I Can See Your Combat Power
Chapter 1482 - Chapter 1482 Chapter 1 The Country of the Swordsman_2

Chapter 1482: Chapter 1: The Country of the Swordsman_2 Chapter 1482: Chapter 1: The Country of the Swordsman_2 Watching her utterly disheveled second brother, Xu Shuhui couldn’t help but turn her head away, realizing the source of Xu Lao Ying’s particularly quirky temperament.

During the light-hearted chatter, the merchant ship docked at Kun Island, and Xu Changge, who had returned to his serious demeanor in an instant, was about to give orders, but instead saw many old friends filing down one after another.

There were Xu Shijing from the Flowing Water Sword Sect of Middle Ying City, Xu Jinyang from the Mingxin Sword Sect, Xu Feihua from the Qingmu Sword Sect, Xu Kegu from the Scarlet Sword Sect, Xu Chunyang from the Red Flame Sword Sect…

Not only were these men his old friends but also significant figures in the sword factions of Middle Ying City. He hadn’t expected them to come in person to greet him in response to just an invitation letter. Who else could command such respect besides the Sword Masters of various cities?

Feeling honored and touched, Xu Changge opened his arms wide, proudly moving towards his smiling friends for a warm welcome.

Meanwhile, the old friends, who hadn’t met in a long time, were also eagerly jumping off the ship and landing with broad smiles of excitement.

What sincere friendship this was!

Xu Changge, moved in his heart, was about to give thanks when Xu Jinyang forcefully pulled him aside, causing Changge to stagger as a crowd brushed past him.

Turning back in frustration, he saw his friends had a clear target- they were all surrounding Tang Luo, whose hearty smiles made one’s teeth ache with their sweetness.

“I’m Xu Shijing from the Flowing Water Sword Sect, your mother is my wife’s third sister, you can call me your cousin Uncle.”

“And me, I’m your cousin Uncle too, since your mother’s second sister is my wife. She insisted I invite you and your family to visit the Mingxin Sword Sect as soon as she heard you were coming back!”

“Jinyang, that’s not fair; after such a long journey, shouldn’t the family rest for a few days? You’re all so eager, like wolves, don’t scare them off. There’s a proper order to these things. Once they’ve rested, they naturally should spend some time at the Scarlet Sword Sect. My Fang’er has been missing her little sister terribly.”

It was only then, in his bewilderment, that Tang Luo realized that all those rushing off the ship were his relatives from Yuanzhou.

Cousin Uncles one, two, and three, and even more distant relations, their extremely targeted enthusiasm was almost suffocating.

And on the other side, Tang Sen’s family, feeling somewhat neglected, especially Xu Shuhui, recalls that during her last visit to her relatives, she hadn’t seen her cousins and brothers-in-law be so affectionate.

But now with their eldest son returning, these people acted like they were the best in the world, terrifyingly sincere.

Just as Tang Luo was about to be overwhelmed by the crowd, Xu Changge could not contain his irritation any longer. Gritting his teeth, he shoved everyone aside, cursing, “Back off, all of you, back the hell off! I’m the real cousin Uncle here; it’s not your place to claim kinship!”

After clearing the crowd, like a little chick, Xu Changge shielded Tang Luo and roared at the friends he was about to embrace moments earlier, “We don’t need your boats, piss off, all of you, piss off!”

Decades of friendship weren’t something a few harsh words could dissolve. The shoved aside friends didn’t take offense but kept winking and waving at Tang Luo, completely disregarding Xu Changge.

Quivering with anger, Xu Changge jumped up to expose their true intentions, “Listen to your cousin Uncle, big nephew, these are all just swordsmen, and it doesn’t matter if you recognize them or not. They’re a crafty bunch, trying to trick you into protecting their third-rate sword factions, don’t fall for it!”

Their true motives uncovered, the faces of the group of swordsmen changed, as they pointed at Xu Changge and started to bring up the past, berating him for being ungrateful and spouting all kinds of confusing accusations.

Fights over women, impersonating others in swordplay contests, stealing treasures from reputable factions for show-off, entangling everyone with carrying the Divine Sword Army leader around in a sack… There was an atmosphere of merriment by the shore of Kun Island.

In the end, the Tang Clan did use the boats of these relatives, and certainly not because cousin Uncle was willing to accept this tarnished history, but because these swordsmen had rented every boat at the dock. Without borrowing from them, the Tang Clan would’ve had to swim to the shore.

However, after the commotion at the shore, they all recognized the purpose of their visit.

They were all here for Tang Luo, and their intentions were clear: they wanted him to protect their Sword Sect.

Sword techniques are, after all, killing techniques. The ranks of sword factions have always been determined through combat, so challenging and being challenged is the sword factions’ daily routine.

The best wound medicine from Xiehe emerged from such frequent dueling, and now, many venerable sword academies in Ying City are facing a certain predicament.

People tend to prefer novel over the familiar, which is particularly prominent in the path of the sword. As some of the earliest sword intents that formed systematic schools, like Flowing Water, Qingmu, and Red Flame, they are now incapable of delving deeper into the study of rare sword intents. As standalone sword intents, they have reached their peak excellence.

But the peak inevitably signifies decline. The nature of the Supreme Swordsman’s Codex of the heavens dictates that the strongest swordsmen cannot rule the world solely with a few types of sword intents.

Hence, some old Sword Sects have become basic sword intent dojos, which everyone used to aspire to.

This means that all disciples of the Xu Clan start their cultivation with these old Five Elements Sword Sects, and leave without hesitation after mastering the skills.

Under such circumstances, the Sword Sects cannot retain truly exceptional talents, causing their rankings to continually fall.

The fewer outstanding disciples there are, the more duels they lose. The more they lose, the lower their ranking.

At the core of it, this is because the senior brothers who have mastered the sword intent have all joined other sects, and they cannot be called back during sword duels.

The lower their rank, the fewer disciples they can choose for the trials of sword duels, which is even more fatal.

Therefore, to address this issue, many well-established Sword Sects have begun to seek protectors. These protectors are mostly chosen from relatives and disciples of the Xu Clan, responsible for facing challenges of various levels.

From the lowest-ranked mortal-level protectors to the highest-ranked earth-level protectors, it is equivalent to the Sword Sects employing experts as retainers.

The advantage of this approach is that it greatly alleviates the resentments of some ancient Sword Sects.

It’s not like every time someone issues a challenge, the Sword Venerable himself has to roll up his sleeves and step in.

“I understand.”

Upon understanding the concerns of his relatives from Xu Changge’s explanation, Tang Luo voiced his difficulty, “But I cannot accept. I still have hundreds of disciples to instruct here. How can I find the time to deal with such intensive challenges!”

“My great-nephew is indeed very smart. Don’t let yourself be dazzled by the price those bastards offer, and definitely don’t listen to their nonsense about how your current fame can deter challengers.”

After praising Tang Luo, Xu Changge explained, “Reputation is nothing but rubbish in the eyes of those sword fanatics. There are kids who want to challenge Longxi’s Pride, to test their own mettle in swordsmanship, who would fight their way from Middle Ying City to the eastern mountain ranges. Your cultivation is now high, and there are even more people who are eager to clash with you. If you do not join, it’s fine. But once you become the protector for a certain sect, then you might as well not do anything else. Day by day, all you need to do is prepare for challengers!”

“…”

Initially rejecting the offer based on practical grounds, Tang Luo was taken aback after the explanation, “The swordsmen in Yuanzhou are this crazy?”

“Even crazier than that!”

Xu Changge shook his head with trepidation, “Moreover, some of these sword-crazed individuals believe that the most glorious thing is to die in battle after giving their all, and some even risk their lives just to leave a ‘glorious’ mark on their enemies! Ying City has a Soul Burning Sword Sect, which never uses its own lineage of sword techniques against an enemy. But when they meet an opponent worth their full effort, they will unleash the soul sword they have nurtured for who knows how many years!”

“After a single strike, if not victoriously, one dies, but the soul sword is fierce. Even those with strong spirits who can withstand it will suffer severe injuries! Trust your uncle, with your current reputation, you’re exactly the opponent these people dream of facing!”

“….Yuanzhou’s swordsmanship environment seems quite ferocious.”

Tang Luo could hardly believe it, “Don’t the protectors of these Sword Sects get worn out by these kinds of challenges?”

“It won’t happen. Generally, those sword fanatics only draw their swords for opponents they deem worthy, and most of the time, they’re in closed-door cultivation.”

Thinking that Tang Luo was terrified by the fierce customs of Yuanzhou, Xu Changge quickly explained, “Moreover, most challenges between Sword Sects and Sword Halls are just for sparring, not life and death.”

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