“Fellow Daoist Su, this matter was Wu Renyou’s own doing.

It tarnishes the reputation of the Marketplace.

I will report this to the Market Master.”

After his cold rebuke, the old man spoke to Su Xuan with a softened tone.

He reached into his robes, pulled out a green jade token, and handed it to Su Xuan.

“This is the Market Master’s Distinguished Guest Token.

It allows you free passage in the Inner Market and the right to choose any residence.

I give it to you today; please do not take offense.

If there is an opportunity in the future, please come to the Inner Market for a chat.”

Looking at the polite old man, Su Xuan pondered briefly.

He had already offended Wu Renyou to the core.

Since the Marketplace was extending an olive branch, refusing it would mean he had a problem with the Marketplace itself, rather than just Wu Renyou.

“Thank you, friend.

I will visit the Inner Market in a few days.”

With that thought, he gave a faint smile and took the jade token.

He tossed it casually to his disciples as if he didn’t care at all.

The jade token landed precisely against Lin Zhiwei’s chest, getting wedged firmly in the fold of her robes.

The old man looked back and forth, the friendliness in his eyes deepening.

Although Su Xuan’s casual tossing was a bit rude, it matched the consistent impression they had of Luoshui Sword Sect disciples: arrogant and completely indifferent to money.

If he had been skeptical before, he was now completely convinced.

This youth named Su Xuan was a disciple of the Luoshui Sword Sect.

In fact, most ordinary disciples couldn’t even manage that level of Sword Control.

The matter the Market Master was planning required talented individuals; he had to report to the Market Master immediately.

Feeling a sense of urgency, the old man spoke quickly.

“In that case, I won’t disturb you further.

We will report Wu Renyou’s actions to the Market Master.

We shall talk again.

Farewell!”

With a wave of his hand, several men carried the unconscious Wu Renyou away and left.

Before leaving, the old man didn’t forget to gently close the courtyard gate, showing full respect.

Once they were far away, Su Xuan breathed a small sigh of relief.

Picking up Lin Zhiwei’s Dagger from the ground, he wiped off the bloodstains.

As he weighed it in his hand, he realized it was much heavier than an ordinary dagger.

No wonder it was so taxing for him.

“Here.

It’s a good dagger.

Keep it safe.”

Su Xuan said as he handed it back to her.

Lin Zhiwei had just pulled the jade token from her chest.

She clutched it, looking dazed and motionless, as if stunned by his earlier display of “Sword Control.”

“Master, when did you learn Sword Control?

That was amazing!”

Lu Zhiyi had already jumped over to grab his hand, her eyes filled with pleasant surprise.

She had been worried sick, never expecting her master to have such a trick up his sleeve.

“Not long ago.”

Su Xuan said, waving the Dagger in front of Lin Zhiwei.

Seeing her stare at him with a complex expression, he realized she looked exactly like her character in the game.

‘Sigh, this eldest disciple is such a handful.

What did I even do to make her look at me like that?’

Su Xuan was confused.

Looking at the two sisters, who were polar opposites, he felt somewhat speechless.

He turned to Lu Zhiyi.

“Zhiyi, let’s go.

To celebrate us getting through this crisis, Master will take you to the Marketplace to buy your favorite snacks.”

Looking at the joyful Lu Zhiyi, he felt that compared to her Senior Sister, she was as easy to manage as an angel.

Not only did she practice in secret, but she was also very obedient.

In that case, he might as well build a better relationship with her; she might even be a help in the future.

“Senior Sister, are you coming too?”

Hearing this, Lu Zhiyi hurriedly pulled Su Xuan along, ready to leave happily.

Remembering something, she turned back and nudged her Senior Sister.

“You two go.

I… I want to practice my sword.”

Lin Zhiwei snapped out of it.

Seeing her clutching Su Xuan so intimately, she turned her face away and spoke in a muffled voice.