Chapter 12: Six Years

Inside the training grounds, a youth clad in animal hide stood holding a black blunt sword, while around him stood nine tall and strong valiant warriors. These valiant warriors were all clad in armor, wielding spears, sharp swords, chopping knives, and the like, but all these weapons were unsharpened. Six years had passed. Although Ji Ning had just turned ten, having practiced the sword for six years, his cultivation of the 'Redmoon Nine Heavens Diagram' in this life had made him over 1.6 meters tall, only ten centimeters shorter than in his past life. His appearance was almost identical to that of his past life—perhaps this was what they meant by 'the mind shapes the face.' If one had to point out a difference... it was that in his past life, his face had been sickly pale, while in this life, it was full of boundless vitality and vigor.

"Same rules as always." Ji Ning swept his gaze across the surroundings, his eyes even more fearsome than a demon beast's. "Defeat me, and each of you gets a beast-head gold."

"Roar~~"

"Young master, be careful."

"Haha, a beast-head gold! Brothers, let the young master see our strength." These valiant warriors all roared. They were the most powerful warriors in the army commanded by the Ji clan's West Prefecture—the Nine-Fang Warriors! To earn the title of Nine-Fang Warrior, one had to have cultivated internal energy to the Houtian grand perfection and possess rich combat experience.

A beast-head gold was a standard ten-jin piece of gold. Gold was a hard currency among countless tribes, and ten jin of gold was enough to tempt even the most powerful warriors in the army.

But none of them dared to be careless. Ji Ning's prowess had long spread throughout the army. Because he regularly sparred with elite soldiers... the warriors were well aware of Ji Ning's improvement. Even with nine of the most powerful warriors joining forces, defeating Ji Ning was still difficult, but not impossible.

Ji Ning held his black blunt sword, silently surveying his surroundings.

In truth, ever since he had mastered the most complex sword art, the 'One Hundred Eight Swords of the Heavenly Spirits and Earthly Fiends,' to his father's satisfaction, and sparring with puppets had become meaningless, he was permitted to spar extensively with warriors from the army. All weapons used in sparring were unsharpened.

At the same time, his father had issued a strict order: "When sparring with others, you are only allowed to use a single sword! And you may only use one-tenth of your strength! Only when sparring with me or your mother are you allowed to use twin swords... Remember, twin swords are your killing move; use them only when you truly intend to kill your opponent."

Thus...

Although Ji Ning's fame had spread throughout the army, and he was recognized as a genius, they did not know that this was merely the tip of the iceberg. Of course, in combat, he gave his all in 'single-handed swordsmanship' and 'footwork.'

...

The nine warriors circled Ji Ning, each staring at him as if he were prey.

Ji Ning stood as immovable as a mountain.

"Whoosh!" Among the circling nine warriors, one bald warrior suddenly lunged forward, his spear darting out like a venomous snake, reaching Ji Ning in an instant.

Facing this vicious thrust, Ji Ning merely swayed his body and closed in on the bald warrior, causing the spear to miss.

A spear's greatest fear is close quarters!

"Chi!" Ji Ning's black blunt sword traced an arc, and a flash of sword light passed. The bald warrior fell to the ground while simultaneously kicking his spear hard, sending it horizontally crashing toward Ji Ning. He himself rolled back into the formation.

"Whoa, that was close. I almost got taken out in one move. Brothers, be careful," the bald warrior called out as he rejoined the formation.

Ji Ning stepped on the spear and looked around. "Come at me all at once, or you'll have no chance."

"Go."

"Go."

Sensing the gap, the nine warriors stopped testing and went all out.

Wind howled, blades flashed, sword shadows flickered, spears like dragons, staffs like tigers... They attacked Ji Ning from all sides, but he merely made subtle retreats and turns. These slight shifts in posture rendered many of their attacks futile.

The clash of weapons sometimes boomed like muffled thunder, indicating great force.

Other times, a soft 'chi' sound was heard.

"No wonder they're Nine-Fang Warriors. Their coordination is impressive. If there were only five or six, I could defeat them instantly. But with nine working together, I'm completely on the defensive." Ji Ning found it very taxing to fend off the nine warriors' siege. With only one sword, he had to push his swordsmanship and footwork to the limit.

"Whoosh!"

"Whoosh!"

Sword shadows whistled.

Ji Ning suddenly felt intoxicated. At that moment, his body and sword were in perfect harmony. He could even sense the 'sword' itself through the blade, and feel the wind rushing past the sword as it moved at high speed.

"Chi!" The black blunt sword lightly touched a warblade, first lifting it upward, then twisting. The opponent's blade veered off course uncontrollably. Then the sword tip shot forward, striking the warrior in the chest. The warrior grunted, stepped back twice, and sat down heavily.

"Whoosh." The black blunt sword traced a twisted arc through the air, easily bypassing the blocking spear, and slapped the bald warrior across the face. With a 'puh,' teeth flew out, and the warrior tumbled away.

In an instant, it was like an autumn wind sweeping away fallen leaves.

Ji Ning's sword became ethereal, its changes subtle and minute, capable of multiple variations in a single moment. In a life-or-death struggle, a momentary advantage could instantly turn into victory. Thus, the nine warriors who had been giving Ji Ning a hard time were all knocked down in the blink of an eye.

"Congratulations, young master."

"Congratulations, young master, on achieving subtlety in swordsmanship and unity of man and sword."

The warriors, both startled and excited, offered their congratulations one after another.

A mere ten-year-old youth, yet his swordsmanship had reached the level of subtlety, becoming one with the sword. He was even more monstrous than his father, Ji Yichuan, the 'Drip Sword'.

Hahaha... Ji Ning was extremely excited. For six years, six years of continuous sword practice, every day except for going outside the city to practice archery in the morning, he spent almost all his time practicing the sword—sometimes with his father, sometimes with his father's disciples, and sometimes with soldiers.

The sword had long been integrated into his bones.

Countless repetitions had made his sword precision terrifyingly accurate.

The ability to multitask made his swordsmanship unpredictable.

His demonic-like body and his internal energy, cultivated to the peak of the Houtian stage, made his sword unstoppable.

Until today!

After long accumulation, everything fell into place: his swordsmanship reached subtlety, and he became one with the sword.

Today, you all helped me break through. I have nothing else, but each of you will receive a beast-head gold. Don't refuse.” Ji Ning laughed heartily.

The nine warriors looked at each other and said in unison, “Thank you, young master!”

If they had merely lost, they wouldn't have accepted it. After all, as Nine-Fang warriors, they had their pride. But Ji Ning's achievement of 'becoming one with the sword' was a great joy. Under such happy circumstances... it was normal for them to accept some rewards.

Nine of you.”

Standing in the distance, the two close maids, Chuncao and Qiuye, hurried over carrying stone trays, on which lay nine beast-head gold pieces, all sheep-head gold. The nine warriors took them with smiles, all feeling deeply impressed... Young master Ji Ning was truly remarkable, but they had also witnessed his diligence over the years.

Congratulations, young master! We wish you joy!” After the nine warriors left, Chuncao and Qiuye were both beaming with happiness.

Six years had passed, and Chuncao and Qiuye were now around twenty, at their most charming age. As close maids, they would typically become their master's women, so from the bottom of their hearts, they had long regarded Ji Ning as their heaven, their god. Seeing their young master achieve such greatness filled them with joy.

Hahaha...” Ji Ning laughed as well.

Anyone would be excited. After all, after years of hard training, how could one not be happy about success?

He had practiced the sword for two years before his father deemed his 'body' and 'mind' ready for sword training, and only then was he taught the 'One Hundred and Eight Swords of Heaven and Earth'.

Another year passed before he reached the first level, and his father allowed him to spar.

Another three years, until today, he finally reached the second level: swordsmanship subtlety, becoming one with the sword!

"Spring Grass, Autumn Leaf, follow me." Ji Ning called out. What he wanted most now was to see his parents.

......

From deep within the连绵 mountains came bursts of roars.

At the foot of the mountain was a large group of black-armored knights. Their armor was thick, with spikes at the joints, and their mounts were tall, horned, long-haired beasts. The beasts' two curved tusks, thrusting angrily toward the sky, emitted a cold,森寒 gleam. Their four hooves were thick and sturdy, and when they ran, even the earth trembled.

These hundred-odd black-armored knights all exuded a powerful aura.

"Hm?" The black-armored knights turned to look not far away. There, the mountain wall rapidly softened and turned red, then became scorching magma. A large amount of magma flowed and rolled down from one spot on the wall, and a vaguely humanoid figure walked within the magma, surrounded by flames, directly stepping out.

Whoosh.

With one step, he dropped directly to the ground below. In his hand, he dragged a ferocious, bizarre beast covered in green-brown scales. Behind him followed another four-hooved beast. Soon, the magma on the humanoid figure's body was shaken off, revealing his appearance... it was an old man with fiery red hair and a small red snake hanging from his ear. The four-hooved beast walked to the side of the venomous snake old man, docile and obedient.

"Master." The hundred-odd black-armored knights all called out respectfully.

The venomous snake old man, Ji Lie, laughed heartily: "Out hunting, and I happened to encounter a Ground Armor Dragon. Lucky. This Ground Armor Dragon is only one step away from evolving into a先天 lifeform. Take it back and raise it well."

"Master, master!" A voice suddenly came from high in the sky.

Ji Lie looked up.

High in the sky, there was a huge green-feathered bird, on which sat a lean man dressed in animal hide. When the bird descended rapidly, the man in animal hide leaped down lightly, landed on the ground, and then knelt on one knee respectfully, saying, "Master, there is news from the manor."

"Speak." Ji Lie frowned.

"Ji Ning, the son of Ji Yichuan, has entered the state of 'Man and Sword as One' today." The man in animal hide said respectfully.

Ji Lie's eyes widened, the flames on his body surged abruptly, and his body trembled with rage. Suddenly, he hurled the Groundwyrm he had been holding in his hand into the distance. The tens of thousands of jin demon beast Groundwyrm turned into a blur, crashing with a boom against the mountain wall in the distance. The mountain wall trembled, forming a huge pit, around which cracks spread for over a hundred zhang. The Groundwyrm was stuck in the pit, blood seeping from its head and scales—it had been smashed to death.

"Return to West Manor City!" Ji Lie ground his teeth for a long time before giving the order.

"Yes." The hundred black-armored knights answered in unison. Although they thought it was a pity to leave the Groundwyrm's corpse there, their master Ji Lie was in a violent rage, so no one dared to disobey.

Rumble~~~

Ji Lie rode his four-hoofed beast, followed by the hundred black-armored knights, and quickly disappeared into the deep mountain forest, leaving only the Groundwyrm's corpse embedded in the high mountain wall, with blood flowing down the rock face.