Chapter 143: Sword Case, Open!

After the Mid-Autumn Festival, the Eastern Continent Grand Competition paused for a day.

This meant giving the disciples who entered the top thirty-two one day of rest.

Chu Huaixu went to the Treasure Pavilion and sold the first-grade Spiritual Pills he had refined in the Medicinal Cauldron.

Competing while also making money—perhaps only he could manage such a thing.

"Speaking of which, because of the Grand Competition, the demand for low-grade pills in the Outer Sect has increased, and prices have risen slightly."

He had earned a fortune during this period, and his mood was exceptionally good.

In stark contrast, however, were Geng Tianhe and the others.

These three prodigies from other major sects had all inexplicably been scolded by their elders after returning.

They were berated for being too arrogant in daily life, too restless in mind, and not diligent enough…

They weren’t fools—more or less, they could guess that the culprit was Chu Huaixu!

"Did the elders get provoked or something?" the three of them thought.

Yet, ever since they had seen Chu Huaixu’s performance in the last round, they, too, had begun to feel urgency and pressure.

"Judging from his current displayed strength, without resorting to secret techniques, it’s hard to win against him." This was the thought shared by all three.

But the problem was—we had secret techniques. What about him?

In fact, Geng Tianhe and the others felt that this slightly fox-faced fellow was especially sly!

Judging from his performance all the way through, this couldn’t even be called holding back anymore!

Who knew how many trump cards he still had hidden?

"A guy cultivating both sword and body, after six rounds, he still hasn’t even drawn his sword to show us!"

"What kind of treasure is it, that he’s so unwilling to part with?"

"Won’t even let us have a look!"

In Geng Tianhe’s eyes, Chu Huaixu had none of the demeanor of a sword cultivator.

Most sword cultivators never left their swords behind.

"But then again, it makes sense. Most body cultivators are despicable, fond of close-range sneak attacks. He’s probably been influenced by that."

This sword cultivator Chu Huaixu wasn’t pure at all!

In truth, if not for the Swordless One, Dead Fox would surely wear a sword on stage.

Not for any other reason—just to look cool!

So, if he knew what Geng Tianhe was thinking, he would definitely be speechless.

The day of the lottery soon arrived.

Many people prayed silently to the heavens, hoping to draw a weaker opponent.

The rewards of the Grand Competition were incredibly rich—starting from this round, every victory yielded different prizes.

Those unqualified to vie for the championship were aiming precisely for this now.

When Chu Huaixu and Han Shuangjiang went to draw lots, they encountered an old acquaintance—Niu Yuanshan.

This round’s drawing was presided over by him.

To be precise, in the next few rounds, much of the groundwork would be handled by him.

After all, among the Nine Outer Sect Stewards, he was the most capable.

The more capable, the more work one got!

Chu Huaixu wasn’t surprised by this.

Once a person could endure hardship, then hardship would never stop coming.

A grand event like the Grand Competition in the Eastern Continent naturally had to be handled by spies from the Western Continent!

When Old Niu saw Chu Huaixu and Han Shuangjiang, he smiled slightly, his gaze gentle.

Little Xu soon arrived as well, still carrying that massive sword case on his back.

Around them gathered quite a few curious onlookers, eager to see which prodigies would be matched up.

In the end, the result seemed rather unfavorable for the Dao Gate.

The reason was simple—Han Shuangjiang drew number two, and the other person who drew number two happened to be Senior Sister Chang Le.

Previously, she and Ji Sikong were called the Twin Prodigies of the Outer Sect and were the most favored contenders for the championship.

Now, Ji Sikong had been defeated by Chu Huaixu, and Han Shuangjiang was performing brilliantly, making the three of them the most watched contestants.

This meant that one of these two prodigious women would be eliminated in this round!

What a pity.

"That Big Ice Block really is the queen of inner-sect battles." Chu Huaixu mocked inwardly.

Look at her—how many of her own sect’s disciples had she drawn already?

She had eliminated quite a few!

But watching match after match, he could clearly sense Han Shuangjiang’s improvement.

"She had little experience sparring with others before, but now she’s growing more skilled. Her fighting has gained some order, and her combat awareness is clearly not bad. Truly worthy of being the World Protagonist." He sighed inwardly.

Soon, it was Chu Huaixu’s turn to draw.

"Your luck isn’t great. Watch me." he said to Han Shuangjiang.

With a casual draw, he then asked loudly: "Number thirteen—did anyone else draw number thirteen?"

Soon, a surprised voice rang out from the other side.

Zhao Xinghan raised the slip in his hand high and said: "Brother Chu, number thirteen is me."

Well now, he had drawn a tough opponent.

"Your luck isn’t great either." Big Ice Block said softly from the side.

To think he had drawn Luo Heaven Valley’s strongest prodigy!

"To me, it doesn’t matter who I fight. The unlucky one is him." Chu Huaixu replied casually, in a nonchalant tone.

"I just don’t want to face fellow sect members—I couldn’t bear it." he even said with feigned sincerity.

Han Shuangjiang immediately exposed him: "Didn’t you say before that you dreamed of drawing them?"

"But isn’t my name already hanging high in the Gambling House now? Times have changed!" Chu Huaixu’s reasoning was utterly sound.

Standing far away, Zhao Xinghan secretly observed him. He already felt some pressure, but the other side was still chatting and laughing.

"Either his mentality is rock-solid, or he doesn’t take me seriously at all." Zhao Xinghan thought.

He hoped it was the former.

After returning, Zhao Xinghan reported his upcoming duel with Chu Huaixu to the First Elder, Teng Lingyi.

Upon hearing it, Teng Lingyi’s expression darkened slightly—but then he smiled.

"Actually, among you three—Geng Tianhe, Kui Muquan, and yourself—I believe the one with the best chance of defeating Chu Huaixu is you."

"Our Luo Heaven Valley is known as a sect of myriad arts. What supports this reputation is the abundance of cultivation methods and techniques within our sect."

"The number of techniques you have mastered is absolutely the most among them."

"Moreover, you have already learned the first volume of the 《Luo Heaven Dao Art》, and you hold the Supreme-grade Spiritual Artifact, the Landscape Scroll. Not only can you imitate the techniques of others, but you can also achieve the effect of 『using their own methods against them』."

"This is your advantage."

"Chu Huaixu cultivates both sword and body, yet he is still only at the Six Heavens of the First Realm. This means the Spiritual Energy within his Spirit Embryo Secret Store can’t possibly be as abundant as yours."

"If we add the Body Containing Spirit into the equation, however, it’s hard to say."

"Therefore, you only need to remember one thing: do not let him get close!"

"Once he closes the distance, his dual cultivation in sword and body will become an overwhelming advantage."

Teng Lingyi said this, then looked at Zhao Xinghan and asked:

"Have you ever heard a saying that goes: ‘Within a square inch, a single man equals a nation of enemies’?"

"What this means is that if the distance is particularly close, to fight the person before you is even more terrifying than fighting against a distant nation!"

"And body cultivators, in truth, are the very embodiment of this principle."

"Within that square inch lies their true battlefield!"

"I’ve said so much—do you understand?"

Zhao Xinghan immediately nodded and said: "Thank you for Elder’s guidance. Xinghan understands."

In Luo Heaven Valley, their strength lay in variety, in endless stratagems.

They were masters of tactics!

The next day, the Martial Arena was unusually lively.

On the high platform sat great cultivators from various sects, even Sect Master Xiang Yan himself had come in person.

But Dao Gate’s Little Martial Uncle Jiang Zhi had not appeared.

From this round onward, they would merely observe from the side.

The young people fighting in the arena were all prodigies of the Eastern Continent, and in the future, they might very well be the ones to shape its destiny.

For now, they were only seedlings—but who could say they would not one day grow into towering trees?

Since Han Shuangjiang had drawn an early number, her match came earlier.

That Senior Sister Chang Le of the Outer Sect did not realize that the high-ranking Dao Gate elders on the platform did not favor her.

Because they knew Han Shuangjiang’s true strength.

They knew she possessed the Body of Profound Yin, and was the Savior of the Sword mentioned in the Dao Ancestor’s prophecy.

The only thing that surprised them slightly was: "Shuangjiang has already cultivated to the Grand Completion of the First Realm so quickly?"

"As expected, the Body of Profound Yin advances a thousand li a day on the path of cultivation."

Events unfolded exactly as they had predicted.

Han Shuangjiang did not even go all out—her 【Reincarnation Sword Intent】 was not fully unleashed—yet she still defeated Chang Le.

On the stands, Teng Lingyi furrowed his brows slightly and let out a "一一" sound.

He was always measured in his actions. Through secret voice transmission, he spoke to Dao Gate’s Sect Master Xiang Yan:

"Sect Master Xiang, though I have not witnessed the full extent of her Sword Intent, I dare speculate—it may very well be the Reincarnation Sword Intent of your Dao Gate’s Second Temple Master, Yan Shen."

Xiang Yan was just about to reply when a tactless voice cut in from the side.

Situ Cheng spoke loudly: "Isn’t that the Reincarnation Sword Intent? Did she inherit it from your Dao Gate’s Second Temple Master?"

Xiang Yan and Teng Lingyi: ""

The moment these words were spoken, the stands instantly erupted into commotion.

The Second Temple Master of the Dao Gate, Yan Shen, was the true disciple of the Dao Ancestor, and after the Dao Ancestor’s passing, the strongest in the Xuanhuang Realm!

For her renowned Reincarnation Sword Intent to resurface was naturally shocking.

For a while, the great cultivators could not help but discuss it endlessly, with many even sending congratulations to Xiang Yan and the others.

This girl’s future achievements were boundless!

The matches proceeded one after another, and soon it was Xu Ziqing’s turn to enter the stage.

His opponent came from the Sword Sect, the second strongest among this group of disciples, right after Geng Tianhe.

His name was Guo Zhennan. Tall and imposing, he was much taller than Chu Huaixu.

In front of him, Xu Ziqing appeared especially small.

"This guy must be at least one meter ninety, right?" thought Chu Huaixu in the crowd.

He found the sight somewhat amusing.

"Haha, Little Xu looks even tinier now. He probably has to look up to see the guy’s nose hair, haha!" Chu Huaixu laughed inwardly, carefree as ever.

Indeed, Xu Ziqing had to raise his head just to look at Guo Zhennan.

On the Sword Sect disciple’s back was a massive greatsword.

That sword was even larger than the sword case strapped to Little Xu’s back!

After the two exchanged salutes, the match officially began.

Guo Zhennan drew his giant sword. Two characters were carved upon its blade: 【Mountain-splitter】.

From the very start, Xu Ziqing was forced onto the defensive, suppressed under his opponent’s assault.

Their strengths were actually not far apart, but Xu Ziqing was fighting barehanded the entire time.

Guo Zhennan swung his massive sword with relentless pressure.

"What’s inside that wooden case of yours?"

"That must be your trump card, right?"

"If you don’t use it soon, you might not get the chance!"

With a loud shout, the blade of the Mountain-splitter Sword flared with golden light!

The refined youth retreated swiftly with 【Flying Profound】, forming a hand seal with one hand as he began unlocking the seal on the sword case.

Jiang Zhi had told him that from this round onward, he was permitted to open the sword case.

Looking at his opponent, Xu Ziqing spoke aloud:

"Very well—just as you wish!"

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