No one could draw their sword before the Sword Emperor.
When it came to controlling and wielding a blade, the Sword Emperor's understanding far surpassed that of any ordinary swordsman. In his presence, all others who followed the way of the sword were powerless.
A sheen of cold sweat suddenly appeared on Du Gu Piao's forehead. His sword hand trembled uncontrollably, and before long, his entire body was shaking. The sweat poured down, soaking him completely in moments.
"No… no… this can't be happening!" he muttered through clenched teeth, shaking his head like a man possessed. He was on the edge of madness, yet still refused to give up.
Fengyun Wuji couldn't understand what could possibly drive someone to such desperation. Even if one were no match for the Sword Emperor, this kind of reaction was excessive.
Clang! Suddenly, sword intent surged from Fengyun Wuji like a tide. With a flick of his index finger, Du Gu Piao's hand spasmed, and his sword flew from his grasp like a shooting star, embedding itself deep in a nearby glacier. Its hilt pointed skyward, still trembling violently.
With a faint sigh, Fengyun Wuji turned and strolled away. Behind him, Du Gu Piao stood soaked to the skin, his face pale, eyes lifeless, lost in thought.
"You're no longer suited for the sword," Fengyun Wuji's voice echoed across the snow-covered expanse.
Only after he had walked several hundred meters did the words finally reach Du Gu Piao. His body shuddered, and he slowly lifted his head. In the empty sockets where pupils once were, a flicker of blood-red light emerged.
"No… I will defeat you! I will defeat you, Xiaodao!" Du Gu Piao suddenly howled at the sky in a voice full of pain and fury. "Xiaodao! I swear I'll defeat you!"
Then, with a roar, his right hand raised. A pitch-black, narrow blade formed from condensed energy. He slashed toward Fengyun Wuji's back with all his strength. A black arc of blade energy split the air, sharp and vicious.
"You shouldn't have made a move," came a chilling voice beside his ear.
In that instant, Fengyun Wuji's figure shimmered several hundred meters away and disappeared into the wind. A silent, overwhelming force crashed into Du Gu Piao's chest like a thunderbolt.
Ahh! A scream tore from Du Gu Piao's throat as he spat a mouthful of blood skyward. His body was flung through the air in a long arc, crashing heavily into a glacier. Ice and snow exploded, burying him completely. Beneath the drifting snow, a pool of crimson quickly spread, dyeing the white expanse red.
Fengyun Wuji knew that strike would not kill him—and he hadn't meant it to. He turned, ready to leave.
"Wait…" A blood-streaked hand emerged from the snow. Du Gu Piao's pale, bluish face broke through the surface. "Please… wait."
"You still won't give up?" Fengyun Wuji turned his head slightly. "Your swordsmanship isn't even on par with your blade technique. I thought you were a swordsman. Clearly, I was mistaken. What I said earlier—forget it." He turned to leave.
"Please… wait…" Du Gu Piao crawled from the snow, his body covered in blood. He knelt, lowering his head so far it nearly touched his knees. "I beg you—let me join the Sword Domain. Let me be your disciple, your servant, even your slave… I only ask that you teach me the sword—the sword that can defeat all other swordsmen!"
Fengyun Wuji paused.
His vast spiritual sense had already scanned the man behind him. For reasons he couldn't explain, despite the attempt on his life, he had no desire to kill Du Gu Piao. In this broken man, he saw a tragic, lonely, tormented soul—a martial arts fanatic. A pitiable one.
"Why?" he asked.
Du Gu Piao lowered his head even further, fingers clenching his knees until the knuckles turned white. Yet he said nothing.
"Aren't you one of the Destruction Lord's men? Would he allow this?"
"I'm not truly one of his followers," Du Gu Piao said softly. "I only followed him because I wanted to become stronger."
Fengyun Wuji frowned slightly and turned back to face him. "So you came to me?"
"Yes. I followed the Destruction Lord for over two thousand years, but my strength barely improved. I've followed you for only four hundred, and in that time, you went from being far beneath me… to someone I can no longer even touch."
His voice was calm, devoid of emotion. It seemed that, at last, his madness had passed.
Fengyun Wuji didn't particularly like his bluntness, but he did appreciate the honesty. After a moment's thought, he said, "I can't teach you the sword."
"What!?" Du Gu Piao's head snapped up, his whole body trembling.
"You're not suited for it. Your path has strayed too far—what you've cultivated isn't the Way of the Sword, but its corruption. To reach that level was already your limit. As for my Sword Emperor realm… it cannot be passed on so lightly. I only considered taking you in because I believed you a true swordsman. But now, I see clearly—you're a bladesman. I cannot teach you the Way of the Sword… but I can teach you the Way of the Blade."
"I understand," Du Gu Piao said with a trace of sorrow, slowly rising to his feet. To him, this answer already made Fengyun Wuji's position clear.
Boom!
Suddenly, Fengyun Wuji swung his arm sideways. A thunderous sound rang out. Du Gu Piao instinctively turned to look—and saw a massive glacier, thousands of meters tall, splitting cleanly down the middle. From summit to base, it parted like a cleaved melon, revealing a mirrored surface along the break.
"What… is this?" Du Gu Piao was stunned.
Fengyun Wuji, satisfied with his reaction, smiled faintly. "This is the blade art I intend to teach you—the 'Left-Handed Path.' What you saw was just the result of a fully refined meridian. If you can refine all the meridians in your left arm to perfection, you'll be able to contend with any emperor-level cultivator. And if you can go beyond that, this unorthodox path may even lead you to the peak of martial mastery."
He paused.
"But be warned—this path is a shortcut, brutally powerful and deceptively easy to learn. For that reason, it demands an unshakeable heart. Without unwavering determination, you'll never reach the end… and all your efforts will be in vain."
"Please… teach me the Left-Handed Path." Du Gu Piao dropped to one knee and bowed respectfully.
Fengyun Wuji studied him for a long moment, then finally nodded. With a gesture, he imprinted the blade technique directly into Du Gu Piao's consciousness.
"Wait here for a while. I'll return shortly." With that, Fengyun Wuji vanished, descending from the glacier like drifting snow.