Sword Sect Outer Sect

Chapter 154 Six Peaks Gather
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The first day of the sixth lunar month is auspicious for fasting and religious ceremonies.

The Sword-Wiping Tournament is scheduled to officially open at the Sword-Wiping Peak's Sword-Dealing Platform.

There are actually four peaks on Shijian Peak: one main peak and three secondary peaks.

At the summit of the main mountain, a giant stone sword stands tall.

The stone sword is covered with densely packed characters. If you look closely, you will find that most of them are "Disciple so-and-so defeated disciple so-and-so here".

Some of them were crossed out.

Disputes between disciples cannot be resolved by mere verbal sparring.

Only by determining the winner through a contest can you silence the other party.

Defeated cultivators will work even harder to cultivate, hoping to one day avenge their defeat.

The fierce and combative atmosphere of Wipe Sword Peak gradually took shape in this way.

Song Yan walked up the mountain path to the main peak. On the way, he also met Li Qingfeng and Sun Zhengfu.

The group chatted idly as they walked uphill together.

The master of Wipe Sword Peak is named Luo Xiaming. This Elder Luo seems to have a fondness for bamboo, as the entire route is lined with bamboo forests of all kinds and styles.

The bamboo path was originally quiet and secluded, and its atmosphere was indeed suitable for those who practice swordsmanship.

Today is different, though. The cultivators from all six peaks who participated in the sword-wielding exercise have gathered here. Disciples from each peak are everywhere along the way, and discussions are constant.

Without needing to release his divine sense, he could hear all the discussions clearly.

Most of the discussions revolved around which disciples would stand out during the selection phase of the Sword-Testing Tournament, and which disciples were likely to secure a top-twelve ranking in the final showdown.

"Senior Sister Yuwen Yao from Lianyou Peak, Senior Brother Kong You from Zuowang Peak..."

Several names were repeated over and over by the surrounding monks.

Occasionally, someone would mention Song Yan's name.

"I heard that Song Yan from Wiping Sword Peak defeated Senior Brother Kong You on the Sword Debate Platform. He will probably have a place in the top twelve this time."

"Really? Song Yan has only been an inner disciple for a little over a year now."

"Could it be that he had some extraordinary encounter and has already broken through to the eighth level of Qi Refining?"

After Changping, the name Song Yan became well-known to many Qi Refining stage disciples, and some even brought up the previous incident at Jiran Valley.

It is said that this person's talent in the three spiritual roots is mediocre, and therefore he should not have such a fast cultivation speed.

"That's not true..."

"Perhaps Senior Brother Kong You suppressed his cultivation level or spiritual power?"

"You say this person has a chance to achieve some success in this Sword Testing Competition, which is not impossible, but to defeat Senior Brother Kong You with the strength of the seventh level of Qi Refining, let alone be in the top twelve... isn't that a bit of an exaggeration?"

The surrounding chatter reached the ears of the three.

However, Song Yan did not react. Instead, it was Senior Brother Sun Zhengfu who broke the awkward silence.

"Speaking of which, I have a close friend who cultivates at Bamo Peak. We had a small gathering a few days ago, and during the meal, we talked about the upcoming sword-testing competition. I heard that there are three spots available to enter Bamo Peak."

He said seriously, "Junior Brother Song, with your strength, if you try your best to compete, you are not without a chance."

“In the past, when selecting new members for the Demon-Slaying Peak, there were strict screening and checks at every level. There were requirements for age and cultivation level. The sect would even send several Foundation Establishment Realm senior brothers to conduct special assessments.”

"The Sword-Touching Gathering is probably the closest we ordinary disciples have ever come to the Demon-Slaying Peak."

The Demon-Slaying Peak is composed of the most elite disciples of their generation from the major peaks.

The Dongyuan Sect has tens of thousands of formal disciples, but in the past three hundred years, the number of disciples on Bamo Peak at most in the same year has only been thirty-seven.

Out of nearly a thousand people, only one can stand out.

"I try my best."

This time, aside from deadly moves like the True Essence of Sword Dao, Song Yan truly didn't intend to hold back in any way during the sword-testing session. On one hand, he wanted to secure the maximum reward in terms of resources; on the other hand, he wanted to test the results of his cultivation.

Cultivation is inherently going against the will of Heaven; without the will to compete with others, one cannot achieve anything significant.

Moreover, he cultivates the unyielding sword path, which requires even more courage and diligence.

At the summit of the main peak of Wipe Sword Peak, disciples from all six peaks gathered, creating a bustling and lively scene.

Several elders took their seats beneath the massive stone sword, chatting and laughing amongst themselves.

Granny Qin was among them.

Looking around, the other areas were all packed with people, and one area was filled with female disciples, their graceful figures attracting the attention of many other disciples.

This is naturally a seat for Lianyou Peak.

Song Yan glanced around and saw that Junior Sister Gu Qingqing and Yang Yuerong were chatting about something, with Xiang Zhaoling sitting beside them.

She was bored out of her mind, and there was a young girl next to her who was fast asleep in such a lively scene.

Seemingly uninterested in the two girls' conversation, he slightly raised his head and looked around, just in time to meet Song Yan's gaze.

She smiled and waved to him.

Song Yan didn't know what to say, so he just nodded in response.

A moment later, the opening ceremony of the Sword Testing Tournament officially began. In the elders' seats, an elder whom Song Yan had never seen before read out the rules, procedures, and precautions.

At first, all the disciples were completely focused, afraid of missing a single word or phrase.

But after a short while, few people were listening attentively anymore.

It was all just polite talk; there was nothing particularly interesting about it.

The surrounding chatter and discussion gradually increased.

"Sigh, what kind of incredible luck did this generation of new disciples have? The selection process for this year's Sword Wiping Competition is being held in the Small Cave Heaven Secret Realm."

"Why bother arguing with them? Going in there will just be a lot of fighting and fooling around."

"If I had had the chance to enter that place when I was wiping my sword back then, I might have..."

Such discussions took place among the disciples of each peak.

Some of the older generation of disciples seem to have strong opinions about this.

Not all disciples are able to participate in this sword-testing competition.

Most cultivators in the early and middle stages of Qi Refining are relatively self-aware and basically just observe from the sidelines.

However, according to well-informed inner disciples, even with restrictions on age, cultivation level, and other conditions, approximately 1,600 cultivators participated in this sword-wielding exercise.

They are mostly the new generation of disciples who are descendants of the previous generation of Foundation Establishment cultivators.

It's no wonder these older disciples are petty; anyone would feel it's somewhat unfair.

Granny Qin had told her about this small grotto-heaven.

This is actually a spiritual treasure in the possession of Daoist Li Jun, the sect master of Dongyuan Sect. It contains a small world with abundant spiritual energy and many opportunities.

It's usually used to reward outstanding inner disciples for their cultivation, but I never expected it to be used for selection this time.

The extent of its interior is unknown, but for these disciples to practice their swords, it would probably only be a small area.

One day of cultivation there is equivalent to three or four days of cultivation outside. If one has the opportunity and luck to find rare materials from the four paths, there is no need to hand them over to the sect; they all belong to the individual.

Legend has it that the Dongyuan Sect has three true disciples at the Foundation Establishment stage who cultivate there year-round.

However, whether the rumors are true or false, no one knows.

Soon, the opening ceremony came to a close.

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(End of this chapter)