Chapter 45: The Eternal Flame List

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio  Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

“Are you going to practice your sword movements? Follow me. I know a place,” Hong Feiyu said.

“Really? Thanks!” Of course Jiang Chen wouldn’t refuse him.

Then Jiang Chen followed Hong Feiyu to a quiet bamboo forest. They followed a trail over to a pavilion.

Around the pavilion was a space paved with pebbles.

Hardly had they come close to it when they heard the brandishing of sword.

Jiang Chen and Hong Feiyu looked at each other and walked closer with curiosity.

Soon a woman’s slim figure became visible to them. She was wearing a white sweatsuit. Her long hair was fluttering while she moved, agile as a cat.

When she turned her face so they could see it, Jiang Chen saw she was a beauty. Her eyes were like two lakes, deep and full.

However, what really attracted Jiang Chen was this woman’s swordsmanship. She had mastered the sword point.

Hong Feiyu stopped. He said in a low voice, not sure whether they should go up to her or not, “That’s Sister Wen Xin.”

But Jiang Chen had already walked over. The space here was quite big. He had been idling around for half the day, so he didn’t want to waste any more time.

“It should be fine.”

Hong Feiyu hurried to follow him and greeted the woman, “Sister Wen Xin.”

The woman nodded at him with a serious expression. Her beautiful eyes were cold. People would think she was in a bad mood from seeing her expression.

And she was indeed in a bad mood. Jiang Chen had noticed she kept practicing the same sword movement, but always failed.

“My friend, don’t be so rude.”

Hong Feiyu was embarrassed when he found Jiang Chen was staring at the woman.

“All right.”

Jiang Chen also thought he’d better mind his own business, so he took out his long sword and started to practice with his right hand, but his skill with his right hand was far worse than with his left hand.

Hong Feiyu didn’t see anything wrong, since his level was almost the same as Jiang Chen’s right-hand skill level.

Ding!

Suddenly, a metallic clang interrupted Jiang Chen and Hong Feiyu.

The two looked over. It turned out Wen Xin had harshly thrown her sword onto the ground. She was in a rage.

Hong Feiyu was scared by her and tried to leave with Jiang Chen.

But to his surprise, Jiang Chen walked over to pick the sword up. He stroked the blade and said, “It’s a good sword. You shouldn’t treat it like that.”

Wen Xin stared at him with piercing eyes.

“It’s not because your skill isn’t good enough that you couldn’t exert that movement. It’s because you are absent-minded,” Jiang Chen said without noticing her look.

“Absent-minded?”

Jiang Chen said, “You are close to get the spirit of the sword. The swordsmanship that you exert when you master the spirit of the sword is an artistic conception. You are unable to engage in it wholeheartedly right now.”

“How did you know? I saw you practicing just now. Your level looks just so-so,” Wen Xin said in a doubtful tone. If it were not for the confident expression on his face, she would have lost her temper.

“It’s not important how I knew. There is no harm in listening to my advice. Don’t think too much when you exert your movement. Pay more attention to feeling its artistic conception.”

Wen Xin sneered, “If you know who I am, you should know my fame from the Eternal Flame List.”

“The Eternal Flame List?!” Jiang Chen was surprised. He had heard about it at the inn.

In the Fire Field, there was the Master List. People on the list were all powerful men who had real stuff and a solid position in the Fire Field.

However, it was too difficult to get onto the Master List for youngsters. After all, people who got onto it were at least middle-aged.

So someone invented the Eternal Flame List, targeting the new generation of people under the age of twenty-five.

People were always enthusiastic about rankings. The Eternal Flame List had only existed for ten years, but it had already become very popular throughout the Xia Dynasty, and even in the Fire Field.

All youngsters would feel honored if they could make it onto this list.

The Master List only ranked the top one hundred masters, while the Eternal Flame List ranked the top one thousand great youngsters, since there were more young people.

Even so, it was not easy to get onto the list.

It made sense that Wen Xin was proud of herself. She was ranked 800 on the Eternal Flame List. It was a high rank for people of Ninedragons.

Jiang Chen’s instruction was a bit funny from her perspective.

“I don’t know who you are. I said it with good intentions. It doesn’t matter if you don’t want to take my advice.” Jiang Chen’s reaction was quite plain.

“Okay, I’ll try it.” Wen Xin took her treasured sword. This time she didn’t rush to exert the movement, but kept her eyes gently shut and started to adjust her respiratory rhythm.

Jiang Chen took a few steps back. He had only pointed out her problem. Wen Xin would take however long she needed to resolve it.

But no matter how long, she would find he was right.

“Great!”

Hong Feiyu gave him a thumbs-up. He said with admiration, “You are the first one in Ninedragons to talk to Sister Wen Xin like this.”

He had been worried that Jiang Chen would be scolded by her.

It was to his surprise that Wen Xin actually took Jiang Chen’s advice.

In her final analysis, she was influenced by his confidence.

“Ah!” Suddenly Wen Xin exclaimed with a pleasant surprise.

Jiang Chen was shocked. Did Wen Xin succeed in only one try?

If so, her talent was really great.

“Wait,” Wen Xin said to Jiang Chen. She walked over to him. Her frustration had disappeared. She asked him, “Who is your master?”

“What do you mean?” Jiang Chen didn’t understand her question.

“I mean your sword master.”

Wen Xin had tried Jiang Chen’s advice. Although she hadn’t succeeded, she had found what the problem was. And it was exactly what Jiang Chen had told her.

But she had seen Jiang Chen’s level, so she had no way to believe Jiang Chen had the ability to give her instructions. She thought he must have had a good master.

“I don’t have any master,” Jiang Chen told her the truth.

He felt strange when he saw the confused expression on Wen Xin’s face.

Ever since he left the Hundred Thousand Mountains, no one had believed him.

For example, when he said he wanted to join the Natural Law School, everyone looked at him in an unbelievable manner.

Wen Xin was feeling the same at that moment.

“I don’t believe you. People who could give such instructions must have reached a high level.” Wen Xin was very direct. She was as sharp as a razor.

“First of all, it’s none of my business that you don’t believe me. Secondly, I instructed you and you found my instructions were right, so you should be grateful to me instead of questioning me.”

Maybe Hong Feiyu would be influenced by Wen Xin, but Jiang Chen wouldn’t.

Wen Xin looked very surprised, since no one had ever dared speak to her like this.

It made Hong Feiyu nervous, too. He wanted to tell Jiang Chen something, but didn’t know how to start.

“Don’t you know who I am?” Wen Xin asked.

“Your name is Wen Xin. That’s all I know.”

To their surprise, Wen Xin smiled, which was very rare for her. Her smile made her look more beautiful.

Hong Feixu couldn’t believe what he had seen. He rubbed his eyes to convince himself he wasn’t dreaming.

“What’s your name?”

“Jiang Chen.”

“You’re new here?”

“Yes.”

Jiang Chen vaguely sensed that she wasn’t just an average woman.

At this moment, they heard some footsteps in the bamboo forest. It sounded like many people were coming.

Jiang Chen knew one of them. It was the youngster who had stopped him from entering the square.

The others were also coming from the square, where they had been practicing.

Yang Jianwei was among them as well.

Taking a closer look, Jiang Chen found that the guy was good-looking. He was tall and strong, with dark eyebrows, but he displayed an arrogance that made people uncomfortable.

“Princess.” He came up to Wen Xin and greeted her passionately.

“Princess?”