Chapter 654: Sword Contest
Translator: Transn Editor: Transn
“How many strokes do you think Lin Yue can withstand?”
“Elder Brother Gai Hao has passed the First Level Mountain of Ancient Gods Mountain, and he has drunk the Holy Water of the first Holy Spring, so he must have made great strides. He should at least have reached the Second Change in the Fish-dragon Realm, or perhaps he has broken through to the Third Change in the Fish-Dragon Realm.”
“With his current cultivation, he is highly superior to Lin Yue.”
“Lin Yue also has powerful strength, so he should at least be able to fend off two or three strokes.”
Zhang Ruochen was indeed powerful, but everyone watching was not optimistic about him. In their minds, Gai Hao was a God-like existence and no one could defeat him.
Even Zhao Han’er, who worshipped Lin Yue blindly, did not believe that he could beat Gai Hao.
However, in her opinion, Lin Yue would not be easily defeated, and he might be strong enough to battle with Gai Hao.
Xun Hualiu held his breath, afraid that Lin Yue had agreed to fight Gai Hao impulsively.
Zhang Ruochen stared at Gai Hao’s sharp eyes, not showing any sign of weakness. He said with a forced smile, “Pang Long is not qualified to fight with me, and you’re not much better than him.”
Although he had said it indirectly, everyone was not stupid. They knew that Lin Yue meant that Gai Hao was also not qualified to fight with him.
Xun Hualiu’s limbs went weak, and he shivered convulsively. He almost knelt down to Zhang Ruochen. “Man, can you stop acting rashly and blindly? That’s Gai Hao.”
Gai Hao knew that Pang Long had attacked first, but he still helped him. Zhang Ruochen could not tolerate his behavior.
All geniuses and talents were proud of themselves.
Zhang Ruochen was no exception.
In fact, he was prouder than anyone else.
Zhang Ruochen was not haughty but was matter-of-fact. He could easily defeat Gai Hao with his current cultivation.
“Boom!”
His words caused a commotion in the whole Supreme Pure Palace. Suddenly, the crowd was furious.
“A maniac! He’s too arrogant! How dare he speak to Elder Brother Gai Hao like that?”
“He’s over-confident. Does he really think he’s invincible after obtaining three Patriarchs’ Sword Comprehensions? Elder Brother Gai Hao obtained Saint King Yuanchun’s Sword Comprehension when he was promoted to a Saint’s disciple.”
“How dare he be so rude in the Supreme Pure Palace? It will be beneath Junior Fellow Apprentice Gai Hao to launch an attack. Let me, Dao Guyi, teach him to be modest.”
Zhang Ruochen had incurred the anger of the masses. A Saint’s disciple named “Dao Guyi” strode into the ashram and attacked Zhang Ruochen.
Dao Guyi had a gaunt face and had reached the Third Change in the Fish-Dragon Realm. He quickly turned his arms in a circle and nine one-foot-long Qingmu Swords came swooshing out.
Qingmu Sword was cast by Earth Spirit Ironwood. It was extremely sharp and was able to cut anything. Each one was a Ninth Level Genuine Martial Arm.
As a Saint’s disciple, Dao Guyi was also a talent. He was powerful enough to have once defeated a Cyan-robed Elder at the Fourth Change in the Fish-dragon Realm.
“Nine Hidden Blade.”
Nine Qingmu Swords lined up like a long nine-section whip and formed an arc in the air. Then it was thrown toward Zhang Ruochen’s neck and waist.
The whip is the bane of the sword.
A whip can hit the short with the long and conquer the unyielding with the yielding.
Dao Guyi combined the sword with the whip to couple hardness with softness.
They could disconnect in an instant and change into nine swords to hit Zhang Ruochen’s nine crucial points, and, at the same time, they could display more changes as a long whip.
Zhang Ruochen shook his head and said, “Your sword technique is delicate but not unyielding. It seems unpredictable but is actually vulnerable. If you can’t understand the real meaning of ‘Hardness with Softness’, you won’t be able to reach the Realm of Heart Integrated into Sword even if you practice for another 20 years.”
Dao Guyi snorted and pushed his arms forward, continuously releasing the Genuine Qi inside to activate the nine Qingmu Swords to attack Zhang Ruochen at the same time.
Zhang Ruochen pinched his index and middle finger together to activate the Heart of the Sword. Suddenly, the nine Qingmu Swords stopped and vibrated in the air.
“Go back.”
They flew backward.
“Bang! Bang!”
Dao Guyi was hit by the hilts. He gave a muffled cry as he flew outward. He fell to the ground and had to take more than ten steps backward before he was able to steady himself.
Dao Guyi felt pain at the junctions of his nine meridians. When he tried to mobilize Qi, his meridians felt painfully swollen as if they would burst, so he could not continue attacking.
He knew very well that Zhang Ruochen had already shown mercy.
For one thing, it was only the nine hilts that hit him and blocked his meridians.
If it were the nine sword tips that hit him, he probably would have fallen to the ground unable to get up for a long time.
It simply showed that Zhang Ruochen could kill him with a single strike.
“Heart Integrated into Sword! Unbelievably, you’ve reached the Realm of Heart Integrated into Sword. I really admire you. I am sincerely convinced.”
Dao Guyi bowed to Zhang Ruochen, picked up the nine Qingmu Swords, and retreated from the ashram.
The entire ashram became very quiet. Nothing but gasps were heard.
“It’s terrifying!”
“Lin Yue’s strength is… terrifying!”
Dao Guyi had already been a Saint’s disciple for 10 years. Unexpectedly, Lin Yue easily defeated him. Gai Hao may not be able to win so easily.
Even more terrifying was the fact that he had already reached the Realm of Heart Integrated into Sword.
Even among the older Saint’s disciples, very few had reached this realm.
Lin Yue had just been promoted as a Saint’s disciple yet he had already reached a height unreachable by most humans in their lifetime.
All the Yin and Yang Sect disciples who had thought Gai Hao would definitely win became silent.
The power Lin Yue had shown was so amazing, it may have surpassed Gai Hao’s.
A cyan-robed elder over a hundred years old could not help but give praise. “Lin Yue is a late bloomer. Like a dragon hiding in deep waters going out of the sea, he will soar up to the sky with one start.”
Lin Yue had always been a rare talent, but he had been, at most, a giant among dwarfs. Now, he was the cream of the crop.
Zhao Han’er opened her eyes wide and her face was flushed with excitement. Her heart beat so rapidly that it almost burst. “Elder Brother Lin Yue is amazing! How can he be so excellent? ”
Gai Hao looked solemn and began to take note of this opponent. “Lin Yue, you are really powerful. You are a worthy opponent.”
Just as everyone began to anticipate the ultimate match between Gai Hao and Lin Yue, Half-saint Yuanlong, Half-saint Zixia, and Half-saint Jing Lan walked out from the Supreme Pure Palace.
All the three Half-saints emitted a dazzling light like the scorching sun. The monks who had not reached the Fish-Dragon Realm could not see their appearance clearly.
Everyone but the Saint’s disciples knelt down and simultaneously said, “All hail Patriarch.”
“Get up!” Half-saint Zixia said.
When everyone had risen, Half-saint Yuanlong said, “Lin Yue, Gai Hao, you may go about your own business. I’m going to announce an important matter.”
Zhang Ruochen and Gai Hao bowed to the three Half-Saints and withdrew.
Everyone stared at Half-saint Yuanlong devoutly. They wondered what important event he was going to announce.
Half-saint Yuanlong mixed Holy Qi with his voice so that it spread like waves. “It’s only about half a year until the Sword Technique Conference on the ninth day of September. We’ll hold a grand sword contest before the conference.
“Saint’s disciples and Cyan-robed Elders who have reached the Fish-Dragon Realm can join the contest.
“The sword contest aims to determine the top 10 sword heroes within each realm. They will represent our Yin and Yang Sect in the Sword Technique Conference on the ninth of September and contend with sword practitioners from all over the world. It’s a great honor as well as an opportunity for you to prove yourselves.”
The top 10 sword heroes were qualified to join the Sword Technique Conference. In other words, they could face the top-class sword practitioners of the world.
Countless monks would definitely compete vigorously for this chance.
All the Yin and Yang Sect disciples were excited.
Half-saint Yuanlong continued speaking. “The sword contest is scheduled for the ninth of March. All the Saint’s disciples will return to the sect and join the grand ceremony. All the sword heroes at the top 10 within each realm will have a chance to enter the Sword Pavilion to comprehend the Wordless Sword Manualin advance. Besides, Saints will personally guide sword practice before the contest.
“In order to encourage you to take part in the sword contest, we’ll give out a lot of practicing resources to reward participants. This contest is divided into nine levels according to cultivation levels.
“Each of the top 10 sword heroes within the Ninth Change in the Fish-dragon Realm can get a Holy Sword.
“Each of the top 10 sword heroes within the Eighth Change in the Fish-dragon Realm can get a Ninth Class Glaze Pellet.
“Each of the top 10 sword heroes within the Second Change in the Fish-dragon Realm can get a twelfth level Genuine Martial Arms Ancient Sword.
“Each of the top 10 sword heroes within the First Change in the Fish-dragon Realm can get a Holy Stone.”
By the time Half-saint Yuanlong finished enumerating the contest prizes, all the Yin and Yang Sect disciples were hot-blooded, wishing the contest could start immediately.
After all, the top 10 sword heroes within the First Change in the Fish-dragon Realm, which was the lowest rank, could get a Holy Stone.
In other words, the prizes did not correspond to the cultivation levels. If a monk had a profound sword technique and a strong physique, he would still have a chance to fight.
One Holy Stone could be exchanged for 10,000,000 Spiritual Crystals, which was enough to buy a lot of practicing resources or even to start a family.
Not to mention that there were other prizes more precious than Holy Stones.