Chapter 241: The Way of War
The crucial third round determines the places that will enter the Holy Land of Sages, so everyone's nerves are on edge.
It feels like taking one step forward will lead you to the blue sky and blue sea, while taking one step back will be a waste of effort.
Because if we don't enter the holy land of the sages, all our efforts here will be in vain.
In the morning, inside the Lingxi Dojo where the morning light shines.
Although there is still some heat in the wind with a hint of bleakness, the dryness has become so mild that it is unnoticeable. Instead, there is a sense of autumn coolness, which goes perfectly with the sunny weather.
The seven great immortal sects and thousand-year-old families all gathered here, among them there were twenty-four people in the Tongxuan realm, sitting upright, and one could see the sword energy flying across the stage and the sky light flashing.
Zheng Lei is indeed a soft persimmon. In terms of strength, it is really a close call for him to enter the third round.
In other words, his luck played a big part.
The person who challenged him was Bayan, a Linsai breakthrough man who could swallow mountains and rivers with his sword.
Wei Bo was better than Zheng Lei in the second game. His own strength was not weak. The reason why he was challenged was because he relied on the family magic skills, which focused on defense and weak on killing.
In this kind of battle, if the opponent does not use ruthless tactics, then he will have many more opportunities.
After all, defense is not the way to victory.
Everyone who has watched Wei Bo's games knows that from the group stage to the third round, whenever he encountered a strong opponent, Wei Bo's strategy was to use his family's inherited Sky Light to wear away the opponent's spiritual energy.
The opponent challenging him was Li Yunlang, who had already attracted much attention.
However, unlike the smooth battle against Zheng Lei, this one did have some changes, because Wei Bo changed his techniques in this battle, and the strong murderous aura was eye-opening.
This person had held back before.
However, Li Yunlang's energy suddenly increased, and his aura suddenly became hard, giving Wei Bo even stronger suppression.
Seeing this scene, some people's expressions became much more solemn, such as the people in charge of Tianshu Academy, as well as Cao Jinsong, Wen Zhengxin, Ban Yangshu and Pei Ruyi, as well as Kuang Cheng and Wei Rui.
They didn't care about Wei Bo, let alone Li Yunlang, but the fact that these two people held back made them nervous.
The battle between Wei Bo and Li Yunlang ended before noon, and Li Yunlang was the winner in the end.
After half an hour of rest and recuperation, everyone's eyes began to focus on the north and south. In fact, even before the first two battles, their eyes had been constantly moving back and forth between these two directions, because everyone knew that the next battle was the purpose of their coming here today.
Soon, the young man in gorgeous clothes from the south, wearing a black gauze dress and holding a heavy sword, walked to the front of the stage, while a figure in white clothes and carrying a sword from the north also came and stopped in the waiting area.
Seeing this scene, everyone couldn't help but stare at it.
Ji You fought against Chen Ruiyang yesterday, and he confronted him head-on. He slashed Chen Ruiyang so hard that he was counterattacked by his Ten-Section Slash, which caused a discussion in the whole garden.
A rural private cultivator with no background has come this far step by step, which actually makes those children of wealthy families with luxurious clothes and food and family heritage feel quite humiliated.
The Tiandao Society had a huge influence, and many families with daughters not only watched the competition but also wanted to choose a husband for their daughters.
However, since yesterday, the phenomenon of people bragging about their noble family background has become noticeably less common.
Because after Ji You defeated Chen Ruiyang, the more he boasted about his wealth and background, the more useless he seemed.
But until this point, everyone couldn't understand why he chose Yan Hao. It didn't make sense.
There were other people present when Ji You went to the Sixian Palace yesterday. They all knew that Ji You went there very early, and Wei Bo had not been selected at that time.
If the two of them were to duel, many people would think that Ji You had a very high chance of winning and entering the Holy Land of Sages was a foregone conclusion. But who knew that he would make such a decision.
"After the duel begins, you must be careful that Yan Hao may hold back."
"You also saw Wei Bo and Li Yunlang just now. They were completely different from the previous battles. The same is true for Yan Hao."
"I just observed the aura, but I only saw a hazy aura. He must be hiding something."
The three heads of the Office of Administration came to the waiting area together and gave him some instructions.
Ji You nodded: "I'll keep an eye on it."
"In fact, you might as well choose Wei Bo. As you saw just now, the risk is almost negligible when facing him."
"I've already made my choice. There's no point in thinking about it now."
The three managers also knew this was the truth, and they couldn't help but look towards the southwest while keeping silent.
There stood a group of old men with white hair and beards, wearing the immortal robes of Tianshu Academy. Their faces were gloomy and vaguely angry. They were the elders who came to Tiandao Association to discuss Taoism.
Yesterday, when the news of Ji You's challenge to Yan Hao spread, these elders who had not cared much about the disciples' duel suddenly went to Ji You and asked him to withdraw the fight.
It’s not because they don’t want Ji You to lose, but they just don’t want to fail in their discussion.
The Tiandao Association has been like this for thousands of years, and the disciples' battles have a very direct impact on the battles of discussing the Dao.
After all, you are there lecturing, arguing with your opponents about the Way of Heaven, with passion and enthusiasm, and saliva flying everywhere, but in the end your disciples either lose or fail to win. Then, even if what you say is brilliant, it is completely untenable.
In the past few days, Wang Gaocen and Gu Zetao were defeated first, and Xiao Hanyan secretly used magic weapons to win a tragic victory, which has begun to affect their discussion.
They were already anxious, and later they relaxed a little when they heard that Ji You had crippled Chen Ruiyang with his Eight Swords. However, they didn't expect that Ji You actually picked the most risky opponent in the ring match.
They don't want to see this kind of risk, so naturally they have to intervene in the matter.
In the end, Ji You ignored them and just chuckled twice.
The Elders' Pavilion was instantly furious, and then became angry.
Because they suddenly realized that they had nothing to threaten Ji You, whether it was elixirs, spirit stones, or magic.
Ji You came on stage with a sword in his hand, walked to the round platform and stood still. Yan Hao, who was wearing a gauze dress, also walked onto the round platform and looked at him.
"You could have been in the top ten, but your choice was really bad. I'm very curious why the people from Tianshu Academy were willing to let you choose me, or why you chose me without informing them."
"Otherwise, I don't think anyone would be willing to face me in this round."
"Victory can sometimes make people lose their heads, so cultivation requires a clear mind. Your cultivation is still a little lacking."
It really surprised Yan Hao that someone dared to choose him on the first day of the challenge competition. He thought someone had gone crazy.
Later, someone told him about this man who killed Chen Ruiyang with a sword, which made him realize that this disciple of Tianshu Academy was no ordinary person. He seemed to be taking the path of heavy sword as well, but it was of no use to him.
As Yan Hao spoke, he stretched out his hand, grabbed the gauze dress draped over his shoulders and slowly untied it. As the gauze dress fell to the ground, the aura around him gradually began to leak out.
The next moment, there was an uproar at the scene. Many people stood up from their seats involuntarily, staring at Yan Hao, and sensed something strange from his breath.
"He...he has merged into the Dao?"
"Yan Haorong said!"
“No wonder, no wonder I always felt like he was hiding something during the previous battles. In fact, he was hiding his aura of a breakthrough!”
Yan Hao looked at Ji You at this time, with a hint of pride in his eyes.
His goal from the beginning was not just to get into the top ten. He wanted to get first place. He wanted to enter the deepest part of the holy land of the sages to find the sages' inheritance. This matter was very important to their Tianjian Peak.
Therefore, before coming here, he had already made preparations to break through the barriers before the competition.
In fact, in his opinion, the third round did not require a breakthrough to deal with, but three of the thirty people who advanced were the first to break through, which made him a little worried.
But it’s also good this way. After hiding for so long, Yan Hao suddenly felt a sense of complete liberation. The energy in his body continued to burst out, gradually filling the closing barrier.
Seeing this scene, everyone in Tianshuyuan's faces changed drastically.
They knew that Yan Hao had a backup plan, but they didn't know he had such a big one.
Even Cao Jinsong, who had always blindly trusted his evil disciple, couldn't help but frown at this moment.
The ones who reacted most violently came from the elders of the Pavilion of Administration. They were originally cursing Ji You for not obeying the law, but when they saw that Yan Hao had already reached the initial stage of Rong Dao, they felt indignant but also somewhat relieved.
"If you are so stubborn and arrogant, I'm afraid our Tian Academy will lose again."
After Elder Xiao finished speaking, he couldn't help but curse a few more times, but he was suddenly enveloped by a chill, his scalp tightened, and he immediately opened his eyes wide and turned to look at the small building not far away.
And where the coldness came from, Yan Shuyi was looking at an old man beside him with a faint smile on his face: "How is Seventh Uncle's health lately?"
"Thank you for your concern, I am in good health."
"Uncle Seven also knows that I have never been to the holy land of the ancient sages, so I am always curious. In addition to accelerating cultivation, what else does this holy land have? Uncle Seven can help my niece solve this puzzle?"
"This holy land is full of mysteries. In addition to being able to listen to the Way of Heaven and thus rapidly advance one's cultivation, it is said that there is also a heritage that originates from the same source as the holy artifact, which is connected to the Way of Heaven itself. However, no one has found it in all these years."
"The holy vessels have the same origin, so that's it..."
Yan Shuyi looked at Yan Hao in the middle of the field with a slightly cold gaze.
Ding Yao and Zhuo Wanqiu's gazes were originally on Ji You, with worry on their faces. After all, it was they who influenced Ji You to choose Yan Hao here. It was not until they heard this conversation that they opened their mouths slightly and turned to look at Yan Hao.
In fact, although breaking through before the competition is not prohibited by the rules, it is often looked down upon by many people. With Yan Hao's character and strength, it is not completely necessary for him to break through as early as the third round.
Moreover, he hid the fact that he had reached the realm so thoroughly that even the people around him were not aware of it. It was only yesterday that his aura accidentally leaked out.
In other words, he has been more calm and composed along the way than his personality suggests, which means that what he is scheming is not just these, or that Tianjian Peak is scheming more than these.
The two of them felt a sinking feeling in their hearts and looked towards their own appraiser.
Over the past decade, Tianjian Peak has been trying every possible way to find a way to make Lingjian choose a new master...
Thinking of this, the two of them suddenly pulled themselves out of their previous worries and fell into even greater worries, and even their lips began to turn gray.
Only Ji You, after seeing the aura displayed by Yan Hao, lowered his head to glance at the gauze dress, and was dazzled by the orange and yellow color embedded in it.
This is another good thing that poor people have never seen before...
"Is that made of gold?"
"?"
At this moment, the gong on the field suddenly rang out.
A sharp breath suddenly whizzed out from the circular platform, and the deep sound of sword chanting resounded throughout the place. Even though the murderous intent was blocked by the closing barrier, the sense of oppression was transmitted in all directions, instantly causing people to feel palpitations.
Bayan, who had no family heritage and no deep background, was able to achieve this point simply by crossing one more realm.
Then for a person like Yan Hao, who has the most noble birth, rich inheritance, and now has the bloodline of an immortal sect that has passed the threshold of the Dao of Integration, one can naturally imagine how terrifying his combat power is.
Boom! The sword whistled like thunder, and the sound waves made everyone's eardrums hurt.
Amid the resonant sound of the argument, Yan Hao grasped the heavy black iron sword in his hand and slashed it into the air with a cold gaze. The sword body dragged out a dark aura, as if a mountain was collapsing.
Seeing this scene, everyone couldn't help but hold their breath.
Many people have seen Ji You's last battle. They saw Chen Ruiyang, who started with the Ten-Section Sword, directly cut off all the energy he had created. But at this moment, Yan Hao used more domineering means. He crushed all the energy around him with just the powerful sword energy. His sword intent that soared into the sky made the entire barrier tremble continuously.
The sword intent is the result of the interaction between the sword itself and the heaven and earth. It is said that some people cannot even draw their swords when faced with irresistible sword intent.
They passively put themselves in the shoes of Ji You under the black sword, and seemed to have felt the intense pain of a huge mountain smashing their spine, causing a chill to instantly run up their spine.
Especially Bayan, his face began to turn pale.
He also broke through and entered the same realm before the competition, but at this moment he felt an extremely obvious gap.
This battle should end quickly because this sword is difficult to block!
Amidst the wind and waves, Yan Hao's eyes were cold and he swung his sword with tremendous force.
sonorous!
Just when everyone was judging whether Ji You could take on the sword, the sharp sound of metal clashing tore through the stagnant air like tearing silk, causing everyone's temples to throb.
But what was shocking was that the heavy sword that could crush everything did not hit the bottom without any hindrance as imagined, but was directly pressed into the air amidst a burst of sparks.
It’s not a matter of whether you can catch it or not.
At that time, Ji You held his sword in the wind and waves, and the three-foot-long green iron heavy sword in his hand kept trembling, but he could not move forward, which stunned everyone for a moment.
Ji You has a thin build, like a scholar, and looks somewhat delicate, but after he started to fight, his aura suddenly changed, his original elegance completely faded away, replaced by the terrifying pressure of a dormant beast ready to devour its prey.
At this moment, a scorching breath gushed out from his whole body, surging and surging, like the flames rolling back from a furnace, spreading violently in all directions.
On the west side of the platform, Chen Ruiyang, with his arms bound with bandages, frowned and his mind trembled.
Ji You's strength in yesterday's fight was far beyond his imagination, and the power he displayed today was even more unfamiliar than the day before.
At this moment, Yan Hao's pupils constricted, and his heart trembled violently as the heat wave hit his face.
For sword cultivators, the sword is a part of the body. Although they do not fight with bare hands, there will still be a sense of touch when the two blades collide.
The feeling he got from the sword strike just now made him feel as if he had struck something that could not be moved...
At this moment, Ji Yousong turned his wrist and the Taoist sword that had previously clashed with him suddenly flew into the air. While he was waving his hand, another sword appeared in his right hand and was raised with his arm.
Blue veins bulged under his skin like ancient vines, and as his arms gathered strength, his muscles tightened like a fully drawn bowstring, and the aura surrounding his body became even hotter, and then the Taoist sword in front of him came slashing down with a loud bang.
With a humming sound, the strong sword energy seemed to cut through the air, scratching people's skin painfully. At the same time, ripples continued to appear in the air wherever the sword passed.
Yan Hao's scalp tightened. He was very familiar with the ripples created by the sword, because his strongest sword could also make the air stagnate for a moment.
With a loud bang, the three-foot green sword in front of him fell wildly, and a heavy energy immediately filled his arms.
The energy that could crush everything rushed forward and knocked Yan Hao back three feet. The heavy sword in his hand made his palm hurt.
Sure enough, after the descendants of the Immortal Sect crossed the threshold of integration, they were very different from other people.
After Ji You dropped his sword, he couldn't help but mutter, and his fighting spirit began to rise more and more.
His goal from the beginning was to make Yan Hao lose in an embarrassing way. He had already given up everything when he started, and all the strength in his body burst out. The only thing that was useless was the swordsmanship of Lingjian Mountain.
After all, defeating Yan Hao with Lingjianshan's swordsmanship would only show that he is very strong, and would not make people think that Yan Hao is weak.
But even so, it is not easy to resist.
Because according to his theory, the pure physical strength he obtained after body refining reached the level of Dao Rong.
While he was thinking, a loud shout suddenly rang out, Yan Hao's energy was fully activated, and the spiritual energy in his body gushed out. At the same time, he raised his sword and came, using the sword art of the Four Mysterious Mountains to cut through the wind and waves.
With a loud bang.
The heavy black iron sword was chopped back again, and Yan Hao directly pulled out a thin sword from the sword.
As the sword energy soared into the sky, a sharp sword chant exploded like a cold light and slashed in front of Ji You at an extremely fast speed.
At this time, Ji You stepped back sideways, and at the same time, he drew the sword in his hand and slashed it horizontally.
Amidst the flashing of swords and sabers, there was complete silence in the auditorium. Only the powerful iron swords could be seen colliding with each other. There was only one thought in his mind.
Then who is at the Tongxuan realm and who is at the Rongdao realm? They don't know why they can't understand, why they can't judge...
Cao Jinsong was also terrified at this moment as he looked at the figure on the stage. After taking a few deep breaths, he couldn't help but think to himself, "What a wicked disciple!"
He knew that Ji You, who had practiced physical cultivation, might be able to fight against someone in the Rong Dao realm, but that was based on Ji You's use of the Lingjian Mountain sword technique, not pure Qi slashing.
It was not until this moment that he realized that this evil disciple had never used his full strength before.
What kind of monster did I bring out in Yuyang County because of my momentary compassion?
As the sword shadows continued to flash, a sword chant different from the previous ones suddenly sounded like a clear silver bell, rapid and fast.
Seeing this scene, the disciples of Lingjian Mountain couldn't help but feel moved.
Dao Sword·White Rainbow Shining.
Yes, everyone thought that Brother Yan's heavy sword was deadly and murderous, and that his rapier was just to make up for the lack of speed and to be used to rescue people in danger.
But no one knew that his rapier could be stronger, faster and sharper.
With a bang, the collision of swords in the field suddenly stopped for a moment.
Everyone focused their minds and saw Ji You stepping back in the wind and waves. His white robe was cut by a long and narrow sword mark, and his inner shirt seemed to be torn as well, revealing his chest as smooth as jade.
"As expected of Bai Hongzhao, it's a pity that Ji You dodged too quickly, and the sword didn't hit him, only his clothes!"
"It's okay. As long as there's a chance, you'll be able to kill him sooner or later."
"Look at Ji You's sword-wielding habits. He seems to take a step back after three strikes. It's as if he's forcing himself to stand in the center of the stage before he feels comfortable!"
"Why is this happening?"
"It's my personality. I need to align the lapels when I fold my clothes to feel at ease. But I'm not talking about the lapels. I'm talking about Junior Brother Yan's opportunity. This step is Junior Brother Yan's opportunity!"
In fact, everyone in Lingjian Mountain still has a good impression of Ji You, especially under the propaganda of the masked storyteller, many people think that he is a disciple raised outside by Lingjian Mountain.
But at the Tiandao Conference, the two people represented two immortal sects, so they naturally supported Yan Hao more and hoped to see an opportunity to break the deadlock.
In their eyes, Yan Hao's sword skills are higher. If they can see this opportunity, he will naturally see it as well.
At this moment, Ji You slashed out three fierce swords, and Yan Hao no longer had the arrogance he had before, but his eyes were full of ferociousness. And just as the disciples of Lingjian Mountain expected, he looked at Ji You's movement of stepping back.
But for some reason, he did not draw out the rapier again in the fleeting opportunity.
Buzz! Ji You's spiritual energy leaked out wildly, and he stepped into the sky and slashed down fiercely with the sword wrapped in a mighty force. With a plop, Yan Hao's blood surged and his breath began to become disordered.
(End of this chapter)
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