Almighty Genius

Chapter 2168 - 1662: Sword Cultivator

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However, Qin Fang was not particularly anxious about this, and even deliberately put the Seven-Star Sword Grass back into the Props Box slowly, causing the sword intent that had been overflowing to disappear without a trace in an instant…

When the sword intent disappeared, Qin Fang also noticed the figure quickly approaching had a momentary pause, presumably recognizing the change, but without much hesitation, continued quickly toward them.

At this time, Qin Fang, under the greeting of the crew members, stepped off the private jet… and along with other guests arriving for the birthday banquet, received the enthusiastic welcome of the Xu family members, temporarily pushing this matter aside.

The Xu Family Island truly was a well-established, powerful Nanyang family, and the island was vast enough to be considered a small city.

Even the airport here was impressive.

After Qin Fang disembarked, two more planes landed nearby, and there were rumors more were arriving shortly… within a short time, five private jets would touch down.

But, Qin Fang heard that the guests for this Xu family banquet had been severely reduced, mostly to the former students and acquaintances of Elder Mr. Xu…

However, judging by the current situation, the number still exceeded Qin Fang's expectations!

This is understandable; the old master was already a distinguished scholar thirty years ago, even now, after years of retirement, he continued to occasionally accept talented students…

Considering this, decades of accumulation led to a truly frightening number of students…

Those qualified to be here, and willing to attend the birthday banquet, are likely those who have achieved considerable success under Elder Mr. Xu, and while the number might reduce significantly… in large numbers, the figure remains quite astonishing.

The guests were received by the grandson of the elder Xu, a very young and handsome man, appearing no older than his twenties, yet exuding extraordinary charm, with fitting demeanor and speech, fully embodying the heritage of a century-old family.

"Welcome distinguished guests to my grandfather's birthday banquet… I am Xu Zizhen… please follow inside!"

This young man named Xu Zizhen proactively gathered Qin Fang and a few others together, preparing to board the pre-arranged vehicles heading to the estate prepared for guests at the Xu family.

"Wait…"

Just then, a voice came from behind, sounding quite anxious.

"Grandfather…"

Xu Zizhen paused, his expression shifted slightly, with a hint of curiosity but very respectfully addressed.

In this situation, Qin Fang and the other guests were taken aback, all turning to look towards the voice, where a white-haired, disheveled elder was approaching.

Passing by wasn't enough, the old man's eyes were peculiar, scrutinizing every person present… whether guests or their bodyguards, none were left unnoticed.

Ordinarily, getting a few looks wouldn't be concerning… but the elder's gaze was exceptionally sharp, remaining fixed on a person for long enough to evoke considerable discomfort.

More accurately, it is beyond uncomfortable, akin to being targeted by some dangerous beast.

"Young Master Xu, this is…"

The guests attending the birthday banquet were almost all individuals of status and background, and being stared at in this manner was impolite… especially as they sensed a peculiar threat.

Most unbearable was witnessing their well-paid bodyguards, drenched as if plunged into the sea, trembling all over…

"Sword intent…"

Only Qin Fang remained relatively calm, as he knew why the old man came, and understood the others' reactions…

Except…

At this moment, Qin Fang played a cowardly role, not as pathetic as the bodyguards, but seemingly struggling against the chills… fortunately, the old man did not focus his attention too much on him, avoiding his exposure.

"Grandfather, these are guests attending grandfather's birthday banquet, you…"

At this moment, Qin Fang also felt deep pressure. After all, he was responsible for greeting guests, and causing such an incident wouldn't be good for his reputation. Even if he didn't want to get involved, he couldn't back down now.

"Hmph..."

The old man's temperament seemed quite eccentric. He gave Qin Fang a vicious glare, then turned around and left directly, appearing to search for a new target.

"Sorry for startling everyone... this way, please!"

Qin Fang seemed to be at his wit's end with this strange old man, so he continuously apologized to everyone, including Qin Fang, and led them onto a vehicle, departing from the airport. This incident was considered settled... As for whether it left a bad impression on the guests, Qin Fang had no control over that.

Fortunately, the guests, although some felt slightly uncomfortable, were ultimately there to celebrate the master's birthday, having suffered no substantial losses. Naturally, they didn't dwell on such unpleasant matters...

Moreover, from Qin Fang's words, it wasn't hard to deduce that the strange old man was likely one of Elder Xu's peers, and his status in the Xu Family was presumably not low. Therefore, avoiding offending him was wise.

"Sword Cultivator?"

Despite looking like everyone else, Qin Fang's mind was thoughtful, gazing at the elderly figure departing in the distance, musing to himself.

The sword is the king of all weapons, establishing its position in the martial artist's heart.

It's fair to say that among true martial arts experts, more than half use weapons, and of those weapon users, at least half wield swords...

Yet, there's a complete difference between a master who uses a sword and a master who wields a sword...

Using a sword simply means they use a sword as a weapon...

But wielding a sword is different; most of their skills revolve around the sword... Losing the sword would render their abilities ineffective to a large extent!

Beyond that, there is another type of expert, even more eye-catching... Sword Cultivator, a true master in Sword Dao!

In the martial world, various experts emerge continuously, but Sword Cultivators have always held a significant position... Sword Cultivators once became the pinnacle group within the martial world, and during such a period, a sword sect overshadowed even thousand-year sects like Shaolin and Kunlun.

That sect was called... Shu Mountain!

This Shu Mountain isn't the one with sword immortals soaring skyward...

Yet the former Shu Mountain Sword Sect truly was a sword cultivator sect, exceedingly prosperous and powerful… to an astonishing degree.

Regrettably, it proved true the saying "extreme prosperity leads to decline"... the Shu Mountain Sword Sect ultimately fell apart due to internal conflict.

It's said that the current Qingcheng, Emei, Diancang sects were remnants of the former Shu Mountain Sword Sect... The truth of this claim is long buried in history, beyond verification.

Although such a powerful sword sect has vanished, some of its sword cultivation records or martial arts manuscripts have surprisingly circulated widely, qualifying sects like Qingcheng, Emei, Diancang as subsets of Shu Mountain due to the abundance of relevant texts found in their possession.

However, since Shu Mountain's dissolution, Sword Cultivators have lost their former status in the martial world...

Even if the occasional stellar Sword Cultivator expert arises, they're merely fleeting aberrations, hardly recapturing former glory...

Especially in today's age, experts devoted to the practice of swords are exceedingly rare... Sword Cultivator experts have diminished significantly, nearly to the point of extinction!

Much like Qin Fang, who has already encountered many martial arts experts; leaving aside those below Grandmaster level, he's met over dozens of Great Grandmaster-level experts... yet none could be considered Sword Cultivators.

Unexpectedly, he encountered such a Sword Cultivator in this family territory on this Little Island, and this individual's prowess is quite formidable, even making Qin Fang feel a sliver of trepidation.

Without a doubt, it was the seemingly disheveled old man just now...

Of course, it's not that the old man's strength is particularly terrifying. In fact, the old man is still a Grandmaster-level expert. Even though he reached the master-level peak years ago, he seems unlikely to break through to Great Grandmaster level.

From his reactions, this old man is clearly a devoted Sword Cultivator, a martial arts fanatic... But his innate aptitude isn't particularly impressive. Though he's reached this cultivation level, he's exhausted his potential, unable to advance further.

Additionally, this old man is no longer young, physically on a downward trajectory, making advancing further astonishingly difficult...

What truly commands Qin Fang's attention is the old man's cultivation in Sword Dao... More accurately, it's how he managed to condense Sword Intent, the hardest-to-comprehend aspect of Sword Dao, and even cultivated it to a high level! (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets; your support is my greatest driving force.)