Qi Xuansu had not tested the sword in advance, which was a major oversight, to say the least. He had made a careless assumption, much like a general retreating to a canal bank only to realize he had foolishly forgotten to build any pontoon bridges.1

To be fair, there were some objective reasons. But mainly, he had far too little time for any type of preparation.0

After receiving Green Cloud, he had to participate in the auction. Then, he immediately flew back to Jade Capital. Upon arrival, he barely had a moment to breathe, needing to attend numerous meetings and cram knowledge about Fenglin before heading to Qizhou, where he was stationed at the Seaview Tower, a crowded place with Daoists and court officials alike. Not wanting to attract attention or reveal his hand, Qi Xuansu stayed holed up in his room. Soon after, he was deployed to Fenglin, where he encountered the Yamata-no-Orochi upon reaching the borders. Then came his journey with the wounded survivors back to the army camp.0

Qi Xuansu had to admit that he did have chances to try the sword, like when he fought the Yuki-Onna. But like many seasoned Jianghu fighters, he had the...0