"Not fighting anymore?" Zhou Heng casually remarked, a smile unwittingly curling up at the corner of his mouth, finding her petulant appearance rather enticing.
Lin Fuxiang had indeed intended to call it quits, but upon hearing Zhou Heng's languid voice, a surge of anger rose from the depths of her heart. She brandished her sword across her chest and retorted, "With you purely on the defensive, of course you have the upper hand. Now it's my turn to defend, do you think you can break through?"
After gaining a sliver of insight into the Sky-soaring Nine Forms, Zhou Heng had not yet crossed swords with anyone. Her words made him somewhat eager to try. He considered for a moment and then said, "Let's just forget it, we have no grievances or grudges, and I don't want to hurt you!"
Lin Fuxiang almost felt her nose crook with irritation. What did he mean by "I don't want to hurt you"? Was she sure to lose?
Damned fellow!
"Stop boasting and make your move!" she commanded.
"As you wish!" Zhou Heng's spirit sharpened, and he immediately entered a wondrous state of desirelessness and non-contention, ready to unleash the Sky-soaring First Form.
Lin Fuxiang paled with shock!
Before her eyes, Zhou Heng seemed to merge with the entire world, as if he were the sky itself, the very earth!
The sword had not even been drawn, yet the sheer might of his presence was already so magnificent. How terrifying would the power of his swordsmanship be once unleashed?
The best course of action was to launch a fierce attack before he could strike with his sword. But to Lin Fuxiang's astonishment, she found herself clueless about how to attack!
It might seem ridiculous—wasn't Zhou Heng just standing there?
For Lin Fuxiang, it was anything but laughable! Zhou Heng had become one with the entire world. How could she possibly attack the world itself? She felt as insignificant as an ant before the heavens and earth!
Who could fight against the heavens?
This was due to her lack of experience in battle. If it were someone seasoned in bloodshed, bursting with killing intent and ready to "cut down heaven and earth", they would have simply thrust out their sword without hesitation!
Swoosh!
Zhou Heng moved, unleashing a sword strike like a cascade of stars falling from the heavens, replete with an irresistible, incredible force.
Dodge!
That was Lin Fuxiang's only thought, but when she tried to leap away, she found her body suddenly weighted down as if by ten thousand kilograms, as though the whole world was pressing down on her. The invisible air turned into a solid wall, making even the slight movement of a finger excruciatingly difficult!
In reality, the world is heartless, with not a shred of sentiment, so it cannot possibly side with anyone. It was just her mind being completely overwhelmed by Zhou Heng's sword intent!
Zhou Heng's sword was attacking!
The cold gleam was piercing. Lin Fuxiang, startled, hurriedly closed her eyes, her mind going blank.
What kind of sword was this!
Even her father, Lin Jianchen the Sect Master of the Nine Spirit Sect, could not perform such a feat! And her father was an expert of the Spirit Gathering Realm, immersed in the Sword Dao for over a century. Even he had not reached such a state of mind. What terrifying being was this young man in front of her?
They say that some supreme experts, once their cultivation reaches a transcendental state, can even rejuvenate and retain eternal youth! This young man in front of her must be such an otherworldly expert; no wonder he could completely neutralize her Flying Waterfall Sword Technique from beginning to end!
And she had angered such an extraordinary expert! Lin Fuxiang couldn't help but regret this deeply!
Without the anticipated pain, she cracked open her eyes just a slit to see the chilling tip of his sword poised right in front of her proud bosom, a mere inch from touching her prominent peaks.
If this scene had occurred before, Lin Fuxiang would have definitely thought Zhou Heng was a rogue, a lecher, but now she was convinced that he was a supreme expert, a mysterious old monster of unknown age. How could she consider Zhou Heng in an unsavory way?
Since this esteemed senior, this supreme expert, had not taken her life, that meant he was not offended by her actions!
Struck by a sudden revelation, Lin Fuxiang immediately prostrated herself and said, "Junior did not recognize the senior's awe-inspiring presence, please forgive my ignorance!"
Zhou Heng was startled by her sudden change from arrogance to respect. How had he suddenly become a senior? However, it was clear that there was no need to continue the fight. Not only did she concede, but she had gone overboard with her admiration!
He sheathed his sword and said, "I am not any senior!"
"Yes, senior wants to conceal his identity. I understand!" Lin Fuxiang did not stand up but instead gazed at Zhou Heng with eyes brimming with admiration, "Earlier, junior did not realize the senior's kind intentions, and I failed to appreciate the hard work you put into your guidance. Please, do not take it to heart!"
What?
Zhou Heng felt a bit dizzy. How had this woman begun to weave her own narrative? He couldn't see how she could be foolish! Nonetheless, if she wanted to misunderstand, let her be. He couldn't deny that being looked at with such admiration by a top-grade beauty was quite pleasant.
"Get up quickly!" he said, not offering a hand to help, as men and women should not touch hands when giving or receiving.
"No, unless the senior agrees to my request!" Seeing that Zhou Heng was not angry, Lin Fuxiang took the opportunity to act coquettishly. In her eyes, Zhou Heng was an old monster pretending to be young—what was there to be embarrassed about being charming in front of him?
Being a woman of ravishing beauty, her glancing eyes were filled with boundless charm.
Zhou Heng's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly recited the Moonshadow Heart Jue to calm his mind, saying, "Alright, alright, just get up and we'll talk!"
"Thank you, senior!" Lin Fuxiang obediently stood, her demeanor gentle and compliant.
This was rushed onto the shelf, and Zhou Heng thought for a moment before saying, "The sword technique you practiced before wasn't too bad, but it had many deficiencies. Let me modify it for you!"
"Please guide me, senior!" Lin Fuxiang said respectfully with a fist salute.
Zhou Heng concentrated his spirit and energy, and drew his sword—it was the Flying Waterfall Sword Technique.
Although he had only seen Lin Fuxiang perform it twice, after grasping a trace of the profound mysteries of the Sky-soaring Nine Forms, it seemed as though there were no secrets in martial arts before him. They were like a book, available for him to peruse at will.
Lin Fuxiang was greatly surprised; Zhou Heng's swordplay had fully captured the essence of the Flying Waterfall Sword Technique, even more masterful than when she performed it, as if he had been immersed in this sword technique for decades.
A senior is a senior, an expert is an expert. Just by watching her practice a few times, he had grasped the essence of this sword technique, and he didn't even need the corresponding sword technique to do so. The power he wielded was undiminished!
No, there was a slight change in the sword moves!
The wrist was slightly offset by half an inch!
She didn't understand the significance of this modification, but still, she memorized it and watched carefully as Zhou Heng performed the second and third moves, following along with her own gestures.
"Raise your wrist a bit more!" Zhou Heng instructed from time to time. As time went on, he set aside concerns about propriety between men and women, and corrected her hand-to-hand.
Lin Fuxiang didn't mind at all; she had come to view Zhou Heng entirely as an old senior. But Zhou Heng himself was a hot-blooded youth through and through, unaccustomed to such close encounters with the opposite sex. Inhaling Lin Fuxiang's faint body fragrance, gazing at her exquisitely pretty face, he couldn't help his face turning red and his heartbeat accelerating.
The thirty-six-form sword technique was quickly re-practiced, and changes had been made to almost every move. After Lin Fuxiang performed the revised sword technique smoothly in one go, she showed an expression of both joy and surprise.
In the past, after she ran through the Flying Waterfall Sword Technique, there was always an indescribable sense of awkwardness!
Her father had said that this was because the true Flying Waterfall Sword Technique had long been lost. What the Nine Spirit Sect had was an incomplete version, which was only preserved and passed down after being repaired by a talented senior more than three hundred years ago.
Even so, this Flying Waterfall Sword Technique still possessed great power—it was one of the top three martial arts techniques of the Nine Spirit Sect!
But now, as she performed it in one breath, her True Yuan Force surged like a tide within her, and she seemed on the verge of making a breakthrough from the Body Refinement Ninth Layer into the Blood Refinement Realm! There was only one explanation for this—it was that Zhou Heng had thoroughly completed the Flying Waterfall Sword Technique. The leading of the Qi movement gave her an opportunity to break through the great realm!
With this opportunity, her difficulty in breaking through to the Blood Refinement Realm in the future would be significantly reduced!
The true Flying Waterfall Sword Technique!
Lin Fuxiang grabbed Zhou Heng's hand, her expression extremely excited and her pretty face flushing with two red spots, extraordinarily beautiful.
Zhou Heng felt embarrassed; after all, he really wasn't any senior, but a vigorous young man. How could he withstand such temptation without something untoward happening? He quickly withdrew his hand and coughed heavily.
Lin Fuxiang, however, didn't mind at all. In her heart, she already saw Zhou Heng as a lofty expert, without any sense of male or female distinction.
"Since you've already learned it, we should part ways here!" The agitation in Zhou Heng's heart lasted only briefly, but his pursuit of the martial path was much stronger.
"Senior, I haven't had the chance to repay your great kindness. Why don't you come to my house and sit for a while?" Lin Fuxiang extended a cordial invitation. The clever girl wasn't foolish—bringing such an "expert senior" back to the Nine Spirit Sect, and having him offer a few pointers, would certainly bolster the sect's strength, wouldn't it?
Zhou Heng hurriedly waved his hand, saying, "I have other things to attend to!"
"Senior—" Lin Fuxiang said, drawing out her words, and grasped Zhou Heng's hand, shaking it like a child throwing a tantrum.
Zhou Heng's heart jumped again, and after inwardly cursing her as a little seductive woman, he turned his face and snorted heavily.
The senior seemed to be getting angry!
Lin Fuxiang didn't dare to be presumptuous anymore and quickly released his hand, stepping back a few paces.
"Hahaha, Xiang, you've grown even more charming in just a few days!" A hearty laugh came, and four men emerged from the woods, led by a young man in his twenties who looked very handsome.
Huh, wasn't this the same group that had snatched the Three-tailed Wolf Eagle from her over a month ago? Only a few were missing, and she hadn't seen this young man leading them before.
Lin Fuxiang scanned over them, and her pretty face immediately showed an annoyed expression as she shouted, "Jin Xiuming, don't talk nonsense!"
"Young Master Jin, that boy—that boy is the one who killed Junior Brother Niu!" one of the men recognized Zhou Heng and stepped forward, pointing at him.
"Hmm?" Jin Xiuming also turned his gaze toward Zhou Heng, his eyes immediately turning sharp, and with a chilly smile, he said, "You actually dared to kill someone from White Jade Valley, you're dead meat, boy!"
"Don't be disrespectful to the senior!" Lin Fuxiang yelled angrily. She was not someone who forgot favors and violated righteousness; Zhou Heng had helped her complete the Flying Waterfall Sword Technique, which was a favor of monumental importance to her and the entire Nine Spirit Sect, and she would not allow others to belittle or slander him!
She drew her sword and positioned herself in front of Zhou Heng, valiant and spirited.
"Senior?" Jin Xiuming and the others exchanged glances before bursting into laughter.
Calling a wet-behind-the-ears youth a senior—wasn't that the biggest joke in the world?
Lin Fuxiang was already furious in her heart, and with their laughter, her anger grew even stronger. With a sharp cry, she pointed her foot and shot forward, her long sword flowing, performing the Flying Waterfall Sword Technique.
"Pah, I thought you were a chaste and loyal woman; I didn't expect you to be a seductive woman fooling around with some random youth. I have traveled a thousand miles for nothing to find you!" Jin Xiuming's face was filled with disdain, "And this senior business, seriously, using such flattery as if it's fun, you're really desperate!"