The Canglang Sword Art, the Ling family's supreme sword-controlling technique, was considered an invincible sword art in the small area of Qingcheng. However, it was seen through and defeated in a single move by Ling Xian, a collateral descendant who was once unable to cultivate.
This news spread like wildfire, quickly reaching every corner of the Ling family, and even the City Lord's Mansion and the other two major families caught wind of it.
There were many people watching the martial arts arena at the time, so the story of Ling Xian's decisive defeat of the Canglang Sword Art was exaggerated and became legendary. Those who first heard the news disbelieved it, but after multiple inquiries, they gradually accepted the fact and were then plunged into intense shock.
The Canglang Sword Art, invincible in Qingcheng, had been defeated by a recognised good-for-nothing. It wasn't broken by pure cultivation or magic, but by seeing through its weaknesses and then shattering it with one move. This was nothing short of a fantasy to everyone in the Ling family.
In the cultivation world, every divine ability or Daoist art was forged by powerful individuals, embodying the culmination of countless predecessors' wisdom and effort. Even the most basic spells are infused with traces of the Great Dao, making them resilient and not easily broken.
This required superior insight, exceptional talent in comprehension, and a legendary state of complete mastery over the spell to achieve.
Overpowering with a higher level of cultivation, or defeating with a more powerful spell, cannot be called breaking a Daoist art. Only by seeing through the fundamental weakness of a Daoist art and then breaking it can it be called a true defeat!
The Canglang Sword Art was a sword-controlling technique that had stood the test of time. The previous Ling family head once used it to simultaneously defeat two opponents of the same rank, dominating Qingcheng and being invincible, giving the experts of the other two major families immense headaches. They painstakingly studied it for a long time, but still couldn't find any of its weaknesses.
Yet now, this secret manual, revered as one of Qingcheng's strongest sword arts, was easily broken by an unknown young cultivator. How high must one's comprehension be to achieve this?
In the central courtyard of the Ling Manor, a middle-aged man was practising calligraphy in his study. He was about forty years old, dressed in a moon-white robe, handsome, refined, and exuded an extraordinary demeanour.
He was Ling Tianqing, the head of the Ling family, a cultivator at the Half-Step Foundation Establishment stage.
At this moment, he focused all his attention on his brush, gathering spiritual energy in his chest, and wrote a single character on the Xuan paper.
Patience.
His brush strokes flowed like a dragon, powerful and vigorous, showing the style of a true master.
Carefully examining his calligraphy, this most esteemed man in the Ling family, second only to the previous family head, slightly shook his head and sighed, "The mountain rain is about to come, the wind fills the tower. How can mere patience ensure the safety of my Ling family in the upcoming great battle?"
With that, he waved his hand, and the character 'Patience' on the Xuan paper instantly vanished, gradually replaced by another character.
War.
The characters danced like dragons and phoenixes, their power penetrating the paper. Unlike the peaceful aura of 'Patience,' the moment this character appeared, a sky-high killing intent instantly permeated the air, filling the entire room with a chilling coldness.
"How to fight? The enemy is strong, we are weak, it's like throwing an egg against a rock. Although it might earn us a reputation for fighting to the death with unwavering pride, in this world where the strong prey on the weak, outsiders will only laugh and call us foolish, needlessly destroying my Ling family's century-old foundation." With a long sigh, Ling Tianqing's sword-like brows furrowed, his face filled with worry.
As the head of the Ling family, he appeared glorious and powerful, but the rise and fall of hundreds of lives rested on his shoulders alone. The heavy burden had already exhausted this Half-Step Foundation Establishment expert, causing his hair to prematurely whiten.
Ling Tianqing was a wise family head who knew how to utilise talent and was understanding and reasonable. He displayed extraordinary cultivation talent from a young age, ascended to the position of family head at twenty-four, and for sixteen years, diligently and tirelessly developed the Ling family, which was originally the weakest among the three major families, into a power that was no longer inferior to Qingcheng's other two established families.
He could be called a rare and formidable leader.
If he hadn't devoted most of his time and energy to managing the Ling family, his current cultivation would not be Half-Step Foundation Establishment, but a true Foundation Establishment expert.
"With a great battle approaching, how should the Ling family conduct itself, and where should it go?" A complex emotion flickered across Ling Tianqing's brows as he said bitterly, "Neither patience nor war is the answer. Will the Ling family's century-old foundation be destroyed in my hands?"
Just then, a figure burst into the study, excitedly exclaiming, "Brother, I've brought you good news!"
"Hm?" Ling Tianqing looked at his younger brother by the same mother, Ling Tianjiao, and asked in confusion, "What good news could make you, who is usually so mature and steady, disregard etiquette and burst into my room without even knocking?"
Ling Tianjiao completely ignored the elaborate formalities he usually cared about most, grabbed Ling Tianqing's hand, and laughed, "Haha, Brother, our Ling family's supreme secret manual, the Canglang Sword Art, has been seen through its weaknesses and broken!"
"What?!"
Anyone's first impression of Ling Tianqing would be that he was a graceful and refined scholar, but at this moment, his face was filled with shock.
How could that be?
How could my Ling family's Canglang Sword Art be broken?
"Haha, my expression when I first heard the news was exactly like yours, Brother." Ling Tianjiao was smug, clearly relishing the rare opportunity to see his usually unperturbed elder brother, who remained calm even when a mountain collapsed before him, in such a state of shock.
Ling Tianqing was shocked for a long time before slowly recovering. He forced down the unsettling news and said in a deep voice, "Second Brother, are you sure you're not joking with me? Has the Canglang Sword Art really been seen through its weaknesses and broken?"
"Rest assured, Brother, this is absolutely true. I wouldn't dare to deceive you with such an important matter," Ling Tianjiao said seriously, his smile gone.
"Absolutely true... At this critical juncture, my Ling family's strongest sword art has been broken. Is Heaven trying to destroy my Ling family?" Ling Tianqing was distraught, then suddenly remembered Ling Tianjiao's joyful expression and angrily scolded, "You, Ling Laoer, the Canglang Sword Art has been broken, and you're actually so happy? If I hadn't watched you grow up, I'd suspect you were a spy for the other two families!"
"Brother, calm down. How could I be a spy?" Ling Tianjiao smiled bitterly repeatedly and quickly explained, "I'm happy because the person who broke the Canglang Sword Art is a disciple of our Ling family, not an outsider!"
"So it's someone from my Ling family." Ling Tianqing realised, and eagerly asked, "Who is it? Who in my Ling family can see through the weaknesses of the Canglang Sword Art? Is it Father, the elder?"
"No, no, it's not Father, the elder, but someone else." Ling Tianjiao smiled mysteriously, deliberately not directly revealing who broke the Canglang Sword Art.
Ling Tianqing looked at Ling Tianjiao's deliberately teasing manner, furious, and roared, "Ling Laoer, if you dare to string me along again, believe it or not, I'll spank you until your butt blooms!"
"Brother, please don't be angry, I'll tell you right now." Ling Tianjiao, seeing his usually refined elder brother truly angry, was startled and quickly put on a fawning smile, softly saying, "Brother, this person is a collateral descendant of our Ling family, named Ling Xian."
"Ling Xian? I seem to have some impression..." Ling Tianqing pondered, then asked, "Are you sure he's a Ling family disciple?"
"Rest assured, Brother, I've investigated. This child is not like those collateral descendants granted the Ling surname; he indeed has a trace of our Ling family's bloodline, and there's nothing abnormal about him." Upon hearing the news, Ling Tianjiao immediately began investigating all the information related to Ling Xian. After all, this matter was of great importance; if an outsider had broken the Canglang Sword Art, he would have immediately eliminated them.
"I remember now, is he that little fellow whose parents died on a mission and who was born unable to cultivate?" Ling Tianqing frowned. How could a mortal who couldn't cultivate possibly see through the weaknesses of the Canglang Sword Art?
"That's right. Although he couldn't cultivate, many people have heard that Master Fang praised his incredibly high comprehension more than once. And this child is now at the fifth level of Qi Condensation cultivation, and it was indeed he who broke the Canglang Sword Art in one move. Everyone who watched in the martial arts arena can testify." Ling Tianjiao was also very puzzled as to how a mortal who couldn't cultivate suddenly gained fifth-level Qi Condensation cultivation and broke the Canglang Sword Art in one move, but the facts were before him, and he had no choice but to believe them.
A glimmer of wisdom flashed in Ling Tianqing's eyes, and he chuckled, "It seems this little fellow is not simple. Either he chose to keep a low profile and hide his talents because his parents died, or he had a fortuitous encounter."
"Brother, should we send someone to investigate further?" Ling Tianjiao asked.
"Absolutely not." Ling Tianqing shook his head and said decisively, "Second Brother, if this child were not from my Ling family, I would kill him immediately. But since he has my Ling family's blood flowing in him, and you've investigated and confirmed he's not a spy, then we must cultivate him well. This is a peerless genius bestowed upon my Ling family by Heaven. We must not chill his heart by probing his secrets."
Ling Tianjiao hesitated, saying, "But..."
His words were cut short by Ling Tianqing: "Second Brother, I know your concerns, but think about it, everyone has unspeakable secrets. If we insist on investigating to the bottom, wouldn't everyone in the Ling family feel insecure? Doing so would not only lose a peerless genius but also the cohesion of the entire Ling family."
Ling Tianjiao seemed to understand, and after a moment of silence, said, "Brother is right, I understand."
"It's good that you understand. The most important thing for a family is unity. Never let trivial matters cause disunity among family members. If that happens, the Ling family will not be far from ruin." Ling Tianqing offered a subtle smile as he gazed at the tranquil white clouds drifting outside the window, a glimmer of anticipation shining in his eyes.
"What a blessing from Heaven! A peerless genius who saw through the weaknesses of the Canglang Sword Art is actually a member of my Ling family. Could it be that the mysterious old man's divination back then has come true in this child?"
...
At the same time, at the City Lord's Mansion.
Ye Xiaotian sat on the chair symbolising the highest status and power in Qingcheng. After listening to his subordinate's report, he was also greatly shocked. Even though he held an official position, he wasn't consumed by a thirst for power. Instead, he pursued the cultivation of the Great Dao and had a genuine passion for sparring.
Therefore, at the beginning of his tenure, he specifically went to the Ling family to seek guidance on the Canglang Sword Art, which was famous throughout Qingcheng. He deeply understood its power; once struck by one of its sword qi, one had no choice but to endure the subsequent attacks, with no way to dodge. He had only endured it by relying on his formidable cultivation at the Foundation Establishment stage.
"The Canglang Sword Art, hailed as invincible in Qingcheng, was completely broken by a mere fourteen-year-old child. This is truly incredible. Could it be that this child has already touched upon that legendary realm?"
Ye Xiaotian muttered to himself, his tiger-like eyes containing an indescribable meaning.
...
The reactions of the heads of the other two major families, however, were vastly different upon hearing the news.
The Qi family head's face was filled with regret, sighing repeatedly, "What a pity, such a peerless talent was born into their Ling family. Why doesn't my Qi family have such good fortune?"
The Fang family head, on the other hand, was furious, immediately summoning the family's assassins and issuing a kill order.
"I don't care what method you use; in short, get the weaknesses of the Canglang Sword Art from that boy named Ling Xian, and then, kill him!"
In any case, regardless of whether the reactions of the major forces were good or bad, the entire upper circle of Qingcheng was shocked by this matter. Ling Xian's name also entered the eyes of the heads of Qingcheng's major forces and was deeply imprinted in their minds.
His radiance was dazzling, extremely brilliant.
The whole of Qingcheng was left in a state of stunned disbelief at Ling Xian's seemingly effortless yet groundbreaking achievement!