Chapter 281

When the last sword ray vanished, Ai Hui came out of his highly-concentrated state of mind .

Clap, clap, clap! A round of applause sounded .

Interrupted, Ai Hui, who was still feeling the high from his training, raised his head somewhat unhappily only to realize that it was Xiao Shuren .

“Sir, your swordplay is exquisite . I have never seen anything like this . It’s a new experience and a great honor . May I know the name of that swordplay?”

It was as if Xiao Shuren’s eyes were emitting light . Her originally beautiful complexion carried an extra luster now . Her face was full of admiration, making it difficult for people to refuse .

Xiao Shuren had confidence in her beauty . It was well-tested and had never before failed her . Whenever she pulled this move, all the men would look at her as if they wanted to swallow her up . They would never reject any of her requests .

“Heh heh . “

Ai Hui chuckled . It was a pity that he had an elemental energy mask on . The scar on it, coupled with its fake smile, carried an indescribable gloom and coldness .

Heh heh?

Xiao Shuren was stunned . What did that mean?

Although she had been through many significant occasions, she was now at a loss and did not know how to continue .

An awkward silence ensued .

As though there was no one around, Ai Hui kept his sword and prepared to exit .

Xiao Shuren reacted, a fog rising in her eyes . As if she was going to cry, she asked in a pitiful voice, “Did I disrupt your training?”

“That’s right . “

Ai Hui answered matter-of-factly .

Xiao Shuren’s body turned rigid . That’s right… What’s right? Her cherry lips opened slightly, her complexion stiff . The speech she had prepared so meticulously was stuck in her throat, unable to come out . She had met so many reputable fighters, and no matter how displeased they might be, they would still smile and respond politely with: “Why do you say that, Miss? It’s such an honor to have you interested . “

Why were there such crude and unfeeling people in this world?

In that moment, this was all Xiao Shuren could think .

Following which, she thought, perhaps it was because she wasn’t beautiful today?

If Ai Hui could hear her thoughts, he would lament his misfortune . Miss, just throw out a few hundred thousand elemental energy points and he would be overeager to compliment your angelic beauty . Not to mention the swordplay’s name, you could even get him to impart the skills with some negotiations .

Thinking back, this was the same as how he treated One Thousand Yuan . There was no pressure at all for him to do the same thing again .

However, the guard at the entrance became agitated . “Outrageous! How dare you treat Madam so rudely!”

A guard dashed over aggressively . A righteous indignation filled his heart upon seeing his mistress being wronged .

Seeing this person charging over, Ai Hui’s pupils shrank . He was unable to determine the man’s intention, but as a seasoned fighter, he absolutely would not act passively .

With a turn of the broad sword in his hand, he became like a spinning top as a round, silver disk swiftly appeared before this guard .

Xiao Shuren’s face changed greatly as she shouted at the top of her lungs, “Stop!”

The guard only felt the anger of the silver sword ray sweeping over . An intense bloodlust shrouded his whole body as a sky-piercing whistle seemed to approach him .

He had never before seen such an overbearing swordplay or felt such biting bloodlust . His mind went completely blank .

Without any warning, the silver, raging wave dispersed like bubbles and left only the dumbstruck, pale-looking guard standing on the field .

Ai hui’s silhouette had already disappeared .

Only at the end did Ai Hui realize that he was still on someone else’s boat . He restrained his attack .

Seeing that Ai Hui was gone, Xiao Shuren regained her composure . She also had no idea where He Lao came out from .

“He Lao, what do you think?” Xiao Shuren asked calmly, without the slightest fear or panic .

“Shouldn’t be an enemy,” He Lao muttered .

Xiao Shuren nodded . That was also what she thought . If an enemy had the intention to invade their circle, he would think of a way to get close to them, pull strings, and even gain their trust . However, that fellow was so cold and clearly expressed his disinterest in getting close to them .

She asked directly, “Did you notice anything about his swordplay?”

“Never seen it before . ” He Lao shook his head . “The sword ray was like a silver disk, imposing and strong . Shocking indeed . With that outstanding sword technique, it’s no wonder he could make such a big name for himself despite not having yet achieved elemental externalization . I can see that he has already mastered element internalizationl and he can breakthrough to Elemental Externalization at any time . Once he breaks through to elemental externalization, his strength will naturally increase exponentially . Only, he has too heavy a murderous spirit . “

Xiao Shuren seemed to be moved by his words . “He Lao has such high praise for him!”

He Lao replied, “Although swordplay has been slowly recovering its glory for the past two years and there are many swordsmen, only a few are able to attain a higher level of skills . “

Xiao Shuren asked thoughtfully, “Could Chu Zhaoyang be from Karakorum Sword League?”

Karakorum Sword League was an organization that had been established in these two years . Members boasted of being the successors of the Karakorum Sect . Karakorum sect was an ancient and faraway sword sect in the Cultivation Era . It had ruled the Cultivation Era for over thousands of years and had a long history .

The influential appearance of Zuo Mo ended the regime of the Karakorum .

But as time passed, the swordsmen started regarding Karakorum as the orthodox sect, instead of the more powerful and legendary Void Sword Clan .

There were countless powerful sects that emerged throughout the history of the Cultivation World, but none had ever been as legendary and resplendent as the Void Sword Clan . Not only did they raise an exceptional evildoer like Zuo Mo, they had also raised geniuses like Wei Sheng, Gong Suncha, and many more . There had been supreme beings, unequalled swordsmen, and champion war generals . Every single disciple was impressive and well-known .

Capability wise, the Void Sword Clan never fell below third place, but it wasn’t a pure swordsmanship sect . Other than Senior Wei Sheng, Zuo Mo’s training was complex and Gong Suncha was famous for commanding in battles .

As such, it wasn’t surprising that swordsmen viewed Karakorum as the orthodox sect .

Regardless of whether they were borrowing the reputation of Karakorum or of the Void Sword Clan, it wasn’t of much use in the elemental energy era . They were simply too ancient and distant . If recovering the glory of the Cultivation Era seemed attractive, recovering the swordsmen’s glory was a little nonsensical . No one admired them for using Karakorum’s fame, but people mocked them excessively instead .

Nevertheless, the performance of the Karakorum Sword League shocked everybody . In these two years, the swordfighting trend was closely related to the promotional efforts of the Karakorum Sword League . They had gotten hold of a batch of swordsmanship inheritances and attracted and recruited a large number of elementalists in an unbridled manner . Then, after some introductory swordplay manuals started circulating in the market, elementalists found them formidable, instantly triggering the start of the swordfighting trend . Elementalists willing to join Karakorum Sword League would receive guidance from powerful swordmasters . They wouldn’t have to pay such a huge price to learn even higher level, inherited swordplay as well .

The sword manuals circulated by Karakorum Sword League were evidently written by experts, and as such, attracted a lot of conjectures from all over . Unexpectedly, however, Karakorum Sword League remained very low-profile and did not make any big news .

According to minor sources, however, there were a number of influences who placed their focus on Karakorum Sword League, but to no avail . Of course, these rumors hadn’t been verified and no one knew if they were true or false .

The swordsmen were linked to Karakorum Sword League in countless ways .

Upon witnessing Chu Zhaoyang’s excellent swordplay, Xiao Shuren naturally associated it with Karakorum Sword League .

“If he’s from there, he probably holds a high rank,” He Lao muttered . “Karakorum Sword League usually keeps a low-profile and the higher ups are even more mysterious, but since you mentioned it, I actually think it’s highly possible . “

Meeting Xiao Shuren’s gaze, He Lao said in a low voice, “It’s not strange at all if Karakorum Sword League came for this . “

Xiao Shuren was stunned for a moment before her expression changed slightly . How could she have forgotten such an important thing? She mulled it over for a bit, her expression worsening . “Karakorum is definitely interested in it!”

She was very certain now, that Chu Zhaoyang was definitely a swordsman from Karakorum Sword League!

He Lao muttered once again, “Where did Karakorum Sword League get the news from? Supposing that he is a member, why did he act so indifferently?”

“They have many feelers and sources of their own . If Chu Zhaoyang is from Karakorum Sword League, why was he so cold?” Xiao Shurun repeated He Lao’s words . She had been managing the chamber of commerce for so many years, had garnered deep respect from all the members, and had surpassing talent . “Either he’s just a senseless person who has no knowledge of swords, or he doesn’t even need to come close to seize the goods . Or, perhaps he was monitoring us and how many more thieves there are?”

The more Xiao Shuren thought about it, the more alarmed she was .

He Lao was alarmed and fidgety as well . “Let’s take him down? Or else our whereabouts will be exposed?”

Xiao Shuren calmed down, her gaze flickering . “No, perhaps we can make use of this . “

Ai Hui didn’t know that his performance had actually led them to the Karakorum Sword League . Had he known, he would not know whether to laugh or cry .

In the room, Ai Hui was coiling the bandage very seriously .

He wrapped the bandage around his chest . It had a certain restraining effect when used against the blood plum blossom . This was the only discovery made in roughly three years . The bandage was a gift from his mistress, and he later discovered that it could swallow fresh blood . In the war of Central Pine City, the bandage had developed an eye-shaped pattern .

Later on, unintentionally, Ai Hui found out that placing the bandage near the boiling blood plum blossom caused it to cool down quickly .

Ai Hui then realized that the bandage could restrain the blood plum blossom . He’d become wild with joy at the time, but his later discovery calmed his feverish mind .

If he used the bandage to suppress the blood plum blossom’s break out, it would work for a short period of time before the flower flared up even more intensely .

Ai Hui had no way out at this point . This wasn’t Peace City .

The boiling blood plum blossom made him irritable and increased his murderous intent . If he hadn’t held back at the final juncture, that guard would have been sliced in half by his sword .

But the murderous intent, which had appeared within a split second, had alerted Ai Hui .

This operation was very crucial and mistakes were unpardonable . Keeping calm was key . An overpowering bloodlust would only turn him into a butcher, and butchers typically did not live long .

In these three years, he had tried “feeding” the blood bandage .

Chu Zhaoyang wasn’t someone who hadn’t kill before . In this chaotic world, popularity was derived from grappling and killing .

The bandage reacted only thrice . It was exceptionally picky and was no longer that “hungry bandage” that took in everything . Having consumed three tonics, the blood eye on the bandage now had an eyebrow .

He was curious how did the blood bandage really look like in the Cultivation Era .