Chapter 671: The Martial Arts Tournament
Each participant had a seat, arranged around the four sides of the Yi-Character Battle Platform, forming a circular ring.
Just as Zhang Ruochen found his seat and sat down, the person to his left let out a low chuckle. "At such a young age, you dare to participate in a sword dao tournament for the Eighth Change of the Fish-Dragon Realm? Do you overestimate yourself that much, or do you look down on us seniors that much?"
Zhang Ruochen turned his head and glanced at the man, feeling a faint sense of familiarity.
After a moment of thought, he remembered. This person seemed to be one of Qi Feiyu's suitors, whom he had seen once at the foot of Ancient God Mountain.
So, Zhang Ruochen looked at the nameplate on his seat. A wooden plaque hung there, inscribed with three characters: "Xie Yunfan."
Zhang Ruochen smiled slightly. "It's just a sword dao sparring match. Why is Senior Xie so agitated?"
Xie Yunfan held a small cyan dagger, scraping his beard. The blade's light occasionally reflected off Zhang Ruochen's neck, leaving white marks.
He said, "Don't think that just because your sword dao talent is decent, you can look down on cultivators of the Eighth Change of the Fish-Dragon Realm. Once you step onto that battle platform, you'll understand how vast the gap is between you and them."
Zhang Ruochen shook his head at this self-righteous person, then closed his eyes and said no more.
The sword dao sparring tournament for the Eighth Change of the Fish-Dragon Realm was already a heavyweight event. It could be said that anyone daring to sign up had the potential to challenge a Half-Saint.
Therefore, the high-ranking members of the Liangyi Sect took it very seriously, dispatching five Half-Saint Patriarchs to oversee the Zhiyu Ling Mountain and supervise the sword dao matches.
Among them was Lin Yue's master, Zixia Half-Saint.
In fact, Zixia Half-Saint had heard that someone wanted to kill Lin Yue on the battle platform, so he had proactively requested to oversee Zhiyu Ling Mountain.
Regardless, he was Lin Yue's master. Although he was deeply disappointed in Lin Yue, he couldn't just stand by and watch him be killed.
The five Half-Saints sat above. Zixia Half-Saint sat on the left, his entire body radiating a purple sacred light. His aged eyes glanced down at Lin Yue below, and he let out another long sigh.
He had long known that Lin Yue had ascended to the second peak of Ancient God Mountain. Whether he felt joy or regret, he couldn't quite say.
Jinglan Half-Saint smiled. "Among the participants in the Eighth Change of the Fish-Dragon Realm sword dao tournament, four have reached the summit of the second peak. Each one is an extraordinary talent. Among them, Lin Yue's aptitude should be the highest."
Zixia Half-Saint shook his head and sighed. "If only he could be guided onto the right path. With his sword dao talent, he might one day become a Sword Saint. But he's too ambitious, and the higher his talent, the more it harms him."
"Young people! Which one doesn't have ambitions higher than the sky? What if Lin Yue's strength is indeed formidable enough to rival cultivators of the Eighth Change of the Fish-Dragon Realm?" Jinglan Half-Saint said.
Zixia Half-Saint let out a bitter smile. "Have you ever seen anyone who just broke through to the Fish-Dragon Realm and could already contend with cultivators of the Eighth Change?"
The other Half-Saints also shook their heads gently, understanding Zixia Half-Saint's feelings.
His sect had finally produced a proud son of heaven with the potential to become a Sword Saint, only for him to stray onto the wrong path.
Any master would feel heartbroken to encounter such a disciple.
Jinglan Half-Saint stood up, stepping on the void, and walked to the center of the battle platform. He announced loudly, "Today is the first day of the sword dao tournament. I will now announce the rules."
Below, both the Saint-Transmitted Disciples and the inner disciples listened attentively.
"Three basic rules. First, the sword dao tournament is a sparring match between fellow disciples; intentional harm is forbidden."
"Second, participants may concede and forfeit. Once a concession is made, the opponent may no longer attack."
"Third, hidden weapons, poisons, and pills that enhance cultivation are prohibited."
"Anyone violating these three rules will be severely punished."
"A total of 368 participants have signed up for the Eighth Change of the Fish-Dragon Realm sword dao tournament. Today is the first round. Through one-on-one matches, we will determine the top 100 cultivators."
"Now, each participant will draw their number token."
"Whoosh—"
Jinglan Half-Saint waved his sleeve, and 368 specks of light flew out from within, like stars suspended above the battle platform.
The participants present all reached out to collect the light specks.
Zhang Ruochen used his true qi to form a large hand, grabbed forward, and caught a light speck in his palm.
Opening his palm, the light speck dispersed into a jade token the size of a fingernail, engraved with a number: 78.
Jinglan Half-Saint announced, "Numbers 1 to 92, Jia-Character Battle Platform."
"Numbers 93 to 184, Yi-Character Battle Platform."
"Numbers 185 to 276, Bing-Character Battle Platform."
"Numbers 277 to 368, Ding-Character Battle Platform."
Zhiyu Ling Mountain had four battle platforms set up. Following his number, Zhang Ruochen went to the Jia-Character Battle Platform and began adjusting his state, preparing for the upcoming sword dao matches.
According to the rules, after the first round of matches, half the participants would be eliminated, leaving 184.
The second round would eliminate another half, leaving 92.
Those who lost in the first two rounds weren't necessarily eliminated outright; they could still compete in a third round for the remaining eight spots.
Ultimately, the top 100 would advance to the second round.
"Just two wins, and I'll pass the first round to enter the top 100," Zhang Ruochen thought to himself.
Participants numbered 1 to 92 had all gathered below the Jia-Character Battle Platform.
Zhang Ruochen observed carefully and soon spotted Xu Changsheng below the platform. As for the other strong, popular figures, they were nowhere to be seen.
Xu Changsheng's gaze also locked onto Zhang Ruochen, his expression turning strange, as if he were smiling but not quite.
The participants numbered 1 and 2 had already stepped onto the platform.
"Enforcement Court, Yan Yunbei."
"Mo Kong Courtyard, Han Zhang."
The two cultivators announced their names and began their duel.
Yan Yunbei was a Saint-Transmitted Disciple with extraordinary talent. At just over sixty years old, he was relatively young among cultivators of the Eighth Change of the Fish-Dragon Realm, appearing to be only twenty-seven or twenty-eight.
Han Zhang, on the other hand, was a Cyan-Robed Elder, already 120 years old.
Despite their age difference of double, they fought evenly.
In the end, Han Zhang used a Ghost-Grade Mid-Rank sword technique, launching 37 consecutive strikes to defeat Yan Yunbei.
"As expected of an elder from the older generation. With a century of accumulated experience, both in combat and in controlling power, Han Zhang has reached a level of mastery," Zixia Half-Saint said with a smile.
Zixia Half-Saint was Han Zhang's senior brother, so seeing Han Zhang win brought him a look of satisfaction.
"Yan Yunbei also practices a Ghost-Grade Mid-Rank sword technique and had a chance to win, but his application of the sword art was still a step behind," Jinglan Half-Saint said, shaking his head gently.
Young people, after all, lacked composure and experience.
Zhang Ruochen watched the subsequent matches intently, humbly learning from the experiences of dueling with experts.
Whether they were stronger or weaker than him, anyone who could cultivate to the Eighth Change of the Fish-Dragon Realm was remarkable, and there was always something worth learning from them.
Xu Changsheng was number 55, and his opponent, number 56, was a centenarian Cyan-Robed Elder.
In just one move, Xu Changsheng pierced through the elder's protective sacred armor and sent him flying off the platform, securing a clean victory.
The strength Xu Changsheng displayed shocked everyone. For a moment, the entire Jia-Character Battle Platform fell silent.
Xu Changsheng walked down from the platform. As he passed by Zhang Ruochen, he stopped, slightly raised his eyelids, and glanced at him. "Now do you understand the strength of a cultivator at the Eighth Change of the Fish-Dragon Realm?"
After saying this, Xu Changsheng walked away without looking back.
Zhang Ruochen glanced at Xu Changsheng's retreating figure, then smiled faintly and resumed observing the sword dao matches on the platform.
With each match he observed, his understanding of the sword dao deepened by a fraction.
"Master said that the essence of Sword One is 'the self.' Only by fully comprehending the relationship between 'the self' and the sword can one cultivate Sword One to the tenth level of Great Perfection."
Unconsciously, in Zhang Ruochen's qi sea, the silver pill-shaped Sword Intent Heart transformed into a tiny human figure, beginning to practice sword techniques.
Every sword move executed by the cultivators on the platform was replicated by the Sword Intent Heart, allowing him to grasp the essence of the sword dao.
"Next match, number 77 versus number 78," Zixia Half-Saint announced.
Xie Yunfan, holding a one-foot-long white short sword, stepped onto the platform. He bowed toward Zixia Half-Saint, then straightened up, ready to begin the battle.
He was number 77.
But number 78 did not ascend the platform for a long time, causing a commotion below.
"Who is number 78? Why haven't they come up yet?"
"Xie Yunfan is a proud son of the Yuqing Palace, extremely powerful. Number 78 is probably scared and doesn't dare to face him."
"How is that possible? Anyone daring to join a sword dao tournament is a top-tier expert. Who would back down at the last moment?"
...
Seeing that number 78 had not appeared for a long time, Zixia Half-Saint frowned. He infused his sacred qi into his voice and announced, "Next match, number 77 versus number 78."
Finally, Zixia Half-Saint's voice jolted Zhang Ruochen out of his sword contemplation.
Zhang Ruochen's pupils regained their focus. He let out a long breath, glanced at the white jade token in his hand, and murmured, "Number 78, I am number 78."
Under the gaze of the crowd, Zhang Ruochen quickened his pace and walked toward the platform.
"So number 78 is Lin Yue."
The inner disciples present all looked at Zhang Ruochen with strange expressions. If it had been anyone else, they wouldn't have believed they would back down, but Lin Yue... it was possible.
After all, Lin Yue was a newly promoted Saint-Transmitted Disciple. A few months ago, he was still a Heavenly Extreme Realm martial artist.
His rash decision to sign up for the Eighth Change of the Fish-Dragon Realm sword dao tournament was already incomprehensible to many.
Now, his hesitation to step onto the platform must mean he had been intimidated by the shocking matches he had witnessed, realizing the gap between himself and cultivators of the Eighth Change of the Fish-Dragon Realm.
A wave of boos erupted from below the platform.
Even the disappointment in Zixia Half-Saint's eyes deepened.
If it were just arrogance and conceit, careful guidance and instruction might still correct it.
But if a person was too cowardly, shrinking back from stronger opponents and refusing to face them head-on, then no matter how great their fortune, they would ultimately be nothing but a waste.