The Honest Man Qin Ran

After the Sword Dao Exchange Conference, Li Shiyin had a clearer understanding of her own position.

She was indeed very talented in the Sword Dao, this was true. But in this world, there is always a taller mountain; there were still many others who were more talented and stronger geniuses than her.

Then she did gain a lot from the Sword Dao Exchange Conference, such as comprehension of sword intent and application of sword qi. Although Qin Ran's theoretical knowledge was indeed extensive, he himself was not a sword cultivator after all, and could not help her with many of the specific, detailed sword dao knowledge. This exchange conference helped make up for that.

"Master, senior brother Lu Junxing from the Master Peak is very powerful. I learned some sword dao knowledge from him and comprehended a new sword move," Qin Ran was napping under the old Linghuai tree, contemplating life, when Li Shiyin fell from midair with a sword in front of him and said with a smile, "Master, can I demonstrate it to you?"

"Lu Junxing?" Qin Ran caught this name.

He was equally familiar with this name, because like Yao Qingke, Lu Junxing was also a towering figure when he first joined the sect, a prodigy-like character. Just like Li Shiyin now, the Lu Junxing from twenty years ago was the peerless sword immortal who wandered freely in the Dao Sword Sect.

And unlike Li Shiyin's aloofness towards outsiders, Lu Junxing had a carefree and unrestrained personality and uninhibited conduct, which made him even more likable.

Such a character...

Qin Ran opened his eyes and looked at Li Shiyin.

Li Shiyin had gone to the sword dao exchange conference a couple of days ago, met Lu Junxing there, and learned some sword moves from him. And now she mentioned this person in front of him...

Qin Ran thought of many things in an instant, but he did not show anything on his face. He looked at Li Shiyin and asked, "You met Lu Junxing?"

"Yes! Master must know him!" Li Shiyin nodded with a smile, "Senior brother Lu is such an interesting person."

Thump thump thump thump!

Qin Ran's heart skipped a beat. An interesting person?

He had known long ago that Li Shiyin was a peerlessly talented genius with exceptional charm. He had known long ago that such a day would come...

He slowly sat up from the reclining chair and looked at Li Shiyin's bright and beautiful smile. He strangely felt like...like an honest man.

He was like that ordinary, mediocre childhood sweetheart, secretly admiring the goddess who was witty and talented, but he had always guarded her humbly. Then she met another talented and brilliant man. They were a perfect match made in heaven. So he could only stand in the dark corner with tears streaming down his face, his heart shattering into pieces, and still wishing them well.

"What did he teach you?" He pretended not to care.

"Sword qi and sword intent!" Li Shiyin said, "Master, senior brother Lu said that sword qi has four realms: Initial Comprehension of Sword Qi, Skilled Sword Qi, Lifting the Heavy as Though Light, Making the Light as Heavy. And I'm at the level between Skilled Sword Qi and Lifting the Heavy as Though Light. But senior brother Lu is so powerful, he has already reached the Lifting the Heavy as Though Light realm.

"Then Master, what senior brother Lu said about sword intent is quite similar to what you told me! Senior brother Lu said that sword intent is a kind of idea, a thought, an emotion. Expressing this emotion through the sword is sword intent."

"Senior brother Lu is so amazing..." She marveled, "To have comprehended both sword qi and sword intent at the same time."

Chua chua chua~~

Qin Ran felt his heart being stabbed into pieces, but she could remember so clearly what the other person said after just one meeting.

The branches and leaves of the old Linghuai tree swayed in the wind.

"How did he teach it?" He squeezed out a smile.

"Senior brother Lu came up with a very interesting method for me to compare sword qi with him. That is, separating wine with sword qi," Li Shiyin recalled the wine dividing, it was quite fun, she smiled and continued,

"Senior brother Liu Baixuan provided the wine for us. We exerted our sword qi to the maximum, using sword qi in midair to snatch and cut off the stream of wine... Unfortunately, my control over sword qi is not as precise as senior brother Lu's, I didn't manage to snatch any.

"Master, shouldn't we change our method of tempering sword qi? I can't compare with senior brother Lu!"

Does this mean she thinks I'm inferior to Lu Junxing? Qin Ran could not even maintain a wry smile.

He also noticed that the other person providing the wine was also the outstanding leading disciple of Sword Peak. As expected, outstanding people would attract each other. These arrogant talents were people of the same circle.

"Why were there only male cultivators who participated in the exchange conference this time?" He took out a book and held it in his hand, pretending to casually flip through it.

"Why were there only male cultivators? There were participants from Sword Peak, Master Peak, powerful sword cultivators all went. Wen Jin was there too!" Li Shiyin frowned, "Oh Master, what are you talking about? I'm telling you about sword qi and sword intent!"

She...she...she thinks I'm annoying! Qin Ran turned two pages of the book and casually replied, "Oh, sword qi? Sword qi is good!"

"Master, are you even listening to me?" Li Shiyin walked over and looked down condescendingly at this somewhat strange master.

"Of course I'm listening, how could I not be listening?" Qin Ran felt sore inside, glanced up at Li Shiyin once, ah, so beautiful, he really didn't match up to her, and hurriedly cast his eyes down humbly again.

"Mas...ter?" Li Shiyin narrowed her eyes, vaguely sensing something wrong.

"Oh my, has someone knocked over the vinegar jar there?" The black-hearted little loli Long Qiqi pushed open the door of her room, twisted her non-existent snake waist, snaked between Li Shiyin and Qin Ran, walked to the door of the small log cabin living room, then turned back, pointed at Qin Ran, pinched her voice, mimicked Li Shiyin's tone, and sarcastically said, "Ma~ster~ you're holding your book upside down!"

"Cough!" Qin Ran gave a start, hurriedly righted the book, glanced at the book, and found that he was reading Children's Math for Chasing the Wind's enlightenment studies, then silently put it away.

Seeing Qin Ran's series of flustered actions, a smile emerged at the corner of Li Shiyin's lips.

She took another step forward and stood in front of Qin Ran's chair. Her feet touched the chair. She leaned down, staring into Qin Ran's eyes, and asked word for word, "Master, are you jealous?"

That girl was getting too close! Qin Ran was so shocked that he accidentally tumbled off the chair. He scrambled up awkwardly, maintaining the master's dignity and coldly said, "What nonsense are you talking about?!"

But he didn't know what else to say, he just wanted to escape as quickly as possible.

However, just after he took two steps, Li Shiyin's voice sounded from behind him, "Master, I need you to name the new sword move that I've comprehended..."

Qin Ran halted his footsteps, recovered some composure, and still turned around.

Then he saw, in the fool disciple's palm, several beautiful purple flowers blooming.

The purple flowers were shining with purple light that shone on the girl's face, adding a touch of charm to her beauty.

But those purple flowers were not flowers, they were nebula formed by intertwining sword qi, and each one contained the might to destroy mountains and seas.

"Master, is it nice?" The girl asked him with a smile more beautiful than those flowers.

Qin Ran looked at the purple flowers, and then at the girl's eyes, and he saw her smiling eyes just looking at him.

"It's nice!" He nodded.

"What would you call it then?"

"Dream Fantasy Nebula."