"If you’re selling it, why won’t you let me touch it?" Yi Xiaoyao frowned.
The skinny old man sighed softly. "You don’t understand, young man. This sword is incredibly malevolent. The moment a person touches it, they go insane!"
The old man’s words immediately caught the attention of the passersby.
A few middle-aged men walked over and began to question him.
"Hey, old man, don’t you think you’re being a little too dramatic?"
"Exactly! The color is a little strange, I’ll give you that, but otherwise, it looks no different from a regular longsword. How could it be that malevolent?"
The skinny old man was at a loss, not knowing how to explain, when a burly man suddenly snatched the longsword from him.
In the next instant, a chill ran through the burly man’s body. His eyes filled with bloodshot veins, and raising the sword, he looked ready to start slashing people!
"Kill! Kill! Blood! Blood!"
His wild swings scared everyone around into backing away.
Then, a hulking figure, rippling with muscle, stepped out of the crowd. He grabbed the burly man’s shoulder and wrenched the longsword from his grasp.
The moment the sword left his hand, the burly man’s eyes regained their clarity, and he backed away in terror.
But no sooner had the first man recovered than the hulking figure who’d taken the sword started having problems. He too began swinging the sword and shouting crazily.
"Kill! Kill! Blood! Blood!"
The skinny old man slapped his thigh in distress and lamented from the side, "I told you this sword was a cursed object, but you wouldn’t believe me! Now look at this mess!"
The hulking figure then started hacking his way into the crowd. Screams erupted one after another, but no one could stop him.
Yi Xiaoyao watched from the sidelines, his own surprise growing. The sword was undeniably bizarre, but he couldn’t pass up a blade that could resonate with his Sword God Bloodline.
Without hesitation, Yi Xiaoyao shot forward, closing the distance with the hulking man.
The man was two or three times Yi Xiaoyao’s size. With blood-red eyes, he brought the sword slashing down.
Yi Xiaoyao’s gaze hardened. He gathered Dark Spiritual Power into his hand and chopped at the man’s wrist with a Palm Blade.
The hulking man might have been strong, but he was just an ordinary person. He was no match for Yi Xiaoyao, who already possessed Spiritual Cultivation.
The Dark Spiritual Power enveloping Yi Xiaoyao’s hand struck the man’s wrist, dislocating it and forcing the longsword from his grasp.
He then snatched the sword out of the air with one hand.
The crowd let out a cheer, then watched Yi Xiaoyao with bated breath.
In the crowd’s eyes, if even two strong men had succumbed to the Evil Sword, this young man’s fate was likely sealed.
The moment Yi Xiaoyao gripped the dark red longsword, a wave of bloodthirsty, murderous desire surged from his arm into the depths of his soul!
The urge was completely irresistible. No wonder those two men had gone on a killing frenzy.
Just then, the boiling in Yi Xiaoyao’s veins suddenly ceased. A supreme, unparalleled aura instantly crushed the murderous, bloodthirsty urge!
Simultaneously, Yi Xiaoyao felt the dark red longsword in his hand stop trembling. As if it had been tamed, it lay quietly in his grasp, utterly still.
The entire process took place in the blink of an eye.
The next moment, with a sharp glint in his eyes, Yi Xiaoyao raised the sword before him. He flicked the blade with his left hand. A clear ringing sound, like a sword’s song, echoed as the seemingly plain, dull blade flashed with a bloody light.
"Amazing!"
"Incredible!"
The nervous crowd burst into applause and cheers. After all, this young man had not only subdued the berserk giant with ease but had also tamed the Evil Sword, a feat the two burly men had failed.
Yi Xiaoyao smiled at the crowd and turned back to the skinny old man.
"Old sir, how much for this sword? I’ll take it."
"Young man, thank you so much! If someone had actually died, this old man would have been ruined!"
The old man said gratefully, "So please, take this sword as a gift to show my thanks!"
Yi Xiaoyao shook his head and smiled. "I can’t do that. You were trying to sell it, so it wouldn’t be right for me to just take it for free."
With that, he took out a gold note and handed it to the old man.
The old man was shocked. "Young man," he said hastily, "this is far too much!"
Yi Xiaoyao just smiled. ’Compared to this sword, what’s a little money?’
He wrapped the longsword in black cloth, slung it over his back, and turned to leave.
’I can’t believe I found a treasure like this on the outskirts of the market. This trip was well worth it!’
Yi Xiaoyao was certain the sword was a treasure, so he was in high spirits.
When he returned to the Tang Family Castle, Tang Feng was already waiting for him outside his room.
Yi Xiaoyao quickly invited Tang Feng inside.
"Uncle, are you here to bring me the Swordsmanship manuals and a sword?"
"That’s right."
Tang Feng took out three Secret Manuals and handed them over.
Yi Xiaoyao accepted the Secret Manuals, his eyes shifting.
"Uncle, you don’t seem very happy?"
Tang Feng sighed. "I just had an argument with Tang Long. He also wanted to borrow these three Swordsmanship arts for Tang Ruoxue to study. In the end, I had to have a temporary copy made."
"Tang Ruoxue cultivates the Sword Dao as well?" Yi Xiaoyao raised an eyebrow.
"Mm. It’s said the seventh-grade Immortal Soul inheritance she received is a Sword Dao Cultivation Technique."
"And what’s more," Tang Feng added, "that good sword in the Armory... Tang Ruoxue already took it. You’ll have to go buy one for yourself."
Yi Xiaoyao smiled, unconcerned.
"There’s no need. I’ve already found a sword that I’m fond of."
"Oh? Let me see."
After a moment’s hesitation, Yi Xiaoyao handed the black-wrapped bundle from his back to Tang Feng.
Tang Feng unwrapped the cloth, his expression hardening.
"The blade is coarse and dark red... This is just a common sword made of red iron."
Tang Feng frowned as he took out the dark red longsword from inside.
The next instant, Tang Feng’s face contorted. As if he’d grabbed a red-hot branding iron, he dropped the longsword in horror!
"This...! What is this cursed thing? It’s actually affecting my Heart Spirit!"
Yi Xiaoyao raised an eyebrow. He hadn’t expected that even someone with Tang Feng’s Cultivation would be affected by this sword.
His gaze flickered. He bent down, picked up the sword, and held it without any issue whatsoever.
"I don’t care how malevolent this sword is. As long as I can control it, that’s all that matters."
Tang Feng stared at Yi Xiaoyao in astonishment. He felt the young man before him was shrouded in mystery. ’Perhaps in the battle ten days from now, this boy really can create a miracle!’
After Tang Feng left, Yi Xiaoyao closed the door and prepared to begin his Cultivation.
First, he took the dark red longsword in his hand and examined it carefully.
As he did, Yi Xiaoyao could vaguely sense the sword radiating an emotion of dissatisfaction.
"Are you dissatisfied with me as your master?"
Yi Xiaoyao murmured to the longsword, "I possess the Sword God Bloodline. What right do you have to be dissatisfied?"
Suddenly, Yi Xiaoyao seemed to remember something.
He cut his finger and let a drop of blood fall onto the longsword.
The next moment, the blood was instantly absorbed by the longsword.
Immediately, the originally coarse, dark red blade began to glow with an eerie, blood-red light!
Now, the sword’s feeling of dissatisfaction was gone, replaced by the excitement of rebirth.
"So, you weren’t dissatisfied with me, you were just thirsty for blood?"
Yi Xiaoyao finally understood.
This sword was born for blood!
"In that case, I will name you ’Bloodthirsty’!"
A flash of red light pulsed, and the Bloodthirsty Sword danced in Yi Xiaoyao’s hand in a graceful flourish.
Yi Xiaoyao held the sword in his right hand and picked up the three Secret Manuals with his left, opening the first one.
"Flowing Light Swordsmanship!"
With a deft movement, the Bloodthirsty Sword assumed the opening stance of the swordsmanship art.
The Secret Manual in his left hand flipped pages rapidly under the control of his Spiritual Power, while the Bloodthirsty Sword in his right hand danced in time with the turning pages.
The pages rustled, Sword Shadows flickered, and the entire set of swordsmanship was performed in one fluid motion.
And that was just from mimicking it once.
Next, Yi Xiaoyao tossed the Flowing Light Swordsmanship Secret Manual into the air.
The Bloodthirsty Sword transformed into streaks of blood-red light as he unleashed the technique for real.
The entire process was as smooth as flowing water, a dance of light and blood-red shadows.
This wasn’t the work of someone who had just learned it; this was clearly someone who had grasped the very essence of the Swordsmanship and practiced it to the level of Great Success!
Before the Secret Manual even hit the ground, Yi Xiaoyao had already withdrawn his sword.
A light breeze blew through, and the Secret Manual disintegrated into countless pieces, drifting down like snowflakes.
Yi Xiaoyao stood amidst the "snowflakes," utterly astounded.
What astounded him was his own heaven-defying comprehension of the Sword Dao!
’I learned it just by seeing it once? Is this the Sword Dao talent granted by the Sword God Bloodline?!’