On the noisy Daoyan Arena, cheers like mountain-roaring waves would erupt from time to time, or gasps of astonishment would slice through the air.
Among cultivators of the Lower Three Realms, sparring between Martial Spring Realm practitioners was by far the most entertaining to watch.
Body Forging Realm practitioners only exchanged fists and kicks, and techniques among Qi Circulation Realm practitioners felt weak, dull, and far too monotonous.
Only sparring between Martial Spring Realm cultivators could balance crashing strikes, nimble footwork, and clashing techniques all at once.
Su Hongzhen sat alone on the viewing stand, and within a radius of ten zhang around him, there wasn’t a single person.
No one came to cozy up to this mysterious swordsman, even though he was a Daomen Xingzou of Mirage Palace, personally appointed by Zhou Jinyun as a Dao Inquirer at Heavenly Summit Mountain.
Almost ninety-nine percent of cultivators on the Daoyan Arena believed this young man called Su Hongzhen would soon become Mirage Palace’s abandoned disciple.
As people had said before, Jia Hongtao of the Lightning-Severing Sect was no simple opponent; he was enough to give the chief disciples of the Five Great Sects a hard time.
Nobody favored Su Hongzhen.
Even if he somehow managed to defeat Jia Hongtao, what about He An?
This heaven-chosen swordsman, praised as the Southern Region’s top swordsman of this generation, was actually only one step away from claiming the title of Chenping Continent’s number one swordsman.
In this Heavenly Summit Mountain Dao Inquiry, the only person who could be said to have a sure win over He An was Li Haoran alone.
As for Su Hongzhen?
If he could withstand three strikes from He An, that would already count as success.
But at this moment, everyone’s attention was focused on the ninth matchup on the fifth arena platform in the Daoyan Arena.
Shao Yuchen, chief disciple of Weaving Dreams Tower of Mirage Palace, was facing Zhai Ying, the chief disciple of Huiyi Ravine of Wind Ravine Valley.
That two chief disciples from the Five Great Sects met in the first round of Heavenly Summit Mountain Dao Inquiry was something the vast majority had not expected.
And it was delightful to witness.
If two Dao Inquirers from the Five Great Sects met during the fourth or fifth rounds of Heavenly Summit Mountain Dao Inquiry, it was very likely both would hold back and not fight at full force.
Because every Dao Inquirer who participates enters with expectations about their results.
Before competing, everyone has enough self-knowledge to understand whether their strength can or cannot compete for the top spot.
When two Dao Inquirers from the Five Great Sects face each other, they often perform a tacit “show.”
During the spar, the side that clearly knows it is inferior will give up initiating attacks.
Their opponent will immediately understand and won’t press the attack, allowing the exchange to end with a narrow victory or a gracious loss, preserving face for both.
But if the Five Great Sects’ Dao Inquirers meet in the first or second round, the situation is entirely different.
For them, being eliminated in the first or second round is disgraceful; that stigma could follow them for life.
People will only remember that he was knocked out in the first round, and will not listen to excuses like, “What could I do? I met so-and-so in the first round.”
That meant Shao Yuchen of Mirage Palace and Zhai Ying of Wind Ravine Valley meeting in the first round guaranteed a match where both sides would fight with everything they had.
The Weaving Dreams Tower chief disciple in deep green robes looked about eighteen or nineteen, with a high nose and very thin lips, habitually pursing them in a way that made him seem restrained and aloof.
Shao Yuchen lacked the kind of distinctive arrogance common to chief disciples of the Five Great Sects; on the contrary, his outward demeanor suggested he was extremely strict with himself.
That was easy to understand.
Since Shao Yuchen entered Weaving Dreams Tower he had long lived under the shadow of Zhou Jinyun.
Only when Zhou Jinyun was promoted to Daomen Xingzou of Mirage Palace, leaving the Weaving Dreams Tower chief disciple position vacant, was Shao Yuchen promoted.
Even so, Shao Yuchen ranked among the top three of Mirage Palace’s six chief disciples on the sixth floor, which is why he was selected as Mirage Palace’s Dao Inquirer for this Chenping Continent Dao Inquiry Conference.
Shao Yuchen’s opponent, Zhai Ying, was also eighteen this year.
The moment she stepped onto the arena platform, the look she gave Shao Yuchen clearly contained a measure of fear and dislike.
Mirage Palace, Weaving Dreams Tower.
Those six words together naturally prompted extra caution.
However, at the Heavenly Summit Mountain Dao Inquiry, Mirage Palace disciples rarely used illusion techniques.
The reason was simple.
The world already harbored a strong dislike for Mirage Palace’s illusions, and the Dao Inquiry Conference—Chenping Continent’s grand decennial event—would invite gossip if someone used illusions to defeat an opponent.
Illusion arts were still Mirage Palace’s foundation, but that foundation wasn’t meant to be on display.
There were ten huge circular arena platforms on the Daoyan Arena, and at this moment everyone on the viewing stand had centered their attention on the fifth platform.
“Fellow Daoist Zhai.”
Shao Yuchen cupped his hands in salute.
He could clearly sense the fear and dislike in Zhai Ying’s gaze, and he was not surprised.
If he were in her position, facing an opponent whose cultivation was already more advanced and who was skilled in illusions, he would likely show the same expression.
Zhai Ying also raised both hands and returned the salute toward Shao Yuchen, but she said nothing.
Then silence settled over the platform.
After that came the whooshing sound of robes rubbing the air.
Shao Yuchen moved quickly, becoming a phantom on the platform as he surged toward Zhai Ying.
But compared to Weaving Dreams Tower, Huiyi Ravine of Wind Ravine Valley was obviously more adept at footwork.
Zhai Ying’s figure was like a drifting wisp in the wind, nimbly avoiding Shao Yuchen’s assault; her toes barely touched the platform as she floated backward several zhang.
Shao Yuchen immediately seized the momentum to pursue. With Zhai Ying floating in midair and lacking any solid foothold, this should have been the best opportunity for a quick finish.
The Weaving Dreams Tower chief disciple rushed forward, body forged power activated, true qi flowing.
Those on the viewing stand watched with regret.
Although the Huiyi Ravine chief disciple’s footwork was exquisite, she lacked experience.
Exposing such a flaw to an opponent practically invited defeat.
What no one knew was that facing the advancing Shao Yuchen, a glint of craftiness flashed across Zhai Ying’s eyes.
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