...
The evil spirit passed peacefully.
Never in his wildest dreams would he have thought that a 20-year-old young man, who in his eyes was no different from a doll, would be able to split him in half with a single sword strike一allowing him to see each half of his face.
The magnificence of that sword strike was even more radiant than the shooting stars in the sky, so much so that it was beyond belief!
One strike had completely destroyed his decades of bitter cultivation.
"Why did I provoke him?"
That was the last thought that the evil spirit had before its consciousness completely dissipated.
...
No one in the entire street noticed that because the evil spirit was a spirit body. Ordinary people could not see it, nor could they see it if their spiritual cultivation had not reached a certain level.
Only the soul that had one of its arms bitten off by the evil spirit knelt down and bowed toward Ye Xiao.
On the belly of the golden ox statue behind him, there was a black hole the size of two fingers left over by Ye Xiao's sword strike.
When Ye Xiao arrived at the library, his colleagues were all passionately discussing something.
"Have you heard? Recently, there's a sword art genius from Han state who wants to challenge the younger generation of sword art martial artists in the nine provinces."
"Who doesn't know? The forum is about to explode. That fellow is called Piao Jiansheng, and he's the last disciple of the sword sage of Han state, Liu Chengxun."
"Oh my god! Liu Chengxun! I heard that he's been the number one swordsman in Han state for the past hundred years! His swordsmanship can be ranked in the top ten in the world!"
"His overall combat strength can also be ranked 47th on the World Dragon list!"
"This disciple of his is amazing. I heard that the martial art geniuses of Jing province have all been wiped out. Our Zhong province is his second stop in challenging the nine provinces, and Jianghai city is the gateway to Jing province. I'm afraid that he has come with bad intentions."
"The geniuses of Jing province have all been defeated. Our Jianghai city will most likely not stand a chance."
...
When Ye Xiao heard that, his expression was slightly stunned.
To actually be able to defeat the geniuses of the younger generation in Jing province一it seemed that Piao Jiansheng was indeed extraordinary.
Thinking about it carefully, it made sense. His master, Liu Chengxun, was, after all, one of the top ten martial artists in the world in terms of sword art. His overall combat strength could also be ranked on the Dragon list. It was not surprising that he had taught a disciple of his level.
Ye Xiao often read books, so he had some understanding of some of the rankings in that world.
That world had a Dragon list and a Tiger list一consisting of the world's top 100, non-front-line troops in the martial arts. The first 50, collectively known as the Dragon list while the last 50 were collectively known as part of the Tiger list.
Beyond that, there seems to be a Phoenix list, which is dedicated to recording the cultivation level of female martial artists.
In short, those who could make it onto the ranking board were not ordinary people!
After all, to be able to stand out from billions of people in the world was in itself an extremely powerful affirmation of strength!
However, what did that have to do with him?
He was just a small administrator.
He clocked in for work, ate after work, and slept at night. That was it.
Arriving upstairs, Ye Xiao once again began to read.
The saber technique, sword technique, and mental cultivation technique had all been combined into top-tier cultivation techniques, and the Golden Book divine soul was cultivating by itself.
Next, he should consider learning some new skills and increasing mental strength. He had to learn all of them so that he could successfully combine a few more cultivation techniques.
In the morning, Ye Xiao was reading. Not long after, the fragrance of gardenias entered his nose. Ye Xiao raised his head slightly and met Qin Yuyan's gaze.
"Sorry to bother you. I'm returning the book."
Ye Xiao nodded and took the book to check it.
"It's fine. I'll upload it later."
"I also have a favor to ask of you. In addition, I have something to do these two days, so I can't come over. If there's a new saber technique in the library, I'll have to trouble you to keep an eye out for it."
Ye Xiao nodded.
He could almost immediately discern what Qin Yuyan was going to do.
Her grandfather was the most famous sword art martial artist in Jianghai city. She was also the person with the most attainments in sword art among the younger generation.
Since Piao Jiansheng came to Jianghai city to challenge the most worthy opponent, she would definitely be a match for him.
However, if she were to go up against him, there was an 80 to 90 percent chance that she would be defeated.
Although Ye Xiao had never seen Piao Jiansheng before, he knew that his swordsmanship was definitely not ordinary. Otherwise, it would be impossible for him to sweep through all the young sword art geniuses of the entire Jing province.
Qin Yuyan's swordsmanship could be considered somewhat impressive in Jianghai city, but in the Jing province, it was definitely not that impressive.
In addition, she had been secretly learning saber techniques during that period of time. If her swordsmanship did not advance but instead declined, then it would be a miracle if she could beat him.
However, Ye Xiao did not expect her to actually comprehend a saber intent. It was probably learned from the saber mark he left behind.
That girl was quite stubborn when it came to saber techniques.
Unfortunately, what she will compete with is sword techniques and not saber techniques.
Even if Qin Yuyan practiced her saber techniques the best, it was likely that it would not be of much use.
She did not even dare to tell her grandfather about her practice of saber techniques. How could she dare to display it in public?
"Is this your cat?"
Qin Yuyan noticed Huan Liuli in her cat form and immediately picked her up from the ground.
"So cute! So soft!"
She stroked Huan Liuli's fur. Huan Liuli was very satisfied with her fair hands. Not only did she not resist, she even laid in her arms and enjoyed it.
The place she laid in was so relaxing. It was even more comfortable than a sofa.
It was soft and warm.
It would be great if she could lay down here every time she slept.
Ye Xiao glanced at her and nodded indifferently.
Qin Yuyan's face rubbed against Huan Liuli's fur. Her eyes revealed a trace of warmth and envy.
"I really envy you. You can do whatever you want."
"You can too."
A bitter smile appeared on Qin Yuyan's face as she continued to pet the cat.
"Actually, our Qin family is an aristocratic family of the sword arts. The Qin family's swordsmanship has been passed down from generation to generation. It has been passed down for more than 200 years. In my generation, it has been passed down to me as well. Therefore, my grandfather only allowed me to practice swordsmanship."
Ye Xiao did not reply and just quietly listened.
Qin Yuyan continued to speak as if she was talking to herself.
"I don't know if you know, but that Piao Jiansheng from Han state has already issued a challenge to me.
"If I were to use my sword technique to fight Piao Jiansheng this time, I would definitely lose miserably. In fact... I might not even last two moves!
"But if I were to use my saber technique to fight..."
As she said that, Qin Yuyan's eyes revealed a strong fighting spirit, but there was also a hint of hesitation mixed within.
It was obvious that she really wanted to use her saber technique to fight against Piao Jiansheng and test how strong her saber technique really was.
However, she was also very afraid of her grandfather. She was afraid that after she used her saber technique, it would be difficult for her to face her grandfather.
Ye Xiao only said indifferently,
"Whether it's a saber technique or a sword technique, they all require an indomitable will in order to be able to achieve anything.
"For someone like you, who is timid and scared, and cares too much about your grandfather's feelings while also wanting to cultivate the saber arts in your heart, you might as well go back and cultivate sword art.
"Although you don't like it, it might not be as bad as you think."