The First Match: A Clash of Sects

The first match pitted Yu Hui of the Heart God Sect against Mu Xi of the Tianyan Sect.

Upon the pristine marble steps, Su Hanxing and Chi Qiu sat side by side. A large contingent of Tianyan Sect disciples gathered around them.

“Senior Brother, we never expected you to come watch the match,” the surrounding Tianyan Sect disciples eagerly greeted Su Hanxing.

“Heheheh… since it’s Little Mu’s match, of course I had to come and see,” Su Hanxing chuckled softly.

He was now clad in a black starry daoist robe, a symbol of his status as a Tianyan Sect disciple, and his demeanor, even in casual conversation, exuded the bearing of a superior.

Beside him, Chi Qiu sat silently, adorned in dark scale armor. From time to time, Tianyan Sect disciples cast glances her way—some curious, some peculiar, others filled with admiration. Ever since Su Hanxing’s return to the Tianyan Sect, Chi Qiu’s identity had gradually become known throughout the sect.

Consequently, many of the disciples present were aware of this powerful rogue cultivator, whom their Senior Brother had transformed into a woman. On one hand, the Tianyan Sect disciples who had seen Chi Qiu that day spread tales of her upon their return to the sect. On the other hand, Su Hanxing frequently recounted how Chi Qiu had saved his life in the Sishui Marsh and how they had aided each other in the Yinglong Tomb.

Thus, the Tianyan Sect disciples held a rather favorable impression of Chi Qiu, a powerful yet somewhat unfortunate rogue cultivator. Were it not for Chi Qiu’s consistently frosty demeanor, many Tianyan Sect disciples would likely have already approached her to converse.

“Senior Brother, do you think Senior Brother Mu can defeat Yu Hui of the Heart God Sect?” a Tianyan Sect disciple inquired.

“Difficult,” Su Hanxing responded, his brow furrowed slightly. He seemed to hesitate, on the verge of saying more, but ultimately uttered only that single word.

“Even Senior Brother believes Senior Brother Mu can’t defeat Yu Hui? It seems we’ll have to endure those Heart God Sect people flaunting their power again.” Su Hanxing’s words sparked a hushed discussion among the disciples. They wore expressions of indignation, their words filled with a sense of injustice.

“Does your Tianyan Sect have a feud with the Heart God Sect?” Chi Qiu asked, looking strangely at the disciples. She turned her face curiously, lowering her voice to address Su Hanxing.

“Indeed, there have been considerable frictions, but they are all old grievances that would be difficult to explain now, Little Chi. I will elaborate once we return to the manor.” Su Hanxing nodded, confirming Chi Qiu’s conjecture.

“Alright, tell me all about it once we’re home.”

Chi Qiu was deeply interested in the intricate conflicts between these major sects, and she readily agreed. Behind Chi Qiu and Su Hanxing, many Tianyan Sect disciples whispered amongst themselves, watching their backs. Before long, a burst of laughter erupted from them, leaving Chi Qiu utterly bewildered.

“Look, Senior Brother Mu is entering the arena!” a Tianyan Sect disciple, who had been constantly observing the stage, suddenly exclaimed.

At this shout, both Su Hanxing and Chi Qiu, who had been conversing softly, and the Tianyan Sect disciples, who had been laughing at the pair’s backs, all turned their heads towards the arena. A flash of white light appeared in the southern corner of the arena, from which a figure slowly emerged, clad in a black starry daoist robe. The man possessed a round face and a long beard, stood over eight chi tall, and his eyes, sharp as a tiger’s or leopard’s, gleamed with spirit.

“Senior Brother Mu!”

“Go, Senior Brother Mu—”

Upon seeing Mu Xi ascend the stage, the Tianyan Sect disciples on their side roared in unison. Their shouts, infused with a hint of true qi, spread across the entire arena, creating an immense presence. For a moment, all spectators within the arena turned their heads towards the commotion. After noting the Tianyan Sect robes worn by the disciples, they sullenly turned back, not daring to utter another word.

On the stage, Mu Xi glanced towards Su Hanxing’s location. After a slight nod of acknowledgment, he remained still, quietly awaiting his opponent’s appearance.

“The Heart God Sect people are over there,” Chi Qiu whispered softly into Su Hanxing’s ear. She subtly poked his shoulder, indicating the western direction without drawing attention.

“I don’t see the old man’s figure; he shouldn’t be here,” Su Hanxing remarked. He had, of course, been constantly observing the Heart God Sect cultivators, but unfortunately, he had not spotted the old man.

“No rush, good things take time,” Chi Qiu replied, completely unconcerned. While the Dao of Ink Wash Painting was excellent, it wasn’t indispensable. In comparison, the Nine Yinglong Combat Diagrams were what Chi Qiu truly needed to fully comprehend.

Seeing Chi Qiu’s lack of urgency, Su Hanxing nodded gently before shifting his gaze to the arena. In the northern corner of the stage, white light began to coalesce, and a figure slowly stepped out from within it.

“Senior Brother Yu Hui!”

“Take him down! Get rid of that Tianyan Sect cultivator!”

As if in a competition of fervor, the Heart God Sect’s area erupted with even louder cheers. Some Heart God Sect disciples even turned triumphantly towards the Tianyan Sect disciples, seemingly in an act of provocation. How could the Tianyan Sect disciples tolerate such mockery? One by one, they immediately unleashed their true qi, confronting the Heart God Sect disciples.

“Little Chi, have you ever witnessed such a scene?” Su Hanxing asked softly, amused by the escalating tension between the two sides. He turned to Chi Qiu, who was observing the spectacle with an expressionless face.

“It’s like children fighting, far too childish,” Chi Qiu replied, shaking her head. She found the Tianyan Sect disciples’ behavior difficult to comprehend.

“Most of these junior brothers and sisters who came today are under eighteen, a fiercely competitive age. Naturally, they aren’t fully mature,” Su Hanxing said with a slight smile, not at all annoyed.

“Under eighteen? That makes it somewhat excusable. Speaking of which, you, the Grand Senior Brother of the Tianyan Sect, aren’t even twenty-five yet.”

Chi Qiu suddenly remembered that Su Hanxing was indeed under twenty-five, considered remarkably young in the cultivation world.

“And here I am, already thirty. Among mortals, I’d be considered middle-aged,” Chi Qiu murmured to herself, patting the chest plate over her heart.

“Heheheh… this assembly includes a bone age testing segment. Little Chi, your true age will be known once you’re tested,” Su Hanxing chuckled, gently rubbing Chi Qiu’s head. Under the dumbfounded gazes of the Tianyan Sect disciples behind them, he leaned close to Chi Qiu’s ear and whispered.

“Meaningless. Age isn’t solely determined by bone age,” Chi Qiu replied, subtly dodging his touch. Her tone remained largely unperturbed.

“Your junior brother Mu has already begun his match,” Chi Qiu said, gently pushing Su Hanxing away. With her other hand, she pointed towards the arena.

Hearing this, Su Hanxing looked towards the arena. Mu Xi and Yu Hui had both activated their true qi, already engaged in a long-range battle of offense and defense.

“The quality of your junior brother Mu’s true qi is truly abysmal,” Chi Qiu commented, raising an eyebrow. On the arena, in the midst of the offensive and defensive battle, Mu Xi was steadily retreating, nearly forced to the edge of the stage.

“This is the drawback of the Tianyan Method. Though it’s a Heaven-tier cultivation art and allows for extremely fast cultivation, the true qi it condenses is of exceptionally poor quality,” Su Hanxing explained, shaking his head with a sigh of resignation.

Chi Qiu fell into thought upon hearing this. It was only now that she realized Su Hanxing, when they had traveled together previously, had either relied on his divine ability “Intertwined Gold” for close-quarters combat or deployed other divine abilities from a distance, rarely confronting enemies directly with true qi. Even before that, when Su Hanxing had not yet acquired the divine ability “Intertwined Gold,” he mostly controlled various magical treasures with his soul power to strike opponents, similarly seldom engaging enemies directly with true qi.

“No wonder I rarely saw you directly clash true qi with opponents during battles,” Chi Qiu remarked, nodding. She instantly understood Su Hanxing’s previous actions.

“When fighting others, one must naturally leverage their strengths and compensate for their weaknesses. I wouldn’t do anything so foolish,” Su Hanxing replied with a slight smile.

“The situation isn’t looking good…” Chi Qiu murmured, gazing at the arena once more. Mu Xi had now abandoned long-range attacks. Wielding two longswords, with three flying swords hovering behind him, he was desperately attempting to close in on Yu Hui.

“Alas, the Heart God Sect specializes in cultivating the soul. Their soul power is so potent that it can rival the true qi condensed by Earth-tier cultivation arts. However, soul power, being soul-based, still struggles to contend directly with true qi.”

Su Hanxing, wearing an expression of foreknowledge, frowned in regret. “Yet, our Tianyan Sect is stuck in the middle. Though our cultivation art is Heaven-tier, the quality of its true qi is far inferior to even ordinary Earth-tier cultivation arts. And if we were to use soul power, it would be akin to teaching a fish to swim.”

At this point, Su Hanxing’s tone was heavy with resignation.

“So, it seems the Heart God Sect cultivators are a formidable counter to your Tianyan Sect cultivators, then,” Chi Qiu remarked, a faint smile gracing her lips as she observed Su Hanxing’s helpless expression.

“Indeed, that’s one of the reasons for the long-standing animosity between our Tianyan Sect and the Heart God Sect,” Su Hanxing affirmed, nodding. “Look,” he added.

Chi Qiu turned her gaze to the arena. She watched as Mu Xi’s controlled flying swords, just as they were about to strike Yu Hui, would inexplicably deflect by a fraction, causing them to merely graze Yu Hui’s body.

“This is the Heart God Sect’s Soul Interference Art. For cultivators of our Tianyan Sect, this technique is truly vexing,” Su Hanxing patiently explained, noticing Chi Qiu’s lack of understanding.

“Do you have a way to counter it?” Chi Qiu asked.

“Naturally, I do,” Su Hanxing replied with a confident smile.

“Oh? What method?” Chi Qiu’s interest was immediately piqued.

“Without using soul power, I would simply blast him to oblivion with my three divine abilities,” Su Hanxing stated, utterly confident.