The calm and chilling atmosphere was broken as the Sword Demon set down his tea cup.
"There’s no need to forcefully speak about a sect that doesn’t wish to reveal itself. However, how about we ask each other questions and exchange answers? If something truly piques our interest, we can share information gradually. After all, we need to know about each other first."
"Are you suggesting a sequential Q&A?"
"Indeed."
"Then let’s proceed."
"If you have any questions, feel free to ask."
As I prepared to ask, I realized there were too many questions to choose from.
I needed to prioritize my inquiries for a moment.
While I was lost in thought, the Left Master interjected.
"Master, may I also join in?"
"Go ahead."
"Thank you."
The three of us selected our words as if we were generals from Wei, Shu, and Wu discussing matters of state.
I directed my first question at the Sword Demon.
"Why are you teaching this brat?"
The Sword Demon replied calmly, "I intend to mold him into the next Heavenly Demon. Does that answer your question?"
In that moment, I felt as if I had been struck by a heavy blow.
It was not the answer I had anticipated.
Looking at the Sword Demon and then at the Left Master, I saw him shake his head.
"I will pass."
Even the one who would later become the Radiant Left Master was meek before his master.
The Sword Demon nodded and then posed a question to me.
"You seem neither to be of the White Path nor the Black Path. If you were of the Demonic Path, I would know for sure. Therefore, your sect must be one of the three masters known as the Western General or the Three Calamities. Or perhaps, though it’s hard to believe, you seem to be self-taught."
I swallowed my anger inwardly.
My arms were already covered in goosebumps.
It was astonishing how he could narrow down my abilities without even seeing them.
The Sword Demon demanded an answer.
"Is my guess correct?"
"Correct," I replied as briefly as possible.
The longer the conversation went on, the more I could learn.
I looked at the Sword Demon’s wooden sword and then at the Left Master before asking, "What exactly are you teaching? The brat seems to have learned Ice Arts, and the senior seems to have mastered the sword."
The Sword Demon pointed at the Left Master.
"The Ice Arts were learned before he met me. Look at him. He’s a novice with much to learn. Just because I handle the sword well doesn’t mean he will too. He’s the type to take medicine for diarrhea before even fighting. How much could I possibly teach him? It’s better for each to deepen their own strengths."
There was no room to refute the Sword Demon’s words. 'What an annoying brat.' I nodded reluctantly.
This time, the Sword Demon asked me a question.
"What martial art are you most confident in? Your hands seem to have little callus."
Even with the black cat at my waist, the Sword Demon did not see me as a swordsman.
Suddenly, I realized that lying here would be useless.
The Sword Demon could discern lies from truth in an instant.
I answered in my own way.
"I have learned various martial arts, so I don’t cling to just one. I have confidence in many, adapting to the situation."
The Sword Demon nodded with a blank expression.
"That means you have nothing exceptional."
I let out a short sigh.
It felt as if the Sword Demon had just swung his sword and struck my arm.
The Sword Demon extended his hand.
"Ask your question."
I posed a broad question to uncover the Sword Demon’s purpose for staying in the White Path region.
"What is a figure of the Demonic Path doing here?"
The Sword Demon pondered the intent of my question before replying, "I’m waiting to challenge the leader. He’s not someone I can fight at any moment, so I must wait longer. I also need to recover from my injuries."
This was no longer surprising.
I scratched my head and nodded.
The Sword Demon, having launched a clean counterattack, pressed on with another question.
"You’ve just met me, but it seems you know my disciple. What do you want from him? If you haven’t poisoned him, it means you want something."
I glared at the Sword Demon for a moment.
Was he suddenly going to use an illusionary sword? I suddenly felt as if the formless swords he had unleashed were perfectly surrounding me.
If I spoke a lie, it felt as if those formless swords would pierce my body.
What I thought was a simple Q&A had turned into a life-or-death struggle.
Even the Left Master seemed to realize that this was no ordinary exchange.
I was not one to ponder for long, so I spoke only the truth.
I would think about any mismatched stories later.
"What I desire is the Ice Arts."
The Sword Demon’s expression changed in an instant, and the formless swords surrounding me vanished all at once.
The Sword Demon and the Left Master looked at me with suspicion.
I asked the Sword Demon, feeling resigned, "Why did you take him as a disciple? He seems to have a strong interest in women."
"His interest in women is his nature, and nature is something inherited from parents. He probably resembles his father. While some children live cautiously, wary of their parents' nature, others, like him, do not. His talent for learning martial arts is exceptionally rare."
The surprising thing about the Left Master was that he was without any twists or turns.
He was a brat who was recognized by the Sword Demon from birth as a lecher.
Since the Left Master did not deny it, the Sword Demon spoke with an awkward expression.
"I did not stop him from pursuing women. I only told him not to harm them and to refrain from insulting behavior. However, if he continues to swap partners, problems will eventually arise. When naive girls start to follow him just for his handsome face, he will finally realize his fate."
The Sword Demon answered my question as if he were predicting the future.
The Left Master, who had been quietly listening, cautiously asked the Sword Demon, "Master, what is this fate you speak of?"
"This fate is..."
"Yes?"
"I cannot know. However, when you truly fall for a woman, she will likely look down on you like a bug because of your reputation. For now, you may find joy in sleeping with many women, but emotions are not such a simple matter. Yet, saying this is like casting pearls before swine, so you will live as you wish. That is fate."
The Left Master shrank back under the Sword Demon’s attack.
I intentionally scoffed at him, pretending he was gravely injured. 'That brat is all shriveled up.'
It was time for me to face off against the Sword Demon again.
The Sword Demon asked me, "Now it’s my turn to ask. What is your reason for seeking the Ice Arts?"
I scratched my forehead for a moment.
Every time the Sword Demon attacked, I could see the essence of the question.
It was like a question meant to provoke.
With no way to evade, I answered honestly.
"To kill the leader."
Even though I had successfully defended myself, I felt slightly dirty, as if I were cornered.
After some thought, I asked with the feeling of a knife fight, "What is your intention in challenging the leader?"
This time, the Sword Demon crossed his arms.
"You ask such an obvious question. However, if you do not know me, it is indeed a question worth asking."
"That’s true."
"A man who steps into the martial world and engages in great battles more than ten times is not a remarkable figure."
I interjected, disregarding the rules.
"Why is that?"
"It means there are ten men you must defeat. If you encounter a strong opponent while training, you will fight. If you are lucky enough to survive, you will train again. When you seek the next strong opponent, you will find that fighting ten men in succession is a matter of time. Among those strong opponents was the leader, and next, the master caught my interest."
I was momentarily taken aback by the Sword Demon’s arrogant response and fell silent.
The Sword Demon added, "That is what I consider to be the Demonic Path."
This man was a demon walking the path of a seeker with a sword.
Now it was the Sword Demon’s turn to ask.
"Do you think simply obtaining the Ice Arts will allow you to kill the leader? Do you have a plan?"
The answer to this question was simple, so I spoke as I thought.
"What’s important is to harbor the intent to kill the one I want to kill; the result doesn’t matter."
The Sword Demon narrowed his eyes and glared at me, as if he were savoring my words.
"Ask your question."
Suddenly, I recalled the sixth stage of the Eight Techniques of the Nine Yangs, the Wooden Sword Technique.
The Sword Demon was holding a wooden sword.
I had given up on the fifth stage, the Thunder Sword Technique, but seeing the Sword Demon with the wooden sword naturally made me curious.
Although the Nine Yangs and the Sword Demon were not from the same sect, I thought there might be some understanding between swordsmen, so I asked, "Does that wooden sword represent your level?"
"What a peculiar question. The wooden sword has been my recent focus. As for my level... that might be a correct statement. I have yet to conquer the wooden sword, after all. Does that answer your question?"
It was a response I would not have understood had I not read the explanation of the established masters.
However, having seen a brief explanation of the Nine Yang Sword Technique, I could roughly guess the Sword Demon’s level.
The Sword Demon posed a very practical question.
"There’s no reason for my disciple to teach you the Ice Arts. How do you plan to obtain it?"
I replied without much thought.
"If I cannot obtain it, I will have to enlighten myself."
The Sword Demon scoffed and nodded.
"The Q&A is over. I have already figured out your sect."
I thought to myself, 'Ah, so this is how it is?' It was such a bizarre exchange that I was taken aback.
"Where do you think my sect is?"
The Sword Demon replied, "You may have been influenced by a few, but you are someone without a definite master. Essentially, you are like an independent sect or a great master. Your tendencies, personality, and way of thinking all indicate a man who stands alone.
Your desire to obtain the Ice Arts is not because you need the Ice Arts themselves, but rather for the information of the unlearned to explore the next stage. After all, the extreme arts of martial arts are also a major branch of the unlearned. The characteristics of those who create martial arts are usually like that.
You have no sect, and it is reasonable to see you as self-taught. Though you are young and using what you have learned, there will come a day when you will use your own martial arts."
For the first time since my return, I found myself at a loss for words.
If someone as talkative as me was left speechless, it was indeed a serious situation.
The Sword Demon asked, confirming, "Is my guess wrong?"
"Correct."
"Such a rare disposition is precious in itself."
The Sword Demon nodded without showing much joy and then looked at the Left Master.
"If my disciple has wronged you, please forgive him. I spared his life, so it must not have been a crime worthy of death. It’s due to the lack of a teacher. If you can forgive him, then if you ever find yourself stuck while learning martial arts or have questions, come find me."
"……."
The Sword Demon continued, "Moreover, the Ice Arts are like the essence of a family. Even if the disciple’s heart changes and he can pass on the Ice Arts, you cannot obtain them by taking his life. However, whether by coincidence or fate, it seems both of you wish to kill the leader. How about we consider that confirmed for today?"
I looked at the Left Master with genuine surprise.
The brat showed no change in expression.
It was as if the Sword Demon’s words did not astonish him. 'You want to kill the leader?' I looked at the Left Master and recalled his actions, speech, and expressions during the Ten Thousand Obstacles.
I came to this conclusion: 'This brat was so eager to get the Heavenly Jade that he chased after it like a madman.'
There was no twist in the fact that a lecher is a lecher, but the twist was that he was never someone who would retrieve the Heavenly Jade to offer it to the leader.
He was never someone who would give away such a rare elixir to another.
The fact that I had killed a hundred elite members of the Heavenly Demon Sect... meant that the Left Master had been watching from the sidelines all along.
It meant that he had no interest in my life, only wanting to recover the Heavenly Jade.
Moreover, if the force known as the Jade Flower Palace had been destroyed by the Heavenly Demon Sect, it was only natural for its descendants to dream of revenge.
The Left Master spoke with a sullen expression.
"Master."
The Sword Demon replied immediately, "You."
"Yes."
"Do not hold onto the fact that you were poisoned in your heart; just think of it as good luck that you were not poisoned. If the battle had unfolded much more ruthlessly, you would have died yesterday. Foolish boy, I warned you to be careful."
The Left Master responded with a flustered expression.
"I will think deeply about that."
The Sword Demon pointed a finger and launched a final attack.
"You did not survive merely by luck. You are alive because this person has something to gain from you. Your family’s Ice Arts saved you. I am curious how long you will continue to drink and indulge in women."
The Left Master, with his head bowed low, began to tear at his hair and surprisingly replied, "I will train harder."
"And women?"
"I will also work hard with women..."
As the Sword Demon moved his wooden sword, a loud crack echoed, and the Left Master fell to the ground, rolling about.
I crossed my arms and looked at the Left Master.
Honestly, I was secretly impressed. 'That brat really is something.'
I gazed at the Sword Demon and, with a pure heart, offered my consolation.
"You have worked hard."
I suspected that perhaps he had died of a fit of rage in his previous life.
Looking around the courtyard, I realized we were: the Sword Demon walking the path of a seeker with a sword, the lecher being a lecher, and I, the Radiant One.
All three of us had names that were true to our essence.