Chapter 8, The Holy Sword Warrior

As soon as these words were spoken, Roddy couldn't help but blush. He immediately recalled the long sword he had picked up last night, and straightened his chest, declaring loudly: "I am not yet a formal swordsman! But I will be! I... I have my own sword! But last night... it was taken from me!"

Rodi let out a long breath, took a step forward, and said loudly: "Just now, I let you attack; this time, it's my turn!"

Oh my, I actually competed with Mr. Qiu in front of him! I was able to withstand two of Mr. Qiu's strikes! He is recognized as a near-saint sword warrior! In fact, as long as Mr. Qiu can draw that legendary holy sword at next year's sword-drawing tournament, he will become the fourth holy sword warrior in the history of the empire, which spans hundreds of years! Such legendary figures appear only once in a century!

Nicole nodded, suddenly stood up, walked over to Mr. Qiu, leaned in close, and whispered something in his ear

Roddy still had something to say, but he noticed that Nicole was already wearing a hint of a mocking smile on her face from the chair behind him. When Roddy looked down, he discovered that the blade of the sword in his hand had already been chipped in two places. Roddy's expression immediately changed—goodness, this sword is worth several silver coins! Although it is not as good as his own sword, Roddy had originally planned to sell it after using it to exchange for some living expenses!

Nicole stamped her foot in anger and shouted, "Roddy!"

Rody had not yet reacted, and her mind was still wandering: why does she look so beautiful even when glaring...

Although Rodi was in a daze after the fall, he still foolishly murmured, "Oh my God, Mr. Qiu is going to teach me swordsmanship..."

Nicole glanced at Roddy and said lightly, "You come with me upstairs"

Rodi, with a mournful expression, said: "Not bad? You shattered my sword with just two strikes!"

Having spoken, she turned and continued to stride ahead. The two servants hurried to lift Rody and followed behind.

The middle-aged man smiled and said, "You?"

The look of frustration on Rodi's face was instantly swept away

With a clang, Rody felt as if he had been struck by a galloping horse, staggering back several steps before regaining his balance. The middle-aged man, however, did not wait for him to catch his breath, shouting, "To the right!" and immediately swung his sword down again.

Rodi had no time to adjust his posture and hurriedly grasped the hilt of the sword to parry. This time, the force was even greater than before, and Rodi was pushed back against the wall, barely managing to stand firm. However, his face had already turned beet red.

Rody followed Nicole to a two-story small building that appeared to be quite old. The two servants behind them had already stopped at a distance, not daring to follow.

Nicole glanced at Mr. Qiu's resolute expression, sighed softly, and said, "Well, then."

Rodi looked at the dilapidated small building, which seemed to have not been maintained for a long time. Withered vines and branches crawled slowly up the walls, and two towering trees blocked the sunlight, giving the place a somewhat eerie and gloomy atmosphere.

The young man blushed and exclaimed, "You are Mr. Qiu, the chief swordsman of the imperial court! My goodness, you are widely recognized as the most promising contender to draw the Holy Sword at the Sword Drawing Tournament!"

In fact, she herself did not know why she was so angry with the - picture - book! She had never been a hot-tempered person, but for some reason, every time she saw that guy with the yin-yang face, she couldn't help but get angry, as if every one of his actions could infuriate her to death—especially when he looked at her so foolishly—just thinking about what happened last night made Nicole wish she could immediately dismember that guy with a knife!

Rodi stared wide-eyed at the middle-aged man, his face filled with admiration—especially for someone like him, a novice swordsman, or rather, a prospective swordsman. Mr. Qiu was a legendary master, a figure akin to a legend! For a young swordsman, what could be more admirable than a renowned top-tier swordsman?

Mr. Qiu pondered for a moment and said with a wry smile, "However, I can offer him a little guidance; I will come over tomorrow afternoon"

"Shut up!" Nicole could no longer contain herself and turned around, exclaiming, "It seems I must teach you something." She raised her chin, slowly extended her left hand with her index finger, and pointed at Roddy from a distance, then gave a gentle flick. Without any visible gesture from her, Roddy was suddenly sent flying and landed awkwardly on the ground.

Rodi was startled and immediately snapped out of his daydreaming. Mr. Qiu had casually said, "Remember, tomorrow afternoon, I will come to this courtyard."

Is this your sword? The middle-aged man smiled, his gaze seemingly casual as it swept over the rust on the long sword

The middle-aged man nodded slightly, smiled, and glanced back at Nicole. Nicole did not speak, merely nodded in response. The middle-aged man then said loudly, "Well, then, who among you will go and retrieve this young swordsman's sword for him?"

On the left, a middle-aged man let out a light exclamation and swung his sword. The speed of this sword strike was astonishing, and Rodigan could hardly see the opponent's blade; he only felt a flash of white light coming towards his left. He could only instinctively raise his sword horizontally to block it

The middle-aged man smiled faintly, gently placing the sword in his hand back onto the chair. He turned to Nicole and said with a smile, "He is quite good! At his age, being able to withstand two of my strikes is already remarkable..."

Good! Rody immediately took up his sword and responded loudly. With a beauty before him, let alone asking him to fight someone, even if he were asked to slay a dragon, our little gentleman would not furrow his brow.

Mr. Qiu smiled faintly and said, "Alright, Miss Nicole, I have fulfilled my promise to you. This young man is indeed impressive; if I am not mistaken, he is close to reaching the level of a second-tier swordsman, much stronger than... than... than your brother." At this point, Mr. Qiu's expression seemed somewhat peculiar.

Mr. Qiu!" Rody exclaimed, "You are Mr. Qiu!"

Rodi was fully focused, intently staring at the middle-aged man, his body tense, ready to defend himself.

Rody was still foolishly staring at Nicole and Mr. Qiu—indeed, his gaze was more often fixed on Nicole. Nicole had already shot him a glare: "Fool, why aren't you thanking Mr. Qiu! He has agreed to come tomorrow to guide you in your swordsmanship!"

It seems that this middle-aged man's status is indeed quite high, as a servant immediately ran off. After a moment, the servant returned holding a long sword, which was precisely the sword that Roddy had taken last night.

Rody couldn't help but blush again, but the pride of youth made him unwilling to lose face in front of Nicole. Gritting his teeth, he straightened his chest and declared loudly: "This is indeed my sword! I have an even better one! But I didn't bring it today!"

The middle-aged man stood firm, a smile appearing on his face, and said: "Not bad, your strength is decent, and your reaction is also good. However, your defensive posture just now was a bit too tense, which made it less agile"

Mr. Qiu frowned immediately after listening, glanced at Nicole, and resolutely shook his head, saying: "No! I have said that unless it is a member of the Tulip family, I will not accept anyone else"

In his heartache, he could not help but gently stroke the sword's edge. At that moment, just as his hand pressed against the blade, the sword suddenly cracked in an instant, then shattered into seven or eight pieces, clattering to the ground, leaving Roddy with only a fragment of the hilt in his hand

The middle-aged man nodded slightly, pondered for a moment, and said: "Well then, let me see your swordsmanship. You use your sword, and I will make my move against you. Let me see how long you can hold out, shall we?"

To speak candidly, this sword is quite decent. It is important to note that within the Empire, not everyone is permitted to carry weapons in public. Although this sword appears somewhat worn, it is still relatively sharp—after all, it is a weapon given by the burly bouncer from the bar, which is already quite good.

The first thing is, from now on when you speak to me, you must address me as 'Master' at the beginning! Do not forget! Nicole shot him a cold glance

"Shut up! You idiot!" Nicole turned around and shouted angrily

The middle-aged man seemed quite interested in Roddy and the *illustrated* book. He smiled faintly and said, "Alright, I have heard that you are a swordsman. Let us first test your swordsmanship. Do you have a sword?"

At this moment, Roddy finally came to his senses completely. After a full ten seconds, he suddenly exclaimed, "Oh my God! Mr. Qiu is going to teach me swordsmanship! Oh my God! Mr. Qiu is going to teach me swordsmanship!"

Nicole glanced at Roddy and coldly said: "Shut up! Who do you think you are? Do you still believe you can defeat the gentleman? Mr. Qiu is the top swordsman in the capital! He is widely recognized as the most likely candidate to become a Holy Sword Warrior!"

In his current state of ecstasy, Rodi could no longer care about so many things. He broke free from the two servants who were holding him, bouncing and skipping to the front, and exclaimed: "Did Mr. Qiu really say he would teach me swordsmanship just now? Is it true? Is it true?"

The middle-aged man smiled slightly, bent down to pick up a broad sword from the chair, glanced at Roddy, and said calmly: "Alright, pay attention, I am about to make my move"

Rody felt a vague sense of unease in his heart

At this moment, Rody's face turned completely pale, and he felt an overwhelming sense of despair within.

Nicole walked ahead in a huff

Nicole shot Rody a glance and said to the servant in the yard: "Take him away! Bring him the thing that was prepared last night!"

Nicole turned and walked towards the east side of the courtyard, while two servants immediately came up, pushing and pulling Rody to follow behind her

Roddy immediately felt a strange sensation; the middle-aged man before him must be a warrior! Moreover, based on Roddy's intuition, he was certainly a swordsman! Roddy himself could not clearly articulate where this feeling came from, but he was absolutely certain of it

Having finished speaking, the master of swordsmanship turned around and left gracefully