Chapter 135

The explanation ended, followed by an hour of exercise and sparring respectively.

During sparring, Pei Ye fought two rounds with Zhang Junxue and still hadn't won a single match, but when he turned his head, he saw Xiao Qiu standing to the side with his sword hanging, waiting.

Seeing him look over, the man cupped his hands in a request.

Pei Ye asked Zhang Junxue, and since the young lady had no objections, he picked up his sword to fight Xiao Qiu.

It was still two victories won by using skill to overcome strength.

The two put away their swords and smiled at each other, though Xiao Qiu's smile was quite strained, while Pei Ye's was sincere.

—He confirmed once again that his victory over Xiao Qiu yesterday was not the kind of "heaven and earth working together" he had faced with Wu Wu Zai Gu, but a solid, stable level of strength that could be replicated.

Unless these Fourth Life sword cultivators either entered the Clumsy Realm in their sword art or broke through their cultivation to the Fifth Life, it would be very difficult for them to defeat him.

Xiao Qiu walked over with his sword, and Pei Ye reached out to check his wrist.

Xiao Qiu sighed: "Sorry, Brother Pei, I really have a question I must ask—forgive my presumption, but how long have you been practicing the sword?"

"Eight years." Pei Ye felt he had already faced this question several times; he was already very familiar with this answer.

When he was nine and building his foundation, the martial arts master told them to choose a weapon. Pei Ye chose the sword; that was also the first time he touched a sword, and from then on, he had half an hour of sword-holding and thrusting practice every day.

But if the other party asked more specifically, he might discover the blush-inducing flaws in this answer himself—touching a sword for eight years is not the same as practicing the sword for eight years. Pei Ye, when you were fishing, chasing rabbits, and raiding bird nests, did that count as practicing the sword?

Ask yourself, how many days in the past eight years have you practiced the sword for more than an hour?

But this answer at least made Xiao Qiu feel a little better: "I started practicing the sword later than you; it's been ten years now."

"I see you are also standing before the threshold, just one step away." Pei Ye comforted him.

"This step is hard to take, though." Xiao Qiu sighed.

The two chatted for a while about their insights on sword practice. When time was nearly up, Pei Ye suddenly cupped his hands and said: "Brother Xiao, I also have a presumptuous question."

Xiao Qiu was stunned for a moment and smiled: "Please go ahead."

"Do you have any grievances with Zhang Junxue?"

"."

"Having spent a few days with Miss Zhang, she is honest and kind; she doesn't seem like the type to offend anyone." Pei Ye continued, weighing his words.

Xiao Qiu fell silent. The worried, gentle expression from just a moment ago seemed to have been shaved away by an invisible blade, leaving behind a piece of cold, hard sculpture.

"We have no grievances with Zhang Junxue, but what we have with Xu Gu and the Zhang family is more than just 'grievances'." His voice grew colder. "That is all I will say, Brother Pei. I know you have a good relationship with her, but our friendship is not affected by these things. Likewise, the hatred for that side is not affected by our friendship."

Having said this, he cupped his hands and left.

Pei Ye sighed softly. He didn't know what had happened, so naturally, he wouldn't rashly try to act as a peacemaker.

At this time, the students who had been practicing all morning were scattered, sitting and chatting. Several buckets of food were brought over, and the aroma of meat wafted through the air. Pei Ye was about to turn to eat when he heard a familiar voice behind him.

The first one was Zhang Dingyun.

"Look, didn't I bring you in? A gathering of heroes, take your pick!"

The other voice was silent for a few breaths before slowly exhaling: "This... are these all candidates for the martial competition?"

"All of them, Third Life and above."

"This... this is truly a bird in the blue sky, a fish in the sea. I, I..." A sound of rustling paper. "I will go find people to sign now."

"Don't rush, everyone is eating. After eating, everyone will rest for half an hour; you can find the ones you like then."

"Makes sense... I like them all, classmate Zhang."

"Haha, that doesn't mean everyone is willing to sign."

"No matter, no matter. Ah, classmate Zhang, I really didn't expect you to still be in this Dragon Gate Class. You are truly both scholarly and martial; it seems I, Fang, can only be the second-best talent of the Hanfang Academy."

"How dare I, how dare I; let me be the second-best talent."

"Sigh, classmate Zhang, it's really thanks to you. I've run through half the prefecture city in the last two days and only found two people in total, and these two people only said one word to me combined."

"What did they say?"

"Get lost."

"Hahahaha, you went to the inns to find those wild cultivators drifting through the Jianghu; naturally, it's hard to get a good look. And to be honest, those who practice martial arts really don't like to be bothered; your idea was a bit rash."

"Classmate Zhang's advice is correct, but unfortunately, I have already made the appointments, and the venue is already set up. Everything is ready, who would have expected this west wind to blow in my face." He sighed softly.

"Did you really not get a single signature?"

"That's not quite true... there was still one."

"Who?"

"Sigh." The voice was a bit hesitant. "Actually, it's as good as having none—it's a little brother from Fenghuai; I've never heard of the name, and his cultivation is only First Life. Taking such a name out at the poetry gathering would be worse than not taking it at all."

"Even if you bit the bullet and took it out, you can't have a dozen people writing poems for one person; that would write him dry."

"Yes, that's why it's as good as none... eh, let's not talk about this. Classmate Zhang, could you point out for me which of these heroes is the most powerful? I'll familiarize myself with them first."

"Alright, there are three most powerful ones currently, let me find them... eh, what a coincidence! You are looking at one right now—"

"Hmm!" Fang Jidao immediately adjusted his cap, patted his wide sleeves, and cupped his hands with a smile.

"—This is Young Hero Pei Ye, Pei! A top-tier sword art!"

Fang Jidao's hand stiffened. The young man who was "as good as none" turned around, leaning on his sword and looking at him.

——

"This, the meaning of 'as good as none', it, it just means that having is like not having, therefore not having is also like having. That is to say, even if Young Hero Pei didn't leave his name for me, I would still have Young Hero Pei in my heart."

Pei Ye was squatting by the martial arts field eating, and Fang Jidao was squatting beside him, his pale face blushing with embarrassment: "Young Hero Pei, really, I had planned that even if this poetry gathering couldn't be held, I would definitely write a poem for you."

"Thank you."

"……"

Zhang Dingyun was gloating on the side.

The three ate and chatted. Pei Ye learned that Zhang Dingyun was also a student at that academy and also intended to participate in this Yinfeng Pavilion poetry gathering. It was precisely because Fang Jidao was struggling to find candidates for the martial competition that he asked the instructor for permission to bring him in.

"When does your poetry gathering start?"

"Tomorrow, I've already asked for leave." Zhang Dingyun shook his head comfortably. "Brother Pei, to be honest, do you know why I signed up for this martial competition?"

"Why?"

"Because all candidates for the martial competition can participate in the Luzhou poetry gathering."

"What's good about that?"

"What's good about that." Zhang Dingyun hummed twice. "'Peerless under the pen, appearance like spring sleeves,' there is the number one talented woman of our Bowang Prefecture."

The previous debt was six chapters; later, the boss of Qilixiang live tipped a Grandmaster, and the monthly tickets broke two thousand, so three more chapters were added, totaling nine chapters, one of which has been repaid.