"You've come for the Snow Mountain Sect's martial arts manual, haven't you?"
Wan Yunting raised a hand, signaling Li Zihang to retreat. He narrowed his eyes, staring at the two figures who clearly weren't ordinary elders. He sensed a hint of danger emanating from them. The two elders then unwrapped the weapons they held, one a saber and the other a sword.
The elder in the white robe, with his long, streaked white hair and a wrinkled old face, had eyebrows that slanted upwards at the tips. His sharp old eyes were keen and spirited. He possessed a hooked nose and a slender build. Drawing his treasured sword, he exuded an aura that Wan Yunting dared not underestimate.
The other elder was clad in a brown robe and of medium build, with short, half-white hair. He appeared about a decade younger than the first elder. His bright, piercing eyes emanated killing intent as he fixed them on Wan Yunting. He too drew his saber, a red cloth wrapped around the saber's ring. As the elder moved, his right hand gripped the saber, while his left hand twirled the red cloth tied to the ring, exhibiting the presence of a saber king.
Facing these two elders, one with a saber and the other with a sword, without uttering a word, they adopted a posture ready to kill. Even if they hadn't said anything, Wan Yunting knew they were after the Snow Mountain Sect's martial arts manual.
Wan Yunting, carrying his bag, slung it over his shoulder. His sharp eyes fixed on the two elders who could attack at any moment. A cold sneer played on his lips, "I suppose if I asked for your identities, you wouldn't tell me, right?"
The elder in the white robe turned his head and exchanged a look with the elder in the brown robe beside him. Without a word, they simultaneously attacked Wan Yunting with their saber and sword. One leaped into the air, his saber poised to cleave towards Wan Yunting's head, while the other attacked Wan Yunting's lower body with his sword.
"Sect Master, be careful..."
Li Zihang, who had retreated to the mountain steps, cried out in alarm.
Wan Yunting, not having the Gentleman's Sword with him, faced the two elders attacking from above and below with their saber and sword. He stomped his feet and leaped into the air, somersaulting and flying over the saber-wielding elder, landing in the small plaza below the gatehouse of Mount Wuliang.
The two elders, with their saber and sword, immediately turned, their eyes locked onto Wan Yunting, and advanced to attack him again. The qi emanating from their weapons cut through the air with a humming sound.
Wan Yunting's expression was solemn. Facing these two elders whose martial arts had reached the Gang Jin realm or above, he met them with his fists. He engaged the two elders with their saber and sword.
Although he had no weapons and could only fight with his bare hands, Wan Yunting unleashed his formidable Boundless Heavenly Gang Fist technique, striking with great power. With a clang, he hit the elder's saber blade directly. The formidable fist force nearly made him drop his saber, and the elder staggered back. The elder's brow furrowed, the tiger's mouth on his right hand numb and aching from the impact.
Swish!
The sword-wielding elder spun and lashed out with his sword. Wan Yunting used peculiar footwork, his body rotating in mid-air to evade the sweeping slash. Wan Yunting's left hand formed a sword finger and directly pointed at the elder's sword blade.
Clang!
With a sound like metal striking metal, the elder's long sword was struck by a powerful surge of qi, rebounding dozens of times. This also caused the white-haired elder's expression to change, the tiger's mouth on his sword-wielding right hand throbbing with pain, nearly making him lose his grip on the sword.
The three drew apart and faced each other in a standoff. In just a minute, they had exchanged more than ten moves, causing the expressions of the two elders with the saber and sword to become grave. Their brows furrowed, their gazes fixed on Wan Yunting with astonishment and wonder, as if they could not fathom how a young man under thirty could have reached such a formidable level in martial arts.
"Heh, so you are elders from the Huashan Sect!"
Wan Yunting looked at the two old men before him. From the probing exchanges, he could ascertain that the sword and saber techniques they used were precisely the Huashan Sect's Taibai Swordplay and Hunyuan Saberplay.
When the two elders saw that he had seen through their skills, they no longer concealed themselves. The white-haired elder was named Feng Guanyu, a figure from the previous generation of the Huashan Sect and also Chen Jing's master.
The other elder with short, half-white hair was named Gu Bao. He was also a figure from the previous generation and one of the few in the Huashan Sect who practiced saber techniques, having mastered the Hunyuan Saberplay to perfection. He was a renowned elder of the Huashan Sect.
These two elders of the Huashan Sect had long lived in seclusion, detached from worldly affairs. However, this time, because Chen Jing and his son were being trounced, Feng Guanyu, as the master, naturally could not stand by.
Coupled with the sect leader Shi Yizhen, Gu Bao and Feng Guanyu were brought here overnight with the purpose of teaching Wan Yunting a lesson and acquiring the Snow Mountain Sect's martial arts manual.
"I truly didn't expect that after retiring for many years and staying out of worldly affairs, such an extraordinary young genius would emerge," said Gu Bao, the saber-wielding elder, looking at Wan Yunting. "Your name is Wan Yunting, right? The punch you just used, was that from the Wuliang Daoist Temple?"
Feng Guanyu, holding his treasured sword, fixed his sharp gaze on Wan Yunting and said, "I heard you also learned techniques from the Carefree Sect?"
Wan Yunting's lips curved into a smile, and he said, "Two senior esteemed sirs, you have retired for so many years. Why aren't you staying in the mountains to enjoy your retirement? What are you doing out here?"
"If you stop now and turn back, I will not hold the Huashan Sect accountable!"
These words caused Feng Guanyu's old face to darken. He snorted, "Such arrogance at such a young age, with a little skill. Young man, do you think you can defeat both of us?"
Gu Bao, the saber-wielding elder, also said, "Young man, you know we are here for the Snow Mountain Sect's martial arts manual. It would be best if you hand it over obediently, lest you suffer physical pain."
"Heh heh..."
Wan Yunting chuckled at these words. He looked up at the two old relics with a playful glint in his eyes and said without reservation, "With you two old geezers whose feet are already in the grave, are you sure you want to continue this charade?"
Feng Guanyu's old eyes widened. He flicked his long sword, his qi surging forth with a buzzing sound. He snorted, "Since that's the case, Old Gu, let's stop wasting words with this arrogant fellow and capture him directly."
"Alright, let's go..."
Gu Bao wasted no more words. He spun his saber, adjusted his stance, and lunged at Wan Yunting like an arrow. His saber slashed towards Wan Yunting at a tricky angle, accompanied by Feng Guanyu's sword thrusting directly at Wan Yunting. In the blink of an eye, the saber and sword had reached Wan Yunting.
"If you court death, then don't blame me for not respecting elders and cherishing the young."
Facing the assault of these two old relics, Wan Yunting's eyes suddenly widened. He clenched his fists, and a terrifying aura erupted from his body. The dust beneath his feet swirled up by the qi. An invisible internal energy was released outward, directly blocking the saber and sword attacking Wan Yunting at a distance of twenty centimeters.
"Such potent internal energy!"
Feng Guanyu and Gu Bao's old faces changed drastically. Their eyes widened with disbelief as they looked at Wan Yunting, awestruck by his profound and terrifying internal energy.
"Two Sleeves of the Clear Dragon!"
With a sharp cry from Wan Yunting, he waved his hands. Two streams of green qi, like two green dragons, coiled around his body. As Wan Yunting pushed his palms forward.
Bang!
A dull thud exploded in the air. Feng Guanyu and Gu Bao's faces changed drastically. Without giving them any time to react, they clearly felt two powerful surges of qi battering them like monstrous tidal waves.
Their sabers and swords flew out of their hands, and both Feng Guanyu and Gu Bao were sent flying backward, tracing perfect arcs through the air.
Thump, thump!
They crashed heavily to the ground, sliding several meters on their backs before stopping. Then, with two gasps, Feng Guanyu and Gu Bao clutched their chests and spat out blood. Their faces instantly turned deathly pale, their blood and qi in disarray, and they were unable to recover for a long time.
Li Zihang, hiding on the steps, was calling his master's wife and others to come down the mountain for help. Seeing the scene where the two elders were knocked down by Wan Yunting's powerful internal force, he was stunned speechless and blurted out, "Holy crap..."
Wan Yunting retracted his hands, exhaled slightly, and looked at Feng Guanyu and Gu Bao struggling on the ground in the distance. He said coldly, "Two of you, do you still want to continue this game?"
Feng Guanyu and Gu Bao, helping each other up and struggling to their feet, trembled uncontrollably. Their wide old eyes stared at Wan Yunting in shock, their bloodied lips trembling as they said, "You... have you reached the martial dao Internal Gang realm?"
Wan Yunting shook his head and smiled, "I wish I could break through, but I'm still one step away."
Although he had not yet broken through to the martial dao Internal Gang realm, Wan Yunting's gains from his three months of seclusion were immense.
Especially his profound internal energy had reached a new level. Even if he truly encountered a martial dao Internal Gang realm expert, he would have the strength to fight.
Feng Guanyu and Gu Bao looked at each other in astonishment. Before coming, they had heard Shi Yizhen and Chen Jing talk about Wan Yunting's unfathomable skills, but they had been dismissive, after all, Wan Yunting was not even thirty.
But at this moment, Feng Guanyu and Gu Bao's hearts were shaken. They could not imagine how a youth of such an age could possess such a level of martial dao internal energy. Even they, who had practiced martial arts for decades, could not withstand a single move from him.
"Begone."
Wan Yunting waved his hand, not intending to trouble these two old men further. He said, "Go back and tell your Sect Leader Shi that I will settle this score with him soon."
Feng Guanyu and Gu Bao exchanged a look, sighed dejectedly, and without a word, helped each other pick up their saber and sword from the ground and turned to stumble away into the distance.
Wan Yunting snorted coldly. If killing were not against the law, he would have dug a hole and buried those two old geezers.
However, this debt still needed to be settled. As for how, Wan Yunting would find a way to settle it with Shi Yizhen when he returned to the capital.