Chapter 649: The Coronation Ceremony
“Who am I?”
That person immediately flew into a rage, extremely angry, and said, “You dare ask me who I am? Are we still the Three Gallant Swordsmen of Romance? Lin Yue, I, Xun Hualiu, truly misjudged you in the past. I never thought that once you achieved fame, you would completely forget the brotherly bond between Mu Fatty and me.”
Zhang Ruochen glanced at the man named Xun Hualiu, secretly guessing that he was probably one of Lin Yue’s disreputable friends, and silently committed his name to memory.
Zhang Ruochen said, “I haven’t forgotten. Naturally, I wouldn’t forget.”
Xun Hualiu grew even more agitated, his eyes reddening as he gritted his teeth and said, “If you haven’t forgotten, then why have you been back so long without coming to the Demon Suppression Courtyard to find me? Have you already forgotten the days when we indulged in romantic pleasures together?”
A wave of revulsion surged through Zhang Ruochen’s heart. He furrowed his brow and said, “Indulging in romantic… pleasures with you…”
He never expected that Lin Yue had such hobbies.
Xun Hualiu clearly realized he had spoken too hastily and twisted the meaning. He quickly corrected himself, saying, “Of course, I didn’t mean with you. I meant the Three Gallant Swordsmen of Romance indulging in romantic pleasures with our junior sisters. Have you forgotten all of that?”
“I haven’t forgotten. Of course, I haven’t forgotten.”
Zhang Ruochen took a deep breath, forcing himself to stay calm.
Xun Hualiu slapped Zhang Ruochen on the shoulder again, his lips curling outward to reveal white teeth, and let out a sly, lecherous laugh. “I knew you wouldn’t forget. Those enchanting nights back then—how could they be forgotten so easily? Now that the Three Gallant Swordsmen of Romance have all become Saint Heir disciples, our future days will only be even more wonderful.”
Zhang Ruochen nodded and echoed, “Naturally. You mentioned earlier that there would be a fierce battle today. What did you mean?”
Xun Hualiu’s expression immediately turned serious. “Do you really not know?”
Zhang Ruochen shook his head.
“Three days ago, you gave Pang Long a thorough beating, and the news spread quickly through the Liangyi Sect, causing Pang Long to lose all face. It’s said that Pang Long begged his great-great-uncle, ‘Yuanlong Half-Saint,’ for a Fish-Dragon Pill, and his cultivation broke through to the Fish-Dragon Realm in one go. Yesterday, he already declared that he would fight you to the death on the day of the coronation ceremony,” Xun Hualiu said.
Zhang Ruochen smiled. “So that’s how it is.”
Seeing that “Lin Yue” showed no sign of tension, Xun Hualiu quickly warned him, “Pang Long was already in the top hundred of the Heavenly Ranking when he was at the Heavenly Extreme Realm. Now that he’s broken through to the Fish-Dragon Realm, his strength is no small matter. Xiao Yue, if Pang Long challenges you to a life-or-death duel, don’t accept. We’ll swallow our pride and ignore him.”
Even if Pang Long’s cultivation had broken through to the Ninth Transformation of the Fish-Dragon Realm, Zhang Ruochen wouldn’t be afraid, let alone just the First Transformation.
Right now, Zhang Ruochen only hoped to finish the coronation ceremony quickly so he could return to his cultivation.
Before long, Han Qiu arrived at the Shangqing Palace’s training ground.
Instantly, all the outer and inner disciples of Shangqing Palace erupted in excitement, shouting Han Qiu’s name.
Even Xun Hualiu’s eyes lit up with excitement. He tugged at Zhang Ruochen’s sleeve and said, “See that, see that? One of the Four Beauties of Liangyi Sect—Han Qiu. Tsk tsk. You’re meeting your dream girl, and you’re not even excited? Didn’t you once say that if you could spend a wild night with Junior Sister Han Qiu, you’d gladly live twenty years less?”
Zhang Ruochen lifted his eyelids slightly and glanced in Han Qiu’s direction.
Compared to three days ago, today’s Han Qiu looked even more refined.
Even though she wore several layers of Daoist robes, the graceful curves beneath them were still visible, stunningly beautiful.
From a distance, a cold roar came over: “Lin Yue, didn’t expect us to meet again so soon, did you?”
Pang Long radiated powerful aura as he strode into the spacious training ground, heading straight for Zhang Ruochen’s position and standing opposite him.
“Mm,” Zhang Ruochen said.
Seeing no trace of fear on Zhang Ruochen’s face, Pang Long’s eyes flashed with cold light. “After the coronation ceremony, do you dare to fight me to the death?”
The words “life-or-death duel” rang out loudly, shaking the entire Shangqing Palace.
The disciples outside the training ground grew even more excited.
“Senior Brother Pang Long, when he was an inner disciple, already had the strength to challenge for the top spot among inner disciples. Now that he’s reached the First Transformation of the Fish-Dragon Realm, even cultivators at the Third Transformation might not be his match.”
“Three days ago, Lin Yue relied on his Fish-Dragon Realm cultivation to defeat Senior Brother Pang Long. Now that they’re at the same level, Senior Brother Pang Long will definitely teach Lin Yue a harsh lesson and reclaim his lost face.”
…
Zhang Ruochen fixed his gaze on Pang Long and said, “Why should I fight you to the death? It’s not only a waste of energy but also a waste of my time.”
With that, Zhang Ruochen turned and walked away, ascending the stone steps to stand beneath a Heaven-Sacrificing Bronze Cauldron, preparing himself.
Pang Long naturally wouldn’t dare to make a move against Zhang Ruochen during the coronation ceremony. He could only swallow his anger, silently resolving to use some means after the ceremony to force Lin Yue into a duel.
This month, a total of seventeen newly promoted Fish-Dragon Realm disciples were participating in the coronation ceremony.
Besides Zhang Ruochen, Han Qiu, Pang Long, and Xun Hualiu, there were thirteen other young cultivators, all at the First Transformation of the Fish-Dragon Realm and under sixty years of age.
The coronation ceremony was presided over by a Half-Saint. In addition to offering sacrifices to the past sages of the Liangyi Sect, a eulogy was also recited.
After the Half-Saint ancestor finished reciting the eulogy, he continued, “The Liangyi Sect is one of the three major branches of the Taiji Path. It establishes its sect with the sword, inheriting the sword path of the Taiji Path.”
“To ensure the sect’s continued prosperity and flourishing, the successive ancestors of the Liangyi Sect left behind a sword intent inside the Heaven-Sacrificing Bronze Cauldron upon reaching the Half-Saint Realm, Saint Realm, Saint King Realm, and Great Saint Realm.”
“You seventeen have reached the Fish-Dragon Realm before the age of sixty, proving that you are all outstanding talents.”
“Therefore, you each have the opportunity to enter the Heaven-Sacrificing Bronze Cauldron to cultivate once. Seize the opportunity. If your talent is sufficient, you will gain benefits that last a lifetime.”
The coronation ceremony was not merely about changing into a new Daoist robe and donning a Daoist crown.
Now, the real coronation ceremony began.
“I’ll go first.”
Xun Hualiu, brimming with confidence, was the first to step onto the Heaven-Sacrificing Bronze Cauldron and leaped inside.
Xun Hualiu had only broken through to the Fish-Dragon Realm at fifty-six. If he had been a few years later, he wouldn’t have qualified to become a Saint Heir disciple.
“Whoosh!”
From the bronze cauldron, a white pillar of light shot up, rising dozens of feet high.
At the center of the light pillar, a figure slowly floated up—it was Xun Hualiu, who had just jumped into the cauldron.
Tens of thousands of light points surged out from the cauldron, rising from below like a river of light, rushing to the top of the clouds.
Then, the river of light flowed back down from above, returning to the Heaven-Sacrificing Bronze Cauldron.
Each light point represented a sword intent left by an ancestor of the Liangyi Sect.
The stronger the sword intent, the brighter the light point.
The higher a cultivator’s talent in the sword path, the more likely they were to gain the favor of the ancestors, and the more powerful the sword intent they could fuse with.
From start to finish, Xun Hualiu didn’t fuse with a single light point. He came out of the Heaven-Sacrificing Bronze Cauldron dejectedly, looking quite disappointed.
Zhang Ruochen glanced at him and offered a word of comfort, “Just because you didn’t gain an ancestor’s sword intent doesn’t mean you can’t cultivate the sword path. Cheer up.”
Xun Hualiu looked up, forcing a smile uglier than tears. “Even the ancestors’ sword intents didn’t choose me, which means I have no talent in the sword path. My chance of becoming a sword cultivator is almost nonexistent.”
Zhang Ruochen shook his head and said no more. He continued observing the sacrificial bronze cauldron, pondering how to maximize his chances of obtaining an ancestor’s sword intent.
Clearly, the ancestor’s sword intent was an extraordinary opportunity. If he could seize this chance, it might allow his sword path to advance by leaps and bounds.
Next, another newly promoted Saint Heir disciple entered the Heaven-Sacrificing Bronze Cauldron.
After a while, this person also failed, unable to obtain an ancestor’s sword intent.
Pang Long was the third to step onto the Heaven-Sacrificing Bronze Cauldron.
“Let me give it a try.”
Pang Long was well aware of the importance of the ancestor’s sword intent. His great-great-uncle had told him that if he could obtain one, he would receive the sect’s focused training and might even become a true sword cultivator at the Fish-Dragon Realm.
At this moment, he was extremely excited, his whole body tense. Then, he leaped into the cauldron.
Everyone present held high expectations for Pang Long, staring intently.
After all, Pang Long’s sword path talent was indeed quite high. If even he couldn’t obtain an ancestor’s sword intent, then no one else stood a chance.
“Whoosh—”
A moment later.
Pang Long rose with the light pillar, suspended in midair.
“He’s… performing a sword dance…”
Zhang Ruochen clearly saw Pang Long forming a sword seal with his fingers, practicing a sword technique.
Suddenly, a white light point flew up from below, rushing into Pang Long’s brow and fusing with his body.
In the Shangqing Palace, Yuanlong Half-Saint’s face flushed with joy, and he let out a loud laugh. “Pang Long has fused with the sword intent left by ‘Jiuyi Saint’ from his Half-Saint period three thousand years ago. Excellent! With Pang Long’s talent, he will surely become a powerful sword cultivator in the future.”
Pang Long was Yuanlong Half-Saint’s descendant, so seeing him fuse with a sword intent naturally delighted him.
At the same time, Yuanlong Half-Saint had a hint of showing off, because Pang Long’s ability to obtain the sword intent of an ancient Saint proved his astonishing talent in the sword path.
The sword intents within the Heaven-Sacrificing Bronze Cauldron were also divided into different grades:
First grade: Sword intents left by Half-Saints.
Second grade: Sword intents left by Saints.
Third grade: Sword intents left by Saint Kings.
Fourth grade: Sword intents left by Great Saints.
Pang Long had fused with a second-grade sword intent—the one left by a Saint. For now, he had only obtained the sword intent from Jiuyi Saint’s Half-Saint period.
Once he fully fused with this sword intent, he would have a second chance to enter the Heaven-Sacrificing Bronze Cauldron to fuse with the sword intent from Jiuyi Saint’s Saint period.
In short, obtaining a single sword intent was equivalent to receiving the empowerment of an ancestor, allowing him to more easily comprehend the true essence of the sword path.
The Saintly Scholar Talented Woman was also present at Shangqing Palace, sitting on equal footing with the Half-Saints present.
Seeing Pang Long’s outstanding performance, she was slightly moved and smiled. “In just one monthly coronation ceremony, a prodigy with such astonishing sword path talent has emerged. My visit to the Liangyi Sect has truly opened my eyes.”
Hearing this, Yuanlong Half-Saint grew even more smug. He couldn’t help but glance at Zixia Half-Saint and said, “Zixia Half-Saint, I heard that a young genius has emerged from your Zixia Spirit Mountain. With only the First Transformation of the Fish-Dragon Realm, he killed the Youlan Star Envoy. I wonder if the rumor is true?”
No one would believe that a young cultivator at the First Transformation of the Fish-Dragon Realm could kill the renowned Youlan Star Envoy.
Yuanlong Half-Saint brought this up deliberately to mock Zixia Half-Saint and the young disciple under Zixia Spirit Mountain.
…
(Why the extra chapter?
Because today, “The Ancient God Emperor” has reached two million words. Isn’t that worth celebrating?
In less than a year, I’ve written two million words. Don’t you all think Little Fish has been really diligent? Alright, I’m actually here to ask for votes—any kind of votes.)