Chapter 18-The Child that Matured Early

The young man's appearance was ordinary, but he was a master of swordsmanship!

The Swordsmanship-seeking Sect was indeed the largest sect in the thousand-mile radius. Its power was unfathomable.

The young man dressed ordinarily and did not seem to be someone important. However, his swordsmanship was stunning. Could it be that the Swordsmanship-seeking Sect disciples were all so talented?

Everyone was shocked.

Clang!

Just then, a cluster of sparks suddenly erupted in the battle.

This was the first time Ding Hao's rusted sword and Chen Wu's long sword met.

The two figures collided and parted immediately.

Ding Hao swayed, but his expression remained unchanged. He kept his sword and stood on the spot.

However, Chen Wu stumbled and took four or five steps back. His face flushed red and then, he gained his foothold.

Chen Wu breathed in rapidly and held his sword by its hilt with the sword pointing down. This was the standard etiquette when acknowledging defeat. He put his fists together and said, "Young friend, good sword skills. Chen Wu has learned his lesson." With that, he turned to return to the riders in the distance and did not say anything else.

Chen Wu had lost?!

The burly young man Xiao Chengxuan who had been watching by the side had an odd glint in his eyes. Li Canyang was also stunned speechless.

The two were about Ding Hao's age and had been well-educated since they were young. They thought that they were already outstanding amongst their peers. But compared to the young man wearing rough cloth clothing before them...they feared that they could not even hold against Ding Hao's lightning-fast sword.

The arrogant Li Yiruo also stared at him with wide eyes. She could not believe what she had just seen.

"You're young, and yet you're arrogant and unreasonable. You humiliate others casually just because of a minor incident just because you hold power. How can someone like you be qualified to enter the Swordsmanship-seeking Sect? Remember, just because you have a powerful family does not mean that they can protect your ludicrous and pathetic pride forever. If you don't fix your horrible habit, one day, your arrogance will cause the destruction of you and your family!"

Ding Hao stared at Li Yiruo coldly, scolding her unsparingly.

The ethereally beautiful young girl wilted under his rebuke. She was angry but did not dare to speak.

This was the first time Li Yiruo ever felt so scared.

The young man before her did not only have stunning swordsmanship. What was even more terrifying was that he had a noble and awe-inspiring aura. No matter how highly Li Yiruo thought of herself, she could not help but feel inferior right now. A sense of inferiority filled her heart and she lowered her head, not daring to say anything.

Ding Hao laughed loudly, feeling extremely satisfied.

Moments later, he turned around to help the mysterious girl and the little girl with goat-horn braids up and they walked into the distance.

It was not until she saw that Ding Hao had walked far away before Li Yiruo came back to her senses. She did not dare to believe that a man like that had taught her a lesson and she had not dared to retort. She gritted her teeth and scolded angrily, "Bastard, you'll regret it one day." However, she dare not say it loudly, afraid that Ding Hao would hear her, feeling extremely upset.

No changes happened after that.

Perhaps it was because of this unpleasant incident, everyone felt awkward.

As such, the parties from Xiyang town and Qingyang Town did not stay by the Sword-cleansing Pond for too long. After a hurried lunch, they quickly packed up their camp and left to climb up the mountain.

...

By the Sword-cleansing Pond.

Ding Hao started to sway when the two parties left. His face was pale white.

There were traces of blood on the five fingers of his right hand, and they flowed down his fingers.

He rolled up his sleeves gently to see green veins exploding beneath his right forearm. There were thin and dense wounds on it.

This was caused by the shock from the Qi of Chen Wu's long sword.

The true strength of the mustached rider was above that of a Three acupoint Martial Student. He was three major levels higher than Ding Hao, who was about to enter the Martial Student level.

If not for his miraculous encounter in the Great Abyss cliff cave, causing his body to become terrifyingly strong, Ding Hao's arm would have already been broken when the two swords met earlier.

"My physical strength is above that of the mustached rider, which is why I can make him back away on pure strength alone. However, in terms of Qi cultivation, the difference between us is too big. I will be injured as long as we meet...However, with such practical combat experience, I have learned a lot."

Ding Hao closed his eyes and sat cross-legged by the pond. He thought silently about his gains and losses in the battle earlier.

Meanwhile, he carefully moved the Qi in his diaphragm and nourished his arm, slowly healing it.

After a moment, his arm suddenly felt cold.

Ding Hao opened his eyes in shock.

He saw the tanned and thin mysterious young girl. Her head was lowered as she silently and gently used a clean rough cloth to wash the wound on his arm.

"Are you alright?"

When she saw Ding Hao opening his eyes, the mysterious young girl who had been silent all this while lowered her head slightly.

Her voice was crystal clear; it was a pleasing sound that was like pearls falling on to a jade plate. It was the sound of angels.

Ding Hao was stunned. He did not think that the slender girl would possess such a moving voice.

Speaking of which, she had not uttered a sound even when she had been whipped by the maidservant Qiu Shuang. Ding Hao thought that the girl was really mute.

"It's alright, it's just a small injury. I'll do it myself."

Ding Hao took the wet cloth from her. He went to the side of the pond and tried to clean the wound on his arm.

After his curious encounter in the cave, his body had grown terrifyingly strong. His also healed extremely fast and his wounds were already inconsequential.

"That...thank you for just now." The mysterious young girl said softly.

"You're welcome." Ding Hao stopped by the side of the pond and washed his face. He asked curiously, "Could it be...that you're here to join the Swordsmanship-seeking Sect's entrance exam?"

"Yup."

"You brought the little girl through the wilderness alone?"

"Yup."

Ding Hao took a deep breath of cold air.

After a pause, he smiled and said, "You're really lucky that you didn't encounter any beasts."

Otherwise, with the girl's weak strength, she definitely would not be able to escape. Even the weakest and smallest beast would be able to tear the sisters into shreds within seconds. However, looking at the girl's injuries and torn and tattered clothing, she must have endured plenty of hardship on the journey. Her palms and naked soles were torn and bleeding and filled with scabs.

Ding Hao thought for a moment and took out his small sack where he put his trinkets. He took out his clean robe made of rough cloth and handed it to her. He said, "There is a shallow pool behind the tree there. Wash the dirt off you and change into this set of clothing. Otherwise, you can't join the entrance exam looking like this."

The young girl hesitated for a moment and then thanked him softly. She did not act bashfully and accepted the clothing. She turned around and went behind the large tree nearby. Soon, the sounds of water splashing could be heard.

The little girl with the goat-horn braid had been hidden in the basket and was not dirty. Her clothes were also very clean.

The child blinked her black pearl-like watery eyes while eating Ding Hao's dried goods gustily. She said with familiarity, "Big brother, you're really awesome. Your sword skills are good and you're rather handsome. Why don't I introduce to you a super beautiful girl."

Ding Hao almost spat with a puff.

The little girl must be a talent. She was only two or three and already knew how to eat meat biscuits by herself and was so logical and clear when speaking. Could it be that all children of this world matured early?