Bitter Realm: My Feet Step Through the Flames of War

[Sword Intent]: Sometimes it roars like a dragon, as if harboring resentment, and with a whoosh it wipes out all the proud and arrogant. This precious sword is entrusted to me, and I will use it to quell the war across the four seas.

【Blade Source】: A chivalrous hero who won fame throughout the world came for love, and went mad for love. What supports the madness and indomitable fighting spirit in the blade is the endless affection. After turning his love for one person into the protection of all people, the man is no longer mad, but the blade is even madder.

[Weapon]: Lion Head Sword

[Sword Techniques]: Mad Dragon Eight Slashes, Reverse Kill Blade, Mad Dragon - Reverse Kill, Reverse Slash Night Dragon Torch, Concealed Edge Slash, One Slash Three Thousand Slashes, Heaven and Earth Three Styles

[Sword Manual]:

The dragon reverses its course, slaying the Night Dragon's torch; the vast land changes hands.

The dragon roars to the heavens, yet regret lingers; Mount Lu remains unmoved, untouched by mist and rain.

Destroying world and extinguishing emotions, concealing its sharpness; separating the blade and reversing its direction, washing away the universe.

Never in my life have I seen this precious sword grow old; three thousand blades have cleaved through heaven, earth, and man.

……

The audience members who came here today all shared the same sentiment as Qin Jiaxian: such arrogant swordsmanship, yet it won them the most flowers.

Qin Jiaxian threw the peony in his hand into the pot, and shouted with a fist:

"The Mad Blade of Chaos is number one! The Mad Blade of Chaos must be number one, otherwise it's a conspiracy!"

Shukuer looked around the hall and saw that Luanshi Kuangdao's flower pile was the highest, while the three foreign contestants were pitifully few, especially the representative of Donghuang Xuanzhou, Dian Buluan.

The recent Death Forbidden Decision triggered infighting in the martial arts world of the Bitter Realm. The instigator, Bu Wu Donghuang, was the elder brother of Dian Bu Luan, and this relationship greatly affected Dian Bu Luan's popularity.

Even so, Qin Jiaxian still went to his sword manual and walked around: "I, Old Qin, want to see just how much this so-called Zhong Kuang really has."

The Unparalleled Sword Style

[The Blade Master]: Madman Undisturbed

[Sword Intent]: The swordsman in the sea is unparalleled in the world; who can truly hear the essence of his sword?

【Blade Source】: Originating from the most mysterious kingdom in Donghuang Xuanzhou, under the suppression of his exceptionally talented elder brother, he forged his own path and created his own way of the blade.

[Weapon]: Crescent Blade

[Sword Technique]: Unparalleled sword style.

[Sword Manual]:

I was startled awake on a cold, mountain night in the Zi-Chou hour; at the Yin hour, the rooster crowed and I saw the sun rise.

A sliver of light flashes against the crimson sky, while the wind whips through the traveler's clothes across ten thousand miles.

I saw the Fragrant Snow Sea at 9:00 AM, but did not break off the intertwined branches in the afternoon;

As dusk falls and the sun sets, birds fly back; at dusk and the sun sets, birds gently descend and return to the purple mud.

……

"It's the Twelve Hours Sword Technique. I can't understand it at all. He's just as crazy as the person who does it."

"Uncle Qin, look around, there are people copying sword manuals everywhere, and quite a few people are even imitating them. Is this appropriate?"

Qin Jiaxian had already seen it, and initially didn't want to pay any attention, but then he suddenly spotted a familiar face:

"Isn't this the boss who prints novels for Ce Menghou? Wow, so you wanted to sell pirated copies of the sword manual!"

The printing factory owner was startled: "Shh~ Qin Jiaxian, keep your voice down. I sell pirated copies to improve the overall quality of the martial arts world in the Bitter Realm. The more masters there are, the more help the righteous path will receive."

Shukuer interjected, "Reading pirated books is shameful! Selling pirated books is even more shameful!"

Qin Jiaxian blinked: "What's the benefit of making me, Old Qin, keep quiet?"

The printing factory owner pulled out his wallet from his pocket and reluctantly took out two large silver ingots: "I haven't even made any money yet, and I'm already losing it all to you."

"A small loss but a big gain is a good deal. I wish the boss a prosperous year."

Qin Jiaxian counted the number of flowers in the exhibition hall again before leaving with Shukuer and heading to the West Flower Hall where the judging committee was located.

Xihua Hall is the venue where three professional judges evaluate the knife-making manual.

To ensure a comprehensive presentation to the outside world, this selection process employed a live roundtable format.

The West Flower Hall has only one hundred seats, and entry is restricted to experts at the Innate Realm level or above.

Qin Jiaxian and Shukuer were stopped outside the hall. No matter how much he pleaded, the guards of Lunjianhai wouldn't let him in.

"They won't even give me, Old Qin, any face! The Sword Debate is going too far!"

From afar, they could hear Qin Jiaxian shouting at the door. Qing Haichao and Ji Shanhu, who had already walked over, silently retreated, while Huang Quan and Cui Luohan entered as if nothing had happened.

Seeing the frost on Huang Quan's face, Qin Jiaxian opened his mouth, then swallowed it back.

He waited for half an hour, but no acquaintances came, so he had no choice but to leave disappointed.

Once he was out of sight, Qing Haichao, Mo Dao Juechen, Ling Shuixian, Bu Xiangchen, and the others rushed over and entered the West Flower Hall in tacit agreement.

It was exactly noon.

The roundtable forum has begun.

On stage were the host of this competition, Yu Bufan, and three professional judges: Tianzun Huangyin, Shao Duxing, and Butterfly Lord.

The audience was packed with 100 seats, with the eight contestants sitting in the front row. However, due to the competition rules, the contestants were not allowed to ask questions of the judges, let alone question them.

"A golden scalpel adorned with white jade shines through the window at night. A man is born to perform meritorious deeds, standing alone with his sword, surveying the vast wilderness."

Yu Bufan smiled and said, "Today, I am honored to be the host, and together with all the heroes and extraordinary people present, I would like to ask my friends about swordsmanship and seek guidance from wise men."

There was thunderous applause from the audience.

Yu Bufan then introduced the three judges, which was met with another deafening roar from the audience.

"I believe the three judges have already reviewed the contestants' sword manuals. Please feel free to speak your minds and clear up our doubts."

The three judges naturally offered their humble opinions, but in the end, it was the straightforward Mr. He who spoke first:

"The sword is the king of weapons. The weapon is the foundation and the basis. There are five levels to enter the Dao through the weapon, and you must break through them one by one."

Yu Bufan then asked, "Which five realms are you referring to?"

"The first realm of the sword path: the sword's aura manifests."

"The second realm of swordsmanship: sword energy departs from the blade."

"The third realm of swordsmanship, forming its own unique style."

"The fourth realm of swordsmanship: resonance of sword intent."

"The fifth realm of the sword path: the boundless sword domain."

Yu Bufan quickly compared his sword technique with his own and then asked, "Elder He, does the sword intent resonance of the fourth realm refer to the resonance formed by responding to the heavens and earth?"

"Of course."

"Among the eight sword manuals, are there any fighters who have reached the fourth or fifth level?"

Shao Duxing nodded: "I believe that the four sword techniques, 'Minghe Gongying', 'Huachao Yuexi', 'Liushun Zhan', and 'Kuanglong Nisha', have all reached the fourth realm. Among them, 'Minghe Gongying' and 'Kuanglong Nisha' have even broken through the boundary of the fifth realm."

Someone in the audience raised an objection: "I believe that the 'Time Blade Technique' is the one that truly created the blade domain. Why did the senior ignore it so much?"

The person asking the question was Bu Xiangchen. She had witnessed Zui Guangyin's swordsmanship more than once, and except for one loss to Qing Haichao, he had won all the others.

Shao Duxing frowned and replied, "The Time Blade Technique surpasses the limits of humanity, allowing one to manipulate time at will. We mortals cannot do that."

"This……"

Yu Bufan, who was most familiar with Shao Duxing among those present, immediately smiled and said, "Old He is right. Why don't we hear what Butterfly Lord has to say?"

Before giving his opinion, Butterfly struck a pose, lightly touching his forehead and tossing his long hair, before saying, "I admire 'Floating Life and Shadows' more. It can divide a set of sword techniques into two kinds of ultimate moves, light and shadow. When facing an enemy in battle, it is really hard to defend against."

"What does Butterfly mean?"

"The knife is the art of killing."

"Oh?"

"On the battlefield, no one cares how beautiful your blade is or how brilliant your sword intent is. What matters is speed, accuracy, and ruthlessness. Anticipating the enemy's moves, defeating them before they are defeated, and sealing them off completely with a single, fatal blow is the perfect sword technique."

"And what is your opinion of the eight sword manuals?"

"If we don't count 'Time Blade Technique,' I would recommend 'Flower Tide and Moon Tide' and 'Six Instant Slashes' first."

"Has Butterfly abandoned 'Floating Life'?"

Butterfly confidently said, "Not so. Although 'Floating Life and Shadows' is a killing knife, it is not as fast or ruthless as the latter two. All the moves are aimed at the vital points, without any superfluous movements. You should know that in actual combat, perhaps the effort of one more strike can determine the life or death of two people."

"Well said!"

"Butterfly Lord is brilliant!"

Many people in the audience shouted, clearly indicating that a considerable number of them agreed that the knife was a means of killing.

After Yu Bufan and the others calmed down, they asked the third judge, "Thank you, Heavenly Venerable Huang Yin, for gracing the Sword Debate Sea. What is your opinion, Heavenly Venerable?"

Having been away from the Bitter Realm for a long time, Heavenly Venerable Emperor Yin felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity upon seeing these enthusiastic martial artists again.

Before the meeting, he had studied the eight sword manuals several times, not only evaluating the contestants but also conducting a thorough study of his own swordsmanship.

"The knife and the sword are similar yet different. They are similar in that they are both weapons and techniques for killing; they are different in that, in addition to killing, the sword often carries people's emotions and hopes. By observing a person's sword, one can know the person's character."

These words caused everyone on and off the stage to fall into deep thought.

"The sword may not carry such heavy emotions, but it carries a greater force. The force of the sword is formed by the fusion of essence, energy, and spirit. If a swordsman cannot achieve this force, he cannot express his intent."

Although Sheng Junshi abstained from the competition, he did not miss this opportunity to learn and immediately asked, "Those who wield a sword all have their own sword style. Is that difficult?"

"It is difficult, yet not difficult. The difficulty lies in the fact that momentum arises from the heart. A gentle person's momentum is calm, a quiet person's momentum is tranquil, and a profound person's momentum is scattered. The best sword momentum must be powerful, arrogant, domineering, and unstoppable, so as to transform momentum into intention and then condense it into a domain."

Everyone agreed.

Ling Shuixian then asked, "May I ask what the Heavenly Venerable's power is?"

The Heavenly Venerable Emperor Yin solemnly declared: "When the martial world is without justice, one draws one's sword. When all living beings are without justice, one slays them with the blade. With a sharp blade across the sky, one's conscience is clear. On the path to heaven, I alone reign supreme!"

His bold words immediately ignited the entire flower hall.

Yu Bufan asked the question he was most concerned about: "Of the eight sword manuals, which one does the Heavenly Venerable prefer?"

"Each of the eight sword manuals has its own advantages, and it is difficult to distinguish which is better. In my eyes, they are all sword techniques that can achieve the Way of the Sword."

Mo Dao Juechen murmured from below the stage, "I never imagined that after so many years, my elder brother would be even better at being a good person."