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Chapter 588: I Will Have to Win With My Intelligence(I)
Chapter 588: I Will Have to Win With My Intelligence(I)
Chapter 588: I Will Have to Win With My Intelligence(I)
"YASSSSSSS! STEP ON HIS FACE!"
Di Nufeng on the spectator stand cheered wildly, baring her teeth and claws in excitement at her disciple's impressive performance.
In stark contrast, the members of the Penglai Supreme Sect fell silent. While they still believed Yang Shenlong would secure the final victory, Qi Lin'er's humiliating defeat was not something to be celebrated.
The Penglai Supreme Sect had expected to overpower all the other teams. Even without Yang Shenlong, they had full confidence in their other disciples' abilities to match the top prodigies.
But they didn't expect that Qi Lin'er, whom they regarded as the second most powerful member of their team, would be so swiftly defeated by Chu Liang.
And not just once.
When it happened the first time, they could blame it on Qi Lin'er being unprepared, not activating the form of Dragon Soul Possession, and Chu Liang using a pill to launch a surprise attack.
But this time, the sword strike Chu Liang unleashed shattered Qi Lin'er's defenses right before everyone's eyes. There was no excuse to make this time.
Daoist Chi Niu furrowed his brows and spoke in a deep voice, "That boy... he actually comprehended the Great Dao of Severing the Void. Truly absurd."
"There must be a reason why Chu Liang from the Mount Shu Sect suddenly rose to fame," Daoist Xuan Lu remarked. "I've studied his past feats. Do you know what the most incredible part is?""I certainly don't know," Daoist Chi Niu replied.
"What he has accomplished in one year is something most people would not even be able to complete in ten. The trials, the Mount Shu Summit, and managing Red Cotton Peak—all of these tasks would have taken up all his time and energy.
"If an ordinary person were to do all those things, they would have no time left for cultivation. Yet, despite this hectic schedule, his cultivation has advanced at an astonishing rate. I've often wondered how he finds the time to cultivate. Sometimes, I even suspect he possesses a hidden realm that slows the flow of time."
As Daoist Xuan Lu spoke, his gaze remained fixed on the light screen showing Chu Liang heading into the next corridor, his eyes filled with intrigue.
Daoist Xuan Lu continued, "If he can accomplish such feats with scraps of time, how strong would he be if he fully dedicated himself to cultivation? And why has such a peerless genius been so obscure until now?"
"Are you suggesting..." Daoist Chi Niu looked at him.
"I suspect he has some heaven-defying stroke of luck, or perhaps he was born with great karmic fate as a Hallowed One," Daoist Xuan Lu concluded. "If only we could recruit such a disciple into the Penglai Supreme Sect."
Though Daoist Xuan Lu had no knowledge of the Large-Headed Dolls that were working tirelessly for Chu Liang, he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off. He knew that even if he himself had dedicated all his time and energy to cultivation, his cultivation level wouldn't be much higher than it was now... So how was Chu Liang progressing this quickly? Daoist Xuan Lu had a gut feeling that something was amiss.
"Recruit?" Daoist Chi Niu scoffed. "I’d rather snap his head off his neck."
Clearly, he had redirected his frustration from being roasted by Di Nufeng onto Chu Liang.
"This is where your narrow-mindedness lies. If everyone thought like you, how could the Penglai Supreme Sect have developed into its current glory?" Daoist Xuan Lu said leisurely.
Daoist Chi Niu snorted twice before responding, "Still, being taught a lesson by him twice may not be such a bad thing for Qi Lin'er. On Mirage Mountain, no one dares to provoke him, and he's nearly become a little tyrant. Who knows what his true origins are."
As for Qi Lin'er's origin, even the elders of the Penglai Supreme Sect knew little. The rumors surrounding him being the illegitimate child of Daoist Cangsheng were nothing more than baseless gossip.
"The matters related to the Divine Ruins are not to be discussed recklessly," Daoist Xuan Lu said calmly.
Daoist Chi Niu curled his lip in slight disdain but said nothing more.
Daoist Chi Niu, being one of the senior members of Mirage Mountain, had attained the seventh realm many years ago, while Daoist Xuan Lu was a recently promoted elite.
Daoist Chi Niu was nearly a generation older than Xuan Lu, possessing the seniority, cultivation, and wisdom that came with his long years of experience.
However, Daoist Xuan Lu had quickly gained favor with the higher-ups after his promotion, and his influence on Mirage Mountain now far surpassed Chi Niu's. This shift in power naturally stirred some underlying resentment in Chi Niu.
…
While Chu Liang continued his streak of swift victories, there were others still engaged in prolonged battles, holding their ground in the first corridor.
Xu Ziyang was one of them.
His opponent was also a fellow disciple of the Endless Sword Sect.
It was Xu Hu, one of the Tiger-Leopard-Dragon Brothers[1].
As the eldest senior brother of Jade Sword Peak faced this relatively unfamiliar disciple of the Endless Sword Sect, he unleashed his most powerful strike, the Heaven-Raising Sword, which roared through the air.
Likewise, Xu Hu, unfamiliar with the disciple of the Mount Shu Sect before him, did not hold back at all.
As the overwhelming sword light bore down, Xu Hu chose a tactic similar to Chu Liang's—he condensed his sword intent and struck with a single, powerful slash.
Hiss—
Where the sword rose, a cold glimmer erupted.
This exchange of sword strikes was a clash between the sword qi generated through the Great Dao of the Cloud of Determination and the sword intent of the Great Dao of Severing the Void. Though the light of the sword intent created through Severing the Void seemed much smaller, it was denser and sharper, splitting the Heavenly Sword Seal cleanly in two.
However, the slash imbued with the Great Dao of Severing the Void was completely dissipated at that moment.
The two were evenly matched in this exchange of sword strikes.
Although this appeared to be a clash of powerful divine techniques, both were merely testing each other's limits. When they figured out the extent of each other's strength, they immediately adjusted their tactics.
Recognizing the intensity of his opponent's sword intent, Xu Ziyang lowered his stance and charged forward, aiming to close the distance and engage Xu Hu in close combat.
Seeing this, Xu Hu swung his longsword, instantly shrouding the surrounding five-zhang radius in sword intent. Anyone who dared enter would be met with a torrent of swordlight crashing down.
But Xu Ziyang paid it no mind and charged straight in.
Swishhhhh—
Suddenly, the sword light descended like a torrential rain, converging on him from all directions.
Xu Ziyang's figure suddenly flashed forward with a swift motion, appearing right in front of Xu Hu, closing the distance for close combat.
He used Dimension Compression!
Just as the spectators thought Xu Ziyang's tactic had succeeded, Xu Hu suddenly opened his mouth and spat out a dazzling blade of sword light!
Swish!
Caught off guard, Xu Ziyang barely dodged the attack, and the blade narrowly missed his face. Thankfully, he reacted quickly and summoned a layer of golden light around his hands, clapping them together mid-air.
He gripped the sword that had been sent his way, the weapon struggling fiercely in his grasp.
At the same time, Xu Hu swung his longsword directly at Xu Ziyang’s chest!
Boom! With a resounding explosion, Xu Ziyang transformed into a Three-Headed and Six-Armed Form. His second pair of hands wielded swords to block Xu Hu's attack, while the third pair formed seals, summoning a swirling pool of lightning around them.
Crackle—
He performed the Five-Lightning Heart of the Sky!
Xu Hu’s flying sword swept horizontally, once again expanding into a five-zhang sword domain. In an instant, the space within several zhang was flooded with overwhelming thunder and crisscrossing sword qi.
Both Xu Ziyang and Xu Hu activated their fifth-realm Metallic Bodies, enduring each other's attacks with sheer resilience.
However, as Xu Hu became injured, his life-bound flying sword suddenly glowed crimson, and a surge of intense energy erupted, as though Xu Hu had become one with his sword.
Xu Ziyang's hands were forced apart, struggling to maintain control.
He had no choice but to summon divine lightning, shaping it into chains to bind the small flying sword. The concentrated spiritual energy erupted in a deafening boom.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Both were flung apart by the force, flipping through the air before landing on their feet.
When their eyes met again, their gazes were like that of a lion meeting a tiger.
1. This was explained before but the Xu Brothers have the name Xu Long, Xu Hu, and Xu Bao with Long meaning Dragon, Hu meaning Tiger, and Bao meaning Leopard ?
GLTD Alternate Universe's Thoughts
Translator: GT