Time slipped by, and another two hours or more passed. Ji Wuchang still sat there without moving.
By now, everyone present had gone completely numb.
"Eldest Senior Sister, it's already been six hours!"
Huang Wanqiu spoke, her gaze deeply complicated.
Zhen Miaoqing nodded, then glanced at Ji Wuchang before saying calmly, "He's stronger than me!"
Huang Wanqiu trembled at those words.
That statement carried tremendous weight, coming from Zhen Miaoqing, the Longevity Sect's foremost genius!
Just then, a figure suddenly appeared. It was the eighth elder, Jia Yuanliang!
Jia Yuanliang had already learned about Ji Wuchang from the disciples who had left, so he had come in to take a look.
"Greetings, Eighth Elder!"
Zhen Miaoqing, Huang Wanqiu, and the others all bowed to Jia Yuanliang!
Jia Yuanliang nodded slightly, then said with a smile, "Little Miaoqing, it seems you've met your match!"
Zhen Miaoqing smiled faintly, and powerful confidence radiated from her.
"Eighth Elder, I've set plenty of records in the sect. Let's talk about that once he's broken them one by one!"
"Besides, he's only a Qi Refining Realm rookie right now. Catching up to me won't be so easy!"
Zhen Miaoqing's words carried through the surroundings, and the Longevity Sect disciples all looked on with admiration.
This was the eldest senior sister they held in their hearts, always so domineering and confident!
Jia Yuanliang had only been joking. He certainly did not believe Ji Wuchang could compare to Zhen Miaoqing!
Jia Yuanliang glanced at Ji Wuchang, then said, "Disperse. Go cultivate as you should! I'll keep an eye on this kid. I'd like to see just how long he can last!"
Everyone nodded at Jia Yuanliang's words. Some then left Wind Thunder Valley, while the rest began looking for places to cultivate.
An Kexin pulled Tai Yujie away and left at once. She was too embarrassed to stay here any longer!
Zhen Miaoqing also nodded to Huang Wanqiu, then flickered away and left Wind Thunder Valley.
As for Huang Wanqiu, she sat cross-legged with her longsword still resting across her knees and closed her eyes to cultivate!
Meanwhile, at the entrance to the Longevity Sect, Sect Master Zhen Yaotian stood with the second elder, Zhou Yuan, and the third elder, Meng Caihong, waiting quietly!
Just then, an enormous saber appeared nearby, with dozens of figures standing atop it.
At their head was a man carrying a large cleaver on his back.
Almost everyone behind him was dressed the same way, differing only in the sabers they carried on their backs!
"Zhao Sandao, it's been ten years, and you're still the same as ever!"
Zhen Yaotian addressed the man at their head with a smile, his expression relaxed.
"Zhen Yaotian, take a saber strike from me first!"
Zhao Sandao laughed heartily and sprang off the enormous saber. The saber on his back leaped up, and he caught it in his right hand.
Without the slightest hesitation, Zhao Sandao raised his saber and slashed at Zhen Yaotian three times in succession.
How was that one strike? It was clearly three!
Three streaks of saber light swelled in the wind, instantly spanning dozens of zhang to reach the space above Zhen Yaotian's head. Then the three strikes merged into one and cleaved downward!
The biting saber light gave off a piercing blast as it tore through the air. Before the saber arrived, its immense pressure had already descended.
Zhou Yuan's and Meng Caihong's expressions changed dramatically at the same time. It felt as though a small mountain had settled onto their bodies.
Zhen Yaotian laughed heartily. With a sweep of his sleeve, he made that immense pressure vanish without a trace.
Zhou Yuan and Meng Caihong both breathed sighs of relief. Although that pressure had not been directed at them,
Zhao Sandao was an expert at the fifth level of the Soul Splitting Realm, truly not someone they could withstand!
Watching the enormous saber descend through the air, Zhen Yaotian pressed two fingers of his right hand together to form a sword, then thrust!
Had Ji Wuchang been there, he would certainly have recognized this sword technique: the Azure Cloud Sword Art, the Longevity Sect's most basic sword art!
Yet in Zhen Yaotian's hands, it felt entirely different!
One thrust was like a hundred swords striking together. Streak after streak of sword light flowed without end, constantly colliding with Zhao Sandao's descending saber!
Clang, clang...
The ringing clash of saber and sword continued without pause! In the end, the images of both saber and sword dissipated together.
Zhen Yaotian had not moved a single step from beginning to end, while Zhao Sandao had unleashed three consecutive strikes. Who was superior was clear at a glance!
"No more fighting. I can't win!"
Zhao Sandao laughed heartily, and the saber in his hand flew up and returned to the sheath on his back!
Zhen Yaotian laughed heartily, then said, "Pavilion Master Zhao, please!"
Zhao Sandao nodded and walked shoulder to shoulder with Zhen Yaotian into the Longevity Sect.
Soon, news of the Great Saber Pavilion's arrival at the Longevity Sect spread.
Word also spread that Pavilion Master Zhao had brought many disciples this time, from the Purple Mansion Realm, Foundation Establishment Realm, and Qi Refining Realm, for friendly sparring with the Longevity Sect to strengthen the friendship between their disciples!
Once the news spread, the entire Longevity Sect grew lively, and everyone began discussing it!
Inside the Longevity Sect's main hall, Zhen Yaotian sat in the seat of honor. The second elder, Zhou Yuan, the third elder, Meng Caihong, the fourth elder, Yin Shuyao, the seventh elder, Jing Fengcheng, the eighth elder, Jia Yuanliang, and Zhen Miaoqing sat along the two sides!
Zhen Yaotian said with a smile, "You all know the situation. This competition isn't just a competition. It's also a redistribution of resources!"
"The Purple Mansion Realm match will go to Miaoqing. Your opponent's cultivation is on par with yours, so you should be able to handle it!"
Hearing this, Zhen Miaoqing rose and said calmly, "Rest assured, Father. I'll definitely win this match!"
None of the elders had any objections, either, because this competition was only for the younger generation and had strict age limits.
Zhen Miaoqing was currently the strongest of the Longevity Sect's younger generation. With her taking the field, she naturally would not lose!
Zhen Yaotian nodded with a smile, then continued, "We need five people for the Foundation Establishment Realm matches. For now, I've tentatively chosen Huang Wanqiu and Zuo Yan."
"Let's discuss the remaining three together!"
Zuo Yan was the second elder Zhou Yuan's disciple. His cultivation was on par with Huang Wanqiu's; both were at the peak of the ninth level of the Foundation Establishment Realm.
Speaking of which, Zuo Yan and Huang Wanqiu had rather miserable luck. They were around Zhen Miaoqing's age, yet she kept them firmly suppressed!
Now that Zhen Miaoqing had entered the Purple Mansion Realm, she had widened the gap once again!
The elders all began pondering this. Although they wanted to recommend their own disciples, this was no joking matter.
The third elder, Meng Caihong, spoke directly. "Sect Master, fellow elders, I recommend Cai Ping!"
At the mention of Cai Ping, everyone in the hall wore a slightly strange expression.
Cai Ping was Zhen Yaotian's disciple, with cultivation at the eighth level of the Foundation Establishment Realm.
But he kept declaring that he would marry Zhen Miaoqing. He had infuriated her so much that she had given him a thorough beating some time ago. No one even knew whether he had recovered yet!
The moment Cai Ping was mentioned, Zhen Miaoqing's expression darkened. She truly detested this junior brother.
If not for her father's sake, she would have ended it all with a single sword strike!