Chapter 35: The Grand Competition Begins, Gathering at Sword Platform!

  Half a month passed, and the inner disciples who originally went down the mountain to receive tasks returned one after another. The people on Chaoyang Peak gradually recovered to their peak period. Obviously, this year-end competition was of great significance to everyone. This was not only a battle to maintain reputation or completely turn over, but also an opportunity to gain various respects and countless potential privileges in Chaoyang Palace.

  And also about the matter of entering Jianchi next year, everything was secretly understood behind closed doors. As a result, the atmosphere in Chaoyang Palace became heavy and solemn for a time, with everyone clenching their fists and rubbing their palms. Within this month, many disciples entered the closed-door stage in Chaoyang Cave. Under this immense pressure, many people had epiphanies and breakthroughs, which was almost a regular occurrence every half year.

  And just as everyone was deeply feeling the pressure and falling into bitter training, the time of the big comparison was also gradually approaching.

  Half a month later.

  The Grand Hall of Chaoyang, except for a few places that cannot be left unattended, all the resident guardians of Chaoyang Peak have arrived. There are four people in total, three of whom are middle-aged, and the last one is an old man with no hair or beard, but only two eyebrows that are exceptionally long, hanging straight down to his cheekbones. The four men sat down on both sides, while Peak Master Xuanqing sat at the top.

  With a sweep of his eyes, he looked at the four people and saw their respectful appearance. Xuan Qing was satisfied and stroked his beard, saying: "Everyone thinks that this time's big comparison will have any changes?"

  The four people under the seat looked at each other, and the elder with a long eyebrow who was obviously the leader spoke: "In our opinion, the first place should be Nie Qingtian without a doubt. As for others, they are not far apart, and we really can't predict the number of changes."

  "Heh heh, you guys are so confident in Nie Qingtian?"

  Listening to Xuán Qīng, the elder couldn't help but laugh and cry: "It's not that we have confidence in him, it's just that Peak Master has put a lot of thought into his training. With his current strength as a Sword Master and his exceptional understanding of swordsmanship, even if he hadn't completed the trial, directly becoming a Guardian wouldn't be met with any objections from us."

  He shook his head and Xuan Qing said expressionlessly, "You all attach too much importance to him. Don't rush to conclusions about anything. Until the very end, everything is possible."

  The four of them were taken aback at first, not knowing what Xuan Qing meant by this. Could there be some other unexpected change? However, they soon responded in unison: "We will remember the Master's words."

  Outside the grand hall, more than 200 outer sect disciples and over 50 inner sect disciples had almost all arrived. At this time, the sun had just risen, and there was still a while to go before the start of the event, but many people were already eager to begin. Many of the inner sect disciples were carefully wiping their swords, while the outer sect disciples, except for those who had been called over to help, were all gathered in a circle, their faces filled with excitement and anticipation for the person they were expecting.

  At the same time, this semi-annual grand competition is a rare and precious opportunity for these outer sect disciples who rarely receive guidance. By observing the battles of inner sect disciples, they can verify their own doubts and gain satisfactory answers. Even if some problems cannot be solved immediately, it will still be very helpful. After all, most outer sect disciples are stuck at the sword servant stage, and watching battles above the sword master stage is beneficial for their understanding of swordsmanship.

  Just as everyone was getting more and more anxious, the door of the great hall slowly opened, and Xuan Qing and the four guardians walked out one after another. The crowd that had surrounded the front of the great hall voluntarily parted to make a path, leading to the central area of the square, where three sword racks were placed on the ground, each containing about a hundred black iron swords. Seeing Xuan Qing's right hand gesture, the black iron swords in the three sword racks simultaneously trembled, and the collision between the swords emitted a loud clanging sound.

  "With a clear cry from Xuán Qīng, nearly three hundred black iron swords seemed to be grasped by countless invisible giant hands and rose into the air, instantly soaring tens of meters high, hovering above an empty space in the square."

  Minute(s)

  "Fall"

  Again, two soft hisses sounded, and hundreds of black iron swords suddenly dispersed over ten or more meters, whistling as they fell towards the ground. Plop——, almost simultaneously, nearly three hundred black iron swords inserted into the bluestone ground at a depth of three inches, with each pair of swords spaced roughly equally apart, vaguely forming a large circle about twenty meters in diameter.

  And yet, such a sudden change was apparently something that everyone had already gotten used to, with not a single person showing any surprise on their face. It was only from the envious and even admiring glances of each person that one could tell that people's expectations remained unchanged.

  His calm gaze swept around, making everyone feel an inexplicable sense of majesty in their hearts. Even the inner sect disciples who were originally wiping their swords stopped involuntarily, and the scene fell silent for a moment.

  "It's pointless for me to say more, this is the year-end grand comparison, it's a test of whether you've made progress in the past six months, and also a ranking battle among your fellow disciples. In my Chaoyang Peak, including the entire Zixia Peak, there are no permanent junior or senior brothers, everything depends on how you strive for it."

  Xuan Qing paused for a moment before continuing, "This time, the Long Eyebrow Guardian will be in charge of judging. The loser will be the one who falls off the sword platform in the end. The challenge order is from last to first, and those who lose will lose their qualification for this round of challenges. Are there any objections?"

  No one responded, and Xuán Qīng obviously knew this would be the result. He slightly waved his hand, and the old man known as Cháng Méi stepped forward a few steps to stand in front of the sword platform that Xuán Qīng had just created using his divine powers and the group of swords. In his hand was a thin white jade board, on which were engraved the names of all the inner sect disciples, with Lù Qīng being particularly conspicuous as the last one, fifty-fourth place.

  At this time, the majority of the inner sect disciples had already taken their positions in front of the outer sect disciples for the morning training, but two people were missing. One was the eldest senior brother Nie Qingtian at the very front, and the other was Lu Qing who was about to start the first challenge. The beginning and end were short-handed, still such a coincidence, couldn't help but make the outer sect disciples watching from the side suspicious in their hearts, while Xuanqing and the other three guardians sitting not far away furrowed their brows.

  In the team, Duan Qingyun, who was rarely seen in a complete set of black martial arts attire, had an anxious expression at this time. His small, dark eyes kept turning around, looking around, and he thought to himself: This kid, could it be that he's forgotten about the time while in closed-door training?

  "First match, fifty-fourth rank, newcomer Lu Qing, Sword Attendant stage, challenges the fifty-third, Fu Yu, Sword Holder of Small Heaven."

  "First match, fifty-fourth rank, newcomer Lu Qing, Sword Attendant stage, challenges the fifty-third, Fu Yu, Sword Holder of Small Heaven."

  The voice was transmitted by the old man with thick eyebrows using his profound sword yuan force, spreading to every corner of the scene, twice in a row, but no one responded.

  "This kid shouldn't be scared, should he?"

  "Well, no wonder. At less than thirteen years old, how can a small Sword Servant compare to a swordsman who has already established his foundation and gathered his yuan? Isn't that just asking for death?"

  "It's definitely true. I'm laughing at myself for having high hopes for him earlier. I heard he even managed to tie with Princess Mingxue previously, and seemed to have gained some insight."

  "A joke, how could that be possible? He's a genius who started cultivating at the age of thirteen, it's just that he didn't want to bully him and suppress his cultivation."

  "So that's it! I said I didn't think much of this weird kid, always carrying that heavy and clumsy sword on his back, thinking he was so diligent in his training. But now it turns out he doesn't even have the courage to show up. Hmph, he's not even as good as a coward!"

  Chang Mei Hu Fa's eyebrows furrowed, this was the first time he had encountered such a situation. Seeing the surrounding murmurs gradually intensifying, he hastily mobilized his sword energy and coughed twice, saying: "Perhaps due to some reason, that disciple was unable to come. So I declare, new disciple Lu Qing, exit!"

  "Wait, don't rush, haven't we arrived?"

  Just as the old man was about to announce the result, a somewhat lazy voice clearly came into the crowd.

  "It's Big Brother Master—"

  "Ah, Big Brother Master has finally arrived——"

  A path was quickly cleared in the crowd, and two figures walked shoulder to shoulder. The slightly taller one was Nie Qingtian, who was favored by the majority of the Protectors. He held a white jade wine jug in his hand, his long hair scattered randomly, his figure lazy, his phoenix eyes narrowed, and he poured wine into his mouth mouthful by mouthful. However, none of the disciples present made any comments, as if he was born to be this way.

  On the other side, walking over was Lu Qing, who had been in seclusion for a month and a half. At this time, he wore a black martial uniform, but possibly because he was in a hurry, his waistband wasn't tied up, and his hair was only hastily tied back. He somewhat resembled Nie Qing Tian's appearance, with a jug of liquor in hand, and the Lian Xin sword casually slung over his shoulder. The two exchanged smiles as they simultaneously downed their last mouthfuls of wine.

  "Little brother will take the lead——” With a sound of shattering wine jug, Lu Qing's figure rose like a big bird, instantly crossing over the five-zhang distance above the inner sect disciples and landing steadily on the sword platform. The black iron sword under his feet only trembled slightly before returning to its original state. His gaze turned, looking at the long-eyebrowed protector below: "The disciple has come out of seclusion late, please forgive me, Protector. Can we begin now?" Announcement: **About to start, everyone's recommendation votes are coming in heavily!