Chapter 84: Only Today Do I Know That I Am Myself

At Dashiping on Huashan, the world changed in an instant.

The sound of tides rose in the ears of the crowd, and peach blossoms bloomed before their eyes, as if they were standing on Taohua Island.

Guo Xiang clapped her hands and said, "Mother, is this Grandfather's magic? Did he send us back to Taohua Island?"

Huang Rong said, "Nonsense, you know this is your grandfather's Mysterious Gates and Hidden Techniques technique."

Guo Polu stared with wide eyes and said, "Mother, I also know this is Grandfather's Mysterious Gates technique, but I've never seen him perform it so powerfully!"

The look of astonishment on Huang Rong's face had not yet faded, and she murmured, "Not just you, this is the first time I have seen it too..."

Others, such as Zhu Ziliu, Xiaolongnü, and the rest, were all shaken by the scene before them.

When they were in Xiangyang, they had already seen Huang Yaoshi use the Mysterious Gates and Hidden Techniques technique to confuse Yuan soldiers on a small scale, and they knew the power of the Mysterious Gates arts. But looking at it now, it certainly did not have this level of might.

And they also vaguely guessed that the reason Huang Yaoshi was able to display such profound moves was likely related to Lu Li.

Huang Yaoshi was being stimulated and guided by Lu Li's Sword Qi.

To hear the Dao in the morning, one can die without regret in the evening!

The youth has already drawn his sword, and this old man must also unleash the madness of his youth once more!

Huang Yaoshi's life's learning was displayed at this moment without reservation.

If one were to give a reference based on numbers, the current Eastern Heretic is probably at least 150% of the Eastern Heretic!

One could see the figures of Lu Li and Huang Yaoshi weaving through the peach forest; Lu Li held a long sword, executing exquisite sword techniques to cleave the falling peach blossoms, each flash of the sword like a rainbow in the sky, brilliant and blinding.

Huang Yaoshi, meanwhile, unleashed one strange move after another, with changes that were endless. In just a moment, the two had fought over sixty moves, and Huang Yaoshi had not once used the same move!

He possessed not only the Yuxiao Sword, but also the Luoying Divine Sword Palm, Whirlwind Sweeping Leaves Leg, Orchid Flicking Acupoint Hand, Flicking Finger Divine Skill, and other exquisite techniques.

Palm techniques, sword techniques, finger techniques, leg techniques, and even musical and Mysterious Gates arts—all these various fields of knowledge were mastered by Huang Yaoshi, and he could blend them into perfection, using them as easily as turning over his hand.

Such a sight made Lu Li admire Huang Yaoshi's brilliant talent all the more.

The scene before him reminded Lu Li of the Meizhuang Four Friends in the world of *Smiling Proud Wanderer*; they integrated zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting into their swordplay, which had its own unique refinement and also brought Lu Li a new realization for his own swordplay.

However, the realization brought by all four of them combined was not even one-tenth or two-tenths of what Huang Yaoshi offered!

The Eastern Heretic Huang Yaoshi knew astronomy and geography, integrating Mysterious Gates and Hidden Techniques and various martial arts into his swordplay; every position he stepped into made this Peach Blossom Illusion more real, and every dancing peach blossom transformed into a sword blade striking at Lu Li.

But the long sword in Lu Li's hand danced like a silver dragon, his Sword Qi peerless, and not a single peach blossom could fly within three feet of him.

Facing the sky full of peach shadows, Lu Li could not help but sigh in his heart: 'What a profound martial arts realm! If my cultivation realm on the Tianxuan Continent did not surpass his, how could I have resisted this Master of Taohua Island?'

Lu Li knew that he was younger than Huang Yaoshi, his Qi and blood were vigorous, and his cultivation was by no means weaker than the Five Greats. If the two continued to fight like this, after another hundred moves, Huang Yaoshi would exhaust his strength and would undoubtedly be defeated.

But at this moment, who won or lost was no longer important.

This sword fight was no longer about victory or defeat!

Lu Li gave a loud shout and leaped backward.

"Satisfying! Truly worthy of being the Eastern Heretic Huang Yaoshi!"

While in mid-air, he suddenly slashed a sword toward an empty space.

After this sword was slashed, the blue sea suddenly surged with waves. The Sword Intent transformed into a mountain, and a Sword Mountain rose with a rumble at the edge of the peach blossom sea.

Since you have manifested a peach blossom sea and island, I shall gift you a mountain!

Boom!!!

The mountain and sea gazed at each other, and the peach blossom shadows fell.

The surging blue sea could not drown the high mountain, and Lu Li could not bear to rely on his cultivation to destroy this peach blossom island.

The image before the crowd froze at the peak of the Taohua Island.

Afterward, the footsteps of both Huang Yaoshi and Lu Li retreated one step at the same time. With this step backward, the illusion before the crowd suddenly vanished, and it returned to the Dashiping of Huashan.

There was a profound silence on Dashiping; the crowd seemed not yet to have awakened from the scene just now, and for a time, even their breathing was cautious.

Is this... a draw?

Neither side was injured, and neither had failed.

The two were like old friends, each gifting the other a sword, and the mountain and sea now coexisted.

Huang Yaoshi held his jade flute, closed his eyes for a long time, and suddenly laughed aloud: "Many thanks to the young friend for showing mercy!"

"Many thanks to the senior for bestowing the sword!"

"When you have leisure in the future, you are welcome to come to my Taohua Island for a chat; I, Huang Laoxie, will sweep the bed to welcome you!"

"I certainly will!" Lu Li bowed with cupped hands.

Huang Yaoshi turned and retreated.

Seeing that Huang Yaoshi's gaze was clear and bright, and that he was not only uninjured but even more spirited than before, Huang Rong finally set her heart at ease.

On the other side, seeing Lu Li fight consecutively against Zhou Botong and Huang Yaoshi without a single hair harmed, and seeing his aura not diminish but increase, the crowd was utterly terrified.

When did such a young swordsman appear in the Jianghu?

He is simply a monster.

Everyone present, at Lu Li's age, probably couldn't even compare to a single finger of his!

Moreover, looking at Lu Li's swordplay, they couldn't even distinguish which sect it came from, which made it feel even more peculiar.

Guo Jing stepped forward and bowed to Lu Li with cupped hands.

Guo Jing was no longer the foolish boy he once was; he saw some things very clearly. In fact, he vaguely guessed that in the duel just now, it was Lu Li who had voluntarily chosen a draw. If Lu Li had persisted, the one to lose would likely have been Huang Yaoshi.

This bow of his was a gesture of gratitude toward Lu Li.

On the other hand, Guo Jing had already developed a love for talent toward the younger generation, and he immediately wanted to invite Lu Li to stop his sword and travel together.

Who would have thought that before he could speak, he would feel the Sword Intent on Lu Li's body rising even higher.

Guo Jing looked up and saw Lu Li holding his sword across his chest, saying word by word:

"The sword is already unsheathed, I only wish to drink my fill of heroic spirit; I ask the senior to grant me this!"

Lu Li's voice fell into the ears of the crowd, making their spirits sway uncontrollably.

Young and reckless, long sword in hand, he challenged the strongest people of the present day one after another!

This is what a swordsman is!

A cold sword, a cold person.

Lu Li was like a determined seeker of the Dao, someone impossible to refuse.

Guo Jing felt a chill in his heart, and his eyes revealed a deep sense of appreciation.

"Little brother, be careful!"

One could see Guo Jing's left leg slightly bent, his right palm drawing a circle from before his chest and then striking out, a fierce and incomparable momentum suddenly erupting. The palm wind tore through the air; Guo Jing's entire being had become one with this strike, a move of 'Subduing the Dragon with Regret' striking straight at Lu Li's chest.

The Xianglong Shiba Zhang is the world's number one fierce palm technique; its moves are simple and clear, but every strike carries the momentum of a dragon's roar and a tiger's howl.

In just an instant, Lu Li saw Guo Jing's palm striking toward him.

Guo Jing's palms were not beautiful; they were thick and sturdy rather than having slender fingers. They were covered in calluses as mottled as the city walls of Xiangyang, yet his palms remained powerful and firm.

True Qi surged wildly; the cracked patterns on his palms were like the gaps between dragon scales, and that violent True Qi pressed toward Lu Li like a giant dragon passing through!

This was a palm force completely opposite to Zhou Botong's Kongming Fist—fierce, incomparable, and invincible.

Facing such a terrifying palm, Lu Li did not retreat a single step.

Sword Qi!

He suddenly raised his sword with both hands and, using all his strength, slashed down at the head.

This sword also carried the sound of a dragon's roar, the sword light emerging to cut toward the dragon's head.

Who would have thought that halfway through, Guo Jing's Xianglong Zhang would suddenly turn, producing the utmost softness from the utmost hardness.

As it turned out, the secret of the move 'Subduing the Dragon with Regret' lay not in anything else, but in this word 'regret'.

At the same time, Guo Jing's left hand had also formed a fist, striking out lightly without stirring up a sound of wind.

Lu Li's pupils constricted, for he saw clearly that the fist technique of Guo Jing's left hand was none other than the same Kongming Fist as the Old Urchin!

It turned out that Guo Jing had not only mastered the Xianglong Shiba Zhang, but had also mastered the Old Urchin Zhou Botong's Left-Right Mutual Fighting Technique and the Kongming Fist.

Using the Left-Right Mutual Fighting Technique, he simultaneously executed the Xianglong Shiba Zhang and the Kongming Fist; his left hand unleashed the Kongming Fist, while his right hand unleashed the Xianglong Zhang, combining hardness and softness, with yin and yang as support.

This fist and palm, one yin and one yang, had already reached the pinnacle of the martial Dao!

Lu Li sighed, because he suddenly realized that he simply could not break the opponent's fist and palm from the perspective of artistic conception.

It was not just that he failed to break Guo Jing's fist and palm; in reality, the reason he was able to surpass the Old Urchin and Huang Yaoshi was also by relying on his own cultivation to bully them.

This group of people practiced martial arts, while he practiced immortality.

At the Huashan Sword Debate, he appeared to have won, but in reality, he had lost.

The sword intent on Lu Li's body suddenly weakened.

Because he hesitated—was there any need for him to continue the duel?

To continue the duel would only be winning by relying on Spirit Qi. Others might not know anything, but Lu Li knew in his heart that he was a cheater.

He relied on the system to kill Ren Woxing and Zuo Lengchan in the world of 'Smiling Proud Wanderer', and to kill demon cultivators on the Tianxuan Continent, without feeling any guilt.

But at the peak of Huashan, facing the Old Urchin, Huang Yaoshi, Guo Jing, and later Yang Guo...

Lu Li suddenly felt a trace of guilt.

Once one hesitates, the sword will become slow.

Standing to the side, Huang Yaoshi and Zhou Botong both let out an 'Eh' at the same time; Huang Yaoshi frowned, and Zhou Botong even scratched his head and said, "What is going on?"

They could not understand why Lu Li's momentum had suddenly weakened.

But this strange phenomenon only appeared for a moment; the next instant, the sword light suddenly exploded before everyone's eyes, like a bolt of lightning.

Boom!!

The next moment, the violent Sword Qi swept in like a hurricane, unreasonably blocking Guo Jing's fist and palm.

Sword Qi crisscrossed, making it impossible for everyone to open their eyes, and the entire Dashiping was left in a mess.

Amidst the whistling sword wind, the dragon head on Guo Jing's palm was torn to pieces, and several scratches appeared on his clothes.

And Lu Li stood holding his sword, his eyes clear and bright.

He had come to Huashan again precisely to witness this magnificent spectacle of martial arts!

So what if he lost in terms of realm?

A loss is a loss; he would just go back and practice more.

So what if he used his cultivation to suppress others?

This cultivation was also something he had obtained through three years on Tianxuan and ten years of bitter practice in 'Smiling Proud Wanderer'.

All of this is me!

With this mental knot untied, the clouds parted to reveal the sun. Lu Li turned his back to the crowd and let out a long roar toward the sky.

"Three years of comprehending the sword on Tianxuan, ten years of searching in 'Smiling Proud Wanderer'. Suddenly breaking the golden rope, slaying demons and seizing the Shura. Look! The Huashan Sword Qi stirs the wind and clouds; only today do I know that I am me!"