Free Web NovelChapter 8: Chapter 8: The Curtain Falls
"Li Changfeng is the victor."
As Jiang Han’s voice rang out, the flying sword seemed to be restrained by an invisible force, halting its advance just centimeters from Chang Chi’s throat.
Only then did Chang Chi react. In that split second, victory and defeat had been decided. If Jiang Han hadn’t intervened, his blood would have painted the stage and his head would have rolled.
Chang Chi looked toward the center of the stage and saw that Li Changfeng’s clothes were in tatters. His exposed skin was covered in burns and streaming with blood. Compared to Chang Chi, who was completely unscathed, Li Changfeng looked more like the loser. Chang Chi was moved, suddenly understanding what had happened.
’So that’s what happened. Li Changfeng had put his body ahead of his sword, using his own Magical Robe and even his flesh to block my spell. With his sword trailing behind him, he seized the chance to break through my barrage of attacks. Empowered by a surge of pure energy, he shattered my defenses in a single strike, trading injury for my life to "kill" me.’
Such a spectacular reversal left all the cultivators in the hall stunned. However, though Li Changfeng had won, he was in no condition to fight again.
"The Tai Su Orthodox Sect’s reputation is truly well-deserved. Even a random disciple has such superior aptitude. It seems my Taixuan Sect still has a long way to go if we wish to contend with the Three Sects and Six Schools." Jiang Han looked at Li Changfeng, who was struggling to stand. After a moment of thought, he waved his large sleeve, and a small, silver sword flew into the disciple’s hand. "I see your swordsmanship is excellent, young friend, which pleases me greatly. This Moon Shadow Sword was my personal Magical Artifact when I was young. I hope it can aid you in your cultivation."
Li Changfeng’s eyes widened in surprise, and the others in the hall were even more shocked. The Moon Shadow Sword glowed with a mellow light, its runes faintly visible. A closer look revealed it to be a Top-Grade Magical Artifact refined with twenty-four layers of Celestial Spirit prohibitions. Li Changfeng couldn’t help but glance at Xuzhuang. Only after seeing Xuzhuang give a slight nod did he accept the Magical Artifact and step down from the stage.
Li Changfeng returned to Xuzhuang’s side and was just about to speak when Ying Tianxiao suddenly addressed Xuzhuang. "Your sect’s disciple is truly extraordinary. Given time, I’m sure you’ll have another genius whose name is known throughout the Divine Continent."
A smile touched Xuzhuang’s lips. "You flatter me, Brother Daoist."
He then turned to Yang Lian. "Your sect was generous in defeat."
Yang Lian remained expressionless, shooting a cold glance at Chang Chi who had returned to his side, but he said nothing.
Only then did Xuzhuang turn back to Li Changfeng. "Changfeng, you seized the slimmest of chances to secure victory for our Tai Su Orthodox Sect. I am very pleased. This bottle of Jade Dew Life Pills will help you heal, and this Six Orifice Purifying Pill should help you advance your cultivation. These are just a personal gift from me. The sect will have its own rewards for you upon our return."
With a wave of his sleeve, two small jade vials landed in Li Changfeng’s hands, much to the envy of the other disciples.
Unexpectedly, however, Li Changfeng showed little joy. "Disciple is unworthy of such a generous reward," he said.
"Oh? And what reward do you believe you deserve?" Xuzhuang asked with a smile, his eyes deep as if they could see into one’s very soul.
"In this duel, Disciple was utterly powerless to fight back. It was only by recalling Junior Martial Uncle Xu’s teachings that I had a moment of enlightenment and narrowly escaped death." Li Changfeng gritted his teeth, suddenly dropped to his knees, and kowtowed. "Disciple’s heart longs for the Sword Dao. I only ask that Junior Martial Uncle Xu accept me as your disciple and teach me the Supreme Sword Dao!"
"Hahaha! You feel unworthy of such a generous reward, yet you ask for this? In your eyes, is becoming my, Xuzhuang’s, disciple worth less than these two bottles of pills?" Xuzhuang couldn’t help but laugh. Li Changfeng hurriedly kowtowed again. "That is not what Disciple meant at all! Disciple..."
"Keep the pills. I will not take back a reward once it is given," Xuzhuang said lightly. "As for taking a disciple... I currently have no disciples under my tutelage, nor have I considered it."
Li Changfeng’s face fell in disappointment, but then he heard Xuzhuang’s tone shift. "If you wish to enter my tutelage, you can only start as one of the Registered Disciples. You will receive no special treatment because of my status. You will still have to abide by the sect’s rules and cultivate diligently. Are you willing?"
"Disciple is willing! Disciple is willing!" The sudden, wonderful turn of events left Li Changfeng overjoyed, and he kowtowed repeatedly.
"Enough! Rise!" Without any visible movement from Xuzhuang, Li Changfeng suddenly felt an invisible force lift him from the ground. The force was gentle, yet completely irresistible.
"Congratulations, Fellow Daoist, on gaining such a fine disciple."
"Congratulations, Senior Brother Xu."
At this, Ying Tianxiao, Lin Ling, and the others all congratulated Xuzhuang. He responded with a smile. "My thanks, Fellow Daoist. Thank you, Junior Sister Lin. For now, let us continue watching the tournament."
This small dueling tournament was merely a side event for the Golden Core ceremony and wasn’t meant to be overly complex. Jiang Han had already reached a verbal agreement with the true disciples of each sect that each would send out only one participant. Although Li Changfeng had defeated Chang Chi, he was in no condition to fight again, so the Tai Su Sect was considered out of the running. The stage now belonged to the others.
In the short time it took for Xuzhuang and the others to speak, a new duel had already begun on the stage between a disciple from the Upper Profound Sect and one from the Celestial Abyss Sect.
The Celestial Abyss Sect was also one of the Three Sects and Six Schools. Their disciple wielded a treasured lamp, but instead of a flame, a single, eerie drop of water floated within it. Wherever its "light" shone, there was not brightness but rather a pitch-black darkness that shrouded his body in layers.
The Upper Profound Sect disciple held a treasure mirror in one hand. It was shaped like an Eight Trigrams Mirror, concave in the center and etched with profound runes around the edges. As the disciple formed a Magic Formula, an endless stream of thunder orbs shot out, hammering against the Celestial Abyss Sect disciple’s shroud of darkness and putting him on the defensive.
"Hm?" Xuzhuang’s expression shifted. "Among the Upper Profound Sect’s core inheritances, none are of the thunder element. Why are so many of their disciples now cultivating thunder-based spells and using the same type of Magical Artifact?"
"There’s something you may not know, Senior Brother Xu," Lin Ling said with a hum. "I only heard about this by chance from an elder in my clan. It’s said that a great master from the Upper Profound Sect was traveling beyond the heavens and had a fortuitous encounter, obtaining a magical treasure called the All Heavens Divine Thunder Mirror, which contains the secrets of all celestial thunder spells. The Upper Profound Sect has been trying to derive and create a brand-new core inheritance from it. That’s why in recent years, many of their disciples have begun cultivating thunder-based spells. That Magical Artifact they’re using is a replica of the All Heavens Divine Thunder Mirror."
"I see." Hearing this, Xuzhuang’s heart stirred slightly. The Three Sects and Six Schools, though all considered orthodox Xuan Sects, were in constant competition with one another. freēwebnovel.com
In the past, among the Three Sects and Six Schools, only the Yuxiao Sect was renowned for its thunder spells. They had long monopolized many of the thunder-related cultivation resources and heavenly treasures in the Divine Continent. Now, the Upper Profound Sect’s desire to establish a core inheritance of thunder spells was surely an attempt to challenge the Yuxiao Sect.
While the two conversed, they kept an eye on the stage. Soon, the Upper Profound Sect disciple claimed victory, and it seemed he had done so with ease. He then went on to defeat disciples from the Yuxiao Sect and the Shaoyang Sect. The disciples from the remaining few sects did not participate in the duels.
Finally, the Upper Profound Sect disciple had a fierce battle with the disciple from the Taixuan Sect, and the Taixuan Sect disciple was also defeated.
On one hand, the thunder spell derived from the magical treasure was truly remarkable. On the other, this disciple from the Upper Profound Sect had a much higher cultivation level than the disciples from the other sects, including Li Changfeng of the Tai Su Sect.
In truth, the disciples sent by the major sects were not their most talented or highly cultivated. At least, as far as Xuzhuang knew, some of the younger generation from the Tai Su Sect who had already earned reputations as prodigies had not come.
But the Upper Profound Sect was different; their representative had clearly been carefully selected. The Taixuan Sect disciple, fighting on home ground, was likewise a strong contender. They had a battle worthy of titans, but in the end, the Upper Profound Sect disciple took first place at the Taixuan Sect’s Golden Core ceremony, completely stealing the show. This brought great shame to many of the Taixuan Sect’s disciples, yet Jiang Han’s expression betrayed no change.
As Jiang Han announced the end of the ceremony, Qiao Feifeng rose and saluted the assembled cultivators.
And with that, the Golden Core ceremony finally came to a close. The cultivators from the various sects began to exit in an orderly fashion.
The members of the Three Sects and Six Schools were seated at the very front. When it was time to leave, they were in no hurry to lead the way. The true disciples of the various sects either sampled fruit and drank tea or closed their eyes to rest, biding their time. Suddenly, Yang Lian turned back to Xuzhuang, a strange smile on his face. "Brother Xu, we’ll be leaving soon. The road back to Tai Su is long. I hope you’ll take care of yourself."
Xuzhuang glanced at Yang Lian out of the corner of his eye and laughed silently to himself. He ignored him, suddenly rising to his feet and addressing Lin Ling and Lin Shanshang. "Fellow Daoist Lin, Junior Sister Lin, since the Golden Core ceremony has concluded, I won’t linger. I’ll take my leave now and begin the journey back to my sect."
"Until we meet again, Senior Brother Xu." Lin Ling showed no signs of reluctance to part. Cultivators have long lifespans; they were bound to meet again sooner or later. Lin Shanshang also gave a slight nod.
"I hope that the next time we meet, I’ll hear the good news of Junior Sister Lin achieving the Golden Core."
"Then I’ll take that as a blessing, Senior Brother." Lin Ling’s eyes curved into beautiful crescent moons as she smiled. Seeing this, Xuzhuang couldn’t help but smile as well. He nodded, considering their farewells exchanged, then led his disciples out of the main hall. They were guided down Supreme Profound Peak by a Taixuan Sect disciple and left the Meteor Dojo.
Just as they exited the dojo, another group caught up from behind. It turned out that after Xuzhuang took the lead in departing, Ying Tianxiao and his group from the Shaoyang Sect had also set out.
Ying Tianxiao and Xuzhuang had spoken quite a bit during the ceremony and could be considered acquaintances. They met each other’s gaze and nodded, but exchanged no further pleasantries. Ying Tianxiao summoned a Flying Palace, boarded it with his sect members, and departed. freewёbn૦νeɭ.com
Xuzhuang retracted his gaze and mused for a moment before suddenly calling out, "Vietnam."
Startled at being called, Vietnam looked puzzled and cupped his hands. "Junior Martial Uncle Xu...?"
"I have other business to attend to, so I will not be returning to the sect with you for now. You are the eldest of the eight of you, so I’m putting you in temporary command of the Tai Su Cloud Ship. With the Warriors to pilot it, there shouldn’t be any problems. Listen carefully to this magic formula."
As he spoke, Xuzhuang’s lips moved silently. He then took the Tai Su Cloud Ship from his sleeve, handed it to Vietnam, and continued, "If I have not returned to rendezvous with you by the time you reach Celestial Ridge Square, then follow the original route and teleport back to the sect."
Before the disciples could react, he shot up into the sky as a blinding white streak of light, disappearing into the clouds.
"This..." The disciples all looked at one another in bewilderment. Just as Vietnam was about to say something, a thunderous BOOM echoed. They all looked up to see sparks flying and black smoke billowing as a scorching red light shot into the heavens.
