TGDS Chapter 76.2

The Good Dad System (Arc 10) Chapter 76.2: The Villain’s Dad in the Cultivation Novels (17)

Swords flashed and various spiritual energies streaked through the air. Red and gray figures moved back and forth, attacking and parrying, their battle escalating from one end to the other.

“Junior Brother Xiang has so many moves,” a chatterbox remarked, launching the first real-time commentary in the cultivation world. “Look, he’s holding a sword in one hand and using his palm in the other to push out spiritual energy. He’s really at a disadvantage right now, and if he doesn’t create distance, he won’t even have a chance to adjust. But this move seems to have been anticipated by Senior Brother Pei. He doesn’t even try to block it; he just leaps into the air, making the spiritual energy palm miss its mark.”

“Is Xiang Wentian really that powerful?” Lin Lianxing blurted out instinctively. It wasn’t that she couldn’t see the situation clearly; she just instinctively felt that it shouldn’t be like this. Since entering the inner sect, she hadn’t paid attention to what was happening in the outer sect. Even when she occasionally saw Xiang Wentian appear, she hadn’t spoken to him. Since the engagement was over, there was no need to continue the entanglement.

“Of course,” the senior brother who was explaining added. “I don’t know where he learned so many methods. This is only the tenth move, and he’s already using different methods to counter each move. Look, he’s using a spirit energy bullet right now, which is different from what we usually understand. I guess it’s some new technique. I’ll have to check it out in the library in a few days.”

Lin Lianxing pressed, “Will Senior Brother Mingzhen lose?”

“No,” the senior brother answered firmly. “Just watch, watch with your heart, not just with your eyes. From beginning to end, Mingzhen hasn’t used anything else. No matter how hard Junior Brother Xiang tries, he only relies on the sword in his hand. If you’ve ever met someone from the Sword Sect, you’ll understand. When you’ve mastered your weapon to its peak, you won’t want to learn anything else. For Mingzhen, this sword is him. After the fight started, on the entire platform, there was no Pei Mingzhen, only that nameless sword.”

Inside the arena, the battle was still going on.

In the twelfth move, Pei Mingzhen swept his sword horizontally, unleashing a long, lingering wave of spiritual energy in the shape of a blade. Xiang Wentian had no time to dodge and immediately cast five talismans, creating an earth-elemental protective shield around him, but it almost failed to block
the attack. In the twentieth move, Xiang Wentian took the lead, his Stop-Kill Sword hovering in the air, surrounded by thousands of sword shadows that shot out horizontally, all heading straight for Pei Mingzhen. He didn’t dodge, but instead swung his nameless blade around himself, deflecting all the swords.
…

The thirtieth move.

Xiang Wentian was drenched in sweat; he could even feel his inner shirt rubbing against his body. Half of his arm was numb, and even gripping the Stop-Kill Sword was difficult. But he couldn’t stop thinking; his brain raced, trying to come up with another move. He was practically a walking, talking robot of chance, but the problem was, there were so many things he could never learn them all. Some were only at the very beginning. Using them now would not only make him a laughingstock, but he wouldn’t even be able to slightly hinder Pei Mingzhen’s progress.

He had clearly used enough moves, yet he still couldn’t withstand it.

A duel, after all, wasn’t a true battle. Pei Mingzhen didn’t press relentlessly, giving Xiang Wentian some breathing room. He could see that his opponent had adjusted sufficiently, so he struck again.

Here it comes.

This strike was unremarkable; a flash of red and a blunt blade shot out simultaneously, yet the person was completely obscured, only the blade visible. Blade and man were one, moving straight forward, then descending from above, a strike seemingly capable of cleaving the heavens and earth.

He couldn’t stop it. Xiang Wentian knew clearly that this strike was simpler than any of the previous ones, lacking even a fancy move or technique. It was simply the most ordinary, a downward slash, yet it seemed to carry the sound of wind and a chilling blade intent—

Xiang Wentian could only rely on his last bit of strength, gathering the remaining power in his body to unleash a massive wave of spiritual energy to shield himself. But the blade, with its overwhelming force, sliced through the energy wave and continued downward; the blade was about to strike.

In an instant, he felt as if he had returned to the past, to the first time he saw the high platform in the clouds, to the first time he came to the Lan Yue Sect. The feeling of being awe-inspiring was beyond words. All his former arrogance vanished, leaving only a calm and undisturbed heart. So, his senior brother’s swordsmanship had reached this level? He neither dodged nor evaded, simply waiting quietly for the blade to fall upon him. This time, even if he didn’t die, he would likely be severely injured.

“Junior Brother Xiang can’t withstand this attack!” the senior brother shook his head. “Wait, why isn’t he sheathing his sword? Shouldn’t the sect leader call a halt?” He began to recall the weapon-refining elder’s explanation. Did this high platform have an automatic protection mechanism? Many others were in the same boat. Almost all the disciples stood up, a commotion erupting, fearing to see fellow disciples fighting each other, blood splattering everywhere.

The blade arrived, and Xiang Wentian clearly felt its chilling, bone-piercing intent slam heavily onto his body. As one faces death, it seems one’s thoughts accelerate; everything that happened in his life flashes through his mind like a revolving lantern. Countless faces appear in his memory: his parents, the black mist, City Lord Lin, Lin Lianxing, Pei Mingzhen, Sect Leader Pei… In the end, however, appears the sword that stopped the killing. He took the sword from that tomb, but hadn’t been able to use it properly.

Then, all was silent.

Xiang Wentian opened his eyes blankly, and before him stood Pei Mingzhen’s face again. He had sheathed his sword and was standing directly in front of him.

“I…I’m not dead?” The sword intent was clearly there; with that force, how could he not be dead? Or was this a hallucination from his serious injuries?

Pei Mingzhen’s handsome face showed a look of doubt: “Junior Brother Xiang, are you feeling unwell? How could you be dead?” He glanced around, intending to call the medical staff to come in.

The emptiness from depleted spiritual energy and the numbness after using his body as a vessel forced Xiang Wentian to lie on the ground, panting heavily: “I clearly saw it, the sword came.” It clearly hadn’t been withdrawn and had struck him.

“I cultivate swordsmanship to become stronger, not to kill people, I’ve told you all that.” Pei Mingzhen smiled, “When facing an enemy, this is a killing sword; when dealing with disciples of the sect, it’s just a blunt sword that can’t even hurt a chicken.”

He lovingly stroked his sword, something all sword cultivators love to do. This sword, at this moment, had lost all its luster; it looked less sharp than a sword in the mortal world, but Xiang Wentian, who had faced this sword directly, clearly knew how powerful it was.

Xiang Wentian recalled Pei Mingzhen’s words when he taught them years ago. Pei Mingzhen spoke solemnly, his childlike face now showing unwavering resolve: “Those who cultivate the Dao must cultivate their true nature. My true nature is the sword, the sect, and protection. In the future, you will also find your true nature.”

His true nature was different from everyone else’s; it was hatred. But what did he hate? What else did he have to hate?

Pei Mingzhen bent down, extending his hand. During the fight, his expression was cold, but afterward, he laughed more heartily than anyone else: “I’ll help you up, Junior Brother Xiang. You’re very strong. We’ll fight again when you’re better.”

Was this sarcasm? Xiang Wentian wanted to sneer, but looking into those sincere eyes, he held back.

He suddenly asked, “Senior Brother, how many moves did we use?”

“…” Pei Mingzhen hesitated, unsure how to answer, before finally speaking, “Thirty moves in total. But Junior Brother Xiang, this is your first time fighting. I’ve cultivated for a longer time and have a lot of experience…”

Why say all this? “Aren’t you afraid I’ll think you’re mocking my lack of experience? Aren’t you afraid I’ll resent you for having cultivated longer and had a wider network than me? After all, that’s always been my attitude.”

But Xiang Wentian knew that Pei Mingzhen had absolutely no intention of mocking him. Just like before, after every class and demonstration, he would clumsily find something to praise, something like, “Your posture is perfect,” or “Your mental cultivation has improved rapidly”… It was both infuriating and funny.

“Fine.”

Xiang Wentian reached out and tightly grasped Pei Mingzhen’s outstretched hand, then used the leverage to get up: “Senior brother, I concede.” In an instant, it was as if something suddenly shattered and rebuilt, leaving a moment of disorientation.

“Huh.” Elder Wu, sitting next to Pei Naochun, had just made an appointment with this disciple who suited his taste and had been paying close attention to him. He couldn’t help but feel a little puzzled, “That moment just now…”

“It’s all fine now,” Pei Naochun replied casually.

Elder Wu muttered to himself, somewhat puzzled, “Nothing’s wrong, but it’s too strange.” Just a moment ago, he clearly sensed that the disciple’s mental state was crumbling, and then, in an instant, his mental cultivation had dropped by at least two realms, yet it seemed much more solid than before. Whether this was good or bad, he couldn’t say.

“Do you still want this disciple?”

“Yes, of course.” Elder Wu said decisively.

He Shu stepped off on his sword and announced the result: “Pei Mingzhen wins!” Along with his announcement came Elder Wu’s voice, “Xiang Wentian, are you willing to join my sect!” He had no pride as an elder; he was just announcing a result. In fact, if Xiang Wentian refused, he would definitely pester him relentlessly to get him.

“Junior Brother Xiang, congratulations, welcome to the inner sect.” Pei Mingzhen, his robes fluttering, helped Xiang Wentian down the stage, turning his head with a smile, his eyes without a trace of gloom.

He…couldn’t bring himself to hate him. Xiang Wentian smiled bitterly to himself, looked up at Elder Wu above with expectant eyes, and clasped his hands in a fist salute: “Disciple Xiang Wentian greets Master.” The formal master-disciple greeting would naturally be performed after the spiritual energy recovered.

He was envious, but at the same time, he had already let go. He also wanted to see how one could move forward without hating others, for hatred was endless.

After the two stepped off the stage, Lin Lianxing rushed over: “Xiang Wentian, are you alright?” She hesitated, but still asked him first, then turned to Pei Mingzhen: “Senior Brother Mingzhen, you fought very well today.”

“Thank you, Junior Sister Lin.” Pei Mingzhen harbored a subtle sense of aversion towards Lin Lianxing. When he was young and only knew how to practice his sword—well, he still only knows how to practice his sword now—Junior Sister Lin’s visits were synonymous with not being able to concentrate on practicing his sword. For Junior Sister Lin, he had even hidden in a cave in the back mountain to practice his sword. Even now, he still felt lingering fear, and would turn away as soon as he saw her.

“It’s nothing.” Xiang Wentian hesitated for a moment before answering. He looked at Lin Lianxing. From childhood to adulthood, she had always been distant to him. Now, seeing her up close, Xiang Wentian suddenly realized that he couldn’t even clearly describe what her eyes, nose, and mouth looked like. Instead, she seemed extremely unfamiliar. All the obsessions in his heart, now shattered, trembled before the doubt.

“…Be careful.” Lin Lianxing was now also at ease. “Once you enter the inner sect, cultivate diligently. Elder Wu is very kind.”

Pei Mingzhen stood there, looking at his father and senior brother from afar. Damn it, they all looked away, none of them willing to come to his rescue. Although he was somewhat oblivious to emotions, the atmosphere at this moment was truly awkward. He wanted to look around and think about running away, but then a thought suddenly struck him.

He cleared his throat. “Junior Sister Lin, I need to go see the Sect Leader now. Could you please take Junior Brother Xiang to find a healer? Thank you for your trouble.” He cleverly pulled Junior Sister Lin’s hand and placed it on Xiang Wentian’s arm. In the cultivation world, there were no strict rules about the separation of men and women; contact was common. He knew his place. After confirming that Junior Brother Xiang was steady, he used a technique called “Golden Cicada Shedding Its Shell,” seemingly unhurried but actually swiftly flying towards the viewing platform.

By the time the two came to their senses, Pei Mingzhen was already several dozen steps away.

“Xiang Wentian, let me help you find a healer. Be careful.” Lin Lianxing was quite carefree. She didn’t think it was a big deal. Her engagement to Xiang Wentian was unknown to outsiders, so there was no need to help them avoid it. Besides, time flies in cultivation. What would all this mean in a few hundred years? It was just a pity that Senior Brother Mingzhen was always cultivating, and even a chance to speak was rare.