Chapter 55 Chu Jianshan's Identity is Exposed

Chu Jianshan borrowed Cheng Yuan's Liuyin Sword and entered the arena. The last person from Linyi Sect also came over, but just as the gong was about to sound, Qiao Yi lightly raised the folding fan in his hand, indicating that they should not start yet.

Chu Jianshan turned to look at him, not understanding what he was up to.

Qiao Yi lightly rested his chin on his folding fan, a smile playing on his lips: "How about this round, I'll personally challenge Young Master Chu?"

Chu Jianshan's breath hitched for a moment, and he gripped the Liuyin Sword tighter and tighter. Was this person going to face him personally, just like the battle at Linyi Gate seven years ago?

But in that battle, Chu Qingyuan, the number one warrior in the world, was defeated.

Before Chu Jianshan could answer, Dong Huai Ren, who had been watching the commotion, finally spoke up, saying something quite agitated: "You're playing dirty tricks! The third person has already been decided, why should you change it as you please?"

Qiao Yi glanced at him sideways and chuckled, "Sect Leader Dong is right. The third person has indeed been decided."

Chu Jianshan frowned slightly, not believing that he would give up so easily.

Sure enough, the next second he turned the folding fan in his hand, and the mechanism hidden in the fan head was triggered. A silver needle shot out quickly and pierced straight into the neck of the third person. He didn't even have time to whimper before he fell down.

Qiao Yi tilted her head: "Now, the third person is gone."

The audience fell silent. Everyone knew what despicable things Linyimen had done, but no one dared to say a word.

The man's body was quickly dragged away. Qiao Yi slowly stood up and walked over. As she passed Chu Jianshan, she leaned down and whispered in his ear, "This time, guess who will win?"

With a clang, the gong was struck again.

The atmosphere between the two was subtle. Neither of them made the first move. Suddenly, a gentle breeze blew by, and Chu Jianshan's clothes brushed lightly against the Liuyin Sword.

Without further hesitation, Chu Jianshan turned around and jumped, heading straight for Qiao Yi. Qiao Yi, on the other hand, did not dodge but stood still and used his spiritual power to defend. He did not use his full strength, but rather seemed to be toying with Qiao Yi, only defending and not attacking.

"Draw your sword!" Chu Jianshan's breathing was unstable. This stalemate was wearing down even the best temper.

Qiao Yi chuckled: "This is what you asked for."

He turned and drew his sword. With a sharp slash, the two swords clashed, creating streaks of iron light. Chu Jianshan suddenly sensed something was wrong. He couldn't withdraw his sword. It was as if he was being drawn closer and closer to Qiao Yi's sword.

Bang--!

Qiao Yi's spiritual power exploded instantly, and Chu Jianshan was forced aside, crashing to the ground and rolling several times before finally coming to a stop.

Bai Qianfan's heart clenched instantly. Qiao Yi's attack method was simply torturing Chu Jianshan. If this continued, Chu Jianshan would definitely have to use his spiritual power. But once he exceeded his limit, it was hard to say whether his spiritual core could be preserved.

Chu Jianshan endured the dense pain radiating from his body, using his hands to push himself up with difficulty. Despite being knocked away in one move, he lowered his head and laughed.

Chu Jianshan knelt on the ground and slowly looked up at the person: "You really are not him."

He had been pressuring Qiao Yi to make a move since the beginning. Although he was struck by a palm, he managed to test the waters. This person's spiritual power was not weak, but compared to that person, it was still far inferior.

As Qiao Yi listened to his words, she slowly walked over, her eyes behind the mask unfathomable: "He is not me, but I am him."

Chu Jianshan struggled to his feet and took a deep breath: "You really don't want others to see your true colors?"

Qiao Yi stretched out his hand, and a powerful spiritual energy began to surround Chu Jianshan: "I just want to keep this show a little more mysterious before it comes to an end."

His five fingers clenched suddenly, and the spiritual energy tightened along with him. Chu Jianshan felt as if someone was choking him, and he couldn't breathe at all. The spiritual energy continued to press him down, and his knees pressed against the stone floor, even creating a crack.

Cheng Yuan witnessed every single scene. From beginning to end, his brow never relaxed; he wished he could take Chu Jianshan's pain upon himself.

Qiao Yi bent down and whispered in Chu Jianshan's ear, speaking in a voice only the two of them could hear: "Chu Qingyuan, use your full strength, just like seven years ago, let me use this body to compete with you again."

Chu Jianshan struggled to lift his head, gritting his teeth: "What exactly... do you want to do?!"

Qiao Yi's smile hadn't faded: "I want the truth to come out."

The spiritual power that had been suppressing Chu Jianshan dissipated in an instant. The next moment, Qiao Yi's palm wind struck. Chu Jianshan rolled to the side to dodge the palm, and then suddenly raised his sword to block the downward slash.

Cheng Yuan was still there. He dared not use the moves that Chu Qingyuan used to frequently use, nor did he dare to release too much of his spiritual power. He could only rely on the spiritual power of the Liuyin Sword to barely resist Qiao Yi's moves.

"Chu Jianshan, how can someone else's sword be as comfortable to use as your own?" Qiao Yi launched another attack, leaving no room for retreat in every move: "How about letting me see the Mo Yang of yesteryear again?"

"Shut up!" Chu Jianshan finally seized the opportunity, turned sideways and kicked him away a bit, but his own strength was also greatly depleted, and he kept panting heavily.

Taking advantage of his momentary lapse in concentration, Qiao Yi suddenly thrust his sword at Chu Jianshan. Chu Jianshan dodged in time, but his arm was still slashed open, blood seeping through his clothes. The stinging pain spread through his body, but it did little to clear his head.

Chu Jianshan stared intently at Qiao Yi with bloodshot eyes, and finally began to gather spiritual power. A light blue mist-like spiritual power surrounded the Liuyin Sword, reflecting the blue light of the sword itself.

Qiao Yi raised an eyebrow and smiled, "That's more like it, Chu Jianshan, let's have a real showdown."

The moment the words left his mouth, almost instantly, the two of them simultaneously drew their swords and charged at each other, their speed so fast that their movements were almost imperceptible.

Bang--!

The moment they clashed, their spiritual energy exploded simultaneously, creating a gust of wind that forced those watching to turn their heads to avoid the dust and sand.

Bai Qianfan clenched his fingers tightly. Was he out of his mind to unleash such powerful spiritual energy all at once?!

Cheng Yuan also realized what was happening and turned to ask Bai Qianfan, "When did Chu Jianshan develop such strong spiritual power? Didn't he have a problem with his spiritual core?"

"This..." Bai Qianfan turned her head away guiltily, avoiding his gaze. "I'm not quite sure either..."

Cheng Yuan had already sensed something was wrong. Although he believed that Chu Jianshan had his own plans, judging from the current situation, Chu Jianshan was playing a reckless game. The Linyi Sect was known for its fickle nature, and even if they won this round, they might not keep their promise. So why was Chu Jianshan fighting so desperately?

Also, why is he so familiar with this spiritual energy?

On the field, both of their moves were fast. To the sidelines, they were completely invisible, with only two sword lights constantly clashing and the sharp sound of blades slicing against each other ringing out.

After about twenty moves, Chu Jianshan was exhausted and Qiao Yi gained the upper hand. With a full-force palm strike, Chu Jianshan was sent flying.

Chu Jianshan crouched down and used his sword to slash the ground, using all his strength to keep himself from falling off the field.

However, he couldn't hold back the mouthful of blood in his chest, and when he spat it out, a lot of blood splattered onto the Flowing Sound Sword.

"Chu Jianshan——!"

Cheng Yuan disregarded everything else and was about to rush forward when Bai Qianfan grabbed him, saying, "If you go up now, Chu Jianshan will be immediately declared the loser! Don't rush, calm down, calm down..."

Despite saying she was calm, Bai Qianfan was actually panicking, her hands trembling.

On the field, Chu Jianshan was already somewhat delirious. He forced himself to turn his head and saw Cheng Yuan's worried expression. Suddenly, he laughed out loud for no apparent reason.

"I might end up hurting you again..."

If he wants to win this match, he will no longer be able to hide his identity, but if he doesn't win, Linyi Sect will never let Changjin Mountain go.

In fact, he had already foreseen the current outcome before he went on stage, so he secretly placed a communication talisman on Bai Qianfan. As long as he communicates with Bai Qianfan now and asks him to find a reason to take Cheng Yuan away, he can go all out without any psychological burden.

But now he regrets it. He doesn't want Cheng Yuan to stay out of everything anymore, just like seven years ago. He thought he was protecting him, but in reality, he caused him so much pain for so many years.

This time, he wanted Cheng Yuan to see it for himself.

Love or hate, things that are tangled and inextricably linked are things that can no longer be escaped. He no longer wants to make decisions for anyone else, so he will leave everything to Cheng Yuan.

He used the Flowing Sound Sword to prop himself up and weakly smiled at Qiao Yi, "Is that all you've got? I thought you were much more powerful."

Cheng Yuan was alarmed. He couldn't figure out what Chu Jianshan was trying to do. He was already so badly injured, why was he still trying to provoke Qiao Yi?

Qiao Yi stood still, looking directly at Chu Jianshan, his tone devoid of emotion: "Fine, let's end this little squabble ahead of schedule."

He attacked again, this time without any techniques or skills, relying entirely on his powerful spiritual energy. Chu Jianshan braced himself with his hands on the ground to dodge the deadly blow, but when he stabbed back, he didn't even touch anyone. Qiao Yi disappeared from the spot.

Before he could react, Qiao Yi appeared behind him again and struck again. Chu Jianshan rolled twice to get up, but his wrist was grabbed. Qiao Yi twisted it slightly, and Chu Jianshan couldn't bear the pain and released his grip on the Liuyin Sword.

Qiao Yi flicked his finger, and the Flowing Sound Sword flew out, carried by spiritual energy, and stuck in the sidelines.

Qiao Yi suddenly lifted off the ground and stood in mid-air, surrounded by a thick golden spiritual energy. The sword in his hand suddenly split into dozens of pieces, spinning and hovering in the air, all the sword tips pointing at Chu Jianshan, ready to strike.

"I hope you can survive this time."

Qiao Yi slowly raised her right hand and gently flicked her index finger.

In an instant, all the swords rushed forward, the sound of them tearing through the air mixed with golden light and shadow, constantly approaching Chu Jianshan.

Chu Jianshan looked up at the grand scene, neither speaking nor making a move. He knew that he could not dodge this attack no matter what.

Cheng Yuan witnessed all of this and almost went mad, trying to rush over: "Chu Jianshan!! No—!"

The enormous sound generated by the collision of spiritual energy was almost enough to shatter one's eardrums. In that instant, the shockwave from the explosion blasted Cheng Yuan, who was about to rush onto the field, away. Bai Qianfan caught him from behind and struggled to open his eyes to see what had happened to Chu Jianshan.

The noise on the field gradually subsided, the dust that had been flying up settled, and through the blurred vision, the figures of two people could be seen, one of whom was kneeling on the ground.

Cheng Yuan thought it was Chu Jianshan and hurried over, but Bai Qianfan stopped him and said softly, "You saw clearly."

As the dust settled, the scene before him gradually became clear. Chu Jianshan stood there, enveloped in floating azure spiritual energy. The Mo Yang Sword lay across his face. Chu Jianshan gently grasped the hilt, and the embroidery on the Mo Yang Sword began to fall away, revealing its original glory as the number one sword in the world.

At the same time, the time it takes for an incense stick to burn is up, the gong is struck, and the game is a draw.

Qiao Yi clutched his chest and knelt on the ground, laughing, "That move just now was brilliant."

"The Mo Yang Sword?!" Someone in the crowd recognized the sword.

"What? This... isn't this Immortal Venerable Nanxu's sword? How could he have it?"

"Could this person be...?"

Qiao Yi stood up with a smile and said to Chu Jianshan, "Now that things have come to this, why not let everyone see the real you?"

With a gentle wave of his sleeve, Qiao Yi sent a burst of spiritual energy toward Chu Jianshan. Chu Jianshan did not move, because the spiritual energy would not harm him. Instead, it brushed past his face like a gentle breeze and took away his mask.

Chu Jianshan turned his head slightly, a few strands of sweaty hair falling across his forehead, and beneath them was Chu Qingyuan's face.

This face was reflected in Cheng Yuan's pupils. He frowned, his face full of disbelief, his whole body was trembling, and he was breathing heavily. Countless strong emotions surged into his mind, but he couldn't even speak. He could only stare at Chu Jianshan.

His mind was filled with only three words, no wonder.

No wonder Chu Jianshan took the knife for him, no wonder he was so resistant to their relationship at first, no wonder some of his actions and habits were so similar to his master's, no wonder he wanted to avenge Xie Yin, no wonder he told himself... not to hate him.

Bai Qianfan must have known all this, but he still chose to keep it from Chu Jianshan along with him.

"Heh." Cheng Yuan chuckled to himself. It turned out that from beginning to end, he had been a fool who had been completely fooled. Chu Jianshan... no, Chu Qingyuan, his good master, had never truly trusted him.

Chu Jianshan slowly turned around and looked at Cheng Yuan beside him. Their eyes met. His spiritual core had just endured a huge amount of spiritual power, and it felt like it was being burned by fire. However, he still forced himself not to collapse and slowly moved his steps toward Cheng Yuan.

He didn't know what to say to him, or how to explain everything, but he just wanted to go over and hold his hand so he wouldn't leave.

"Qingyuan..." Someone called him from the side. Chu Jianshan stopped and saw Jiang Yan walking over.

He forced a smile and called out softly, "Senior Brother..."

Now, he can finally rightfully call him senior brother.

Jiang Yan didn't say anything, nor did she blame him for being gone for so many years. She just patted his shoulder lightly twice, her eyes filled with tears, and repeatedly said, "It's good that you're back, it's good that you're back..."

"It truly is the Southern Immortal Venerable!"

"Immortal Venerable Nanxu is back!"

At a time when Changjin Mountain and Linyi Sect were at loggerheads, Chu Qingyuan's return clearly gave everyone confidence, and now the disciples of Changjin Mountain can stand up straighter.

When Dong Huai Ren saw that Chu Jianshan, whom he had previously scolded, was actually the Southern Immortal Venerable Chu Qingyuan, his face turned pale and then red. In the end, he transferred his anger to Linyi Sect.

"Now that Immortal Venerable Nanxu has returned, and your Linyi Sect has not won, it's time to go back!"

Qiao Yi glanced at him but didn't bother to look at him. He turned around and sat back down. The maid next to him spoke up for him: "The two sides are evenly matched. Logically, we should take the young master away."

"Don't even think about it." Chu Jianshan looked at Qiao Yi with a fierce gaze: "A Yuan will always be a member of Changjin Mountain."

Upon hearing this, Cheng Yuan clenched his fists, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

"Is that so?" Qiao Yi lightly rested her folding fan against the mask, threatening him with a smile: "Then why don't you guess how long you can hold out?"

Chu Jianshan gripped the Mo Yang sword tightly. Qiao Yi was right. In his current state, let alone a big fight, he would be lucky to even stand up. He couldn't stop these people from Linyi Sect.

Qiao Yi raised his hand slightly again. Chu Jianshan knew that as soon as he lowered his hand, the five thousand cultivators guarding outside would begin to break through the barrier simultaneously. At that time, it would be a fight to the death.

"Uncle—!" A girl's voice came from afar, and Qiao Yi's hand froze in mid-air, no longer moving.

"Ah Sheng? What brings you here?" Before Chu Jianshan could even react, Jiang Rusheng suddenly threw him into her arms.

Jiang Rusheng trembled in his arms, as if she was crying: "I knew it... I knew you were so amazing, you would be alright. I've been waiting for you for so long."

Chu Jianshan's eyes welled up with tears, and he gently stroked the top of Chu Jianshan's head. "I'm back now, don't worry. You should go back first, it's dangerous here."

"No!" Jiang Rusheng broke free from Chu Jianshan's embrace, faced the group from Linyi Sect, drew her whip, and said fiercely, "I'm not afraid of them! If you've got the guts, fight me!"

Jiang Yan said with slight displeasure, "Ah Sheng, stop fooling around."

“Oh…” Jiang Rusheng silently put the whip away. Jiang Yan was gentle to everyone, but strict with his daughter, so Jiang Rusheng was always a little afraid of him.

After this commotion, everyone was waiting for Linyi Gate's reaction, but to everyone's surprise, Qiao Yi stopped talking the moment he saw Jiang Rusheng. He just gently stroked the bell at his waist, his eyes seeming to hold some hidden emotions. Some memories were like demons, trying to resist his struggle.

He withdrew his hand and said softly, "Retreat."

"What?" The maid didn't understand. "You mean...?"

"Withdraw." Qiao Yi repeated.

Despite his unpredictable behavior, the maid nodded in obedience and gestured for all those guarding outside Changjin Mountain to retreat.

Qiao Yi stood up, glanced at Jiang Rusheng again, and turned to leave, but stopped after taking two steps. She turned her head slightly to Chu Jianshan and said, "Chu Qingyuan, we'll meet again."

"Are you scared now?" Dong Huai-ren shouted from behind.

After watching such a grand show, everyone was tired and turned to leave. Bai Qianfan quickly grabbed Jiang Rusheng, who was still catching up with Chu Jianshan, and took him and Jiang Yan away: "Let the master and disciple talk first."

They left one after another, leaving only Chu Jianshan and Cheng Yuan in the huge venue.

The distance between the two was neither too far nor too close, but neither of them took the first step.

Chu Jianshan took a deep breath and slowly moved forward, but just as he reached Cheng Yuan, a sword blocked his way.

With the Flowing Sound Sword pressed against his neck, Cheng Yuan coldly asked, "What should I call you? Chu Jianshan, or... Master?"