Chapter 1547 Zhang Xuan Wants to Give Pointers (Part 2)

His understanding of the Zhang Family Sword had penetrated to the marrow, reaching an inconceivable level; every move he made carried the essence of speed. Yet this person before him could strike later but arrive first, and moreover, his strength far surpassed his own!

It was foreseeable that if he did not dodge, the opponent would surely break his power first, and even if his sword strike landed on the opponent, it would be utterly useless.

"Hmph!"

Knowing he had encountered a true expert, he cast aside any thought of holding back. Taking a deep breath, he slid his foot half a step backward, traced a peculiar arc in the air with his longsword, and changed his thrust into a chop.

"You've even used the Dragon-Catching Sword Move, and you..."

Seeing this move, Dream Sword Saint in the air nearly exploded.

If anyone in the world understood Xing Sword Saint best, it was her. This Dragon-Catching Sword Move—they had practiced it together for a long time before achieving mastery. Though not their strongest ultimate technique, its power was formidable; even Ren Qingyuan would be flustered if caught off guard.

He used it against 'him' right from the start—wasn't he supposed to hold back?

Is this how he holds back?

"If you come back and ever step through my door or into my bed again, I'll write my surname backward!"

Dream Sword Saint Wang Mengya ground her teeth.

"Mm, quick reaction!"

Seeing that the head of the Zhang family had instantly seen through his sword move and would strike later but arrive first, and had changed his move without hesitation, Zhang Xuan smiled. Still sitting motionless, he made no attempt to block the sword strike either. With a flick of his wrist, he thrust again.

The same move as before, the same strength, only this time he aimed not at the brow but at the shoulder.

Under normal circumstances, the shoulder was slightly farther away. Judging by speed, the Zhang family head's longsword would surely land on his head first. But if Xing Sword Saint continued his attack, his wrist would inevitably fall onto the opponent's sword light first.

Given the sharpness of the sword light, his wrist would be severed before he could injure the opponent.

Xing Sword Saint's face twitched, his expression growing even more solemn.

He had thought that since the opponent's cultivation was not high, he could easily win if he struck seriously. He never dreamed that even going all out, he could gain no advantage.

This young man before him, though not old, had eyes that seemed to see through his sword moves and actions in advance, always anticipating the enemy's moves and sealing off all his attacks as soon as he struck.

Not only that, but the most crucial point was... the opponent used the same move!

The most basic move in the Zhang Family Sword, the most common move in combat—Courtesy Calls for Reciprocity!

As the name implies, it was a probing move: first courtesy, then force. In battle, one treats the opponent with courtesy, probes their strength, and then counters...

Using a probing move to continuously block his two attacks—just how high was this guy's strength and mastery of the sword?

"I don't believe it!"

Raising his brows, knowing he could not avoid having his wrist severed, he stepped back half a step again, flicked his longsword once more, and scattered it like countless stars, stabbing toward Zhang Xuan's eyes.

Sword Falls Like Stars!

This move, which he had spent nearly three years creating, was not his peak ultimate technique, but it was at least twice as powerful as the Dragon-Catching Sword Move.

Condensed like a rainbow yet scattered like countless stars, it had not only physical attack effects but also great confounding effects on the opponent's spirit and soul.

The first time he used it, even Dream Sword Saint nearly suffered a loss.

After two consecutive failures, Xing Sword Saint held nothing back.

As the move unfolded, in an instant, Zhang Xuan seemed to be plunged into a sea of stars, surrounded by emptiness, like a virtual place without concepts of time or space, unable to tell north from south, east from west, or even know where the sword strike was coming from.

It was as if one had entered a starry sky, where all the stars were the same size. No matter how fast one moved, the reference points appeared unchanged, and to the naked eye, it seemed as if one had not moved at all.

At this moment, Zhang Xuan was like this—he had no concept of how fast the sword energy was or how far it was from him.

"Teacher..."

Cold sweat broke out on Zheng Yang's palm gripping his spear.

With his strength, facing this sword strike alone, he dared not say he could block it. Would Teacher be in danger?

Amid his anxious gaze, Zhang Xuan, sitting on the ground, moved. Still without shifting his position, exactly as before, he once again used Courtesy Calls for Reciprocity and thrust forward.

Swish!

The sword energy, still some distance from the countless stars, seemed to strike a certain flaw.

The stars collapsed, and all the celestial phenomena vanished.

Staggering back!

Xing Sword Saint's qi and blood churned as he retreated seven or eight steps, his eyes filled with disbelief and shock.

"Courtesy Calls for Reciprocity can break my Sword Falls Like Stars? This... how is this possible?"

Although this move was not among the top sword techniques he had cultivated, it was not to be underestimated. For the opponent to break it with an ordinary move was like defeating the Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms with the Supreme Fist—hard to believe.

"Heh!"

With a light laugh, Zhang Xuan's tone carried the air of one pointing out the way: "The sword is an extension of power. Where the mind goes, the enemy can be defeated. Moves are merely aids! Courtesy Calls for Reciprocity, though the simplest move, is precisely because of its simplicity that it possesses countless unpredictable variations. In the hands of a strong practitioner, its power is even greater! It's like a drunkard swinging a sword wildly—you have no idea where his next strike will point, nor whether he intends to kill you..."

"Of course, a cultivator can casually defeat the drunkard because his moves, though uncertain, lack focus. To use a simple move effectively, one must focus, anticipate the enemy's intentions, and grasp his attack target—only then can one overcome the enemy!"

"Your Sword Falls Like Stars just now, though marvelously profound, locks the opponent's essence, energy, and spirit, making escape difficult. But to lock onto the opponent's spirit, there must be a medium of communication, and that medium is the flaw in your move. The move I used, though simple, found that spot. A gentle tap to pierce it—that's only natural."

"Thus, your sword move collapses without a fight! It's like building a skyscraper—no matter how precise the calculations, down to the smallest detail... if you remove a single brick at the most critical point, the entire structure can turn into rubble!"

"A simple move is not necessarily a bad thing. Sometimes, used well, it can produce unexpected results."

Saying this, Zhang Xuan looked over and sighed: "Chief Zhang, you are too constrained by martial techniques and moves..."

"I..."

Xing Sword Saint's face reddened.

As one of the strongest swordsmen of the age, being lectured by this man who might be his son made his face burn with embarrassment.

"No need to be ashamed. At your age, to have cultivated such sword moves and sword intent is already quite remarkable..."

Zhang Xuan smiled slightly: "How about this: if you are willing, I can give you detailed pointers on the flaws in your sword moves, so you can advance further!"