In the martial arts world, he threatens Yin Susu from the start.

As the two swords clashed, the tip of the woman in red's sword snapped off.

Sheathed her sword and stepped back, looking at Gu Hanyuan with a serious expression.

"Divine weapon?"

"My sword is named Hero Sword. Please enlighten me, senior."

Gu Hanyuan showed no signs of relaxation.

He had originally intended to cut the opponent's sword into pieces, but at the last moment she withdrew it, and only the tip of the sword broke off.

However, for a master of this level, the presence or absence of a sword tip does not prevent them from killing.

"Hero's Sword? It is indeed a fine sword, but how skilled is the person wielding it?"

Although the woman in red was somewhat surprised, she remained calm, after all, the difference in strength could not be easily bridged by a divine weapon.

As expected, during the ensuing exchange, the woman in red, while avoiding direct clashes with the Hero Sword, still managed to keep Gu Hanyuan from raising his head.

A casual sword strike was enough to force him to abandon offense and switch to defense.

As expected, a Grandmaster and a Master are two different things. Even though Gu Hanyuan has the exquisite "Mysterious Sword Technique", it can only cause her some trouble, but cannot be turned into an advantage.

It was because of the Hero's Sword that he avoided having to fight with his opponent's internal energy, which is why he was able to remain undefeated.

However, seeing that the other party had not used their own martial arts, Gu Hanyuan was certain of his guess.

However, after failing to defeat Gu Hanyuan for a long time, the woman in red changed her tactics and turned to attack Xiaolongnu and Li Mochou.

This really stumped Gu Hanyuan.

Although neither Xiaolongnu nor Li Mochou were weak, the gap between them and their opponent was too great.

Moreover, they were still suffering from post-drowning effects, making even dodging and turning difficult.

After Gu Hanyuan was stabbed in the arm once again while trying to save Xiaolongnu, he retreated with the weakened Xiaolongnu, avoiding the red-clad woman's sharp edge.

Fortunately, the woman in red did not give chase, but instead said leisurely:

"Young man, give up. Your swordsmanship is indeed formidable; even I cannot defeat you easily. However, it is impossible to protect two defenseless women. If you leave now, I will not make things difficult for you."

Xiaolongnu looked at the scars on Gu Hanyuan's arm, which he had sustained while saving her, with heartache.

"Han Yuan, you should leave. You don't need to risk your life for us."

"Yes, Han Yuan. Let's go quickly."

Li Mochou also stepped out from behind Gu Hanyuan, unwilling to accept his protection with his life any longer.

Although the happy time was short, it was enough to confirm Gu Hanyuan's feelings.

However, Gu Hanyuan pulled Li Mochou back behind him.

"Ha, if I can't protect the woman I love, what use is this sword to me if I haven't learned this martial art?"

Both Xiaolongnu and Li Mochou looked at Gu Hanyuan with tears in their eyes, thinking that if he was unwilling to leave, they would live and die together.

The woman in red had a slight smile in her eyes, but her words were still harsh.

"Even if you're determined to give your life to protect them, what can you actually do?"

Chapter 72: The Young and Beautiful Lin Chaoying

Gu Hanyuan did not answer the woman in red, but instead appeared to be concentrating on his internal energy.

His wet clothes began to steam, and his hair dried instantly.

Her hair, now smooth and black as ink, began to move on its own even without wind.

The woman in red didn't realize what Gu Hanyuan was going to do at first, but then she suddenly exclaimed after realizing a possibility.

"Are you crazy? You want to break through in the heat of battle?"

She hadn't expected Gu Hanyuan to be so reckless; breaking through at the last minute was practically legendary, and could easily result in his meridians being completely severed.

The woman in red suddenly felt a pang of regret.

She was actually quite satisfied, but she didn't expect Gu Hanyuan to be so resolute.

However, just as she was about to stop Gu Hanyuan, she saw the internal energy surging from Gu Hanyuan's body suddenly spread outwards for a moment before calmly receding back.

You've broken through to the Grandmaster level?

The woman in red was a little dumbfounded, not expecting that Gu Hanyuan would actually break through right in front of her.

A trickle of blood escaped from the corner of Gu Hanyuan's mouth, but he still managed a smile.

In fact, Gu Hanyuan's breakthrough in battle was entirely an act. He was already at the peak of the Grandmaster level, so what was so difficult about acting out a breakthrough from the peak of the Innate level to the early stage of the Grandmaster level?

The woman in red had a complex look in her eyes, a mixture of admiration and envy.

"Old Master Zhang must have stumbled upon some incredible luck to have taken on such an outstanding grand-disciple as you, an eighteen-year-old grandmaster! The future is surely yours. But such a forced breakthrough will cause immense damage to your meridians. Is it really worth it?"

When the woman in red mentioned Gu Hanyuan's age, the two women realized that he was younger than them, yet they had always relied on him like little girls.

Little Dragon Girl is better; the difference isn't that big.

Li Mochou blushed with embarrassment, because this was a classic case of an older woman dating a younger man, and she had actually fallen for a young boy.

But when I think about what he did for me, I feel it's only natural.

Gu Hanyuan didn't care about the age issue. With the system in his possession, he would definitely embark on the path of cultivation in the future, so what would age matter then?

"There's no question of whether it's worth it or not, only whether I'm willing or not. For Long'er and Mochou, I'm willing. Please give me your guidance again, senior."

The woman in red looked at Gu Hanyuan with only satisfaction in her eyes.

He thought to himself that if that person had had his courage back then, he wouldn't have wasted so many years.

Gu Hanyuan stepped forward again with his sword drawn. After being able to use his Grandmaster-level internal energy, the power of the "Mysterious Sword Technique" greatly increased. Combined with the Hero Sword, he was virtually invincible among those at the Grandmaster level.

The women in red were all astonished by the power of Gu Hanyuan's swordsmanship.

Fortunately, he was a grandmaster after all. After being caught off guard at the beginning, he managed to suppress his attack. However, at this moment, he had no mind to deal with the two women.

The two clashed again, and the woman in red could no longer use her unfamiliar swordsmanship to fight back. Occasionally, she would use a move or two of her own martial arts to force Gu Hanyuan to retreat.

Little Dragon Girl watched from behind with a puzzled expression, because the red-clad woman's moves looked very familiar, yet somewhat ambiguous, so she couldn't recognize her at first.

Gu Hanyuan had actually achieved his goal at this point, but he was itching to fight a Grandmaster, which was a rare opportunity for him.

After leaving Wudang, I almost always crushed my enemies, and there were very few times when we were evenly matched.

Although his skill level was high enough, there was still a significant gap in his experience.

Besides gaining more combat experience, Gu Hanyuan's encounter with the woman in red also greatly improved his understanding of the "Mysterious Sword Technique".

Suddenly, Gu Hanyuan had a flash of inspiration, and the images of Li Mochou's suicide and Xiaolongnu's collapse flashed through his mind.

"I am filled with inexplicable grief!"

The inner force surged on the Hero Sword, and a large amount of sword energy condensed into a single point in an instant. With a swing of the sword by Gu Hanyuan, it rushed towards the woman in red.

The woman in red was startled. The power of this sword strike had reached the threshold of a Grandmaster, and even a peak Grandmaster couldn't withstand it.

She no longer concealed her strength, unleashing her full power at the mid-stage Grandmaster level, and clashed her sword with the "unexplained grief" sword energy, causing a massive explosion.

Even with the strength of the woman in red, she was blasted backward by the shockwave from the explosion.

"Unexplained Grief" is a technique where the deeper the grief and the stronger the inexplicable meaning, the greater the power. Theoretically, it has no upper limit.

However, to achieve greater power, one is essentially sacrificing one's own life.

Previously, Gu Hanyuan had not been able to grasp its meaning, but after experiencing the matter of the two women, it had already taken shape.

Once used, it proved to be incredibly powerful.

At the same time, the ninth move of the "Mysterious Sword Technique" is already showing signs of coming together, and it won't be long before it is mastered.

"Jade Maiden Sword Technique!"

At this moment, Xiaolongnu finally recognized the move used by the woman in red.

Although there have been some changes in the details, the core principles remain the same.

As the smoke and dust from the explosion settled.

The woman in red looked rather disheveled; her clothes were torn, revealing her fair skin, and her veil had been blown away.

"Grandmaster!"

Xiaolongnu and Li Mochou exclaimed in surprise at the same time.

Because the woman in red looks exactly like the portrait of Lin Chaoying, the ancestor enshrined in the ancient tomb.

The woman in red was Lin Chaoying.

Although she looks a bit disheveled now, her eyebrows are still as beautiful as emerald feathers, her skin as smooth as mutton fat, and the heroic spirit between her brows and eyes is unforgettable.

Gu Hanyuan looked at Lin Chaoying with a strange expression.

I had expected it to be her, but I didn't expect her to look so young. She's also a beauty who scores over 90 points.

I suddenly remembered that Xiaolongnu maintained her appearance for sixteen years by drinking jade bee jelly.

Could it be that Lin Chaoying also maintained her youthful appearance in this way?