Chapter 297: Chapter 144: Godspeed for 100 Li, Qualitative Change (5)

The man in white was taken aback, unsure why Shen Bai had suddenly brought up something so irrelevant.

Shen Bai looked away. "You’ve got a lot of style, and you love wearing white," he said. "But style alone isn’t enough."

"What is ’style’?" the man in white asked.

Shen Bai shook his head. "Just consider it nonsense."

"SHING!"

Cold Moon slid from its sheath, a clear ring echoing from its blade.

"Come on. Let’s get this over with. I have other things to do," Shen Bai said slowly.

He was telling the truth. ’Once this mess is dealt with, I need to get back to grinding my Skill Level.’

’After all, raising my Skill Level is the top priority right now.’

Shen Bai had no desire to waste any more time.

Hearing Shen Bai’s words, the man in white paused for a moment before recovering his composure, though the fiery glint in his eyes never faded. "My name is Ouyang Sword, a name I gave myself. As for my original name, I discarded it long ago. In this life, I love only the sword in my hand."

The corner of Shen Bai’s mouth twitched.

’It seems everyone from Elder Mu’s lineage, whether it’s me or this Ouyang Sword, has the air of a drama king,’ he thought.

’Of course, Shen Bai was well aware that in Elder Mu’s opinion, his own dramatic flair was probably even more pronounced.’

’He just refused to admit it.’

After finishing his speech, Ouyang Sword also drew the Longsword from his waist. "This sword is named Ice and Snow. It was cast from Cold Iron. During its forging, I infused it with my unique Qi, allowing the blade and myself to become one. This is Qi Sword Control."

Elder Mu had mentioned this to Shen Bai before, so he already had some understanding of the concept.

Elder Mu’s master knew two schools of Swordsmanship: one that controlled the sword through martial forms, and another that used one’s internal Qi—Qi Sword Control.

The two Cultivation Techniques were completely different, with many conflicting principles.

This was precisely why Elder Mu and his junior martial brother were constantly at odds.

What Shen Bai hadn’t expected was that his opponent’s longsword, Ice and Snow, had been forged in such a manner.

After his speech, Ouyang Sword held Ice and Snow and waited patiently, as if expecting Shen Bai to offer a similar formal introduction.

But Shen Bai’s response was quite simple.

"I’m Shen Bai. This is Cold Moon. Can we start now?"

Ouyang Sword hadn’t expected such a simple reply. His "king of swagger" aura vanished, and his eyes widened.

"No, wait a moment! I am my master’s disciple, and you are Martial Uncle Mu’s. Every time those two martial brothers dueled, they followed this procedure. We should be no exception."

"Besides, a duel between masters is all about style and atmosphere! It’s not right to interrupt the mood like this. Let’s start over from the top."

The corner of Shen Bai’s mouth twitched again.

He suddenly had a feeling that there was something wrong with this Ouyang Sword fellow.

’It’s like he inherited the dramatic flair of Elder Mu’s lineage and then took it to a whole new, embellished level.’

’This obsession with creating an ’atmosphere,’ for instance, was just ridiculous.’

Their exchange was, of course, overheard by all the surrounding members of the Observatory.

It only took them a moment of thought to understand the context of the situation.

Some of the members present knew the inside story, and hushed whispers began to ripple through the crowd.

"So that’s what this is about. It looks like Lord Shen taking Elder Mu as his master a while back was all for this day."

"Keep it down! If Elder Mu hears you, he’ll chase us down and poke a few holes in us."

"Right, we should whisper."

"But who do you guys think will win?"

"Lord Shen, of course. Is that even a question? Haven’t all the enemies we’ve faced been defeated by Lord Shen?"

"It’s true, Lord Shen has never lost. Good point."

The voices started out soft, but gradually grew louder.

Amidst this growing chatter, Shen Bai swept his gaze over the crowd.

Though Shen Bai was usually humble, everyone knew the man before them was an absolute menace.

The Upper Evil Sect was formidable, yet Shen Bai had dismantled them.

The Dark Hall was secretive, yet Shen Bai had dismantled them too.

The Wild Taoist Sect and Wild Buddha Sect ran rampant, but even they were powerless against Shen Bai.

So, despite his usual humility, that single glance from Shen Bai instantly silenced the spectating members of the Observatory.

Before he could speak, Ouyang Sword, holding his Ice and Snow Longsword, started prattling on again.

"Let’s start over! We must get the atmosphere right. I shall introduce myself again. I am Ouyang Sword..."

Ouyang Sword stopped abruptly mid-sentence.

He pulled a piece of paper from his robes. It was covered in tiny, densely packed text.

Then, Ouyang Sword actually began to read from the note.

The corner of Shen Bai’s mouth twitched. He raised a hand to interrupt. "And what’s the point of you reading that note?"

Ouyang Sword explained, "These are my master’s quotes. I copied them down and try to use them every day."

Shen Bai: "..."

He was at a loss for words. Hearing Ouyang Sword’s explanation, he found the situation utterly ridiculous.

After all, who recites scripted lines over and over again before a duel?

Seeing Shen Bai remain silent, Ouyang Sword grew impatient. "Lord Shen, hurry up! I just finished my part. It’s your turn, your turn!"

Shen Bai raised Cold Moon. "Are we fighting or not? If not, I’m leaving."

He had no time to waste on this nonsense.

The thought of Ouyang Sword’s demands, in particular, was just absurd.