bookbashuk Chapter 56 Physics, isn't it amazing?
Chapter 56 Physics, isn't it amazing?
It is now 9:00 AM, the auspicious time has arrived.
The river wind whistled, and I felt the gaze of nearly a hundred boats on the river and thousands of people on the riverbank.
Standing on the stage, Li Qingde felt suffocated by the gazes that combined gloating, curiosity, and indifference.
He took a deep breath, the icy river wind piercing his lungs and clearing his chaotic thoughts slightly. Then, he secretly glanced at Shen An, who sat upright and unyielding in the main seat.
Shen An didn't look at him, but calmly gazed at the river, as if the massive crowd in front of him was nothing more than a few ripples on the river.
His composure was also contagious.
When a person dies, their eggs face the sky; if they don't die, they'll live for ten thousand years. What's there to be afraid of?
He clenched his fists, which were cold from sweat, and channeled his inner energy into his throat. Although his voice still trembled slightly, it was several times louder.
"Fellow martial arts practitioners, heroes and valiant warriors! I am Li Qingde, manager of the Hundred Refinements Workshop in Hengyang. Today, my workshop is holding a sword-testing tournament here. Thank you all for your presence!"
Sparse applause broke out, only to be quickly drowned out by louder cheers.
"Stop talking nonsense! Where is Tian Boguang?"
"Exactly! What we want to see is a sword-selling pact, not your run-down shop's sword-selling event!"
Li Qingde's face paled even more, but in his heart, the so-called "one sword agreement" was also for the purpose of selling the sword this time. In any case, he had to show the Qingyin Sword.
He forcibly ignored the harsh noises and continued calmly, "Please be patient, everyone! Before the 'Sword Pact' between my senior brother Shen from Bailianfang and Mr. Tian Boguang begins, please allow me to introduce you to the true protagonist of this Bailianfang gathering. But before that, I would like to show you something."
Instead of pointing to the tray covered with red silk, he turned around and pointed to the ancient weapon rack beside Shen An.
"Please look," Li Qingde's voice grew steady, carrying a captivating air of mystery, "on this weapon rack are displayed four swords. These four swords were crafted by my Hundred Refinements Workshop in imitation of the swords of a legendary martial arts master. That master was undefeated in his life, known as the 'Sword Demon,' the Unrivaled Swordsman!"
"Invincible Swordsman?!"
The moment the name was uttered, the room fell silent for a brief moment.
Those originally noisy outlaws of the martial arts world still had some respect for this senior who possessed divine swordsmanship and had taught the Condor Heroes Yang Guo and Feng Qingyang of Mount Hua. Upon hearing his name, they all became solemn.
The three renowned figures, Lucius, Teng Yicheng, and Gu Hachiman, all wore solemn expressions. Even Liu Zhengfeng, who had been resting with his eyes closed, slowly opened them.
These elders may not believe in Fairy Qingyin, but they still believe in Dugu Qiubai.
This is exactly the effect Li Qingde wanted.
He walked up to the four swords in turn and said loudly, "The Sword Demon once said: 'Sharp and fierce, invincible, I used it to contend with the heroes of Hebei before I turned twenty. The Purple Rose Soft Sword, used before I turned thirty, was discarded into a deep valley after accidentally injuring a righteous man, which was considered unlucky. The Heavy Sword has no edge, its great skill lies in its simplicity. I relied on it to roam the world before I turned forty. After forty, I am no longer bound by material things; grass, trees, bamboo, and stones can all be swords.'"
The sound echoed across the river, clearly revealing to everyone the martial arts philosophy that a swordsman had pursued throughout his life.
The previous rumors had been distorted by word of mouth, and very few people had actually heard the original version. The atmosphere in the arena had subtly shifted from mere spectatorship to a deeper exploration and reverence for the very essence of martial arts.
After telling the story, Li Qingde slowly turned around and walked to the tray covered with red silk.
"My Hundred Refinements Workshop recently obtained, by sheer luck, the Light Sound Fairy's lost sword, which inherited the soft sword realm of Senior Dugu. Although it is not the Purple Star Soft Sword that Senior Dugu once used, it is still a blessing from heaven."
"The realm of the Sword Demon is beyond the reach of us mortals. But the desire to pursue a higher level of swordsmanship is universal. Today, my Hundred Refinements Workshop offers this humble gift to all those who pursue the 'light and graceful' swordsmanship!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly ripped off the red silk!
A longsword with an elegant design and an antique scabbard lay quietly on a piece of luxurious brocade.
"This sword was meticulously crafted by a master craftsman from my Hundred Refinements Workshop, based on the design of 'Light-On Fairy's' sword. It took several months of painstaking work, including countless hammer blows, to recreate it. Its name is—'Light-On'!"
As soon as Li Qingde finished speaking, a burst of laughter erupted from the audience.
"Haha, after all that talk, aren't you just here to sell swords?"
"Refund! Refund!"
"Boring, all I want right now is for the duel to begin immediately!"
"I want to see rivers of blood flowing right now!"
Li Qingde ignored the warning and slowly drew his sword. A clear sword light flashed in the sunlight, like a pool of autumn water disturbed by the sun.
"This sword weighs three pounds and two ounces, which is 30% lighter than an ordinary steel sword!" Li Qingde announced loudly.
"Ha! So light, it'll break at the slightest touch. It looks nice but is useless!" Someone in the audience immediately burst into a rude laugh.
Li Qingde, instead of being angry, laughed and gestured for the waiter to bring over two items: a long ponytail and a huge U-shaped horseshoe-shaped iron ingot, about half the height of a person.
He first picked up a long strand of hair, letting it fall freely. Then, with a flick of his wrist, the blade of the Soft Sound Sword silently met it. There was no sound, no obstruction. The hair landed on the blade, quietly splitting in two, and continued to fall.
"Hiss—" A collective gasp rippled through the audience. Severing a hair with a breath of air is not uncommon, but to do it so effortlessly was beyond the comprehension of many.
"What's the use of just being sharp? You have to see how strong it is!" There's never a shortage of people who will stubbornly argue back.
"That's right!" Li Qingde actually nodded. He walked to the huge iron ingot and smiled, "A good sword isn't just about sharpness." He turned to the several renowned figures in the martial arts world, "Gentlemen, thank you for your trouble!"
Several renowned figures had already spoken up and went up to him to give him a pep talk.
Even Liu Zhengfeng, who was unaware of this beforehand, couldn't resist his curiosity and tested the strength, confirming that the iron ingot was undeniably hard.
Li Qingde then handed the sword to Shen An.
Shen An took the sword and walked toward the iron ingot, and everyone thought he was going to chop it down.
But he didn't.
Shen An slapped the iron ingot with his palm, and the iron ingot immediately emitted a long and pure "humming" sound.
Then, he struck it with his sword in exactly the same rhythm.
"Clang... clang... clang..."
A crisp tapping sound came, unhurried and with a peculiar rhythm.
"What the hell? Giving a massage to a block of iron?" Laughter erupted.
However, Liu Zhengfeng's expression gradually changed. He could feel that with Shen An's tapping, a strange vibration was penetrating from the sword into the iron ingot, and was continuously amplifying and resonating inside the ingot!
Is it internal energy?
No! Liu Zhengfeng was certain that Shen An hadn't used much internal force; he had relied almost entirely on brute force to attack.
"Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!"
The frequency of the tapping increased, and the monotonous tapping sound gradually coalesced into a continuous buzzing sound. Visibly, the enormous, incredibly hard iron ingot began to tremble slightly, as if it were not a piece of dead iron, but a living thing about to be awakened!
The noise from both sides of the strait disappeared without anyone noticing.
Everyone stared wide-eyed, mouths agape, incredulously at this bizarre scene. It was beyond their understanding of martial arts; it seemed more like… demonic magic!
When the buzzing reached its peak, Shen An abruptly stopped striking, and then, with the tip of his Light Sound Sword, he gently touched the surface of the trembling iron ingot.
"Snap—"
A sickening cracking sound rang out!
The bottom of the iron ingot snapped open with a loud crash!
The entire room fell silent.