Ling Xiao did not expect the lizard leader Le Bie to listen to him.
Some words still had to be said.
“Le Bie, will you listen to him or to me? This kid is cunning and clearly sowing discord. If we fight, the scorpions will be saved. This guy is sly.”
Feng Zhan said coldly, his right hand twitching slightly. If Le Bie did not listen, he would kill Le Bie first.
“Kid, no matter what fart you let out, it is useless. Today I will definitely destroy the scorpion tribe. If you want to die, keep standing there.”
Le Bie did not disappoint Feng Zhan. This was a fool with only brute force and courage, no brain at all.
Such a guy was too easy to control. He almost hated to kill him.
“If you will not listen, fine. No need for me to waste words. But today I, Ling Xiao, protect the scorpion tribe. To touch them, pass me first.”
Ling Xiao simply shielded Xie Li behind him and casually handed her some Spring-Returning Pills and Heaven-Returning Spirit Pills. “First treat their wounds. And sister, you probably have injuries too. Leave these rice bags to me.”
“Hahaha, this kid is mad. Even if your cultivation broke through, you are just a mere early Seven Stars Heaven warrior. Do you really take yourself seriously?”
Feng Zhan could not help laughing loudly.
“Yes, I am just an early Seven Stars Heaven warrior. But General Feng Zhan, you seem to forget. Your Grand Master Timur Mu Tu was scared off by me. I captured your little prince Jiumo Zhiyan right in front of you. I am weak, but come try. See who dies here first today.”
Ling Xiao’s expression was calm, showing no fear. This instead made Feng Zhan somewhat wary.
After all, what Ling Xiao said was true. The kid’s strength was poor, but full of tricks. A moment’s carelessness could get one killed.
“Since you are so confident, this young master will kill you first. See how sharp that mouth stays!”
While Feng Zhan hesitated, Situ Mo spoke.
Xie Li actually said he was inferior to this kid.
He had been holding in anger.
Now the kid’s identity was clear. The one who scared off Grand Master Mu Tu and captured the little prince Jiumo Zhiyan.
Killing this kid would be a great merit.
Situ Mo was a genius but not born into a good family.
He needed an opportunity.
And this opportunity had appeared.
“My mouth is sharp, but the sword in my hand is sharper!”
Ling Xiao said faintly.
“Good, very good. Since you want to die, I will grant it. But remember when you die, I am the Shadow Swordsman: Situ Mo!”
Situ Mo walked step by step towards Ling Xiao. His sword, though still sheathed, already exuded thick killing intent.
“I do not like remembering dead people’s names.”
Ling Xiao looked at Situ Mo and slowly drew the Golden Crow Sword.
Ling Xiao was a warrior, and more a swordsman.
In the past, his understanding of the sword was shallow. Treat the sword as a sharp weapon to defeat enemies, wield the weapon to its utmost.
But after those new memories flooded his mind, he suddenly realised.
He had never been a qualified swordsman. Strictly, he was just a warrior who used swords.
Swordsmen had their own realms. This realm required constant battle honing and comprehension.
Swordsmen had five realms. Ling Xiao was currently in the first: Sharp Sword level!
Wield a sharp sword, invincible!
Sharp Sword level used the sword’s sharpness to push moves to the extreme, while speed, inner force, and consciousness rose together.
Sharp Sword level had three layers. The highest was Sharp Sword Unintentional!
Sharp Sword Unintentional meant moves came naturally, extremely proficient, no need to think. Moves and sharp sword coordinated perfectly.
Ling Xiao was at this realm.
Thus he needed a sharp weapon like the Golden Crow Sword to assist and explode stronger combat power.
After Sharp Sword level came Soft Sword level.
Soft Sword level pursued utmost change on the basis of moves at extreme. Higher consciousness, faster speed than Sharp Sword, higher inner force.
Every move attacked first, every stance sought change, winning with variation and speed. Movement and strike speed ghostly, like light smoke.
Soft sword featured extreme change and elasticity, hard to control freely. Because hard to control, strikes were extremely fierce.
This level also had three layers. The highest was Soft Sword Inconstant.
About “Inconstant”: simply, formless combat.
If one was fast enough that the opponent could not block or parry, that was inconstant. Thus “fast” was a form of inconstant. If speeds were equal or not enough to defeat instantly, as long as one side’s strikes were odder, moves finer, changes inconstant, they held clear advantage in same-level fights.
Soft sword’s greatest feature was variability. Through vigour and inner force circulation, soft sword strike forms could change thousands of ways at the user’s will, freely transform, like an endless source of new moves, inconstant and endless, profound and bizarre.
Reaching this stage’s extreme allowed formless over formed in martial arts, thousand changes in swordsmanship, utmost subtlety in move variations reachable by humans.
Ling Xiao had reached Sharp Sword Unintentional, the third layer of Sharp Sword level.
About to step into Soft Sword level.
As for the later three realms, he had not touched them. But confirmed, true swordsmen at highest stage achieved man-sword unity. No need for a sword. Any body part could be a sharp sword.
This progress was what Ling Xiao gradually discovered and mastered after the North Desert City battle. Whether he could become a peerless swordsman depended on comprehending the pinnacle swordsman realm.
Cultivation alone was not enough. Comprehension was key.
Of course, Ling Xiao’s opponent, shadow swordsman Situ Mo, was also Sharp Sword level.
But Situ Mo’s realm was clearly below Ling Xiao’s, not yet at Sharp Sword Unintentional.
So purely on swordsman realm, Situ Mo was inferior to Ling Xiao.
Do not underestimate this seemingly small gap.
In battle, it was a miss by a hair, a mistake by a mile.
Situ Mo’s sword finally unsheathed. The surroundings instantly turned pitch black. In the darkness, a snake-like sword stabbed towards Ling Xiao’s throat.
Not fancy, but very dangerous.
Trampled by an elephant, that was death.
Bitten on the throat by a venomous snake, still death.
But facing Situ Mo’s attack, Ling Xiao just lightly raised his hand. The Golden Crow Sword in his hand instantly condensed a Scarlet Sun Cone.
No need to think. As if the sword in his hand thought for itself.
As if all combat was natural.
