The Origins of Mingtai

"The winner of the first match in the early Golden Core stage group is the Rogue Cultivator Xuan."

The gaunt referee announced the end of the first match, and the winner was an unknown monk.

Whether a disciple is from a major sect or a minor sect, their cultivation resources are provided by the sect.

The Rogue Cultivator is different for Rogue Cultivator. They lack resources for cultivation, and are scarce in terms of wealth, companions, Dharma, and land. Without the guidance of elders, they can easily go astray in their practice if they are not careful, and it will be difficult to correct their mistakes.

Therefore, the level of cultivation and quality of practice of Rogue Cultivator are far lower than those of sect cultivators.

To be able to defeat a host of cultivators from various sects, stand out from the city and state levels, and arrive at the Ask Dao Sect, one can imagine the difficulty involved.

"Make a note of him; he's a prime suspect," Jiang Qun instructed Luo Shuiwei.

He reviewed Zhuang Xuan's previous battle records, which showed that he had crushed his way to the finals. Each time, he could end the match in a maximum of five moves. Even in the first match of the finals, he defeated his opponent in just five moves.

Terrifyingly strong.

"Yes." Luo Shuiwei had already memorized most of the list.

"I will definitely win the next contest!" The defeated party was a very energetic cultivator. Although he lost to Zhuang Xuan, he was not discouraged. Instead, he made a promise to fight again next time.

Zhuang Xuan glanced at his opponent coldly and uttered two words softly.

"Boring."

"You!"

The loser's expression changed slightly; Zhuang Xuan was far too arrogant.

Zhuang Xuan ignored the loser's reaction, jumped off the stage, his eyelids drooping, and yawned with utter boredom.

He wouldn't have bothered playing house with a bunch of kids if the competition didn't offer such generous rewards.

Winning doesn't make any sense; it's completely unchallenging.

Soon Zhuang Xuan faced his second match, against a polite swordsman who, judging from his demeanor, was a Confucian cultivator who practiced the Gentleman's Sword.

"My name is Mingtai from Jianlou. Please give me your guidance." Mingtai held his sword with both hands, the tips pointing downwards, and bowed politely with a shy smile.

Zhuang Xuan still looked like he hadn't woken up properly.

He had no liking for these polite monks; they were completely devoid of courage. They were fine for casual sparring, but once on the battlefield in a life-or-death struggle, these were the ones who would die the fastest.

He had clashed with the Body Integration Realm Confucian cultivators several times. These kinds of cultivators should be arguing over words in the imperial court, and they really don't need to go to the battlefield to charge into battle.

Sizzle

A flash of cyan Sword-Ray streaked past, and Zhuang Xuan instinctively tilted his head back. The cyan Sword-Ray grazed his neck, and a cool breeze blew by. Only then did he realize that a shallow sword mark had appeared on his neck, which was quickly stained red with blood.

"Can someone cultivate swordsmanship to such a level at this level?" the participating cultivators exclaimed in surprise. Some of them had not seen Mingtai's performance in his first competition, but now that they saw Mingtai make a move, they realized that he was a formidable opponent.

"To have such swordsmanship at the early stage of the Golden Core, he can rival the old scoundrel Bu Yu." The elders of the cultivation world were astonished. It had been a long time since the Central Continent had seen a swordsmanship genius comparable to the old scoundrel Bu Yu.

"This Zhuang Xuan is no simple man either; he has never used his full strength from beginning to end." Another elder from the cultivation world nodded. As expected of a great competition, the first few rounds of the competition have already been eye-opening, and in the early Golden Core group, all the geniuses have shone even brighter.

"It's going to be a fierce battle," the tall cultivator said slowly, his gaze as cold as ice.

He lost to Mingtai in the first match and had also studied Zhuang Xuan's fighting style. If the two of them were to meet, they would surely create a fierce clash.

"What a pity about my <Turtle Breathing Technique>, I have no use for it!"

On the arena, the jade pendant fell from Zhuang Xuan's neck.

The cyan Sword-Ray not only left a shallow bloodstain on Zhuang Xuan's neck, but also severed the string of the jade pendant.

Zhuang Xuan bent down and solemnly picked up the jade pendant, his voice low and hoarse, no longer the listless person he once was.

"Fellow Daoist Zhuang Xuan, are you finally going to get serious?" Mingtai looked intently at Zhuang Xuan, eager to try.

Zhuang Xuan didn't answer, continuing to speak as if he were addressing Mingtai.

"This jade pendant is of great significance. It was left to me by my master before he passed away. My master said I was an orphan. When he found me, I was holding this jade pendant in my hand. The jade pendant is the only clue my parents left me. I have always kept it with me and never let it fall to the ground."

"You are the first person to make the jade pendant fall to the ground."

"Do you know that dragons have scales that provoke anger? Touch them... and you will die!"

Zhuang Xuan let out a beast-like roar that sent chills down people's spines. He suddenly raised his head and stared intently at Mingtai, his eyes like those of Demon Beast that had lost its mind.

"His aura..."

The sect Sect Master of the Yuqi Sect was slightly surprised, as Zhuang Xuan's aura was now almost comparable to that of Nascent Soul Early Stage.

It should be noted that Zhuang Xuan is only at the early stage of the Golden Core.

Zhuang Xuan went berserk and lunged at Mingtai, his body radiating a chilling black aura. No one knew what kind of Cultivation Method was, but one thing was certain: no one wanted to be his opponent!

Boom--

Zhuang Xuan was swept away by a Sword Qi and fell off the arena.

"Phew, that was so dangerous!" Mingtai patted his chest, still shaken.

After calming down, he walked to the edge of the arena, looked at Zhuang Xuan who was still in a daze, and bowed with his sword in hand.

"A high aura does not necessarily equate to high cultivation. Mingtai has learned his lesson."

Zhuang Xuan blinked, not quite understanding what had happened. Shouldn't he be the one who lost his temper and tore Mingtai to pieces? How did he end up losing?

"Where did your Sword Pavilion recruit its disciples from?" Lu Baqian asked Elder Sikong in surprise.

Others might not be able to see it, but he, a great cultivator in the Tribulation Transcendence stage, could see it clearly. This sword strike contained the universe within it, encompassing all changes; it was not something Golden Core cultivator could produce.

Even Nascent Soul Realm sword cultivator who can execute such a move must be called a genius!

Elder Sikong felt more satisfied than eating ice cubes on a hot summer day when he saw Lu Baqian make such an expression as he swaggered along.

"Hehe, I've already said it, Mingtai is the only one in my Sword Pavilion to have received the supreme inheritance."

"That sword strike was impressive. This is about the same level I can achieve when I use the 'Severing' technique." In his mental space, Lu Yang, who was imprisoned, observed the battle on the arena through the small window left by the Immortal Fairy.

Mingtai's moves were truly unexpected.

If it weren't for Mingtai, he would have almost forgotten that he was a sword cultivator.

"This little guy doesn't seem human." The Immortal Fairy stared at Mingtai for a couple of seconds, then quickly lost interest.

She wasn't interested, but Lu Yang was, and he quickly asked what was going on.

"It's as if the sword spirit developed true sentience, becoming a living being, and someone created a body for him, inviting him to enter it, so that spirit and flesh became one, making him a true human being."

Lu Yang seemed to be deep in thought. He had information on all the participating prodigies, and the information showed that Tai had gained the approval of the Sword Tower Supreme and inherited his mantle.

"Could it be that he is the sword spirit of the Sword Tower Supreme?"

In this way, everything makes sense.

The second update will be around 11 PM.