The morning wind on Sword Plaza was fiercer than usual today.
Cyan and yellow flags, straight sword bamboo, ribbons of clothing... were all whipped in a noisy flutter by the strong wind, giving one the tense feeling of a coming storm that filled the building before the rain even fell.
Xiao Ran's single remark was like a stone cast into water, raising ripples in the hearts of every disciple that rapidly spread and turned into towering waves in the blink of an eye.
In the sparse crowd, a few inner sect disciples whose hands itched unbearably and who were eager to move re-examined and scrutinized the young uncle-master on the square platform.
Could the Sword-Wielding Elder really have picked a genius with a peculiar physique?
No one dared to make a move.
But someone spoke up.
A middle-aged disciple with the natural air of a slippery veteran offered a slight bow to Xiao Ran, probing respectfully, "I hear Uncle-Master Xiao excels at life skills like construction and farming. Could what we are comparing today be--"
Xiao Ran shook his head with his hands behind his back, directly cutting the man off.
"I have no such leisure; today we only test combat talent."
That person was stunned, thought for a moment, and asked again with a feigned troubled look, "But Uncle-Master, you..."
"Two types of combat methods."
Xiao Ran merely extended two fingers.
"The first option limits cultivation level, matching power with mortal strength. We only compare body art or sword techniques, and the spiritual instruments used are also limited to mortal grades."
"The second option imposes no limit on cultivation or spiritual instruments. It is an indiscriminate, rule-free battle. As long as life isn't endangered, fight however you please."
Sword Plaza was utterly silent.
Only the wind blew wildly.
Before the crowd had time to think it over, Xiao Ran added:
"I shall wait here for one hour. If no one accepts the challenge, do not ever stir up such boring arenas again."
The sound of the wind whistled and rustled.
Human words rang with resolute impact! The few disciples who had come to watch immediately scattered, rapidly spreading Xiao Ran's words to every peak and every corner of the inner sect.
A single stone stirred up a thousand waves!
The Inner Sect Eighteen Peaks instantly exploded into an uproar.
"A boring arena? Are you sure the direct disciple said that?"
"Two options for challengers to choose at will? I thought the direct disciple would limit his cultivation and only compare sword dao and body art!"
"Why is a mere mortal so arrogant as this? Could he have concealed his strength..."
"Or could it be that the Sword-Wielding Elder is already hiding in the shadows and will secretly assist him?"
"How is that possible--I just heard Uncle-Master Boyun say the Sword-Wielding Elder has gone out on business and won't be back for three days!"
"He deliberately created an alibi and secretly slipped the direct disciple a covert spiritual instrument to casually fight above his weight class!"
"That possibility isn't excluded, but I still feel Uncle-Master Xiao has concealed his strength. You didn't see his expression just now; is that the bearing a mortal should have?"
"Could he be bluffing, deliberately giving two choices either to elevate himself or to imply he harbors lethal weapons, thereby forcing challengers to choose the first option?"
"What you say makes sense, but in any case, we can only watch and must not make any rash moves. Senior Sister Jiang and Junior Brother Ye are definitely more anxious than we are, not to mention Senior Brother Chen acting as our touchstone. Whether they are mules or horses, they'll reveal their true forms immediately."
"No matter what... there's a good show to watch today!"
Similar discussions were taking place on every mountain peak.
Little Qiong Peak.
The female cultivators had just learned that Jiang Chuyan was going to join Sword-Wielding Mountain to become the beloved grand-disciple of the Sword-Wielding Elder, and before they had time to cheer and hold a farewell party, they heard an even more explosive piece of news.
Chuyan's immediate master, the mortal direct disciple of Sword-Wielding Mountain, Xiao Ran, had descended upon Sword Plaza just as the first day of the disciple challenge began.
"Such an overbearing man, could he have concealed his strength?"
"No wonder even the eldest senior sister had to bow her head and become a disciple!"
"Go quick and call the eldest senior sister!"
"Where is the eldest senior sister? She was still tidying things up just now..."
"The eldest senior sister went to Main Peak to handle her peak-transfer paperwork."
"Just happens to be at Main Peak? Let's go take a look too!"
"Let's go, let's go, let's go!"
Hundred Herbs Peak.
The medicine fields rustled like slithering snakes.
Chunwa and Qiuchan were weaving through the medicinal plants, burying their heads to catch bugs... and weed, completely oblivious to what had happened at Main Peak.
The pair held an iron yak in one hand and a nine-starred ladybug in the other, until they collided headfirst with a pair of slender, straight, and warm, soft calves.
Raising their heads to look, it was none other than their master, True Person Yinyue.
"Your Senior Brother Xiao is currently at Main Peak's Sword Plaza accepting disciple challenges. Do the two of you want to go over and cheer him on?"
The two child dolls scratched their heads, picked up the hairpins that had knocked off into the grass, put them back on, and said offhandedly:
"What do you mean by... our Senior Brother Xiao?"
"If Master yourself wants to go watch him, just go directly. No rule says an elder can't watch; we still have weeds to pull!"
"Besides, no matter how much Master stares, he's still someone else's disciple."
"If you ask me, instead of drooling over someone else's disciple, you'd be better off being a bit nicer to your own. Couldn't you prepare a few more candied haws from the imperial city?"
True Person Yinyue's face turned dark, and she said sternly:
"Finish weeding the whole mountain today. You don't eat until the weeding is done."
The two doll-girls stood up with a spring, their two little heads poking slightly above the medicine field. A frog-shaped hairpin and a cicada-shaped hairpin caught the eye remarkably well amidst the herbs, looking like living creatures.
"We're going right now to cheer for Senior Brother Xiao!"
Sword-Tempering Mountain.
Inside a certain Profound Crystal Stone cavern.
Gao Shi wore a vision obscuring ring, methodically grinding a sword against several pieces of Profound Crystal Stone with differing textures, needing to simultaneously ensure the edge's sharpness, toughness, and the intricate spirit runes.
This was an extremely complex procedure.
Gao Shi's ears ignored affairs outside the window as he endlessly repeated the exact same movement, looking quite methodical and extremely professional.
Yet his mind had long since flown who-knows-where, and the divine sense he secretly amplified was searching the surrounding mountain peaks.
"Master, Junior Brother Xiao, whom you care about, unexpectedly appeared at Main Peak's Sword Plaza, waiting for disciple challenges."
"What does that have to do with you?"
From the cavern dome came a cold, dry, aged voice.
True Person Moxia was in another cave dwelling, repairing and operating the mountain-guarding grand array.
This was the mountain-guarding task jointly undertaken by Master Boyun, Huangfu Qun, and True Person Moxia after the sect leader entered deep meditation.
"Didn't you want Junior Brother Xiao to visit Sword-Tempering Mountain as a guest? If Disciple Xiao is heavily injured in the arena, who knows how long he'll need to recuperate before he can come to Sword-Tempering Mountain."
"It has nothing to do with you."
"The Sword-Wielding Elder went out this morning, and presiding over this disciple challenge isn't Senior Brother Chen, but Senior Brother Luo Sheng. Disciple feels it's very necessary to go cheer for Junior Brother Xiao to prevent him from being bullied by wicked people."
"Luo Sheng isn't the kind of person you think. He also passed the disciple challenge through his own efforts. If Xiao Ran can't even get past the disciple challenge, he has no ability to come to Sword-Tempering Mountain."
"Disciple feels that since Junior Brother Xiao dared to come this early, he might be hiding some incredible strength. Is Master not interested at all?"
"Naturally your master is interested, but what does that have to do with you?"
"..."
Main Peak.
The wind on Sword Plaza was growing stronger by the moment.
A quarter of an hour after Xiao Ran's appearance, several thousand inner sect disciples had already gathered on Sword Plaza, a dark, densely packed sea of heads.
It was as grand as a concert, yet not lively at all, carrying instead a desolate aura of "setting sun shining on great flags, horses neighing in the whistling wind."
Xiao Ran glanced sideways at the jade slips scattered on the ground, then swept his gaze across the crowd.
He could be certain that the disciples who submitted challenge jade slips were all present, save for Chuyan, but he couldn't tell who was who—he hadn't even managed to pick out Great Emperor Ye Fan.
Besides inner sect disciples, there were also quite a few inner sect instructors and important figures from subordinate sects under Zongzhi Mountain who had come to watch.
Even Lin Yunzi had come, though hindered by his humble status he dared not greet him publicly, only nodding and bowing from within the crowd.
The crowd occupied all blind spots from every angle, dense like an army of grass and trees, yet dead silent save for the ear-scraping whistle of the howling wind.
This inevitably stirred tension in Xiao Ran's heart; he closed his eyes to listen to all things and resonate with heaven and earth before he could steady his mind and maintain his haughty persona.
Suddenly! He felt his shoulders grow somewhat heavy.
Opening his eyes abruptly and turning his head to look--
Chunwa and Qiuchan were sitting on his shoulders before he knew it.
One on the left, one on the right, their bottoms half-seated and half-hovering in midair.
Two chubby little hands patted the back of Xiao Ran's head like elders, four chubby little legs swinging back and forth, soft heels rhythmically tapping against Xiao Ran's chest.
It turned the originally tense arena abruptly comical.
Setting sun shining on great flags, lolitas whistling in the wind...
The cold and aloof persona Xiao Ran had just struggled to erect was instantly shattered to pieces by these swinging chubby little legs, even carrying an itchy massage effect.
"What are you two doing!"
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