Such a swift sword. Such a piercingly fast sword, slicing through and deflecting every leaf, earth spike, and branch hurled at him.

Most patrons at the Dexing Restaurant were connoisseurs, and they gasped internally; such a rapid swordsmanship was utterly astonishing.

Zhao Nan, too, found it unbelievable. His spells had actually been entirely parried by a long sword—it was unthinkable. This had never happened when he sparred with other core disciples, and having a spellcaster forced into close combat was clearly an unpleasant turn of events for him.

At this close range, spells held little use; only the sword remained.

He flicked his wrist, thrusting his sword toward Lu Yuan.

Normally, Zhao Nan had confidence in his swordsmanship, but facing Lu Yuan now stripped him of all assurance. Lu Yuan had just cleanly dismantled his entire offensive using only his left hand. Now, Lu Yuan had switched to his right hand. What kind of outcome could he possibly expect? Zhao Nan could already envision the ensuing disaster for himself.

Indeed, for a spell-focused practitioner like Zhao Nan, being cornered like this spelled tragedy.

"Wind Disturbance Sword," "Gale Sweeps Through"... "Great Wind Arises"—Lu Yuan effortlessly shattered Zhao Nan's sword techniques with just a few swings. In fewer than five moves, his blade stopped precisely at Zhao Nan's throat, a hair's breadth away from taking his life.

Defeated. Zhao Nan's mind was a blank slate, registering almost nothing.

"Not bad. I initially thought you wouldn't force me to shift my footing even an inch, yet you managed to make me dodge and even forced me to use my right hand," Lu Yuan said, nodding as the Yangwu Sword slid back into its scabbard with a shing.

After all, it was only a duel between fellow sect members; it could only go so far.

What kind of assessment was that?

Zhao Nan felt utterly pathetic. He was usually the favored prodigy of Qi Sect's West Peak, a genius disciple lauded by the Ninth Generation Sword Immortal himself. This time, dispatched by his master, Zhao Cangzhi, to deal with Lu Yuan, he had suffered a crushing defeat—not just losing, but then being assessed afterward with, "You’re not bad, forcing me to move and dodge, and use my right hand."

This tone, this evaluation—it sounded like an elder speaking to a junior.

Heaven help him; he had wanted to win!

Instead, he lost miserably and received such patronizing praise.

It was too painful.

Zhao Nan now felt as if every person in the Dexing Restaurant was mocking him. This was surely the most agonizing moment of his life, the most tragic point in his entire existence.

Just then, the proprietor of the Dexing Restaurant approached Zhao Nan. "Are you alright?"

Zhao Nan nodded, a surge of emotion rising within him. Someone cared; perhaps it wasn't utter despair yet.

Seeing Zhao Nan nod, the proprietor continued briskly, "During your spellcasting just now, you destroyed twenty tables, thirty-three bottles of aged fine wine, sixteen bowls containing spirit-infused pearl rice, and three bowls of premium spirit liquor. The total compensation owed to my establishment is thirty-two spirit stones."

Zhao Nan had expected comfort, not a bill, and for such an exorbitant amount—thirty-two spirit stones! "Why aren't you asking Lu Yuan for compensation? He fought too."

"Because Lu Yuan damaged nothing from beginning to end; it was all your spells that caused the destruction. What, you refuse to pay? Our restaurant is under the protection of Elder Ye Yangrong, one of the Ninth Generation Sword Immortals of North Peak," the proprietor declared loudly.

Zhao Nan was devastated. He had thought being miserably defeated by Lu Yuan was the low point of his life. Now, being badgered for payment right after failing felt like the actual apex of his tragedy.

Lu Yuan—a name that instantly brought misery just by being mentioned.

North Peak—a place that brought nothing but sorrow.

However, Zhao Nan quickly realized this might not be the worst moment. When he reported back to his master, if Zhao Cangzhi heard he lost to Lu Yuan, that would undoubtedly be the true nadir. Master Zhao Cangzhi, the 'Cangqi Sword,' had explicitly warned: "Lose to anyone, but never lose to Li Yuanbai's disciple."

Master Zhao Cangzhi's feud with Martial Uncle Li, the rival from the Sword Qi Sect, was a hatred deeper than all the waters of the three rivers and five lakes combined.

A Rival in Love

Since childhood, Zhao Nan had heard his master, Zhao Cangzhi, mention his romantic rival, Li Yuanbai, countless times. Countless times, he had heard the imperative: "You must defeat Li Yuanbai's disciple, Lu Yuan!" The words still echoed.

Of course, Zhao Nan hadn't realized that his master, Zhao Cangzhi, was just as miserable as he was. Zhao Cangzhi considered Li Yuanbai his greatest romantic rival, but the reality was that Li Yuanbai barely remembered the man. To him, Zhao Cangzhi was merely a long-defeated subordinate. That was Li Yuanbai's impression of Zhao Cangzhi.

When you view someone as your rival, but they don't even keep you in their thoughts—isn't that the height of misery?

Zhao Cangzhi and Zhao Nan—this master and disciple pair were truly a tragically mismatched duo.

While Zhao Nan was sinking into despair, Wei Bei, the Fourth Core Disciple of the Sword Sect's South Peak, sitting inside the Dexing Restaurant, shivered suddenly. He had considered challenging Lu Yuan again, but now he definitely wouldn't. Sparring with such a ghost of swordsmanship talent was terrifying. Even if he mastered the 'Thousand Illusions and Cloud Mist One Thousand Three Hundred Forms,' he still wouldn't fight Lu Yuan.

——————

Lu Yuan exited the Dexing Restaurant, a wineskin dangling from his hand, deep in thought about the recent battle.

He was inherently lazy. Because of this laziness, he needed to achieve greater results in less time.

Take, for example, the post-battle review.

A post-battle review helped one summarize strengths and weaknesses, leading to better self-awareness.

It could be said that those adept at post-battle reviews achieved with half the effort what others struggled to reach through sheer exertion.

He took a casual swig of wine and continued his contemplation. This time, his victory was a beautiful execution of sword overcoming magic.

However, this didn't mean he could now break all spells with a single sword strike. To truly achieve the 'One Sword Breaks All Laws,' he still needed cultivation, still needed to strive.

Reviewing again: the reason he broke the wood element spells this time was that they required components like tree leaves to manifest, and by severing or parrying all the leaves, he neutralized the magic. In contrast, fire, water, and lightning spells relied on fire, water, and lightning themselves as anchors, which were much harder to deflect.

'One Sword Breaks All Laws' sounds easy, but it is far from simple to execute.

He decided he should return to his master's library to check if there were any texts detailing how to counter spells with the sword. Learning from the knowledge of predecessors meant standing on the shoulders of giants, which undoubtedly saved significant effort. Changchun Residence was just ahead; Lu Yuan strode forward with long, purposeful steps.

Another large gulp of wine.

The wine warmed his belly; half-drunk, half-awake—blissful.