Feasts in Asgard were always noisy and joyous, a unique scene of clinking bottles, bragging, and curses from men and women alike.
Of course, Asgardians would also sing their poems at these feasts.
However, like the Norse Vikings influenced by Asgardians, their poems sounded like chaotic, guttural noises to Qingshui.
Someone once described their poetry this way: "I've never heard such terrifying roars. A pack of wild dogs barking can match their voices, but not their debauchery."
"I imagine you're also a master of the sword."
Fandral sat down beside Qingshui, holding a jug of ale, and spoke.
"How can you tell?"
"Well, your eyes, your movements, your demeanor, your posture—they all belong to a true sword master."
Fandral, relatively gentle, clinked cups with Qingshui.
Fandral, like Queen Frigga, hailed from Vanaheim, and his personality was slightly milder. Even after all his years in Asgard, he showed a tendency to assimilate.
"Are you leaving tomorrow?"
Fandral took a long drink from his cup, wiped his mouth with his wrist, and asked Qingshui.
"Not sure, possibly."
Qingshui nodded slightly.
Since Ancient One wasn't in a hurry to have a drinking contest with Odin upstairs, it meant the time wasn't right yet.
Perhaps the other Sorcerer Supreme Ancient One mentioned also needed time to prepare, but since he had brought him to Asgard now, it implied there wouldn't be much time left.
"I have a presumptuous request."
Fandral refilled Qingshui's cup.
"You want to spar with me?"
Qingshui looked at Fandral with interest.
His physique was far stronger than a normal human's, putting him among the upper echelon of the Asgardians present. He had a well-proportioned build, sharp eyes, and long, powerful arms.
"Because who knows when we'll meet again? I've challenged every sword master in Asgard except the Queen and the Allfather, and it's always the same old thing."
"Alright."
Qingshui decisively clinked cups with Fandral.
Thor's close-combat fighting skills were those of a master-level expert with a free-flowing style. With most weapons in his hands, he could unleash considerable power purely through battle instincts, especially with his hammer.
Fandral was clearly not in the same league as Thor, but he was still a renowned sword master of Asgard, essentially representing Asgardian swordsmanship.
Qingshui was eager to absorb the essence from these sword styles he had never encountered before, to strengthen himself.
Just then, Volstagg and Hogun's duel concluded. As the older Asgardian, Volstagg's physical strength and combat experience were superior to Hogun's, and he successfully knocked Hogun to the ground.
Amidst the cheers of the Asgardians, Fandral leaped gracefully from his seat into the center of the open space, gesturing for Qingshui to come forward.
"Do you mind if I borrow your sword?"
"If you don't find it unfamiliar or uncomfortable."
Qingshui extended his hand to Sif, who was sitting at the next table, and took the shining silver rapier.
His own Vibranium-plated sword was far too sharp; there was no need to bring it out for a friendly spar.
Sif's sword was forged from a unique Asgardian metal. It felt quite heavy in hand, and its strength should surpass most conventional metals, making it perfectly suitable.
By the throne, Frigga frowned slightly, looking at her husband, Odin, beside her.
"Isn't Fandral being a bit impolite?"
Before Odin could reply, Ancient One interjected.
"No, no, no. Let the young ones have their fun. Haven't you seen everyone below applauding? Let's keep eating."
He didn't have much time left to live, so he wanted to savor these rare delicacies.
"Are you ready?"
Qingshui stood still, with one hand behind his back, his sword in hand, looking at Fandral a short distance away.
The latter moved lightly, like a nimble cat, holding his sword with both hands in front of him, slowly circling Qingshui.
His movements seemed to have very subtle flaws!
But at Fandral's level, he could sense that behind these apparent flaws, there were often more profound follow-up moves.
There was no perfect sword stance, but one could, in turn, exploit that very imperfection.
Moreover, the opponent had no presence whatsoever. Even with the heightened senses of Asgardians—far superior to ordinary creatures' smell and hearing combined—he couldn't detect the slightest trace.
If he closed his eyes, he wouldn't even know there was a person in front of him.
As Qingshui's mental power increased and his study of the Mind Stone deepened, the original Transparent World became even more refined, his perception more precise, and his concealment of aura more profound.
Unless someone possessed sufficiently strong mental power, they simply wouldn't be able to detect him.
Frigga, by the throne, watched the spar below with great interest.
Even in her youth, she had fought alongside Odin across the realms, mastering swordsmanship, illusion, and healing magic, so she understood the intricacies of their fighting styles.
However, many of the Asgardians, who relied on brute force in their fights, were now clamoring loudly.
"Fandral, what are you doing!"
"Go on, stab him with your sword!"
"Don't worry about hurting our guest, our healing magic is very powerful!"
...
Fandral, a distinguished warrior who had fought alongside Thor in the Nine Realms for many years, was naturally unaffected by these words.
But he also knew that the longer this dragged on, the greater the chance he would expose an opening.
So he chose Thor's usual stream-of-consciousness fighting method—brute force!
Charge in, make a move, and seize the chance to create an opening in the opponent!
A cold glint rapidly magnified in Qingshui's eyes.
*Clang!*
With the sound of a sword, Qingshui twisted his grip slightly, parrying Fandral's strike, then spun and thrust towards his wrist.
This avatar of his didn't possess a perfect demonized body, but he had high-quality chakra at his disposal, coupled with breathing techniques that were essentially at their limit. His physical strength was even greater than that of most Asgardians.
Ordinary Asgardians didn't possess Odin's bloodline like Thor, granting them extremely durable bodies. Without Mjolnir, Thor could still engage in close combat with Hulk using his divine power.
A burst of machine gun fire was enough to break the defenses of most Asgardian guards.
Fandral was considered strong among Asgardians, but he was far from Thor's level, though he still had commendable aspects.
He executed an elegant side-flip backward, avoiding the thrust while simultaneously sweeping his longsword upwards at Qingshui from below.
Qingshui remained in place, his wrist flicking to rapidly spin the blade downwards, deflecting the sword. Then he thrust diagonally towards Fandral's wrist again.
Non-Aggression Sword Art!
It attacked without killing, simplifying the complex, aiming to disrupt the opponent as soon as they initiated an attack.
I use the Non-Aggression Sword Art, but you're the one who can't attack!
The Mohist Sect's Non-Aggression Sword Art, in Qingshui's hands, subtly took on a different meaning based on his interpretation.
At this, the cheers from the Asgardian side grew even louder.
They revered warriors.
Anyone with eyes could see that Fandral's strength was leagues below Qingshui's.
The Warriors Three had a certain reputation in Asgard, and Qingshui's ability to easily suppress Fandral showed that his strength surpassed a considerable number of Asgardians.
However, even while being suppressed, Qingshui felt that Fandral was quite impressive.
Although he hadn't used magic or armor, Qingshui could still suppress Fandral relatively easily. But that was largely because his perception ability far surpassed Fandral's, and his basic stats like speed and strength were slightly higher, which allowed him to achieve this.
Yet, even so, Fandral, despite being quite battered, didn't collapse immediately. Instead, relying on his ample combat experience and exquisite sword techniques, he stubbornly held out against Qingshui for dozens of rounds until Qingshui disarmed him with Sif's rapier.
Once the victor was decided, the cheers and howls from the crowd grew even more boisterous.
Thor, now standing on a table, spread his arms, whipping up the atmosphere.
"Woohoo!!"
"Awoooooo!"
"Haha, Fandral, you lost! Get down here and drink ten barrels of ale!"
...
Fandral shook his head helplessly, took a step back, and raised his hands to signal his defeat.
"You won. Your swordsmanship is superb, I've learned a great deal."
"You're not bad yourself."
Qingshui nodded slightly at Fandral.
Dozens of rounds were enough for him to grasp the core essence of Fandral's techniques.
"My turn, my turn! Fandral, you're no good, I'm next!"
Sif jumped off a table, a long spear in hand, exclaiming excitedly.
Her features were quite pretty, but her skin was slightly dark, and her demeanor was full of a tomboyish spirit.
Asgard always seemed to be like this: mead and duels, and songs that sounded like ghostly wails, day after day, continuing for thousands of years under Odin's rule.
The next day, in a guest room in the palace.
Qingshui rubbed his temples, feeling that the alcohol had mostly worn off.
He usually didn't drink.
It had nothing to do with the Three Ninja Prohibitions of indulgence in alcohol and sensuality; he couldn't even abstain from the last one, let alone all of them.
He simply believed that alcohol numbed the brain, negatively affecting his actions, movements, and thoughts, so he generally avoided it.
Still, when in Rome, do as the Romans do. And with Ancient One and Odin, two Skyfather-level powerhouses, guarding Asgard, it was naturally safe enough, even if Thanos himself showed up.
However, the Asgardians were also quite combative and passionate. After Qingshui successively defeated Fandral and Sif in duels, even Thor came forward to challenge him.
Against Thor, who wielded Mjolnir, it was naturally impossible for Qingshui to fight him the same way he fought the other two. Qingshui naturally donned his latest set of Electrolight Armor and utilized the magical artifact Net of Solorades, along with magic and Ninjutsu.
Yet, this battle ultimately ended inconclusively because the destructive power of both individuals was too great, and Odin halted them with a shout.
The commotion from their fight was immense; they had barely exchanged a few blows before the shockwaves vibrated outwards. If they had continued, the magnificent Golden Palace Hall would surely have been demolished.
And having witnessed Qingshui's strength, the Asgardians, who admired warriors above all else, came up one after another to toast him, almost drinking Qingshui under the table.
Fortunately, when Qingshui retired to his guest room after the banquet, he used the Delicate Illness Extraction Technique to remove the alcohol from his body.
However, the alcohol in Asgardian drinks contained magic, so even after the alcohol was removed, there was still a slight effect. But this minor impact could be completely resisted by one's own mental power, and by the next day, there was no ill effect whatsoever.
That morning, in Asgard, at the Rainbow Bridge.
Odin, riding his winged steed and holding Gungnir, along with Thor, brought Qingshui and Ancient One to the Rainbow Bridge's teleportation point.
"This is Heimdall, the guardian of the Rainbow Bridge. He will take you to the location of Yggdrasil."
Odin pointed to a tall, burly Asgardian warrior in golden armor, wielding a golden sword, and introduced him to Qingshui.
"Your Majesty, King of Gods, Prince Thor, and Sorcerer Supreme and Master Worth, I am Heimdall. I have seen the great deeds you two have accomplished many times through my all-seeing eyes."
Heimdall bowed slightly in greeting.
"Heimdall's eyes can see through most parts of the Nine Realms."
Fearing Qingshui wouldn't know, Thor leaned in and whispered to him.
Qingshui and Ancient One nodded slightly and responded with a few words.
"Begin, Heimdall. Thor, you come along too. As the future King of Gods, you may very well need to go there someday."
Odin turned his head, speaking to Thor while waving his hand at Heimdall.
The latter immediately inserted the golden longsword, which served as a key, into the instrument in the center.
Inside the golden fortress-like structure at the end of the Rainbow Bridge, a seven-colored light instantly enveloped everything.
In that instant, a sensation of weightlessness came over him. When everything around him returned to normal, Qingshui found himself in an incredibly vast and silent hall.
There were only two things in the hall.
One was an incredibly thick tree, covering most of the hall, and the other was a pool of water beneath the tree that looked almost dried up.
"This is the second root of Yggdrasil, and that is Mímisbrunnr. In my youth, I sacrificed an eye to Yggdrasil in exchange for wisdom. Afterward, I was hung on a branch of Yggdrasil for fifteen days. With Yggdrasil's help, I used my wisdom to comprehend Rune Magic, which is also part of the source of Thor's hammer's power."
Odin leaned on Gungnir, his expression somewhat complex as he looked at the root of Yggdrasil, which looked like a tens of thousands of years old giant tree.
Back then, when his father and brother died, even with Bor's divine power, he couldn't defeat Surtr, the Fire Giant, in his prime.
That's why he came here, seeking Yggdrasil's help, combining strength and wisdom, to finally achieve victory.
It had been countless years since then.
"Put on your Sling Ring. Odin will send you to a high-dimensional space outside this world. There, you can meet up with another Sorcerer Supreme using your Sling Ring and, guided by the Vishanti, reach Altos. And remember to bring everything you need to take with you, including your equipment and magical artifacts. It's not so easy to summon items across dimensions once you're in another dimension."
Ancient One reminded Qingshui.
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