A Clash of Gods - Chapter 135
Chapter 135 Compete on Swordsmanship
Yang Ning found it hard to back off and could do nothing but take part in the competition. At the same time, he thought, “Since Bai Yuhe said that if he can’t win within ten movements, the Temple of Great Light would win, it means that as long as I can resist ten movements, I would defeat him.”
Bai Yuhe was skilled in swordsmanship, and of course Yang Ning wouldn’t compete on swordsmanship with him. However, if he started the Easy Travel and avoided Bai Yuhe’s ten movements, he might have a chance of winning.
Yang Ning had experienced the mystery of the Easy Travel, and he was more familiar with this skill gradually.
Although he had a hope of success to resist ten movements, he wasn’t quite confident. He thought that he would resist if he could, and if he couldn’t, it was fine. They had an agreement that they should stop at a certain point. It appeared that Bai Yuhe became polite, so he wouldn’t be harsh on Yang Ning. Anyway, nobody stepped out to take part in the third round. No matter if he was strong or weak, he would just do a good deed.
He saw that Bai Yuhe drew his long sword slowly and the people next to him immediately felt the threatening coldness overwhelming. The blade had dim light under the lanterns in the Brilliance Hall. The blade was dark, yet Yang Ning felt its sharpness obviously even though he was several steps away.
“Wait a moment!” Yang Ning suddenly raised his hand.
Bai Yuhe frowned slightly, while Yang Ning raised his hands and showed his palms, shouting, “We will compete on swordsmanship, but I don’t even have a stick in my hand. Should I compete with bare hand?”
Jingneng changed his attitude toward Yang Ning although he disdained the young man earlier. He got up and stated, “Don’t be anxious. I will send somebody to bring a sword.” When Jingneng was about to tell somebody to bring a sword, Yang Ning rolled his eyes and said, “Bai’s sword is excellent apparently. Master Jingneng, can you find a nice sword? Don’t give me a shabby one. It’s no joking matter but a life-and-death matter.”
Jingneng furrowed his brows and ordered in a deep voice, “Zhenxing, go to…”
“Master Jingneng, in my opinion, it’s better if you go to bring one in person.” Yang Ning didn’t like Jingneng at all. In fact, he didn’t understand why this old monk suddenly changed his attitude. However, since there was a chance, he didn’t hesitate. “I don’t trust anybody else’s taste.”
Jingneng’s face darkened. He was the head of the Commandment Hall in the Temple of Great Light, so all the monks of a lower rank in seniority were in awe of him, and even few fellow apprentices of the same rank with the word Jing in their names dared to order him, but Yang Ning ordered him in public to bring a sword. He was furious and was about to lose temper, while Yang Ning said in a loud voice, “What? Bai is a respected guest from afar, and we can’t keep him waiting.” He smiled at Bai Yuhe gently and then frowned at Jingneng. “Master Jingneng, will you let me compete? If not, I am leaving now.”
Jingkong turned to Jingneng and said, “Jingneng, go now.”
Jingneng restrained his anger and thought, “I let you act recklessly now. After the competition, I will get back at you.” Then he stood up and went away quickly.
Chi Danmei was smart and understood something as she saw that. She laughed. “Young man, do you gain private ends in a public cause?”
“Speak less.” Yang Ning goggled at Chi Danmei. “Haven’t you seen that Bai and I are preparing? Do you think competing on swordsmanship is as easy as tearing your clothes? The swordsman needs an artistic conception. Now the sword is a sword, and the person is a person, but when we compete, the person will be a sword and the sword will be a person. The person and sword will be unity… You won’t understand it. Bai, do you think so?”
Bai Yuhe was stunned and then nodded involuntarily. “The person and sword will be unity. You really get to the point. Your attainment on swordsmanship is really extraordinary, Your Excellency.”
He called Yang Ning “Your Excellency” with respect.
Yang Ning said instantly, “Don’t get me wrong. It was just a casual remark.”
Bai Yuhe merely nodded slightly and didn’t say more.
Chi Danmei hadn’t expected that Yang Ning would retort her. She smiled charmingly while speaking. “Young man, it’s uncertain who will win the competition on swordsmanship, but if we compete on arguing today, you will be invincible.”
Yang Ning chucked. “Thanks. Will you find a coat to put on? This is a temple not a…that kind of place. Your shoulder is revealed. Whatever next!” He put his palms together and said “Amitabha”, yet he glanced at Chi Danmei’s prominent breasts involuntarily.
Chi Danmei rolled her eyes at Yang Ning and then ignored him.
They didn’t wait for too long, and Jingneng had returned to the large hall with a long sword in his hand. He walked to Yang Ning and gave it to him. “This is the sword Vairocana kept in the temple as a treasure. You just use it.”
Bai Yuhe uplifted his brows and stared at the sword Yang Ning received, asking, “Is this the sword Vairocana, one of the top ten swords?”
Yang Ning asked with a smile, “Oh? Have you heard about this sword? It turns out to be one of the top ten swords.” He unsheathed the sword and saw that the blade was snow-white and bright. Under the lanterns, it was dazzling. He thought that it was really a nice sword. It turned out that Jingneng was honest and didn’t try to fool him with a low-quality sword.
“I heard long ago that the sword Vairocana, one of the top ten swords was kept in the Temple of Great Light, and I see it today. It’s really a wonderful sword.” Excitement was shown in Bai Yuhe’s eyes, and he exclaimed, “The sword Vairocana is ranked fourth among the top ten. It’s true to its name.”
Yang Ning glanced at Jingneng, to see that the old monk had turned to leave. He thought, “It’s surprising. They told me to compete just to serve as a stopgap. Everybody knows it is hopeless. They don’t need to take out a famous sword kept in the temple seemingly.”
“Bai, do I take advantage of you?” Yang Ning looked at Bai Yuhe’s sword, whose blade was dark. Although it was terrifying, it looked unremarkable.
Bai Yuhe’s eyes were arrogant and he shook his head. “No. The sword Obsidian in my hand is ranked third.”
Gosh!
Yang Ning restrained his urge to curse. It was awesome. Bai Yuhe was skilled in swordsmanship. Yang Ning finally got the sword Vairocana, which was ranked fourth among the top ten swords, and he thought that he could show off, but unexpectedly, Bai Yuhe’s sword Obsidian was ranked third, better than Yang Ning’s weapon.
All the monks in the hall stared at Yang Ning and Bai Yuhe, and even Chi Danmei and the four men dressed in clothes made of hemp retreated to one side, looking steadily forward.
It was the last round, and many people were restless. It was related to the safety of the Purification Building, so a lot of people were nervous. However, after Yang Ning walked to the battlefield, he talked endlessly and they hadn’t started to fight. Some people who were quick-tempered got impatient, but because Yang Ning talked for a long time, the atmosphere in the hall was not as tense as before.
Zhenming gazed at Yang Ning all the time and didn’t expect that Yang Ning would be kicked out and forced to compete on swordsmanship with Bai Yuhe innocently. He was worried because he had checked Yang Ning’s martial skills, which were not good. Yang Ning almost had no chance to defeat Bai Yuhe.
“Please give me instructions.” Bai Yuhe ended the conversation and held the sword Obsidian horizontally in his right hand. He waved his left hand, and the sheath was thrown to a man dressed in clothes made of hemp, who caught it with both hands and held it cautiously.
Yang Ning also threw the sheath of the sword Vairocana backward. Zhenming was smart and walked forward to catch it.
Bai Yuhe reached out the index finger of his left hand and wiped the blade of the sword Obsidian gently, like caressing his lover’s skin. When his finger slid to the sword tip, he suddenly pointed at its tip with his fingertip. The long sword was tilted forward, and the blade moved downward slightly, pointing to Yang Ning’s belly.
Yang Ning found that Bai Yuhe looked serious and didn’t disdain him, seeming to take him as an opponent who could compete with him.
He breathed in deeply, with the sword Vairocana in his hand. Suddenly he strode out and moved forward to the left, which was the start of the Easy Travel. Others couldn’t find it and just thought that Yang Ning started first. Some of the people in the hall felt great respect for him at once and thought that he must be a hero as he stepped forward bravely even though he knew that he was no match for Bai Yuhe.
Seeing that Yang Ning moved, Bai Yuhe also thought that the other party started to fight.
Although he had an agreement with Yang Ning that they would fight ten movements at most, for some reason, he feared Yang Ning. However, if he could solve the problem with one movement, he wouldn’t want to start the second one.
Since the opponent started to move, Bai Yuhe also moved. His sword tip was facing the floor, but he lifted it neatly and tried to stab Yang Ning.
He tried to stab, while he found that Yang Ning didn’t use his sword even though he moved.
He was absorbed in swordsmanship and comprehended a lot. Once he started fighting, he was immersed in it. If any other member from the Temple of Great Light competed with him and didn’t stab first, Bai Yuhe wouldn’t wave his sword easily, but he treated Yang Ning differently. Although Yang Ning just moved, Bai Yuhe still tried to stab him.
Yang Ning moved and just took two steps, yet he felt the chill approaching him.
He thought that Bai Yuhe really started fast. At the moment, he didn’t think more and just moved like a ghost, following the movements of the Easy Travel.
Bai Yuhe waved his sword and was about to stab Yang Ning. The sword was close to Yang Ning, while he didn’t prepare to wave his sword, seeming to accept this attack without resisting. Bai Yuhe was surprised and paused involuntarily, but at the moment, he found that Yang Ning disappeared suddenly like a ghost.
He didn’t hesitate anymore and pulled his long sword slantly, trying to stab the figure again that he saw out of the corner of his eye.
Yang Ning moved swiftly and mysteriously, avoiding Bai Yuhe’s first movement. Chi Danmei saw that, and surprise was shown in her charming eyes.
Bai Yuhe failed in the first movement and then tried to stab for three times successively. Few people among the monks present were skilled in swordsmanship. They just saw that Bai Yuhe moved swiftly and stabbed at lightning speed, but few of them saw that his three movements were changing unpredictably, which was top swordsmanship. Even a famous swordsman in the world might not be able to avoid the three attacks. However, his opponent was Yang Ning today, who started the mysterious Easy Travel and avoided Bai Yuhe’s strike for three times, which was unimaginably queer.
The movements of the Easy Travel looked messy without a law, but there were rules. Yang Ning merely walked with this skill mechanically and couldn’t use it at will or change it randomly. Even so, after he walked with this weird skill, his opponent Bai Yuhe couldn’t find any clue. After four movements, he couldn’t even touch Yang Ning’s clothes.