Citywide Martial Hall Tournament

Willow leaves drifted lightly, rustling as they landed on the bluestones beneath the great tree, bringing with them a languid serenity.

After a long while, Qin Mingyue finally managed to suppress her surging emotions, and her expression gradually calmed.

She looked at Shen Zhou, resting with his eyes closed on the recliner, and at last couldn't help speaking. Her voice still carried a lingering rasp. "Why did you let me go? Aren't you afraid I'll tell the Lineage that you're not the Qin Family's 'Heaven's Chosen'?"

Shen Zhou didn't even lift an eyelid. His tone was casual and utterly unconcerned. "Go ahead. As it happens, I'm sick of being the Qin Family's head. I could use this as an excuse to cut ties with the Qin Family once and for all. That'd be a relief. As long as the Taixuan Sword is in my hands, I don't care about anything else."

He paused, opened his eyes, and glanced at her before continuing, "As for you, I'm not that petty. If you'd just said you wanted to borrow the Taixuan Sword to get stronger, I would've given it to you ages ago. There was no need to go through all those twists and turns."

Qin Mingyue froze, her eyes filled with astonishment.

In her view, the Taixuan Sword was the Qin Family Ancestral Divine Weapon, and it held the Divine King Inheritance. Anyone who got their hands on it would clutch it tightly, never willingly hand it over.

But Shen Zhou didn't seem to care about the Divine King Inheritance at all. He simply liked the Taixuan Sword.

Why?

Qin Mingyue didn't understand. She couldn't make sense of it.

But she knew that everyone had their own secrets, so she wisely stopped asking. She silently pushed her doubts back down.

Silence settled beneath the great tree once more, and willow leaves continued to drift down.

After all their secrets had been laid bare, Qin Mingyue seemed to have put down a thousand-pound burden. The tension that had gripped her vanished, and she felt much more at ease.

Just then, the little Sword Spirit's indignant roar came from inside the Taixuan Sword, breaking the quiet. "Aah—what a big bad guy! I don't want to stay with you! I don't want to stay with you! Big sis, will you take me with you?"

Shen Zhou opened his eyes and rolled them. "You ungrateful little thing. You've been with me for so long, and I've never mistreated you. How can you act like I'm nothing to you? Watch it, or I'll seal you in a latrine for a hundred years... No, a thousand!"

"You... you..."

The Sword Spirit was furious and frightened, but there was nothing she could do to Shen Zhou. All she could do was stamp her feet angrily inside the sword.

Qin Mingyue soothed her gently. "I'm sorry, Sword Spirit. I'm no match for him, so I can't take you away. But he's not a bad person. You'll be fine with him."

The Sword Spirit sounded pitiful, her voice softening with a hint of pleading. "Big sis, I'll teach you my master's Taixuan Sword Scripture. Once you grow stronger, you can rescue me from this bad guy, all right?"

Qin Mingyue froze. She had never imagined the Divine King Inheritance would come so easily. Seeing the Sword Spirit's hopeful gaze, she came back to herself and nodded solemnly. "Don't worry. From now on, my goal in cultivation is to surpass him. If one day I can defeat him, I'll make him let you go."

Qin Mingyue was devoted to martial arts and pursued its highest peak. She chose Shen Zhou as her target not for revenge, but simply because she wanted to prove herself.

Shen Zhou let out a derisive laugh, his tone full of disdain. "You want to defeat me? Looks like the Sword Spirit will be stuck with me for the rest of her life."

The Sword Spirit jumped with rage and shouted back, "Hmph! Bad guy, don't look down on me! My master's Taixuan Sword Scripture is amazing. Once big sis cultivates it, and I guide her, she'll surpass you in no time! And don't even think about learning it secretly. I'd rather die than teach it to you!"

Shen Zhou curled his lip in scorn. "Tch. What's so special about the Taixuan Sword Scripture? Is it better than my Lone Nine Swords? Better than Sword Twenty-Three? Better than the Divine Sword Thunder Control True Art? You don't know anything. You're a country bumpkin!"

"Aah—you're the country bumpkin! You awful bad guy!"

"Bleh..."

Watching a person and a sword bicker like children, Qin Mingyue first blinked in surprise, then broke into a smile.

After that, Qin Mingyue continued serving Shen Zhou every day, but there was no longer any hint of ulterior motive in it—only wholehearted respect.

In the end, she never reported Shen Zhou's secret to the Qin Family. The Qin Family was already in troubled times, and if Shen Zhou severed ties with them, the only ones who would suffer were the Qin Family.

After thinking it over, she kept the matter buried in her heart, and everything carried on as before.

A few days later, Pei Dahai, who hadn't shown his face in quite some time, suddenly hurried to White Deer Academy with several people.

Before long, Old Man Ji summoned Shen Zhou, Tan Tong, and Dongfang Hongyu to him.

After Old Man Ji introduced them, everyone learned that the newcomers were all his disciples.

The eldest disciple, Tang Shan, was in his early thirties, with a steady, capable air. As soon as he saw Shen Zhou, he smiled and stepped forward, patting him on the shoulder. "Little Junior Brother, I've heard about you from Fifth Junior Brother for a long time. I've always wanted to meet you, but we spend most of the year escorting caravans and never had the chance. At last, my wish has come true."

Shen Zhou exchanged polite greetings with Tang Shan and the others, then got straight to the point. Looking at Tang Shan, he asked, "Eldest Senior Brother, Old Man Ji just called us over and said you needed my help with something. What is it?"

The second senior brother, Meng Gang, was a burly man with a full beard, around twenty-seven or twenty-eight, though he looked even more weathered than Tang Shan. He was hearty by nature and jumped in eagerly, his voice booming. "Haha, Little Junior Brother, here's the situation. The annual Citywide Martial Hall Tournament in Flying Bird City is coming up. It's jointly hosted by Flying Bird Academy and the City Lord's Mansion. To put it simply, it gives the martial hall disciples a chance to exchange skills and tests how well each hall teaches its students."

He paused, excitement flashing in his eyes. "In past years, the Flying Bird Martial Hall only took part for the experience. We never expected to win. But this year's different. After hearing what you can do from Fifth Junior Brother, I knew we had it in the bag! Even hall masters like Xu Tianqiao and Yang Ming, both at the Transformation Yuan Fifth Realm, aren't your match. Who could compete with you in the tournament?"

Shen Zhou immediately understood and raised an eyebrow. "You want me to represent the Flying Bird First Martial Hall and compete for the prize?"

"Exactly!"

Meng Gang slapped his thigh, growing even more urgent. "We'd be fools not to take the prize! Besides, after you showed up at the martial hall last time, and after what happened at the North Mountain Mine, the Three Great Families all found out about your connection to us. Now people come to challenge the martial hall every day. We can't even open for business, let alone recruit disciples. Without disciples, we don't even qualify to enter the tournament—so you've got to help us with this... Hey, hey, why are you nudging me? Little Junior Brother's no stranger!"

The third senior brother, Chen Xu, had refined features and a scholarly air. He gently pulled Meng Gang aside and smiled warmly at Shen Zhou. "Little Junior Brother, don't listen to Second Senior Brother's nonsense. The martial hall rarely opens anyway, and it has little to do with the Three Great Families. You don't need to feel pressured at all. Whether you enter the tournament is entirely up to you. Don't force yourself."

The fourth senior brother, Cai Xiaoyan, was shy by nature. He only gave Shen Zhou a bashful smile, his eyes full of goodwill.

Pei Dahai nodded from the side, signaling that Shen Zhou needn't feel pressured.

Before Shen Zhou could speak, Dongfang Hongyu couldn't hold back any longer. He hurried over and asked, "Hall Master, I'd like to ask: will people from Flying Bird Academy be taking part in this tournament?"

Tang Shan nodded. "They will. Every year, Flying Bird Academy sends its disciples who haven't yet reached the Transformation Realm to watch. At the end of the tournament, martial hall disciples are also allowed to challenge academy disciples. It gives the martial hall disciples role models to look up to, while giving the academy disciples a chance to gain more practical experience."

Dongfang Hongyu's eyes lit up at this. He immediately thumped his chest and declared, "Then I'm in! When I applied to Flying Bird Academy back then, they rejected me. I told them right then that one day I'd defeat their disciples and show them that turning me away was their loss. I'd make them regret it! Shen Zhou, you're coming too!"

As he spoke, he tugged at Shen Zhou's arm, his eyes full of anticipation.

Seeing the hopeful looks on everyone's faces, Shen Zhou didn't refuse outright. He only frowned, voicing his concern. "Would it really be appropriate for me to enter? So many people know who I am now. If I step onto the stage, my opponent might recognize me and forfeit on the spot. What would be the point of competing then? They might even bar me from entering as soon as they recognize me. Wouldn't all this be a waste of effort?"

His words plunged everyone into silence.

Shen Zhou's concern was no exaggeration.

Although the storm at the North Mountain Mine had passed long ago, the name "Shen Zhou" had already become firmly linked to labels like "Qin Family head," "Qin Family Sword Drawer," and "Heavenly Firmament expert."

If he entered the tournament, people would inevitably accuse him of throwing his weight around and bullying the weak with his strength.

When all was said and done, Shen Zhou's current status made him an ill fit for a tournament aimed at ordinary martial hall disciples.

Just then, Old Man Ji took a drag on his pipe and slowly blew out a ring of smoke. He offered a suggestion. "If you want to enter, it's simple. Ask Bai Feizhan to change your appearance, then use another name. Also, you absolutely can't use the Taixuan Sword, or your identity will be exposed the moment you show your face!"

Shen Zhou's heart tightened as he immediately understood.

He had almost forgotten that the Taixuan Sword's pitch-black blade looked like a fire poker. Anyone who saw it once would find it hard to forget. It was practically a walking "name tag."

"But if he can't use the Taixuan Sword, how's he supposed to take first place?"

Meng Gang frowned, his voice full of worry.

Everyone in the city thought Shen Zhou was powerful only because of the Qin Family Divine Weapon.

Shen Zhou didn't explain. He thought for a moment, then made a perfectly serious suggestion. "How about... I dye the Taixuan Sword with some paint to change its appearance, and disguise myself too?"

Everyone fell silent.

Disguising a weapon?

Only Shen Zhou could come up with a trick like that.

Old Man Ji glared at him in exasperation and scolded him sternly. "Can't you all show some ambition? The Citywide Martial Hall Tournament is meant to let young martial artists exchange skills, grow, and gain practical experience. Is winning really the only thing that matters?

"Shen, you're already at the Coagulation Sixth Realm. Don't you want to see how far you can get in the tournament on your own merits?"

After Old Man Ji's righteous scolding, everyone looked a little sheepish.

They really had been thinking too small, obsessing over victory and defeat until they forgot the tournament's original purpose.

In the end, the participants for the Academy Tournament were finally decided.

This time, Tan Tong, Shen Zhou, Dongfang Hongyu, and Wang Xiaomao would be the main competitors. They would rely on their own strength, give it everything they had, and strive to get ahead, while also testing the results of their cultivation.

The others, such as A Dai, San Mazi, and Xi Mei, would also take part, but at most they would go to see the sights and broaden their horizons.

Shen Zhou was looking forward to it.

He also wanted to see where his current strength stood in Flying Bird City.