Chapter 37: Phantom Transformation, White Tiger Emerges!

ZHENG!!!

The clash of weapons was sharp and piercing.

After the invitation from the Xue family’s divine general, the one who stepped forward was still the bearded Tielei third prince, his curved blade extremely sharp and uncanny, striking from directions no conventional logic could anticipate; Li Guanyi held a heavy blade, its back thick and edge thin, employing the swordplay passed down by Yue Qianfeng to meet the assault.

After the bronze tripod’s jade fluid had flowed, this swordplay had already reached great mastery.

But only when facing such a formidable foe did Li Guanyi realize.

Great mastery merely signified proficiency in controlling the swordplay.

Yet application and combat were an entirely different art.

The ornate golden curved blade clanged against Li Guanyi’s heavy blade, then danced like a butterfly spirit; the Tielei third prince, though immensely muscular, moved with ethereal grace, twisting midair and landing behind Li Guanyi, simultaneously delivering a vertical slash.

Li Guanyi felt searing pain across his back, staggered forward several steps, spun and swept horizontally—but the Tielei third prince had already retreated.

He stood within Li Guanyi’s blade range, feet light and skipping left and right, the edge of his curved blade shifting constantly, leaving Li Guanyi unable to predict where the next strike would come from.

Li Guanyi’s back burned with agony, yet there was no wound.

“This place is merely a replay of past memories; all your sensations are imposed upon your spirit. Rest assured, this level of force only simulates the pain of being slashed—it won’t harm your body.”

The Xue Shenjiang said from the side: “But be careful—in my era, at least five kinds of secret arts existed in the Jianghu and court that could inflict severe spiritual damage, making one believe they were dead, causing their body to wither accordingly; many ministers and great scholars died suddenly in just this way.”

Xue Shen said from the side: “But be careful—in my era, there were at least five kinds of secret arts in the Jianghu and the court capable of inflicting severe damage to the spirit, making one believe they were already dead, causing their body to wither away; many prominent ministers and scholars died suddenly in just this way.”

“Me? I’ve encountered such a thing.”

“That sorcerer never expected Yaoguang to be beside me.”

“Yaoguang awakened me, so I cut him down in return.”

“Of course, had this been real combat, you’d already be dead.”

The Xue Shenjiang’s afterimage smiled, sitting there, holding a cup that was likewise an illusion, lifting his sheathed sword and tracing a single stroke upon the ground.

The ground already bore ten “zheng” characters.

Now it was the first stroke of the eleventh.

Each stroke represented one of Li Guanyi’s “deaths.”

The Xue Shenjiang gazed at the row of “zheng” characters, his brow slightly raised, letting out a soft chuckle.

Then he said nothing.

Perhaps, as a famed general of the realm, he knew well how to provoke an enemy’s fury.

Li Guanyi felt that single chuckle said everything—combined with the lazy, spectator-like demeanor, it utterly lacked the boldness and composure of a man who had endured five centuries of separation, making him want to grab this five-hundred-year-old elder by the collar and beat him senseless.

After losing so many times, of course he wanted to give up.

But the power of the entry realm—even called the strongest by the former number one of the realm—still stirred his longing, and his resentment from repeated defeats; moreover, in this era, would there still be someone like the Tielei third prince?

But the power of entering the realm was even called the strongest by the former number one under heaven; he still yearned, and still bore the bitterness of being defeated time and again—besides, in this age, would there still be someone like the Tielei Third Prince?

And if he encountered such a man in reality, wouldn’t he be truly cut down in one blow?

Li Guanyi gripped his blade; his lifelong exposure to deadly poisons had given him extraordinary pain tolerance. He clenched his grip even tighter and lunged forward—the Central Plains’ standard blade clashed once more against the Tielei curved blade in this forgotten place.

Even though this was merely a memory replay, even though limited to pre-entry techniques, his opponents were all heroes who had stood atop their regions in that era; under such direct brutalization, Li Guanyi’s swordplay grew at lightning speed.

From being instantly slaughtered at first, he now forced the Tielei third prince to employ footwork.

The Eight Breaker Blades remained the Eight Breaker Blades.

Great mastery remained great mastery.

Yet Li Guanyi felt deeper insight into the swordplay.

But every time he had this feeling, the Tielei third prince would unleash some flashy trick to kill him, making Li Guanyi doubt whether that insight had merely been a self-deceptive illusion.

After an indeterminate length of time, gradually, Li Guanyi progressed from being utterly dominated to being able to resist.

Eventually, he could now trade blows evenly with the Tielei third prince.

The Xue Shenjiang gazed at the dense array of characters before him, his smile unchanged.

Only life and death can temper a man.

On the battlefield, surviving one battle makes you a veteran; surviving three allows you to lead new recruits into battle—this is the spiritual baptism of facing death, and the baptism of swordplay.

Li Guanyi’s Eight Breaker Blades now bore the mark of a veteran who had fought a hundred battles.

Ruthless, cruel.

And brimming with the will to slash his opponent to death.

Anyone subjected to such prolonged “death” would ignite inner rage.

Li Guanyi, having “died” countless times, finally realized: his opponent’s blade was swift—he must not fall into his rhythm. He planted his feet in footwork, unleashed his swordplay with heavy, deliberate strokes, dragging the Tielei third prince into his own tempo.

Suddenly, a heavy downward slash.

The Tielei third prince’s blade was deflected; Li Guanyi surged into his centerline.

The blade thrust toward the heart.

Suddenly, a low wolf howl echoed at his ear.

The surrounding void rippled; a wolf with fur like steel stood beside the Tielei third prince, its presence causing the thrust to strike empty air, utterly unable to penetrate. The Tielei third prince roared, attempting to grapple; Li Guanyi swiftly retreated, snatching up his longbow, creating distance, and fired arrows in rapid succession.

The arrows veered off course as they neared the Tielei third prince.

Impossible to break through.

“Phantom martial arts?!” The Xue Shenjiang said leisurely: “Ah, sorry, young successor—I’ve been dead too long, my memory’s poor; I nearly forgot—the Tielei third prince is a natural-born phantom. The people of the Western Regions say he is the white wolf beside the great heavenly deity, come to unify the vast lands.”

“Until I shot him down, they believed this without question.”

“You must be careful,” Li Guanyi muttered, firing arrows continuously, all blocked.

He unleashed a quiver’s worth of arrows, the projectiles drawing ever closer to the third prince.

His defense was about to shatter.

Finally, the Tielei third prince charged forward.

Li Guanyi’s eyes shimmered with qi—he saw the Tielei third prince’s arms crossed like a battering ram, the white wolf roaring, the young man’s shoulder revealing a white tiger’s head, letting out a mighty roar; on his arrow, a faint golden light reappeared, swirling.

A chilling, golden wind.

Phantom martial art: One Arrow, Cold Radiance.

Too bad—the phantom had not yet manifested, and the arrow’s charge was incomplete; he could only unleash it with all his might. The arrow spun, piercing the Tielei third prince’s phantom—but as the phantom’s defense shattered, an overwhelming force erupted, the crossed arms snapping violently outward.

Li Guanyi saw only a blur, then was flung backward.

He came to his senses after a long while—so close to victory. He clenched his fist and cursed aloud.

“Hmm. Not bad.”

“That technique is called [White Wolf Guard]. It uses the phantom to shield the body, absorbing tremendous force by dispersing it across the phantom. When the phantom’s defense reaches its limit and shatters, all the stored, unspent force is released at once.”

“It can defend or counterattack—you lost fairly.”

The Xue Shenjiang commented, adding another stroke to the “zheng.”

“That’s enough for today.”

“You’ve trained for two full hours. If you go on, your spirit will tire. If you have pills, take them now—they’ll help your body absorb the medicine better, restore your strength, and further refine your physique.”

Li Guanyi lay sprawled on the ground, gasping heavily.

Unfortunately, he had brought no pills.

And the Xue Shenjiang seemed to have prepared none here either; he merely walked over to the frozen Tielei third prince and said: “I suppose you don’t want to fight again for a while. Then how about this?”

“If you defeat the Tielei third prince within three days.”

“I’ll have him teach you [White Wolf Guard]. How’s that?”

Pressing his chest, recalling the move that had charged through the arrow barrage, Li Guanyi gritted his teeth—he knew this was a sweet bribe, but decided to swallow it.

“Fine.”

………………

After two hours of sword training, Li Guanyi was mentally and physically drained. Estimating the time, he still leapt into the stream and swam out. The water was icy, but as he floated, his expression suddenly changed.

Without warning, searing pain erupted in his chest—the deadly poison.

Previously, the bronze tripod and internal qi had suppressed it; today, after prolonged use of internal energy and without pills to restore his strength and spirit, the poison resurfaced. Li Guanyi’s face turned pale, teeth clenched, he endured the agony underwater, spotted firelight ahead, and swam toward it with all his might.

Emerging from the water, he gasped for breath; the pain made him stagger and collapse onto the ground, his face twisted and ashen.

Li Guanyi’s vision blurred. Simultaneously, the bronze tripod intensified its power; internal qi flowed, suppressing the poison that had accumulated for so long—and for the first time, it began to subdue the surge. He heard footsteps, then a voice as calm as a stream, serene and tranquil.

“You’ve been poisoned.”

“It’s not a difficult matter to handle. Come here and rest a moment.”

The voice carried a quiet magic, calming Li Guanyi’s spirit.

Exhaustion and poison surged over him—he suddenly opened his eyes to find he had fallen asleep. The poison’s pain had vanished. He wore the same clothes from the cave, his body dry, lying on a stone, watching starlight fall. A warm fire burned beside him; a person in a simple hooded robe knelt by the flames, reading a scroll.

Li Guanyi saw his clothes and weapons, sighed in relief: “Did you save me?”

The person’s voice remained tranquil: “No. You yourself are capable of suppressing such poison. You were merely too exhausted, allowing the poison an opening.”

“Who are you…?”

The hooded person said: “The stars above reveal all omens. The chaotic age is coming. You are one of those who will open it. I follow an ancient pact to seek you out.”

Li Guanyi recalled the old man who had climbed the wall a few days ago and politely declined:

“Fate is too mysterious.”

The hooded person said: “It is not some arcane force, but something as natural as spring blossoms and autumn leaves—people simply lack understanding of these truths, so they deem them mysterious. You have already stirred the celestial constellations’ destiny. Let me show you the origin of this power.”

The person closed the book, placed a fallen leaf inside, rose, and walked to Li Guanyi’s side.

Kneeling, he extended his hand: “Please give me your hand. It won’t take long—just a moment.”

Li Guanyi extended his right hand; the person cradled the young man’s palm with both hands.

Suddenly, the white tiger phantom upon the bronze tripod blazed to life.

The White Tiger Seven Mansions in the sky shone brighter than ever before, and within the Listening Wind Pavilion, the divine weapon roared in the night wind, causing the old man to open his eyes once more. Li Guanyi stared at the starlight rising mistlike from his palm—the White Tiger manifestation, once merely a scarred imprint, slowly glowed brighter and more complete, until it appeared beneath the starlight.

Starlight descended.

The White Tiger manifestation appeared upon Li Guanyi’s shoulder.

Fully revealed beneath the starry sky, it excitedly shook its body.

The man retracted his right hand, then slowly lifted his hood. Silver-white hair fell down, revealing a face so beautiful it seemed no product of this mortal world—brown eyes, a mysterious intricate golden pattern on his brow, his voice calm and level, without ripple, as he set his palm down.

“My name is Xiang Yaoguang, a disciple of the Eastern Land’s Star Observing School.”

“Guided by heavenly fate and the stars.”

“I have come to find you, to fulfill the destined covenant of the Tianchen stellar configuration.”

(End of Chapter)