Chapter 763: Chapter 762: The Convention Begins (Additional for ’Love to eat watermelon’, 2/3, asking for a monthly ticket!)
The day of the grand competition.
It was just the beginning of the day.
"Welcome, everyone, to the Sword Evaluation Competition. Please forgive us if our service falls short in any way."
An elderly figure stepped into the arena. He appeared ordinary, but some could detect the space around him was subtly distorting, as if countless sharp swords were slicing through it back and forth. Yet the young people seemed oblivious to this.
This was a Sword King.
Martial Artists bear different titles at different stages.
For instance, those in the Spiritual Passage Realm are uniformly called Marquis; those in the Dragon Gate Realm are revered as Honourable; those who reach the Divine Barrier Realm are known as Kings. Of course, such titles are only awarded to peak experts within their respective realms.
A Sword King implies a sword master of the highest echelon within the Divine Barrier Realm. If they wield a knife, they would be called Knife King. In short, the titles depend on the kind of weapon they excel in.
As for expert hand-to-hand combatants, they are collectively referred to as Martial Kings.
For Sword Evaluation Elegant Mountain to send a Sword King to preside over the competition shows just how seriously they take the event.
"Enough with the talk, let the competition commence!"
A loud shout echoed.
Six platforms on the mountainside suddenly radiated different colours of light, creating a four-sided shield that formed separate domains.
At the same time, the swordsmen who had been invited to compete arrived on the scene.
As if guided by a sense, in an instant, over two hundred distinct yet profoundly mysterious sword styles surged skyward, clashing and intersecting, ultimately forming a torrent of sword energies that tore through the sky.
"Impressive."
"The competition brings together more than 80% of the currently known swordsmen who have reached the pinnacle of their artistry. It will indeed be a feast for the eyes."
"I hope their sword styles will inspire me."
The Elders of the most powerful factions, along with some reclusive experts, wore expressions of approval and admiration. They themselves were martial experts no lesser than the competitors, hence maintaining their composure was not a tall order for them.
However, for the true beneficiaries — the younger generation — it was not so easy to remain calm.
As their gaze scanned over each swordsman, they felt each sword style to be pure and distinct. Some were like abysses, so deep they seemed bottomless; others were like seas, their undertow surging powerfully; and yet others resembled towering mountains, unshakably solid...
Various auras of sword styles interweaved, filling the air around the mountainside with the aura of Sword Qi.
It should be noted that not all of the 263 swordsmen invited to the Sword Evaluation Competition had showed up.
For the few Sword Emperors in the Void Origin Realm, there wasn’t much significance in participating in the competition. For the most part, they would rather maintain a good relationship with Sword Evaluation Elegant Mountain.
From the get-go, they sat in the private caves prepared by Sword Evaluation Elegant Mountain, watching the competition clearly without being seen by others. At the end of the competition, they would appear as prestigious guests to share a few words with the younger generation.
This was as accommodating as they could be.
After all, even the strongest Earth Immortals couldn’t get close to a strong person in the Void Origin Realm, without a special relationship. In a sense, they have transcended the mundane world, possessing world-destroying power, they are people of the beyond.
The collective gaze of those present hovered over the competing swordsmen like spotlights.
Several members of the top-tier factions brightened up with smiles.
More than 70% of these swordsmen hailed from top-tier factions. Each of these factions roughly contributed eight participants.
Of course, it wasn’t so precisely divided. The Tang Sect and Divine Strategy Academy, for instance, were known for their works in secret weapons and intelligence respectively, each having a single seed participant. On the other hand, the Oblivion Assembly and Heavenly Snow Mountain, both factions known for their sword styles, had somewhere between a dozen to over twenty participants.
No one knows why, but there never has been a participant from Sword Evaluation Elegant Mountain.
So, each Sword Evaluation Competition would see the major factions also taking the competition as an opportunity to compare whose swordsmen are more and whose swordsmen have higher rankings, as it was a matter of face for them.
"That scoundrel didn’t show up."
"Hmph, he had the audacity to whisk away our Saintess of Heavenly Snow Mountain, but didn’t have the gall to show up, did he?"
In one corner, two women dressed in white, their faces cold and their aura icy, were grinding their teeth silently.
Behind the two women sat five young girls, each giving an exasperated look at one another.
Of course, they understood the Elders’ anger, but it seemed that even if both Elders joined forces, they wouldn’t be a match for the man, whose only worry was the Grand Elder.
That sentiment, of course, was left best unsaid.
Putting aside their scorn, one of the girls tried to lighten the mood: "Senior Sisters, do you think based on Sister Ding’s cultivation level and strength, she could earn a rank in this competition?"
"Nonsense, Sister Ding is the most likely contender for our next Saintess. Her talent in swordplay has even been commended by the Sect Master. She is sure to break the records of the Sword Evaluation Competition and become the youngest ranked swordsman!"
"This is the first time Sister Ding is appearing publicly. I can’t wait to see the look on their faces when they see her."
As the conversation grew more exciting, the girls started to giggle in delight.
"Wu Buyu, you have finally shown up."
In the direction of the Blood Emperor’s cave, an Elder shot a piercing look.
A middle-aged man who was mingling with the crowd sensed the stare, looked back, and smiled, "It’s been a while. Are you still troubled by the gift of my sword?"
The Elder’s face twitched uncontrollably.
No one knew that he, a renowned Martial King, had once challenged ’Xuanwu Sword King’ Wu Buyu. Sadly, he ended up losing to Wu Buyu’s ultimate move and has held this in his heart ever since.
Seeing Wu Buyu, his fighting spirit began to stir.
Not just him, many people recognized Wu Buyu. He had made quite a name for himself back in the day, still ranked among the top 100 Earth Immortals, and was a rare Earth-level swordsman from Sword Evaluation Elegant Mountain.
The rankings by Sword Evaluation Elegant Mountain were divided into five levels: Two-star, One-star, Earth level, Star level, and Sky level.
In the history of the competition, there have only been 393 Two-star swordsmen, 219 One-star swordsmen.
At Earth level, there are only a pitiful 37.
This also includes the same person, who at the same time received different rankings, otherwise the actual number would be even less.
This is a confrontation between the top-tiered swordsmen of every era, earning an earth-level rating, Wu Buyu’s talent and strength are beyond words.
Of course, aside from special relations, people only paid a bit more attention. In addition to Wu Buyu, there were several other Sword Kings in the arena, each one no less impressive than him, and perhaps even more so.
In addition, there were many powerful swordsmen in the seventh, eight, and ninth levels of the Divine Barrier Realm, all of them attention-grabbing. In such a situation, young genius swordsmen seem to be the least of concerns.
"Shi Xiaole."
"Old Shi really came."
Duanmu Keren and Mu Ling’s eyes lit up.
Among the more than two hundred peerless swordsmen, the two of them easily found Shi Xiaole. His temperament was too unique, not exceptionally eye-catching, nor deliberately low-key, but seemed detached from the crowd, indescribable.
"I wonder if he’s made any progress, how much progress he’s made in the past six months."
For the two of them, they never doubted that Shi Xiaole could break the competition record. In fact, if it wasn’t for them being swordsmen, they would be tempted to try for themselves.
What they really cared about is, how far Shib Xiaole could go.
A second-level swordsman? A first-level swordsman?
Or, an earth-level swordsman?
As for a star-level swordsman, they didn’t dare to think about it.
In history, there have been only nine people who became star-level swordsmen, and every one of them eventually became a Void Origin Realm Sword Emperor. Among them, seven people tried twice.
Those who passed the first time were over a hundred years old.
Becoming a sky-level swordsman is no longer a matter of talent, but a question of accumulation and perception of swordsmanship.
Shi Xiaole is not short of talent, and may even be historic in scale, but he lacks time.
In addition to these two geniuses, many young people also gave Shi Xiaole an extra glance, with different looks in their eyes.
"Brother, who is that man?"
A maiden asked with a grin.
"If I’m not mistaken, he should be Kirin."
"Oh, the one who is reputed alongside the Young Dragon? That’s interesting."
The handsome young man fell silent.
So you’ve only just found it interesting now?
Of course, Shi Xiaole received the attention from all directions, but he only nodded at Mu Ling and Duanmu Keren, and then entered a state of complete focus.
Strictly speaking, he was somewhat excited.
Seeing so many top swordsmen, feeling unexcited was simply difficult.
After all, Shi Xiaole is young, and he has the vigor and competitiveness of youth, only that he usually suppressed these feelings, or in other words, lacked enough motivation to awaken them.
It is dangerous for a person to stay in the air unsure of his true limits. Shi Xiaole hopes that this conference can give him some insight.
Under the lead of the waiting staff, more than two hundred swordsmen entered the rest pavilions prepared for them.
"There are six battle platforms, namely the second-level, first-level, earth-level, star-level, and sky-level platforms. You can participate in any of the ratings you wish to challenge, and you have unlimited opportunities for participation, please!"
The Elder hosting the conference explained loudly.
Shi Xiaole had already heard Sword Nineteen’s introduction and naturally knew the rules.
The Sword Evaluation Competition, it’s not about the confrontation between the swordsmen who attended, but the contest between the swordsmen and the illusion array.
If you go to a different battle platform, not only will your practice be suppressed, but you will also encounter different array illusions. As long as you can defeat the latter, you can get the corresponding rating.
But this illusion array is not common, but the shadow left by the last swordsman who obtained the rating!
For example, if Shi Xiaole becomes a second-level swordsman, then on the second-level battle platform, his illusion will appear and become the challenge for the next swordsman!
Until another swordsman battles and wins over him, his illusion will disappear.
As for the strength of the illusion, it captures the strength that the swordsmen displayed on the corresponding platform, which will never weaken.
Here, it should be noted that if a swordsman gets a higher rating, the illusion he leaves on the lower level platform will automatically disappear.
Otherwise, what if some quirky world-class swordsman deliberately starts from the lower-level platform, then most people won’t even make it as a second-level swordsman.
Whoosh!
During his thoughts, a young swordsman with a rough face was the first to rush out, landing on the second-level platform on the far left, to the quiet admiration of many.
Starting with the simplest challenge could be troublesome, but it had the advantage of being safe. If one aimed too high and lost, it would be even more embarrassing.
"Brother Fang, go for it."
A girl from the Oblivion Assembly clasped her hands together, her eyes shimmering.
Hum!
As soon as Fang Mingri’s feet landed on the platform, a sharp black shadow appeared on the opposite side.
The ’Flying Shark Sword King’ Ge Qin!"
Recognizing the figure, many people immediately turned to look at the east pavilion, where a swordsman clad in black was participating in this year’s conference.
It was indeed Ge Qin himself.
