A Beauty's Ruin

Since ancient times, profit has moved men's hearts; even as someone who has lived two lifetimes, Li Mu is ultimately a mortal.

It is not just the rewards offered by the sect that make his mouth water; making a name for himself is another reason. Compared to wandering the jianghu to fight and slowly build a reputation, winning it through the grand competition is far simpler and much safer.

This is even more true for ordinary Mount Hua Sect disciples. Being in the restless period of youth, they all hope to make a name for themselves at the competition to attract the attention of the "heroines."

The world of blades and swords is, in the end, a man's world. Aside from a few sects composed of women, the rest of the jianghu is dominated by male disciples; it remains a world where "the wolves are many and the meat is scarce."

Having grown accustomed to the heroic and spirited bearing of the heroines, ordinary women are hard-pressed to catch anyone's eye. Of course, a large part of the reason is that which is sought but cannot be obtained; what one cannot get is always the best.

Perhaps it is due to internal energy, but the women of this martial arts world are truly beautiful. If not for the "Sword of Damocles" that is the conflict between the Sword and Qi Factions, which could fall at any moment, Li Mu would not be able to resist currying favor.

Perhaps because beauties are nearby and everyone wants to show off, the progress of the competition is even faster than Li Mu expected. Especially with the two rising stars, Cai Buli and Yao Buzhou; few people can last ten moves under their swords.

They may be basking in glory, but it is the senior brothers who cross swords with them who suffer. Losing face is a small matter, but if they are slow to concede, they might even get injured.

Although these are only minor injuries, playing so aggressively during a friendly spar between fellow disciples is a bit much. Many elders in the sect are frowning; if not for the presence of outsiders, they would likely have intervened already.

Even from a distance, Li Mu can smell the scent of gunpowder. The two seem to be competing, unwilling to be outdone by the other.

The atmosphere of friendly exchange has been ruined, and Li Mu's impression of the two has hit rock bottom. Although he does not know what happened, based on the temperament they are displaying now, it is difficult for them to shoulder the heavy responsibility of being the first disciple of the Mount Hua Sect, let alone inheriting the sect itself.

"A beauty is a curse!"

Seeing yet another senior brother kicked off the stage, Zhou Qingyun cannot help but sigh.

Indeed, there is a story here. If no incident had occurred and the two had always been like this, they would not have gained the support of so many fellow disciples.

"High martial arts, a genius"—how do they compare to Feng Qingyang?

In this world, everyone only remembers the first place; the second and third are destined to be mere foils. The Mount Hua Sect does not just look at martial arts when cultivating the next generation; it also looks at character and conduct.

For a moment, Li Mu's gossiping heart flares up. If not for the inappropriate occasion, he would really like to ask about the cause and effect.

A man in green, about twenty-six or twenty-seven years old, drifts down onto the stage.

"Sword Saint!"

"Sword Saint!"

The crowd's cheers have already erupted; the person who has arrived is none other than the legendary figure of the Mount Hua Sect, Feng Qingyang.

It seems the sect's higher-ups were also worried about the previous bouts, fearing that the situation might spiral out of control, so they invited even the elusive Feng Qingyang out.

Thinking about it, it is only natural. Looking at the posturing of Cai Buli and Yao Buzhou, the two will likely fight each other next. Both are experts in the first-rate realm; once they truly lose their tempers, ordinary elders would not be able to contain them, and they might even cause a death.

Regardless, both are disciples the Mount Hua Sect has invested heavily in cultivating; they must not be lost in a sparring match.

The only ones with absolute certainty to separate the two at a critical moment are supreme masters. Aside from Feng Qingyang, the only other supreme master in the Mount Hua Sect is the Sect Leader, Ning Qingyu. Surely, one cannot have the Sect Leader personally preside over the competition?

Perhaps angered by the actions of Cai Buli and Yao Buzhou, Feng Qingyang's expression is very ugly, and his tone is extremely cold.

"The free challenge tournament begins now!"

"The old rules still apply: the top ten disciples from the previous session are responsible for defending the stage. All disciples may freely choose an opponent to challenge, and each person has only one opportunity."

"The use of hidden weapons is prohibited during the competition, and intentionally harming others is forbidden..."

Undoubtedly, Feng Qingyang's reiteration of the competition rules is clearly aimed at Cai Buli and Yao Buzhou. As he speaks, his gaze drifts toward their location, full of warning.

Although it is said that the top ten from the previous session are defending the stages, in reality, only five people have taken the stage. Three senior brothers were injured in the previous bouts and had to give up subsequent matches.

One can only say that luck is also a part of strength. With so many guests watching, it is naturally impossible to wait for them to recover before continuing.

As for the other two, it goes without saying. This jianghu is always full of accidents, and Mount Hua disciples are not absolutely safe either; those two are the representatives of such "accidents."

This works out perfectly; the five stages on the field are occupied by one person each, so there is no need to queue.

There are also many unwritten rules for freely choosing an opponent to challenge. After all, they are a righteous sect; they must pay attention to demeanor and rules, and cannot blindly pursue victory or defeat.

For example: the challenge tournament starts with the senior brothers at the front, while the junior brothers behind can observe first to look for flaws. After each match, there is a fifteen-minute rest to recover stamina.

Wheel battles are not allowed. If Li Mu, the first-place winner of the fifth batch of disciples, were to fail in challenging a senior brother, the junior brothers ranked behind him would also be prohibited from challenging that same person.

If the previous bout resulted in both sides being injured, and one's own strength is vastly different from theirs, one cannot go up to take advantage of the situation.

Overall, these potential rules are mostly tilted in favor of the disciples who joined later.

Those who can participate in the challenge tournament are no simple characters; most of the time, fifteen minutes is not enough to recover stamina, which is unfair to the senior brothers at the front.

However, for the sect as a whole, this is precisely the greatest fairness. Disciples who joined earlier have practiced for longer and naturally have an advantage; if this were not restricted, the competition would lose its meaning.

Of course, the advantage is limited to the challenge period. Once one secures a seat in the top ten and becomes a stage defender, there are no more special privileges.

This is all as it should be. Entering the top ten means receiving key cultivation from the sect, and the higher the rank, the more resources one receives, which is far beyond what ordinary disciples can compare to. If one cannot hold the seat three years later, then one deserves to be demoted.

The challenge tournament cannot be compared to the previous bouts, but the gap in strength between these five stage defenders is truly quite large.

Cai Buli is in the middle stage of the first-rate realm, Yao Buzhou is in the late stage of the first-rate realm, while the other three senior brothers are still stuck at the peak of the second-rate realm.

Given that the difference in aptitude is not large and the internal cultivation methods are the same, it would be strange if there were no story behind such a large gap in cultivation.

If nothing goes wrong, the reason Cai Buli and Yao Buzhou have progressed so quickly in their cultivation is likely because the Sword and Qi Factions have been cultivating them as priorities since childhood, with the goal of suppressing the other side.

Perhaps it is precisely because the elders have placed too much importance on the two and protected them too well that their temperaments are not sufficiently steady.