Youth must be seized early, for one cannot remain young forever. Chapter 135: A Spar in the Woods

The next day, after breakfast, Bai Qingzhou left his little courtyard in high spirits.

In less than the time it took an incense stick to burn, he arrived before another courtyard. He studied it carefully, and once he was certain he had not mistaken the place, he stepped forward and gave the door a light knock.

After a while, the door creaked open, and the head of a middle-aged woman appeared in the gap.

Seeing Bai Qingzhou, she was clearly surprised. “Immortal Master Bai, have you come to see my master?”

Bai Qingzhou nodded lightly. “Yes. Is Senior Brother Chen at home?”

“He is. Please wait a moment. I’ll go and inform him at once.”

“Go ahead.”

The middle-aged woman gave him a formal curtsy before turning and walking into the courtyard. Bai Qingzhou remained quietly at the entrance, waiting.

This was Li Xian’s courtyard.

After giving the matter some thought the previous day, Bai Qingzhou had decided that Li Xian would be his ideal sparring partner.

Li Xian had reached the ninth level of Qi Refining more than a year ago. His spiritual energy had long since reached the peak of the Qi Refining stage, and he was only a step away from advancing to Foundation Establishment.

Moreover, Li Xian’s strength was formidable. The strange rope he wielded was controlled with astonishing skill, mysterious and unpredictable. At present, he was the best opponent Bai Qingzhou could find.

Before long, Li Xian appeared at the entrance. With a stern expression, he looked at Bai Qingzhou without saying a word, employing the silent treatment that was his usual method.

Knowing his temperament, Bai Qingzhou went straight to the point. “Senior Brother Li, I recently obtained a sword technique. Whenever I practice it on my own, I feel that my progress is too slow. That is why I came to ask if you would spar with me, so that I might deepen my understanding of swordsmanship and gain more practical experience. What do you think?”

Even after hearing this, Li Xian remained silent. His eyes, however, continued to move over Bai Qingzhou, showing that he was seriously considering the matter.

Bai Qingzhou did not urge him. He merely waited quietly for Li Xian’s answer.

After a long while, Li Xian gave a slight nod.

Bai Qingzhou’s face brightened. “Excellent, Senior Brother! Are you free today? Shall we spar now?”

Li Xian nodded again. Then he moved past Bai Qingzhou and walked outside.

Knowing that Li Xian had agreed, Bai Qingzhou immediately followed him.

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The two of them made their way to the rear mountains. Li Xian seemed to come here often and knew the area well. After the time it took an incense stick to burn, he found a broad, open clearing.

He turned and stood silently, fixing his gaze on Bai Qingzhou. The two stood several yards apart, facing each other.

Before Bai Qingzhou could speak, Li Xian raised his right hand and pointed at him. He then crooked his finger twice in quick succession, his gesture openly provocative and clearly signaling that they could begin.

Bai Qingzhou did not hold back. He immediately summoned the White Sand Sword and shouted, “Senior Brother, be careful!”

With that, he stamped his foot into the earth, leaving a deep imprint in the soil, and lunged toward Li Xian.

The sword in his hand became elusive and unpredictable, striking from an unbelievable angle as though it had split into several afterimages.

His first move was the Ethereal Sword Technique.

Li Xian’s gaze sharpened, and his expression instantly grew serious. The sleeve of his robe trembled slightly, and a limp rope suddenly crawled out from the cuff, wrapping itself around his hand in an instant.

Seeing that Bai Qingzhou’s sword did not follow any conventional pattern, Li Xian reacted swiftly. At the precise moment, he raised both arms to block.

Clang!

Bai Qingzhou’s sword struck the rope in Li Xian’s hands, producing a harsh metallic scrape.

The rope, which had seemed limp only a moment before, suddenly became extraordinarily hard. It stopped Bai Qingzhou’s sword dead, preventing it from advancing even an inch.

After countless battles, Bai Qingzhou had already gained considerable combat experience. He had been mentally prepared for Li Xian to block the attack.

As though guided by muscle memory, he spun around sharply. With another step, he thrust his sword from an equally strange angle, aiming straight for Li Xian’s chest.

Yet he had still underestimated Li Xian’s speed. Li Xian turned violently, narrowly avoiding Bai Qingzhou’s vicious strike. At the same time, the rope in his hand shot toward Bai Qingzhou’s head like a launched arrow.

Bai Qingzhou had never expected Li Xian to react so quickly. He hurriedly withdrew his sword and dropped into a crouch, narrowly evading the rope’s killing stroke.

Just as Bai Qingzhou prepared to launch another attack, he was astonished to see the extended rope turn behind him as if it were alive, curving around and striking again.

His heart lurched. He immediately raised his sword to block.

Clang!

The two magical weapons collided once more.

Bang!

Although he had managed to defend himself, the tremendous force carried by the rope still transmitted into Bai Qingzhou’s body. He was struck hard and sent flying backward.

Bai Qingzhou braced one hand against the ground and flipped through the air, dispersing much of the impact before landing and coming to a rather disheveled stop.

“Senior Brother Li, what an impressive technique!” Bai Qingzhou laughed heartily. He was clearly delighted by Li Xian’s strength. After only a few exchanges, he had already discovered that Li Xian possessed abilities at the very peak of the Qi Refining stage in every respect.

But the stronger the opponent, the more effectively one’s own combat ability could be tested. Li Xian’s astonishing strength immediately awakened Bai Qingzhou’s competitive spirit.

“Senior Brother, again!”

The moment he spoke, Bai Qingzhou spun sharply. The sword in his hand darted toward Li Xian once more, flicking forward like a venomous snake’s tongue.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The two began battling fiercely among the trees.

The spiritual attacks and sword aura unleashed during their exchange sliced the surrounding trees to pieces, sending them crashing to the ground.

The power was immense.

Neither used talismans or any other offensive magical weapons. Relying solely on the weapons they each wielded best, and aided by Bai Qingzhou’s combat experience, they fought to an even match for a time.

Before long, nearly half an hour had passed.

Panting heavily, Bai Qingzhou finally stopped and put away the White Sand Sword. He gasped, “I’m done. I’m done. Let’s stop here for today.”

Li Xian did not look much better. His face was flushed, and sweat poured from his entire body, but his expression was one of exhilaration. Clearly, he had thoroughly enjoyed the day’s sparring.

“Senior Brother, why don’t we come here and spar every day from now on?”

Li Xian considered this for a moment, then nodded lightly to indicate that he had no objection. Without saying anything else, he summoned his magical weapon and flew away.

Watching Li Xian’s departing figure, Bai Qingzhou suddenly burst out laughing. After fighting with Li Xian, he had discovered that his understanding of swordsmanship had deepened considerably, and his progress had become astonishingly rapid.

“It really does require a movement technique to bring out the full power of this sword technique. It seems I’ll have to find some time to visit the market and look for a suitable movement manual.”

He stood in the forest, pondering for a while. Only then did he summon his magical weapon and fly back toward his own courtyard.

End of chapter.

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