Chapter 656: Feng Zhangyue

Amid the crowd, exclamations of astonishment arose intermittently.

Soon after, someone began to speculate: "Who do you think will win today's battle?"

"It should be Nie Wushuang of Tianlin Sword Pavilion, right?"

"I think so too—he's the direct disciple of Lord Feng the Sword King, exceptionally gifted, and at barely two hundred years old, he's already reached the Lunar Wheel realm!"

"He's also received the Sword King's true transmission, mastered the Completed Sword Heart, and in terms of swordcraft, he's no less than this Bai Hong Sword Marquis!"

"On the other hand, the Bai Hong Sword Marquis, though peerlessly gifted across the Nine States, is still far too young, just newly broken through, lacking depth—how could he possibly defeat Nie Wushuang, who has held the Completed Sword Heart for years? His chances are slim..."

As the crowd continued to debate.

On a certain pavilion, a group of men and women sneered, dismissive and unconvinced!

They then looked up at the white-robed figure atop Yuelong Pavilion, their eyes filled with reverence and longing, their hearts thrumming with excitement!

"Hmph! Nie Wushuang is nothing—how could he be compared to Sister Zhiwei?!"

"Exactly! Sister Zhiwei's sword art is unparalleled—how could these outsiders possibly understand?"

"Not even a month ago, Nie Wushuang was destined to lose to our Zhiwei, crushed utterly, reduced to a defeated underling!"

"That's right! In these days, we've all witnessed Zhiwei's transformation—whether Nie Wushuang is merely the Sword King's disciple or even the Sword King himself, give Zhiwei a little more time, and she'll surely defeat him!"

"Zhiwei's talent towers over all of Daqin—as if born for the sword, a prodigy unmatched in ages—how could she lose to this man?!"

"How laughable that these people are blinded by a single leaf, thinking they've seen all of Zhiwei's power, unaware that to us, their behavior is utterly ridiculous..."

Hearing the crowd's chatter, they couldn't help but sneer, laughing mockingly!

They were all followers of Jiang Zhiwei.

Throughout this period, they had traveled with her across the land, testing swords everywhere!

At first, their reaction had merely been awe.

Now, it was blind fanaticism and worship!

For in their eyes, Jiang Zhiwei's rate of progress was absurdly incredible!

Every sword duel granted her insight—she absorbed the essence, discarded the dross, and wove the strengths of a hundred schools into her own sword path!

Such unparalleled brilliance was unheard of in all of Daqin—she was destined to shake the Nine States and point her blade toward the imperial court!

She would march forward on the sword path without pause—how could she ever lose?

And who among mortals had the right to make her suffer defeat?!

At this moment.

On the other side, nearby.

An old man in a gray robe, a gourd hanging at his waist, leaned against the wall, sitting on the ground.

He looked up at the scene atop Yuelong Pavilion and murmured in wonder: "The Cangwu Jiang family truly produces talent endlessly—I can't help but envy them..."

The old man was none other than Feng Zhangyue, the head of Tianlin Sword Pavilion!

With cultivation base at the ninth layer of the Ten Thousand Phenomena realm, he had awakened a Sword Spirit and mastered elemental sword intent, becoming Daqin's sole Sword King!

With such mastery of swordcraft, he could clearly perceive Jiang Zhiwei's extraordinary nature.

Her absurdly immense sword talent far surpassed every sword prodigy he had ever seen!

Without exaggeration, before Jiang Zhiwei, all other sword prodigies were not even worthy of the name—they were more like mediocrities!

Precisely because of her terrifying talent, he was stunned, and a desire to nurture her arose—he longed to snatch her up immediately and make her his disciple, to inherit his legacy!

Alas, this thought could remain only a thought.

He was merely a beginner-level Sword Spirit, not even reaching minor mastery—how could he possibly be her master?

Judging by her terrifyingly rapid sword progress, she'd likely reach a point where there was nothing left for him to teach, within no time at all?

Thinking of this, his heart turned sour—he couldn't help but envy the Cangwu Jiang family's fortune!

Not just Jiang Zhiwei—even Jiang Chen, Jiang Hao... and other prodigies—each one, placed in any sect, would be enough to ensure their survival for generations!

Yet why had they all gathered in the Cangwu Jiang family, which rose from a backwater town like Wudan?

Feng Zhangyue felt a sudden, crushing frustration—he simply could not comprehend it!

In the end, unable to find an answer, he blamed fate itself, sighing that the Cangwu Jiang family was favored by destiny.

At that moment, a voice suddenly came from beside him: "Uncle, I never expected that coming out to visit you, we'd also discover such a prodigy right here with you..."

Feng Zhangyue turned slightly, glancing beside him.

There stood a young man and woman, both carrying long swords on their backs.

Feng Zhangyue's gaze was complex: "It seems this time, Elder Brother will be overjoyed—such a prodigy is exceedingly rare even in Yuehua; if she joins the sect and grows, she'll surely give him immense support. Perhaps even... the position of Sect Leader will have a worthy successor..."

At these words, the man's face flushed with embarrassment, unsure what to say.

The woman beside him, however, narrowed her brows and spoke out sharply:

"Hmph! Her progress is too fast—she's probably using some heretical technique that drains her foundation and essence; in decades, even centuries, she may never advance again, forever stuck at Sword Marquis level."

"We've taken in plenty of fake prodigies like this in Tianjian Sect!"

"We must return to the sect, confirm her true nature, before we know what she's really like."

"But before that, with no conclusion reached, how can Uncle declare she'll surely aid Master?!"

"Uncle, don't forget—you were once of Tianjian Sect, but that was long ago. Now, as an outsider, how dare you speak so lightly of who shall be Sect Leader?!"

The woman's demeanor was haughty.

Though only an Ocean Realm cultivator, she showed no fear before Feng Zhangyue, the Sword King!

For her name was Gongsun Lanying.

Her father was Vice Sect Leader of Tianjian Sect—a Sword King of Primordial Spirit realm!

Her grandfather was even a Supreme Elder of the sect, also a Sword King of Primordial Spirit realm!