The gaunt figure's voice was hoarse and grating to the ear.
Yet—
Within Li Zhexian's heart, it stirred up crashing waves.
It had already been half a month since his sparring match with Chen Xin.
This Feng Bailong…
Could actually sense the traces left behind from his duel with Chen Xin?
At the side, Feng Buyu was also staring at Li Zhexian in utter shock.
Duel with Chen Xin?!
Though he had once said he'd never seen Chen Xin's elegance in person—
In his heart, even their sect's invincible sect master had once been defeated by Chen Xin, and since then had kept his sword sheathed.
That alone showed the weight behind Chen Xin's title as the foremost in the Sword Dao!
And yet Li Zhexian… had crossed swords with him?!
Such a realm was already leaving all of their peers far behind in the dust.
Qian Renxue's golden eyes narrowed slightly.
She tilted her head, her gaze carefully roaming over Li Zhexian.
When had this happened?
Had Li Zhexian been injured?
If not for knowing that Li Zhexian disliked being restrained,
She would long ago have ordered the Snake Lance to watch over him in secret.
"Senior, you have a discerning eye."
Li Zhexian cupped his hands.
This salute came from genuine respect.
"Eye?"
"Eyes alone cannot see such things."
As he spoke—
Feng Bailong did not rise.
Still seated cross-legged, his figure swayed slightly like a willow in the wind, turning soundlessly toward them.
Li Zhexian finally saw the face of the Wind Sword Sect's sect master clearly.
Around forty years of age.
One could faintly see the traces of the handsome youth he had once been.
His hair, loose and unbound, was a mixture of black and white, and his plain, slightly faded grey hemp robe lent him a deep sense of age and weariness.
Over both eyes, a strip of black silk was bound.
Li Zhexian noted clearly—
Feng Bailong's black silk had no trace of mesh at all.
"Zhexian pays respects to Senior Feng Bailong."
"What a keen-edged sword!"
"What a natural-born sword bone!"
"When I listened just now, I felt a faint sting in my ears!"
Tilting his head, Feng Bailong actually smiled.
Perhaps because he had not shown any emotion in so long, that smile carried a trace of stiffness.
"I had thought that in the world of sword cultivators, the only one who might have a chance to chase after Chen Xin's footsteps was myself alone!"
"Today, hearing of your Sword Dao talent, little friend Zhexian, I now know that the waves behind push the waves ahead, and your sharpness surpasses the old ways!"
"Good! Good!"
Feng Buyu was dumbfounded. Since he had known Sect Master Feng Bailong, he had never seen him lose his composure like this.
Brother Zhexian's sword talent was already this transcendent?
The corner of Qian Renxue's lips curved into a faint smile.
Pleasant to hear, worth hearing—say a bit more.
Hearing others praise Li Zhexian was even sweeter than hearing praise for herself.
With a sweep of Feng Bailong's wide sleeve—
A sudden gust arose, sweeping away the lingering dust.
An unadorned meditation cushion appeared quietly before Li Zhexian.
"Little friend Zhexian, with the evening sun slanting low and the cool breeze drifting in—"
"How about the two of us discuss the sword today?"
Li Zhexian sat on the cushion without hesitation.
"It would be my honor."
Feng Buyu knew well that when discussing the Dao, outsiders should not linger. He cupped his hands and withdrew immediately.
Qian Renxue, however, was a little unwilling to leave, her gaze lingering on Li Zhexian.
Feng Bailong's ears twitched slightly and he smiled.
"If little friend Zhexian's companion is unwilling to depart, she may wait at the nearby pavilion—she can also enjoy the scenery here."
Qian Renxue glanced once at Li Zhexian, then drifted away toward the pavilion.
Once no one else remained—
The evening sun poured molten gold across the horizon, rosy clouds draped like brocade.
The light fell upon Li Zhexian and Feng Bailong, sitting across from each other.
When Feng Bailong spoke again, his voice was no longer hoarse—like the wind itself, it was distant and unhurried.
"Little friend Zhexian…"
"In this world, with ten thousand Martial Souls, there are ten thousand Sword Daos."
"I do not speak lightly of which is stronger or weaker. In the end, it all depends on the one who holds the sword."
"If I may speak presumptuously…"
"Chen Xin is simply… too stubborn."
"He believes with absolute conviction that the path of breaking ten thousand techniques with a single sword is unmatched under heaven."
"He doesn't know that every way of the sword can reach the pinnacle."
"Of course, if he were not so stubborn, his Seven Kill Sword would not be so formidable."
Li Zhexian nodded.
"This junior agrees."
"Hehe…"
Feng Bailong chuckled softly.
"But I've strayed from the topic."
"I hear the intent of the wind swirling around you, little friend."
"When the wind brushes past you, it lingers for three breaths, but in the end, it never stays."
"I imagine your Sword Dao has met with a certain obstacle here?"
"If you like, I can share with you the Sword Dao I have comprehended."
Li Zhexian's expression grew solemn as he focused all his attention.
Feng Bailong's wrist flicked. An invisible force of attraction drew a fallen leaf into his fingers
With a flick of his fingers, he wielded it like a sword, producing a sharp whistle in the wind.
"Beautiful… truly beautiful…"
A look of intoxication appeared on Feng Bailong's face.
"The black silk I wear over my eyes is called 'Wind Binding Gauze.' Blocking light is secondary—filtering the wind is its true purpose."
"The mountain air that passes through this thin gauze is divided into seventy-two strands before it can reach my ears."
"In the beginning, I heard only the noisy clamor of heaven and earth…"
"The wailing of air through the cliff's holes—that is the 'earth wind.' The sword of a disciple cutting the air—that is the 'human wind.'"
Finishing his words—
Feng Bailong finally drew his sword.
The sword was still in its scabbard.
Li Zhexian's brows rose in surprise—
At the junction where the scabbard met the hilt, a layer of green moss had grown.
Had it been sheathed for so long?
But how could a sword manifested from a Martial Soul grow common moss?
Feng Bailong placed the sheathed long sword against his ear and asked slowly:
"Little friend Zhexian, can you hear my sword humming?"
Li Zhexian listened intently, then shook his head after a moment.
"But I can hear it."
A smile appeared again on Feng Bailong's weathered face.
"My sword is resonating together with the mountain wind."
"Little friend Zhexian, look over there…"
Li Zhexian followed the direction of Feng Bailong's gnarled finger.
Not far away, a wind-eroded stone stood.
His face showed a hint of puzzlement.
Feng Bailong's voice flowed on like the wind.
"The holes in that wind-eroded stone are a scabbard carved by heaven and earth."
"Little friend Zhexian—tell me—"
"What is the sword within that scabbard?"
Li Zhexian gazed at the wind passing through the stone's openings.
"It is the wind."
"Correct!"
With a sweep of his sleeve—
A sharp gust roared into the holes of the wind-eroded rock.
As the wind passed through, Li Zhexian saw the formless breeze gain a tangible edge, piercing through the layers of mist lit by the sunset and leaving countless transparent holes.
"Little friend Zhexian…"
"Every mark left by the wind's erosion is heaven and earth correcting the flaws in the sword's hum."
"When the wind smooths bare stone, it leaves only a howl; when it passes through a pillar riddled with holes, it becomes a natural sword formation."
"All of this… is what I hear with my ears."
"The true 'listening to the sword' is to take the heart as the ear."
"The sword's hum is the unformed sword intent in your heart."
"By borrowing the wind's power, it resounds through external things."
"I have a place that can help you… hear your sword's hum."
From the pavilion—
Qian Renxue's gaze had never once left Li Zhexian.
But then—
In the next instant—
She saw Feng Bailong suddenly move.
Seizing Li Zhexian's wrist, he leapt straight off the cliff's edge with him.
The color drained instantly from Qian Renxue's flawless face, and behind her, six radiant wings of light burst open.
Like a streak of lightning, she dove after them without hesitation!