Chapter 1063:

At that moment, she even felt that if she married Song Qiumu today, just to catch a glimpse of this female Sword Saint every few years in the future, her life would be worth it.

This wasn’t just Gao Tangyan being opportunistic—it was the sheer, transcendent status Tong Shanquan now held in the martial world.

Compared to Chen Tianyuan of the Taibai Sword Sect, who squandered his talent and willingly wallowed in mediocrity, Tong Shanquan’s relentless progress on the martial path, advancing a thousand miles in a single day, was all the more remarkable.

It was said that Kou Jianghuai, who had entered the capital’s Ministry of War as a Right Vice Minister due to military merit, had once seen her on the border of Jizhou and was instantly awestruck. Yet, for reasons unknown, this match that should have been celebrated as a romantic tale between court and commoners came to nothing.

Facing Gao Tangyan’s almost groveling invitation, Tong Shanquan shook her head indifferently. “Your kindness is noted.”

Then, in a flash, she was gone.

Song Qiumu wore a bitter smile. The aloof response from the manor lord was hardly surprising. Yet, after experiencing the customs and sentiments of the Central Plains these past few years, he couldn’t help but wonder: Could the Golden Saber Manor, standing so far above the rest, truly take root and thrive in the martial world of the Central Plains?

Gao Tangyan found herself not angry at all—just deeply regretful.

Five or six riders followed the two ahead as they veered from the main road onto a narrow path heading north. After galloping two or three miles, the two in front reined in their horses and stopped by the roadside. The leading second-rank retainer of the group hesitated, then signaled his subordinates to stay back as he rode forward alone to meet the pair.

The old man didn’t think much of the daughter of the Great Serpent Gang’s leader, Gao Tangyan—though he dared not underestimate her either. The young woman was far from simple-minded. Anyone who mistook her for a gentle, refined lady would surely suffer for it. Gao Tangyan’s intention was to find a secluded spot to first reason with the man, then resort to force if necessary—or, to put it bluntly, if he refused the toast, he’d be forced to drink the penalty, drowning in the waters of the Guangling River. But the old man was no greenhorn in the martial world. He knew its depths couldn’t be measured at a glance, so riding forward alone was also a gesture of goodwill.

Staring at the unremarkable man with restrained aura, the old man asked gravely, “Might I ask where you hail from?”

Xu Fengnian smiled. “No sect to speak of.”

The old man sighed regretfully. “Why refuse my lady’s kindness? A round trip wouldn’t take more than half a day. Why make things difficult?”

Xu Fengnian nodded. “You’re right. But I’ve already arranged to meet someone at Longhu Mountain. It wouldn’t do to be late.”

The old man’s temper flared. This stubborn fool, who looked no older than thirty, was truly unreasonable. The martial world had a saying: “The emperor of the rivers, the king of the lakes, the supreme sovereign of the peaks.” Was this man really going to pay respects to that supreme sovereign? Otherwise, was Gao Biaoyao, leader of the Great Serpent Gang, truly unworthy of half a day of his time?

Just then, the old retainer heard the man say with a smile, “Draw your sword.”

The young girl turned to follow her master’s gaze and asked seriously, “Master, how much strength?”

Xu Fengnian chuckled. “All of it!”

The girl gave a quiet “Oh,” then pressed her hands to the hilts of the twin swords at her waist. With a twist of her waist, she vanished from her saddle.

Before the swords even left their sheaths, a chilling sword aura lashed at their faces!

The old retainer, who prided himself on having few martial peers in the entire province, shuddered in alarm, his horse rearing in fright.

Fortunately, the girl’s target wasn’t him. She darted sideways to the other side of the road.

With a sword in each hand, two streaks of white sword qi burst forth, fierce and unyielding, slashing toward the swordswoman who had landed on the opposite side. The woman sidestepped, one hand resting on her saber hilt but making no move to draw. Instead, she retreated swiftly in small steps.

Both sword strikes missed. The girl landed and, like a shadow, spun rapidly, sending two more dazzling arcs of sword qi—one high, one low—toward the woman. The latter abruptly sank her qi, leaning back just in time to evade the slashes aimed at her throat and waist.

As the girl lunged forward with a straight thrust, the saber-wielding woman, still bent backward, tapped the tip of her long scabbard lightly against the ground. A surge of formidable power erupted. Sensing the danger, the girl did something astonishing—she released the thrusting sword with her right hand while subtly twisting her left wrist, which held the “Hundred Refinements” sword.

Both swords left her hands.

At the same time, the girl planted one foot forward and the other back, her aura soaring just as fiercely. Her right hand reached behind her, gripping the famed sword “Swallow’s Chin” slung across her waist.

The saber-wielding woman, who had yet to draw her blade, vanished. The girl’s two released swords—one angled downward with its hilt raised high, the other, “Hundred Refinements,” flickering in and out of sight—halted mid-air. The tip of “White Silk” pointed precisely where the woman’s heart had been, while “Hundred Refinements” hovered where her back would have been as she retreated.

The girl drew “Swallow’s Chin.” This time, wielding a single sword, her aura was even more terrifying than when she had held two. Sword qi coiled around her, her sleeves brimming with sharpness!

The next instant, blinding light erupted. The sweat-drenched old retainer only saw the girl gripping her sword with both hands as the two previously suspended blades were flung away, spinning through the air before embedding themselves in the ground. The girl swung down, but the saber-wielding woman merely raised her blade horizontally, effortlessly blocking all three strikes.

The old retainer couldn’t make out the intricacies of that final exchange.

The girl’s purple sandalwood sword case trembled slightly, but her master spoke: “Enough.”

At his words, she sheathed “Swallow’s Chin” across her back, and the two swords on the ground flew back into their scabbards at her waist—smooth as flowing water, the very picture of a grandmaster.

The girl returned to her saddle, head bowed, her expression downcast.

Wang Sheng was furious with herself. Despite her full-force triple strike, the young saber-wielding woman hadn’t even drawn her blade. Though she still had nine swords left in her case, she knew deep down that even if she unleashed all twelve, victory was impossible. At most, the moment the woman drew her second saber, the match would be decided.

Aside from her second master, this was the most formidable saber wielder she had ever seen.

Xu Fengnian consoled her, “Getting her to draw ‘Heaven’s Treasure’ from her waist—and with her left hand at that—is already quite an achievement.”

Wang Sheng kept her head down, silent.

Xu Fengnian glanced at the composed female grandmaster standing in the distance, smiled faintly without greeting her, then rode off with his despondent disciple.

Tong Shanquan sighed softly and vanished without a trace.

Only the pitiful old retainer remained, gulping nervously.

Damn, those sword auras were dazzling—was it because they didn’t cost a single coin?

And that legendary sword control technique?!

That girl couldn’t be older than fifteen or sixteen. Had she started training in the womb?

And who the hell was that young woman with the twin sabers?

She couldn’t actually be Tong Shanquan, ranked eleventh in the world, could she?! In this vast world, had he really encountered a grandmaster akin to a terrestrial immortal?

Riding side by side, the girl suddenly looked up. “Master, am I useless?”

Xu Fengnian answered obliquely, “Every master hopes their disciple will surpass them. But when that day comes, there’s bound to be some melancholy. So, in short, I hope that day comes—just a little later, that’s all.”

Tears welling in her eyes, the girl laughed softly but said nothing more.

Xu Fengnian didn’t bother explaining the saber-wielding woman’s identity.

In the current martial world, figures like him, Xu Yanbing, Luo Yang, Deng Tai’a, Huyan Dahuan, Li Dangxin, Chen Zhibao, Gu Jiantang, Tuoba Pusa, and Tantai Pingjing had either perished, vanished, or withdrawn entirely in recent years, vacating their positions. As a result, many former grandmasters had naturally “risen to prominence.”

After the battle outside Jubei City, Xuanyuan Qingfeng fully stepped into the threshold of the Heavenly Realm, becoming an undisputed terrestrial immortal and, by some accounts, the new world’s strongest.

Yet before the latest martial rankings were released, Xuanyuan Qingfeng publicly declared that if she were ranked, she’d make the compilers regret it. So, in a twist of mischief, the rankings didn’t explicitly name a number one—much like how Wang Xianzhi had once called himself second, leaving the top spot vacant. Ironically, this only amplified her prestige. By refusing the title, Xuanyuan Qingfeng made her claim to it all the more undeniable. As the first woman to top the rankings, the shockwaves through the martial world surpassed even her earlier rise as its leader.

The new rankings placed Yu Xinlang second, followed by the female Sword Immortal, Cui Hua, the current sword attendant of the Wu Family Sword Mound. The next seven included Jiang Fuding, Qi Xianxia, Mi Fengjie, Huang Fangfo, Li Houzhong, Zhu Huang, and Lin Ya. Tong Shanquan of the Golden Saber Manor ranked just outside the top ten, leading the second half of the twenty. Only four former Northern Desert grandmasters made the list, all below Tong Shanquan—a pitiful showing. Fortunately, among the ten rising stars, seven hailed from the Northern Desert’s grasslands, such as Bai Yusuo of the Chess Sword Joy Pavilion’s “Calming the Storm” and the wandering warrior Tiemu Die’er, both now well-known in the Central Plains’ martial world.

The era of Xu Fengnian’s rise had undoubtedly been the martial world’s greatest golden age in a millennium. But unlike crops, the martial world didn’t cycle predictably between good and bad years.

As the sun hung over the western mountains, its dazzling sunset glow evoked an overwhelming sense of grandeur.

Back then, nearly ten terrestrial immortals, including the Three Teachings’ sages, had walked the earth simultaneously!

Yet like the final radiance of a dying man, once that sun set, it never rose again.

The new martial world would now bask under the moon’s glow. After this, it would enter a prolonged decline. Perhaps after Yu Dilong and Gou Youfang, terrestrial immortals would become mere legends. Then the Heavenly Phenomena Realm would fade, followed by the Finger Mystic Realm becoming the new pinnacle, until even first-rank experts vanished entirely.

Xu Fengnian sighed softly, glancing at the girl bristling with swords. He murmured, “In the distant future, even someone who can extend a mere inch of sword light will be hailed as a peerless Sword Immortal.”