Sword Roaring in the Sky

Chapter 375 Battle on the Desert Island
To avoid uninvited spectators, the duel was arranged to take place on a deserted island hundreds of miles away from Black Dragon City.

Sun Yanwan sent people ahead of time to build more than twenty viewing platforms and two fine residences. She herself went there several days in advance and meditated in the fine residences.

The Six Friends of Songyang brought him a handwritten letter from Zhang Yuanqiao. The letter contained only a few lines, instructing him to give his all and keep a close eye on him. They warned that without experience in direct combat with top-tier masters, his future advancement to the top level would inevitably face obstacles.

Although neither faction believed that this martial arts competition was a life-or-death battle, it was certainly not as Sun Yanwan thought: that Zen Master Da Ku would actually take action, and that he had only come to fight at Zhang Yuanqiao's request.

This time, Sun Yanwan brought the Heavenly Martial Spear, the Ruyi Staff, and the Three Souls Double-Edged Sword with her.

His current martial arts are still based on the Xuanhuang Scripture. He has mastered the Ten Transformations of Xuanhuang, and his true energy has condensed in his meridians, hidden meridians, and tendons, forming a magnificent Xuanhuang Pagoda, which has already shown the rudiments of the Xuanhuang Dao Seed.

Secondly, there is the Divine Staff Technique. This staff technique is partly a collection of Sun family manuscripts, but mostly created by Sun Yanwan himself. Especially after incorporating martial arts such as Somersault Cloud, Immortal Hammer, and Human Immortal Fist, this staff technique has become nearly perfect and will definitely not lose to the true teachings of the Ma family, the number one martial arts clan in the world back then.

Next is the Nine Revolutions Yuan Gong, but as a secondary martial art, its cultivation level is far inferior to that of the Xuanhuang Jing.

There is also the Seven Illusions of Dream Weaving, which Sun Yanwan has re-deduced.

As for the swordsmanship of the Songyang School, it is ranked last.

Sun Yanwan planned to use a sword in this competition, but she did not believe that her swordsmanship could withstand the Great Master Daku for long.

Born into the Songyang Sect, which is the top of the ten major sword sects, his teacher's swordsmanship was second only to the old master of Youjian Manor. His senior brother was probably the number one swordsman among the younger generation in the world, far surpassing his peers from Youjian Manor, Shaochan Temple, Longzang Temple, and even the other nine major sword sects. Even Shi Si and Monk Minglun could not compare with Zhang Qingxi in swordsmanship.

But it was precisely him who had extremely poor swordsmanship; it wasn't bad, but it was just not very good.

Sun Yanwan spent several days alone on the deserted island. When the day of the duel arrived, he never expected that the first person to set foot on the island would be his "Third Junior Brother".

This junior brother, who called himself Wu Huiming, did greet Sun Yanwan with the proper etiquette, but his expression was extremely unpleasant.

Well, he couldn't help but feel bad.

Wu Huiming always believed that as long as he kept challenging others and advanced step by step, he could "recover" his full strength in seven or eight years, without attracting attention and in a calm and natural manner.

Little did he expect that his second senior brother wouldn't care about any of that and would just level up haphazardly all the way. Now he even feels that the Grandmaster realm isn't so appealing anymore.

With the big battle imminent, Sun Yanwan knew there was definitely something fishy going on in this match, but since he was facing a top-tier opponent, he had no time to worry about this not-so-close junior brother. He simply said, "Junior brother, you may choose any stand. I have prepared fruits, water, wine, smoked meat, and roast duck..."

Wu Huiming's mood soured even more. This wasn't a martial arts contest; it was a show-off!
He recalled how he had been challenged by Mu Xianyuan several times back then. Although the outcome was evenly matched at the time, after Mu Xianyuan reached the pinnacle, he never thought of challenging this "junior" again.

How could he have imagined that there would be another "junior" who was even younger than Mu Xianyuan back then, and whose martial arts skills might be even higher than Mu Xianyuan's back then? After all, Mu Xianyuan had never killed a Grandmaster before. He also challenged his seniors, but he didn't challenge Grandmasters of the same level. Instead, he directly skipped that level and challenged the absolute top.

Wu Huiming knew that Sun Yanwan was definitely stronger than Mu Xianyuan was back then, and that strength wasn't just limited to martial arts.

He said in a low voice, "Thank you, Second Senior Brother!" Wu Huiming still couldn't help but ask, "Second Senior Brother, are you really confident that you can rival Zen Master Daku?"

Sun Yanwan knew this third junior brother but was unaware of the inside story. She smiled faintly and said, "Whether you have confidence or not, you still have to get through this hurdle."

"If I don't challenge the ultimate, will I still have the chance to use martial arts in this world?"

Wu Huiming felt a tightness in his chest and didn't want to talk to Sun Yanwan anymore. He jumped onto a spectator stand, where preparations were indeed complete. However, since this martial arts competition was not suitable for public display, there was no one to serve him.

Before long, Shi Si, Yang Diao'er, and the others also arrived on the deserted island. They did not separate from each other, nor did they speak to Sun Yanwan so as not to disturb his mood. They also went up to a viewing platform.

Before long, the Seven Friends of Songyang, along with their disciples, the monks of Shaochan Temple, Yang Wuji, and Xuanming, all arrived on the island.

As noon approached, Sun Yanwan heard a Buddhist chant rising from the sea, as if a storm was brewing and a tsunami was about to strike.

Sun Yanwan was astonished. This was clearly not due to the weather or climate, but rather the Great Master Da Ku's unparalleled spiritual power that had influenced everyone's emotions.

Although all those qualified to go to the island to watch the battle possessed extraordinary martial arts skills, only Yang Wuji remained completely unaffected, while the others were all somewhat corrupted.

The Xuanhuang Tower, formed from the Xuanhuang True Qi within Sun Yanwan's body, trembled slightly, dissolving all the mental attacks. He felt invigorated and thought to himself, "Master Da Ku has been famous throughout the world for decades. I'm afraid there are hardly any people left in the world who have seen this senior display his martial arts. How fortunate I am to be able to fight him!"

"This competition was planned by both sects, but it was also a test prepared by my master for me to reach the pinnacle of martial arts in the future."

“Master Da Ku will not let me pass easily.”

He lightly clasped his hands together, forming a fist seal resembling the Immortal-Slaying Hammer. He immediately abandoned the idea of ​​using the Three Souls Double-Edged Sword and only intended to use the brand-new Immortal-Slaying Hammer to face this top Buddhist master.

A moment later, Sun Yanwan felt the entire deserted island sway slightly, as if she had seen a colossal creature, resembling a dragon or an elephant, step onto the island. Its heavy body shook the entire island as if it were about to explode.

His fist stance, embracing the Immortal Hammer, was imbued with a focused and unwavering martial arts intent, repelling the attack of this extraordinary spiritual skill. Within a three-foot radius around him, only the solid, mountain-like fist intent, like a colossal pillar supporting the sky, surged forth, awaiting the inevitable thunderous strike from the Great Master Ku.

The Great Master Ku arrived barefoot, wearing only a plain gray monk's robe. His bald head seemed to be surrounded by a faint halo of Buddha's light. He smiled from afar and said, "Yan Wan!"

"I have meditated for sixty years and comprehended the true meaning of nine martial arts styles. If you can endure them all, I will turn around and leave."

"If you can't make it through, Old Baldy won't let you pass."

Sun Yanwan immediately realized that he had to show his true skills in this competition.

(End of this chapter)