Comprehending Myriad Techniques as Woodcutter

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"How so?"

"The false can become real, and real can become false. Like a floating light or a fleeting shadow, the two interchange. Watch."

Several images of Li Xingtuo had now appeared on the stage, each facing a different direction and making a different move. It was incredibly disorienting.

But in the blink of an eye, the images suddenly turned one after another and swung their long swords at Wei Dong!

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! The sound was like a shower of rain. Wei Dong swung his greatsword in an impenetrable defense, as if besieged by several Li Xingtuos at once!

Xie Yuan’s heart pounded as he watched. ’So this is the Floating Light and Shadow Sword?’

’It could rival the legendary "One Qi into Three Pure Ones"!’

"There’s a subtle difference. It’s not a simultaneous attack. He’s using speed so high the naked eye can’t follow, like a fleeting light. To think he’s this fast..."

Li Tai commented from the side, his eyes shining with incredible brightness. His interest was clearly piqued.

The pressure on Wei Dong suddenly intensified. Li Xingtuo was already his equal in strength, and now, with the density of his sword strikes nearly doubled, Wei Dong found himself struggling to keep up.

’This won’t do.’

With a low shout, he took a sudden step forward, swinging his greatsword in a whirlwind arc.

The waves at his feet radiated outward with his spinning slash, launching water arrows of incredible power.

The audience felt a spray of mist on their faces. They stared and realized the waves on the stage were no longer an illusion—real water was surging around Wei Dong!

Li Xingtuo’s illusions scattered, retreating from the swirling tide around Wei Dong, before merging back into a single figure.

Wei Dong exhaled. From across the stage, he slashed out fiercely with his greatsword.

A wave surged up and crashed toward Li Xingtuo, only to hit empty air. Undeterred, Wei Dong instantly unleashed another strike, sending a new wave cresting toward a seemingly empty spot.

Li Xingtuo appeared abruptly, his eyes narrowing. With a sudden upward flick of his long sword, he split the oncoming wave in two. Then, he brought his sword down with the crushing force of a mountain, causing the very tide to recede.

Wei Dong raised his sword to block. Unwilling to be outdone, he returned the strike, and the waves swelled to the heavens.

For a time, the two Grandmasters went all out, trading ferocious blows. Every strike was faster than the swiftest swords of the previous duelists, and every killing move was more vicious.

The audience gradually lost track. Anyone below the Grandmaster Realm could no longer see what was happening. All they knew was that on the stage, waves surged to the sky, mountain peaks erupted, and illusions darted about, weaving through the surf before vanishing without a trace.

A duel of this caliber was beyond the comprehension of many. Although everyone present was a skilled martial artist attending the gathering, for most, it was the first time they had ever witnessed a battle between top-ranking Grandmasters from the Flying Dragon List.

Suddenly, Wei Dong roared, leaping high into the air. He raised his greatsword, and a tsunami surged up behind him, towering even higher than Sword Peak!

"Sect Leader Li, let us settle this with a single strike!"

He stood suspended in the air. With a shout, he swung his greatsword in a fierce horizontal slash, unleashing a flash of blue light!

The colossal tsunami suddenly froze, forcibly compressed by the momentum of the sword. It condensed into a small arc of its own, which followed the sword light as it slashed toward Li Xingtuo.

Sea-Suppressing, Tide-Calming Sword Technique!

Li Xingtuo felt the sword light—the very essence of a tsunami—and his expression grew solemn. He raised his long sword high.

Sword Peak itself seemed to vibrate. The crowd stumbled, swaying unsteadily on their feet. They watched in terror as Li Xingtuo pointed his sword to the heavens. Behind him, the illusion of a mountain range rose higher and higher, as if becoming the true Sword Peak!

A pillar of Sword Qi shot up from the peak and struck the oncoming wave.

BOOM! A sound like thunder erupted, accompanied by a flash of light as brilliant as the midday sun. Everyone, Grandmasters included, shut their eyes and covered their ears, feeling the very mountains tremble. The vibrations only subsided after a long moment.

Slowly, people opened their eyes, desperate to see the outcome.

The stage, which had been reinforced by an array, was destroyed. The two Grandmasters stood facing each other, suspended in midair.

Wei Dong’s expression was grim. After a long moment, he spoke.

"As expected of Sect Leader Li. That was truly an eye-opening experience."

"Pavilion Master Wei’s swordsmanship is as boundless as the ocean. I, too, have gained much from this exchange."

Li Xingtuo said, offering a salute with his sword in hand.

"With a Sect Leader like you, how could the Cloud Mountain Sword Sect not prosper?"

Wei Dong returned the salute, then descended from the sky and departed gracefully.

’He’s leaving just like that?’

The disciples of the Sword Storage Pavilion were confused but followed their Pavilion Master, led by the elders and their respective teachers. Only the disciple holding Song Qingping’s personal sword hesitated. He had no choice but to bite the bullet and stay behind to find his wayward elder.

The audience members looked at each other in confusion. Who had actually won the final match?

"Neither of them won, and neither of them lost."

「In the guest courtyard of Half-Mountain Flower Valley.」

Li Tai explained his analysis to the group.

"It’s just that Wei Dong made a grand show of taking the initiative, yet in the end, he couldn’t defeat Li Xingtuo. In fact, he only confirmed that Li Xingtuo’s strength is no less than his own. In that sense, you could say he lost by half a step. After this battle, the prestige of both the Cloud Mountain Sword Sect and Li Xingtuo is bound to grow. Li Xingtuo’s rank on the Flying Dragon List will definitely rise as well."

"I see."

Situ Qin nodded thoughtfully, then turned to Xie Yuan with a smile.

"Looks like your Sect is about to take flight!"

"Let’s hope it can carry this humble handyman along with it,"

Xie Yuan said with a slight smile, feeling a measure of happiness for the Cloud Mountain Sword Sect himself.

The group chatted for a while, discussing the epic duel. The clash between top-tier Grandmasters was completely beyond their imagination, and this had only been a sparring match, not a life-or-death battle where they would reveal all their trump cards.

’If the top experts on the Flying Dragon List really went all out, could they truly shake mountains and topple cities?’

’And the Unity Realm Grandmasters above them—what kind of power would they possess?’

’Was the Daoist I met back then at that level of strength?’

Xie Yuan’s imagination ran wild.

"Master Xie, I’ll be taking my leave now."

Situ Qin finished packing her things and said her goodbyes to Xie Yuan.

"I’d love to visit you again soon, but if I come too often, I might blow your cover as a hidden expert. It’ll probably be a while before we see each other again."

There was more she left unsaid. Seeing Xie Yuan’s miraculous rate of progress, to the point he was nearly catching up to her, combined with Tai Bo and Aunt Hong’s attempts to hold her back out of concern over the Yao Tianchuan affair—the two things together spurred her on. She was determined to go back and focus on her cultivation.

Xie Yuan felt a pang of reluctance but nodded.

"Don’t worry. When I have time, I’ll come down the mountain and find you."

Situ Qin’s eyes lit up, and she replied without thinking,

"Really? You promise?"

"Of course. When have I ever lied to you?"

"Heh. Then what was that about Mu Chaoyun?"

"Er..."

Seeing the two of them whispering and how overjoyed Situ Qin was by a single sentence from him, Aunt Hong shook her head, giving up all hope.

After seeing off Situ Qin and her companions, Xie Yuan was plunged into the post-event cleanup. He had to thoroughly clean and organize the guest courtyards on East Half Mountain, on top of many other miscellaneous tasks. It took him several days to finish everything.

’Finally, I can focus on my cultivation.’

Thinking of the duel between the two Grandmasters, a glint flashed in Xie Yuan’s eyes, and he secretly clenched his fists.

’Sooner or later, I’ll have to reach that level of power too.’

But less than ten days after he had resumed his regular cultivation routine, Xie Yuan’s life suddenly changed dramatically.

"Zhang Mountain, congratulations! The deacons feel your performance has been outstanding. You’re a model for all the handymen, so they’re preparing to accept you as an official disciple of the Outer Sect!"