Chapter 654: Sword Dao Duel
“What do you all think? How many moves can Lin Yue withstand against Senior Brother Gai Hao?”
“Senior Brother Gai Hao has already breached the first mountain of Ancient God Mountain and drunk the sacred water from the first sacred spring. His cultivation must have advanced significantly—at least to the second transformation of the Fish-Dragon Realm, possibly even breaking through to the third transformation.”
“With Senior Brother Gai Hao’s current cultivation, a mere Lin Yue—does he even qualify as an opponent?”
“Lin Yue’s strength is still considerable. He should at least be able to block two or three moves from Senior Brother Gai Hao.”
…
The strength Zhang Ruochen had just displayed was indeed formidable, yet no one present held him in high regard. In their minds, Gai Hao was like a god—unbeatable. Even Zhao Han’er, who blindly worshipped Lin Yue, did not believe he could defeat Gai Hao. Still, she felt that with Lin Yue’s cultivation, he wouldn’t be utterly crushed by Gai Hao; at the very least, he could put up a fight.
Xun Hualiu barely dared to breathe, terrified that Lin Yue might lose his mind and actually agree to a duel with Gai Hao.
Zhang Ruochen fixed his gaze on Gai Hao’s sharp eyes, showing no sign of weakness. With a faint, sardonic smile, he said, “Pang Long wasn’t worthy of a fight with me. To be honest, your strength still falls a bit short.”
Although Zhang Ruochen phrased it tactfully, everyone present was no fool—they all understood that Lin Yue meant Gai Hao also lacked the qualifications to face him.
Xun Hualiu’s legs went weak, and he trembled all over, nearly dropping to his knees before Zhang Ruochen. *Brother, can you please stop playing with fire? That’s Gai Hao!*
Gai Hao clearly knew Pang Long had struck first, yet he still sided with him. Zhang Ruochen naturally found this intolerable. Every genius and outstanding talent carried immense pride in their hearts. Was Zhang Ruochen any different? In fact, his pride ran deeper than most.
Of course, Zhang Ruochen wasn’t being arrogant—he was stating the truth. With his current cultivation, Gai Hao indeed no longer qualified as his opponent.
“Boom!”
Zhang Ruochen’s single remark ignited a storm of outrage across the entire Shangqing Palace. Instantly, everyone present was furious.
“Madman! Too arrogant! How dare he spout such nonsense in front of Senior Brother Gai Hao!”
“Overestimating himself. Does he really think obtaining the three ancestral sword intents makes him so remarkable? When Senior Brother Gai Hao was promoted to sacred disciple, he received the sword intent of the original Pure Saint King ancestor.”
“On the territory of Shangqing Palace, to be so insolent—it would lower Senior Brother Gai Hao’s status to act. Let me, Dao Guyi, teach him how to be humble.”
Having stirred up public anger, a sacred disciple named Dao Guyi strode swiftly into the training ground and attacked Zhang Ruochen. Dao Guyi had a rather gaunt face and possessed the third transformation of the Fish-Dragon Realm. He spun his arm rapidly, and from his sleeve, nine one-foot-long greenwood swords flew out with a *shushu* sound.
These greenwood swords were forged from earthly essence ironwood, razor-sharp, capable of cutting through iron like mud. Each was a ninth-rank True Martial Treasure. As a sacred disciple, Dao Guyi was naturally a talent of considerable strength, having once defeated a fourth-transformation Fish-Dragon Realm blue-robed elder.
“Nine Extreme Sleeve Swords.”
The nine greenwood swords linked into a line, like a nine-section whip, curving through the air as they snaked toward Zhang Ruochen’s neck and waist.
In weaponry, the whip was the bane of the sword. A whip could strike long against short, and softness could overcome hardness. Now, Dao Guyi combined sword and whip, achieving a balance of hardness and softness. The nine greenwood swords could instantly separate into nine individual blades, striking Zhang Ruochen’s nine vital points, or they could take the form of a long whip, unleashing even more variations.
Zhang Ruochen shook his head. “Your sword technique is intricate but lacks strength. It seems unpredictable, yet it’s actually fragile. If you can’t grasp the true meaning of ‘balance between hardness and softness,’ even if you train for another twenty years, you’ll never reach the realm of Sword Heart Illumination.”
Dao Guyi snorted coldly, thrust his palm forward, and poured his true qi continuously into the nine swords, driving them all to attack Zhang Ruochen simultaneously.
Zhang Ruochen pressed his index and middle fingers together, activating his Sword Heart Intent. Instantly, the nine greenwood swords charging at him halted, hovering in midair and trembling incessantly.
“Return.”
The nine greenwood swords flew back.
“Thud! Thud!”
Dao Guyi was struck by the hilts of the nine swords, letting out a muffled groan as he was lifted off the ground. He landed back on his feet, stumbling backward more than ten steps before steadying himself. He felt intense pain at the junctions of all nine meridians in his body. The slightest circulation of qi caused excruciating swelling in his meridians, as if they might burst, making it impossible to continue attacking.
Of course, he knew his opponent had shown mercy. The sword hilts had struck him, sealing his meridians. If the sword tips had hit him, he would already be lying on the ground, unable to rise. Clearly, with his opponent’s strength, a single move could kill him.
“Sword Heart Illumination! I never imagined you had already reached that realm. I admire you—I concede defeat wholeheartedly.”
Dao Guyi bowed deeply to Zhang Ruochen, picked up his nine greenwood swords, and withdrew from the training ground.
For a moment, the entire training ground fell silent, broken only by the sound of sharp intakes of breath.
*Too terrifying! Lin Yue’s strength… too terrifying!*
Dao Guyi had been a sacred disciple for ten years, yet he was so easily defeated by Lin Yue. Even Gai Hao might not have won so cleanly. Even more frightening was that Lin Yue had reached the Sword Heart Illumination realm of swordsmanship. Among the older sacred disciples, only a rare few possessed such a level of sword dao. And Lin Yue, a newly promoted sacred disciple, had already achieved what many could not in a lifetime.
The Liangyi Sect disciples who had earlier believed Gai Hao would win fell silent. The strength Lin Yue displayed was nothing short of stunning—likely on par with Gai Hao.
Among the crowd, a blue-robed elder over a hundred years old let out an admiring sigh: “Lin Yue is a late bloomer, like a hidden dragon emerging from the sea, ready to soar to the heavens.”
The old Lin Yue had been a rare talent, but only stood out like a crane among chickens. The current Lin Yue was truly a dragon among men.
Zhao Han’er’s eyes widened, her face flushed with excitement, her heart racing as if it might burst. *Senior Brother Lin Yue is too amazing! How can he be so outstanding?*
Gai Hao’s face also grew serious as he began to regard this opponent with respect. “Lin Yue, your strength is indeed formidable. From now on, you can be considered my rival.”
Just as everyone anticipated an epic showdown between Gai Hao and Lin Yue, Yuanlong Half-Saint, Zixia Half-Saint, and Jinglan Half-Saint emerged together from Shangqing Palace. The three half-saints radiated light as dazzling as the sun; cultivators below the Fish-Dragon Realm couldn’t even see their true forms. Except for the sacred disciples, everyone else knelt and chanted in unison, “Greetings, Ancestors.”
“Rise,” Zixia Half-Saint said.
Once all the disciples stood, Yuanlong Half-Saint spoke, “Lin Yue, Gai Hao, step back for now. I am about to announce an important matter.”
Zhang Ruochen and Gai Hao both bowed to the three half-saints and withdrew.
Everyone focused intently, gazing reverently at Yuanlong Half-Saint, eager to hear what great news he would deliver.
Yuanlong Half-Saint infused his voice with sacred qi, sending it out like waves of water: “The Sword Discussion Assembly on the ninth day of the ninth month is only half a year away. Before that, the sect will hold its most grand sword dao duel.”
“Anyone who has reached the Fish-Dragon Realm, whether a sacred disciple or a blue-robed elder, may participate.”
“The purpose of this sword dao duel is to determine the top ten sword dao champions at each cultivation level, who will represent the Liangyi Sect at the Sword Discussion Assembly on the ninth day of the ninth month, facing sword cultivators from across the world. This is a supreme honor and a chance to prove oneself.”
The top ten sword dao champions would qualify for the Sword Discussion Assembly, meaning they could appear before the world’s most elite sword cultivators. This alone was enough to drive countless cultivators to fight tooth and nail.
The Liangyi Sect disciples present all grew excited.
Yuanlong Half-Saint continued, “The sword dao duel is set for the ninth day of the third month. By then, all sacred disciples training abroad will return to the sect for this grand event. Those who break into the top ten at each level will have the opportunity to enter the Sword Pavilion early to study the *Wordless Sword Manual*, and before the Sword Discussion Assembly, a saint will personally guide them in sword cultivation.”
“To encourage participation, the sect will offer abundant cultivation resources as rewards. The duel will be divided into nine levels based on cultivation rank.”
“For the ninth transformation of the Fish-Dragon Realm level, the top ten will each receive a sacred sword.”
“For the eighth transformation level, the top ten will each receive a ninth-grade Liuli Baodan (Glazed Treasure Pill).”
…
“For the second transformation level, the top ten will each receive a twelfth-rank True Martial Treasure-grade ancient sword.”
“For the first transformation level, the top ten will each receive a sacred stone.”
Upon hearing the rewards for the sword dao duel, all the Liangyi Sect disciples’ blood boiled with excitement, wishing the duel would start immediately. Even at the lowest level—the first transformation of the Fish-Dragon Realm—the top ten would receive a sacred stone. This meant that strength wasn’t the only path to rewards; as long as one’s sword technique was superb and their physique strong enough, they still had a chance to compete.
A single sacred stone could be exchanged for ten million spirit crystals, enough to purchase vast cultivation resources or even establish a family. And that was just the beginning—there were rewards far more precious than sacred stones.
(To be continued.)