Casting immortality in the furnace

Chapter 73 Sword Duel

Lou Zhenqing's expression darkened slightly. He naturally understood Che Zhi's schemes and couldn't help but feel somewhat troubled.

Princess Chenxing stepped forward, frowning as she reprimanded Chen Chan and the other two:

"Doctor Lou and the others are distinguished guests of Gumi. How dare you be so rude? Leave immediately!"

Chen Hao and Chen Zhan, being of lesser blood ties, dared not argue with Chen Xing, but Chen Chan retorted:

"They were the ones who were rude first; I saw it all."

Chen Xing frowned, about to order his men to take them away, when Fan Zhou spoke up:

"Your Highness, since these three gentlemen think I am too arrogant and want to learn from me, then that would be perfect."

He walked up to Chen Chan and the other two, and smiled slightly:

"Coincidentally, I also think you guys are too arrogant, you all have faces that deserve a beating."

Chen Chan's lips curled into a slight smile, and he said calmly:

"He does have some guts, though."

Fan Zhou looked at Lou Zhenqing and bowed, saying:

"Master, please allow me to learn from these three young talents."

The other shopkeepers weren't having it, and one of them advised Lou Zhenqing:

"Dr. Lou, a moment of patience brings peace, and taking a step back opens up a vast expanse."

"Yeah, yeah, why bother getting angry with these kids?"

"We still need to do business in the future, and it wouldn't look good if we hurt anyone's feelings."

Qin Zhiyuan turned his head like a tiger or leopard, stared at the shopkeepers, and roared:

"You want to be cowards? We, the disciples of the Sword Furnace, will not be!"

"Anyone who's afraid of making a fool of themselves can get lost now!"

The shopkeepers looked angry and remained silent, choosing to stay and wait to see Fan Zhou make a fool of himself.

Lou Zhenqing ignored these people, only looking at Fan Zhou with slight surprise, and said:

"Since you're confident, then go ahead."

"Thank you for your kindness, Master!"

Fan Zhou bowed and walked up to the three people surnamed Chen:

"Who wants to go first?"

"I'll go first!"

Chen Zhan was the first to step forward, and he didn't forget to bow to Princess Chenxing:

"Your Highness, since they have taken the initiative to challenge us, we cannot allow ourselves to be looked down upon. Please allow us to accept the challenge!"

Chen Xing frowned, glanced at Elder Chen Qing and General Che, and finally nodded:

"Since that's the case, I won't stop you. Just one thing: this competition is only for exploring skills and techniques; you must not kill each other!"

"yes!"

Chen Zhan and the others accepted the order and bowed.

General Che waved his hand, and the surrounding warriors all retreated, making way for a large circle. They then struck their shields with their long spears, shouting "Ho! Ho! Ho!" with astonishing force.

Fan Zhou's expression shifted slightly, feeling a surge of heroic emotion welling up within him, along with a desire to fight.

How can young people not be impetuous?

He smiled inwardly and walked to the center of the field with Chen Zhan, where they stood five feet apart.

Chen Zhan grinned, revealing his gleaming white teeth. Coupled with the hideous scars covering his body, he looked more like a wild beast.

"Hey, what are we competing in?"

"First of all, my name isn't Hey, it's Fan Zhou."

Fan Zhou appeared calm, but his gaze was fixed on Chen Zhan.

"Secondly, as for what we're comparing..."

Fan Zhou drew the calamus sword from his waist; its slender, elegant blade shimmered with a bluish light in the surrounding firelight, a truly beautiful sight.

The surrounding Gumi warriors couldn't help but let out a soft exclamation, secretly praising the sword.

"Let's start by comparing our weaponry skills."

"good!"

Chen Zhan readily agreed, his eyes fixed on the longsword in Fan Zhou's hand, looking eagerly anticipating its arrival.

"Brother Fan, let's make a bet. If you lose, you give me this precious sword, how about it?"

Fan Zhou ran his fingers over the sword's blade and refused outright:

"No, that won't do. This sword was a gift from my master. As long as the sword is there, I am there too."

Chen Zhan sighed, but said nothing more, and simply drew his gleaming curved sword from his waist.

His expression turned serious in an instant, and he slowly lowered his body, his eyes fixed on Fan Zhou like a wild beast poised to pounce.

Fan Zhou channeled his inner energy into his sword, ready for battle.

clang!

The sound of metal clashing suddenly rang out, and several sparks shot out from between the two men.

Chen Zhan had already arrived with his knife, clashing with Fan Zhou's longsword.

Their eyes met briefly, then they looked away again before charging forward once more. Their swords clashed dozens of times, the crisp clanging sounds almost continuous.

Chen Zhan suddenly retreated, glancing at the curved blade in his hand, which already had many small nicks on the blade.

Instead of being surprised, he was delighted and praised it repeatedly.

"What a fine sword! If someone were struck by such a sharp blade, even their bones would be severed in an instant, and they would be cleaved in two!"

Chen Zhan trembled all over, but his face grew increasingly joyful, almost to the point of madness.

"Come on, let me test the sharpness of this sword!"

He drew a second curved sword from his waist and charged at Fan Zhou again. The two curved swords flashed with white light, and the chilling sword aura enveloped all directions. All his moves were purely offensive, showing a completely desperate and frenzied attitude.

This is the Tonggui Sword Technique of the Gumi tribe. Each move is extremely powerful, aiming to kill the enemy instantly. It is a means of fighting to the death with the enemy on the battlefield.

Chen Xing frowned slightly, worried that Fan Zhou might be mistakenly killed by Chen Zhan, but she was relieved when she thought of the presence of experts like Granny Chen Qing and Lou Zhenqing.

Fan Zhou saw that Chen Zhan was coming with fierce momentum. With a flick of his wrist, the sixty-four styles of Yin-Yang and Four Phases Sword were unleashed. In the blink of an eye, he had slashed out sixteen or seventeen swords. The rolling sword light was connected into one, and the hardness, softness, coldness and heat were used at will. It was truly impenetrable.

Furthermore, the force and energy of each sword strike not only intercepted Chen Zhan's twin-sword attacks, but also made him feel a tightness in his chest, his internal energy stagnate, and his hand movements become increasingly slow.

"what?"

Lou Zhenqing's expression changed slightly, and he transmitted his voice to Qin Zhiyuan, asking:

"Ah Zhou's technique doesn't seem to be a combination of hard and soft swordplay. Did Huang Yi modify it?"

Qin Zhiyuan was also unaware of the situation and asked in confusion, "I haven't heard Huang Yi mention this."

"Could it be that A-Zhou figured it out on his own?"

Lou Zhenqing pondered to himself, his eyes fixed on the battle on the field, his surprise growing.

He knew that Fan Zhou had mastered the dual-wielding sword technique, but he was unclear about the exact level of Fan Zhou's swordsmanship.

"Judging by his fluid and effortless swordplay, and the unrestrained changes in his aura, one might mistake him for a seasoned swordsman who has immersed himself in swordsmanship for many years."

'No wonder he dared to accept the challenge; he clearly has the confidence.'

Lou Zhenqing was even more satisfied with this disciple.

"This young girl's internal energy circulation is inferior to A-Zhou's, and her swordsmanship is far inferior. Apart from having more strength, she is no match for A-Zhou at all. The outcome is already decided."

Princess Chenxing also looked surprised.

She was initially worried that Chen Zhan would hurt Fan Zhou, but she never expected that Chen Zhan wouldn't even be able to break through Fan Zhou's defenses, and was even forced to retreat step by step.

"His swordsmanship has reached a level of unparalleled mastery. Both the sword techniques and the flow of his energy have been brought to a state of complete control. He truly deserves to be a disciple of the Sword Furnace. There is no other youth in the Kingdom of Gumi who can match him."