“According to their thoughts, it’s quite rare for the number one swordsman to produce a masterpiece.” Ryu said to himself as he kept listening on their thoughts.

The number one swordsman, Musashi, apparently has a peculiar personality, each time he produces a masterpiece it would be up for grabs by any of the provinces. The rules were different each time though but it’s always some sort of competition. There’s also a hefty fee to be paid by the participants, however the sword personally made by the strongest swordsman is priceless so there is never any shortage of contestants.

The five strongest sects and three strongest army from the Lin Empire is summoned to participate. The five sects are the Sword Storm Valley Sect, Divine Arrow Sect, Saint Jade Sect, Raging Thunder Sect, and Resilient Gaia Sect. The Eastern, Southern and Western armies have also dispatched their experts. These are all first rate sects with their headmasters in the King Domain at least. Coincidentally, the Sword Storm Valley Sect that Ryu’s stalking is ranked as number one in the Lin Empire. They had held that position for a few centuries now.

Other provinces are similarly sending their own experts. Why is this one sword so precious? That’s because all the owners of Musashi’s creations all created legends of their own after procuring the sword. These swords all contain essences! Meaning they are at least Emperor Domain. The last sword was won by the Feng Province. It was a blade that could extend for miles! The current owner has gained the title “Bloody Slaughter” because of the wide range of destruction he’s able to unleash with that sword.

Also the interval between each creation is extremely long and random, last sword released was over three hundred thousand years ago. This was before the last Great War! There are a few other blacksmiths who are able to make weapons essences but the quality is obviously not as good as Musashi’s.

There’s also another motive to do well in this event for the sects from Lin Province, usually there is a Ranking Tournament every decade to determine the best sects. It was set to occur in a few months from now but since the announcement of Musashi’s sword, the emperor of Lin Empire has decreed that the rankings will be based on the performance at the Thousand Swords Graveyard. The winner will have to pledge allegiance to the Lin Empire but their sect will be bestowed a hundred million gold! Even Alexis had less than ten million gold. Although he usually killed for what he wanted and spent most of his wealth on research.

It’s also rare for experts from all five provinces to meet up and test their skills against each other. There are no inter-continental tournaments. There’s a lot of reputation on the line, whichever province performs the worst will be the laughingstock for the next millennium.

Lastly, Shaolin and Wudang are also sending representatives over to spectate. Thankfully they are not participating because their might is enough to rival the combined forces of all five empires on the Heaven Continent.

The more Ryu learns of this event, the more he interested he was. However, since he wasn’t in a sect or a powerful organization he doesn’t have a chance to do so. While Ryu was pondering, a person spoke to him.

“Hey kid, do you have any wine? Hic.” An old man’s voice sounded out. Ryu quickly looked around and saw an old man in tattered rags that looked like he had been robbed. He was unshaved, dirty and even had a few mosquitos flying around him.

“Senior, if you don’t mind you can have this bottle that I have on me.” Ryu said as he tried to sound calm. For some reason, he didn’t detect this person at all. However, looking at him he could tell that his Qi is quite pure and had a tint of azure color, like the sky. This old man is concealing his aura perfectly but Ryu could still see his Qi reservoir and the Qi that is covering every inch of his body. This isn’t enough for Ryu to see his true cultivation but Ryu could still deduce that he’s at least in the Emperor Domain. Na’Vi had once explained to Ryu that once one reaches level 70, their Qi reservoir will condense into a gaseous state and form an essence which looks different from the Qi he has seen so far.

“Thank you kind young man.” The old man said as he received Ryu’s bottle. It was from one of Alexis’s wine collection. Ryu didn’t mind giving them out since he would rather drink water than this bitter liquid. The old man gulped it down in one go as Ryu watched politely.

My Telepathy isn’t working on him. This only happens when the person is completely guarded with Qi! Ryu secretly thought to himself. Ryu’s specialization with the Mind Tome allows him to listen to thoughts that crosses a person’s current mind as long as they are within a kilometer of him. However, any Qi barrier with higher class Qi than Ryu’s can block this power.

“Ah I don’t know how to thank you. Oh I know, let me see your body.” The old man said as he reached for Ryu’s wrist with lightning speed. Ryu saw the incoming hand but he didn’t have time to react.

“Don’t be scared.” The old man said as he felt Ryu’s heart beat raced. It’s only natural since Ryu found himself caught even with his guard up. “Twenty-one years old. Perfect healthy? Interesting. Oh you are currently in the Master Domain but that’s not your true cultivation. Amazing. Amazing.”

“How did you know?” Ryu said, he was completely dumbfounded. He had used Sage Arts to nullify part of his power.

“Although your aura given off now is only around level 30, traces of higher quality Qi can be found in your veins. Only a profound skill or medicine could accomplish such a feat, you are not a simple man.” The old man said as he let go of Ryu’s wrist.

“I don’t deserve your praise, you are much more amazing than I am.” Ryu responded courteously.

“It doesn’t look like you are a loser from these sects, are you looking to compete for Heaven Penetrator Blade?” The old man snorted as he mentioned the sword’s name.

“I wouldn’t dare. Besides I can’t since I don’t belong to any organizations.” Ryu replied politely. So far the old man doesn’t seem like a bad person from the outside and the inside.

“Bla, young people always want power. Well I’m just here to watch the bloodbath hehe. Follow me if you want.” The old man said as he flew off at a speedy pace. His movements might be clumsy but he was definitely an expert. Ryu decided to follow out of curiosity, for some reason he felt at peace with this stranger.

“Here mister, have a few more bottles.” Ryu said as he took more out of his storage ring and threw them over. He did so because the old man was licking the empty bottle he had given out earlier.

“Seventy-seven thousand year old shadow ice wine? Ninety-six thousand year old golden lychee wine? Seventy-three thousand year old king fire grape wine?” The old man gasped as he sniffed the bottles. These bottles could go for hundreds of thousands of gold but usually they are not sold because it’s too precious for people that does appreciate wine. Instantly he slowed down and gradually drank them. His eyes were closed as he immersed himself in the experience of drinking. Previously the old man was going to slowly increase his speed to test Ryu’s real cultivation but lost motivation after the wine appeared.

Ryu only smiled at the old man as he watched him drink with amusement. With his eyes closed, Ryu wondered if he even knows where he’s heading. After an hour he finally opened his eyes.

“Kid, I don’t know how to repay you. Previously I wanted to heal any ailments you had but who knew you are in perfect health. Then you gave me three more treasures…” The old man said as he thought deeply. It was obvious he didn’t want to owe Ryu. Suddenly he stopped. “Ah I know, hit me. There’s no one around.”

“Excuse me?” Ryu said, he wasn’t expecting such an odd request. A heavy tap was felt on his head, his vision blurred for a few seconds.

“I’ll give you a few pointers. Don’t you know how many people wanted to be my disciple? I am known as the Great Drunken Master! You can call me Du-Bai.” The old man said proudly. Ryu did his best not to laugh but he still let out a few chuckles. This Du-Bai person sounded so proud to have a drunken title. Obviously Ryu doesn’t know his outstanding reputation.

“You…ugh ignorant young kids these days. A day of training with me is better than a year by yourself! Do you even know how many Qi channels are in your body?” Du-Bai asked as he raised his brows.

“Seventeen.” Ryu replied instantly.

“Oh… well how about breathing techniques? They are the foundation of cultivation.” Du-Bai said proudly as he sucked in huge mouthful of air. The leaves around them trembled and any cultivators could feel that a strong influx of Qi was gathering towards him. However, if it’s cultivating Qi then Ryu could be considered one of the best in the world already. A vortex formed around Ryu and part of the Qi that was going towards Du-Bai got sucked towards Ryu along with a huge wave of Qi coming from all directions. The sky, the ground, and the nature around them started pouring Qi towards Ryu.

“This … this is…” Du-Bai said speechlessly. Originally he wanted to impress Ryu with a bit of his cultivation methods but who knew Ryu would eclipse him in that area? “Brat aren’t you afraid that I’ll kill you for your freakishly powerful breathing technique?”

“I trust you, you seem like a good guy.” Ryu said confidently. Those who kill and do evil deeds have tainted Qi but this old man’s Qi was as bright as the sky above them.

“Psh foolish boy, how about fist techniques? Throw a few punches at me. I won’t hit back at all.” Du-Bai said ignorantly. Previously he just wanted to repay Ryu for the wine but now it’s more about proving his might. Sensing that there is no one around them, Ryu bowed and charged forward. He decided to use his bare fists since his opponent was barehanded.

Du-Bai was using one hand to deflect Ryu’s blows, he’s also holding back his power to make this an even fight. However, Ryu wasn’t the same as before after training with real masters for ten months inside the Astral Spirit Temple. Before long, Du-Bai couldn’t handle the incoming barrages with one hand. Suddenly with a clever spin, Ryu unleashed the Mega-Kick from above and sent Du-Bai crashing downwards.

“Son of a…” Du-Bai cursed as he landed on the ground, before he could finish Ryu was upon him. Even if Ryu does not have a formal set of barehanded fighting skills, he has a large foundation of martial art concepts. Incorporating Tai Chi, Invincible Stick Technique, shaman musical arts, and many others into his attacks, he is able to exploit the enemy’s weaknesses. Step by step he pushed Du-Bai backwards. Ryu’s punches uses the concept of soft and hard. When he makes contact with Du-Bai’s hands, he tries to shift his center of gravity.

Du-Bai was now frantically defending, Ryu’s attacks are all aimed at his vitals or Qi channels. His attacks are all linked perfectly as if he was dancing, the rhythm was impeccable. This was not something a twenty-one year old should be able to do! Du-Bai had given his word not to hit back and how can he as a senior use his higher cultivation to bully someone so young?

In the moment of internal debate, Du-Bai failed to catch a feint that Ryu used as he pretended to do a leg sweep when he’s actually punching towards his chest. Due to natural instincts, Du-Bai sent out a burst of Qi through his chest to meet the incoming attack.

“Ah.” Ryu screamed out as he felt his fist come in contact with a hot force that sent him flying against a tree. With a boom Ryu slammed hard into the tree.

“Oh no.” Du-Bai said in alarm as flew towards the tree that snapped in half after Ryu collided with it. To his surprise, Ryu had already sat in a meditative pose to circulate his Qi. After waiting for a few minutes, Du-Bai whacked Ryu’s head once more.

“Who’s going to let you meditate in a middle of a fight? Useless kid.” Du-Bai said angrily. He wasn’t angry at Ryu though, he was ashamed at himself for showing off and getting humiliated instead. He underestimated Ryu and broke his word on not attacking. Knowing this was his fault and that his quickly continued, “Seems like you have some abilities after all I’ll teach you one of the eight supreme forms of the Drunken Dragon Fist.”

“But I don’t drink.” Ryu replied. He was met with another whack on the head. It’s not that he doesn’t want to dodge, it’s that this old man was too fast.

“You don’t have to be drunk, it’s just a name. Don’t you know how many people have begged me to teach them the all mighty Drunken Dragon Fist? Its attack power is the pinnacle of all fist styles!” Du-Bai said angrily as he turned around and performed a move. He moved his right arm in a circular motion and with step forward, he punched out. A row of trees got obliterated in front of him for the next thirty meters. Now this was not amazing for someone with high cultivation but the shocking thing is that this old man only used a faint trace of Qi that’s around a level 10 practitioner!

Ryu stared at the scene with his mouth wide open. It’s as if he’s in a dream, how can this much destructive power be produced by a mere punch backed up by a miniscule amount of Qi? Du-Bai finally looked content as Ryu acknowledge the greatness of his technique.

“What do you say? I’ll teach you for four days to repay the four bottles of wine. Although it took me a year just to get the basics down for one of the eight forms of this supreme art.” Du-Bai said smugly as Ryu looked at him with new found respect in his eyes.