Madam, please listen to my explanation.

Chapter 120 It's just a little bit of dragon energy tempering the body.
The girl's pitiful screams faded into the distance, and only then did Xu Jinhuan turn around to face the person opposite him.

"Since Senior Song cares so much about these spies, why not make a move sooner?"

Although he had sensed an ambush on the mountaintop early on, he never expected it to be this person.

Song Yu, the Overlord of Blades!

As the most powerful warrior in the Zhou Kingdom and the prized disciple of Lin Que, the Heavenly Blade, Xu Jinhuan hadn't even been reincarnated yet when he made a name for himself in the martial world.
With over a dozen spies who had been hiding for years risking their lives to activate the formation, and this person lying in ambush outside the city, such a lineup is quite impressive!
Song Yu raised an eyebrow: "Oh? You recognize this old man?"

"Besides you, I really can't think of anyone else who can use swordsmanship to such an extent."

After all, if it were Heavenly Blade himself present, I would already be a corpse. How could I possibly have the strength to challenge a senior like him here?

Song Yu shook his head: "Those people were already dead the moment they exposed themselves."

"I refrain from taking action simply because I don't want to personally kill these loyal souls of the Great Zhou."

He looked the boy up and down, and slowly said:
"To be able to reach such a level with just physical strength, young Xu, have you been to the Sword Furnace?"

Xu Jinhuan grinned, "I've never been to the sword furnace or anything like that. It's just some dragon energy tempering."

Even with Song Yu's composure, he couldn't help but freeze upon hearing this!
With a flick of his blade, a raging inferno instantly soared into the sky.

Xu Jinhuan had to admit that, putting Zhou Jin aside, this person was the most imposing of all the enemies he had ever faced!
Sixth on the list
He was full of fighting spirit.

Even if the other party didn't come, he would eventually have to go and learn from these old guys who were ranked ahead of him. Now was a good time to test how much of a gap there was between him and these top experts!
After all, being outside Kyoto, even if they were outmatched, they could still escape.
Song Yu's face was solemn as he said in a low voice, "Dragon Qi tempering the body. What a grand gesture! With national affairs at hand, I have no choice but to play the villain who bullies the weak. Boy, catch this!"

Xu Jinhuan's eyes narrowed. "Please enlighten me, senior!"

Before he could finish speaking, the person in front of him had already vanished.

Everything around seemed to lose its color, leaving only the overwhelming blade of light before them!
A strong wind blew in, making Xu Jinhuan's face sting.

He narrowed his eyes, a chill running down his spine.

Can't escape!

The opponent's swordsmanship was already close to the 'Tao', and no matter how he dodged and weaved, he could not possibly dodge the sword energy in front of him!
Xu Jinhuan dared not be careless in the slightest. He mobilized all the power in his Qi Sea, and the broken jade in his hand left afterimages, which landed one after another on the blade energy that had already approached him.

Thump. Thump. Thump!

He retreated step by step, each step making a loud noise and leaving deep pits in the ground beneath his feet.

After seven muffled thuds, the blade energy in front of him was finally shattered.

His right hand, holding the sword, trembled slightly, and a trickle of blood slid down his lips.

Song Yu remained standing in the same spot, his expression unchanged and his heart unmoved.
"This is almost the same amount of effort you just put in. If this is your limit, kid, then cultivate for a few more decades in your next life!"

'This old man is quite cautious; he's still testing his own limits.'

With his current physique and the addition of seven layers of hidden strength, his strength has increased many times over compared to before.

Putting everything else aside, his current physical strength alone, without the need for cultivation techniques or true qi, is already comparable to that of an ordinary sixth-rank martial artist.

When Ruoshui's seven layers of power reached their final stage, they were almost infinitely close to the power of the attack that Gu Niaoniao and her brother-in-law had stored in her sea of ​​consciousness!
After all, even they couldn't possibly retain power above the seventh rank within their bodies; otherwise, before they could even injure their enemies, their 'container' would shatter first.
"Why is there such a big difference between the same sixth-rank?"

The person in front of me is only ranked sixth. Compared to Ning Caixie, An Qing and others whom I have faced before, they are worlds apart!

Xu Jinhuan simply couldn't imagine what level of cultivation the five people ranked ahead of him must possess.

"Hey! Old Deng, is it too late to admit defeat now?"

Xu Jinhuan was starting to regret it.
Facing these seasoned veterans, it's clear that enthusiasm alone, along with a few slogans, isn't enough.
Why haven't the reinforcements arrived yet?
What about Zhou Jin?
Where are my junior brother and mistress from the Hehuan Sect?
Blood-Clad Guards and Imperial Bodyguards would also work!
Deep within the palace, Zhao Ruoxi looked worried, her delicate hands gripping the armrest of a chair carved from golden nanmu wood. Beside her, Yu Xiao flew up on his own, 'whoosh,' and flew out of the palace to take the old man's head!

"I made a deal with that kid beforehand: if he can defeat the seven top-ranked experts ahead of him within a year, I will tell him a huge secret."

If you were to kill one of the seven men that Song Yu killed, then it wouldn't count.

Zhou Jin sat to the side, legs crossed, calmly cracking sunflower seeds.

"Teacher, I can't gamble with his life!"

Zhao Ruoxi clenched her fist, which cracked loudly.

What use is even the biggest secret if you're dead?

Yu Xiao hurtled towards the outskirts of the eastern city at a speed imperceptible to the naked eye.

It doesn't matter if we reveal our strength.
If Xu Jinhuan is injured, she will make the Great Zhou Kingdom pay an extremely heavy price!

Zhou Jin remained completely unmoved and scoffed:

"What if it concerns the secret to breaking through to sainthood?"

What's the rush? That kid isn't that easy to kill.
You probably know better than I how many tricks he still has up his sleeve! Just wait and see, I bet the show's about to get interesting.
-
Upon hearing this, Song Yu was taken aback, then burst into laughter.

"Admitting defeat now is probably not going to work, kid Xu."

"With your fifth-grade cultivation, you withstood two of my sword strikes without falling. If you were given another ten years to cultivate, who knows how many more souls would be lost under your sword in my Great Zhou?" Song Yu's aura rose again and again. Just standing there, he was like a drawn sword, making it difficult for anyone to look directly at him.

"Even though I cherish your talent, I cannot keep you here!"

He suddenly rose into the air, wielding his giant sword with tremendous force.

In an instant, the sky seemed to be filled with rosy clouds and shadows, displaying countless forms.

A barrage of multicolored blade energy descended upon Xu Jinhuan like a tidal wave!
"Before I die, I'll let you witness my master's [Eight Blades of Heaven-Asking]!"

Xu Jinhuan stood firmly on his feet, his long sword held at an angle, ready for battle.

Each gust of wind that came their way was weaker than the previous one.

But in terms of quantity, the difference is enormous!

Not to mention that Song Yu's true form was hidden amidst the dazzling sword light, making it impossible to pinpoint his location.

Xu Jinhuan knew perfectly well that even if he used all his skills to survive the eight sword strikes, he could not escape the fatal blow from the true body hidden behind them!
Now that things have come to this, there is only one option.
'Xu Jinhuan, that's not how you use broken jade.'

Gu Niaoniao's voice suddenly rang out from her sea of ​​consciousness.

Xu Jinhuan was surprised, but he had no time to think. The broken jade in his hand made a sonic boom and clashed head-on with the first blade energy!
scoff!

He concentrated his power at the tip of his sword and pierced through the sharp blade from the center!
The sword energy, forcibly split into two streams, carved two deep trenches in the ground to Xu Jinhuan's left and right.

A surge of energy welled up in his stomach, and two more blades of energy were right in front of him!
'Hmm, you finally understand how to utilize the advantages of the sword.'
However, this was not enough. The Imperial Advisor suddenly recalled a cultivation method specifically designed to control the shattered jade.

Suddenly I remembered. Why didn't you say so sooner that there was such a good thing?!
Xu Jinhuan was furious, but dared not hesitate for a moment.

The power within her Qi Sea instantly began to circulate along the trajectory described by Gu Niaoniao.

In an instant, he sensed the difference.

From this moment on, the broken jade in his hand seemed to have a faint connection to him, as if they were made by blood.

At the same time, a series of incredibly profound sword techniques spontaneously appeared in his mind.

Centered on him, the surrounding temperature instantly dropped to freezing point.

Song Yu, who was briefly suspended in the air, raised an eyebrow.

Just now, he clearly noticed that his breathing speed had slowed down.

Not only was the flow of qi slowed down, but even the blade energy that had already been unleashed was significantly slower.

The hilt of the knife in his hand became icy cold. He looked down and saw that even the blade itself was covered with a thick layer of frost!

A chilling aura surged along the blade into Song Yu's body, causing the flow of true qi within his meridians to become increasingly sluggish.
Unseen by him, a golden longsword pierced through the air, suddenly hovering in mid-air, and then with a whoosh, it flew back towards the palace.

Song Yu slowly descended to the ground.

Suddenly, a thick, earthen-yellow light barrier appeared ahead, blocking the way between him and the boy.

'clang--'

In an instant, the earth shook and mountains trembled, raising clouds of dust!
'Is there another plan?'

Song Yu sensed a hint of demonic energy from the suddenly appearing light screen.

He channeled his inner energy, attempting to dispel the lingering chill within his body, but found it to be of little effect.

Just as they were wondering what was going on, a figure suddenly burst out of the dust!

He withstood a slash from the opponent using the innate supernatural power he obtained from the Xuan Turtle Demon Core.

Although it was only for a moment, the golden runes in his sea of ​​consciousness dimmed, and in a short time, they could no longer protect him from attacks.
That's enough!

Xu Jinhuan's clothes were torn on his arms, and blood was still wet at the corner of his mouth, but his eyes were filled with fanaticism.
After being beaten for so long, it's time to fight back!

The shattered jade sword thrust straight forward, leaving streaks of frost in the air wherever its blade passed.

Song Yu stared in disbelief at the young man before him, his eyes gradually turning icy blue, and with each breath, a large cloud of white mist would rise from them.
"The Frost Heaven Technique of the Sword Saint, where the sword leaves its mark and the breath turns to frost!"

Looking at the gleaming longsword in the other's hand, Song Yu felt a chill run down his spine!

"Broken jade!"

Ding--

The swords clashed, producing a crisp, clanging sound.

Xu Jinhuan's strength remained unchanged, but streams of extremely cold and bone-chilling sword energy rapidly invaded Song Yu's body along the blade!
In my sight, the somewhat disheveled youth laughed wildly, his longsword flashing with light, like a torrential downpour of pear blossoms:

"You disagreed when I just admitted defeat."
"Old man, it's my turn!"

(End of this chapter)