LRAB Let's call this move in Chapter 16 "A Glimpse of Startling Cold"!
Let's call this move in Chapter 16 "A Glimpse of Startling Cold"!
Yang Yan sheathed her knife and took a step to the left.
Xu Qingya held his breath and took a step forward.
Yang Yan took another step to the left, and Xu Qingya took another step forward. It didn't look like a martial arts competition, but more like drinking and playing rock-paper-scissors with their legs.
This was not a game, nor was it a sword fight with flirtatious glances or a knife fight with tender feelings. Rather, it was Yang Yan demonstrating the swordsmanship of Guantao Pavilion, with Xu Qingya countering each move.
The founder of Guantao Pavilion once attained enlightenment in the South China Sea, comprehending the sword intent of "Suppressing the Sea and Subduing the Waves" from the ebb and flow of the tides. His internal martial arts skills are all centered around the word "continuous".
There is a common routine in swordsmanship called "Night Battle Eight Directions Hidden Sword Style". The martial arts of Guantao Pavilion are completely opposite to this move. Their swordsmanship has the power to "seal all eight sides".
To put it simply, it's about using a tidal wave-like sword technique to disrupt the opponent's rhythm. The sword is like the tide, and the enemy is like a reef in the tide, losing their "stability".
If Xu Qingya didn't follow Yang Yan's leap to the left, he would fall into her rhythm and wouldn't be able to exert any of his strength, even if he had the power to move mountains and fill seas.
With each advance and retreat, Xu Qingya transformed himself from a reef into a surfboard, drifting with the current and using its momentum to his advantage. The more force Yang Yan exerted, the stronger the counterattack she faced.
The two attacked and defended, walking for twenty or thirty steps. Yang Yan was poised to strike, while Xu Qingya waited patiently. If they continued walking, they would not finish even by dawn.
Suddenly!
A flash of light shot from Yang Yan's wrist.
No one would have imagined that Yang Yan could, in the blink of an eye, transform her steady and methodical swordsmanship into a peerless and deadly move that could cleave the enemy in two with a single strike.
The cold, menacing glint of the blade, like fish scales, swirled from its surface, reflecting the bright moonlight to form a dazzling curtain of light—a truly beautiful sight.
Xu Qingya's palm moved at will, and hundreds of fragmented sword lights flashed like stars in the Milky Way, twinkling in the clouds and sky.
There is no fixed method for "Creation Knife".
"Creation" is a knife, and "knife" is creation!
This method only has the simplest basic moves such as horizontal slash, vertical slash, and diagonal slash. When fighting in battle, it all depends on the user's intuition and skill to transform a single strike into countless strikes.
One strike can break all laws!
A faint green light flashed in Xu Qingya's eyes. This was a technique he developed while observing tigers in the Black Forest, based on the tiger's eyes: blood filling the pupils to discern the enemy's aura.
The blade in Yang Yan's hand flashed with ever-changing light, as if the soft knife had come to life, more colorful than the ocean waves.
Xu Qingya remained calm and composed, responding to each move with equal precision. No matter how the sword techniques changed, his right hand always accurately struck Yang Yan's wrist pulse point, his fingertips gently stroking it.
Yang Yan knew that once her pulse was touched by his fingertips, she would be unable to move and would be powerless. At that point, she would be at Xu Qingya's mercy and would have no chance to fight back.
They wanted to avoid it, but when they were fighting each other's steps earlier, their energy was intertwined, forming a situation where they were intertwined. How could they possibly avoid it?
Fast knife, slow knife, heavy knife, horizontal slash, vertical slash, jumping slash, diagonal slash, spinning slash, concealed knife...
No matter what moves Yang Yan used, Xu Qingya could always respond with just the right countermeasures, but these moves were not lethal; they were merely "disassembling" her.
This feeling is absolutely suffocating.
It's like being interrupted while yawning; there's no real damage, but every pore feels stuffy.
What kind of ghostly sword technique is this?
Every time Yang Yan made a move, she felt she could hit Xu Qingya, but she was always interrupted by Xu Qingya at the last moment, her delicate face turning into a red date.
It wasn't that Xu Qingya didn't know how to cherish women, but rather that as the two fought, Xu Qingya entered a state of complete enlightenment, with only the changes in sword techniques remaining in his mind.
Yang Yan incorporated martial arts skills, sword intent, lightness skills, and even moonlight into her moves. Her swordsmanship was exquisite and her movements were light, truly befitting the title of Fairy Jinghong.
Xu Qingya's eyes widened, his gaze vacant, as he entered a state of sudden enlightenment, using slowness to overcome speed and speed to overcome slowness, going with the flow, adapting to circumstances, and acting in accordance with the trend.
The knife is creation, and creation is the knife.
One cut, one wound; one wound, one cut.
Techniques are finite, but the intent of the sword is infinite.
Human strength is finite, but thought is infinite.
The two had never met before, let alone had any record of fighting. As they exchanged a hundred moves, their techniques complemented each other, and it became as if they were sparring with someone from the same school.
The moves are varied and imbued with the essence of a sword that whispers secrets, a knife that conveys tender feelings, and a palm that burns like dry wood.
"Whoosh!"
Yang Yan soared through the air like a spring breeze, and her most famous nickname in the martial arts world was "Fairy Jinghong." With "Jinghong" as her martial arts title, one can imagine how extraordinary her lightness skill was.
Xu Qingya then soared into the sky, his feet gently swirling in mid-air. The flowing wind in the night sky obediently lay prostrate at Xu Qingya's feet, lifting him up.
Even Zhui Ming and Chu Liuxiang would be speechless with astonishment upon seeing this "Wind Control" technique.
With a slight twist of her waist, Yang Yan nimbly flipped over like a lark, swung her hand and stabbed at Xu Qingya with a knife. With a flick of her left hand, she drew out another short knife.
The knife is about two feet long, crystal clear, neither gold nor jade, and its blade exudes a chilling aura, as if it were made of black ice, yet it is not black ice.
This knife is called the "Ice Jade Knife." It is a divine weapon left behind by Panta. Yang Yan rarely uses it because she is afraid that her background will be exposed. But now she has no choice but to use it.
It should be noted that Xu Qingya had been engaged in fierce battles and was quite exhausted. His dantian was depleted, his true qi was weak, and his combat strength was less than 50%. Moreover, he did not use the Magpie Blade.
Under these circumstances, Yang Yan's head was throbbing with pain from Xu Qingya's palms pressing down on her. Even if she transformed into a swift swan and soared through the heavens and plunged into the earth, she could not escape Xu Qingya's inescapable net.
If this continues, defeat is inevitable.
Yang Yan could accept defeat, but not such a humiliating one! Her hands clasped together like crab claws, and both blades slashed down simultaneously, unleashing a large curtain of light.
Xu Qingya caught the soft knife with his left hand, his eyes fixed on the ice jade knife. It was as if a new mind had opened up his mind, and all his doubts suddenly became clear. His eyes involuntarily flickered.
A fleeting glance.
His right palm swept past.
Swordsmanship is like a fleeting glance, an unconscious glimpse that, in an instant, is unforgettable, a single look that lasts a lifetime.
"Clatter!"
Yang Yan's wrist went numb as Xu Qingya's fingertips swept across her pulse point, leaving half of her body feeling tingly and weak. The ice jade knife clattered to the ground.
Xu Qingya seized the opportunity to grab Yang Yan's knife, pull her hand, hug her slender waist, and gently embrace her.
Only then did Xu Qingya regain his senses. Looking down, he saw Yang Yan's eyes, which seemed both angry and shy, even more shocking than the sword technique he had just mastered.
A fleeting glance, yet an eternity in a single look—that's all there is to it.
Yang Yan asked softly, "Qingya, what move did you use just now? Was it the Magpie Blade Sect's sword technique?"
Xu Qingya laughed and said, "The first technique I used was my own creation, the second one was a move I had an epiphany about in battle. This technique was created based on my senior sister's ice blade..."
"so what?"
"Let's call it 'A Glimpse That Startles the Heart'!"
A fleeting, chilling glance?
"The 'startling' beauty of the Fairy of Startling Swan, the chill of the ice blade, plus my first encounter with my senior sister when I arrived in the capital... these words combined perfectly capture the essence of 'A Glimpse of Startling Coldness'!"
"Huh? You... what are you doing...?"
Yang Yan keenly noticed the flaw in her words.
Other things aside, how could the words "Fairy Jinghong" come out of Xu Qingya's mouth?
Due to its insufficient martial prowess, Linglong Pavilion takes a secretive approach. Outsiders only know that the owner of Linglong Pavilion is Fairy Jinghong, but they are unaware of Fairy Jinghong's true identity.
Yang Yan revealed two identities to Xu Qingya: one was the wealthy young lady of the Yang family, and the other was Pan Youdi. She never revealed the identity of "Fairy Jinghong".
Did Xu Qingya see through his disguise during their fight?
Wasn't he completely absorbed in his own world just now?
He'd even forgotten "himself," so how could he possibly be thinking about these things? Did he already know all along...?
"Senior sister, what's wrong?"
Xu Qingya subconsciously rubbed his face, thinking to himself that his face was no less beautiful than Li Xunhuan's, and even compared to Li Ruohai, the two were on par.
Why does Yang Yan have that expression?
"The stunningly beautiful fairy!"
"Uh... is there a problem?"
"How did you know I was the Fairy Jinghong? I've never revealed my identity, nor have I told you!"
"My master told me!"
Xu Qingya skillfully shifted the blame to Ximen Changhai.
While "wearing a disguise" is interesting, it inevitably involves too much scheming and will seriously drain your energy. Instead of continuing to play games, it's better to talk things out.
Just shift any blame to Ximen Changhai.
Fun fact: Yang Yan's master, the current head of Guantao Pavilion, is a nun. She and Ximen Changhai are fellow disciples. Ximen Changhai was very handsome when he was young.
How can I describe my master's handsomeness?
Gongsun Lirong of the Ancient Tomb Sect, even in her old age with white hair, still caused trouble at the Magpie Blade Sect every now and then, demanding that Ximen Changhai marry her, or she would never give up.
For some strange reason, several of the female warriors who had feelings for Ximen Changhai either continued to entangle him or became nuns.
A top expert in the literal sense.
The most powerful "Divine Nun" ranks among the top five on the Heavenly Gang Ranking and is known as the "Number One Swordswoman of Buddhism." In the ranking of female swordswomen, this Divine Nun is the Sword Master.
When traveling the martial arts world, there are certain types of people you shouldn't mess with, and one of them is a nun. Others might have experience in the martial arts world, but Xu Qingya is a threat to the sect, and no one would dare to provoke her!
I'm afraid of being beaten to death!
Thinking of these "harmful legacy of the sect," the guilt of blaming the master vanished in an instant!