area51novel Chapter 94: Replacing the Old with the New
Chapter 94: Replacing the Old with the New
As Ye Chengfeng absorbed the true meaning of Xie Bi'an's sword, a blurry figure holding a sword appeared in his consciousness.
The opponent was extremely fast, drawing and swinging their sword!
Each attack was extremely ruthless and concise!
"Is this Xie Bi'an's swift sword?"
Ye Chengfeng admitted that Xie Bi'an's sword was indeed very fast; even some ordinary ninth-rank soldiers might not be able to react in time.
However, Ye Chengfeng also discovered the weakness of Xie Bi'an's swordsmanship: it was too weak.
This might give Xie Bi'an a huge advantage when facing someone with a lower cultivation level than himself, and he might even be able to instantly kill someone with a lower cultivation level than him.
However, Xie Bi'an's swordsmanship is unlikely to inflict effective damage against opponents of the same level!
"That's not right. Speed plus gravity—Xie Bi'an's swordsmanship is incredibly fast, so why is its power less?"
Ye Chengfeng went through the process of understanding it again!
This time, he finally discovered the clue.
Indeed, according to the normal laws of physics, a certain speed can increase the power of swordsmanship.
However, this is a world with true qi, and the true qi that Xie Bi'an cultivates has a very limited effect on enhancing the power of his swordsmanship.
"Not only is the bonus less, but his internal energy might even be hindering his swordsmanship!"
"This swordsmanship might be more suitable for someone like Fan Xian with strong internal energy, especially if paired with Xie Bi'an's fast swordsmanship!"
Ye Chengfeng gasped. If Fan Xian's cultivation reached his current level, coupled with this sword technique, his combat power might be comparable to that of a Grandmaster.
Of course, Ye Chengfeng's sword energy is no less than Fan Xian's domineering true qi, and may even be slightly stronger.
"Unfortunately, Xie Bi'an's swordsmanship is not suitable for me. My swordsmanship is about overwhelming others with overwhelming force. Perhaps Shadow is more suited to practicing this fast sword."
But Ye Chengfeng also knew that, given Shadow's pride, it was unlikely that he would practice Xie Bi'an's swordsmanship.
"Forget it, I'll keep the sword technique for now. I can use it to exchange for some benefits with Fan Xian later."
In just a moment, Ye Chengfeng had several wicked ideas forming in his mind.
They didn't just try to get benefits from Fan Xian; Li Chengzhu was also one of their targets.
Li Chengzhu possesses strength comparable to a Grandmaster thanks to his mechanical body, but he lacks the corresponding attack methods and combat experience of a Grandmaster.
In Li Chengzhu's hands, this sword technique had the exact opposite effect to that of Fan Xian.
Fan Xian needs the boost of true qi, while Li Chengzhu can truly bring the speed of this fast sword to its limit.
While Ye Chengfeng was cultivating, he was unaware that Shen Zhong had actually gotten together with Xiao En!
Inside the Grand General's mansion, Shen Zhong said in a deep voice, "My lord, His Majesty is so willful; we cannot ignore it. His actions will lead our Great Qi to destruction!"
Sean also fell into deep thought upon hearing Shen Zhong's words. He was naturally aware of Zhan Doudou's recent changes.
As a former king of secret agents who was once on par with Chen Pingping, and the head of the elite guards, never underestimate this old man.
"Tomorrow I will personally probe His Majesty to see what his true intentions are."
After weighing the pros and cons, Sean took the job.
Although Xiao En was not particularly loyal to Northern Qi, the turmoil in Northern Qi at this time was not in his interest, so Xiao En was bound to take action.
After all, Xiao En had only just regained his footing in Northern Qi and reorganized the Imperial Guard.
Although the current elite guards are all selected from Uesugi Tora's personal guards, they are not very familiar with espionage.
After seeing Shen Zhong off, Sean entered the house to pay his respects to the young emperor, Zhan Doudou.
Inside the Imperial Study, Zhan Doudou sipped tea and directed Haitang Duoduo to handle government affairs, looking quite relaxed.
"My lord, can't you let the Empress Dowager come and help with state affairs? I'm not capable enough!"
Haitang Duoduo looked back at Zhan Doudou with a look of utter despair.
"Don't worry, little master, I'm here. I will teach you. I have high expectations for you. In the future, you will be my son's teacher. The position of Grand Tutor to the Crown Prince is rightfully yours. You are the first female Grand Tutor to the Crown Prince in the history of our Great Qi."
Zhan Doudou was making grand promises to Haitang Duoduo, but Haitang Duoduo wasn't really interested in them.
What she wanted most was to quickly stabilize the Qi court and then leave to live her idyllic life in the countryside.
Just as the two were struggling, a young eunuch came to report that Sean had come to pay his respects.
Haitang Duoduo and Zhan Doudou exchanged a glance.
No one quite understood why Sean had come.
"Quickly, please invite Master Xiao in."
At the same time, Zhan Doudou quickly replaced Haitang Duoduo and sat in the main seat, pretending to handle government affairs.
Upon entering the Imperial Study, Sean saw Zhan Doudou diligently handling government affairs as usual.
I couldn't help but have some doubts!
"The young emperor, as always, is diligent in his duties. Why would he issue such an order?"
"Your subject, Xiao En, pays his respects to Your Majesty!"
"Please rise, sir. Someone, please bring a seat for the sir."
After Sean sat down, the young emperor spoke first: "May I ask what brings you here today, Your Excellency?"
"Your Majesty, it may be your hobby to have people collect precious swords, but please be mindful of the limits. Such extravagance is detrimental to our Great Qi."
Zhan Doudou thought to herself, "So it really is because of this!"
She weighed the pros and cons in her mind, considering whether to tell Sean about Ye Chengfeng's breakthrough to Grandmaster in the palace.
"Does Your Excellency trust me?"
Sean was slightly taken aback; he hadn't expected the young emperor to ask such a question.
But he still offered a compliment, saying, "This old minister naturally trusts Your Majesty."
"If I were to say that this matter concerns the fate of our Great Qi, would you believe me, Your Excellency?"
Sean's brow furrowed even deeper. He didn't believe, deep down, that collecting a few swords could determine the fate of the nation.
"I hope that Your Excellency will keep what I am about to say a secret."
"Your Majesty, please speak. If it truly concerns the fate of the nation, this old minister will naturally keep his mouth shut."
Sean's statement that he would keep it a secret is quite authoritative; at least he has kept the temple's secret to himself for decades.
"Alright, I believe you. This matter concerns the Grandmaster level. There is someone in the palace whom I absolutely trust who has broken through to the Grandmaster level. Collecting the swords is to help him."
Zhan Doudou didn't say who broke through to the Grandmaster level, and she believed that Sean wouldn't be able to guess who it was either.
But what Zhan Doudou said at the beginning—that this matter concerned the fate of the nation—was proven true.
The existence of a Grandmaster, especially one whom the emperor fully trusts, is indeed a matter of national destiny for the Great Qi.
Why was the Northern Qi always weaker than the Southern Qing?
It's because their Great Qi only has one Grandmaster, while Southern Qing has two.
This made the Southern Qing Dynasty extremely militaristic, indirectly making its army far superior to that of the Northern Qi Dynasty.
"Grandmaster? I understand. Should I strengthen the palace's defenses?"
Sean knew what this meant for their Great Qi.
If Northern Qi were to produce another Grandmaster, Sean thought that perhaps he could bring his grandson back from Southern Qing.
He believed that Emperor Qing would compromise if he knew that Northern Qi had gained another Grandmaster.
"Then I'll have to trouble you, sir. Do you have any ideas regarding the sword?"
"I'll entrust it to this old minister, but forging a new sword is slow. I wonder if an old sword would suffice?"
"Alright then, I'll have to trouble you, sir."
Zhan Doudou was unaware of Ye Chengfeng's change at this time. Although she felt somewhat helpless, she could only agree to the plan of replacing the old with the new.