Wang Zhishou, the Heavenly Authority Hall, praised Zhou Wuji in public and even mentioned Zhou Wuji's nickname, which was clearly heard by many people around.
Most people didn't actually know the nickname " Sword Lord Xiaoxiang " until Wang Zhishou revealed it, and only then did everyone realize it.
A gasp of amazement rippled through the crowd.
The title "Sword Lord Xiaoxiang" sounds very impressive.
The main reason is that Zhou Wuji easily defeated Yuheng's new generation of geniuses; his calm and composed demeanor truly lived up to his reputation.
On the Seven Star Platform, Zhou Shangying was still in a daze. He could accept defeat, but he couldn't accept such a hasty and simple defeat.
He didn't even know where he went wrong. Was it because his opponent's Sword Qi was too strong? Or Swordsmanship was too advanced?
Many people in the audience were also mocking and ridiculing him. Since Zhou Zhiyi was in front, they didn't dare to go too far. However, as more people spoke, the mockery and ridicule merged into a wave of noise.
"What a piece of trash! He lost as soon as he went up there!"
"How dare they go on stage like that? What a disgrace!"
"Is this all the geniuses in Yuheng capable of? What a joke..."
Zhou Shangying had just been promoted to the Fourth Rank, and his senses were incredibly sharp. He could clearly hear all the discussions and taunts from the crowd. He was both ashamed and angry, his handsome face flushed red, and he could no longer stand on the stage. He immediately picked up his sword and hurriedly left the stage.
His rude and flustered demeanor drew further ridicule and mockery from the audience.
The seven sects were locked in fierce combat, especially the Yuheng Sword Cultivator, who was the most disliked. Given this opportunity to mock them, many cultivators wouldn't miss it.
Zhou Zhiyi also disliked these low-level cultivators who had foul mouths, but as a dignified palace master, he couldn't stoop to their level.
He hated Wang Zhishou even more. This guy seemed to be praising Zhou Wuji, but he was actually stirring up trouble. The old man was really wicked!
Zhou Zhiyi was furious inside, but on the surface he comforted Zhou Shangying with a gentle tone, saying that Zhou Yichun had already lost, and the Zhou Household now only had this one genius worth cultivating.
The reason for having Zhou Shangying go on stage first was to give him some experience and let him make an appearance in front of the public.
After all, Zhou Wuji was extremely famous, and Zhou Shangying was a junior, so it was normal for him to lose to Zhou Wuji.
If he had been lucky enough to win even a single move, he could have immediately stepped over Zhou Wuji to rise to power. He never expected Zhou Shangying to lose so rashly, and to be so weak afterward!
Zhou Zhiyi was unhappy, but as a direct descendant of the family, he had to protect his face and self-esteem in front of outsiders.
Zhou Shangying lowered his head and remained silent. This defeat had been a huge blow to him, and he was completely unable to calm down...
"What a waste!" Zhou Zhiyi cursed inwardly upon seeing this. He couldn't help but think of Zhou Zhihua, his cousin who was much younger than his daughter, yet the true genius of the Zhou Household in recent decades. Her only flaw was her stubbornness; she wouldn't even listen to him. What good was such a genius to him or the Zhou Household?
Looking again at Zhou Wuji on the Seven Star Platform, he was dressed in blue robes like clouds, holding a sword to the moon, yet he was more dazzling than the bright moon in the sky.
Zhou Zhiyi glanced at the cultivators around him. He actually wanted to send Ye Wuque to the stage. It would be good if he could win, but if he lost, at least it would force Zhou Wuji to reveal his true abilities.
Even if we let other players play, we still have a chance to win.
He had previously had Zhou Yichun and Ye Wuque test their swordsmanship, Ye Wuque was able to steadily suppress Zhou Yichun.
His Swordsmanship was exquisite and his cultivation was pure, comparable to that of sword cultivators like Lu Yifeng who had practiced for forty or fifty years.
Such a genius would be among the top in our academy.
If properly nurtured, she truly has a chance to advance to the level of True Disciple. The problem is, after all, she's an outsider...
Zhou Zhiyi had originally planned to use Ye Wuque to deal with Zhou Wuji, and once he achieved his goal, he would keep Ye Wuque by his side as a good sword, but he would not let her True Disciple Candidate.
If Ye Wuque advance to the level of True Disciple, he would find it increasingly difficult to control Ye Wuque. How could that be allowed!
It was just that Zhou Shangying was so incompetent, acting like he couldn't live without the slightest setback, which really angered him.
More importantly, Zhou Wuji's Swordsmanship is too strong. Even with his limited understanding, he can't fathom the depth of Zhou Wuji's Swordsmanship. He has to be cautious when using Ye Wuque. If the Seven Star Consecutive Battles were to lose to Zhou Wuji, their Yuheng Lineage would be trampled under Zhou Wuji's feet and become a stepping stone for him to advance further.
In comparison, the Third Rank Army-Breaking Sword Technique is nothing special.
This concerns the honor of the Yuheng Lineage; we cannot afford to lose!
Zhou Zhiyi changed his mind after thinking about this, and said to Zhou Wusi, "You handle this round. Try to stall for as many moves as possible and deplete his True Qi."
He didn't expect Zhou Wusi to win; he just wanted to wear down Zhou Wuji's morale as much as possible.
Zhou Wusi was also Fourth Rank cultivator, about the same age as Zhou Yichun, and much more experienced than Zhou Shangying.
Zhou Wusi bowed in agreement, chose a wooden sword, and went up to the Seven Star Platform. When the crowd saw someone go up on the platform, their murmurs and jeers subsided. Some people even recognized Zhou Wusi and took the initiative to introduce him to those around them.
"This female cultivator is a Swordsmanship, renowned for her defensive prowess..."
"The female cultivator is quite pretty!"
"The women of the Zhou Household are all quite beautiful..."
Yan Baoying also heard these comments, and she thought they made a lot of sense; the female cultivator was indeed beautiful.
She wasn't just plain pretty; her features were well-proportioned, and her demeanor was timeless, making her very pleasant to look at. Although she considered herself beautiful, she also knew that this kind of woman was more pleasing to the eye in the long run...
Not just this female cultivator, but all the female cultivators standing here are beautiful. Several of them are even exceptionally beautiful in appearance and temperament, truly top-tier beauties.
Yan Baoying was originally very confident in herself, but seeing so many outstanding beauties, she suddenly felt that her own beauty was somewhat superficial...
Especially the female cultivator from the Yuheng Lineage, dressed in an apricot-yellow Daoist robe, was exceptionally beautiful. Standing there, she was like a crescent moon in the setting sun, her beauty as gentle as water yet illuminating all directions.
Such an extraordinary person, just like Zhou Wuji, made her feel ashamed of herself in comparison...
Ye Wuque sensed someone watching her. She turned her head slightly and saw a beautiful woman wearing a dark green vest and a black horse-face skirt with gold patterns. Her attire clearly indicated that she was not a cultivator from her sect, but she wondered what qualified her to be here to watch the battle.
She didn't care about it; the woman's identity and background were irrelevant.
Her attention was entirely on Zhou Wuji.
This was the first time Ye Wuque had encountered such a powerful cultivator of her age. The other party's demeanor and bearing were like those of Celestial Person, which made her feel admiration.
Having traveled a great distance to reach this academy, it is truly worthwhile to be able to spar with such a master!
On the Seven Star Platform, Zhou Wuji and Zhou Wusi exchanged greetings, but without saying much, they immediately began to fight.
Zhou Wusi's wooden sword transformed into a circle, and the Sword Qi it unleashed turned into a bright, clear light, like a full moon. The round sword light completely covered Zhou Wuji. Zhou Wuji almost laughed when he saw it; the Tianxuan Sword —he knew it all too well.
However, he learned all of his Big Dipper Northern Dipper Seven Star Sword from True Person Zhihua, but it was inconvenient for him to show them off in public.
Zhou Wuji noticed that the other person was quite beautiful and had mastered the Tianxuan Sword technique to a high degree.
In his opinion, he had probably reached the Fourth Rank level of mastery, and was only a little short of the ultimate Transformation Realm.
He raised his sword in a feint, then countered with his Water Moon Sword.
The shimmering light on the wooden sword resembled the moon, yet it was like the moon's reflection in water, shimmering and ever-changing...
The sword light of the two on the Seven Star Platform was as round as the moon and as flowing as a wheel, appearing to be one real and one illusory, just like the bright moon reflecting on water, with light and shadow reflecting each other.
Most cultivators were mesmerized, unable to comprehend the changes in sword techniques or even see the person wielding the sword.
Only faint figures could be seen moving about, appearing and disappearing unpredictably...
Yan Baoying, however, was Fourth Rank martial artist, with a sharper gaze than most Fourth Rank cultivators.
She could only barely make out the movement of Zhou Wuji's wooden sword, his graceful figure as if he were flying on the wind, like he was strolling under the moon enjoying the autumn scenery, his posture relaxed and elegant, without any effort.
This was the first time she had ever seen a sword fight like this. How should I put it? The two swordsmen seemed to be sitting and chatting casually... But that wasn't the case at all. Zhou Wuji only exchanged three moves with Zhou Wusi before his sword flashed in a flurry of light on the fourth move.
The two sword wheels, one real and one illusory, clashed. Zhou Wusi's wooden sword broke first, followed by the destruction of the Big Dipper Heavenly Gang Divine Incantation on his body.
Zhou Wusi realized she had lost just like that. She was filled with confusion and even a little bewildered. She had lost just like that?!
Her Tianxuan Sword excels at defense, its blade perfectly rotating. Even though Zhou Wuji's cultivation is much higher than hers, it wouldn't break through in a single blow.
Zhou Wusi felt increasingly distressed as she thought about it, her beautiful face drained of color.
But she was much more mature than Zhou Shangying. Holding the broken wooden sword, she cupped her hands and said, "Fellow Daoist's Swordsmanship is superb; I have lost."
"You flatter me," Zhou Wuji replied politely.
The majority of cultivators below the stage cheered loudly. They didn't understand why it was good, but they saw that Zhou Wuji had won.
Actually, they didn't have any particular preference; they were just cheering for the winner and joining in the fun.
Zhou Wusi stepped down from the stage and bowed apologetically to Zhou Zhiyi, saying, "This disciple is incompetent."
"It's not your fault, this kid's Swordsmanship is truly superb."
Zhou Zhiyi offered a few words of reassurance, then looked at Zhou Zhijing, Lu Yifeng, and the other three. "Can you see anything?" "This person's Swordsmanship is unique, not the Swordsmanship passed down by any sect," Lu Yifeng said. "But his Sword Intent has already manifested itself, truly remarkable."
Zhou Zhijing said, "The Wusi Tianxuan Sword is also very strong. Zhou Wuji could only break it by force, which is why he broke the Wusi wooden sword. Although he won, he also revealed the upper limit of his Swordsmanship."
"If we go up and wear them down one by one, we'll eventually win!"
This analysis makes a lot of sense, and Zhou Zhiyi agrees. He said directly, "Yifeng should go first; the priority should be to wear them down as much as possible."
Two people took to the stage in a row, and both were defeated by Zhou Wuji on the fourth move. They did not serve any purpose of attrition.
Lu Yifeng is almost fifty years old this year, with his Fourth Rank cultivation at its peak. His Swordsmanship is honed to perfection and he is experienced and shrewd. Even if he can't win, it's impossible for him to be defeated by Zhou Wuji in just a few moves.
Ye Wuque remained silent; she felt it wasn't that simple. Zhou Wuji's swordsmanship was limitless, his Swordsmanship was too strong!
However, she had no way to control herself from this, and saying discouraging things was pointless.
When the experienced and composed Lu Yifeng stepped onto the stage, the many cultivators below spontaneously fell silent.
Zhou Shangying and Zhou Wusi were young people, and not many people knew them. Lu Yifeng, however, was one of the Four Swords of Yuheng, a reputation he earned through real battles.
Among those below the Third Rank True Person in our academy, the Four Swords of Yuheng are the most famous.
Lu Yifeng had a weathered face and a white beard. He wore a black Daoist robe and held a wooden sword. Standing there, he naturally exuded a calm and composed demeanor, like a mountain standing still, and the imposing aura of Swordsmanship master. Even Yan Baoying could see how formidable he was, and she became a little more nervous.
On the contrary, Yang Tie Ying, who was standing next to her, looked relaxed and seemed not to care at all.
Round-faced Liang Fangfang couldn't help but ask, "This old Daoist priest looks very powerful, aren't you worried at all?"
Yang Tie Ying said with absolute confidence, "My master is invincible!"
Liang Fangfang and Yan Baoying couldn't help but laugh upon hearing this.
On the Seven Star Platform, Lu Yifeng shouted, "Junior, take this!"
With a sharp shout, Lu Yifeng swung his sword and struck. He practiced the Army-Breaking Sword, which combined internal and external skills, and his Swordsmanship was wide-open and extremely fierce.
The protective array of the Seven Star Platform was stimulated by Lu Yifeng 'Sword Qi, causing it to emit layers of spiritual light.
The crowd below the stage could feel the sharp and domineering power of the wooden sword in Lu Yifeng's hand, and for a moment everyone fell silent.
After three consecutive sword strikes, Lu Yifeng was about to swing his sword again when Zhou Wuji suddenly raised his sword and thrust it forward.
A simple, straight thrust pierced through Lu Yifeng's wooden sword defenses, bypassed the Big Dipper Heavenly Gang Divine Incantation, and struck Lu Yifeng's throat.
Although the wooden sword stopped, the surging Sword Qi made Lu Yifeng's beard and sideburns fly wildly, with most of his beard hair breaking off and flying away in the air... Yan Baoying and Liang Fangfang, who were still laughing, froze upon seeing this.
Yang Tie Ying, however, tried hard to suppress the smirk on his face, thinking to himself, "Why aren't you laughing anymore!"