Several familiar Saint Heirs and a saintess spoke of a certain Saint Heir, their eyes gleaming with a hint of combativeness.
Though there were many Saint Heirs, some had exceptionally resonant reputations, and Haoyue Saint Son was such an individual.
“There’s also a fair number of rising talents this time, so don’t just focus on Haoyue Saint Son and let other youngsters catch up.”
A saintess with a graceful figure, her face veiled in misty gauze and eyes like autumn waters, glanced towards a figure in white floating nearby.
Hearing her words, the eyes of the other Saint Heirs and saintesses shifted, some with intense focus, while others remained indifferent.
“I heard that in the Bone-Reflecting Mirror test, he’s not even twenty-seven yet, probably the youngest among us, right?”
A young man with a tall stature and piercing eyes expressed with interest.
“After all, he is a personal disciple of the Sword Saint, much like Haoyue Saint Son. He probably possesses abilities comparable to Haoyue Saint Son from thirty years ago.”
Another Saint Heir stated calmly.
They chatted casually, unhindered and exuding confidence and composure, not minding offending or provoking anyone.
After all, they could all be competitors in the upcoming Sword God War.
Moreover, although they were all Saint Heirs, only one could receive the Incense Fire of the Sword Ancestor Holy Land and become the new Sword Saint. Everyone was an opponent unless someone decided to withdraw from the competition.
Hearing these discussions, Bian Ruxue, dressed in snowy garments, remained silent, paying no attention but just quietly watching the ten arenas ahead.
She did not plan to leave but wanted to see the elite among these Inner Sect Disciples. The top Inner Sect Disciples were not much inferior to the Saint Heirs and saintesses, and some even had breakthroughs after the last election of Saint Heirs and could potentially possess power at the Saint Heir and saintess level.
Although this possibility was extremely low, it was not non-existent.
Elsewhere, Lin Qingyue was also looking on indifferently, uninterested in the discussions around her and not participating.
She knew that those around her were her competitors; her only ally was the sword in her hand.
Soon after the casual chat ended, more than ten Saint Heirs and saintesses gradually left, with only five remaining to watch quietly.
These Saint Heirs and saintesses were all very conspicuous. As they left, many disciples in the audience took notice and started whispering among themselves.
At the front of the arenas, the waiting Inner Sect Disciples also noticed and felt a kind of disdain, but they knew it was inevitable as the others were Saint Heirs and saintesses, much stronger than them.
However, a few among them had a cold gleam in their eyes.
Before long, the spectator seats gradually filled to capacity, and the floating seats were also nearing full occupancy.
The preliminary selection of the Sword God War also began at this moment.
There were two types of challenges in the preliminaries, one was one-on-one duels, and the other was a defense battle. If one defended the arena for ten matches, they could advance directly to the top hundred, skipping other bouts.
The defense battle was intended for those confident in their strength, while the random pairings allowed other Inner Sect Disciples a chance for sparring.
Three Semi-Saints presided, and with the rules of the Sword God War explained, they began selecting participants.
They gathered the disciple badges and used the laws to assign them randomly in the void.
The disciples who chose the defense battle had already arrived at the central arena first.
In past Sword God Wars, the defense battles were often more eye-catching, and the elite of the Inner Sect would choose this more straightforward method.
“Wow, the first to enter the defense battle is Mu Feng.”
“He’s one of the top talents in the Inner Sect, so it’s quite normal for him to choose the defense battle.”
“He even asked me to refine a Condensation Dao Pill recently, Qingfeng, you helped too, remember?”
Zhao Yingzhen said to Li Hao.
Li Hao nodded, having a vague recollection.
“So, the old rules, what shall we bet? I’ll start, a middle-rank Pill Formula for the Purifying Fire Pill, which can purify the Dan toxin in the body. Though it leaves a bit of residual toxin, it’s minimal compared to the benefits.”
An elder spoke up, his face full of smiles.
Shi Huajin smiled and replied, “Alright, I’ll also put out a middle-rank Pill Formula for the Purple Golden Pill, which can enhance Physical Body Strength. One pill increases about fifty thousand catties, effective only for three pills.”
“I’m not familiar with him, so I’ll just put out a low-rank Pill Formula.” Lin Shanhai also joined in.
The others also gradually chose their preferred Pill Formulas, and they soon began to decide on the number of matches and odds.
Li Hao listened from the side and discovered that they had set very detailed betting rules, which even resembled a game of German poker somewhat.
“Qingfeng, do you want to join in?”
Zhao Yingzhen asked Li Hao.
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Li Hao shook his head, “I am not familiar with this, I won’t join you.”
“Go on, don’t drag Qingfeng into this.” Lin Shanhai said, clearly annoyed.
Getting involved in such matters was never a good thing.
The others didn’t press further, and Li Hao took out the brushes and canvas he had prepared earlier from the Heaven and Earth Space and began to grind the ink.
If anyone stood to gain the most from this battle, it would probably be himself… Li Hao thought to himself delightedly. After grinding the ink, he set up his canvas and began to sketch the three Semi-Saints.
He wondered how much Artistic Path Experience the presence of Semi-Saints could provide; Li Hao felt somewhat thrilled.
“Qingfeng, what is this?”
Shi Huajin noticed Li Hao’s odd behavior, somewhat astonished.
The other alchemists also looked over, startled by Li Hao’s peculiar actions.
Li Hao smiled, “It’s a rare sight; I’m capturing it as a keepsake.”
Lin Shanhai knew Li Hao enjoyed the Artistic Path and was extremely proficient, smiled and said, “Just paint, don’t disturb him, Qingfeng’s artwork is unique.”
“Oh?”
The others showed a look of surprise, then became somewhat interested, thinking they’d like to see the completed painting.
Li Hao then began to paint earnestly.
The three Semi-Saints stood together. As Li Hao observed and painted, sketching such formidable beings was no simple task. Mainly because he had to focus intently in order to observe, but as he continued observing the three Semi-Saints, his spiritual power started to deplete as if navigating a labyrinth.
The aura of the Semi-Saints was so concentrated and profound that it made mimicking them feel challenging.
“Hmm?”
In the distance, the three Semi-Saints felt his gaze and looked up, their eyes settling on the suspended seat where they saw the young man with his canvas.
Quickly, they noticed that he was surrounded by alchemists.
“Whose disciple is that, so bold as to offend.” said the woman, her features mature and her eyes deep and icy.
“It might not be an offense. I glanced with my Divine Thought; he is painting us. Probably out of admiration, wanting to keep a painting of us, and it seems the painting is not bad either,” the burly middle-aged man said with a calm expression and a slight smile.
“That’s not any disciple, there’s a Pill Master among the alchemists recently, mastering the skill of refining medicinal materials; it should be that young man, he is sitting with Lin Shanhai. I remember, he seems to be called Qingfeng Pill Master,” the elder glanced over and then spoke with a smile.
“Qingfeng Pill Master?”
The woman’s eyes flickered as she too had heard of this name; the cold intensity in her eyes softened considerably. Her Divine Thought swept over and immediately noticed her own figure appearing on his canvas, and moreover, depicted stunningly…
“Since it’s unintended, let’s leave it.”
She said calmly and indifferently.
The conversation among the three Semi-Saints was overheard, as both Lin Qingyue and Bian Ruxue listened. Lin Qingyue looked up and saw that Li Hao was indeed setting up a canvas, and he was actually sketching a Semi-Saint, making her somewhat speechless and secretly amused.
Li Hao had been here for almost a year, and in that time, she had gotten to know him well. Outside of painting and carving, he really did little else.
Except for refining medicinal materials.
“Hmm?”
Bian Ruxue also looked over upon hearing “painting,” feeling an inexplicable stir in her heart and looked towards the floating seat.
The canvas blocked her view of the man’s face, but somehow, the setup of the canvas gave her a deep, familiar sense in her bones, making her blood seem to quicken in an instant.