“First round, Gu Shenzhi wins!”
As the copper gong sounded, Mo Lin, spitting blood and fainting, was helped off the arena by several Mo Mansion servants.
His Dao heart was nearly shattered; his immortal path could be said to be completely severed. From now on, it would be pure luck if he could even maintain his previous cultivation realm.
According to the rules of the martial matchmaking contest, as long as the host could win ten consecutive matches, or no one dared to challenge him, he could win the beauty’s hand and become the Mo family’s ideal son-in-law.
As for Mo Xiaonian, Gu Shenzhi had no such worldly desires. Su Linghuang, Bai Qi, Tao Tianguang—he was already overwhelmed just dealing with them.
Even if desire were limitless, the human body always has its limits.
But out of sect brotherhood and for the sake of the spirit stones, since Junior Sister Mo had come out of the Moonshadow Sect with him, he intended to bring her back intact.
As for anyone who tried to block his way, they could ask the sword in his hand.
The white-clad youth holding [Liuhong] stood coldly in the arena, faintly emanating the aura of the Spirit Realm.
At this moment, he no longer bothered to conceal his true cultivation.
After the martial matchmaking, the entire Muyun Continent would know that the once-lost Gu Shenzhi had returned.
Now, the white-clad youth’s face was as flawless as jade, breathtakingly handsome, dressed in a blue and white Dao robe that fluttered in the wind, radiating immortal aura, just like the proud young master of the Lingjian Sect from years past.
In the recent battle with Mo Lin, Gu Shenzhi had easily defeated a genuine disciple of the Lingjian Sect.
Such strength caused even the prodigies of the four sects to feel a rising fear.
But just then, a shadow flickered like a ghost onto the arena.
His expression was gentle, a smile lingering at the corner of his mouth.
“Senior Brother Gu, long time no see. I hope all is well,” Lin Yongning said softly as he cupped his hands in greeting.
As former sectmates, the two naturally knew each other.
Before the scandal broke out, their relationship had seemed quite good.
After all, among the Lingjian Sect disciples of Gu Shenzhi’s generation, Lin Yongning was the only one worthy enough for him to draw his sword against.
This junior brother, with excellent swordsmanship, gentle manners, and diligent learning, was also very much liked by Gu Shenzhi.
From time to time, Gu Shenzhi would seek him out to spar or to offer a few pointers.
Aside from a broken sword, Gu Shenzhi had taught all the sword techniques he could.
Lin Yongning learned quickly and was accepted as a direct disciple by the Grand Elder within three months in the inner sect.
From a certain perspective, Gu Shenzhi was half his teacher, and Lin Yongning was half his student.
However, fate is unpredictable and human hearts unknowable.
Lin Yongning’s true thoughts were far from the innocent exterior.
As the fifteenth son of General Langgu Lin Yi, one of the six towns of Youyun Prefecture, he was not favored at home.
On the contrary, Lin Yongning was scorned in the army for abandoning the invincible fiery spear technique and pursuing the widely mocked swordsmanship of Youyun Continent.
Lin Yi gradually ignored him as well.
General Langgu had twenty-nine sons; apart from the second, ninth, and twenty-first sons, he would hardly grieve for the rest if they died.
For Lin Yongning to establish himself in Youyun Continent, strength was important, but leveraging external forces was also necessary.
The six armies of Youyun divided their jurisdictions, and the unwritten rule for thousands of years was non-aggression.
As for the [Dark Blade], that was treason punishable by death.
Thus, Lin Yongning entered the Lingjian Sect, hoping to borrow the power of the continent’s foremost sect to support his position in Youyun.
At first, he believed that with his extraordinary talent and full support from his maternal line, the position of Lingjian Sect Young Master would be a mere formality.
But because of Gu Shenzhi’s existence, everything he built was shattered like a bubble.
He could only stand halfway up the mountain, clenching his fists in silence, casting hateful glances toward the white-clad youth standing atop the peak.
For a long time, he and all the Lingjian disciples were overshadowed by Gu Shenzhi, seemingly endlessly.
During this time, Lin Yongning repeatedly sent assassins to take Gu Shenzhi’s head in secret.
But every attempt failed—either Gu Shenzhi’s luck saved him at the last moment, or he personally slew the assassins across borders.
Just as he was about to lose all hope, it seemed Heaven took pity on him.
Gu Shenzhi was caught sneaking into the bedchamber of Immortal Bai Qi in the dead of night, attempting to defile the fair and enchanting immortal.
Upon confirmation of the news, Lin Yongning was overjoyed and immediately mobilized all resources at his disposal to put Gu Shenzhi to death.
He feared this monster would once again mercilessly trample him underfoot.
Brotherhood, teacher’s grace… Lin Yongning cared nothing for these.
As long as he could replace Gu Shenzhi and become Lingjian Sect Young Master, he was willing to endure all slander and humiliation.
When he proposed punishing Gu Shenzhi with the ‘Ten Thousand Swords Piercing the Heart’—for the crime of betraying his teacher and sect—most of the Lingjian Sect praised him for his fairness.
But what followed stunned Lin Yongning.
Gu Shenzhi was not given the ultimate punishment but was merely exiled to Reflective Cliff.
He even retained the title of Lingjian Sect Young Master for three whole years.
Until a few months ago, this eyesore was cast aside and sent to Moonshadow Sect for marriage alliance.
Only then did Lin Yongning get his wish and become the new Lingjian Sect Young Master.
Gu Shenzhi cast a cold glance at him and said seriously, “I have nothing to say to you. Draw your sword!”
As Bai Qi’s disciple, there were some things he just saw through but did not expose.
He saw Lin Yongning’s jealousy and hatred clearly.
He understood, but whether he chose to endure such malice was another matter.
No sooner had he spoken than Gu Shenzhi drew his sword.
[Liuhong] gleamed silver, the sword light dazzling and sharp as it cut through the night sky like a brilliant meteor.
The pressure of his perfected spirit realm exploded suddenly.
The next moment, Lin Yongning’s Dao robe billowed, the stones of the arena cracking beneath his feet.
In the blink of an eye, he was before Gu Shenzhi, slashing with a sword that emitted purple light and thunderous roars.
“That’s the Sword Spirit. Young Master Lin’s [Zidian] is Earth Grade!”
Two disciples from the Baiyu Sect gasped in excitement, unaware of the silence and bowed heads around them, where no one dared to comment on the battle.
Before they could react, a terrifying chill crept up their spines.
The bluestone slab they sat on frosted over, cold sweat trickling from their brows instantly freezing into ice.
Without warning, the Sacred Maiden Nangong appeared behind them, veins bulging on her slender hands, her beautiful eyes full of displeasure.
She said coldly, “Relying on others’ courage to destroy your own dignity. When you return, each of you will copy the ‘Baiyu Heart Sutra’ five hundred times. If you can’t finish, no sleep for you.”
Faced with Nangong’s hypocritical punishment, the two could only smile through tears.
Considering the slight difference in strength and status, they had no choice but to gratefully accept the Sacred Maiden’s grace.
Bang!
Two sword auras collided through the air, the tearing, crisscrossing sword qi slicing the entire arena to ruins.
Dust billowed, sparks flew, and for a moment, victory was impossible to determine.
Both [Zidian] and [Liuhong] were spirit swords known for speed.
When realms were close, the first to strike could gain the upper hand, wearing down the opponent with unrelenting offense.
To maintain the advantage, Lin Yongning’s sword strikes grew faster—slashes, stabs, and thrusts followed each other without pause, leaving no opening for counterattack.
That said, Lin Yongning could only maintain flawless continuity for about a hundred moves.
Compared to the thousands of moves Bai Lian Sacred Maiden executed seamlessly last night, it still fell short.
White and purple sword lights crossed endlessly.
Both moved like lightning.
Many less skilled disciples could only see blurred afterimages.
The white-clad youth remained calm, his spirit sword as steady as a flying swallow as it intercepted Lin Yongning’s increasingly rapid sword strikes.
His double pupils hidden beneath a scarf pierced through the opponent’s flaws.
“Senior Brother Gu, what’s the point of barely holding on? You might as well surrender early to suffer less pain.”
Lin Yongning’s confidence soared—he believed that in both swordsmanship and cultivation, he had left Gu Shenzhi far behind.
“I’m no longer the little junior brother who was shattered by your three sword strikes. Now I’m much stronger than you!”
No sooner had he spoken than [Liuhong]’s hilt ruthlessly struck his dantian.
The spiritual energy in his meridians became chaotic.
Lin Yongning staggered back several steps before barely regaining his footing.
As soon as he stood firm, a familiar voice sounded beside him.
“What did you just say? I didn’t hear clearly,” Gu Shenzhi said, casually wiping his sword, unconcerned.
He had refrained from counterattacking before, only waiting for an opening to finish the opponent with one strike.
But Lin Yongning’s noisy arrogance had tested his patience.
So he made a small move to teach a lesson.
It was just luck that time—nothing more.
Lin Yongning muttered repeatedly under his breath to suppress the rising fear in his heart.
Then, twisting his wrist and pushing off with his left foot, his spirit sword flashed like purple thunder.
With unstoppable momentum, he struck again toward the white-clad youth.
What happened next stunned everyone except the two Sacred Maidens.
Multiple desperate thrusts of [Zidian] aimed for vital points were casually dodged by Gu Shenzhi.
The only result was a small tear at the corner of his blue and white Dao robe.
“Is that your limit? It seems you’re not yet worthy of the title Lingjian Sect Young Master,” Gu Shenzhi said lazily.
“Shut up!”
Lin Yongning shouted wildly, his expression deranged.
He could not accept this outcome.
Years of hard training had not only failed to catch up to Gu Shenzhi, but the gap had only widened.
“I advise you to calm down. The angrier you get, the more humiliating your defeat will be.”
“Defeat? How could the proud Lingjian Sect Young Master lose?! The one who should lose is you—the Lingjian Sect’s castaway!”
Lin Yongning was now riddled with flaws.
Though his sword had noticeably sped up, his technique was chaotic, more like a novice just beginning to grasp sword Dao.
“Stay calm, keep steady”—such simple words were easy to read but hard to do.
After dodging another slash from [Zidian], Gu Shenzhi sighed softly and said, “Fine, I’ll leave a little face for the Lingjian Sect.”
In an instant, sword intent multiplied twelvefold.
[Liuhong] suddenly thrust forward, its sword qi like a rainbow piercing through everything.