Chapter 706: Chapter 705: Secret Exposed
In the eastern part of the separate courtyard, there’s a broad square spanning a hundred feet in both length and width. In the corner of the square, a vast hexagonal pavilion sits. For this occasion, the Dreamy Sect and Langyao Sect each sent six people, and with the seven from Left Sect, it was just about right to accommodate them.
Seated next to the stone table at the heart of the hexagonal pavilion were Ren Mengzhen, Helian Yong, Helian Ba, and Yun Chuoxi, talking and laughing nonstop.
The others stood behind their respective young masters. Occasionally, their gazes would meet, but they didn’t get along as harmoniously as the four young masters. Instead, there was an underlying tension.
This was Shi Xiaole’s first time attending such a gathering. Seeing Xiao Yujian’s forced smiles, he surmised that Xiao had been slighted in the past, which explained his sour expression.
Contrarily, the attendees from the other two groups appeared more comfortable. Dreamy Sect was doing fine, but the mockery in the eyes of some experts from Langyao Sect was almost unconcealed.
"I heard that Junior Sister Ren is preparing to advance to the Divine Barrier Realm. If I remember correctly, Junior Sister Ren is only 27 years old. This kind of talent is probably not weaker than the Five Great Fiends," Yun Chuoxi casually deflected Ren Mengzhen’s inquiry about her gains in the Tri-Pole Palace, starting a conversation about Ren, to the shock of everyone in the pavilion.
The glimmer in Ren Mengzhen’s eyes fleetingly passed over Shi Xiaole. She responded, "You jest, Sister Chuoxi. It’s not easy to break through to the Divine Barrier Realm satisfactorily. I’ll probably need a few more years. I can’t compare to the Five Great Fiends."
"Momentary strength isn’t everlasting. Those who were hailed as the Five Great Fiends in the Martial World have been overrated. Some of our Saint Dao warriors are not necessarily inferior to them." Helian Ba huffed coldly, obviously annoyed.
Yet Yun Chuoxi said solemnly, "Don’t underestimate them. I’ve met the youngest of them, the Kirin. His swordplay is profound, and he has the potential to reach the top ten in the world in the future!"
Ren Mengzhen cast several more glances at Shi Xiaole, the smile in her eyes growing even brighter.
Helian Ba just sneered continuously and waved his hand dismissively, "We’ll see about the future when it comes. Weren’t we going to exchange and learn from each other? Stop wasting time and let’s start."
Upon hearing this, the other three sighed and finally focused on the main purpose of this gathering.
"This is my stake."
Helian Ba was the first to bring out a bead. The size of the bead was no more than a goose egg. It was entirely white, and nothing seemed special about it at first glance, but Shi Xiaole was shocked.
Because the style, luster, and material of Helian Ba’s white bead were identical to the green, azure, and blue beads that he had previously obtained.
"I found this bead by accident. If you put it under the moonlight, it will project the broken image of a landscape on the wall, which might conceal a grand opportunity," Helian Ba explained. Numerous years went by since he had obtained the white bead and despite all experimentations and using Langyao Sect’s resources to investigate the bead, he never found anything.
Helian Ba speculated that there should be many similar beads, and when accumulated, they could project a complete picture. But in such a big world, how easy would it be to find the remaining beads?
Moreover, the Martial World was filled with similar treasure maps, so the opportunity that the white bead represented might not be too valuable. Instead of holding onto it, why not use it as a stake? This way, it would seem valuable, and if he lost, it would not be a big blow.
Aside from Shi Xiaole, nobody else cared much about the white bead, clearly sharing Helian Ba’s mentality.
"In that case, I will offer a lower-grade spiritual sword." Ren Mengzhen said and gestured. Despite the mystery in her guards’ eyes, they removed and opened a wooden box they were carrying, revealing an ancient but splendid sword of about 3.3 feet long.
Clang!
Ren Mengzhen unsheathed the sword, its light arc-like water.
"What a good sword! Although it’s a lower-grade spiritual sword, given its quality, it should be one of the top-quality lower-grade spiritual swords!" The crowd exclaimed in shock.
Even Helian Yong didn’t understand Ren Mengzhen.
Although top-class powers like them had immense wealth and were not lacking in top-quality lower-grade spiritual weapons, they weren’t cabbages either. Using such a valuable weapon as a stake for casual exchanges seemed too hasty. Furthermore, as far as Helian Yong knew, this Autumn Water Sword was supposed to be used by Ren Mengzhen to woo a swordsman of the Divine Barrier Realm. Why would she take it out here?
Could it be that she was confident about winning, so she intentionally raised the value of the stakes in order to win more?
Compared to Helian Ba’s excitement and Helian Yong’s contemplation, Yun Chuoxi’s face changed several times in succession.
In the current situation, it would be embarrassing to bring out anything common, however, it would be a pity if she lost something too valuable.
After a moment of thought, Yun Chuoxi gritted her teeth and declared, "I raise 300 pieces of Sun and Moon Crystal."
Sun and Moon Crystals are only effective for warriors of the Dragon Gate Realm, but Ren Mengzhen was indeed a martial artist at that realm. Furthermore, a total of 300 pieces, although not as valuable as the Autumn Water Sword, it was not inferior to Helian Ba’s white bead.
"Hahaha, splendid!"
Once the white bead, Autumn Water Sword, and a box of Sun and Moon Crystals were placed on the stone table, Helian Ba took the lead and pointed at a person behind him: "Yan Kai, you’re up."
The young man named Yan Kai stepped forward with a fist and palm salute, landing in the courtyard outside the pavilion. His eyes were brimming with eagerness and a strong will to fight.
"Lu Wei, you go and learn something." Ren Mengzhen said with a smile.
Soon, the sound of intense combat could be heard in the courtyard. Under the protection of the Array System and with both being careful not to cause any damage to their surroundings, their fight was even more thrilling.
The young man named Lu Wei had a solid defensive skill. Yan Kai’s punches fell on him, making a thud but having no effect.
However, Shi Xiaole noticed that every time Lu Wei defended, it also consumed a lot of his strength. If Yan Kai couldn’t break through the defense, the final outcome would depend on their endurance.
"Seven Kill Fist!"
All the Vigorous Air concentrated in a one-layer Divine Border, as Yan Kai’s punch landed heavily on Lu Wei’s chest.
"Vast Qi Copper Bell, well done!"
A layer of dark brown glow attached to Lu Wei’s body, who rigidly bore the blow, grabbed Yan Kai’s hands with both arms, and violently flung him fifty feet away.
"I concede."
His face slightly changed, Yan Kai knew very well that if they had been enemies just now, his chest would have been pierced by the opponent.
Helian Ba, smiling at the corner of his mouth, disregarded Yan Kai’s confession of loss and immediately appointed another person. Ren Mengzhen immediately replaced the heavily drained Lu Wei.
The battles followed one another incessantly.
Soon, someone from the Left Sect also took the stage, but unfortunately, both Han Sen and Dong Tianxi were defeated by a swordsman from the Langyao Sect.
Shi Xiaole watched clearly, in terms of cultivation and combat skills, except for a few individuals, the Left Sect was not inferior to the Dreamy Sect and the Langyao Sect. Unfortunately, there was a clear gap in martial arts.
It was Mo Wan, who stubbornly defeated the swordsman of the Langyao Sect, but forced out one of the two remaining people from the Langyao Sect. This person had reached the late stage of the Divine Barrier Realm and within just thirty moves, he left Mo Wan pale and powerless.
"Come back."
Yun Chuoxi had no choice but to admit defeat. After a thought, she said, "Xiao Wei, it’s your turn."
Xiao Yujian and Zong Yue, one straightforward and one eccentric, appeared to be more reliable. If he could defeat the opponent, she needn’t daydream anymore.
Hearing that he was sent first, Xiao Yujian’s mouth twitched slightly, but he still went up as instructed, directing a swift sword towards the Langyao Sect expert named Zhu Tang.
In the arena, the swords and blades flew, unknowingly reaching more than four hundred moves.
"Last year, Zhu Tang defeated Xiao Yujian in just over three hundred moves. It seems that Yun junior sister’s Ghost Guards have made great progress."
Looking at the scene, Helian Ba couldn’t help but laugh.
He was not worried at all about Zhu Tang’s defeat. In his eyes, the Left Sect was still lacking, and only a few people from the Dreamy Sect were a bit troublesome, but it was just a nuisance.
His gaze fell on the table; that Autumn Water Sword was not suitable for him, but taking it back to the sect, he should be able to exchange it for quite a few cultivation resources. As for the three hundred pieces of Sun and Moon Crystals, rewarding them to his women would be a good idea.
"Sky Full of Feathers!"
Seeing his sword strokes being broken one after another, Xiao Yujian was not panicked. After reaching the peak of his sword momentum, he suddenly shook it out, and the sword light seemed to fall like feathers.
"Quick Wind Knife, break!"
Zhu Tang, who had been using a slow attack, laughed loudly. The blade in his hand suddenly accelerated, turning into a series of blade shadows, shattering Xiao Yujian’s unstable attack.
Clang!
The sword and blade collided, forcing Xiao Yujian to stagger back a dozen steps. By the time he steadied his stance, Zhu Tang on the opposite side had already put away his knife leisurely.
With a tight grip on the sword handle, Xiao Yujian looked sullen. As the head of the Ghost Guards, his failure this time would undoubtedly seriously threaten his position.
"Yun junior sister, it looks like you’re going to lose again."
Helian Ba shook his head helplessly.
Unlike his elder brother, Helian Yong, he was not greedy for beautiful women, so he would not worry about Yun Chuoxi’s face.
Yun Chuoxi’s expression was very cold.
Of the six current Ghost Guards, only Zong Yue has not yet fought. She was unclear about his exact strength, but it would be extremely difficult to deal with Zhu Tang, let alone an even more formidable opponent after Zhu Tang.
What’s the big deal, it’s just three hundred Sun and Moon Crystals.
"Zong Wei, it’s your turn to learn something."
Yun Chuoxi casually instructed, not willing to lose both face and formation.
"Yes."
Shi Xiaole bowed, striding past Xiao Yujian who was returning, but a cold sweat broke out on his forehead.
He strongly suspected Ren Mengzhen knew his identity, so wouldn’t it expose his big secret of having both martial ways once he used Illusion Martial Way?
Once that woman revealed it, it would be a huge disaster for him.
With hesitation in his heart, he also slowed down his steps significantly.
Everyone in the pavilion noticed Shi Xiaole’s abnormality. Helian Ba laughed loudly, "Yun junior sister, is this Ghost Guard of yours feeling unwell, or is he too timid?"
Several guards from the Langyao Sect and Dreamy Sect either sneered or scorned, and even Mo Wan and others frowned deeply.
What’s the matter with this Zong Yue? Previously, he acted as if he was invincible in the world, treating his opponents as stepping stones. Could it be that he was a paper tiger, scared by this kind of battle?
Ren Mengzhen’s eyes flickered, looking at Yun Chuoxi whose face had turned green and cold, and laughed, "Sister Yun, this Ghost Guard of yours is interesting. Judging by his demeanor, he seems to be proficient in hand-to-hand combat?"
"He’s an Illusion Martial Practitioner."
Yun Chuoxi said indifferently.
"An Illusion Martial Practitioner?!"
Shi Xiaole felt dizzy. Even without turning back, he seemed to feel Ren Mengzhen’s fierce gaze.
