Of course, Xiao Chengmo’s cheers were also meant to provoke Li Cunyang and others from Xiyang Town.

Ding Sheng’s actions naturally angered the arrogant and cold Li Yilin.

“Who are you to injure my maid?”

Li Yilin had already changed into boots, and her white spirit-woman outfit accentuated her curvy figure, making her appear far beyond the typical fourteen or fifteen-year-old girl. Her face bore a cold smile, exuding an air of superiority like a peacock displaying its feathers, her eyes icy.

“At the washing pool of the Wanjian Sect, fighting and loud noises are not allowed.” Ding Sheng, unfazed by her intimidation, replied with a sneer, “If she dares to act again, it won’t just be a simple injury.”

The pale-faced youth, Li Cunyang, recalled something and frowned, asking, “Are you a disciple of the Wanjian Sect?”

Ding Sheng did not deny it, coldly smirking.

“Since you are a disciple of the Wanjian Sect, I won’t make things difficult for you today. Cousin, let this matter go.” Li Cunyang’s eyes flickered, clearly reluctant to make an enemy of a disciple from the Wanjian Sect over such a trivial issue.

Although Xiyang Town was a considerable human settlement, it was far inferior to a giant like the Wanjian Sect, which dominated the surrounding area. Even an ordinary disciple from the Wanjian Sect could stand on equal footing with him, the young master of Xiyang Town.

Furthermore, he had come here to join the Wanjian Sect to learn, not to create enmity. While he had a relative who was an outer elder in the Wanjian Sect, it was still unwise to cause trouble.

The main reason, however, was that he mistakenly believed Ding Sheng was an elite disciple of the Wanjian Sect, making it even less prudent to offend him.

Little did he know that the proud young princess, Li Yilin, who had been spoiled, was not willing to let this go after being publicly humiliated.

With a piercing gaze, the ice-cold girl fixed her eyes on Ding Sheng, her expression sinister and vengeful, as if wanting to make him remember this moment forever. After a while, she coldly laughed, “As long as that little maid comes over and kneels in front of me to lick the mud off my shoes, I’ll let this matter rest.”

Li Cunyang let out a sigh of relief and laughed heartily, “That’s easy. Little brother, you don’t need to get involved. Just let that dirty girl come over and lick, and everything will be fine.”

Hearing this, the mysterious girl’s beautiful eyes sparked with fury.

Unfortunately, as a weakling, if she didn’t want to be killed, she had to accept such humiliation. After all, this was a world where the strong preyed on the weak.

Having endured hardships to reach the foot of the Wanjian Sect after traversing the wilderness, she aimed to join the sect, become strong, and reclaim what belonged to her. She could not afford to give up because of such an unexpected incident.

Just as the mysterious girl prepared to accept her humiliation, she heard Ding Sheng’s hearty laughter.

She stared blankly at Ding Sheng’s back.

Then she heard the boy’s firm reply.

“Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. The washing pool is the territory of the Wanjian Sect, not your personal property. Others have every right to wash here; what’s wrong with that? This request is utterly unreasonable, and I cannot agree with my sword in hand!”

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Ding Sheng’s gaze was fierce, showing no signs of yielding whatsoever.

“You little brat, are you really going to protect that little maid? Don’t say I didn’t warn you,” Li Yilin threatened venomously, her face flushed with rage.

Ding Sheng’s temper flared at that moment.

With a cold laugh, he pulled out his rusty sword and crossed it in front of him, declaring, “Pah! At such a young age, you call her a little maid so freely. Your beauty may be like a peach blossom, but your heart is as venomous as a snake. I think you’re the real disgrace. Today, I will take charge of this matter. If you’re unhappy, come and test my rusty sword!”

“You—”

Li Yilin was nearly rendered speechless with rage.

Having been treated like a celestial being all her life, she was used to men drooling over her beauty, circling around her, and fulfilling her every whim. Who would have thought that this rough-looking fellow by the washing pool would oppose her time and again over a filthy little maid?

“I will kill you!”

Li Yilin, feeling humiliated, shouted in anger, “Chen Wu, why are you still dawdling? Kill him! Tear him to pieces!”

Chen Wu, the bearded man and head of the guards from Xiyang Town, hesitated as he glanced at Li Cunyang. The youth in front of him was clearly a disciple of the Wanjian Sect, and he didn’t dare to offend him lightly.

“If that’s the case, little brother, then I must offend you. If you can take three strikes from Chen Wu, this matter will be settled,” Li Cunyang thought for a moment, also hoping to see if his guard could test Ding Sheng’s strength, as such sparring was common in this world.

Ding Sheng sneered, sarcastically replying, “Good, then let’s see Xiyang Town’s unparalleled skills.”

Chen Wu, upon hearing this, breathed a sigh of relief. Having witnessed Ding Sheng’s swordsmanship earlier, he did not dare to be careless. He unsheathed his long sword, assumed a stance, and said, “Little brother, please forgive my rudeness.”

With that, the long sword trembled and transformed into five dazzling sword flowers, striking straight at Ding Sheng.

However, Ding Sheng did not confront him head-on.

Focused and undistracted, he executed the Sky Humming Step, moving nimbly in battle, dodging the sword light. With a loud clang, he unleashed the basic sword technique Cloud Lifting.

The rusty sword transformed into red arcs of light, tearing through the air like a venomous snake striking, swiftly piercing toward Chen Wu.

Chen Wu, unable to catch the blinding sword shadow, was filled with dread and quickly evaded.

This retreat allowed Ding Sheng to seize the initiative in the battle.

Swish, swish, swish, swish—

The rusted long sword emitted a series of clear sword cries.

The thirteenth move of the basic sword technique, Chasing Wind, was unleashed. The sword light flickered in and out, and as Ding Sheng flickered in and out of sight, the swift sword light enveloped Chen Wu’s vulnerable spots.

Chen Wu was alarmed and had no choice but to retreat.

Ding Sheng pressed on.

Determined to give his opponent no chance to breathe, he changed his sword stance into the even faster Cross Quick Sword.

Suddenly, the red light surged, and the sword energy flowed like a tide, allowing Ding Sheng to completely dominate the rhythm of the battle.

The crimson sword light forced the three-qiao spirit apprentice Chen Wu into a state of panic, sweating profusely. His rich battle experience, honed from life-and-death struggles with monsters, left him no opportunity to respond against Ding Sheng’s relentless sword light.

This situation did not truly reflect the power comparison between the two.

In reality, Chen Wu’s strength far surpassed Ding Sheng’s, but he hesitated to exert his full power, not wanting to offend a disciple of the Wanjian Sect over such a minor matter, and thus refrained from fully unleashing his spiritual energy.

However, those watching were oblivious to these details.

To them, Ding Sheng appeared as a monstrous figure, relying solely on a set of extremely ordinary Cross Quick Sword techniques, without even using spiritual energy, and yet he was able to suppress a formidable opponent like Chen Wu through sheer skill—this was simply incredible.

Especially since this seemingly mundane sword technique flowed with a unique rhythm when performed by Ding Sheng, moving quickly and slowly, making it hard for observers to capture. After watching for a while, they began to feel dizzy and confused, a clear indication that Ding Sheng was nearing a profound understanding of the sword’s essence.

The onlookers gradually became entranced, with many unable to help but hold their breath. In that moment, Ding Sheng moved like lightning, his attacks fierce, as if in a fluid, unbroken dance of swords, each strike carrying an inexplicable charm. Though he did not utilize spiritual energy, he left the audience in awe, as if they were caught in a mesmerizing spell. After a few exchanges, Chen Wu was already sweating profusely, realizing he was becoming increasingly unable to defend against Ding Sheng’s relentless swordplay.