CG Chapter 181: Elders Guidance, A Virtuous Sword
When the banquet chatter began to dull, and the sound of the Li Clan's joyous clamor started to waver, a single figure rose from the inner ring of the Clan's disciples.
A junior stood in the spotlight unshaken, as if he did not feel any fear or anxiety from the gazes of the seated elders or even the Clan's patriarch.
His stare did not sway. His eyesight was fixed on the carefree man seated next to the patriarch. His piercing stare was at none other than Aretius.
He cupped his hands in a manner much akin to the way Aretius had not long ago. Having said that, the posture of this junior was much more humble, bearing the gravity of a junior standing in front of his elders.
For a brief moment, his eyes shone with the fervor of youth and the pride of facing another kindred spirit, a genuine prodigy.
"This one, Li Wei, greets the exalted Blood Ghost Asura. My eyes have truly been opened today, gazing upon the bearing of a true expert. My father has always said that only those who know how to sheathe their blades in times of peace can unleash the greatest terror in times of unrest. This one has known how to hold the sword since he was young, but still does not understand when to sheathe it. As such, if you would do me the honor, I would like to ask for your guidance today."
Aretius remained seated in his place for a while. His gaze met the junior's own.
Li Wei felt as if he were staring into a calm and bottomless void, as though he were staring into the eyes of some ancient beast rather than those of a human. Silently, Aretius studied the young man standing before him.
The aura of pride radiating from him was obvious. Surprisingly enough, he was not pretentious. Instead, it was akin to the dignity of someone who was born into the highest status in their surroundings.
Noticing that Aretius did not speak, a sense of irritation grew among the Li Clan's juniors. While they might not have been informed of Aretius's arrival and offered position, now that they had invited him in, they, as the Great Li Clan, could not offend their own guest. Otherwise, the reputation they had worked so hard to build would crumble.
Before they could speak in reprimand, they heard Aretius speaking, while staring at the patriarch seated next to him. "I was not aware that the Li Clan's patriarch was blessed to have not one, but two dragons under his wing. Truly, a tiger father has no dog son."
Li Muren looked at his youngest son, sounding a bit disappointed. "You must forgive my son. Unlike my first, he is still young and has not experienced the Jianghu. He does not know he should not ask such a request from an exhausted guest."
Aretius nodded in approval. He patted himself down before standing in front of Li Wei. "The patriarch does not need to humble himself. It is only natural for the rising heroes to have a heart for the world. Being welcomed so generously by your Clan, it is only right that I repay your kindness."
Hearing Aretius's sincere tone, Li Muren confirmed. "You do not need to entertain my child as long as you do not wish to. Our welcome was only natural after what you did for us."
Aretius spoke in an assertive tone. He employed both his familiarity with this world's Confucian arts and grand righteousness. "To repay a drop of kindness with a gushing spring. Since I was young, I have chased the path of a noble person, to put righteousness as my goal, and hold benevolence in my heart."
The pupils of Li Muren dilated at the sight of this. What startled him was not the words of Aretius themselves, but that he sensed the aura of Righteous Ki coming from Aretius's mouth with each word he spoke.
'Minor attainment of a scholar.' Li Muren understood better than anyone that the Righteous Ki could not be attained by anyone without the purest of intentions.
This was the same reason he had undergone his journey: to detach himself from the schemes of the previous generation of the Li Clan, only returning after he had glimpsed his own path.
"So be it. Elder Shi, will you please act as the referee? Ensure that no one gets mutilated or crippled." Li Muren spoke in a confident tone, one that could only come from a born ruler.
The moment his words fell, Elder Li Shi stood from his seat, and in the next moment, the elder appeared surprised. He had stood up without even thinking. This was a direct use of Righteous Ki turning into words that he could not even guard against.
For a fraction of a second, Li Wei's gaze flickered toward the center of the hall, and as he noticed the light, hidden undertone of approval, he turned his gaze back to his opponent.
This subtle exchange was clearly noticed by Aretius, who smiled internally. An ambitious junior challenging a rising hero to prove himself to the Clan. It was all an act, recreated by the scheming scholar who thought he was moving the pieces of the Go board from his seat.
How could the appointment of the Li Clan elder and the resources of this infamous Clan be given out so easily? They had planned this all along. If he did not show enough talent and prowess today, then they would not honor their agreement, and he might face a fatal accident before leaving the valley.
The white-bearded elder stood between them, looking at Aretius for a moment with approval, before calling. "Please begin."
The instant the elder spoke, Li Wei did not hesitate to unsheathe his sword. His grip was unflinching, the tip aimed at Aretius. "Please forgive my disrespect."
Seeing Aretius not moving, he was surprised, but he was even more surprised that he was still standing in front of him, without drawing his weapon.
He felt that the famed Violet Blood Ghost Asura was nothing more than just talk. He saw countless openings. It was as if he were standing in front of a mortal who had never held a sword.
Still, instead of becoming arrogant, he decided to unleash his full power from the start. He targeted Aretius's right side and took a step, his sword a hair away from hitting a vital point. The sword emitted a bright white color as he stabbed.
Aretius took a measured step to the right before flashing once more. A breath in, and in the next, a wide gap between them appeared.
The juniors, seeing this, had their eyes wide open. Aretius moved with astonishing swiftness, resembling an agile, elegant crane.
Still, they were more surprised by witnessing the flashing light from Li Wei. One of them shouted, "Third... Third Rate."
The junior quickly held his tongue, but his surprise was only natural. After all, Li Wei was younger than Li Wuyou. Even Li Wuyou, who was the Li Clan's true prodigy, was only a Ki Stirring Inner Path expert.
His shout, however, did not affect Li Wei, who was solely focused on the figure in front of him. He felt an unresolved feeling. Aretius was so close, yet without Li Wei even noticing, Aretius had evaded his attack. He felt like he had his prey within his grasp, then in the last beat, it escaped.
His eyes shone with genuine delight. Whereas before he acted solely to fulfill his father's commands, now he was going to give it his all. He wanted to fight Aretius and see how far his sword could reach.
His sword shone once more, only this time it shone with an even more brilliant light. Yet, concealed underneath this brilliance, the sword stirred, and a sensation of ancient desolation and sorrow filled its movements.
The movements of the sword became faster, and the edge of his blade flashed with a sharp killing intent. Li Wei felt, for the first time in his life, the true meaning of facing an unreachable phantom.
When he struck high, Aretius would duck down. If he struck to the right, Aretius would merely sidestep.
No matter which direction he would attack from, Aretius merely needed to take a single step to cancel his full-powered strikes. The only thing that remained in his place was the aura of desolation and the flashing of Aretius.
As they clashed, or more accurately, as the gentle breeze slipped effortlessly through a storm of falling petals, Aretius had not made a single strike against Li Wei since the start.
The Clan's juniors discussed among themselves. "The Lone Moon Weeping Sword of young master Li Wei has truly attained a profound level. If I did not know better, I would have thought that I was seeing one of the elders utilizing it."
A cold light flashed within the eyes of another freckled Clan junior, who immediately let out a cold harrumph, refuting them.
"It doesn't matter how profound his sword is if he cannot even touch his opponent. Haven't you noticed that during this entire battle, Li Wei was not able to graze the Blood Ghost Asura's clothes?" He muttered. "Not to mention that he did not even use his hands."
"This is not the Lone Moon Weeping Sword."
The juniors felt irritated as they heard another voice speaking in a lecturing tone. But as they turned their sights, they noticed that the one speaking this time was none other than their young master, Li Wuyou.
He nodded with genuine approval and pride as he sermonized. "Look at the condensation on the edge. There is a sense of stillness and apathy; this is the mark of the Patriarch's Falling Snow Lotus Blade. While both techniques originate from the same source, how could the sorrow of the moon be compared to the indifference of the snow lotus? The moon holds all living beings under its grace, while the snow lotus only holds itself."
Li Wuyou's pride was genuine. After all, how could a scheming scholar raise his sons to loathe each other? Li Muren comprehended that only by having a unified ruling class could the Clan last for all eternity. Otherwise, it would not stand the test of time, being devoured by the parasites from within before the wolves could even strike.
The battle kept on going. Aretius kept on gracefully dodging each of Li Wei's strikes. Every one of his movements carried the same sensation, an aura of an intangible and ethereal immortal. At the moment, he appeared more refined than the patriarch, as if he were full of righteousness.
As the two continued to clash, Li Wei's blissful state began to shift into wrath. He was aware there was a gap between him and the Blood Ghost Asura.
Nevertheless, he now sensed as if they were not even on the same playing field. He felt like an ant trying to touch the night sky. Powerless, feeble, and burdened by a sense he tried his best to dismiss.
He felt as if no matter how much he swayed his sword, no matter how much he trained, he would never grasp the edge of Aretius's clothes.
Li Wei looked at the Blood Ghost Asura who was standing only a few steps away from him, and without noticing his own irritation, he shouted.
"Fight back, please. I would not be able to improve my swordsmanship if you simply keep on running away."
The moment the request came from his mouth, Aretius merely muttered. "As you wish."
He flickered in an instant, and before Li Wei could guard against him, he was already behind him.
An effortless, quick strike to the back of his neck, and the mighty young master found the world turning dark as he fell to the ground. But before his body could plunge to the ground, Aretius gently held him as he laid him down.
Silence. Utter and absolute stillness filled the entire hall. The juniors looked with their eyes wide open, not blinking, fearing that if they blinked, then Aretius might suddenly appear in front of them.
The elders were shocked that a young man could reach such a level of skill. He defeated their young master without using any fancy moves. Not to mention that through all of this, he kept his scholarly demeanor.
The most surprised of all was the patriarch, who sensed that he needed to change some of his plans. He might have wanted to test Aretius, but he never expected such an extreme and utter defeat on his own son's side. After all, he had taught him personally.
Aretius confidently stood in the middle of the hall. His aura at that moment was akin to an insurmountable mountain. No matter how much they tried, they could not stop his rise.
They could either attempt to kill him here and now or watch as he rose to the peak of the Jianghu, as this dragon might be too big for their Clan to raise.