Listening to the crowd's words, the poetic swordsman's expression darkened to the point of appearing ready to explode. He glared at Ling Feng and shouted, "Kid, don't try to mislead the public with your nonsense! I, the Poetic Swordsman, have always acted with integrity. How could I ever steal another's poetry? You dare to slander me? I'll make sure you pay for this!"
With that, he charged fiercely at Ling Feng.
At the same time, he drew his sword in an instant!
The chilling sword light shot straight toward Ling Feng!
Faced with such an aggressive attack, Ling Feng did not retreat. His gaze sharpened as he reached out with two fingers and directly clamped the attacking sword!
No matter how hard the Poetic Swordsman struggled, he couldn't pull it free.
This left him utterly horrified.
After all, he was a powerful figure ranked fifth on the Master List!
Who, besides the top experts on the Heavenly List, could possibly achieve this?!
"What on earth is this kid?!"
"You are unworthy to write poetry, and even less worthy to wield a sword!" Ling Feng said indifferently.
With a slight exertion, he twisted the Poetic Swordsman's wrist with immense force, causing him to spin in the air before crashing to the ground.
The sword flew from his hand.
Before he could react, a flash of sword light was already at his neck, and Ling Feng said coldly, "Now answer me, who wrote that poem?"
The Poetic Swordsman was already pale with fear.
Before this youth, he felt as small as an ant.
The other party could easily obliterate him with a single thought!
"It was, it was you who wrote it."
"I just coveted that poem and thought to claim it for myself!"
"I've admitted it; please spare me..."
The Poetic Swordsman kept pleading.
Clearly, he valued his life more than his reputation.
However, Ling Feng looked at him with indifference and said, "Since you've admitted it, I will give you a chance: you shall take your own life."
"What? You actually want to kill me?"
"Weren't you just trying to kill me?" Ling Feng snorted lightly.
To insult the dignity of a poet from homeland was, in his view, a crime deserving of death.
Not to mention that the other party had attacked so viciously; had he not possessed exceptional strength, he would have been dead by now.
In the face of such a despicable person, how could he show mercy?
"You... you really intend to go this far?!"
"Don't make me do it myself!"
"I'll fuck your mother!!"
The Poetic Swordsman's eyes turned bloodshot as he rose in fury, preparing for a final desperate attempt!
He picked up the sword from the ground and swung it with all his might toward Ling Feng's head, but it was blocked by a layer of protective true energy.
"Since you refuse to take your own life, let me help you."
Ling Feng pointed his sword, and a ray of sword light burst forth from his fingertip!
Slash!
The long sword shattered!
The piercing sword light directly pierced the Poetic Swordsman's head.
His body went limp and fell to the ground, lifeless!
[Ding!]
[The host upholds the dignity of the unknown poet, using poetry to inspire awe and punishing the deceitful. The host is rewarded with Righteous Aura!!]
Ling Feng's eyes brightened.
Righteous Aura?!
That sounds impressive.
"System, what is the use of this Righteous Aura?"
[Righteous Aura is a special talent. With Righteous Aura, everything the host says or does will be more convincing, and it can also repel evil spirits and has a restraining effect on malicious forces.]
Ling Feng nodded.
Although the system described Righteous Aura in mysterious terms, he didn't fully understand it, but one thing was clear.
This Righteous Aura was definitely a good thing!
"Alas, I never expected the great Poetic Swordsman would end up like this. It's truly lamentable."
"Yes, he was a formidable swordmaster in his own right."
"I spit on him! A fraud like him deserves to die. Did you see how he acted just now? He had no dignity as a strongman and even tried to sneak attack."
"Exactly! I must have been blind to ever admire him."
As the crowd looked at the fallen Poetic Swordsman, some were regretful, some emotional, but more were filled with disdain and scorn.
Ling Feng didn't say much, leaping off the flower boat, leaving with Gu Linglong and Leng Ningshuang.
On the way, both Gu Linglong and Leng Ningshuang couldn't help but gaze at Ling Feng with admiration.
"I didn't expect you to not only possess great strength but also be well-versed in poetry. It's truly surprising!"
"Junior brother, what other surprises do you have that we don't know about?"
Ling Feng smiled faintly, "Actually, those poems weren't composed by me; I merely copied them from others. It's just that those people don't exist in this world."
"Is that so? Then why haven't those poems spread?"
"Uh..."
Ling Feng momentarily found himself at a loss for an explanation.
Meanwhile, Gu Linglong and the others displayed looks of realization.
"I see, junior brother, you're just being humble, right?"
"I see. It's better to be a bit low-key," someone remarked.
As they looked at Ling Feng, their admiration deepened further.
With great strength, talent, and such humility, he truly is exceptional.
Ling Feng, feeling a bit overwhelmed by their fervent gazes, sighed helplessly and decided to stop explaining. He led everyone back to the inn to rest.
However, he underestimated the impact of his poems.
The Next Day
Throughout Ten Thousand Sword City, countless sword cultivators were discussing the poetry that resonated throughout the city, provoking a harmonious response from countless swords.
"'The hall is filled with flowers, drunk are three thousand guests; a single sword, frost cold across fourteen states!'"
"Wonderful, wonderful! What a line about 'a single sword, frost cold across fourteen states.' As sword cultivators, we should aspire to this! The one who wrote this must be an unparalleled poet!"
"'I fought across three thousand miles, a single sword faced a million troops!' I can't imagine how bold a person must be to compose such heroic verses!"
"My favorite is still this line: 'The sharpness of the sword comes from grinding, the fragrance of the plum blossom comes from bitter cold!' This line is so uplifting, treating hardships and suffering as nourishment for growth, just to forge that final unmatched edge! It perfectly encapsulates the arduous cultivation journey for us sword cultivators!"
"What kind of great talent could create such verses?"
"I know who it is! It's Ling Feng from Baiyun Sect! He killed the Poetic Swordsman yesterday; turns out the Poetic Swordsman was just a fraud!"
The entire city buzzed with discussions about last night's events.
Ling Feng's name echoed throughout Ten Thousand Sword City.
Before the Sword Discussion Conference had even begun, he was already famous.
Now, whenever Ling Feng stepped outside, a crowd would gather around him, and many would approach him with paper and pen, asking for his autograph.
This made him hesitant to venture out.
He could only stay in the inn, patiently waiting for the Sword Discussion Conference to arrive.
"These people are truly insane," Ling Feng remarked helplessly.
"Indeed! That crowd had the audacity to touch you; it's truly despicable!" Gu Linglong replied, gritting her teeth.
Today, she had accompanied Ling Feng out.
While walking down the street, a large group of women suddenly surrounded him, asking for his autograph. Ling Feng was nearly overwhelmed by the crowd.
In the chaos, she even saw someone trying to touch Ling Feng's backside.
This infuriated her, prompting an outburst that finally got Ling Feng back to the inn.
Time Passed
Two more days went by.
As everyone eagerly awaited, the Sword Discussion Conference was officially about to begin!