"Mm," Mu Hanyan nodded emphatically. Let him "protect" her one more ti; this feeling of being cared for, safeguarded, was actually quite pleasant.
"Are you Mu Hanfeng?" Mu Ziping glanced at Mu Hanfeng and asked.
"Yes. Weren’t you seeking to avenge your father’s grudge from the past? I’m your man," Mu Hanfeng replied with disdain.
"Good, good. It doesn’t matter who it is," Mu Ziping said, his eyes ablaze with excited flas.
Mu Hanfeng was said to be one of the two great geniuses of his generation from the Mu Family of Hei City. In Mu Rui’an’s eyes, his status must be far greater than that of the worthless playboy. Disabling him would truly be a deep cut to Mu Rui’an.
Without saying more, Mu Hanfeng walked straight toward Mu Ziping.
Mu Ziping gripped the hilt of his sword, his face contorted with excitent as years of suppressed hatred were unmistakably etched across his features.
"Wait, Hanfeng, take this sword." Mu Hanyan took out the Chi Xiao Sword and handed it to Mu Hanfeng.
This sword originally had no scabbard, but Mu Hanyan had one made from Exotic Beast Skin. In order not to attract too much attention, it was crafted plainly and simply. After the scabbard was completed, Qu Shanling stepped in and had an alchemist lay a Prohibition on it, just enough to suppress the Divine Artifact’s sharpness. Without close inspection, it seed even more ordinary.
"Thank you," Mu Hanfeng said earnestly as he received the longsword.
The sword looked rather common, even its scabbard appeared newly made; Mu Hanyan probably had it specially crafted. With no famous swordsmiths for thousands of miles around Hei City, he estimated that the quality of the sword couldn’t be that impressive.
However, Mu Hanfeng didn’t feel the slightest contempt. From childhood to now, this was the first ti Mu Hanyan had officially given him a gift. Even if the sword was worthless, it was a token of her sincerity. To Mu Hanfeng, this sword was far more precious than any Divine weapon.
"What’s there to thank for? I’m actually trading with you. I guess you won’t take back the Cold Sky Sword, and I wouldn’t feel right letting you lose out, so I got this sword for you," Mu Hanyan said candidly.
"Uh..." Mu Hanfeng paused and chuckled with a shake of his head. This "older brother" was still as heartless and thoughtless as ever. So words are better kept in the heart; why say them aloud? But to think of his hard feelings and go to the trouble of getting him a sword showed a decent bit of progress, right? It wasn’t a total disappointnt.
"To exchange such a Broken Sword for the Cold Sky Sword, you’ve got so nerve to say that with such confidence," Mu Ziping said, aware of the Cold Sky Sword’s origin, and spoke contemptuously upon hearing Mu Hanyan’s words.
Mu Hanyan simply smiled indifferently, too lazy to say much more. When he truly saw the Chi Xiao Sword’s true form, he would know whether she had the right to be confident.
"I will use this sword to make you pay for what you’ve just said," Mu Hanfeng declared, one word at a ti, his brows arched.
Mu Hanyan had her reverse scales, and he had his—his reverse scale was Mu Hanyan. The insult from Mu Ziping wasn’t aid at the sword but at Mu Hanyan. For that remark alone, he would never let Mu Ziping off easily. Outsiders knew Mu Hanyan as his elder brother, but little did they know she was his sister, a girl who should have been spoiled but was raised roughly for so reason, enduring so much grievance. Mu Hanyan was the softest spot deep in his heart; he always protected her in his own way, and he would never allow anyone to insult her this way!
"With that Broken Sword, Hahahaha," Mu Ziping laughed uproariously, as if he had heard the funniest joke in the world.
In the midst of his raucous laughter, Mu Ziping leaped into the air, swinging a Sword Slash at Mu Hanfeng.
Sword energy flooded the blade, and in an instant, patterns of light shimred like the ripples on water, emitting a vast and boundless presence like a huge, frigid, and sprawling lake atop the snowy mountain peaks, clear, expansive, yet filled with endless majesty.
At that mont, Mu Ziping, albeit only of the Great Swordsman cultivation, wielded his sword with a battle prowess and aura that seed no weaker than a Sword Master Realm expert.
Mu Ze and the others were all shocked. They too had received treasures from the Great Elder through Mu Hanyan, and their swords, exceptional in quality, greatly enhanced their combat power. Yet, their increase in strength was nothing compared to the surge experienced by Mu Ziping.
The sword in his hand was by no ans ordinary.
It seed that the disciples of the Zong Family were truly incomparable to those from the branch families like them. Whether in cultivation technique or sword skill, elixirs or divine weapons, the difference in treatnt was unfathomable.
"True Water Sword!" Mu Rui’an recognized the origin of this sword and furrowed his brows.
Upon hearing Mu Rui’an’s words, Mu Ze and others were even more astounded.
The True Water Sword was rumored to be one of the several divine swords passed down in the Mu Zong Family, drawing from the essence of true, scentless water. At first glance, it seed nothing out of the ordinary, yet when infused with Qi, it would unleash a formidable force, both offensive and defensive, its power boundless.
They had never imagined that the divine sword would end up in Mu Ziping’s hands.
Initially, they were utterly confident in Mu Hanfeng, but now, they too were a bit worried.
Seeing Mu Ziping’s combat prowess skyrocket with the True Water Sword, Mu Hanfeng’s gaze grew sharply intense, yet he did not hesitate at all and leapt into the fray.
"Let see how you’re going to make pay with that broken sword of yours," bellowed Mu Ziping, brandishing the True Water God Sword in his hand, his arrogance unbridled.
Sword energy ripped through the air like an ice-cold waterfall plumting from the Nine Heavens, rushing towards Mu Hanfeng.
At the sight of this tumultuous display, Mu Ze and the others revealed expressions of shock and horror.
"Dragon Soaring Nine Shrieks, break!" Mu Hanfeng bellowed, a vast and mighty aura suddenly bursting from him.
"Sword Master!" Mu Hanyan’s eyes lit up.
So it turned out that her younger brother had reached the Sword Master Realm during his recent trials. Mu Hanyan was both relieved and overjoyed, barely containing her urge to cheer.
Not far away, Mu Feng looked up at Mu Hanfeng’s upright figure with a bitter taste in his heart. What ’two great geniuses’? Compared to Mu Hanfeng, what kind of genius was he? It was a complete joke.
Mu Ze and the others were also full of admiration; they all knew that Mu Hanfeng had gone on this journey to break through his limitations, yet they never dread that it would be the Sword Master Realm he had surpassed.
Now, Mu Hanfeng was a true Sword Master, albeit newly advanced, while Mu Ziping, though one rank lower in strength, wielded a divine weapon, his combat power rivaling that of an average Sword Master. Between the two, who was the stronger and who the weaker?
As mbers of the Hei City Mu branch, of course, they hoped for Mu Hanfeng’s victory, but they knew it would be difficult. In possession of the True Water Sword, Mu Ziping was impregnable in offence and defence. While attacking, he was unstoppable; in defence, he was unbreakable. The two were evenly matched in their own rights. Yet, without a high-quality sword of his own, it would be very tough for Mu Hanfeng to breach Mu Ziping’s defence. If the stalemate dragged on, there was a real risk that Mu Hanfeng might suffer an injury at the hands of Mu Ziping. Overall, it seed Mu Ziping had a slightly better chance of winning.
Their hearts were, unknowingly, caught in their throats.
But soon, they realized their worries had been unnecessary.
As Mu Hanfeng uttered the word "break," the longsword in his hand sprang forth with a flick.
The gentle hum of the sword was as pleasant as the music of the gods, filled with a spirited intent. That lively spirit seeped into everyone’s hearts, evoking a sensation akin to a jubilant cry upon being freed from a cage.
A Divine Artifact, they were certain. Only a Divine Artifact could resonate with such a spirited and joyful intent.
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