The Grand Elder’s speech droned on until the audience was nearly asleep.
Finally, the old man announced the end of the formalities.
With a sharp command of a Sword Formula, the auspicious clouds of the Five Peaks rose into the sky, and the Sword Duel Conference officially began.
While the sect’s great competition was underway, everyone on and off the stage had their own hidden agendas.
There was also the negligent Yu Steward, crouching in the Mist Tower and rubbing her hands together.
She shouted for everyone to place their bets, marveling at her head’s brilliant idea.
It was easy to guess what this unscrupulous master and servant pair had been busy with these past few days.
They had opened a betting pool outside Shanhai Pavilion, having researched a rigorous set of odds based on the match schedule.
The cultivators from various Ling Tian Caves, having nothing better to do, bet their Spirit Stones on the contestants they favored.
Naturally, the most popular bets were on the Chief Disciples of the Five Peaks.
In a corner of the clouds, Zhang Ziyou withdrew his gaze and stood ready.
He did not lower his guard just because his opponent was an Elixir Cultivator.
“Junior Brother Yun.”
“Senior Brother Zhang.”
“Please!”
“Please!”
Yun Liu lowered his head in a sword salute; etiquette could not be neglected.
As the two released their auras, the duel commenced.
Neither rushed to attack recklessly.
Zhang Ziyou lightly flicked his scabbard, and his flying sword darted out like a swimming fish, circling around him.
He was somewhat surprised.
This boy looked weak, and his Spirit Breath was even weaker—it seemed even inferior to the Qi Refinement stage.
He didn’t know what kind of trickery was at play.
The matches between other disciples were much more intense.
Sword Qi intertwined across the chessboards, and the battles were heated.
Within a hundred moves, it was impossible to see who held the advantage.
For two sword cultivators to break each other’s moves quickly, one would need an overwhelming cultivation gap.
Otherwise, with the clumsy realizations of these youngsters, it was difficult to determine a winner.
It was essentially a low-level scuffle that left the elders of each peak shaking their heads repeatedly.
The Chief Disciples of the Five Peaks were the first to claim victory.
As the outstanding talents of the younger generation of the Sword Sect, they lived up to expectations and left the stage after exchanging courtesies.
Voices of surprise erupted from the seating area as the red-clothed girl with a ponytail advanced.
Her Sunset Red Cloud flames were fierce, leaving her fellow disciple with no room to fight back, forcing a quick surrender.
Xiao Xinran turned her head and waved excitedly toward Yun Liu, only to find that even after the time it took to drink a cup of tea, the fight over there had yet to truly begin.
The Sword Canon of Hidden in Mist Peak did not specialize in offense; its Sword Qi was like smoke, ethereal and untraceable.
This was the first time Zhang Ziyou had met someone even more patient than himself.
One had to remember that last year, this boy hadn’t played this way.
Every move under his sword had been perilous, often wounding the enemy at the cost of his own blood.
That had been the key to the Chief of Heavenly Phenomena winning against stronger opponents.
Seeing that Yun Liu remained motionless, Zhang Ziyou finally couldn’t hold back.
A faint blue Sword Light circled the field.
In an instant, a thick mist surrounded the chessboard.
The flying sword moved with extreme speed, making it impossible to tell from which direction it would strike.
Buzz!
A burst of Sword Qi lunged directly for his back, but the white-robed youth acted as if he had eyes in the back of his head.
He spun around and grabbed the hilt of the rushing sword, neutralizing the attack with ease.
The flying sword trembled violently in Yun Liu’s hand, releasing powerful spiritual energy, yet it remained unable to break free.
Zhang Ziyou’s expression shifted slightly.
He pinched a Sword Formula, fully releasing his Qi Sea, but he still couldn’t cause a single scratch.
The faint sting brought by the Sword Qi was like an itch.
Yun Liu simply glanced down, and the “fish” in his hand quieted down, no longer struggling.
In contrast, Zhang Ziyou stumbled back two steps and spat out a mouthful of blood, his eyes filled with horror.
‘The connection between my Sea of Consciousness and the flying sword was severed just like that!?’
Zhang Ziyou had ultimately underestimated Yun Liu’s Divine Sense.
His seemingly steady choice had instead accelerated his defeat.
He retreated from the stage with a bitter smile, maintaining his grace.
For a sword cultivator, having one’s sword taken was no different from having one’s move broken.
He had a full body of cultivation but nowhere to use it.
“Junior Brother Yun’s Divine Sense is truly powerful. I have learned much.”
“You were kind enough to let me win.”
Yun Liu returned the flying sword, completely intact.
“…”
The crowd was speechless.
This was the only duel where the winner had advanced without even drawing his own sword.
it was a bit funny, yet also a bit terrifying.
If a magic treasure could be snatched away by an opponent as soon as it was used, wouldn’t a cultivator be completely useless?
The thought was chilling.
“Hearing about it is not as good as seeing it. Mr. Yun’s Divine Soul is indeed terrifying. No wonder he was able to peer into the Dao of Heaven.”
The female Dance Practitioner’s voice was solemn, her gaze filled with shock.
The Radiant Light Sect disciples beside her were listening intently.
“What do you mean, Senior Sister?”
“You probably don’t understand the mysteries of the Divine Sense domain. The bond between a cultivator and a Spirit Artifact is exceptionally strong; just refining one requires a great deal of effort. To sever it on the spot, one must be at least two major realms higher.”
Bai Yu’s pupils shrank as he jumped in fright.
“Then doesn’t that mean Mr. Yun’s Divine Soul is comparable to the Nascent Soul stage!?”
Zhou Yan and Zhuang Heng pulled their necks in, looking at Yun Liu as if they had seen a ghost.
“He must carry a Great Karma. It is a waste for such a talent to stay in the Sword Sect. If he joined Mingguang, he could achieve a Dance Magic Spiritual Body within five years. Could it be that Senior Shen’s Cloud Sea of the Return to the Way truly awakened an Ancient Sword Spirit?”
The mysterious female cultivator sighed.
Before she could even see the blonde-haired girl Bai Yu had praised so much, she had been captivated by her rumored boyfriend.
Outside Dragon Subduing Hall, the expressions of the elders were equally fascinating.
Knowing the inside story, what should have been the most boring duel had instead shocked the immortal elders of the Academy.
Gelan’s mouth twitched.
Between those in the same realm, the Sea of Consciousness should be roughly equal. She had never seen such a situation.
“What a little rascal.”
He was, after all, a third-rank Heavenly Path Alchemist.
Cultivators whose cultivation could not keep up with their Divine Sense strength were already rare in the world; she hadn’t expected him to be beyond the Golden Core level.
From now on, who would dare to use Spirit Control against Yun Liu?
Their weapons would just be taken away.
Yan Bingling was indifferent to the result.
She only stared at the youth’s frail back, her recently stabilized Sword Heart beginning to waver again.
‘Will Liu’er agree to Jing Tan’er’s rude request? If he truly forms a bond with the Royal Family, once a son is married off, he’s like spilled water. It will be hard to see him again.’
This might be her last chance to give the correct answer…
The first round of matches ended.
The golden characters on the floating Sword Post shifted, eliminating half of the disciples while simultaneously announcing the next round of opponents.
The expressions of the Five Peaks’ disciples varied.
Every duel from here on would be a hard-fought battle, and only a Golden Core Sword Cultivator could still move with ease.
***
At that moment, Ji Shiyu was lying on a pile of fallen leaves, staring blankly at the sun.
Her broom had long since been tossed who-knows-where.
‘An illusion? Or a hidden grotto? How long have I been trapped here? At least one day and one night. Strange, why don’t I feel hungry at all?’
The little yellow-haired girl sat up cross-legged.
She could guess that this old senior was testing her; every time they met, it was all riddles and nonsense.
‘This whole sweeping thing is a scam!’
But she was in no mood to solve riddles right now.
She only wanted to watch the sect competition.
She crumpled her face and pleaded, “Old Mister, what exactly do you want me to do? Just give it to me straight, okay?”
The old man sat on the threshold with his hands in his pockets, a kind smile on his face.
“I know you’re in a hurry, but don’t be in a hurry to be in a hurry.”
“I’m not in a hurry… Like hell I’m not! By the time I get out, the competition will be over. You and the great baldy are pranking me on purpose, aren’t you? Why are you keeping me locked up here!?”
“Did I lock you up here?”
The old man looked incredulous, equally surprised by the heavy weight on the girl’s mind.
The fallen leaves kept increasing because her Sword Heart was cluttered and chaotic.
“Wasn’t it you?”
“One flower, one world; one leaf, one universe. The only thing that can trap you is yourself. I haven’t even asked you to let my old bones go yet, you foolish child.”
The old man spread his hands and sighed.
A withered leaf fell into his palm.
With a wave of his hand, the leaf drifted away with the wind.