A low-level aristocrat like the Ling family could not hope to deter the Young Master now, could they? Facing the Three Great Authorities, the family would perish in no time. Sure, Young Master looked pretty gentle and mild, but have you ever heard of the phrase ‘Still water runs deep’? Only fools would dare test the Young Master of the reputable Dong Fang family! Who would dare expect him to have nothing to back up his prestigious position in such a renowned family?

　　Boom!

　　Just as Elder Yu thought he was really going to kick the bucket from cardiac arrest (what with witnessing the origin story of Young Master’s future fury), a sword suddenly materialized before Gu Ruoyun.

　　It looked out of place. Instead of dazzling in regal metallic luster, it looked like it belonged to the scrap metal heap — both the hilt and the blade were covered in thick, brown rust. Yet, it was precisely this very scrap-metal sword that had parried Ling Xi’s assault. His sword, so sharpened in its killing intent, was so easily halted by a rusty, seemingly-decrepit sword!

　　“What?! Now that was just anti-climatic! I thought it was gonna be something huge!”

　　“Is that even a legit Martial Warrior technique or something? Cause that? Sucked. Can’t you even beat someone on the 6th level in the Qi gathering ranks? Go home and get good, son!”

　　“Did Ling Xi hold back? He’s gotta be holding back right? How else would that be so easily blocked?”

　　As the crowd reeled from their bewilderment, they started littering the air with their comments. No matter what they said, the content was all similar; no one could believe what just happened between Gu Ruoyun and Ling Xi. After all, they already saw the gap in power between those two. A level 6 Qi gathering practitioner stopping the assault of a low-level Martial Warrior — was like a knife being stopped by a slice of butter!

　　“Oh,” Gu Ruoyun said, grinning, “I didn’t plan to use this, mind you. Look what you made me do!

　　Ah, well. What shall I do next? Oh, yes. You wanted me dead, didn’t you?”

　　Ling Xi quickly recovered from his shock. “So what if I did?” He sneered, “I don’t think you can say the same for yourself. You and I are different. Unlike me, YOU don’t have the balls to even TOUCH me. After all, you KNOW you won’t live long if you actually dare harm me.”

　　Elder Yu shook his head at his blatant provocation. Any well intentions Lady Gu had to spare Ling Xi’s pitiful life might as well as be non-existent after that uncalled challenge. That, he was sure of.

　　What he was not sure of, however, was whatever Lady Gu had conjured to defend herself. He studied the rusty blade intently, trying to figure out its characteristics. “It’s atypical, yes, but it doesn’t look like a Spiritual Tool of any kind now, does it? How did she summon it?

　　Maybe….maybe the experts at the Weapon Refining Sect would be able to discern its origin…”

　　Hun Fei had been watching the battle unfolding with cold indifference. His eyes only briefly widened the moment Gu Ruoyun summoned that rusty sword. After examining it briskly though, his eyebrows creased a little in surprise wrapped with mockery. “That? That isn’t even a legitimate spiritual weapon! It’s even crippled. Pathetic.”

　　“A crippled spiritual weapon might be loosely identified as one of the spiritual weapons, but its might could never match the real ones. By that gaping flaw alone, Gu Ruoyun’s feat bore nothing worth a closer look, or warrant any care and attention from the Weapon Refining Sect,” he thought.

　　Meanwhile, back on the battleground, Gu Ruoyun raised her eyebrow in doubtful curiosity, her smile even more sugary. “Oh? What horrible end could POSSIBLY turn out if I removed one scoundrel off the face of this kingdom? I guess…I can only find out after killing you!”

　　“Oh yeah?! Come on then!”

　　Ling Xi’s face contorted into an inhuman grin. His body dashed into a blurry motion towards Gu Ruoyun with the force of a gale. His blade dazzled with intense eagerness for blood.

　　He was drawing closer and closer.

　　Gu Ruoyun stroke the air before her gently with her Crippled Spirit Sword.

　　Immediately, a huge gust of air bent to the motion and will of her blade, rolling in, piling, forming into a gigantic typhoon that knocked Ling Xi a few steps off his deadly pursue.

　　Everyone saw it and could vouch for it: she had just made a small, gentle movement. Nothing more, yet the force…

　　“Don’t tell me….don’t tell me that this was the treasure that wretched woman got from within the Heavenly Spirit Formation back then?!” A man among the crowd exclaimed in his mind as he rubbed in his eyes in disbelief.

　　His mind replayed how he had tried to snatch Gu Ruoyun’s treasure back then in the Divine Spirit Formation. Back then, he had all of his dignity forcefully stomped by that young lady and had not recovered since. He only came here to watch the fight. Who was going to win? He was hoping that Ling Xi would be the one who would take care of her.

　　Yet, he did not expect to see the complete opposite of a curb-stomping defeat!