They all became female demons after being reborn.

Chapter 32 Something without the heart of the sword!

Wu Cheng was not in a hurry to go to Jian Ge.

He practiced for a while longer, and in his own words, he waited until he could switch back and forth between the endurance mode and the burst mode without any more sluggishness before going back to the small courtyard behind the mountain to boil a bucket of water and take a bath. After changing his clothes, he headed to the Sword Pavilion.

Wu Cheng didn't know where Jian Ge was, but Gong Yuqing had said before he left that there was a large bamboo forest there. He could see through the clouds that the mountainside of another mountain was covered with bamboo forest.

The morning mist had not yet dissipated, and dewdrops from the previous night still clung to the bamboo leaves on both sides of the mountain path. The temperature here was slightly cool, but it made Wu Cheng, who had just washed away the fatigue of the night, feel refreshed.

However, as he passed through the bamboo forest, he saw a tall, upright man wearing a gray-blue Sword Pavilion disciple's robe standing with his back to him by the path ahead.

Performance art?

Wu Cheng glanced at him out of the corner of his eye, then walked past and continued on his way.

"Oh my!"

A cold voice came from behind him, and Wu Cheng stopped and turned around.

At this moment, the person had turned around, revealing a face with strong, cold lines and high brow bones.

This person looks to be in his early twenties.

Wu Cheng looked around in confusion, then asked, "Is that me, Senior Brother?"

The man didn't answer, but instead looked up at the bamboo leaves at a forty-five-degree angle, his voice still calm, "What do you think a sword is?"

Without a second thought, Wu Cheng replied, "A sword is a weapon."

The bamboo grove was quiet for a moment.

The man frowned slightly, staring intently at Wu Cheng. "You're the sect leader's newest disciple yesterday?"

Wu Cheng nodded. "What guidance do you have, Senior Brother?"

The man then asked, "Why do you study swordsmanship?"

"Because he's handsome," Wu Cheng replied.

The man fell silent again.

Wu Cheng cupped his hands in greeting, "If there's nothing else, Senior Brother, I'll take my leave."

"Wait," the man called out to Wu Cheng.

Wu Cheng turned around, his eyes filled with doubt.

The man said in a deep voice, "After meeting Junior Sister Qingque yesterday, the Pavilion Master said that she has exceptional talent and is a once-in-a-century sword genius. Among her peers, only Junior Sister Bai's sword talent is no less than hers."

Wu Cheng nodded. "Indeed."

He had witnessed Qingque's sword hidden in her umbrella; she was an extremely fast swordsman, and neither the guards of the Divine Pivot Camp nor Shen Tu Lie of the Burial Path could gain the upper hand against her.

It was only natural that the three-nothing Dugu Pavilion Master praised her.

The man stared intently at Wu Cheng. "But Junior Sister Qingque said that your swordsmanship talent far surpasses hers, and even Junior Sister Bai did not deny it."

"I'm very curious about what kind of sword heart someone must have to be to make Junior Sister Qingque say such things and Junior Sister Bai agree with them, so I waited here before dawn."

The man, sword in hand, took a few steps forward and stopped about ten feet away from Wu Cheng. "But your answer just now disappointed me greatly. You said that the sword is just a weapon to you, and that you learned swordsmanship merely because it looks good... You have no heart for the sword!"

He paused, then said, "You are not worthy to learn swordsmanship."

Wu Cheng smirked. So this guy has a case of chuunibyou (middle school syndrome).

He simply took out the bronze talisman that Gong Yuqing had given him. "This is a Sword Pavilion learning talisman bestowed by my master. With this talisman, I can enter the Sword Pavilion and learn swordsmanship under Uncle Dugu. Does Senior Brother intend to stop me, who possesses the sect leader's decree?"

The man's expression froze, and he stammered, "No, that's not what I meant."

Well, the air of a master swordsman he once possessed has almost completely vanished.

Wu Cheng tilted his head. "What does 'senior brother' mean?"

The man took a deep breath and straightened his face again. "My surname is Xue, and my given name is Jianren. You are a junior brother who has just entered the sect, so I don't want to bully you. If you can withstand three of my sword strikes, I will let you pass."

His gaze was fixed on the long sword at Wu Cheng's waist, a wooden sword that Wu Cheng had brought back when he went back to change his clothes.

Wu Cheng smiled, "Senior Brother Xue's name... is quite unique."

Xue Jianren's face flushed instantly. "This is the name my father gave me! He was so engrossed in reading those stories that he dreamed of learning swordsmanship! But he didn't have the talent, so he gave me this name and sent me to the Wentian Sect to learn swordsmanship! It wasn't me who came up with this name!"

Wu Cheng suppressed a laugh, "Uncle's name is quite fitting, but you don't need three swords, one is enough."

Xue Jianren was taken aback, then nodded, "That's true. You're still young, and I shouldn't bully you. So, I'll just use one sword."

But then he saw Wu Cheng bend down and casually pick up a bamboo stick from the ground.

Xue Jianren's gaze sharpened. "What do you mean by this!"

Wu Cheng smiled faintly and said, "Senior Brother Xue, you've probably misunderstood. When I said 'one sword,' I meant......"

Before he finished speaking, the bamboo branch in his hand pierced Xue Jianren's body in an instant!

Xue Jianren's pupils dilated suddenly! He instinctively drew his longsword to parry!

But the next moment he felt a lightness, followed by a pain in his buttocks, and he staggered forward several steps before regaining his balance.

Only then did Wu Cheng's voice ring out beside him, "This sword..."

Wu Cheng casually tossed the bamboo branch aside and asked with a smile, "Senior Brother Xue, am I allowed to enter the Sword Pavilion now?"

At this moment, Xue Jianren's face still showed a bewildered expression, as if he was wondering, "Where am I? Who am I? What am I doing?"

Upon hearing Wu Cheng's words, he opened his mouth, then looked down at the half-broken longsword in his hand, then at the undamaged bamboo branch, and then silently stepped aside.

"Thank you, Senior Brother Xue."

Wu Cheng politely cupped his hands in greeting, then walked past him into the depths of the bamboo forest.

After rounding a bend, the eaves of the Jianmen Pass were already faintly visible in the morning mist.

A graceful figure leaned against a bamboo stalk not far away.

Bai Suying was holding a sword in her arms, smiling as she looked at him. She had clearly seen what had just happened.

"Junior brother, why are you bullying people so early in the morning?"

Wu Cheng rolled his eyes. "Senior Sister, you didn't stop that Senior Brother Xue, and you even joined Qing Que in praising me. Isn't that just so I can use that Senior Brother Xue to establish my authority?"

"Junior brother, you're wronging me," Bai Suying said with a smile. "I was just telling the truth. What does it have to do with me if someone impulsively tries to provoke you?"

Wu Cheng clicked his tongue. "No wonder you're the young sect leader, Senior Sister."

A true strategic maneuver is not some elaborate scheme, but rather using the human nature of others to provide corresponding conditions.

There will always be willing people who will take the bait.

"Junior brother, you have such a bad heart! How could you think of your senior sister like that?"

Bai Suying smiled and walked shoulder to shoulder with him toward the Sword Pavilion. "Let's go, don't keep them waiting."

As they walked, Wu Cheng asked curiously, "Senior Sister, what's Uncle Dugu's personality like?"

Understanding the other person's personality is crucial for addressing the problem effectively, preventing you from accidentally saying the wrong thing and offending them.

Bai Suying smiled and kept everyone in suspense, saying, "Don't think too much about it, you'll find out when the time comes."

After a pause, she said with a slight trouble in her eyes, "But how should I put it... should I say it's simple or troublesome? If she doesn't like you, she won't pay any attention to you at all."

Wu Cheng nodded slightly. "Then I understand."

She's just a pretty self-centered person.

The scene in the main hall yesterday flashed through his mind. At that time, the other senior uncles were all looking at him, but only Senior Uncle Dugu was in a daze.

He became even more curious about Dugu Moli.