It looked like He An had the upper hand.
This outcome was completely within the expectations of the cultivators around the Daoyan Arena. After all, He An had long been famous in the Chenping Continent cultivation world; his reputation and prestige even exceeded some chief disciples of the Five Great Sects who usually had more visible presences.
Opposite him stood a young man who, with the Mingxue Sword pointed at his forehead, appeared to have not yet fully reacted. Although he was the Heavenly Summit Mountain Dao Inquirer placed with great hopes by Mirage Palace, a rogue cultivator was still a rogue cultivator. There was bound to be a gap between him and a heaven-chosen talent born from an orthodox top sect.
Of course, the vast majority present felt no surprise at the showdown between He An and Su Hongzhen.
Those three characters—He, Ba, Wan—were widely known among the younger generation on Chenping Continent. Otherwise He An would not have changed from his once arrogant, overbearing self into the reserved man he was now.
He An had already decided long ago that he would use this Heavenly Summit Mountain Dao Inquiry to set the record straight.
He wanted the world to forget the nickname “He Eight-Ten-Thousand” and instead remember the seven big characters “Chenping Continent’s Number One Swordsman.”
Su Hongzhen’s appearance was purely a pleasant surprise.
He An fully understood that the humiliation he had suffered over the past three years was because he failed to secure the sword scabbard he had loudly promised would be his, and because of the schemes that bastard Xin Ming had plotted behind his back.
Still, if he could use this chance to make the humiliation of the past three years feel a little less sharp…
He An knew Su Hongzhen would never sell that scabbard to him.
From the moment he had called out to Su Hongzhen today, he had been hoping for exactly this situation.
“Since we are both swordsmen, the simplest way to communicate is, of course, with the sword.”
He An’s voice was very low:
“Oath of the Broken Sword.”
At these words, a chorus of gasps and whispers broke out around the Daoyan Arena. Most cultivators present knew exactly what those four words meant.
This oath could only be sworn between swordsmen.
The loser must swear never to touch any blade again for the rest of their life, forever severing the path of the swordsman.
In practice, the other party being challenged could decide whether to accept this duel.
Refusal would brand one with the stigma of cowardice for life.
This, of course, applied only if the two swordsmen were of roughly equal strength.
If there was a significant disparity in power or status, refusal would matter little.
“All right.”
Su Hongzhen nodded.
He certainly would not flinch.
From the beginning, his brother had set a goal for this Heavenly Summit Mountain Dao Inquiry.
To win the champion position at Heavenly Summit Mountain.
That meant every opponent at the Dao Inquiry would have to be swept aside by him, otherwise the endeavor would be meaningless.
Seeing Su Hongzhen agree so decisively, He An was somewhat surprised.
But that was all the better.
“Who is your next opponent?”
He An asked.
“Jia Hongtao of the Lightning-Severing Sect, Daoist Jia.”
Su Hongzhen answered directly.
Jia Hongtao?
He An’s brow tightened slightly. He had seen this contemporary prodigy of the Lightning-Severing Sect a few times.
No denying it: Jia Hongtao’s cultivation was profound and his techniques were highly skilled, especially his Thunder-Severing Night Technique, which could be described as consummate.
He An was confident he could defeat Jia Hongtao, but he also understood clearly that beating him would not be simple.
He was a rather tricky opponent.
“In that case, I will now apply to the Star Heaven Sect elders to switch your next opponent from Daoist Jia to me. You and I will settle our score. If you win, I He An will never touch a blade again for life.”
He An paused briefly as he spoke:
“If I win, then likewise, you must never touch a blade again for life, and at that time, please sell your sword scabbard to me.”
Star Heaven Sect would, of course, approve He An’s request.
Grudge matches like this—ones with spectacle and talk value—were exactly the sort of thing the Five Great Sects encouraged at the Heavenly Summit Mountain Dao Inquiry.
The Dao Inquiry Assembly of Chenping Continent had become the single greatest cultivation event on Chenping Continent.
Who would not want to make the event more legendary?
As long as both contestants agreed to the opponent switch, and the Five Great Sects’ representatives jointly deliberated and decided that the swap would not unduly affect the fairness of the Heavenly Summit Mountain Dao Inquiry, such a change was entirely feasible.
“No need for such trouble.”
Su Hongzhen merely shook his head:
“After I beat that Lightning-Severing Sect Daoist, I will naturally face you, Your Excellency.”
Silence fell over the venue.
One must understand, although Jia Hongtao of the Lightning-Severing Sect still had a certain distance to go before reaching the level of He An and the Five Great Sects’ chief disciples among the young powerful cultivators, his actual standard was enough to place him within the top one hundred of the more than twelve hundred Dao Inquirers at this Dao Inquiry.
Jia Hongtao was not that easy to beat.
“...What a backbone.”
He An, seeing this, had nothing further to say and sheathed his Mingxue Sword.
“Farewell.”
Su Hongzhen cupped his hand in salute toward He An’s direction, then turned and ignored the astonished gazes thrown at him from the sidelines and the viewing stand, simply walking away.
On the viewing stand,
several cultivators dressed in deep green robes, whose cultivation depths were evident from their bearing, sat upright in high seats and looked toward the commotion in the Daoyan Arena.
Seated in the center was the Imperial Envoy Elder of the Mirage Palace delegation, the True Dharma Elder of the Time-Stealing Tower, Lin Mo.
To Lin Mo’s left sat a young woman with an already graceful bearing.
Her features were not stunningly beautiful, but carried an aloof charm, like the faint, cool mist on an autumn morning, slightly chilling and ethereally beautiful.
She was Zhou Jinyun, Mirage Palace’s Daomen Xingzou.
From the beginning, her gaze had been fixed on that youth in the cyan daoist robe in the Daoyan Arena, a young man whose brows and eyes were full of unrestrained spirit.
In her memory, Su Hongzhen still seemed like the thirteen-year-old boy who had been beaten nearly to death by a few thugs in Jiangdu Prefecture.
Five years had passed.
Looking at the youth with the Xun-Li Sword hanging at his waist, Zhou Jinyun felt a bit unfamiliar.
“How do you think, Jinyun?”
The Time-Stealing Tower’s True Dharma Elder beside her asked.
“There is no suspense to this Heavenly Summit Mountain Dao Inquiry.”
Zhou Jinyun said calmly:
“Su Hongzhen will ascend and snatch the Heavenly Summit champion position in one fell swoop.”
“Even Li Haoran?”
Lin Mo continued.
“Yes.”
Zhou Jinyun nodded.
She certainly understood how absurd Su Hongzhen’s talent truly was. If she herself were the peak of Martial Spring Realm rather than the Qi Sea Realm, she might not have lasted ten moves against Little Su.
“...”
Lin Mo only smiled and said nothing more.
This True Dharma Elder of the Time-Stealing Tower naturally did not believe it, but he also did not dare to contradict it.
His reluctance was not because the Daomen Xingzou beside him was only nineteen.
It was because the recommendation of Su Hongzhen was not solely Zhou Jinyun’s decision.
It also carried the authorization of Imperial Law Elder Shang.