"Have the Four Swordsmen of Dao Inquiry all set out?" Lu Yuzhai sat beneath the pavilion, his expression having returned to its initial calm composure.
The messenger disciple had run back and forth until drenched in sweat. After sitting down and gulping a large bowl of cold tea, he finally spoke: "I saw it with my own eyes. As soon as Sword Elder heard the visitor was using the Dragon Surprise Spear technique, he immediately dispatched the Four Swordsmen."
"Good." Lu Yuzhai nodded in satisfaction.
"They say the Four Swordsmen have inherited Sword Elder's true teachings. With them taking action, they'll surely defeat that masked fellow," someone nearby chimed in.
"Defeat my ass!" Lu Yuzhai cursed. "Those four good-for-nothings? Pah!"
"Huh?" The crowd was puzzled.
Lu Yuzhai sneered coldly: "How strong could those four weaklings be? And how strong was that man earlier? He was a swordsman, yet with just a casual flick of his spear, he shattered my weapon to pieces. What kind of realm is that? That's first-class mastery. The Four Swordsmen aren't even fit to carry his shoes."
"Then why send them?" someone asked.
Lu Yuzhai stroked his chin and said thoughtfully: "If only I were defeated, those Martial Hall people would make a big fuss and humiliate my master. But if all Four Swordsmen are defeated so miserably... then they'll be the ones humiliated. And once they fail, Sword Elder will personally take action."
"So the senior brother ultimately wants Sword Elder to stop that man," the crowd suddenly understood.
Lu Yuzhai nodded, then shook his head: "But can even Sword Elder win?"
Outside Peerless City, Su Muyu sheathed half his sword before extending his right hand to firmly grasp Luo Ge's swift blade: "Among the four, your sword is the weakest."
"What did you say?" Luo Ge roared in anger.
"You pursue absolute speed. Against opponents weaker or equal to you, your swift sword is indeed intimidating. But against someone far superior in the Sword Way, a hundred harmless strikes are less effective than a single threatening move." Su Muyu twisted his hand, disarming Luo Ge. His sword then danced through the air—several times faster than Luo Ge's previously dazzling rapid strikes—forcing the other three to retreat hastily.
Luo Ge's face paled in shock: "Impossible... this can't be..."
"Your sword poses the greatest threat among the three—thin as cicada wings, silent in execution, an assassin's blade. But it's better suited for nighttime, killing without a trace." Su Muyu extended two fingers to catch the slender sword, then snapped off its tip with a twist of his hands and flicked it toward Jia Zhou.
Jia Zhou hastily withdrew, but the blade tip still grazed his cheek, drawing blood. Su Muyu had held back; had he intended to kill, Jia Zhou would already be dead.
Su Muyu then turned, evading Ye Wuxiu's descending Greatsword, and lightly leaped to plant a foot on its flat surface: "With such a heavy sword, if you don't take your opponent's life within thirty moves, you'll exhaust yourself, each strike weaker than the last. You're strongest at the start—now you're weakest. Keep fighting, and you'll die from fatigue without me lifting a finger."Ye Wuxiu strained to pull back his greatsword, but Su Muyu's foot remained firmly planted on the blade. With a casual flick of his finger toward Ye Wuxiu, a streak of Sword Qi shot toward the man's face. Forced to abandon his weapon, Ye Wuxiu retreated hastily. Seizing the opportunity, Su Muyu stomped down, kicking the greatsword upward. Catching its hilt midair, he swung it forward, pressing the blade against Xiu Ru's chest.
A bead of sweat the size of a pea rolled down Xiu Ru's forehead. His own sword hung frozen mid-swing—his attack had been intercepted halfway. Su Muyu shook his head. "Your swordsmanship is the strongest among them, and your mind the steadiest. Yet I never once worried about you. You're too cautious. You won't strike unless I show an opening, and when I do, it's only because I'm luring you in."
Xiu Ru replied gravely, "Your swordplay far surpasses ours."
"The Four Swordsmen of Dao Inquiry—heavy, light, swift, and measured—is one approach. But can the Sword Way truly be confined to a single word? Mastering any one path to its extreme would make you formidable. But what if you never reach that peak? Too many flaws." Su Muyu tossed the greatsword back to Ye Wuxiu. "Did your teacher assign you this style to help you seek the Dao, or to use you as tools in his own pursuit?"
The four men stiffened. Xiu Ru, quickest to grasp implications, understood Su Muyu's insinuation: Sword Elder knew their Four Swordsmen style would crumble against true masters yet had them practice it anyway—not to hone their skills, but to refine his own Sword Way by observing their battles.
Luo Ge, catching on, snarled, "What nonsense are you spouting?"
"The Four Swordsmen of Dao Inquiry from the Martial Hall... defeated!" the merchant suddenly shouted. "And this man didn't even draw his own sword!"
The crowd erupted in murmurs. "Is his swordsmanship truly this refined? Or are the Four Swordsmen merely overhyped?"
"Silence!" Luo Ge roared. "All of you, shut up! We underestimated him earlier. Again!"
"The jianghu doesn't tolerate underestimation. Second chances at survival are rare." Su Muyu stepped forward, appearing beside Luo Ge in an instant, a blade as thin as a cicada's wing now in hand.
Jia Zhou gasped. "When did he take that back?"
Su Muyu rested the sword lightly on Luo Ge's shoulder, his voice icy. "Careful. Don't let it slip. This edge is too sharp—the slightest slide could take your head clean off."
Even prideful Luo Ge dared not retort. The killing intent in Su Muyu's words was palpable; one more provocation, and blood would surely spill.
"Still no one worthy of my blade." Su Muyu walked onward.
The four stood frozen until Xiu Ru finally stirred. "Sound the drums!" he barked. "Alert the city—someone's breaking through!"
The guards scrambled up the tower, pounding the war drums. From within Peerless City, a voice boomed like thunder: "Who dares trespass into our Peerless City?"Su Muyu had now rushed to the gates of Peerless City. Raising his head, he finally uttered the long-awaited words.
"Zhuo Yuean, Young Master of Swordless City, issues a Sword Challenge to Unrivaled!"
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