The Legend of Futian

Pff. Nie Yun, who dropped below, spat up blood. His insides felt as if a heavy sword had cleaved them apart. His insides were so violently rattled that he felt as if his body would come apart at any given moment.

Nie Yun looked up at the young man before him and sported a surprised look. The man had indeed dealt only one attack. He was not the only one feeling dumbfounded. Many around them stared blankly at what just happened.

Nie Yun, the number one below Saint Plane from the Sword Clan of the Gale, a holy land of the sword, had only been able to make that young man attack once, just like how it was with that City Lord. Just how powerful was he?

The students from the Sword Clan of the Gale sported frustrated looks. They flashed about and burst with towering sword will, making their way towards Ye Futian. Swords came raining down from above, bursting with mighty sword will within an instant. All of the other mighty ones around them felt dazed. That space seemed to have been filled with nothing but sword aura.

At that moment, however, they saw Ye Futian’s body burst into brilliant light, like a blazing sun. There seemed to have been a red sun shining in the sky. Ye Futian pointed at the air, and a scorching hot blade emerged from that sun. His sword aura swept all over the place.

“Go.” Ye Futian pointed forward, and within an instant, the flash of the sword of the sun burst with blinding light. The students from the Sword Clan of the Gale felt their eyes hurt. It was as if they had been burned by the fires of the sun. When the Solar Sword Flash fell onto them, they felt as if they were covered in scorching heat within a heartbeat. All of their sword will was burned away immediately. Wherever the light of the sword hit, smoking noises were heard as the clothes of many caught in flames and began to burn. Eerie gashes of the sword were left on some of them as well.

Everyone stopped what they were doing in an instant, looking at the extremely brilliant young swordsman with astonished expressions. That handsome appearance of his seemed rather demonic. Even men had to admit that those eyes were indeed mesmerizing. Since when did the Mountain of Hidden Swords produced one such mystical swordsman?

“You failed to discipline your people despite claiming to be of a holy land of the sword. That City Lord bullied others using his status, thinking that he had nothing to fear due to having been a student of the clan. It is no wonder why you people failed to produce any swordsman worth mentioning,” Ye Futian said, completely monotone. He was exuding an extraordinary bearing all over him. It was as if the Sword Clan of the Gale was entirely beneath his notice.

The students of the Sword Clan of the Gale all looked frustrated, yet they were unable to come up with any words to retort him. They, the student of the Sword Clan of the Gale, were unable to withstand more than one attack from him, after all.

“That there is one true swordsman.” Many young swordsmen from Liuyue City looked at Ye Futian with admiration. All disputes were to be settled with the sword as a swordsman ventured on their way to do good, taking no more than one attack to deal with any one person.

“Any unjust matters of the world shall be taken care of with a single swing of the sword. You’re all from holy lands, so what? Care to take one swing of the sword from me?” That was the true personification of a swordsman.

“If you feel vexed, then go back to your clan and tell everyone what is happening. I want to see if the saints of the Sword Clan of the Gale will come for me, just like you people,” Ye Futian said plainly and waved about with his hand. Sword will filled the place as he said, “What are you still here for?”

“Let’s go,” Nie Yun said. The mighty ones then retreated in a heartbeat, with their tails between their legs. Many felt dazed about what just happened. Those people were students of a holy land of the sword. Nie Yun was known to be the number one below Saint Plane, one who ranked among the top ten in the County of Yan. They expected Ye Futian to be taken away by the Sword Clan. No one would have anticipated that he still lashed out with just one attack.

Just how powerful is this Seventh Swordsman? they wondered.

“Mr. Seventh.” The father and daughter in the villa looked just as dazed. Their hearts continued to race. He was just too powerful. They were not even able to begin imagining how powerful Ye Futian was. He used only a single attack, be it when he was dealing with Nie Yun or the others, after all.

“I studied the art of the sword for many years before venturing outside of the Mountain of Hidden Swords, thinking it would be a good thing to see how capable swordsmen outside were. I never expected to find the swordsmen to be so weak. Now, I’m wondering if there are actually swordsmen worth mentioning in the County of Yan.” Ye Futian shook his head and said, “Man, this is boring. It seems like more fun to drink and listen to the guqin indeed.”

“…” Many were rendered speechless hearing Ye Futian talk.

He was wondering if there are actually swordsmen worth mentioning in the County of Yan? Gosh, just how boastful could he be…

It was worth mentioning that over half of the swordsmen of Dali Dynasty hailed from the County of Yan, which actually sent many, many geniuses of the sword up to the Upper Worlds. Some top-notch geniuses were extremely renowned in the County of Yan. However, the way Ye Futian talked, it seemed as if he was suggesting that there were no swordsmen in all of the County of Yan. But then again, when they recalled what happened moments ago, it seemed to them that he was rightful to boast, given how he had what it took to back his claims.

“Where did you train in the Mountain of Hidden Swords, senior?” A young man then bowed and asked Ye Futian.

“Is there any place in the Mountain of Hidden Swords that you can’t train in?” Ye Futian retorted with a single question. The young man was dumbfounded and then bowed at Ye Futian, saying, “I do still have much to learn. Thank you for your guidance.”

“Yeah.” Ye Futian nodded and looked like he was some kind of master. Little did the young man know that Ye Futian was making things up. While he had been to the Mountain of Hidden Swords before, he did little more than take a scroll there. The place was too big after all, and he was just there to get familiar with the place, just so to prevent him from getting his cover blown in the future.

The Seventh Swordsman was an orphan who hailed from the Mountain of Hidden Swords. He had a single-minded devotion to the art of the sword and did nothing but practice his way of the sword. He was also of supreme talent in the learning of the way of the sword.

That constituted his identity at Dali Dynasty. That identity of his would one day been the talk of all of Dali Dynasty, becoming an extremely renowned genius in all of the realm.

Ye Futian hovered to the ground and smiled at the woman at the villa below. “Would you mind if I trade that attack for one more tune?”

“I’ll play as many as you wish to hear, Mr. Seventh,” the woman said softly and then began to play the guqin again. Ye Futian continued to drink, without any intention of leaving the place. He was waiting for the Sword Clan of the Gale to send more people his way. Be it to extend an invitation or to deal with him, he was indifferent.

The middle-aged man smiled a bitter one as he shook his head while looking at Ye Futian. That daughter of his was considered beautiful and prudent, and it seemed as if she was about to really fall for the man. However, he knew that one such mystical man was not someone that his daughter would be able to tie down.

That previously unknown young swordsman who hailed from the Mountain of Hidden Swords had truly set the world on fire. That one attack of his would earn him fame throughout the entire County of Yan.

As Ye Futian expected, Nie Yun came back to Liuyue City on the same day, looking for Ye Futian.

“You want to try your hand again?” Ye Futian sat on the ground and drank quietly, looking at Nie Yun, who had just gotten there.

“Our clan leader extends an invitation,” Nie Yun said to Ye Futian.

Ye Futian’s eyes flashed as he drank with his head down. He then put his cup down and said to Nie Yun, “I’m not interested in joining the Sword Clan of the Gale.”

“I know.” Nie Yun looked at Ye Futian coldly. While he acknowledged Ye Futian’s strength, he deemed him to be unnecessarily prideful. But he nonetheless knew that there was little for Ye Futian to gain in joining and training in the Sword Clan of the Gale.

Nie Yun was standing at the very top below Saint Plane, after all.

“You claim to be invincible in the art of the sword. Wouldn’t you want to know what the powers of other top-notch swordsmen in the County of Yan are like?” Nie Yun asked.

“I heard that you rank among the top ten below Saint Plane in all of County of Yan. If all swordsmen from the County of Yan are of a similar caliber, why should I bother?” Ye Futian eyed Nie Yun with his charming eyes. Nie Yun was dumbfounded as he glared at Ye Futian coldly.

That b*stard knows no respect at all, he thought.

“I’m far from being the only swordsman in all of County of Yan. There are naturally those who are more powerful than I am. Even if the County of Yan proves inadequate, top-notch geniuses are found in abundance through the Nine Counties of Dali Dynasty. Do you dare to claim to be superior to them all?” Nie Yun asked coldly.

“Why would I not?” Ye Futian looked at Nie Yun and continued, “I’ve spent decades in the Mountain of Hidden Swords to perfect my art of the sword, and I gave up fame and glory for over 30 years before I got to where I am today. Dali Dynasty has Nine Counties, so what?”

Nie Yun glared at Ye Futian, feeling rattled inside. That man had spent decades perfecting his art in the Mountain of Hidden Sword, spending 30 years learning the sword arts. It was persistence and determination that he found himself impossible to match. It was not surprising that he lost at all. However, Nie Yun still deemed the man before him to have been overly pompous. 30 years learning the art of the sword, and you think you can claim to be invincible throughout the Nine Counties of Dali Dynasty? he thought.

“There are trillions of cultivators throughout the world. Mighty ones of Dali Dynasty are literally everywhere. Other than the geniuses of the Lower Worlds, there are still the cultivators of the Upper Worlds who are even more brilliant and unmatched, whom the ones from the Lower Worlds are incapable of matching at all. While you have defeated my brother and proven yourself to be of incredible power, deeming everything in the world beneath you and cultivators of all realms not worthy of your notice, don’t you think you’re too much of a frog in a well? Is this your way of the sword?” a woman beside Nie Yun said. The woman was not there previously. She came after hearing that the man defeated Nie Yun with a single stroke of the sword. She wore plain, pitch-black clothes, sporting a dashing, stunning appearance, as well as a well-mannered grace.

There was no way she could have known that Ye Futian was able to brag like that because he had already seen what the top-notch geniuses below Saint Plane from Emperor Xia’s Realm, Emperor Li’s Realm, and the Demon Peacock Emperor’s Realm were capable of. If Ye Futian were to be a cultivator who had not been in the scene for long, then the woman would have been right about Ye Futian—a frog in a well whose arrogance knew no bounds.

“My way of the sword rests with the sword in my hand. There may be countless cultivators throughout the world, but there will only be one Seventh Swordsman,” Ye Futian said.

“Brother, while this man truly has exceptional powers, he is not worth inviting over. Let’s go,” the woman said to Nie Yun, feeling rather disappointed at Ye Futian’s extremely boisterous attitude.

Nie Yun gazed at Ye Futian and said, “This is the order of our teacher. The Upper Worlds of the dynasty are recruiting extraordinary people. This might be your chance. Since you’ve claimed to be invincible, I suggest you go and see for yourself. You can take it as I’ve never said anything to you otherwise.”

“That so?” Ye Futian looked amused. What a coincidence indeed. Dali Dynasty ruled both the Upper and Lower Worlds directly, so they would definitely be more strict with the administration of the Lower Worlds. They might have suffered quite a shock after the Battle of Empty Realm and were ready to recruit capable people from the Lower Worlds en masse.

The ones who decided the outcome of the Battle of Empty Realm were none other than him, Yu Sheng, and the others, who had cut down the imperial flag of Dali Dynasty—people who hailed from the Nine States of the Lower Worlds.

“Since you’ve put it that way, I shall go and have a look. I’d like to know how many attacks the cultivators of the rest of the world can make dish out.” Ye Futian got up and began walking. Nie Yun felt dumbfounded. However, being someone who lost to Ye Futian, he had no right to say much about Ye Futian’s arrogance.

That woman eyed Ye Futian coldly. Even though he had defeated her brother, who was of supreme talent, she deemed Ye Futian someone who would have limited achievements due to his insolent nature. She was slightly disappointed about coming. While Ye Futian looked stunning, those who trained in the art of the sword were not simply common beings.

“Mr. Seventh.” The woman who was with Ye Futian rose, and the middle-aged man came as well, looking at Ye Futian. “Fate brought us to meet each other. I think no one else from Liuyue City will look for trouble with either of you in the future. I shall take my leave,” Ye Futian said and began to walk away nonchalantly, leaving with Nie Yun and his people.

The woman continued to gaze at him after he left. She believed that she would hear of his name again soon enough, as he was about to be known throughout the world!