Two disciples stood atop stone pillars, more than a thousand feet apart.
The younger one came from Jade Lake Peak and was in the upper stage of Mind Bearing.
The middle-aged disciple came from Heavenly Light Peak. He was Elder Mo's second disciple and had long since broken through into Wuzhang.
The gap between cultivation realms was difficult to bridge. Jing Jiu's defeat of Gu Qing at Sword-Washing Creek three years earlier had been a rare occurrence indeed.
Disciples in the Mind-Bearing Realm could freely maneuver their flying swords within a few hundred feet, while those in the Wuzhang Realm could strike from several times that distance.
By rights, the Jade Lake Peak disciple had no chance of winning, but how could he concede?
A brilliant sword light crossed more than a thousand feet and arrived before him.
Unable to counterattack, the Jade Lake Peak disciple could only rise on his sword, narrowly dodging the blow. His Sword Essence circulated rapidly as he flew forward at his greatest speed.
He had to close the distance between them before he could unleash the power of his flying sword.
The brilliant sword light wheeled back and slashed down again.
The Jade Lake Peak disciple rode his sword into the clouds beneath the stone forest, once again evading the blow by a perilously narrow margin.
The brilliant sword light grazed a stone pillar, sending stone chips showering down like rain.
Cries of alarm rose from beneath the stone forest at the sight.
People admired the Jade Lake Peak disciple's courage, but they also feared for his safety.
After all, the clouds obscured his vision. Flying through them on a sword was extremely dangerous; he could crash into a stone pillar at any moment.
"Here he comes!" someone suddenly shouted.
A patch of cloud