At that moment, even Li Fufeng and Lu Tianxing looked somewhat taken aback.
But in the next instant, both flickered forward, appearing on arena number one almost simultaneously!
Terrifying presences erupted from the two of them in succession!
Li Fufeng was at the Earth Mysterious Fifth Layer, and so was Lu Tianxing!
In terms of cultivation realm alone, the two stood above the Azure Yang Sword Sect's younger generation. To reach the Earth Mysterious Fifth Layer at their age-talent like theirs was unparalleled throughout the sect.
"I never expected this battle to come so soon, but it suits me perfectly. It's time we settled things between us. Before all these senior figures and disciples, I'll let everyone know that I, Lu Tianxing, am the one most qualified to become Young Sect Master. As for you... you're unworthy." Lu Tianxing smiled. Though it had come much earlier than expected, he did not care.
In his view, whether this battle came sooner or later, the outcome would not change.
For Li Fufeng, it was merely a question of losing sooner or later.
"Whether you're qualified is something we'll settle with our blades."
As she spoke, a chilling sword intent blasted out of Li Fufeng, making many watching disciples' hearts tighten. They felt as though the surrounding temperature had dropped considerably.
"So this is nascent sword intent!"
Exclamations of wonder rang out all around. Even some of the senior figures turned to look.
Throughout the Azure Yang Sword Sect, only the supreme elder, Ancestor Xuanjian, had comprehended sword intent.
Those who had comprehended nascent sword intent were likewise few-fewer than ten.
Li Fufeng and Lu Tianxing were two of them.
Sword cultivators had always made up the majority of the Azure Yang Sword Sect, and comprehending sword intent was the highest dream of countless disciples.
But comprehending sword intent was as difficult as ascending to heaven. Many exhausted their entire lives without grasping even its surface. Among the elders and senior figures seated on the raised platform, for instance, the vast majority had studied the Sword Dao for years without even comprehending nascent sword intent.
Sensing Li Fufeng's chilling sword intent, Sect Master Xuanyang raised his brows slightly.
"Excellent! At such a young age, she's comprehended nascent sword intent to this degree."
The Peak Masters and elders of the Holy Maiden's faction exchanged smiles.
The stronger Li Fufeng was, the more it proved that they had chosen the right person to follow.
Yet as Lu Tianxing faced this sword intent on the arena, he showed neither fear nor retreat. Instead, he stepped forward and lightly shook his sword.
At once, an even fiercer sword intent erupted, surging straight toward Li Fufeng's face and sweeping across the entire square in an instant!
Compared with Li Fufeng's sword intent, Lu Tianxing's was colder, sharper, and more menacing.
Though both possessed only nascent sword intent, anyone with discerning eyes could see that, at least in this contest of sword intent, Li Fufeng fell a notch short.
"Such sword intent is even stronger than the Holy Maiden's!"
"With the Holy Son here, our Azure Yang Sword Sect might even rise in the Tangqing Empire's rankings someday."
The clash of sword intent lasted only an instant.
Neither the conversations below the arena nor those among the Peak Masters affected Li Fufeng in the slightest.
Her gaze remained composed as she employed an extraordinarily profound footwork technique, moving like a startled swan and a roaming dragon, striking straight at Lu Tianxing's vital point.
She either did not strike at all, or, once she did, left no room whatsoever.
Such was Li Fufeng's sword.
Lu Tianxing, however, was no pushover. He raised his sword to meet her, sweeping the fifth-tier spirit sword around himself to produce dazzling afterimages. Violent, cutting force indiscriminately attacked every living thing on the arena.
In an instant, the two were locked in combat!
Their cultivation realms were equal, but Li Fufeng suffered from her slightly inferior sword intent. As a result, she appeared to be constantly suppressed by Lu Tianxing.
Though Lu Tianxing held a slight advantage, he could not easily defeat Li Fufeng either. For a time, neither could overcome the other.
Suddenly, Li Fufeng, who had been on the defensive, sighed softly.
She had never expected that, after preparing for so long, she would still fall short of Lu Tianxing in both cultivation and sword intent...
Though unwilling to admit it, Lu Tianxing's talent was indeed greater than hers.
Li Fufeng bit her lip until a trace of crimson appeared, pressing her lips tightly together with a hint of unwillingness.
"Whatever trump cards you have left, use them all. Otherwise, you're going to lose."
Those faintly provocative words came from Lu Tianxing.
All this time, he and Li Fufeng had been called the Azure Yang Sword Sect's twin prodigies. He did not know how Li Fufeng felt about it, but he deeply resented that title. In his eyes, what virtue or ability did Li Fufeng possess to be ranked alongside him?
Today, he would make everyone understand that the Azure Yang Sword Sect had never had any twin prodigies. The only one worthy of being called a heavenly prodigy was he, Lu Tianxing!
After a head-on exchange, Li Fufeng retreated to the edge of the arena.
Facing Lu Tianxing's provocation, she remained expressionless, took a deep breath, and closed her eyes. When she opened them again, a heart-palpitating presence radiated from her!
"As you wish."
Li Fufeng's lips parted slightly. The sudden, thunderous surge of Spiritual Qi fluctuations changed the expressions of most people both on and below the platform. Their eyes widened in astonishment, and some elders even abruptly rose to their feet, trembling with disbelief and excitement.
With a crisp sound, before Lu Tianxing could react at all, Li Fufeng's delicate hand gripped her sword hilt, and the sword intent around her climbed steadily.
Countless phantom sword lights filled the arena, all but engulfing Lu Tianxing and even spilling beyond its edges.
The sect disciples gathered along the edges retreated in lingering fear, still remembering to look up and watch. Yet all they could see was Li Fufeng standing calmly above, and the sword intent around her body that had already taken tangible form!
"Is that sword intent? No, that's..."
"Green Mountain Sword Instruction! It's our Azure Yang Sword Sect's supreme art, the final move of Green Mountain Sword Instruction-Long Sword Cascades Through the Sky!"
"Unbelievable! Has the Holy Maiden already comprehended the highest level of Green Mountain Sword Instruction?"
At that moment, even Sect Master Xuanyang could barely remain seated. His eyes gleamed as he watched the cool, aloof young woman on the arena.
One of the Azure Yang Sword Sect's supreme arts, Green Mountain Sword Instruction could, at its highest level, cleanse sword intent and give it tangible form, allowing it to be wielded as effortlessly as one's own limbs.
But its requirements for comprehension were extraordinarily high. Even the slightest lack of talent made it impossible to unravel. Once successfully comprehended, however, it greatly increased the likelihood of comprehending true sword intent in the future!
Even the somewhat weaker elders within the sect could not grasp its mysteries, stopping at the third level of Green Mountain Sword Instruction. Yet Li Fufeng had reached its fifth and highest level at such a young age.
"What monstrous talent..."
Fairy Clear Subtlety murmured, her delight plain on her face.
When Li Fufeng revealed this supreme art, the Third Peak Master frowned slightly. He had underestimated her, but...
"To think it's Green Mountain Sword Instruction..."
"Without a word, the Holy Maiden actually mastered the sect's supreme art that even we haven't fully comprehended. We never heard anything about this before. She hid it so deeply."
"It seems the Holy Maiden is still a cut above."
The elders and Peak Masters on the platform marveled, while the sect disciples below were even more shaken.
Seeing countless sword shadows densely packed together, cascading through the sky like a waterfall, they could feel nothing but reverence before those dazzling sword lights and shadows!
"Green Mountain Sword Instruction!"
"And the fifth level of Green Mountain Sword Instruction, at that!"
"Such comprehension is far too terrifying."
"There's no use envying her. Truly, there's no use..."
"As long as the Holy Maiden doesn't fall, she'll surely become a second Ancestor Xuanjian. This is truly our sect's good fortune."
The threshold was so high that, even though disciples could exchange sect contribution points to study Green Mountain Sword Instruction, many stopped at the first or second level, or could not comprehend it at all.
The Holy Maiden's faction regained its confidence, casting off its earlier gloom and distress. Lu Tianxing was certain to lose!
Just as they were thinking this, however, they noticed something amiss. Where was Lu Tianxing? Every layer of sword shadows in Long Sword Cascades Through the Sky was no mere illusion; touching one would surely cause injury. The sword shadows shrouded the arena in a dense mass, leaving no gaps whatsoever.
Yet there was no sign of Lu Tianxing?
Could he have already fallen to the Holy Maiden?
As countless guesses filled everyone's minds, the Peak Master of Heavenly Origin Peak raised his brows slightly below the arena.
Amid the countless sword shadows, a figure emerged. Not only was he completely unscathed, but the calm revealed after he brushed a hand across his face was even more shocking.
Lu Tianxing!
Not only was he uninjured as he walked out of Li Fufeng's Long Sword Cascades Through the Sky, but he did so with ease, and his presence was still rising!
"Impossible!"
At that moment, Li Fufeng's fingers trembled slightly, her gaze shaking as though she had seen something inconceivable.
Having comprehended Green Mountain Sword Instruction to the fifth level, she understood its terrifying power better than anyone. But... why?
Not only had she failed to defeat him, she had not even managed to injure him!?
Lu Tianxing easily escaped the sword shadows. With his sword in hand, he pointed it at Li Fufeng. There was no astonishment on his face, only the calm of absolute confidence.
"Surprised? You're not the only one who knows Green Mountain Sword Instruction."
Handsome in white, upright as a pine in the cold, Lu Tianxing wore a faint, relaxed smile. As he walked out of the sky-filling sword shadows, his figure abruptly vanished!
When he reappeared, he was already behind Li Fufeng...
"Drip..."
Drop after drop of blood fell from the tip of Lu Tianxing's sword.
Then a shocking streak of blood appeared at Li Fufeng's collarbone.
Li Fufeng... had lost!
Sensing the scattered sword intent around them, Sect Master Xuanyang suddenly laughed aloud.
"This is the sixth level of Green Mountain Sword Instruction."
"Though he has only grasped its nascent form, Tianxing has perfectly merged sword intent with the sword, penetrating to its very core. No sword intent is visible before you, yet sword intent is everywhere."
The Peak Master of Jade Moon Peak landed beside Xuanyang, her gaze inscrutable.
"But doesn't Green Mountain Sword Instruction only have five levels?"
Where had this sixth level come from? If not for that, this should have been a guaranteed victory for the Holy Maiden!
Experts of their caliber needed only a glance to know who had won the match. Yet precisely because of that, they found it even harder to accept.
The Green Mountain Sword Instruction in the scripture repository clearly recorded only five levels.
"Not so." The Peak Master of Heavenly Sword Peak was in high spirits. He glanced at his opponent, and seeing her ugly, livid expression made him feel as though he had gulped down a great mouthful of icy spirit wine in the dog days of summer.
Unable to conceal his delight, he explained with a smile.
"When Ancestor Green Mountain first created Green Mountain Sword Instruction, it indeed had only five levels. The so-called sixth level is a sword of cultivating the heart and was never set down in writing. Tianxing's ability to comprehend the sixth level shows just how monstrous his comprehension is."
His implication pointed directly at the Holy Maiden's unstable Dao heart.
The Peak Master of Jade Moon Peak heard it, but her side had been outmatched. Suppressed anger flashed across her face as she sneered, "A petty man gloating over his success."
The Peak Master of Heavenly Sword Peak smiled. "It's fine. Curse me if you like. Surely I can't deny the loser the pleasure of a few sharp words."
Those words made the Peak Master of Jade Moon Peak's expression even uglier.
Meanwhile, on the arena.
Li Fufeng's lips were deathly pale.
"I... lost."
Crushed... Lu Tianxing had actually crushed her to this extent, beating her without leaving her any power to fight back. Their earlier stalemate now looked no different from a joke to her.
Deep unwillingness flashed through Li Fufeng's eyes. She clenched her fists until her knuckles turned white, then weakly loosened them a moment later.
Green Mountain Sword Instruction had only five levels, yet Lu Tianxing had comprehended a sixth. It was unbelievable, beyond comprehension. She had only successfully comprehended the fifth level thanks to a fortuitous encounter. But what about Lu Tianxing? Had he also had a fortuitous encounter? Or was his innate talent simply that formidable?
Lu Tianxing savored Li Fufeng's expression for a while before sheathing his sword and teasing, "Did you think you were certain to win just now? Unfortunately... in strength, you're no match for me. In sword intent, I'm a cut above you. Even with Green Mountain Sword Instruction, I reached the end first."
"Doesn't it feel hopeless?"
He leisurely savored Li Fufeng's shifting expressions, feeling that all the pent-up frustration of being compared with her over the years had finally been vented. His heart eased, and his presence actually rose another notch, as though he could break through his current realm with just an opportunity.
Witnessing Lu Tianxing's small advance in cultivation firsthand, Li Fufeng shut her eyes tightly, hiding the dejection within them.
Her figure trembled slightly, and she gave a self-mocking smile.
After all that effort, it had amounted to nothing. Everything she had hoped for had become flowers in a mirror and the moon on water. Even the sect tournament had become a wedding dress sewn for someone else, personally delivering him to the Young Sect Master's seat...
How hateful, and how sorrowful...
The turn in this battle had come far too suddenly. Not only were the surrounding sect disciples caught off guard, even the Peak Masters were briefly stunned.
When Li Fufeng revealed her trump card, the peaks supporting the Holy Maiden had cheered with fervent excitement. But after Lu Tianxing defeated her with a single strike, that fervor rapidly subsided, the atmosphere plunging toward freezing.
The Holy Maiden... had lost!
The first, fifth, tenth, fourteenth peaks... every peak that had sided with the Holy Maiden found it unbelievable. Morale plummeted in an instant, and countless disciples panicked.
They knew full well what the Holy Maiden's defeat meant for disciples like them who supported her...
Sorrow and despondency spread, yet no one could stop them.
In stark contrast, the other peaks supporting the Holy Son were all beside themselves with excitement.
"This struggle for the Young Sect Master's position has finally drawn to a close."
"The Holy Son truly deserves the title of heavenly prodigy. To think he comprehended the sixth level of Green Mountain Sword Instruction. It's truly astounding."
"He fully deserves the title of Young Sect Master."
Though Li Fufeng did her utmost to conceal it, when she turned to leave the arena and met the disappointed expressions of those close to her, her eyes inevitably reddened, and her gaze grew a little evasive.
On the raised platform, the Third Peak Master shook his head slightly at the sight.
He had long known this would happen and was not surprised by the outcome. Earlier, he had promised the Holy Maiden that, as long as she won the sect tournament, he could consider continuing to remain neutral.
But a promise was a promise. The Third Peak Master had never been optimistic about her chances, much less believed she could defeat Lu Tianxing. Now, it seemed she had indeed failed to give him any surprises.
Truly... timing, fate, and fortune. Heaven's mandate had fallen upon the Holy Son.
Though the elder had yet to announce the final result, anyone with discerning eyes could see it clearly.
The victor of this match had already emerged.
The Peak Master of Jade Moon Peak slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air. Looking at the triumphant Lu Tianxing on the arena, her expression grew uglier still.
This match appeared to be a contest between juniors, but it was far from that simple. It was also a clash between her and the Second Peak Master!
Open struggles and covert schemes.
With the Holy Maiden defeated just like that, how could she accept it? How could she willingly acknowledge this outcome!
She could not accept it!
The contest between the Holy Son and Holy Maiden had drawn everyone in the sect's attention. Seeing that the outcome was settled, the Ninth Peak Master laughed heartily, cast a provocative glance at Lin Xuan not far away, and sneered:
"Well? Is our Peak Master Lin satisfied with this match?"
After speaking, he patted his head. His expression looked apologetic, but malice filled his eyes as he mocked him without restraint.
"Oh, right, this memory of mine. My apologies, Peak Master Lin. I nearly forgot you joined the Holy Maiden's side. I wonder, have you begun regretting your original choice?"
"I'm afraid your time as Peak Master is coming to an end. What a pity, what a pity. Even immortals can't buy a cure for regret. Even if you regret it now, it's too late."