Chapter 543 — Riding the Tiger

But Zhe Huali had first studied under the Divine Saber Luo Wushuang, an existence revered as a god among blades. Luo Wushuang's saber technique was precise in calculation—his technique was rigidly disciplined. The direction of every strike, the force, the footwork, the body method, even the movement trajectory of every muscle in his body, all were rigorously measured, permitting not the slightest error.

And at a deeper level, the circulation of vital energy, the mobilization of the spirit, the intent, the essence—all had to conform to the rules.

Zhe Huali had grown up under such instruction. Unlike the practitioners of Taihuang Heaven, to master Luo Wushuang's saber technique he had to be thoroughly versed in the arts of calculation, and had to achieve extremely high attainment to grasp it.

Though he had been ordered to descend to the mortal realm and come to Taihuang Heaven, and had taken Furi Luo as his master, he had not acquired Furi Luo's unrestrained, indulgent boldness. He still constrained his words and conduct according to the discipline learned from Luo Wushuang—rigid and proper, without the slightest deviation.

He came to the wall of fire at the edge of the sand-table world and looked up. Shen Mu was facing away from him, holding a sword up to the firelight to inspect his craftsmanship.

Unlike his own rigor, he saw in that youth the same unrestrained boldness as Furi Luo.

The figure of that youth raising his sword had a certain heroic grandeur. Admiring a sword before the fire—it was a boldness he could never learn.

Zhe Huali's heart involuntarily quickened a beat, but he steadied himself. At that moment he saw the sword-raising youth seem to hear his heart's stumble—the lifted head lowered, and with face turned sideways, the youth observed him from the corner of his eye.

But he soon realized the youth was not observing him from the corner of his eye at all, but looking at the sword blade, using the bright mirror-like blade to watch him.

"He deliberately makes it look like a sidelong glance to disrupt my judgment. If I take the opportunity to strike, my judgment will err, and he will seize the initiative."

Zhe Huali's brow arched slightly. For experts of their caliber in the arts of the Dao, if one misjudged the subtle movements of an opponent's body, the opponent would seize the opening.

Sometimes victory and defeat were built on the merest sliver of error!

"Sharp beyond his years."

Zhe Huali inhaled, his chest expanding. It was this youth—the one his master, the Divine Saber, had never forgotten, the one he had instructed him to seek out without fail, to demonstrate his saber technique before!

Zhe Huali suddenly bowed to Shen Mu in salute and said in a deep voice, "My master is Luo Wushuang."

Shen Mu turned, placed the sword in his hand on the smelting platform, and said, "I know. I remember him."

Zhe Huali did not rise, continuing, "My master said, if I should encounter you, please witness the saber technique he created!"

As he bowed, the demon eye on the demon saber on his back suddenly opened. The blood eye rotated, its vertical pupil rising, its gaze falling upon Shen Mu.

Shen Mu smiled. He placed his palm on the smelting platform, and flying swords came like fine sand, gathering beneath his palm into a perfect sphere the size of a fingertip.

"I would very much like to see his saber technique as well."

Shen Mu grasped the sword-pellet and said, "You perform his saber technique on his behalf, and so you salute me—not out of respect for me, but out of respect for him?"

Zhe Huali straightened and nodded.

Shen Mu smiled faintly. "He wielded his saber with one arm. You learned his saber technique—did you learn it with one hand or two?"

Zhe Huali's pupils contracted sharply.

Shen Mu did not let any subtle change in his face escape notice. Noting the shrinking of his pupils, the smile on his face gradually deepened. "Zhe Huali, you may now perform his saber technique for me to see."

Zhe Huali immediately felt an invisible pressure bearing down on his Dao-heart!

Shen Mu's question—whether he had learned it with one hand or two—exerted an unparalleled weight on his Dao-heart, because Luo Wushuang was the One-Armed Divine Saber!

To have learned with one hand meant his other arm was useless—an arm that served no purpose in battle. Whatever divine ability or Dao technique he employed, it would never perfectly fuse with the arm that held the saber, and thus there would be a flaw to exploit.

To have learned with two hands meant he had not learned Luo Wushuang's one-armed divine saber at all. Wielding Luo Wushuang's saber technique with two hands could never produce a perfect technique, could never grasp the essence of Luo Wushuang's way of the blade!

This time, Zhe Huali had been ordered to descend to the mortal realm. Beyond Luo Wushuang's wish, his primary goal was to find from Furi Luo a way to perfect his saber technique, and through trial and battle to remedy his deficiencies, to advance further and become a young true god in the arts of the Dao.

And now, in a single exchange, his opponent had seen through his substance and his emptiness. Whether he drew his saber or not, he was riding a tiger and could not get off.

Outside the sand-table world, the Woodcutter Sage's eyes lit up. He glanced at the Black Tiger God beside him and said in a low voice, "His state of mind is absurdly strong—he suppressed Zhe Huali's state of mind the moment they met. Why did you say his cultivation of mind was too poor?"

The Black Tiger God's two ears flattened against the back of his head with a swish. He whined softly in grievance, "His state of mind really is poor—his expression changes at the slightest thing… Right, my lord, didn't you also say just now that his temperament was too flighty and his cultivation of mind too poor?"

The Woodcutter Sage's expression did not change. "I did not. Don't talk nonsense. You heard wrong."

The Black Tiger God's mouth twisted. A vein bulged on the Woodcutter Sage's forehead. The Black Tiger God hastily lowered his gaze and smiled apologetically, "This little tiger heard wrong."