On the Seven Star Platform, Lu Yifeng was so overwhelmed by the Sword Qi that he couldn't open his eyes, and tears streamed down his face.
Lu Yifeng felt nothing at all, because an incomparably sharp Sword Intent pierced straight into his Divine Sense. He felt as if he had been pierced by a divine sword, and his soul seemed to be about to be destroyed, completely losing all perception of the outside world.
This is why Zhou Wuji disliked this person's arrogance and conceit; he even dared to call him a junior, truly courting death.
Zhou Wuji immediately used the Falling Goose Sword to quickly break through all the changes in the opponent's Swordsmanship.
Although he wielded a wooden sword, the Sword Qi he imbued it was enough to easily kill Lu Yifeng. However, since it was a fight between fellow disciples, killing was completely unnecessary.
The other person was just foul-mouthed; they didn't deserve this.
Zhou Wuji unleashed his Sword Intent, giving the old man a small lesson.
The audience Seven Star Platform were bewildered, but many sharp-eyed viewers noticed that Lu Yifeng was in tears.
Lu Yifeng had been traveling around for many years, and his face was weathered and worn. Although he was not yet fifty, he looked very old.
Tears streamed down his wrinkles, making him appear quite pitiful.
Many cultivators were moved by this and felt pity for the old Daoist priest.
Many cultivators were also there, mocking and ridiculing them. Although their own cultivation was not good, they loved to ridicule the losers.
Lu Yifeng opened his eyes and immediately realized something was wrong. He reached up and touched the tear stains on his face, feeling both angry and embarrassed.
Having roamed the martial world for many years, he always considered himself very tough, and even when severely injured by demons, he never shed a single tear.
Now, in front of hundreds of cultivators, he is weeping uncontrollably, utterly disgracing himself.
Lu Yifeng knew that this was due to the pressure from the Sword Qi, and that people would instinctively cry. Just like when the eyes are stimulated by something spicy, they will naturally tear up, and it has nothing to do with personal emotions.
However, he couldn't explain it in front of everyone.
The old Daoist glared at Zhou Wuji, but Zhou Wuji smiled and cupped his hands in greeting, "It was an accident. I hope I didn't hurt you, fellow Daoist?"
The other person was a generation higher than him, but the two had no master-disciple relationship. He was True Person, so he could call him senior if he wanted, or fellow Daoist if he didn't. No one could find fault with that.
Although Lu Yifeng was experienced, he was not good at handling this kind of situation. He snorted, picked up his sword, and walked off the stage.
A burst of laughter erupted from the audience.
That wasn't the worst part. What really bothered Lu Yifeng was that many people were looking at him with pity.
The Fourth Rank swordsman felt awkward but couldn't show it, so he could only return to Zhou Zhiyi's side with a gloomy face.
He cupped his hands and said, "This disciple is incompetent; please punish me, Palace Master."
Zhou Zhiyi's expression was also somewhat complicated. He had always trusted Lu Yifeng, who was not very good at interpersonal relationships, but was very capable in handling affairs.
Lu Yifeng played a crucial role in the great fame of the Four Swords of Yuheng.
This swordsman was renowned for his fighting prowess, yet he was easily defeated by a young junior.
Zhou Wuji defeated Lu Yifeng in four moves, which seemed like a display of kindness, but in reality, it was a humiliation.
What's harder to bear than humiliation is Zhou Wuji's strength; even when facing a swordsman of Lu Yifeng's caliber, he can still win however he wants.
Zhou Zhiyi saw Zhou Wuji's unparalleled speed and swiftness in his sword strike, his resolve wavered.
Such a fast sword is truly terrifying!
If he were on top, he could only suppress Zhou Wuji with his powerful True Qi. In terms of Swordsmanship, he might not be Zhou Wuji's match.
Zhou Zhiyi originally thought that Zhou Wuji was too arrogant and conceited, and that he really thought that just because he had defeated a Fourth Rank swordsman outside, he didn't take the Yuheng Sword cultivators seriously.
He now understood: Zhou Wuji wasn't arrogant; he was genuinely strong. And this kid was cunning, deliberately putting on an arrogant act to provoke him!
He had initially believed he was certain of victory, but now he had completely lost his chance.
Even though the battle was only halfway through.
Zhou Zhiyi managed to control his surging emotions and offered Lu Yifeng a few words of comfort.
Lu Yifeng was also very frustrated. Losing was nothing, but losing so badly made him realize that the gap between him and Zhou Wuji was too big, and that he would never have a chance to win back in this lifetime. That was the worst thing.
Zhou Zhiyi looked at Ye Wuque: "What do you think?"
Ye Wuque calmly said, "We have a 20-30% chance of winning."
These words drew the attention of the surrounding sword cultivators.
There was nothing else to it, but to everyone else, these words sounded rather arrogant.
Lu Yifeng couldn't even withstand four moves, yet Ye Wuque said she had a 20-30% chance of winning. That means her Swordsmanship level is at least similar to Zhou Wuji's.
Zhou Shangying and Lu Yifeng, the two sword cultivators who suffered a crushing defeat, looked even more doubtful.
If the location weren't right, these two would definitely try their luck and see if Ye Wuque or just spouting nonsense!
Zhou Zhiyi nodded. Regardless of whether Ye Wuque, at least Ye Wuque still had confidence.
Looking at Huang Yitong, Zhou Yiwei, Zhou Zhijing, their faces were all somber. Although they showed no emotion, it was clear that they were uncertain about the outcome.
That's normal, since their Swordsmanship is similar to Lu Yifeng's.
Zhou Zhiyi was decisive; he said to Ye Wuque, "You will go on stage last."
Ye Wuque softly and replied, "Yes."
Zhou Zhiyi said to Huang Yitong and the other two, "The three of you don't need to hold back. Just fight with all your might and don't worry about winning or losing."
The three of them responded in unison.
With Zhou Zhiyi's words and Ye Wuque's claim that they had a chance of winning, they all felt that the burden on their shoulders had been lightened considerably.
Anyway, they lost, and Ye Wuque.
If Ye Wuque also loses, then there's nothing more to say. We'll all lose face together!
Huang Yitong volunteered and became the fourth person to go up and do it.
Huang Yitong was also in his forties. As someone from another clan, he was able to gain a foothold in Yuheng because of his unparalleled Swordsmanship.
Among the Four Swords of Yuheng, his Swordsmanship is similar to Lu Yifeng's, and it's hard to say who is stronger or weaker.
However, Lu Yifeng's reputation grew even more because of his tough and sharp approach to things.
Huang Yitong is more cautious and tactful in his work, and he maintains better relationships with all parties, making him quite popular in Yuheng.
Upon seeing Huang Yitong step onto the stage, many Yuheng Sword cultivators chanted, "May the Northern Emperor protect us—"
Huang Yitong greeted Zhou Wuji politely and exchanged a few more pleasantries.
Zhou Wuji responded politely.
Once the two sides started fighting, Huang Yitong's main cultivation paths were Tianji and Tianxuan.
His swordsmanship combines the Tianji- Yang transformations of Tianji with the defensive capabilities of Tianxuan, making him both seasoned and shrewd.
Zhou Wuji was very familiar with these Swordsmanship, even though he was only at the Fifth Rank rank.
After exchanging three blows, Huang Yitong knew that Zhou Wuji raise his sword to attack. He retreated continuously using the Tianji- Yang Steps, while his wooden sword spun like a wheel.
Regardless of Huang Yitong's changes, Zhou Wuji raised his sword and stabbed.
Huang Yitong was prepared. He immediately swung his sword and fiercely slashed at Zhou Wuji's wooden sword. He didn't care about winning; he only wanted to break Zhou Wuji's wooden sword.
He considered himself to be at the peak of the Fourth Rank, with pure cultivation, and that he wouldn't be much worse than Zhou Wuji in terms of True Qi.
The two swords clashed; they couldn't let Zhou Wuji gain the upper hand.
To Huang Yitong's surprise, when the two swords clashed, Zhou Wuji's wooden sword seemed to be invisible, and when he struck with his sword, he felt no force at all, as if he had struck empty air.
When he finally regained control of the wooden sword, a perfectly rotating force emanated from it, causing the sword to be swept away uncontrollably.
As Zhou Wuji spun his wooden sword, Huang Yitong's azure light robe drew a semi-circular arc, the seven stars on the robe shattered, and the light dissipated.
Huang Yitong sheathed his sword, paused for a moment, then sighed and conceded defeat.
The many cultivators Seven Star Platform were now genuinely feeling sorry for the Four Swords of Yuheng.
They were all extremely famous sword cultivators, yet they were easily defeated by a young cultivator in front of hundreds of other cultivators.
Huang Yitong, in particular, had connections with many people from various factions. Seeing him sigh in defeat, his intense sense of powerlessness resonated with many.
Even Yan Baoying couldn't help but sigh softly.
She had met Huang Yitong and knew how formidable he was.
Such a skilled swordsman could only become Zhou Wuji's stepping stone tonight, which made her feel somewhat regretful.
Zhou Yiwei followed suit and took the stage. This Zhou Household thought he had seen through Zhou Wuji. Since the other party did not make a move in the first three moves, he launched a fierce attack in the first three moves.
With the same aggressive attack, Zhou Yiwei.
Zhou Wuji didn't tolerate him either. He pierced through the Big Dipper Heavenly Gang Divine Incantation with his sword, and the tip of the blade touched Zhou Yiwei's ribs, breaking at least two of them.
The main problem is that this old guy is too optimistic. Zhou Wuji has to teach him a lesson and let him know that this is a battle, not a game.
Seeing Zhou Yiwei's attempt to cheat backfire and his embarrassing defeat, the audience burst into loud laughter.
The last of the Four Swords of Yuheng, Zhou Zhijing, made his appearance. He was also the oldest, almost sixty years old. However, relying on his status as a Zhou Household, he rarely went out. With black hair and beard and a ruddy complexion, he looked to be only in his thirties or forties.
Zhou Zhijing of high seniority and old age, but in terms of Swordsmanship, he was the worst among the four swordsmen.
He didn't rush to take action after taking the stage; instead, he relied on his seniority and gave a long lecture.
"When people cultivate virtue, the Way is not practiced in vain."
Zhou Zhijing pointed at Zhou Wuji and said, "You are True Person Hongde, so you should set an example. You provoked your fellow disciples first, and then you acted arrogantly on the Seven Star Platform relying on your Swordsmanship. How are you worthy of the title Hongde?"
Zhou Wuji said calmly, " On the Seven Star Platform, we discuss the Dao with swords; why bother with further words?"
He was disgusted by the old man and unleashed a flurry of sword strikes with his Dusk Snow Sword.
The wooden sword unleashed Sword Qi, like snowflakes filling the Zhou Zhijing. Zhou Zhijing raised his sword to defend, but the horizontal slash of the wooden sword shattered his protective spell, sweeping him and his sword to the edge, where they crashed directly into the protective array's spiritual light.
Zhou Zhijing was stunned by the Sword Qi. He bounced on the wall of light and fell onto the stone platform, where he did not react again.
The Yuheng Lineage members hurriedly went up to the stage and carried Zhou Zhijing down with their bare hands.
Zhou Zhiyi calm, but inwardly he sighed. Zhou Zhijing wasn't young anymore, how could he be so foolish?!
The audience burst into laughter again at the Zhou Zhijing of Zhou Zhijing, who had relied on his seniority.
The Yuheng Lineage had suffered repeated defeats and was powerless to resist, which was originally somewhat tragic.
Thanks to the old man's antics, the Seven Star Platform was filled with a joyful atmosphere, sweeping away the previous somber and solemn mood.
Both True Person Zhimiao and Wang Zhishou had solemn expressions at this moment.
While everyone else saw only a joke, they witnessed Zhou Wuji sweeping away the Four Swords of Yuheng with his sword, seemingly without breaking a sweat.
Such Swordsmanship is unmatched not only by the Yuheng Lineage, but also by anyone below the Third Rank in our academy.
Zhou Wuji's Swordsmanship alone is enough to overwhelm many True Disciple Candidate!
Therefore, barring any unforeseen circumstances, Zhou Wuji will undoubtedly advance to the level of True Disciple.
This is extremely bad news for all the True Disciple Candidate.
What's even more frightening is that Zhou Wuji is only at the Fourth Rank. Once he advances to the Third Rank, won't he be able to dominate the academy with his Swordsmanship?
Furthermore, once the sect leader passes away, the position might even be handed over to Zhou Wuji.
True Person Zhimiao and Wang Zhishou realized this was no small matter; it concerned the very survival of the academy.
The two Third Rank True Person were also considering how to approach this promising genius.
The cultivators of the Yuheng Lineage all had grim expressions, and none of them could manage a smile.
All eyes were on Ye Wuque.
Zhou Zhiyi also looked at Ye Wuque and solemnly said, "Wuque, as long as you can win, I will definitely recommend you as a True Disciple Candidate, and I will fully support you in advancing to the level of True Disciple in the future."
"This battle concerns the honor of my Yuheng Lineage; you must win this battle at all costs!"
Ye Wuque and responded softly.
Her exquisitely beautiful face remained calm and gentle, her eyes still clear and pure.
It seems she didn't care much about Zhou Zhiyi's invaluable promise or Zhou Wuji Swordsmanship.
Seeing Ye Wuque in such a state, Zhou Zhiyi couldn't help but show his admiration. This woman was truly extraordinary; with such magnanimity, she was destined for great things.
He then became somewhat worried. This woman was so cunning; if she were to advance to the level of True Disciple in the future, how would he restrain her?