Three months had passed in a flash.
A hundred-zhang sword mark suddenly appeared in the sky above the Bi An Realm, and the Disciples of Dragon Yang Peak were overjoyed as they watched the anomaly of the Heavenly Gate opening.
In these three months, they had repeatedly gained the upper hand in their contests with Ziyan Peak; although they were tied in the number of Nascent Soul demonic beasts hunted, their Golden Core-level results were far superior.
What made them even more proud was that their new generation of elites had been almost completely swept away by their own Heavenly Talent, Luo Tianyi.
At this moment, only Luo Tianyi looked gloomy, as he had inexplicably lost an important legacy.
Meanwhile, in the Ziyan camp, Lan Langyao and Mo Ziyi sighed inwardly as they watched their disheartened fellow Disciples.
With the Nascent Soul Realm in a stalemate, the complete collapse of Golden Core combat power was a foregone conclusion.
Everyone looked at Luo Tianyi’s arrogant back, and their hearts couldn’t help but turn cold: among their peers, was there truly no one who could contend with him?
“If Qing Feng hadn’t suddenly disappeared, with his and that Black Dog’s strength, we could have earned a lot of points, and the outcome would still be hard to say!” a voice suddenly emerged from a corner, a Disciple from Hu Ji Peak muttering with clenched fists.
These words were like sparks splashing into an oil pan, immediately igniting a chorus of agreement: “That’s right! Enjoying special protection under the name of a descendant of martyrs, yet running faster than anyone else!”
“This mission failed entirely because of him!”
“Qing Feng must take responsibility!”
The originally solemn Bi An Realm suddenly became noisy, and the waves of denunciation from the Ziyan Disciples rose and fell, turning the absent Qing Feng into a monstrous culprit in the blink of an eye.
“Silence!” Lan Langyao’s rebuke was like the ringing of an ancient bell, causing the Disciples’ eardrums to ache and their Sea of Consciousness to churn.
This usually steady Martial Brother rarely showed a grim face: “True powerhouses reflect on themselves in failure; only cowards are busy shifting blame. Ziyan Disciples can lose, but they cannot lose their backbone!”
“How can defeat be the fault of one person?” Mo Ziyi of Sword Sharpening Peak flicked his sleeve with a cold face, and the two Chief Disciples were the first to step into the teleportation array.
Although the remaining people dared not act presumptuously, their gazes towards Qing Feng’s cave dwelling became increasingly gloomy. In the face of frustration, shifting responsibility to the weakest scapegoat has always been humanity’s most instinctive choice.
“Master!” The clear call made Qin Heng tremble all over. It wasn’t until he saw his beloved Disciple, Qin Yue, appear safely with Dao Lord Zisu that this usually stern Peak Lord felt a sense of relief.
Heaven knew what kind of torment he had endured during these days. First, there were rumors of his Disciple being backlashed by the power of inheritance, then the elites of Chen Ming Peak were successively severely injured and eliminated, especially when he saw his eldest Disciple covered in blood, he almost drew his sword on the spot.
At this moment, the undercurrent beneath the high platform was still surging: Qi Yuancheng maintained an unusual silence, and the Peak Lords of various lineages tacitly examined the casualty data.
When the last light curtain of the Bi An Realm dissipated, everyone knew that the aftermath of this trial would likely be far more perilous than it appeared on the surface.
Qin Heng suddenly remembered something and looked intently at his daughter: “What realm is Yue’er in now?”
“Golden Core is complete.” Before the girl finished speaking, the teacup in Qin Heng’s hand shattered in response. This usually steady Elder suddenly stood up, his face full of disbelief.
After confirming with his divine sense repeatedly, the fine lines at the corners of his eyes spread with a smile, as if a withered tree had come back to life, radiant with renewed vitality.
Mu Zhengting lightly stroked his jade thumb ring and praised: “Martial Brother Qin truly has good fortune.”
A sword cultivator genius who formed a Golden Core at twenty years old was rare in the entire Sect’s history. What was even more remarkable was that this female Disciple’s bone structure was clear, faintly showing signs of returning to the Void.
Wei Yun Zhenjun lightly coughed and interrupted: “Since the identities have been verified, it is time to calculate the trial points and determine the ownership of the Bixi Hall.”
The Chief of Dragon Yang Peak tapped the table with his knuckles, and a Disciple behind him immediately presented a jade slip.
He gently waved his wide sleeve, and two jade steles formed by condensed spiritual qi appeared in mid-air. Dragon Yang Peak’s forty-eight thousand points clearly surpassed Ziyan Peak’s mere four thousand.
Yuan Feng True Lord tightened the sword tassel at his waist, his peripheral glance catching Elder Yuanshan, who was meditating with closed eyes in the adjacent seat, and his heart sank slightly.
Since the two peaks stood side by side three hundred years ago, the Disciples of Dragon Yang Peak had now gained the upper hand.
It wasn’t until his gaze swept over Qin Yue, who stood still as a pine, that he felt a slight relief, perhaps there was still a turning point.
As the lower-level Disciples successively submitted their tokens, the point difference snowballed to a staggering fifty thousand.
Wei Yun Zhenjun clapped his hands and laughed: “It seems the Mountain Suppressing Seal of this Bixi Hall should be moved to my Dragon Yang Peak’s treasure pavilion.”
Before he finished speaking, Chief Xia Yu Zhenjun of Tai’a Peak suddenly spoke: “What if that direct Disciple of Ziyan Peak, who has been missing for half a month, returns?”
“Qing Feng?” Wei Yun Zhenjun scoffed, “Even if he has double points, can the Golden Core demonic beasts he hunted alone compare to the results of Lan Langyao’s team?”
As he spoke, he shook out a scroll of beast hide from his sleeve, which contained a detailed record of Dragon Yang Peak Disciples’ encirclement and killing of three Nascent Soul stage fierce beasts.
At this moment, a clear sword cry suddenly arose outside the mountain gate, and the nine layers of clouds were torn open by sharp sword qi.
Yuan Feng True Lord’s natal sword at his waist suddenly vibrated in resonance. He abruptly looked towards the sky, a meaningful arc curving at the corner of his mouth: “Martial Brother Wei Yun, have you heard, that one from Heaven Sword Peak thirty years ago also gained… while traveling alone?”
His words stopped abruptly at this point, leaving behind only surging sword intent in the blank space.
Spiritual light shimmered on the jade steps of the viewing platform, and Xia Yu Zhenjun gently fanned himself, saying: “Heaven’s will is hard to fathom. Martial Nephew Qing Feng might find another path.” A half-revealed Heaven-Peeking Jade Slip was faintly visible within his cloud-patterned wide sleeve.
“Martial Brother Xia, do not jest.” The Xuan iron abacus beads in Wei Yun Zhenjun’s palm rattled. “If Lan Langyao’s sword attendant were protecting him, he might have a chance, but now…” Before he finished speaking, the Three Pure Bells suddenly trembled.
“During the demonic tide in the Thousand Lake World, according to the celestial dao’s deduction, he should have perished.” Xia Yu tapped the astrolabe on the table with his finger. “However, he not only saved three hundred Disciples, but even my son’s life lamp…” A hint of cunning flashed in his eyes: “Dare you play a game with me?”
Wei Yun Zhenjun’s Qiankun Bag moved without wind: “If Martial Brother wants to bestow a fortuitous encounter, this Martial Brother will naturally accompany him.”
“How about betting four Profound-tier magical artifacts?” Xia Yu’s fingertips condensed a phantom of a talisman, “If Qing Feng can enter the top five of the Heavenly Talent List.”
The abacus beads in Wei Yun’s sleeve suddenly broke, and the Xuan iron beads rolled onto the cloud platform. He stared at the re-condensed Sect’s fate map, gritting his teeth: “As Martial Brother says.”
Mu Zhengting on the viewing platform slightly raised the corner of his mouth and held up two fingers towards Xia Yu Zhenjun. The latter nodded in understanding, and two spirit-infused jade talismans flew out from his sleeve.
Just at this moment, a clear dragon roar came from the center of the trial ground. Qing Feng’s bronze token drew an arc in the air, and Ziyan Peak’s pillar of fortune surged explosively, with sixty thousand golden lights of merit soaring into the sky.
“My pleasure.” Xia Yu Zhenjun’s palm spat out spiritual fire, turning the gambling contract into green smoke.
Wei Yun Zhenjun’s natal magic sword chimed as it unsheathed: “How dare this brat steal the secrets of heaven, this amount of merit…”
“Presumptuous!” Qin Heng Zhenjun’s Xuanbing Sword Casket behind him suddenly opened, and the Taiqing cold qi froze half of the cloud platform. “Does Dragon Yang Peak’s Nine Revolutions Golden Core count as the celestial dao, while my Disciple’s Xuanhuang righteousness becomes a mere illusion?”
Yuan Feng True Lord directly crushed his communication jade slip, and a phantom of the Demon Slaying Sword Array appeared behind him: “If Martial Brother Wei has doubts about the Heaven’s Secret Mirror’s judgment, you might as well ask this Demon Quelling Sword in my hand.”
Thunderclouds suddenly gathered above the cloud platform, and the mountain-protecting arrays of various peaks lit up successively. This gamble had already affected the entire Sect’s destiny.