I'm in Yellow Maple Valley, and I have one equipment slot!

"Who are you, sir? What brings you to my Yunmeng Mountain in such a secret way?"

An aged voice rang out, and the burly figure slowly turned around.

He revealed a weathered, angular, square face with thick, grayish-white eyebrows. His tiger-like eyes shone with a sharp light, like a drawn sword piercing straight to the heart.

The spiritual energy emanating from his body was clearly at the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm!

Moreover, with a solid foundation and refined magical power, he is by no means a beginner in this realm.

"Just passing by, an unknown rogue cultivator."

Zhou Yuan hovered in the air, his expression unchanged, and responded calmly.

Although his opponent was also at the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm and possessed a deep and imposing aura, he was confident in his strength and had many trump cards at his disposal, so he was not afraid in the slightest.

The burly old man stood up, dusted off non-existent dust from his clothes, and spoke as if to himself, yet also as if to Zhou Yuan:

"I was in seclusion within the sect, attempting to break through the bottleneck. However, my mind was unsettled, so I came out today to clear my head, and unexpectedly... I encountered a master like you here."

His gaze swept over Zhou Yuan like lightning, as if trying to discern something. "Yunmeng Mountain is a territory jointly managed by our three sects. Fellow Daoist, your arrival and departure so quietly deserves an explanation. Since you are unwilling to speak plainly, why not... have a duel with me before you leave? Let me also see if your supernatural abilities are worthy of your stealth skills."

As soon as he finished speaking, a fighting spirit rose in his eyes. Without saying another word, he suddenly opened his mouth!

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"

Three golden rays shot out from his mouth like lightning, growing larger as they faced the wind, and in the blink of an eye, they transformed into three golden flying swords about a foot long. The swords shimmered with golden light, their sword aura was intimidating, and they emitted a clear "humming" sound.

The three flying swords have an ancient and simple design, and their auras are connected, clearly indicating that they are a set of meticulously crafted natal flying swords of extremely high quality.

"Alright, since Fellow Daoist Jin is so interested, I, Zhou, will spar with you for a few moves."

Zhou Yuan remained calm, standing with his hands behind his back in the air.

From the other person's cultivation level, surname, and the iconic three golden flying swords, he had already guessed the person's identity.

Jin Wuhuan, the Grand Elder of the Ancient Sword Sect!

Known as "Old Monster Jin," he is a famous sword cultivator in Tiannan. He is upright, loves swords, and enjoys sparring with others.

"Hmph, since you won't unleash your magic weapon, don't blame me for being merciless with my sword!"

When Jin Laoguai saw that Zhou Yuan was still empty-handed, a hint of displeasure flashed across his face, thinking that the other party was being arrogant.

He snorted coldly, his ten fingers flying across the sword incantation like butterflies flitting among flowers, while the three golden rainbows swirling above his head emitted a high-pitched, clear sword cry, like the roar of a dragon.

Immediately, a brilliant golden light shone forth, and then suddenly blurred and disappeared in mid-air!

The next moment, a thin, hair-like, yet dazzling golden thread, several feet long, appeared out of thin air in front of Old Monster Jin!

Immediately afterwards, like a wildfire spreading, one golden thread after another appeared, densely packed, hundreds and thousands, weaving into a dazzling golden net of light.

It exudes a terrifying sword intent that is sharp and unparalleled, capable of cutting through everything!

"Turning swords into threads! Excellent!"

A hint of admiration flashed in Zhou Yuan's eyes.

This move is a high-level divine ability of sword cultivators, which transforms flying swords into countless fine, tough, and incomparably sharp sword threads, forming a sword net that combines offense and defense to annihilate everything.

It is similar in principle to the "Sword Shadow Splitting Technique" attached to his Qingyuan Sword Manual, both following the path of "winning by quantity" and "divide into countless forms".

Faced with the overwhelming golden sword net, Zhou Yuan no longer hesitated, raised his hands, and began to form hand seals as well.

"Ten Thousand Swords Technique!"

With a low shout, a vast and powerful sword intent, seemingly capable of piercing the sky, suddenly erupted from his body!

In an instant, thousands upon thousands of incredibly solid golden sword lights appeared out of thin air within a radius of a hundred feet around his body!

Each sword light was only about a foot long, but its sharpness was fully revealed. The sword energy soared into the sky, dense and numerous, covering the sky and turning half of the sky golden!

The sword light trembled, emitting a chilling buzz, and converged into a golden sea of ​​swords!

"You're a sword cultivator too?!"

Old Master Jin's pupils suddenly contracted, and for the first time, a look of solemnity and surprise appeared on his face.

The opponent was not only in the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm, but also proficient in such an astonishing group sword technique!

Judging from the momentum and solidity of these ten thousand sword lights, they were definitely not created hastily. It is clear that a high-level sword technique has been cultivated to an extremely profound level!

When did such an unfamiliar swordsman emerge in Tiannan?

"go!"

The two men murmured almost simultaneously.

With a flick of his sword, Jin Laoguai unleashed a massive net of golden sword threads, like a celestial net, rolling forward with a sharp whistling sound that seemed to cut through the void, enveloping Zhou Yuan.

With a thought, Zhou Yuan's myriad golden sword lights, which were suspended around him, transformed into golden meteors, like soldiers receiving orders. They shot down like a torrential rain, tearing through the air with sharp whistles, towards the sword net!

"Hiss hiss hiss—!"

"Jingle bells—!"

The golden sword threads and the golden sword light collided violently in mid-air!

There was no earth-shattering explosion, only a dense, teeth-grinding sound of metal clashing and the hissing of energy annihilation.

Countless tiny golden sword energies and spiritual lights burst forth, like a grand and dangerous fireworks display in the night sky.

Sword flashes like rain, sword nets like a curtain.

The two sides fought fiercely, canceled each other out, and annihilated each other.

While Jin Yong's sword threads were indeed sharp and resilient, Zhou Yuan's myriad sword lights were far more numerous, each containing pure and refined sword essence, and further enhanced by an overwhelming and unstoppable sword intent.

Upon contact, the golden sword net trembled violently, its brilliance quickly dimming as it was impacted by countless sword lights and caved inwards.

In just a brief exchange, the seemingly indestructible sword net was riddled with holes and teetering on the brink of collapse by the overwhelming number and power of the myriad sword lights. It was utterly powerless to break through the sword light's interception, let alone threaten Zhou Yuan behind it.

Jin Laoguai's expression changed again. He could see that the opponent's sword technique was superior to his "turning sword into silk" in terms of scale, power, and control.

Moreover, the opponent clearly hasn't gone all out yet.

Seeing that the sword net was about to collapse, he made a decisive move, changed his sword techniques with both hands, and suddenly withdrew them!

"receive!"

The countless golden sword threads, like rivers flowing into the sea, instantly rolled back and re-condensed in front of him. As the light flowed, they transformed once again into the three ancient golden flying swords, circling and guarding him. However, the golden light on the swords was slightly dim, indicating that the collision just now had consumed a lot of energy.

"Who exactly are you? In the cultivation world of Tiannan, I have never heard of anyone who has cultivated a high-level sword technique to such a level!"

Jin Laoguai stared intently at Zhou Yuan, his eyes filled with surprise and uncertainty. The initial aggressiveness had faded, replaced by a greater sense of inquiry and apprehension.

"Nameless rogue cultivator, Zhou Yuan." Zhou Yuan also dispersed the myriad sword lights around him, and the sharp sword intent in the world slowly subsided. He still had that calm and composed demeanor. "Fellow Daoist Jin, the sparring is over. Are you satisfied? If you want to linger any longer, I, Zhou, will not hold back as I did before."

His tone was calm, but the confidence and subtle warning it contained were something Jin Yong could easily discern.

His expression shifted several times before he finally clasped his hands in a fist salute and said, "Fellow Daoist Zhou's swordsmanship is divine; I admire it greatly! I have disturbed you greatly today, Fellow Daoist... please make yourself at home!"

He was, after all, a Nascent Soul cultivator who had been famous for many years and knew how to assess the situation.

Having just exchanged blows, he had already gauged his opponent's strength. Moreover, the opponent's origins were mysterious and his methods unknown, making it unwise to engage in a life-or-death struggle with him.

Zhou Yuan nodded slightly, said no more, and his figure transformed into a streak of azure light, disappearing into the horizon in an instant.

Jin Yong stood there, staring in the direction where Zhou Yuan had disappeared, his brows furrowed, lost in thought.

When did such a powerful rogue swordsman emerge in Tiannan?

Judging from his extraordinary abilities, he is by no means ordinary.

Could it be some old monster who has been cultivating in seclusion for hundreds of years, and has never come out of the world?