When the two swords clashed, it was like willow catkins brushing against iron, numbing his tiger's maw.
"A mere show!" Hu Tao sneered, activating his true essence, his sword strikes becoming even more violent, like a meteor falling to the earth.
In the spectator stands, Zhang Shuning clenched his sleeves, and Luo Tingjue's eyes gleamed with delight. The cheers from the Hu Ji Peak Disciples almost shook the dome.
What was strange was that Qing Feng, seemingly on the verge of collapse, constantly maneuvered within the sword net, like a lone boat in a storm, enduring the crashing waves without sinking.
Fine beads of sweat seeped from Hu Tao's forehead, and a sense of emptiness came from his dantian. Only then did he realize that over seventy percent of his true essence had been consumed.
By this point in the battle, half of the arenas had already determined their victors.
Only on the jade platform in the northeast corner did the two figures continue to entangle in a flurry of sword light.
As the last wisp of smoke burned out from the incense burner, the Disciples watching from each peak gradually dispersed.
Only before that bluestone platform did the sparks from clashing sword edges still not cease.
As the sun began to set in the west, the heavy sword in Hu Tao's hand suddenly sank three fen, and large beads of sweat soaked his clothes down his neck.
Qing Feng, however, had a deep and long-lasting energy. As he sidestepped to avoid the diagonally cleaving sword strike, he didn't forget to tease, "Martial Brother Hu's endurance, I'm afraid it can't even compare to the profound tortoise raised by Cuiwei Peak."
"Stop spouting nonsense!" Hu Tao roared, his sword edge sharply turning, but unexpectedly, his strength failed him, revealing an opening.
Qing Feng lightly tapped the platform with his toes, spinning in mid-air to send his opponent out of the barrier.
The attendant at the side had just raised the signal flag when he heard the victor laugh at Hu Tao, who was slumped on the ground, "Cultivation is like sailing against the current, Martial Brother should know the principle that rigidity cannot last."
After the initial roster of the Seven Meridian Disciples was set, Qin Heng looked at the words "Chen Ming Peak Qing Feng" on the list, and a third of a smile of satisfaction appeared on his lips, only to be choked by his Disciple's subsequent actions.
That Qing Feng was leaning lazily against the Martial Arts Tablet, saying, "If you Martial Brothers wish to contend, this junior is willing to be at the bottom and accompany you."
According to the regulations of the Seven Peaks Martial Arts Competition, the final round should have been a fierce battle of reverse challenges.
Qing Feng was about to retreat to the side of the arena when he suddenly saw Zhang Shuning, the Chief of Hu Ji Peak, step forward on his sword. A biting sword qi carved a three-inch deep mark on the blue bricks: "How can you lightly speak of retreating from Hu Ji Peak's territory?"
"Granted." Qing Feng sighed softly, lowering his head, and with a flutter of his robes, he was already standing in the center of the arena.
Zhang Shuning's sword tassel moved without wind, and a sharp glint flashed in his eyes: "It's truly rare to be able to block a Foundation Establishment eighth layer, but..."
Spiritual power surged around him like waves, "The Yin-Yang Array Pattern is nothing but a thin veil before the ninth layer."
Before he finished speaking, the sword at his waist hummed as it unsheathed, transforming into nine illusory and real sword shadows in mid-air.
The Hu Ji Peak Disciple who had been cracking pine nuts in the spectator stands froze in place, the porcelain cup in his hand shattering with a clang.
No one expected the outcome to be decided before the smoke had dispersed. Zhang Shuning's Nine Heavens Sword Array had not yet fully formed when that colorful light pierced through the heart-protecting mirror on his chest.
"A sneak attack!" Qi Yuancheng abruptly stood up, his five fingers forming a spiritual energy giant palm, its immense pressure aimed directly at Qing Feng's glabella.
But Qin Heng gently raised his wide sleeve, and a chilling sword qi tore through the air, severing the spiritual energy chain. His sword sheath struck the ground heavily: "Old scoundrel, if you want to touch someone from my Chen Ming Peak, you'll have to ask about this Chief's Three Thousand Thunder Tribulations first."
The collision of the two pressures stirred up a wave of air, overturning the bronze incense burner in front of the spectator stands.
Qi Yuancheng stared at the flickering runes in the incense ash, then suddenly sneered: "Rule seven of sword discussion states that non-lifebound magical treasures must be jointly reviewed by the three halls. This Nine Heavens Profound Light Mirror..."
He deliberately dragged out the end of his sentence, "...I'm afraid it's some people's last resort because they can't afford to lose, isn't it?"
"Nonsense!" Qin Heng flung out a jade slip, on which flowed the chaotic aura unique to a Mystic Realm: "Open your dog eyes and see clearly, can the recognition imprint of the Profound Light Mirror be faked?"
A clear light suddenly fell from above the cloud platform. Yuan Feng True Lord, holding a whisk, lightly tapped a jade chimes: "Silence!" His voice, like a grand bell, dispersed the malevolence in the arena. "If Hu Ji Peak has doubts, they can report to the Disciplinary Hall after the Grand Competition. But at this moment..." He glanced at the gradually healing wound on Zhang Shuning's chest, "The victor has been decided."
Qi Yuancheng's fists clenched in his sleeves, cracking. He glanced at the untouched tea on the Purple Rock Peak Chief's table, the water's surface reflecting Yun Qingrao's thoughtful expression. He suddenly spoke loudly: "Since it is the Chief's decree, Hu Ji Peak will naturally obey. However..."
His tone suddenly shifted, "If anyone again uses the advantage of a magical treasure, don't blame this Chief for bringing out the Sect-Suppressing Treasure Mirror."
"When did the Beast Taming Sect become so indiscriminating?" Qin Heng's brows suddenly arched, his gaze like a torch directly at Yuan Feng True Lord. The Chixiao Sword in his palm hummed and vibrated within its sheath, ready to be unsheathed at any moment.
Qi Yuancheng's withered fingers gripped the jade armrest, almost crushing it: "When is it your turn, a junior, to comment on this Chief's Spiritual Rhinoceros Sword Seal?"
Just as the tension in the main hall reached a breaking point, Qing Feng, who had been standing silently on the sword-testing platform, suddenly spoke loudly: "Peak Lord Hu Ji is truly imposing."
Before his words faded, all eyes in the audience surged towards Qing Feng like a tide. For thousands of years, a Foundation Establishment Disciple daring to directly call out a Spirit Transformation Realm Peak Lord by name in public was probably the only one.
"Presumptuous!" Qi Yuancheng's sword qi surged, and the Nine Heavens Cloud Pattern Sword transformed into a cold gleam, rushing directly at Qing Feng's face.
However, at three feet from Qing Feng, it was abruptly cut off by a crimson sword aura.
The Heaven-Burning Sword in Qin Heng's hand pulsed with crimson light, and within its sword intent, the Dao patterns of laws were faintly visible: "Do you take this Chief for a mere decoration?"
Before his words finished, the immense sword momentum had already forced Qi Yuancheng back more than ten zhang, his black Daoist robe covered in dust.
A sharp glint flashed in Yuan Feng True Lord's eyes: "Martial Brother Qin has actually touched the threshold of the Dongxuan Realm?" The white jade whisk in his hand moved without wind, showing his inner shock.
"Just a preliminary glimpse." Qin Heng slightly retracted his sword art, but the aura around him became even more formidable, "But it's enough to deal with certain old-timers who act superior."
At this moment, Qing Feng stepped forward, the bronze sword token at his waist clinking: "May I ask Chief Shibo, what is the third iron rule of the Beast Taming Sect?"
Qing Feng's voice was clear and resonant, yet it caused all the Nascent Soul Elders present to feel a chill in their hearts.
"Those who harm true disciples shall be executed." As Yuan Feng True Lord's words fell, the sword token in Qing Feng's palm suddenly burst forth with a blue light, and the Tianquan constellation faintly appeared above the Nine Heavens.
Qi Yuancheng's pupils constricted: "This is the Tianquan Sword Token?" The Cloud Pattern Sword in his hand almost slipped and fell to the ground.
Everyone present gasped, the Beast Taming Sect had not produced a Tianquan True Disciple for three hundred years, and with this token appearing, it was meant to execute a Spirit Transformation!
Yuan Feng True Lord lightly swept his whisk, and seven sword auras locked down Qi Yuancheng's major acupoints: "Peak Lord Hu Ji, you owe this Chief an explanation."
When he turned to look at Qing Feng, a hint of satisfaction flashed in his eyes.
No one noticed that a faint smile quietly curved Qin Heng's lips. This grand play, a joint effort by master and Disciple, had finally succeeded.
True Disciples of the Beast Taming Sect enjoy the privilege of studying the secret texts of the seven great sword meridians.
Although their cultivation may not yet match that of the Chiefs of each peak, their Sect status surpasses that of all Peak Lords.
These young cultivators, who carry the Sect's destiny, are the legacy embers to be prioritized for preservation when the Beast Taming Sect faces the danger of annihilation.
The iron rule clearly states: harming a true Disciple is equivalent to betraying the Sect.
Qi Yuancheng's gaze was like a torch, staring at the green-robed Disciple: "How can a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator be worthy of this position? If Ziyan Peak truly produced a True Disciple, how could this Chief not know?"