Chapter 36 The first battle, victory!
“The sword is not strong enough!”

Su Changqing cut off Senior Brother Zhang’s sword with one sword and spoke to him solemnly.

Senior Brother Zhang gritted his teeth and swung the sword with all his strength.

“Not fast enough!”

Su Changqing took light steps and easily dodged several attacks from Senior Brother Zhang.

Senior Brother Zhang quickened his pace.

As the two men fought and attacked, Su Changqing remained calm and composed, while Senior Brother Zhang had tried his best but could not touch Su Changqing at all.

Everyone was stunned, and everyone knew the current situation very well.

“Both of them are at the first stage of foundation building. How can Su Changqing suppress Senior Brother Zhang so much? I feel desperate for Senior Brother Zhang. This is simply a competition with no chance of winning.”

“Is Su Changqing teasing Zhang Ping?”

“It doesn’t look like me, but more like Master personally taught us sword by sword when he was teaching us the way of the sword.”

“I agree with this point of view. You see, under Su Changqing’s guidance, Senior Brother Zhang’s swordsmanship has become more and more advanced. His swordsmanship and body movements have become much more proficient.”

A bystander sees things more clearly, so the person involved may not be confused.

Senior Brother Zhang, who was fighting against Su Changqing with every move at this moment, also saw that Su Changqing had no intention of fighting with him at all. Instead, he was guiding him to make more powerful sword moves and take faster steps.

He also let go of the desire to win and concentrated on following Su Changqing’s instructions.

Gradually, he seemed to feel a hint of understanding that he had never gained before.

Just as Su Changqing said, he had always practiced sword-fighting only to learn the moves one by one, but had never felt the inner meaning of the sword. His master Zeng Shuchang had instructed him countless times, but he never understood it. In the end, his master was helpless and never mentioned this matter again. He just pursued the perfection of sword-fighting moves in a daze.

Only today did he seem to have been walking in the dark night for a long time, and finally he looked up and saw a star.

“A long whistle from the Heavenly Gate brings a breeze of fresh air from thousands of miles away!”

“Brother Zhang, come again!”

Su Changqing concentrated and shouted to Zhang Ping.

“what!”

When Zhang Ping heard the shout, he suddenly made up his mind and used all his strength to practice the Qingfeng sword art that he had learned for a year. The sword in his hand was powerful and his steps were steady and powerful. He leaped like a breeze but with all kinds of offensive intent hidden in it, he slashed towards Su Changqing.

At this moment, he broke through!

In just a moment, to everyone’s astonishment, his momentum suddenly increased, and he actually broke through from the first foundation building stage to the second foundation building stage!

Su Changqing also felt it, but he remained calm and used the Qingfeng sword technique with his small wooden sword.

The two Qingfeng sword techniques with the same moves and power soon came into conflict with each other. The two figures moved left and right in the dojo like phantoms. The Qingfeng sword energy collided with each other and turned into breezes that blew onto the spectators below the dojo, making them feel the power of the wind.

After the two fought for ten rounds, Senior Brother Zhang took the first step back.

Everyone was confused, but they saw Zhang Ping slowly put away the sword in his hand, and solemnly bowed with the sword in his hand, and said something that puzzled everyone present: “Junior Brother Changqing, I have been defeated, and I am convinced of my defeat!”

How did you lose?

Aren’t both of them still in the dojo, no one is injured and no one has fallen, so isn’t the winner yet decided?
Zhang Ping looked around at the spectators and said to them seriously, “Although I was not injured and did not fall, I am the only one who knows that Junior Brother Changqing held back. Otherwise, I would not be able to withstand three moves from him. Moreover, Junior Brother Changqing only used a wooden sword to fight me. If we continue fighting, I will have no chance of winning.”

“Everyone, I have really been defeated.”

After Zhang Ping said this, everyone finally realized what was going on. Although the two had fought for several rounds, Su Changqing remained calm from beginning to end. “Brother Zhang, the Seven Veins Martial Arts Competition is a competition within the sect for us brothers to learn from each other and improve each other. There is no need to admit defeat.”

Su Changqing smiled slightly, put away his small wooden sword, bowed and said to Zhang Ping.

“Junior Brother Changqing, I underestimated you. Your mastery of the way of the sword is beyond the reach of me, your brother.”

“I am honored to fight against you today and receive your guidance. Not only have I gained insights into the way of the sword that I have never had before, but I have also been able to break through to the second stage of foundation building. You have lived up to my dream of ascending to this dojo. I look forward to seeing your performance in the next few competitions and seeing your true strength.”

After saying that, Zhang Ping jumped down from the dojo naturally and handed the title of winner to Su Changqing.

This battle ended with Su Changqing’s victory.

“Junior brother, you are so awesome!”

“That’s right! Junior brother, I didn’t know you were so skilled in swordsmanship before, so you deliberately hid it from us, right?”

“Junior brother, after the Seven Sects Martial Arts Competition is over, how about you teach me sword skills in person? I wonder if I have some sword-related confusions that I cannot comprehend for a long time.”

After Su Changqing jumped off the dojo, all the senior sisters from Xiaozhu Peak gathered around him, smiling and encouraging Su Changqing like blooming flowers.

“Senior sister, it was just my luck, please stop teasing me.”

Su Changqing repeatedly spoke modestly to his senior sisters.

This caused the senior sisters to smile again and again, until Senior Sister Wenmin came to his rescue, and Su Changqing was able to relax.

This is so sweet and so distressing!
After this battle, the story of Su Changqing teaching Zhang Ping swordsmanship in the dojo and helping him to realize the breakthrough spread among the people, and many people became re-acquainted with the name Su Changqing.

However, it was soon drowned out by rumors about other outstanding geniuses, such as Lin Jingyu defeating the enemy with one move, Qi Hao making the opponent surrender voluntarily without making a single move, and Lu Xueqi having a deep understanding of the way of the sword.

But Su Changqing was also happy with this, it would be best if he didn’t attract attention.

I just taught Zhang Ping the way of the sword out of guilt and also out of courtesy to Senior Brother Zhang. I came up with this idea, not to attract other people’s attention.

The one-day competition ended quickly, and Su Changqing and a group of geniuses entered the second round of competition without any surprise.

This time, there was no drawing of lots. Instead, the opponent was randomly selected based on the winner of the battle. The opponent chosen for Su Changqing was a disciple from Longshou Peak who was at the peak of the second stage of foundation building.

I have met him a few times, only because this disciple of Longshou Peak and Lin Jingyu are “good friends”, and I have met him several times around Lin Jingyu.

Su Changqing didn’t care about it at all. Just as he thought, he would first get into the top 16 so as not to embarrass Xiaozhu Peak, and then find a way to stop here.

Soon, the news of Su Changqing’s victory in the competition reached Daoxuan and Shuiyue’s ears.

“Junior Sister Shuiyue, Changqing is an interesting kid. During the competition, he had already thrown away the desire to win or lose. Instead, he used his own strength to guide others to improve their sword skills and help them break through. This kind of mentality is really capable of taking on great responsibilities!”

Daoxuan looked at Su Changqing leaving with a kind smile on his face and said to Shuiyue.

Who would have thought that Su Changqing, who was the least favored person at the beginning, and everyone said that he lacked spiritual roots for cultivation, would feel slapped in the face by what he saw today, as he could become so proficient in swordsmanship in just one year.

“This kid does have a good character, but he is only trying to hide his abilities. I’m afraid he will hide his strength and not want to show it when the time comes.”

Shuiyue also approved of Su Changqing’s performance today. As a master, she had no idea that her young disciple had such a profound understanding of the way of the sword.

I don’t know whether to say that I don’t pay much attention to him on a daily basis, or that Su Changqing is really hiding too much.

“Just let it go. I believe Changqing already has his own answer.”

Daoxuan muttered to himself leisurely.

(End of this chapter)