Chapter 1741: At Your Command
"That was the moment!"
Some practitioners of the fast-sword style suddenly realized what had happened.
At the instant Luo Hanzhou's fist force closed in before him, Ling Feng drew his sword. Not only did he shatter Luo Hanzhou's fist energy, he also left that shallow cut across Luo Hanzhou's neck.
Had it been a life-and-death battle, Luo Hanzhou's head would already have been separated from his body in that instant.
"How can there be a sword that fast?"
The sounds of people swallowing hard echoed one after another.
As swordsmen of the Western Sword Domain, they simply could not believe that a martial practitioner from another domain possessed swordsmanship that surpassed their own.
When it came to Luo Hanzhou, they could still argue that if the contest were purely about the Sword Dao, Luo Hanzhou would certainly be inferior to them.
Yet Ling Feng, a martial practitioner from the Eastern Spirit Domain, had used a single fast sword to defeat the Luo Hanzhou whom they regarded as unbeatable!
"To break through my fist energy and leave a wound on my neck within a single instant, that battle was a complete defeat for me. I accept it wholeheartedly."
Luo Hanzhou showed no trace of frustration or anger. Instead, he looked delighted, as though he had discovered a worthy prey.
This was exactly the kind of opponent he had been looking for!
"It was merely a matter of exploiting an advantage. Your speed is no slower than mine."
Ling Feng smiled faintly.
In terms of pure striking speed, Luo Hanzhou was not inferior to him. The difference was that Ling Feng used a sword, while Luo Hanzhou relied only on his fists.
Furthermore, with the Eye of the Emperor, Ling Feng had already identified several subtle flaws in Luo Hanzhou's fist art.
Had he not watched Luo Hanzhou's battle with Xiao Juanyun beforehand, the victory would not have come so easily.
Still, victory had never been in doubt.
Xiao Juanyun stared at Ling Feng with eyes wide open, his face filled with disbelief.
Soon, however, he regained his composure.
Through Ling Feng, he had seen a greater possibility for the Sword Dao.
The Sword Dao was not weak.
They themselves were simply not strong enough!
"Brother Ling, I am deeply impressed!"
Xiao Juanyun bowed deeply toward Ling Feng.
"May I ask who your master is? How many Sword Dao masters like you exist within the Eastern Spirit Domain? After I return, I will definitely travel there and humbly seek instruction from the Sword Dao masters of your domain."
"Ahem..."
Ling Feng coughed awkwardly and replied with a helpless smile,
"The Western Sword Domain is already a great land of sword cultivation. Why travel so far? That said, the Sword Dao of the Western Sword Domain places too much emphasis on specialization. In truth, cultivating some body refinement techniques alongside swordsmanship can provide tremendous benefits to the Sword Dao."
Had Ling Feng dared to point out shortcomings in the Western Sword Domain's Sword Dao before this, those arrogant geniuses would have immediately challenged him to duels.
Now, however, Ling Feng was the man who had defeated Luo Hanzhou with a single sword strike.
He possessed the qualifications to comment on their weaknesses.
"Mm. I will seriously consider your advice, Brother Ling."
Xiao Juanyun nodded.
At the same time, he quietly admired Ling Feng's broad-mindedness.
The flourishing of martial arts depended upon exchange and mutual learning. If everyone hoarded their knowledge, they would only trap themselves in stagnation.
Everyone understood that principle.
Very few were willing to genuinely guide others.
Luo Hanzhou remained silent for a long while.
A flash of light appeared in his eyes as though he had made an important decision.
To everyone's astonishment, he bowed toward Ling Feng and declared loudly,
"My name is Luo Hanzhou. From today onward, I wish to follow you and cultivate under you! I can tell that your achievements in body refinement are no weaker than my own! Since you can cultivate both the Sword Dao and body refinement simultaneously, then so can I!"
"..."
Ling Feng's face darkened, and the corners of his mouth twitched.
"Brother Luo, there is an endless sea separating us. I live all the way in the Eastern Spirit Domain!"
"After I return from this journey, I will leave my sect and go find you in the Eastern Spirit Domain! If I cannot defeat you in this lifetime, I will remain by your side forever and serve at your command!"
After saying those words, Luo Hanzhou walked directly to Ling Feng's side without another word and assumed the posture of a subordinate ready to follow him.
Ling Feng could not help rolling his eyes.
This fellow was truly straightforward to a fault!
At the same time, however, his opinion of Luo Hanzhou rose several levels.
For a genius to possess such determination was something few ordinary people could achieve.
Luo Hanzhou himself probably never imagined that this single declaration would completely bind the course of his life.
"Very well. Do as you wish."
Ling Feng shook his head.
He knew that once a person like Luo Hanzhou made up his mind, nothing short of killing him would change it. Even breaking his legs would accomplish nothing.
Besides, defeating Luo Hanzhou in swordsmanship did not necessarily mean he surpassed him in overall combat ability.
At a critical moment like this, having Luo Hanzhou as an ally was far preferable to having him as an enemy.
Xiao Juanyun hesitated for a moment.
Originally, he had wanted to imitate Luo Hanzhou as well.
After some thought, he admitted to himself that he could not lower his pride to that extent.
No wonder Luo Hanzhou was so powerful.
There truly was a reason for it.
Meanwhile, Long Aotian clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white.
The level of Sword Dao mastery displayed by Ling Feng felt like a vicious slap across his face.
Even so, he still clung to the hope of assassinating Ling Feng.
Now, however, Luo Hanzhou stood beside Ling Feng.
Even if Long Aotian had ten times more courage, he would not dare make a move.
"Hmph! I refuse to believe you'll never be alone! The face of the Long Clan isn't so easy to slap!"
A cold gleam flashed through Long Aotian's eyes before disappearing.
Though arrogant, Long Aotian was not entirely brainless.
At this moment, Ling Feng's momentum was at its peak. Directly confronting him would be foolish.
The Sword Discussion Gathering continued, but Long Aotian had already lost all interest in staying.
After shooting Ling Feng a vicious look, he rose and said,
"Brother Xiao, my apologies. I have some matters that require my attention, so I must take my leave."
Xiao Juanyun glanced at Ling Feng, then at Long Aotian's expression, and could not help letting out a cold laugh.
He had long heard of the conflict between Ling Feng and Dragon Sword Heavenly Manor.
In Xiao Juanyun's eyes, however, Long Aotian was little more than an insignificant figure.
"Brother Long, before you leave, allow me to offer a word of advice."
Xiao Juanyun suddenly spoke.
"Brother Ling is my friend. Whatever happened in the past should remain in the past. I do not wish for my friend to suffer any harassment. Do you understand what I mean?"
Long Aotian's heart skipped a beat.
He understood perfectly.
Xiao Juanyun was warning him not to act against Ling Feng. Otherwise, he would not stand by and watch.
Within this ancient city, the two strongest individuals were Xiao Juanyun and Luo Hanzhou.
One wanted to follow Ling Feng and cultivate under him.
The other was openly extending goodwill toward him.
Anyone who dared touch a single hair on Ling Feng's head was practically courting death.
Clenching his fists tightly, Long Aotian flicked his sleeve and strode out of the pavilion.
"Brother Xiao, thanks."
Ling Feng rubbed the bridge of his nose.
Although Xiao Juanyun's intervention was somewhat unnecessary, it had still resolved a troublesome matter for him.
"A trivial matter. It is not worth mentioning."
Xiao Juanyun smiled faintly.
After looking at Ling Feng for a moment, he finally said,
"Brother Ling, I won't beat around the bush anymore. Regarding the ruins within the ancient city, perhaps you and I could cooperate."
Ling Feng looked at Xiao Juanyun.
As expected.
The sparring matches and the tea gathering had merely been a smokescreen. The true objective had always been to test his strength and determine whether he was worthy of becoming an ally.
"Oh? And how does Brother Xiao propose we cooperate?"
A faint smile appeared on Ling Feng's lips.
Judging from the current situation, the martial practitioners of the Western Sword Domain clearly knew far more about those ruins than anyone from the Eastern Spirit Domain.
Ling Feng was confident in his own abilities, but ruins were filled with unknown dangers.
Cooperating with Xiao Juanyun would bring benefits with virtually no drawbacks.
Xiao Juanyun might have some personal motives, but from the perspective of character, he was still someone worth befriending.