Chapter 159: Thank You for Showing Leniency
"Ok. Let me personally experience the so-called saber intent. Don't disappoint me," said the eighth elder. No matter what, he was a third-stage Transformation Realm expert. He would not fear Xiang Shaoyun. But of course, he was also unaware that Xiang Shaoyun had already slain Li Hao and two other Transformation Realm experts from the Redwolf Bandits, hence the elder's confidence. If he had known that, he would not be willing to be the one to challenge Xiang Shaoyun when nobody else was doing so.
"Don't worry. I will make sure you experience it clearly," Xiang Shaoyun sneered.
When Luo Yongcheng saw that Xiang Shaoyun had agreed to the challenge, he couldn't say anything else. He only shot the eighth elder a look of pity as he thought, Old eight, you have always been an arrogant person. I'm afraid today will be the day you're taught a lesson for your arrogance.
Everyone moved to make some space and waited for the spar expectantly. Most of them were only curious as to what was so special about the young man to be able to comprehend the saber intent not even they could comprehend.
Xiang Shaoyun and the eighth elder stood facing each other, neither taking the initiative to attack first.
Xiang Shaoyun finally opened his mouth, "Since you are the elder, you should attack first."
"Hmph. You are the junior. How can I take advantage of a junior? You first," said the eighth elder with a snort. From Xiang Shaoyun's eyes, he could see how little the young man cared about him. It further inflamed the anger within him as he thought, So cocky at such a young age? Looks like I will have to teach him a proper lesson.
"If I attack first, you won't have the chance to do anything," Xiang Shaoyun said nonchalantly. That wasn't him being cocky. He simply had absolute confidence in himself.
"What big words. Don't cry that I'm bullying you later, then," said the eighth elder. He had a bad temper, and he was losing patience dealing with an arrogant young man. He dashed forward, drew his sword, and slashed at Xiang Shaoyun.
"Sculpting the Moon!"
Blue sword energy rippled out with an astonishing might, as if it was capable of carving even the moon high in the sky. Xiang Shaoyun stood still, his expression serene. He did not look like he was going to do anything at all. When the attack was about to arrive, he finally moved; his figure gently drifted to the side and avoided the attack. The eighth elder was somewhat astonished, but he felt more anger—anger that his opponent did not even bother to hit back.
"Let's see how many times you can dodge! Sculpting the Sun!" The eighth elder's sword split into two swords as he attacked Xiang Shaoyun from two different directions at an even faster speed.
The entirety of the sword move was laid bare before Xiang Shaoyun's wondrous eyes. With his wondrous footwork, he once again dodged the attack.
"Sculpting the Stars!"
Without pause, the eighth elder mustered all his strength and sent forth his third attack, vowing to defeat Xiang Shaoyun with it. The sword energy swept down toward Xiang Shaoyun like a massive curtain.
The crowd around them cheered when they saw the incomparably enchanting swordplay. They all believed that Xiang Shaoyun would not be able to avoid it.
This time, Xiang Shaoyun did not dodge. He lifted his saber and casually slashed it toward the incoming sword. The slash appeared slow, yet the saber intent moved at an incredibly fast speed. All everyone could see was a flash before the saber energy disappeared.
After the swing of the saber, the world seemed to have gone still, including the eighth elder's attack frozen in midair. As for the eighth elder himself, he stood completely still, as if Xiang Shaoyun had frozen him.
Suddenly, the eighth elder's attack crumbled apart and vanished as if it had never appeared in the first place. Apart from that, the clothing he wore also started falling off his body, exposing his sturdy upper body. Everyone stared blankly with their eyes opened wide in shock.
They had only seen a flash and Xiang Shaoyun swing his saber once. That one slash had not only defeated the eighth elder's attack; it had also shredded his clothes to rags. All of it was accomplished without leaving so much as a scar on the eighth elder's body—it was an inconceivable slash.
"Thank you for the match," Xiang Shaoyun said as he cupped his fists calmly instead of continuing to attack. He had initially planned to leave the eighth elder completely naked from that slash, but he ultimately decided against it and held back. It was always good to not burn bridges.
When the eighth elder finally recovered from his shock, the only sensation he felt was how cold his limbs had gone, as if he had taken a stroll at the gates of hell. It planted extreme fear in his heart.
He had clearly felt the entirety of the process when the saber had danced about his body, stripping his clothes off. If Xiang Shaoyun wanted to kill him, he would already be dead.
"T-thank you for showing leniency!" the eighth elder said and wiped off his sweat. Then, he gloomily returned to the crowd. Someone immediately gave him a cloak to cover his naked upper body. This action covered him in even more shame.
"Splendidly done! That is indeed the legendary saber intent. An endlessly stunning slash, Brother Xiang," Luo Yongcheng took the lead and showered Xiang Shaoyun with praise. Since he was the one who had brought Xiang Shaoyun here, with Xiang Shaoyun's victory, he shared in the glory as well.
"That is indeed an inconceivable slash," praised the principal. He then added, "Everyone, sit down and listen to Brother Xiang's lesson."
After the fight, they became much friendlier to Xiang Shaoyun than before. Just his strength alone qualified him to face them as equals, not to mention the supreme saber intent he had demonstrated. Not even the principal himself was confident he could block that slash. It would only do them good to maintain a cordial relationship with such a young hero.
The Green Bamboo Academy thus withdrew the contempt they had toward Xiang Shaoyun. A trace of admiration could even be seen in their eyes when they looked at him. Everyone sat down obediently, waiting for Xiang Shaoyun to start his lesson.
Xiang Shaoyun did not make things difficult for them. He directly started the lesson. "I learned this saber intent from your Green Bamboo Academy. Now, I shall share my entire experience comprehending the intent without holding anything back. Whether you can get anything out of the sharing session will depend on yourself. Comprehension is something I won't be able to help with."
He then proceeded to tell them everything he had learned during the half month he had spent comprehending the saber intent. Everyone present regardless of age listened with full concentration, and without realizing it, everyone sank into a state of deep contemplation.
Even after Xiang Shaoyun stopped talking, everyone was still in deep thought, slowly savoring everything Xiang Shaoyun had said in hope of learning something from his experience.
It was at this moment that a panicked voice broke the serenity. "Bad news! The Redwolf Bandits are attacking, and they are going to reach town soon!"
That voice pulled everyone back to the real world.
"Nice timing. I was just about to go hunt for their heads!" Xiang Shaoyun said, a trace of excitement visible on his face. Comprehending the saber intent had greatly boosted his confidence. Now, he did not fear even late-stage Transformation Realm experts.
"Brother Xiang, we shall accompany you to the battlefield," said the principal.
"What? No way. That is my mission. Please don't fight over it with me," Xiang Shaoyun left those words before mounting his red wolf and rushing toward the bandits.