Borrowing a sword

Chapter 129 Gathering of Geniuses
Chu Huaixu and Han Shuangjiang passed the initial screening with ease and walked home together.

The dead fox suddenly thought of something and said, "Actually, we don't need to rush back. I want to go somewhere first."

"Where to?" the big ice block asked, puzzled.

"The outer casino!" Chu Huaixu replied.

As mentioned before, the outer area of ​​the Taoist sect is self-contained, resembling a small town.

There were restaurants, teahouses, and various shops, and naturally, casinos as well.

The rules of the sect prohibit setting up gambling dens.

Official casinos are an exception.

Whether in the Mirror Kingdom or the Moon Kingdom, casinos are considered legal businesses, just like brothels; they are places that can be operated legally.

But no matter what, Taoism is, after all, a reputable and orthodox sect.

Therefore, official casinos are not open all the time, and there is a limit to the amount that people can bet.

Simply put, it's a place where disciples can have a little fun and gamble during lively occasions.

"Now, the Eastern Continent Grand Competition is about to begin, and the outer gate casino must be open."

“I had already looked into it before. The maximum amount that outer disciples can bet is 200 sect contribution points, which is indeed not high,” Chu Huaixu said to Han Shuangjiang.

"We have to go right away!" he urged.

"Why? The competition hasn't even started yet!" she wondered.

"Are you stupid! If we go now, our strength hasn't been fully revealed yet, and the odds will definitely be higher."

Han Shuangjiang, this little housekeeper, has a bit of a money-grubbing streak. Her eyes lit up slightly upon hearing this.

Don't be fooled by the fact that you can only bet 200 sect contribution points; if the odds are right, you can still make a lot of money!

Two money-grubbers arrived at the casino with great excitement and began to look into the odds.

As a result, I couldn't find my name at all!

Among the seeded players who were bet on, there were 20 people in total. They were all famous disciples of the outer sect of the Daoist sect, and each of them was a powerful expert at the ninth level of the first realm!
Chu Huaixu and Han Shuangjiang were not included, so they made a wasted trip.

Obviously, many people think that the two of them are quite strong, but not strong enough to be among the top twenty in the Daoist sect.

As the organizer, the Taoist sect certainly wouldn't boost the morale of others while diminishing its own prestige.

Therefore, one cannot bet on the prodigies of other sects. The final ranking is only an internal comparison, and only considers who is the number one among the disciples of the Daoist sect.

The two looked at each other, both feeling somewhat embarrassed.

Chu Huaixu, who had suggested coming here, even felt a little embarrassed, like a complete clown!
The dead fox gritted its teeth and viciously memorized these 20 names.

"Ruan Qiu, Ding Bolin, Ji Sikong, Chang Le"

"You'd better not let me run into you, or I'll beat you up one by one!" he thought to himself.

Now, he can only make a name for himself in the Eastern Continent Grand Competition before coming to the casino.

The two arrived full of enthusiasm, only to leave disappointed.

Those twenty outer disciples had no idea that they would end up on Chu Huaixu's "kill list" in such a bizarre way.

A few days later, the countdown to the Eastern Continent Grand Competition began.

Outer disciples are now allowed to take on sect missions, such as guiding disciples from other sects and arranging accommodations for them.

This turned the once peaceful and tranquil outer gate into an incredibly lively place, occasionally even causing minor disturbances and disturbances.

Every now and then, people would see great cultivators flying through the air to the inner gate of the Daoist sect.

These are all high-ranking figures from other major sects, who came as team leaders and are now heading to the inner sect to catch up with old friends.

The appearance of each important figure would cause much discussion among the outer sect members.

What's even more frightening is that the other three sects among the four major sects all sent elders.

The leader of the Sword Sect is none other than Situ Cheng, one of the Four Divine Swords!
This person's cultivation level reached the eighth realm, and he was taught by the same master as the Sword Master of the Sword Sect.

The position of Sword Master in the Sword Sect is actually similar to that of Abbot of the Gentleman's Temple in the Daoist sect.

It is not that the sect leader of the Sword Sect is called the Sword Venerable.

As the name suggests, the Sword Master is the strongest swordsman in the Sword Sect.

He is also the leader of the Four Great Divine Swordsmen today.

However, the sect leader of the Sword Sect was not included in the list of the Four Great Divine Swords of the Eastern Continent.

This shows that Situ Cheng's strength is actually the second greatest in the Sword Sect!

This made many people realize that this Dongzhou Grand Competition could be described as unprecedented!
Many people thought that participating in this competition would simply be a chance to make an appearance before the higher-ups of the Taoist sect.

Now look what's happened, so many powerful figures from the Eastern Continent have arrived.

With so many cultivation giants gathered together, the entire Eastern Continent Grand Competition will be elevated several levels once they take their seats in the audience!
But precisely because of this, some people may have some doubts.

"This is just a competition for the first realm, why is it receiving so much attention?"

"The level of solemnity was even somewhat unusual!"

Normally, this Eastern Continent Grand Competition was jointly promoted by the four major sects, so it would be reasonable for the other three sects to send an ordinary high-ranking member.

But the fact that someone of Situ Cheng's stature would make a special trip here is a bit intriguing.

The Sword Sect, Spring and Autumn Mountain, and Luo Tian Valley all sent powerful cultivators at the eighth realm!

However, for the participants, that's a different story.

This means that if you can achieve a good ranking, you will definitely become famous throughout the Eastern Continent overnight!

Chu Huaixu was basically certain in his heart: "There must be some hidden story behind this East-West Continent Grand Competition."

"Things are certainly not that simple."

"I even think that the four major sects must have some ulterior motive behind holding such a grand event to select the strongest first-level cultivator in the Xuanhuang Realm!"

"It's a pity that Xiao Xu won the championship in 'Borrowing the Sword,' but the specific hidden plot details were not discovered." He said with some regret.

The day before the preliminary round of the East Continent Grand Competition, everyone began to draw lots.

Because there were so many applicants, even after the initial screening, there were still many people, so the first round of preliminary competition had to be held over five days.

Since it's the preliminary round, it certainly won't be a series of matches; instead, there will be a total of twenty large arenas, all taking place simultaneously.

The sparring in the first realm won't be too earth-shattering, so a large arena is sufficient. If it's a contest between great cultivators who can fly and teleport, using a variety of techniques, then the competition area cannot be too limited.

Chu Huaixu's first round of competition was scheduled for the first day, while Han Shuangjiang's was scheduled for the second day; both were considered relatively early in the competition.

The next day, the two went to the competition area together.

Chu Huaixu wasn't nervous at all, while the big ice block was just there to watch the show.

The person who drew the opponent to face off against Chu Huaixu was a young man named Lang Yue.

This person is not a member of the Taoist sect, but comes from a sect called Luoxia Sect.

This sect cannot be considered a famous or major sect; it can only be considered a mid-level sect.

During the competition, two inner disciples at the fourth realm will be stationed at each arena.

After all, swords and knives have no eyes and accidents can easily happen.

Having a skilled person on the side is to ensure that no one dies.

In such competitions, injuries are inevitable, but everything must be done in moderation.

As for the cultivation giants from the four major sects, they definitely won't be there to watch the preliminary rounds.

Their appearance to watch is something that will happen several rounds later.

Chu Huaixu's current thoughts are very simple.

"We should still conceal our talents, but we can't hide them too deeply."

You need to show some skill so you can make a name for yourself in the casino as soon as possible, and then place your bets immediately.

The arena he was going to was number eighteen.

As they walked, he and Han Shuangjiang discovered that quite a few inner disciples had also come today.

There's nothing we can do; people in the Taoist community just love to watch the excitement.

Legend has it that the Taoist patriarch was the same way; he would go wherever there was excitement to be seen.

He would often stand by and watch as great practitioners dueled, only to get burned in the process.

The final result is that both great cultivators will be suppressed by the Taoist priests of the Gentleman's Temple.

After verifying his identity, Chu Huaixu stepped onto the arena.

Lang Yue, who was competing against him, was somewhat mature for his age and had a full beard.

Holding a large sword, he truly had the air of a wandering swordsman.

He was somewhat puzzled when he saw that Chu Huaixu was not holding any magical artifacts or treasures.

But Lang Yue quickly realized that the tall and handsome young man in front of him was wearing a mid-grade spiritual artifact!
"This person's natal artifact is actually an outer robe?" He was somewhat surprised.

Before officially taking action, Lang Yue gave a hearty laugh.

"This junior brother looks young, so I'll take the liberty of calling you junior brother."

"You must not show any mercy!"

"I come from the Luoxia Sect, which is not a prestigious sect. I came to the Eastern Continent Grand Competition to see the difference between me and the disciples of the major sects!"

"If my junior brother can defeat me soundly, it will only strengthen my resolve!"

Chu Huaixu listened to his words with a hint of surprise.

"How dare they make such an unreasonable request?"

So what can he do?
We can only satisfy him.

The two senior disciples from the inner sect who were here to oversee the situation asked, "Are you ready? If you are, we can begin."

Chu Huaixu and Lang Yue exchanged a glance, nodded, and then cupped their hands in a respectful gesture towards each other.

"Junior brother, be careful!" Lang Yue drew the magical weapon that resembled a Tang sword and let out a long howl.

He seemed to follow a bold and unrestrained style, his swordplay fierce and powerful, which was somewhat similar to his personality.

This knife is only a mid-grade spiritual weapon.

Lang Yue is clearly the kind of person who doesn't pay much attention to details.

Otherwise, he should have realized by now that since Chu Huaixu took the stage, the number of outer disciples watching around the arena has started to increase.

This indicates that this person is at least somewhat well-known within the Taoist community.

Many people are curious because, to date, very few have seen Chu Huaixu make a move.

Han Shuangjiang, observing the sword's momentum, knew that her opponent was no match for the dead fox.

Lang Yue had already drawn his sword and was standing in front of him, but Chu Huaixu remained motionless.

As the blade energy attacked, he dodged to the side, the hem of his black and gold robe fluttering in the air as he perfectly avoided the blade energy.

Immediately afterwards, he casually struck out with his palm.

Lang Yue instantly felt a tremendous force strike him!

The shock he felt came even before the pain.

"How could a cultivator at the first realm possess such terrifying physical power!"

"Unless he is."

Lang Yue let out a cry of pain and was sent flying backward.

Chu Huaixu slowly withdrew his palm; he had just used the "Jili Gulu Bagua Palm," a technique he hadn't used in a long time.

Hmm, I've still forgotten his full name.

First move: Eight Desolate Dragons Soaring Through the Land!

In the blink of an eye, the outcome was decided.

Immediately, some observant people in the audience gasped in surprise.

"Body-refining techniques! Yet they still employ mortal martial arts!"

……

(P.S.: Second update, please vote with monthly tickets~)
(End of this chapter)