Chapter 286 Youthful Showdown

One morning, Chen Mu got up early for his usual training. Zhuifeng was lying on the courtyard steps, squinting in the sun. Occasionally, it would lift its head to glance at Chen Mu before lazily lying back down. Ling Xiaoning had long since run off somewhere, leaving the courtyard unusually quiet.

Just as Chen Mu finished a set of punches, footsteps sounded from the entrance.

Cheng Xiaoqing entered with his hands behind his back, followed by a youth of sixteen or seventeen. The boy had delicate, handsome features, and his eyes darted around with curiosity. When he sized up Chen Mu, his chin lifted slightly, and an air of arrogance practically overflowed from him.

"Chen Mu, this is Xie Baizhou, the fourth Disciple of Thousand-Household Liao."

Cheng Xiaoqing's introduction was brief; he swept his gaze between the two, a barely perceptible arc forming at the corner of his mouth.

"He has something to discuss with you."

Having said that, he didn't wait for Chen Mu to respond; he turned around with his hands behind his back and strolled out of the courtyard.

Chen Mu's gaze fell upon the youth.

Xie Baizhou was currently standing with his arms crossed, circling Chen Mu twice and looking him up and down. His gaze was like that of someone examining a rare object, and he made tutting sounds as he inspected him.

"So you're Chen Mu?"

Chen Mu nodded. "Yes."

Xie Baizhou circled another half-turn, stood still in front of him, puffed out his chest to make himself look taller, and cleared his throat.

"My name is Xie Baizhou, I belong to the Bell Guards, and Chu Jiangli is my Senior Sister."

As he spoke, he pulled a thin booklet from his robe and waved it in front of Chen Mu.

"My Senior Sister asked me to bring you this Secret Manual, saying it's to repay the favor she owed you back in Youxu Valley."

Chen Mu's eyes flickered.

Chu Jiangli.

The image of that young girl, dressed in moon-white training attire with a jade bell hanging from her waist, surfaced in his mind.

Seeing Chen Mu's expression shift, Xie Baizhou curled his lip, shoved the booklet back into his robe, crossed his arms, and lifted his chin even higher.

"However, this Secret Manual isn't free. You have to pass my test first."

Chen Mu raised an eyebrow. "Pass your test?"

Xie Baizhou nodded, looking as if it were only natural.

"That's right. My Senior Sister asked me to bring you the Secret Manual, that's her business, but I'm not convinced. I want to see exactly how much real skill someone who could make my Senior Sister look at them differently actually has."

With that, he took a step forward, head held high, staring at Chen Mu.

"If you can beat me, this Secret Manual is yours. If you can't..."

He paused and pulled a smile.

"Then don't bother asking for this Secret Manual; it would be a waste of a good thing."

Chen Mu didn't speak, just watched him quietly. Xie Baizhou felt somewhat uncomfortable under his gaze and stiffened his neck.

"What? Are you afraid?"

Chen Mu still didn't speak, but a flicker of light flashed in his eyes.

A Secret Manual from the Jade Bell Guard, something this youth treated as such a treasure...

The corners of his mouth lifted slightly, and he readily agreed.

"Fine."

Xie Baizhou was stunned, clearly not expecting Chen Mu to agree so readily. He had assumed Chen Mu would try to decline, after all, he was one of the Bell Guards and had the connection of Thousand-Household Liao; most people would be a bit polite upon seeing that.

But Chen Mu had simply agreed, and the arrogance in Xie Baizhou's heart was instantly ignited. He stepped back twice and drew a short sword from his waist.

It was a pitch-black short sword, the blade half a foot shorter than an ordinary sword, yet it exuded a sharp, fierce Aura.

"Then let's spar. I'll warn you, I won't hold back."

Chen Mu also drew his soul-slaying blade and stood with it held horizontally.

"No need to hold back."

Xie Baizhou's eyes narrowed, and the next instant, he lunged forward.

His speed was astonishingly fast. The short sword in his hand turned into a streak of black light, aiming straight for Chen Mu's throat. The sword's momentum was fierce, carrying an unstoppable Aura, as if the moment this sword was thrust, he had no intention of ever pulling it back.

Chen Mu dodged to the side, and the soul-slaying blade followed through with an upward sweep. Blade and sword clashed, sparks flying everywhere.

Chen Mu frowned slightly, feeling a jolt of surprise in his heart.

This youth's strength was far greater than he had anticipated, but what shocked him even more was his opponent's swordsmanship.

Xie Baizhou's swordsmanship was completely different from Jiang Yuheng's. Jiang Yuheng's swordsmanship was exquisite, blending reality and illusion; every strike seemed honed through thousands of life-and-death battles, but because it was honed, it ultimately carried traces of being formulaic.

But Xie Baizhou's sword had no formula; when he struck, it was entirely by instinct. Wherever the sword tip pointed, that was where the lethal Move lay. Sometimes, even when the sword's momentum was clearly spent, he could forcibly twist his wrist to make the sword tip strike back from an absolutely impossible angle.

Even when he should have been defending, he would choose to abandon it and attack with all his might, allowing Chen Mu's blade to hack toward his own vital points, seeking only for his own sword to strike Chen Mu first.

A fighting style of life-or-death, never-ending.

Chen Mu frowned slightly, and his blade technique changed accordingly. He no longer tested his opponent, no longer held back; every strike was aimed at Xie Baizhou's vital points, forcing him to dodge repeatedly.

But Xie Baizhou did not retreat.

He did not retreat, nor did he defend; he only attacked.

Chen Mu's blade hacked at his left shoulder, but he didn't dodge, thrusting his short sword straight at Chen Mu's heart. Chen Mu's blade turned toward his right ribs, but he still didn't dodge, sweeping his short sword horizontally at Chen Mu's throat.

It was as if he had no vital points on his body, or he simply didn't care if he got hurt, caring only whether his sword could strike Chen Mu.

Chen Mu's frown deepened.

How old was this youth? Only sixteen or seventeen, so how could he have such a reckless, life-risking fighting style?

He had seen countless Martial Artists, various schools' techniques and formulas, and all sorts of combat styles, but he had never seen anything like this.

This wasn't sparring; this was a fight for one's life.

Chen Mu intended to pull back, but Xie Baizhou gave him no chance. Sword after sword, every Move was desperate, forcing Chen Mu to go all out.

The two fought from the middle of the courtyard to the corner of the wall, then back to the center. The flash of blades and swords intertwined, kicking up gusts of wind.

Zhuifeng had long since been scared into hiding behind the stone steps, peeking out with two eyes. No one knew when a few people had gathered at the entrance—Ling Xiaoning, Lu Dachuan, Feng Qing, and a few brothers from Team C—all staring wide-eyed at this slaughter, their mouths open wide enough to fit an egg.

"Who... who is this?"

Ling Xiaoning asked, stammering.

Lu Dachuan shook his head, but his eyes remained fixed on the scene.

"I don't know, but he's definitely no ordinary person."

In the courtyard, Chen Mu finally seized an opening. Xie Baizhou's sword thrust missed, and he stumbled slightly. Chen Mu's blade had already reached him, the edge stopping three inches from his throat.

Xie Baizhou froze. He looked down at the blade so close to him, then looked up at Chen Mu, his eyes filled with disbelief.

"I... I lost?"

Chen Mu withdrew his blade and nodded slightly.

"A narrow victory."

Xie Baizhou stood frozen in place, not moving for a long while.

He had grown up in the Bell Guards, and his Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters had all praised him, saying he would surely achieve Major Achievement in the future. He was also proud of his martial arts, believing himself to be one of the best in the younger generation.

But today he had lost, lost to a no-name newcomer from the Demon Hunting Division.

The flush on Xie Baizhou's face deepened, quickly spreading from his cheeks to his ears.

He wasn't convinced. He had been so close; if he had just persisted a few more Moves, perhaps he could have found an opening and turned defeat into victory. But he had been just that little bit short.

Xie Baizhou gritted his teeth, took a deep breath, and looked up at Chen Mu, the refusal to accept defeat practically overflowing from his eyes.

"You wait. I'll go back and practice more, and next time I will definitely defeat you."

Chen Mu watched him without speaking. Xie Baizhou snorted, pulled the booklet from his robe, and shoved it into Chen Mu's arms.

"Here, this is what my Senior Sister asked me to bring you."

Chen Mu took the booklet and looked down; several characters were written on the cover.

"Karma Co-Destruction Technique"

He couldn't help but frown slightly.

Karma Co-Destruction? The name didn't sound like an ordinary Cultivation Technique, but rather like some kind of...

Seeing him frown, Xie Baizhou knew what he was thinking and curled his lip.

"This Cultivation Technique was developed by my Senior Sister herself. It's incredibly powerful. She spent years pondering it, integrating all her insights from life-and-death battles into it. She said that once you reach Major Achievement, you can embrace your enemy and perish together, a kind of 'living and dying with the heavens and earth'!"

His words carried a hint of pride, yet also a hint of complexity.

Chen Mu listened quietly without speaking.

Perish together, living and dying with the heavens and earth.

So that was it.

No wonder Xie Baizhou's swordsmanship always carried that desperate, life-risking edge; the root of it lay here.

Chu Jiangli had developed this Cultivation Technique not as some ultimate skill to overcome enemies, but as a final resort to perish together with the enemy with a heart resolved to die. Those Jade Bell Guards, those top experts guarding the frontiers, never had themselves in their hearts, but rather the common people behind them—the ones who needed to be protected.

Chen Mu looked down at the booklet in his hand and remained silent for a long time.

This Cultivation Technique was indeed powerful.

But this Cultivation Technique was not for him.