Daoist Competition-Chapter 1001 - 240: Rise Up—One Sword Shatters Buzhou, Topple the Qiankun Heavens! (Part 2)
Until late in the hour of Hai, Zhang Yan bid farewell to Feng Ming and returned to the residence arranged for him by Elder Lu.
Sitting on the jade couch, he wore an expression of contemplation.
Less than ten years after he left the sect, another grand competition occurred, which altered the sect’s structure, and the Top Ten Disciples have changed from what they were.
Fang Zhenlu ultimately was overtaken by the Chen Family, and now, who knows where he was sent off to; it’s been ages since any news of him was heard within the sect.
This event had long been foreshadowed, so Zhang Yan was not surprised at all.
However, Chen Feng, who was the most likely successor to this position, did not achieve his wish this time, and someone else became one of the Top Ten Disciples instead.
This person was also an acquaintance of Zhang Yan—it was none other than the closed-door disciple of True Master Peng, Qin Nan.
Qin Nan had already crossed the Burning Points barrier in the previous grand competition and, with True Master Peng supporting her, advancing into the Hua Dan Realm was only a matter of time.
And in the recent grand competition, she finally became one of the Top Ten Disciples, now taking Fang Zhenlu’s place as the tenth-ranked disciple.
The arrival of this situation was something Zhang Yan had partly anticipated, as he had already promised True Master Peng to help Qin Nan rise.
Yet, this scenario arrived a bit earlier than he imagined.
What was even more unexpected was that the Chen family willingly relinquished a title, making it unnecessary for True Master Peng to borrow his strength to accomplish this. He couldn’t believe there wasn’t some sort of exchange of benefits involved.
This move was indeed ruthless; True Master Peng longed to interfere in the Top Ten Disciples positions due to his early status as a Cave Heaven True Master, and Zhang Yan was lacking a protector at the time, so their goals aligned.
But now, with True Master Peng having his own disciple among them, although he wouldn’t outright turn against him, he certainly wouldn’t support him as he did before.
In the sect, almost every Top Ten Disciple has a Cave Heaven True Master backing them. If Zhang Yan were still a Hua Dan Cultivator, returning to the mountain gate today would surely be difficult, and some might try to oust him from his position. Fortunately, he has just stepped into the Nascent Soul Realm, so no one has the capability to do so even if they wanted.
Yet, as each of the Top Ten Disciples advances to the Nascent Soul Realm, his brilliance is bound to dim compared to before, unless his achievements and prestige far surpass those of his peers, making him unshakeable, or unless he continuously elevates his cultivation ahead of others to firmly establish himself at the mountain gate even without a Cave Heaven True Master.
Speaking of cultivation, not reaching the Cave Heaven Realm, merely advancing to the Nascent Soul Second Realm is no easy feat and cannot be achieved overnight.
Another way is to establish unmatched accomplishments for the mountain gate.
The Sixteen Sects Sword Competition would have been a perfect opportunity, but the twist Feng Ming spoke of lay in this matter.
Among the current Top Ten Disciples, besides himself, there are two others who have achieved Nascent Soul, one of whom is Zhong Muqing.
This person, akin in lifespan to Qi Yuntian and a pupil zealously nurtured by True Master Qin, stepping into this realm was expected, and Zhang Yan wasn’t surprised.
But the other person was Luo Qingyu.
Rumor has it within the sect that only these three people would be attending the Sword Fighting Conference.
Among the three, Huo Xuan is a son-in-law of the Chen family, essentially a noble family member, and in terms of cultivation, is presently the foremost among the Top Ten Disciples; Zhong Muqing is True Master Qin’s disciple, always cherishing the doctrine of balance, while Luo Qingyu is the esteemed disciple of True Master Zhu from the same master-disciple line.
Behind each of these three stands a significant force, and in a deeper look, they’re aligned for the position of the Three Hall Masters of the Floating Heavenly Palace, peculiarly ensuring that if they rise, no other can intervene among them.
Zhang Yan understands this time is unlike any prior; above the sky dome seems to lie an unbreakable, dense invisible net overhead.
Yet he smiled, for since beginning his cultivation, he never once retreated before any roadblock.
Even if Dome Sky were before him, he would split it open with one sword!
Feeling this surge of overwhelming fighting spirit, the sword ball hidden in his acupoint emitted three crisp clangs, suddenly flying out from the center of his brow, buzzing and quivering in the air like an eager infant. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞
At that moment, Zhang Yan had no time to ponder, but simply followed the direction of his innate intent, suddenly channeling all his body power into it!
The Star Sword Ball suddenly emitted a tremor, his body shook, and something seemed to snap within his heart and spirit; the sword ball blossomed in brilliance, soaring into the air, constantly vibrating, releasing one by one the Divided Light Sword Shadows, shimmering like a shower of stars till it gradually ceased.
A careful count revealed it divided into sixty-four, crystal clear and dazzling, summoned by will, falling neatly into hand, merging back as one, restored into a translucent, immaculate sword ball.
Gazing upon this object, Zhang Yan felt his heart and spirit entirely pure and clear, with no hindrance at all, yet an infinite self-confidence was born, as if with this sword in hand, no earthly difficulty could obstruct him.
Since understanding the sword ball’s wondrous principle in the Xuan Guang Realm, progressing to dividing the sword light, he had achieved no further progress on this path, even after refining the mark left by Elder Xun. The layer remained untouched, barred by a thin wall.
Until today, moved by the heart, the object transformed upon sensing, not only shedding all the old appearances but completely becoming one with his heart and spirit, and compared to before, it seemed its power had increased significantly.
With a gentle flick on the sword ball, Zhang Yan softly sang: "Rise and slice through Bu Zhou with one sword, upend heaven and earth, then rest yet."
In the silent night of Dan Yang Mountain, the disciples only heard a distant, resounding sword chant and then witnessed radiant sword light spilling forth, illuminating half the sky like daylight, dissipating after a long time.
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...(To be continued. If you like this work, feel free to vote for recommendation and monthly tickets on Qidian (qidian.com), your support is my greatest motivation.)
