Chapter 48: Ao Jian
Translator: Larbre Studio Editor: Larbre Studio
At the peak of the Hidden Tiger Mountain which was located at the border of Dragon Nation.
Two silhouettes were standing apart amidst the clouds as they stared at each other.
The man, who was dressed in green, carried a Green Mountain Longsword in his hand. He gazed into the distance expressionlessly with an unyielding and egoistic aura.
The other man had a black robe draped around his shoulders. He carried a red sheath on his back and, in his hand, he held a black longsword, which could maneuver the clouds surrounding the mountain.
“Ao Jian, I have won again!”
Blood dripped down from the wrist of the man in green before he loosened his grip and dropped the Green Mountain Longsword on the floor.
“During the battle that year, I accidentally killed your father. It was my fault and I understand your desire for revenge. However, your talent in kendo is still lacking compared to mine. It will not make any difference even if you practice for another ten, or even twenty years. You will never be qualified to be my adversary,” the man in black spoke as he looked at Ao Jian, appearing perturbed.
“Talent?” the expression of the man in green slowly turned from composed to anguished.
In order to revenge, he left his family behind and committed his life in perfecting his swordsmanship. Was his obsession toward swordsmanship ultimately in vain?
Ao Jian was overwhelmed by resentment. He lifted his head up once again, this time with a ferocious expression. He reached out to grab the Green Mountain Longsword that had elevated in the air before he tightened his grip around the sword.
“Let’s do this again!”
Sparks flew from the intense sword fight atop the mountain, visible even through the misty clouds. The gleam of their blades flashed around their surroundings.
“Ao Jian, you don’t have a stable sword spirit. If you continue to battle, beware of going astray in kendo!”
The man in black made a slash with his longsword and created a gigantic sword shadow to encase himself within. In spite of the swamping Sword Qi, he was kept safe and secure within the shadow.
“You shall die!”
Ao Jian’s eyes turned crimson red and he had become a complete maniac as he heedlessly swung his longsword. The demon in him grew incessantly.
“Bang!”
A clear clang resonated across the atmosphere. The Sword Qi at the mountaintop immediately dispersed as though the source of the Sword Qi had been destroyed, while the Green Mountain Longsword fractured.
Following a loud thud, Ao Jian dropped to his knees before he spat out a mouthful of blood.
“Sigh. Ao Jian, you have been deeply engrossed in kendo. But now, because of kendo, you have turned monstrous! Repent and be saved. It’s time to let go of your sword now!”
Ao Jian gave no response. He stared at the broken longsword with a pair of soulless eyes as though his spirit had been extirpated.
“Sigh…”
Wu Qing heaved another long sigh before he sheathed his black sword and left the scene.
Once again, the cloud surrounded the mountaintop. Ao Jian, like a soulless body, continued to stare emotionlessly at the broken sword.
A year later, it was drizzling when Ao Jian reappeared on a street, which was paved with blue slate tiles, in an old town.
Following a byroad, he left the town before he traveled along a muddy road toward the peak of the mountain.
When he arrived at the mountaintop, Ao Jian overlooked the two tombstones that were set up side by side. They were almost completely covered with weeds. Before long, he left the place.
He was obsessed with kendo as though his life was attached to the sword. He had sacrificed too much in the process of sharpening his swordsmanship. He had no regrets even if he had to go through the unbearable pain and grief after his wife and daughter’s death.
Ao Jian, whose very name means majestic sword, was born for the sword and thus, was named after it, too.
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This was what his father told him. Hence, he never stopped working on his swordsmanship.
However, at this moment, Ao Jian was completely lost.
His father was accidentally killed by Wu Qing in combat. Despite the fact that he had given everything up to cultivate his swordsmanship, he still could not prove to be a worthy rival for Wu Qing, the man who murdered his father.
He did not know what he should do next. Neither did he know where he could pursue the abstruse Supreme Kendo.
Confused and dispirited, Ao Jian continued his journey without direction and purpose. All he wanted was to search for the Supreme Kendo that had been imprinted on his mind.
On this day, Ao Jian stopped at a corner of the street, looking unkempt and depressed.
As two young men were walking past him, he overheard their dialogues.
“Hey, have you heard about the fight between the Demolition Officers and Guardian Angels in the wild yesterday? There was an assassin who played as the berserker and he was totally invincible! He must be adept at his swordsmanship in real life as well. I hope I can be his apprentice and learn from him…”
Upon listening to the conversation, the misted eyes of Ao Jian, who was still hiding in the corner, lit up. He stood up abruptly and stopped before the young man who was speaking. He reached out to grab the man by his arm.
“The swordmaster? Where is he? Tell me!”
“Ouch, you’re hurting me!” agonized, the young lad’s face was flushed red. He defended himself by slapping Ao Jian in his arms.
“Tell me. Where is the swordmaster?”
“Battle Online. He’s in the game, Battle Online. His name is Mu Jiuge…”
This was Ao Jian’s first time in using a virtual reality device. He clumsily adjusted his outfit and put on the virtual reality headset before he logged into Battle Online.
Ao Jian was astonished by the true-to-life virtual world that was laid before his eyes.
He grew up in an ancient town far away. Since he was a child, he committed all his time practicing his swordsmanship as he was obsessed with it. That explained why this was his first ever encounter with such a high-tech device.
Fortunately, the game provided tutorials to guide the players as they created a new character. With the help of the manual, he chose a berserker who was equipped with a sword and officially joined the game.
Ao Jian, whose swordsmanship had achieved the Microcosm Realm, was very sensitive to the difference between reality and the virtual world. However, even he suspected if everything before his eyes was real.
His sole purpose here was to look for Mu Jiuge to personally witness his swordsmanship.
He did not kill a single monster throughout his entire journey. All he did was to ask and search for Mu Jiuge’s whereabouts.
At last, he met Mu Jiuge from the Demolition Guild after almost half a day’s search.
“I want to challenge you!” Ao Jian said the moment he met Mu Jiuge.
Looking at the level zero that elevated above Ao Jian’s head, Mu Jiuge shook his head before he chuckled and said, “Come back again after you’ve reached a higher level!”
“You are afraid to accept my challenge? The first rule in practicing kendo is to be courageous. You don’t deserve to cultivate your swordsmanship!” after being rejected by Mu Jiuge, Ao Jian shook his head as he walked away.
Similarly, Mu Jiuge had devoted his life in sword fighting in reality. Therefore, Ao Jian’s words had certainly infuriated him.
“You’re no one to comment on me. You, conceited man, I’ll fight with you if you insist!” Mu Jiuge retorted.
With a grin on his face this time, Ao Jian turned around before he lifted his starter longsword.
Unlike other players, Mu Jiuge bought a longsword from the shop instead of other powerful weapons that could be helpful to the berserker such as the Greatsword or the Battle Axe.
They were separated by twenty-six levels, but Mu Jiuge was completely stunned during the beginning of the fight.
The swordsmanship and skills exhibited by Ao Jian were nothing like Mu Jiuge had seen before. Ao Jian bonded with his sword as one. Mu Jiuge felt as if he was fighting with a single sharp, lethal sword.
Within three quick rounds, Mu Jiuge had been attacked more than ten times. However, Mu Jiuge’s sword did not even touch Ao Jian once.
Mu Jiuge believed he would have been defeated if it was not for his high level, good attributes, and defensive protective gear.