The Tournament

His master's embarrassment was something Li Mu could only pretend not to notice, though he didn't think there was anything to be ashamed of.

The path of martial cultivation was full of hardships, and the farther one went, the greater the challenges became. There were plenty of first-rate experts in the jianghu, but top-tier experts could be counted on one hand.

Even the two great powers, Shaolin and Wudang, had gone through periods when they lacked successors. For the Mount Hua Sect to have produced two top-tier experts in this generation was pure dumb luck.

For an ordinary jianghu sect, as long as its first-rate experts never ran out, it could maintain its lineage.

Top-tier experts were formidable, but they weren't truly invincible. Four or five first-rate experts at the peak of their realm could join forces to stand against an ordinary top-tier expert.

The awkward little episode soon passed. With the arrival of the Double Ninth Festival, Li Mu was finally free of the tedious work of socializing.

Chaoyang Peak

As the venue for this tournament, the peak was already packed with people. Aside from a few invited guests who had seats, everyone else had to find a spot to stand.

Even so, the different "circles" were easy to make out. The major jianghu sects gathered together, the smaller gangs and martial arts clans mingled, and the unaffiliated wanderers formed another group.

Though people occasionally went over to exchange greetings, they always returned to their own circles in the end. The divisions were as clear as a line drawn in the sand.

Fortunately, this Chaoyang Peak was not the other Chaoyang Peak. The open space was large enough; otherwise, there wouldn't have been room for so many people.

"Welcome, fellow jianghu practitioners, to witness this occasion. Your presence honors the Mount Hua Sect. I, Ning, thank you all. Now, let the tournament begin."

The crisp, no-nonsense opening gave Li Mu a new understanding of Sect Leader Ning Qingyu. As expected, no jianghu bigwig was simple; he had a firm grasp on people's hearts.

The rules were simple. Based on when they had joined the sect, the disciples were divided among five rings. This meant that the earliest members of the Bu generation had joined twelve years before Li Mu.

As for those who had joined later, the tournament had nothing to do with them for now. Their cultivation was too low; taking part would only make fools of themselves.

If the tournament weren't meant to help spur breakthroughs past bottlenecks, disciples at the third-rate level probably wouldn't even get a chance to compete. Even so, the lowest cultivation level among those eligible was the peak of the third-rate realm.

The same went for the two junior brothers who had joined at the same time as Li Mu. Their cultivation wasn't high enough, so they weren't eligible to compete.

Only after the ring matches ended would the challenger's tournament begin, to decide the sect's top ten. Though there was no explicit rule, everyone tacitly agreed that the junior brothers would challenge the senior brothers who ranked above them.

Li Mu drew a slip from the bamboo tube. Looking at the number in his hand, he couldn't help but laugh wryly. What kind of luck was this? He had actually drawn number eight.

Fifteen people from his cohort were eligible for the tournament, paired as one against fifteen, two against fourteen, and so on. Number eight had no opponent and advanced straight to the next round.

Out of fifteen, he'd landed on the one number that got a bye. At this rate, he was either lucky or really lucky.

Under a sea of envious gazes, Li Mu advanced to the second round. Now all he had to do was watch his senior and junior brothers fight.

Heavenly Sash Hanging Upside Down!

White Rainbow Piercing the Sun!

Golden Goose Across the Sky!

Boundless Falling Leaves!

Hidden Green Mountains!

One sword technique after another unfolded on the rings, opening Li Mu's eyes and leaving him sighing again and again: So a sword could be used like that.

As a sect centered on swordsmanship, the Mount Hua Sect naturally had no shortage of sword techniques. But a person's time and energy were limited; it was impossible to learn every martial art.

Ordinary Mount Hua disciples learned only three to five sword techniques. Usually, whatever the master practiced, the apprentice learned as well.

After all, swordsmanship wasn't just about the moves. It also required breathing methods to accompany them. These secrets were passed down by word of mouth and never written on paper.

Compared to the other rings, the novices on Ring Five were clearly a dull spectacle.

Their one saving grace was that things moved quickly. In less than the time it took for an incense stick to burn, two rounds of fighters had already come and gone. At this rate, the first round would probably end by noon. They might even finish the whole tournament today.

That made sense. This was only a contest, not a fight to the death. Once someone realized they couldn't win, they would concede of their own accord, displaying the magnanimity of a gentleman who could accept defeat.

Even when disciples from the Sword and Qi Factions faced off, they did the same. Their elders had instructed them to. With outsiders present, they couldn't cause a disturbance and give everyone a laugh.

If one faction wanted to get the upper hand, that was for the final match. It had little to do with ordinary disciples, and it was a perfect chance to show their bearing.

"Senior Brother, Yue Buqun is really formidable. Senior Brother Cheng lost to him just now because he let his guard down, and he was badly injured. Be careful."

Li Mu had just drawn his slip for the second round when a familiar voice sounded beside him. It was Xu Buwei, the junior brother who had joined at the same time as him.

Li Mu had been focused on the matches on Rings One and Two, so he hadn't paid any attention to the fight between Yue Buqun and Cheng Buyou.

Since this was a martial arts contest, injuries were inevitable. Li Mu didn't take Cheng Buyou's injury to heart.

It was most likely an accident. With all those eyes watching, no one would dare strike viciously.

Fratricide was a great taboo in the jianghu. The Mount Hua Sect's rules weren't for show; anyone who played dirty during a match would pay for it.

Li Mu gently patted Xu Buwei on the shoulder and replied with a smile, "Don't worry, Junior Brother. I can handle him."

As soon as he finished speaking, the uncle presiding over the matches called out, "Next match: Yue Buqun versus Li Bumu!"

Without a moment's hesitation, Li Mu used his lightness skill and landed on Ring Five like a flying swallow.

He didn't exactly shake the whole crowd, but his fellow disciples watching Ring Five were stunned. With lightness skills like that, Li Mu was more than capable of staying undefeated in the tournament.

Yue Buqun, his opponent, was stunned too. Still, he hadn't forgotten that they were in the middle of a match. He quickly recovered and said with effortless grace, "Senior Brother, what splendid footwork!"

With such poise, it was hard to feel any ill will toward him. Li Mu finally understood where the nickname "Gentleman Sword" came from.

A name might be wrong, but a nickname never was. In his youth, Yue Buqun had truly been a gentleman in word and deed—and he was no slouch in wisdom, either.

The Mount Hua Sect's ranking system was rather interesting. Those who joined earlier were naturally senior brothers, but disciples who joined in the same cohort were ranked according to their cultivation.

The rankings would be settled by this tournament. Calling him "Senior Brother" before the match had even begun was practically an admission of defeat, which made Li Mu feel bad about beating him too badly.

Li Mu smiled in reply, then gestured. "Junior Brother, please!"

Green Pine Welcomes Guests!

Phoenix Descends!

Xiao Shi Rides the Dragon!

Refreshing Breeze!

Poetry and Sword Meeting Friends!

The two traded moves back and forth, and at a glance, they seemed evenly matched. But the experienced old hands of the jianghu knew just how hard Li Mu was working to keep things that way.