Immortality begins with the Swordsman.

Chapter 52 Collapse

Snowflakes fell heavily on Jade Maiden Peak.

One by one, the Huashan disciples stood silently on the mountaintop, their shoulders, hair, and the corners of their clothes covered with a layer of white frost, their robes already soaked through, but no one cared.

Everyone's expressions were solemn, their eyes sharp as they stared intently at the two figures clashing in the arena.

laugh--!

Suddenly, Qian Shiyi, a senior swordsman from the Sword Sect, drew his sword and unleashed the move "The Phoenix Arrives." His swordplay was graceful and light, as if a divine phoenix were truly circling and dancing in the sky.

Everyone was secretly amazed, thinking, "Uncle Qian, that move was truly exquisite. Junior Brother Gu probably can't break it, right?"

Suddenly, Gu Changfeng thrust out a sword. The move seemed clumsy and slow, but it actually contained endless meaning, which perfectly neutralized the five hidden changes in the "Phoenix Comes to Pay Homage" move.

In the blink of an eye, the sword's edge had silently stopped in front of Qian Shiyi's throat.

"This...this..."

Qian Shiyi's expression was complex, a mixture of shock and deep unease. He never expected that his proudest move would be so easily countered.

Gu Changfeng sheathed his sword, smiled slightly, clasped his hands in a gesture of respect, and said, "You flatter me!"

"The younger generation is truly formidable..."

Qian Shiyi shook his head with a wry smile, then turned and slowly walked off the field.

now.

The atmosphere on the field became extremely strange.

Apart from the eight people in their seats, everyone else was ashen-faced and silent.

Amidst the swirling snow, only the young girl Ning Zhongze let out a joyful cry, clear yet lonely.

"Second Senior Brother is amazing!" She gazed at Gu Changfeng's figure in the arena, her eyes filled with fervor and longing, her heart slightly burning...

at first.

After Gu Changfeng defeated several members of the Sword Sect with his bizarre and extraordinary swordsmanship, the crowd was surprised but still cheered for him, praising his superb swordsmanship.

However, after defeating several more people, the Sword Sect disciples gradually fell silent, leaving only the Qi Sect disciples cheering.

By this moment, Gu Changfeng had defeated twenty-three senior sword masters and broken twenty-three moves of the Huashan Sword Technique. Even the Qi Sect disciples fell silent.

"Heh~ Even 'The Phoenix Arrives' has been broken. I practiced that move for three months... Now, now... Sigh!"

"Could it be that Junior Brother Gu has already deciphered all of the Huashan Sword Techniques?"

"Does our Huashan sword technique really have so many flaws?"

The crowd whispered amongst themselves, their expressions growing increasingly grim.

Just now.

A man slowly emerged from among the Sword Sect members. He was about forty years old, with a tall and upright figure and a calm demeanor. His name was Sun Jishan. He had been stationed in northern Shaanxi for many years and his swordsmanship was superb. He was known as "unrivaled below the Grandmaster level".

Gu Changfeng bowed slightly and clasped his hands in greeting, saying, "I humbly request your guidance, Uncle Sun."

Sun Jishan's eyes flashed like lightning. He nodded in agreement, his expression solemn: "Take this!" With a flick of his wrist, the longsword was drawn from its sheath, its light flashing like lightning as it went straight for Gu Changfeng!

His first move was a deadly strike.

Gu Changfeng remained calm and composed, his steps steady, responding appropriately to each move.

Sun Jishan's swordsmanship was exquisite, his moves were fluid and natural, and he executed almost every move with ease and skill.

However, upon closer examination, one would notice that none of the sword moves he used were the same Huashan sword techniques that Gu Changfeng had previously deciphered.

Clearly, he was wary of Gu Changfeng and dared not easily try his old tricks.

After more than ten moves were dismantled.

Sun Jishan suddenly changed his move and used a technique called "Boundless Falling Leaves".

This move is the ultimate skill among beginner sword techniques. It consists of eighteen sword strikes in one move, each with a hidden edge and each move carrying a killing intent. The sword momentum is like autumn wind swirling leaves, dense and sharp, airtight, with almost no flaws to be found.

Upon seeing this, Gu Changfeng shrank back and curled up into a ball, his posture extremely unseemly. His attacks became weak and feeble, revealing a passive attitude, as if he only sought to protect himself and had no intention of making any progress.

Everyone was overjoyed upon seeing this, thinking, "Gu Changfeng will finally be unable to break this move."

But before he could be happy for even a moment, the smile on his face froze instantly, a chill ran down his spine, and the coldness went straight to his bones.

Gu Changfeng's clumsy moves were actually incredibly clever and subtle in terms of the direction of his sword strikes. They seemed weak, but in reality, they were extremely powerful, embodying the profound principle of "using stillness to control movement, and using clumsiness to control skill."

With a series of crisp clangs, all eighteen sword strikes from Sun Jishan landed on Gu Changfeng's blade, cleverly countering his "Boundless Falling Leaves" move.

Gu Changfeng sheathed his sword, bowed, and said, "You flatter me!"

Sun Jishan's expression changed slightly, and after a long pause, he uttered two words: "Impressive!"

At this point, all twenty-four managers of the Sword Sect had been defeated.

The entire room fell silent.

This is no longer a matter of winning or losing.

Instead, it was the Huashan Sword Technique that was completely broken by Gu Changfeng.

In an instant,

All the Huashan disciples and elders turned pale, completely losing faith in their sect's martial arts. They thought, "Even if we master our sect's swordsmanship to perfection, it will still be full of flaws. What's the point of continuing to learn it?"

With the situation having developed to this point, the debate about heavy swords versus heavy qi has long been forgotten by everyone.

At this moment, a persistent thought arose in everyone's mind:

—Could it be that our swordsmanship is truly so vulnerable?

Everyone was plunged into deep doubt...

Some people were lost in thought, their lips trembling slightly;

Some people had their heads bowed, their faces pale, and their fists clenched tightly.

Several disciples had tears in their eyes, their beliefs nearly crumbling...

Suddenly.

A soft rebuke echoed throughout the hall.

"A bunch of idiots, have they wasted their time learning swordsmanship?"

Ye Qingge slowly stood up and gracefully walked to the center of the field, her tone revealing a hint of helplessness: "Little Changfeng, you have really given us a big surprise."

Gu Changfeng frowned, shook his head, and sighed, "Uncle-Master Ye, this is your second time going on stage. Isn't this bullying?"

Ye Qingge glanced at him, a half-smile on her face: "Look at the state they're in now. If I don't come up here soon, the entire sect might be dismantled by you."

"It won't break up!"

Gu Changfeng grinned, his eyes clear and his tone firm.

Ye Qingge chuckled softly, her slender fingers gripping the sword hilt. Her voice was gentle, yet carried an undeniable authority: "Come on, demonstrate a few moves with me."

"good!"

Gu Changfeng knew her intention and nodded in agreement.

Clang—!

A flash of sword light appeared, and a chilling aura emanated from it.

Ye Qingge's first move was "Welcoming Guests with Pine Trees," her swordplay as graceful and upright as a pine tree in the wind, seemingly welcoming yet also rejecting, its true and false nature unpredictable.

Gu Changfeng remained calm and quickly responded using the same method he had used to counter the move.

Just as she dodged Ye Qingge's thrusting sword and was about to strike her lower body in return, Ye Qingge suddenly turned her long sword. Before she could finish the "Welcoming Pine" move, she smoothly pulled it into another move, "Heavenly Gentleman Hanging Upside Down".

With a soft "hiss," Gu Changfeng's robe on his shoulder ripped open, leaving a long gash.

If this were a real duel, this one sword strike would have been enough to severely injure Gu Changfeng and send him crashing to the ground.

Ye Qingge's voice rang out again.

"continue!"