Chapter 57: Maintaining Centered Harmony

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Because of his exceptional swordsmanship, He Yi earned the favor of Hui Fan, who took him as a disciple and assigned him as a bodyguard.
Aside from indulging in lavish feasts, Hui Fan would also share some meat broth with He Yi. Freed from the torment of being hunted, He Yi enjoyed good food, drink, and women, allowing him to settle in as the monk Shi Jie.
In front of He Yi, Pei Min struck Hui Fan, which was effectively an insult to He Yi as his protector.
Without hesitation, He Yi drew his sword in a swift, diagonal thrust, aiming straight for Pei Min’s heart.
Pei Min’s eyes instantly brightened. He recognized that He Yi’s attack was executed with great skill—a seamless draw and thrust that required decades of practice to master. Although fierce in appearance, the strike was a feint, concealing countless deadly intentions behind it, demonstrating extraordinary prowess.
Unexpectedly, there was such a master swordsman by Hui Fan’s side.
A swordsman of this caliber deserved a true duel.
“Clang!”
Pei Min’s long sword suddenly flashed from its sheath, radiating a blue light. His hand seemed to conjure ethereal blue-white ribbons, and the sword’s gleam showered down on He Yi like raindrops.
He Yi’s expression changed as he swung his long sword, unleashing the Chaotic Wind Sword Technique. The blades gleamed in the sunlight like countless silver serpents darting and weaving, aiming to parry every strike from Pei Min.
Pei Min smiled slightly and suddenly thrust a sword toward He Yi’s brow. This strike relied purely on speed and momentum. The moment the sword was launched, a fierce aura spread throughout the courtyard, the power of the blow like raging waves crashing ashore.
This move was a two-handed sword technique once famed in Youzhou, known as “Righteousness Piercing the Clouds,” developed by the hero Li Wuyi. It was a desperate, life-for-life strike that Pei Min had refined into its current form.
Within just two exchanges, He Yi felt a suffocating frustration building in his chest. To outsiders, their duel seemed evenly matched, but only He Yi knew the deep unease within. The opponent, merely a youth, had already read his swordplay. Before He Yi could change his killing move, Pei Min had taken the lead in countering it, leaving He Yi on the defensive.
Though He Yi had fought many peers throughout Shu province, none had ever exerted such pressure on him. This young man was terrifying—especially with his fierce, relentless sword strikes that appeared exactly where He Yi intended to thrust, blocking his path and disrupting his flow, causing great distress.
Having escaped from Sichuan after countless bloody battles, He Yi was experienced and knew retreat was impossible. If he backed down, Pei Min’s relentless attacks would flood him like a breached dam.
With no other choice, He Yi steadied himself in the saddle, and suddenly a burst of sword light erupted before him, aimed at Pei Min’s heart.
Pei Min’s sword moved swiftly; with a flick of his wrist, the sword light surged toward him, even faster than Pei Min himself—a case of the later move arriving first.

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“Clang!”
Pei Min’s smile remained, his body tilting slightly as the clashing of metal echoed through the courtyard.
His sword sliced diagonally against the blade He Yi had raised near the hilt.
He Yi’s entire body shook as if electrified, stumbling backward; the skin between his thumb and index finger cracked, and he nearly lost grip of his long sword.
Pei Min had anticipated that He Yi’s next sword technique would rely on agility, so he countered skill with clumsiness, using strength to overcome finesse. Now that his power and explosiveness had increased, this brute force attack was remarkably effective.
He Yi was stunned, never imagining that his proud swordsmanship could be so easily broken before this young opponent.
Anger surged within him, and ignoring Hui Fan’s calls, He Yi extended his sword in a thrust, unleashing the Qingcheng Sect’s ultimate sword technique—the Grand Dao Nine Profound Sword.
Pei Min, seeing the straightforward thrust, initially took it lightly and prepared to counter, but suddenly found himself at a loss. This seemingly ordinary sword move, without any trickery, was in fact a supreme technique!
The Grand Dao Nine Profound Sword of the Qingcheng Sect incorporated Taoist principles and was divided into three levels: the first three moves were “Guarding the Center to Achieve Harmony,” the middle three “Understanding One to Transform Ten Thousand,” and the last three “All Transformations Return to One, One Returns to Nothingness.”
The first three moves were purely defensive, making it impossible for an opponent to find an opening and causing them to lose their rhythm.
Pei Min’s hunter’s instinct flared, but he refused to believe there was a move in the world that could not be broken.
He swung the Sage of Grass Sword, releasing it from his hand. The sword transformed into countless points of light, surging forth like a great river, pouring onto He Yi.
If Pei Min’s sword was like a mighty river, then He Yi was a lone sail adrift on its surface—tossed by the waves and on the verge of capsizing, yet still steady as a rock. He managed to block ten strikes without falling.
He Yi cursed inwardly. Mastery of the first three moves of the Nine Profound Sword was key to his escape from Sichuan. Even against superior foes, he could force them to retreat and lose composure by holding a defensive posture. But this youth pressed him down with tidal-like attacks, utterly undisturbed. At this rate, his lone sail would inevitably be overturned!
Seeing that he could not break this strange sword technique quickly, Pei Min shifted his strategy. His sword energy changed; he launched a simple, direct thrust.
This time, it was He Yi’s turn to be stunned—Pei Min was also using the Grand Dao Nine Profound Sword…

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Every stance, every key point, was identical—leaving He Yi utterly at a loss.
He Yi had never encountered such a situation, and a terrifying thought crossed his mind: Could this youth also hail from the Qingcheng Sect, come to capture him and purge the sect?
Killing intent flickered in He Yi’s eyes, but he had no counter to the “Guarding the Center to Achieve Harmony” phase of the Grand Dao Nine Profound Sword. He silently thought: “Fewer than five people on all of Qingcheng Mountain truly understand this sword, and they are all elderly elders. Even if this junior had learned it, he would be far behind me. How could I lose in mastery of the Grand Dao Nine Profound Sword?”
With that thought, his sword continued to whirl without pause, the blade trembling as he launched another straightforward strike.
Though seemingly plain, this stroke contained extraordinary variations. As the two swords clashed, He Yi attempted to change form, but Pei Min was one step ahead, completing the transformation first. He Yi tried to twist his wrist to counter, only to realize that Pei Min was always faster by one move. Five transformations in a row left He Yi unable even to perform basic changes; his sword energy scattered.
Without a sound, Pei Min’s sword accelerated from slow to lightning speed, piercing through He Yi’s defenses. He slapped He Yi’s hand heavily, and the long sword fell to the ground.
He Yi’s spirit withered as if dead.
Hui Fan, his chest bearing a large footprint and eyes bloodshot, glared at Pei Min and shouted, “Pei Min, on my turf, you will not be allowed to act so recklessly!”
Pei Min laughed and said, “I will act recklessly then—what are you going to do? You filthy thief monk are you not to be struck? Were it not for Doctor Liu caring about Sun Pu’s future, I wouldn’t even bother speaking to you.” He cast a glance at Hui Fan’s unclean spot while speaking.
Hui Fan’s face instantly darkened to a deep purple as he growled, “The Buddha Lord is protected by the princess; I don’t believe you dare to speak so.”
“Then shall we try?” Pei Min crossed his arms, mocking, “I don’t even need to make this public or offend Her Highness the Princess. Just imagine if I told her—do you think she would tolerate a fool who might lose his head at any moment lingering by her side?”
A thing that conquers another!
Hui Fan’s expression changed at once.