Daqin Zhentiansi

Chapter 545 The Mountain Decree is Issued, and the Four Sects Respect It Together

Before Cao Chunbao finished speaking, the powerful seal script characters on the surface of the bronze tripod shone with golden light.

Wang Zhenzhi twisted his waist into a strange arc, and the eight-thousand-pound cauldron spun three times on his shoulder. The cauldron's legs plowed nine uniformly deep and shallow furrows into the bluestone slab, which corresponded perfectly to the nine palaces.

The crowd erupted in gasps of astonishment. Duan Yun of the Qingyun Sword Sect tilted his teacup slightly: "This boy's blood circulation actually aligns with the grand momentum of the mountains. The Moving Mountain Sect has a worthy successor!"

"According to the rules of the Mountain Sect, this means you've passed the first stage of the core disciple trial!" Someone among the guests stood up and exclaimed in a low voice.

"Is the Mountain Moving Sect going to follow the example of what happened two hundred years ago and promote another Su Changming?" someone said in a low voice, looking around.

"I'm afraid it's difficult," the white-bearded elder on the other side shook his head, his eyes narrowing. "The world is undergoing great changes, and the other three sects also have their own strengths, not to mention the Zhenhai Sect—"

The clang of metal clashing interrupted the exclamations, and a flash of sword light appeared before the Broken Mountain Sword Testing Stone.

A young man, eight feet tall and dressed in a blue martial robe, ran his fingers along the soft sword at his waist, and the three-foot-long blade bent into a full moon the instant it touched the stone.

The sword tip precisely pierced the three-inch gap in the broken sword mark.

"Ding--"

The sound of the sword seemed to distort the surrounding air.

There was an uproar in the viewing platform.

"Who is that?"

"Yuan Shulong of Duan Yue Sect, the direct grandson of Elder Yuan Tai'an, who passed on the Dharma."

"Wow, this talent is absolutely amazing."

Before the Sword Testing Stone, several white-haired sword cultivators were so excited that their beards trembled: "Back then, Ancestor Su Changming also broke the Sword Testing Stone with soft force. This Yuan Shulong has truly inherited the true teachings!"

Before the mountain gate, the elders standing beside the sect leader of the Moving Mountain Sect all had solemn expressions.

Yue Cengyun was quite frank. He shook his head and said in a low voice, "Given the general trend, the three sects of Duan Yue, Da He, and Zhen Hai must have been prepared long ago."

"The competition for core disciples," Yue Cengyun's eyes revealed a hint of melancholy, "is up to fate..."

Cao Chunbao didn't speak, but his gaze swept across the square in front of him.

Will that person come?
On the Xuan Tie warship, the shadow of the dragon spear surged. Ke Shaohong, the elder of Zhenyue Sect, turned to look at Yuan Shulong in front of the sword-testing stone, his eyes revealing a profound look: "Using softness to overcome hardness? This boy has comprehended the Water Moon Sword Intent from the 'Splitting Heaven Sword Manual'!"

"It seems these are elites cultivated by the Duan Yue Sect, vying for the status of core disciples?"

A faint murderous aura emanated from Ke Shaohong's eyes.

"This time, no one can stop what my Zhenhai Sect is planning."

As soon as he finished speaking, a dragon's roar suddenly rang out from under the waterfall.

A young man in black robes walked on the waves as if they were flat ground.

He unfolded his folding fan with a "whoosh," and the ink-splashed landscape on the fan surface resonated with the waterfall, with the rushing water condensing into nine water dragons beside him.

Elder Cao Xun of the Great River Sect grinned: "At twenty years old, he has cultivated the 'Great River Boundless Skill' to the sixth level! This kid from the Lü family is going to recreate the legend of his ancestor riding the waves and carrying the cauldron!"

Not far away, a murmur of discussion arose.

Zhang Yuan turned to look, and realized that the young man must be Lü Wenliang, the elite prepared by the Great River Sect.

The three elites in succession displayed a style that far surpassed their peers, which immediately made the entire trial ground even more eager.

"Wu Meng of the Zhenhai Sect is on stage!" A commotion suddenly broke out on the west side of the viewing platform.

"Wu Meng, the young sect leader of Zhenhai Sect, became famous at the age of twelve. It is said that he has already mastered the secret techniques of Zhenhai Sect."

Amidst the discussions, everyone's gaze was drawn to the figure of the boy leaping across the water.

Wu Meng, shirtless, leaped onto the deck of the Xuan Tie warship. The sea dragon totem on his chest glowed with blue light. He crossed his arms and took three blows from the city-breaking spear. Sparks scorched his bronze skin, leaving marks but not breaking the skin.

Luo Hongxiu whispered behind Zhang Yuan, "The Xuanlin Iron Bone technique, a secret external martial arts method of the Zhenhai Sect, has been practiced for thirty years, but no one has reached such a level."

Zhang Yuan nodded.

"Today's Mountain Sect trial was truly spectacular, showcasing a remarkable generation of elites." Someone murmured in the plaza.

“Indeed, these few alone are no less capable than the elites of other sects. This is the foundation of a great sect.” Someone said, looking towards the entrance of the Mountain Moving Sect.

Dragon Gate Arena!

Seize the status of a core disciple!
Wang Zhenzhi, carrying the bronze tripod on his shoulder, crushed the last blue brick, while Yuan Shulong's soft sword shattered the sword energy emanating from the testing stone.

Lu Wenliang used the copper coins in his sleeve to form a Heavenly Gang Formation, stabilizing the reverse-flowing ice steps. Wu Meng, with a backhand motion, slammed the Zhenhai disciple, spear and all, into the deck. "Boom—"

Four figures landed almost simultaneously on the white jade plaza in front of the mountain gate, their robes fluttering in the strong wind.

Wang Zhenzhi's bronze skin was shrouded in white mist.

The moonlight lingered on Yuan Shulong's sword blade.

The ink on Lü Wenliang's folding fan still seems to flow.

Wu Meng's dragon tattoo on his chest gleamed with a cold, eerie blue light.

"The four prodigies have gathered; they're here to compete for the mountain's core, which hasn't appeared in a century!" On the viewing platform, the white-bearded elder's face was filled with barely suppressed excitement. "Back then, Ancestor Su Changming overpowered the four sects on the day of the trial to receive the Mountain Token..."

Elder Duan Yun of the Qingyun Sword Sect stroked his beard and sighed, "Only those who are invincible among their peers can be considered true geniuses. These four will probably have to prove themselves at the Dragon Gate Arena."

"The Mountain Sect has been dormant for a century. This generation of core disciples must be favored by the four sects—it's a matter of who can step on their peers to reach the top!" The middle-aged martial artist clenched his fists and his face flushed.

The elder Bai Chenwu Sect beside him narrowed his eyes, his gaze gleaming.

The mountain wind swept across the sword marks on the testing stone, producing a mournful clang.

As the four people's gazes met, the Bronze Cauldron of the Moving Mountain Sect, the Sword Testing Stone of the Broken Mountain Sect, the Hanging Waterfall of the Great River Sect, and the Black Iron Ship of the Sea Suppressing Sect all emitted a faint light, which intertwined in the sky above the white jade square to form the phantom image of the founder of the Mountain Sect carrying a cauldron and holding a sword.

Zhang Yuan stroked the hilt of the sword with his fingertips, looking at the gradually solidifying illusory image of the patriarch: "The Mountain Sect's heritage is stronger than I imagined."

Just as everyone's attention was focused on the entrance to the Mountain Moving Sect, the ice steps beneath the waterfall suddenly shattered into dust, and a figure in white robes walked through the snow.

The young man pointed his fingers like a sword, and the sword energy engraved the two characters "Ling Feng" on the bronze cauldron. The cauldron's legs were pressed into the bluestone by the sword intent, sinking three inches into the stone!

“Lin Luyue of the Lingfeng Sword Sect,” Luo Hongxiu whispered behind Zhang Yuan, “Three days ago he comprehended the incomplete Qingming Sword Control Technique. This sword strike was merely an imitation of the Mountain Sect’s sword intent using sword control techniques.”

As if to confirm her words, Lin Luyue's sword energy suddenly turned bluish-black, and the eight-thousand-pound bronze cauldron was lifted up by an invisible force, rotating nine times in the waterfall curtain.

The characters "Lingfeng" on the cauldron are covered in ice crystals, which overlap by a significant portion with the image of Su Changming carrying the cauldron on the waves back then!
"This is..." The elder of the Moving Mountain Sect suddenly crushed the armrest, "...Master Su's Nine Revolutions of Treading Waves!"

Before the words were even finished, sword energy shot into the sky from the direction of the Sword Testing Stone.

A young man drew his white bone sword, and as the blade sliced ​​through the mountain-shattering sword mark, the sword intent emanating from the crack in the rock was swallowed by the fleshy tendrils in his palm.

The sword's cry transformed into the howling of a vengeful ghost, and the two sword marks on the stone surface—one cutting off the flow of water and the other splitting the stone—shattered simultaneously!
"Erosion of the Moon and Swallowing of the Sword!" In front of the viewing platform, Duan Yun, an elder of the Qingyun Sword Sect, stood with his hands behind his back, his eyes flashing with light. "This is a technique of the Mountain Sect that is a replica of the forbidden technique of the Eastern Wei Dynasty."

His face twitched, but he didn't say anything more.

Such hidden and forbidden techniques are impossible for ordinary people to discern.

"boom--"

A muffled thunderous roar came from the bottom of the Zhenhai Sect's Xuan Tie ship, and twelve armored warriors broke out of the water.

Their curved swords formed a chain array, and the dark blue runes resonated with the tattoo on Wu Meng's chest, actually condensing into a Heaven-Burning Blood Fiend Array on the deck.

A burly man emerged from the ranks and tore apart three city-breaking crossbows with his bare hands; beneath his bronze skin, veins throbbed like earthworms.

"This is a temporary boost to cultivation and combat power using the power of the Blood Burning Pill." Luo Hongxiu's voice turned colder. "Bai Chen Martial Sect Feng Dian's blood and qi boils three times faster than a normal mid-stage Innate Realm cultivator."

As if in a chain reaction, a heavy sword made of black iron slashed down on the waterfall, and the frost patterns unique to the Northern Cold Marrow Iron froze the waterfall into an ice sculpture.

"The Five Sacred Mountains Soul-Suppressing Technique," Zhang Yuan suddenly spoke up, "does it use the 'Mountain Moving and Weapon Refining Record'?"

Luo Hongxiu nodded: "The martial arts manual that the Eastern Wei imperial court bestowed upon the traitorous general appeared on the black market three months ago."

The sudden appearance of four elites caused an uproar in front of the mountain gate.

The bronze bells on the gate of the Mountain Moving Sect gleamed with a faint bloody light.

Cao Chunbao gripped the hilt of his sword and hissed, "Sect Master, these people's techniques are incorrect."

Yue Cengshan raised his hand to stop him from speaking, his gaze sweeping over the figures gathered in front of the mountain gate.

“When Master Su left his teachings, the decrees of the mountains and rivers were issued and were revered by the four sects.”

He placed his palm on the Mountain Token at his waist, and the token's patterns resonated with the illusory image of the Ancestral Master in the air.

"Let them fight it out."

"Let's see who can become the one to wield the Mountain Command."

(End of this chapter)