I became a Sword Emperor in the Martial Arts World

Chapter 190 Affirmation from the Heavenly Sword

Linjiang City, Lingling Airport.

A tall, handsome man took off his sunglasses, revealing a pair of starry eyes. He looked around and surveyed his familiar hometown.

"That departure lasted three years!"

Yun Yuan sighed.

"I wonder how my uncle and cousin are doing."

Upon returning from his apprenticeship, he held his uncle, who had raised him since childhood, in high esteem. Having lost both parents at a young age, he would not be where he is today if not for his uncle's adoption.

The kindness of raising and nurturing should not go unreturned.

Of course, Yun Yuan also felt a sense of pride in returning home in glory: "My uncle and cousin would be very surprised if they knew I had become a martial arts master, right? It's a pity I can't tell them my true identity."

Yun Yuan is no ordinary person. After graduating from university, he had already advanced to a professional-level martial artist, but his talent was not particularly amazing; he could only be considered ordinary and excellent.

However, during an exploration of a grotto, when he encountered a crisis, his own bloodline suddenly awakened, and he was eventually noticed by Yu Shi, one of the six masters of the Heart Fiend Stream, and thus became his disciple.

After three years of arduous training, he rose seven levels from the second stage of professional martial arts, and not long ago, he even soared to the heavens and earth, becoming a true martial arts master.

His return is actually at the order of the Rain Master, who has appointed him to oversee Linjiang and take charge of the Heart Evil Stream organization's affairs throughout southern Hunan.

With power in his hands, Yun Yuan naturally wanted to repay his uncle's kindness in raising him: "Uncle, you have become the president of the Linjiang Chamber of Commerce in recent years. If you encounter any trouble in your business in the future, I will help you if I can."

Just as he was thinking this, he suddenly caught sight of a figure, and his expression changed drastically. His pupils contracted, and he froze on the spot.

In my line of sight was an elderly man with a youthful face and white hair. Every strand of his hair was neatly combed. He was slender and upright, with a gentle and refined expression. Apart from his more luxurious clothes, he seemed no different from any other elderly man.

However, Yun Yuan was sweating profusely and was extremely nervous.

This is because the old man is Sikong Jingming, one of the martial arts masters who stands at the pinnacle of the martial arts world in the Eastern Pole Kingdom. He is at the seventh level of the Ascension Realm and is known as the "Heavenly Sword" of the modern era!

Sikong Jingming walked out of the airport with his granddaughter, where a private car had been waiting for some time.

"Grandpa, the Yuan family from Linjiang has arrived."

"Um."

Suddenly, Sikong Jingming stopped and looked at Yun Yuan, who instantly tensed up.

Sikong Xingyan asked, puzzled, "Grandpa, what's wrong?"

Sikong Jingming's gaze lingered on Yun Yuan for only a few seconds, as if he could see right through him, before he turned to his granddaughter and smiled, "It's nothing, I just met an interesting little fellow."

Upon hearing this, Sikong Xingyan also glanced in Yun Yuan's direction, but couldn't see anything.

After the grandfather and grandson left, Yun Yuan breathed a sigh of relief: "What terrifying eyes, but they probably weren't coming for me. Thank goodness."

Yun Yuan was quite worried at first, after all, Sikong Jingming was one of the "Five Elders" of the Divine Gang Path, and his swordsmanship was unparalleled.

As a mere master of the Heart Fiend School, I haven't violated any heavenly rules and am not worthy of being personally killed by a martial saint of the Divine Gang Path.

…………

"Grandpa, why did you come all the way to this small place to visit relatives during the Lunar New Year? Do we have any relatives in Linjiang City?"

In the back seat of the carriage, Sikong Xingyan looked out the window at the unfamiliar scenery with a puzzled expression.

The Imperial Capital Sikong Clan is one of the most famous "Ten Families of Extreme Martial Arts" in the martial arts world of the Eastern Pole Kingdom.

The so-called Ten Families of Extreme Martial Arts refer to the ten martial arts families within the Eastern Extreme Kingdom that have the most noble bloodlines and the strongest strength.

The Qi family, to which Qi Shengtian belongs, and the Sikong family, to which Sikong Jingming belongs, are both among them.

Sikong Jingming smiled and casually said, "I received news that a young man with exceptional swordsmanship talent has recently emerged in Linjiang City, so I wanted to come and see for myself."

"Is that Sister Yunxi?"

When Xu Yunxi was mentioned, Sikong Xingyan's eyes lit up, and her expression was full of admiration.

After all, there are relatively few female experts in the martial arts world, and those as outstanding as Xu Yunxi are extremely rare. So even Sikong Xingyan became a big fan of Xu Yunxi after watching her competition.

"It wasn't her."

"Oh, who is that?"

"If the rumors are true, the young genius I want to meet is probably even more talented than Xu Yunxi."

"Is he even more outstanding than Senior Brother Jian Shu?"

Sikong Xingyan became increasingly curious about the young swordsmanship genius her grandfather had mentioned. After all, among all the people she had met, Li Jianshu's talent was the most outstanding, unmatched by anyone in the world.

"It's too early to tell, but we'll soon be able to confirm whether the rumors are true."

Sikong Jingming wasn't in a hurry at all. After all, Dongji Kingdom was so big that Shen Gang Dao could discover many martial arts geniuses every year. He had even seen martial arts prodigies who had awakened special bloodlines from birth.

For example, Li Jianshu is one.

It was Sikong Jingming who personally visited Li Jianshu and finally accepted him as his disciple, carefully teaching him swordsmanship, thus creating a beautiful story of master and disciple.

However, the changes in the rankings of the Hidden Dragon List over the past month, along with the increasingly exaggerated rumors circulating in Hunan Province, have made Sikong Jingming restless, prompting him to come and investigate in person.

At the Yuan family mansion in Linjiang, upon learning that Sikong Jingming was coming, Yuan Tianlang and his son Yuan Chengye were both very nervous. Yuan Jingfei stood to the side, her face full of anticipation: "Grandpa, Father, is Tianjian really coming to our house to pay New Year's respects?"

She was incredibly excited at that moment, even feeling a sense of relief and triumph.

Just yesterday, her father and grandfather actually took the initiative to bow down to Ye Qingzhou and even brought out a lot of precious and rare items as gifts, all in an attempt to make up for the loss she had made in front of Ye Qingzhou.

This made Yuan Jingfei very unhappy. How could she be blamed for what happened back then?

It's clearly Qin Haoyu who's useless!

Who knew that he, ranked sixth on the Hidden Dragon List, would be so weak?

Secondly, Ye Qingzhou is too petty. Despite being a boy, he is not generous at all. He neglected her over such a small matter, causing his family to worry about him.

She was unaware of Ye Qingzhou's astonishing achievements over the past few days; she only felt that her family's bowing to Ye Qingzhou because of this incident made her lose face.

The arrival of Tianjian has restored Yuan Jingfei's confidence as the proud daughter of a martial arts family.

Yuan Chengye looked at his father, Yuan Tianlang: "Dad, what kind of person is Tianjian?"

Yuan Tianlang and Sikong Jingming were of the same generation. In their youth, they even fought side by side and addressed each other as brothers.

Unfortunately, time flies and years pass by.

Some people soar to great heights.

Some people waste their time.

Although Yuan Tianlang's status as a martial arts master was already quite prestigious, it paled in comparison to Sikong Jingming's status as a martial saint.

Yuan Tianlang recalled the past, and his feelings were extremely complicated. He then said, "Tianjian is quite easy to get along with, but after all, he is the Martial Saint of my Eastern Pole Kingdom. You must not be impolite."

"Yes."

Yuan Chengye and Yuan Jingfei both bowed their heads in obedience.

Subsequently, the convoy arrived, and Yuan Tianlang and his family went forward to greet them.

"Haha, it's been years! You're still in pretty good shape, old buddy."

Sikong Jingming smiled warmly, stepped forward and shook Yuan Tianlang's hand, and the two then began to reminisce.

Yuan Tianlang introduced, "This is my son Chengye, and this is my granddaughter Jingfei."

Sikong Jingming looked at Yuan Chengye and politely praised him, "The second level of the Ascension Realm, not bad, not bad. You are more than capable of inheriting the Yuan family mantle."

He then glanced at Yuan Jingfei again: "She is naturally beautiful and has excellent physical attributes; she is also a good candidate for martial arts training."

"Jingfei has met Tianjian."

Yuan Jingfei was overjoyed to receive the praise.

Little did she know that Yuan Tianlang and Yuan Chengye were extremely disappointed, because what Sikong Jingming had just said was clearly just a polite remark.

If she were truly so talented, why didn't Sikong Jingming take her as his disciple?

To put it bluntly, isn't it just that they look down on it?

Although Sikong Jingming did not offer to take on any disciples, Yuan Tianlang's enthusiasm remained unchanged: "I have already ordered a banquet to be prepared. Please come in."

"it is good."

Sikong Jingming had just taken a step when he suddenly looked towards the door, his gaze filled with surprise and uncertainty.

Someone walked up to Yuan Chengye and said, "Master, Ye Qianlong's steward, Liang Han, wants to see you. He says he's here to return the gifts."

Yuan Chengye was getting impatient and was about to scold him and say he wouldn't see him, but then he remembered his father's instructions and decided not to be rude to Sikong Jingming.

At the same time, he also had a plan in mind, wanting to use Sikong Jingming's relationship to exert influence and suppress Ye Qingzhou, this fierce hidden dragon.

"Let him in."

"Yes."

A moment later, Liang Han walked into the hall with a nervous heart, his hands trembling as he held the gift box, because he had just heard that a distinguished guest had come to the Yuan family of Linjiang today.

Moreover, this guest is a martial arts master!

After mustering his courage, Liang Han entered the hall and, feigning composure, explained his purpose: "Mr. Ye returned home yesterday and was overjoyed to learn that the Yuan family had sent a generous gift. Therefore, he specifically asked me to come and reciprocate today."

Yuan Tianlang has been under a lot of pressure these past few days when facing Ye Qingzhou, since his granddaughter seems to have offended Ye Qingzhou before because of Qin Haoyu.

The matter itself wasn't serious, but Yuan Tianlang was worried that Ye Qingzhou was a hothead.

When they come knocking on his door, he's not very confident he can hold his own against Ye Qingzhou, especially since Fu Wei is still in the hospital.

He didn't want to follow in the footsteps of the Fu family of Wuxi, and it was also unlucky during the New Year, so he simply sent a generous gift as a way to avoid disaster by spending money.

However, yesterday I suddenly received a call from Sikong Jingming, who said he wanted to come and pay a New Year's visit.

This matter was quite sudden, but Yuan Tianlang was now much calmer, since with Sikong Jingming present, he figured Ye Qingzhou wouldn't dare to act rashly.

So, at this moment, Yuan Tianlang also adopted a haughty demeanor, calmly asking Liang Han, "Where's the gift?"

"here."

Under Yuan Tianlang's gaze, Liang Han raised the box in his hand.

Facing a martial arts master, he, an ordinary person, was so nervous that his palms were sweating.

"Open it."

"Yes."

Then someone stepped forward, took the box, opened it, and found only a calligraphy copybook inside.

On a square sheet of Xuan paper, a sword character is written in a vigorous and elegant style.

Those who don't know its value, such as Yuan Jingfei and Sikong Xingyan, were completely unimpressed at this moment, thinking that it was just a piece of calligraphy and painting, and it didn't look like the work of any famous artist. So what if it was written well?

How much is it worth?

You actually gave me something like this as a return gift?

Who do you think you are!

Those who know their stuff were startled at that moment.

Yuan Tianlang and Yuan Chengye were both master-level martial artists, capable of wielding their qi to reach the heavens and earth and projecting their divine sense outwards. Therefore, they immediately recognized that the word "sword" was extraordinary.

The two looked on in shock: "This is... sword intent?"

The ability to imbue sword intent onto paper with ink and brush, making it condensed and undissipated, is a skill that even martial arts masters may not be able to achieve. Yet Ye Qingzhou, a mere professional-level martial artist, possesses such ability.

Sikong Jingming's expression was even more surprised than theirs, because with his cultivation and realm as a Martial Saint, he saw the true value of this calligraphy.

"Ahem, Tianlang, I really like the word 'sword' on this. Name your price, I'll take it."

"what?"

Yuan Tianlang was somewhat stunned after hearing this. Although Ye Qingzhou was young, he was able to express the sword intent in his brushstrokes and ink, leaving it on paper, so that it would not dissipate. This skill was indeed astonishing.

But surely Sikong Jingming, a dignified martial saint, wouldn't ask for it?

It’s ridiculous.

But since Sikong Jingming had already spoken, Yuan Tianlang naturally wouldn't refuse: "We're all brothers, what's money to us? Take it if you like."

"Alright, then I'll accept it without hesitation."

Sikong Jing knew that Yuan Tianlang was refusing money in exchange for a favor, but he felt it was worth it, so he agreed without hesitation.

After the banquet, Sikong Jingming declined Yuan's offer to stay overnight and instead checked into the hotel he had booked.

After leaving the Yuan family, Sikong Xingyan couldn't help but ask, "Grandpa, is it worth it for you to do a favor for just one calligraphy piece?"

"value?"

Sikong Jingming sighed deeply and said with emotion, "If the Yuan family of Linjiang knew the true value of the word 'sword,' they would probably regret it to death."

"what?"

Sikong Xingyan was completely confused.

Sikong Jingming unfolded the calligraphy copybook, becoming increasingly enamored with it. Then, seemingly casually, he asked with a smile, "Xingyan, what do you see in this?"

"Isn't it just the character 'sword'?"

"Wrong, there's a dragon drawn on it."

At this moment, Sikong Jingming seemed to hear a thunderous dragon roar in his ears, and the character "sword" in front of him became fierce and menacing, like a divine dragon riding the wind and soaring in the nine heavens.

With the ambition to reach the heavens, we soar to the heavens like dragons!

They convey their thoughts through words and communicate with swords.

Ye Qingzhou's word "sword" is precisely the wind force, one of the six forces, the sword intent of swiftly ascending the dragon.

This is sword intent at a superb level!

Sikong Jingming put away the calligraphy copybook, then instructed Sikong Xingyan, "Book our tickets for tomorrow; we're heading back to the capital."

"what?"

If Sikong Jingming hadn't been calm and composed with clear eyes, Sikong Xingyan would have thought her grandfather had gone senile.

"Grandpa, weren't you going to come to Linjiang to see someone?"

"There's no need to meet again."

"Why?"

"Such unparalleled talent, what merit do I have to be his teacher?"

Sikong Jingming sighed softly. Seeing the words was like seeing the person. He now understood that Ye Qingzhou's wind technique had reached a superb level, and his sword intent had also been condensed.

With such extraordinary talent, he no longer needs anyone to teach him swordsmanship.

Moreover, Sikong Jingming still has his pride. He himself can't even master the superb skill of wind manipulation, so how can he teach Ye Qingzhou?

In his eyes, Ye Qingzhou was already a peerless genius who could rival Zhang Xinwu.

Such exceptional talents cannot be measured by ordinary standards. For them, the so-called guidance of famous teachers is a joke, and might even lead to the misbehavior of promising talents.

In particular, Ye Qingzhou has already condensed his own sword heart and sword intent. As for moves and techniques, he can figure them out on his own. Even if I am a Martial Saint, there is not much I can teach Ye Qingzhou.

We can't possibly pass on the family's inherited martial arts techniques to someone like Ye Qingzhou, who has an outsider's surname, can we?

…………

On the other side, the Zheng family.

Zheng Zhiguang was overjoyed to see his nephew, Yunyuan, return after three years of studying abroad: "Yunyuan, you're finally back! Where have you been for the past three years? If you hadn't called to let me know you were safe every now and then, I would have thought something had happened to you."

"Uncle, I'm perfectly fine, aren't I?"

Yun Yuan's face was beaming with smiles. To outsiders, he was always a cold-faced, ruthless god of war, but he only showed a hearty smile in front of his family.

"Where's my cousin?"

"She's busy with her live stream; she should be back soon."

Yun Yuan nodded upon hearing this, and was about to say something when his gaze fell on a calligraphy scroll on Zheng Zhiguang's desk in the study. His eyes were immediately drawn to the character "sword" written in a vigorous and flowing style.

"Uncle, this character..."

"How is it? Pretty, right?"

Zheng Zhiguang proudly showed it to Yun Yuan, then laughed boastfully, "This is Ye Qianlong's return gift. I didn't expect that he is not only a martial arts genius, but also has some knowledge of calligraphy. I need to find someone to frame this calligraphy."

"Ye Qianlong?"

On the Hidden Dragon List, there was only one person with the surname Ye in the top ten, so Yun Yuan quickly understood who Zheng Zhiguang was referring to. He asked with a serious expression, "Uncle, you're saying this calligraphy was written by Ye Qingzhou?"

"By the way, you're a professional martial artist now, right? Come with me to visit him sometime, and let Ye Qianlong give you some guidance."

In Zheng Zhiguang's eyes, Ye Qingzhou's current status is no different from that of a martial arts master.

But he didn't know that his nephew was also a martial arts master.

Yun Yuan's expression was grave: "Uncle, do you still have this calligraphy copybook?"

"I only have one. I heard Ye Qianlong gave away six. What's wrong?"

"I can't explain the other things, but if you trust me, Uncle, try to collect the other paintings. No matter the cost, it's worth it."

Yun Yuan felt a chill run down his spine. Just now, through his mental perception, he seemed to see a blazing dragon, which was none other than the Fire Force, one of the Six Forces, and the Divine Power Rising Dragon Sword Intent.

The sword intent containing the power of fire to an unparalleled level is something that cannot be measured by money!

For martial artists, this is an invaluable treasure on the path to the realm of Martial Saint!

(End of this chapter)