35 Not even a chance

"Amazing! Such jaw-dropping speed! Truly, sir Ming does deserve to be conferred as one of the 30 Heroic Swords of the Empire!"

"Such stunning performance! I don't think I've seen anything like it! I wish I could see just how many attacks had been performed. Otherwise, I could have bragged this to my friends for weeks!"

"Weeks?! I would have brag this for a month-- no, 3 months!"

"Exceptional! The 30 Conferred Sword Knights of the Empire are truly the cream of the crop when it comes to the Art of the Sword! It was no wonder that the Hero Swords chose them to wield for justice."

The Crowd went on and on with their endless chatter. Stunned, astounded, impressed, awed, respect can be seen in the gazes when they stared at these talented swords. And fervent gazes of countless women were directed at Ben Li, seemingly passionate stares belonging to maidens in love were directed at him.

And Ben Li stood quietly before the crowd as heave a heavy sigh. Strong emotions were emitted by his sword aura, like those who are lonely in the world for being too awesome in their glory.

Eventually, Ben Li felt a bit thirsty right now and he needed a drink. In this slightly dehydrated state reminded him of that wine Shao Zhang had put down on Tyrant's table. Turning his head over, he saw that the wine glass was missing from where it should be.

Sending a questioning gaze towards Tyrant, he saw the guy shrugged his shoulders and pointed at a specific direction.

Turning his head over again, he saw a man whom he hadn't noticed, took his wine in his hand and drank it in his leisure.

The man looked to be in his mid 20s if you ignore the fact he was actually 240 years old. Straight, long hair hung down from his head like a crown of black waterfalls, he had skinny face that seemed like cyan-colored jade carved by an artisan's knife and turned it into a work of art. It was a face of a scar-less warrior. And if he cried for battle and honor, then his facial expressions would have been awesome.

His eyes were like pearls that belong to his mother, yet if one looked closer enough, one may see that it was slightly trembling from agitation. Indicating the madness of his ambition that he envisioned.

And what he wore for tonight's party now was what Ming Jian Ming was also wearing. A tight-fitting traditional attire, only with much longer, baggy sleeves and different from how Ming Jian Ming wears them, the man had all the ribbon strings untied and let his black as the night clothes hung and flutter amidst the breeze.

His presence was particularly attracting as well. Not because he was fairly attractive himself, but it was because of his aura freely emanating out as he breaths the Spiritual Energy around him.

The aura was treacherously sharp just as expected from a sword cultivator, but even such sharpness of an aura couldn't be replicated by some ordinary sword master. In fact, not even fellow Holy Saint Daoists of his peer could exuded such sharpness. Not even Ming Jian Ming herself.

Staring at this man, you would perhaps feel that if you stared a bit longer, then you'll find yourself sundered into trimmed feathers a second later.

Speaking of feathers, if one also observes this man's bearings, one may see black transparent feathers swaying down from the top of his background. It was if those feathers were from him as he had flapped down descending to the ground with his feathers falling from his wings.

Those feathers continue to sway weakly down towards the ground. Yet, those feathers haven't touched the ground as of yet and continue to animate an illusion of swaying from the love of gravity for all eternity.

Seeing this man with all his amazing aura exuding and all those pestering feathers falling as he tried to recall in Ming Jian Ming's memories, Ben Li had the stifling urge to spurt blood.

This shameless, treacherous, remorseless, bitch-stabbing double-crossing scammer of a...

"Master...?" Ben Li tried his best to suppress the stifling sensation rising up in his throat and bowed with clasped hands immediately. But while he did so, his body position, being bent down from the waist, shook his throat and the blood in it almost made its way into his mouth.

Enduring the iron, salty taste that almost seeped out from his lips, he straightened his body and saw that the man whom he called master had gave him a small nod, finished what's left of the wine, made a satisfied expression... And immediately walked away.

Hey! That was my wine, you son of a bitch!

"You said something about my mother, little brat?" as if the man had heard Ben Li's incessant cursing in his head, the man abruptly turned around and gave him a cold, foreboding gaze.

"No, I didn't." suppressing the strong urge to scream like the girl she was, Ben Li replied without delay as he was instantly pressured by such gaze. A gaze that could only be produced by whom Ming Jian Ming most feared in this entire world. With such pressure, even Ben Li could only tilt his head down meekly and avoid eye-contact with such a person.

"That better be the truth." scoffed the man as he retracted his gaze and gave no further thought. Which made Ben Li quite pissed that he was relieved. Yet, it seems that he'll have to endure how soaked his back was from all the sweating.

If anyone else who didn't know who this man was were to hear their conversation, they would have been astounded how arrogant, rude and disrespectful this man was towards Ming Jian Ming, a man whose heroism was awed and inspiring for the whole Empire. Even going as far as to give give him such a deadly gaze. A gaze that seemed it would kill Ming Jian Ming if he said the wrong answer.

But Ben Li didn't dare showed his dissatisfaction towards the man. In fact, even if he hadn't received Ming Jian Ming's memories, he would have still feared to incur this man's wrath. Even back in Helios Dragon sect where he can run amok all he wants.

Everyone always said that there were always mountains taller than any mountains seen from the valleys. And the existence of this man before Ben Li was one such example.

If everyone said that Ming Jian Ming was the cream of the crop, then it would be thanks to this man for planting such a great crop.

If everyone said that Ming Jian Ming's swordsmanship was like a mountain for all aspiring swordmasters, then this man's swordsmanship was mount Tai before her or among her peers.

This man before him, was none other than Ming Jian Ming's master...

Master Xingjian. 3rd ranking member of the 30 Conferred Sword Knights.

Current wielder of the Swords of Judgement; Good and Evil.

To Ming Jian Ming, Xingjian was an existence that was part of her life. He was the one who brought her here to where she stood. He was the one who raised her to who she is today. And he was the one who saved him from death that took hold of her soul all those years ago.

And for that, she was eternally grateful and internally ungrateful. Because who would have known this evil scammed who robbed every one of their Natal Swords would had chosen her as his 2nd disciple?

Definitely not the ashamed Ming Nina Ming of course.

Master and disciple they were. And the best sword duo the Empire could boast of. As their foundations of their swordplay came from the same origin, naturally, they had great affinity for one another. Except that one didn't need her help even when he's ditched with death and the other couldn't look at him in the eye because she was too frightened like a kitty cat. Thus, these two master and disciple were rarely seen together.

Now that they've reunited, Ming Jian Ming thought this moment was the best opportunity to display her improvements to her master in order to show honor to his teachings and have disciples of my own!

Yes, this is indeed the best time to do so and catch up with big senior who had disciples of his own!

Alright, I'm going to impress him so damn hard that he'll have to beg me to go and recruit disciples and pass my awesome teachings to them. Then my own brats will show who's boss!

That's right. Now is the perfect time! I've been eyeing on that Lu Chong kid for quite some time now so I want to take him right now or else some nobody master is going to see his potential and take him from me...

Various thoughts flashed inside Ben Li's head and he was amazed how these thoughts, which didn't belong to him in the first place, were so fluidly raced and paced using his consciousness. He even seemed to detect a sense of desire among these thoughts. A desire so heavy and compulsive that it seemed it would drown his personality under and replace him as Ming Jian Ming.

Some say that powerful memories tend to trigger and provoke thoughts that overthrow one's sense of rationality. And what Ben Li seemed to experience right now was somewhat similar to that circumstance.

The reminiscing and appearance of her master has provoked the thoughts buried deep in her memories. Along with the desire to impress her master with her improvements as his disciple.

And suddenly, Ben Li conjured thoughts of his own.

What if there were some secrets happening here that could lead him to the memento.

Secrets that could benefit him greatly if he were to discover it.

And the memento may not be a simple object that triggered Ming Jian Ming's Memory Lane of Glorious Vicissitudes.

But those were just ifs. Ben Li had a basis for his theories but none of those matter at the moment.

Ben Li took a glance at Xingjian before looking down again to avoid eye-contact. Such a glance lasted shorter than a split second. Almost, as if he was only blinking rather than glancing. Yet, with only that instant glance, it captured the aloofness of Xingjian and only reminded him of his script that plays in the next 6 seconds. And couldn't help but shrug Ming Jian Ming's thoughts away.

Forget it, girl. You know he isn't going to be impressed no matter what you do. It's only going to make you sad if you found out what he's going to say... Such were the bitter feelings that were buried deep inside the heart of Xingjian's 2nd disciple.

Ben Li sighed in his heart how poorly Xingjian treats his 2nd disciple.

Ming Jian Ming always wanted to impress her master ever since he took his tutelage. Yet, so many years had passed and so many achievements had been committed, but Xingjian still refuses to be impressed by her potential.

Of course, given that Xingjian and seen and experienced what the world had to offer, he was no longer surprised even if the enraged Buddha had descended down to take back what he had stolen from nirvana. So, nothing fazes him anymore.

And because of that, even if Ming Jian Ming broke all the records belonging to exceptional Swordmasters, Xingjian would say "That's to be expected of my disciple" and let the audience brag about it for him.

Ben Li sighed again in his heart. How heartbreaking it is for a disciple to suppress her grievances in front of her master and keep it hidden within her heart.

Various thoughts flashed inside Ben Li's head and 6 seconds had finally passed. Even without saying anything from his script, Xingjian took the initiative to forward the memories.

"So, I hear that you have improved." said Xingjian with a voice that seemed as if he heard a bad joke. "Being able to best that masochist must have been really exhilarating, huh?

"What do you think now? Do you want to challenge me to a Damocles duel too?"

"Master, how could I ever... I would never do something so foolish..." in response to his provocation, Ben Li could only struggle to find the right words to say.

But it seems he made a bad choice of words as Xingjian scoffed at him and said.

"Foolish? You call surpassing me, your Master, 'foolish'?" his voice that only Ben Li could hear contains his anger. Almost more intense than a frustrated volcano.

"Who taught you to insult all those hard-working students striving to improve their skills and surpass their teachers? Who taught you that it was foolish to challenge me, or even try to at least impress me with your improvements? But you said that it was foolish? That's why you didn't bother to improve yourself or is that your excuse to slack off?!"

"I..." Ben Li wanted to cry, but he realized that his eyes choking and tears wouldn't come out. He looked pretty weak as he was caught tongue-tied.

Not only was Xingjian's swordsmanship sharp, his tongue was also equally witty that it could cut steel in half.

There was once a story that Xingjian got into a debate with the sages of the Empire and won over them by leaving them frustrated. As expected of the Demonlord, he shows no mercy when talking.

I was going to display my improvements, master!

Why won't you notice me?! Ben Li could hear Ming Jian Ming silently crying in the corner of his mind.

"Whatever you want to say, I don't want to hear it." just before Ben Li could speak, Xingjian stopped him and said. "Instead, show me how much you improve right now."

After saying such, he tapped his sword finger lightly in the air and sent a small SwordQi towards Ben Li.

Seeing this small SwordQi coming right for him, Ben Li's eyes shrank in apprehension.