Borrowing a sword

Chapter 159 The battle for leadership
Before the match officially began, both men politely cupped their hands and said to each other, "Please give me your guidance."

So, if I say I'll give you some pointers, then I will.

After Chu Huaixu withdrew his right hand, he put it behind his back.

He was concerned about his image, so Han Shuangjiang couldn't see his trembling hand after he forcibly withdrew his sword energy.

But the audience behind him could see it.

This man in black robes fought his way through numerous trials and tribulations, encountering many female cultivators, none of whom he held back.

He has long been labeled as ruthless and cruel.

Yet this is the same guy who did what he just did.

This kind of double standard, which varies from person to person, is actually tantamount to blatant favoritism in full view of everyone.

He doesn't seem to be a man who doesn't understand gentleness or manners.

He just doesn't show this side of himself to you female cultivators.

— Chu Huai's Preface is somewhat misogynistic.

Perhaps a parenthesis should be added after this, except for one particular person.

And you know what, after lightly touching the center of the forehead, adding a line like "That's enough," actually exudes a lot of swagger.

The audience was mostly young people, and many of them thought to themselves, "I've learned something."

If I have the chance in the future, I might give it a try?
Especially those self-proclaimed dashing sword cultivators, who secretly wrote it down in their minds.

On the stage, the girl was still somewhat dazed.

The fierce sword energy emanating from her fingertips truly made her mind tremble, and her pupils also trembled.

But in the end, it turned into a piece of advice that was neither too light nor too heavy.

She had a feeling she couldn't quite describe.

Chu Huaixu openly tapped with his fingertip, but it's unclear what exactly he tapped open.

Even these great cultivators on the high platform had not expected such a scene to unfold.

Previously, some people were prepared to personally intervene to maintain order, in order to prevent Chu Huaixu from actually hurting Han Shuangjiang.

But who would have thought that this kid would forcibly retract his sword energy, risking the reverse flow of spiritual energy that would damage his meridians.

Actually, Chu Huaixu wasn't afraid of pain, and the Daoist Canon's self-healing ability was incredibly powerful; he recovered in no time.

Li Chunsong and the others wore smiles that resembled those of aunts.

“I told you there was something wrong with those two!” The gambling addict turned to Zhao Shuqi, who was sitting next to him, and said.

The Fifth and Sixth Elders of the Taoist sect were quite arrogant and unrefined in private.

The philanthropic gambling king was quite moved and felt a great sense of regret, thinking that they could have started a betting pool based on their relationship!

That way, I can win again!

However, Situ Cheng and his group were more concerned with something different from the others.

Although Chu Huaixu was protected by Lu Pan's array restrictions and had Jiang Zhi's help to conceal his aura, he was still one of the Four Divine Swords and the second-ranked sword cultivator in the world.

If Chu Huaixu didn't use his [Sword Heart], he wouldn't be able to detect it.

But once he uses it, he will still see something strange about it.

"Why is there an aura of [Sword Heart] here?"

"How can someone in the first realm possess a sword heart!"

"Could it be that he has already touched the threshold of sword heart?"

"But his sword intent isn't at its peak yet!"

Although it is not necessary to have perfect sword intent to condense sword heart.

But there should at least be a high level of mastery, right? Chu Huaixu is clearly just starting out.

"It suppresses sword cultivators and also possesses the aura of the sword heart."

"This kid is really strange inside and out!"

Situ Cheng wanted to ask, but when he thought about the array and the technique to conceal his aura that Chu Huaixu possessed, he realized that this already represented the attitude of the Daoist sect.

If he were to speak up, he would only make a fool of himself and appear to be a high-ranking member of the Sword Sect who was curious about the sword cultivators of their Daoist sect.

"No, no, that would just make them smug again!" He immediately dismissed the idea, thinking he would observe them further during the finals.

On the arena, Chu Huaixu looked at Han Shuangjiang and, seeing that she was still somewhat dazed, asked in a very soft voice and surprised tone, "What? Senior Sister Han still won't admit defeat?"

That sly fox is being shameless again.

The giant ice block's "celestial state" has been completely broken, and its long, silvery-white hair has turned jet black again.

She stared at him intently for a long time.

To the point that later on, Chu Huaixu became quite uneasy watching him.

Just as he was feeling slightly confused, Han Shuangjiang cupped her hands and said, "I lost."

As soon as she finished speaking, the coldness on her usually aloof face vanished, replaced by a rare liveliness and a hint of girlish slyness. She added a title after her words with a smile:
"Junior Brother Chu."

The first match of the East Continent Tournament's semi-finals has thus come to an end.

The process was incredibly exciting, and the ending was thought-provoking.

Chu Huaixu has fought his way up to where he is now, and his reputation has already risen throughout the entire Eastern Continent.

If word gets out about today's competition, it might become a legendary tale, and some storytellers might even embellish it with artistic flair.

Of course, this does not include the storyteller on the high platform.

Despite consuming large quantities of elixirs such as the Youth Preservation Pill, Skin Moisturizing Pill, and Skin Whitening Pill, Jiang Zhi, whose appearance remained unremarkable, found the final scenes on the arena incredibly jarring!
He was already prone to jealousy, and the added burden of unrequited love only intensified his envy.

Back then, Chu Yinyin's master had said several times: "Junior Brother is not only dark-skinned and ugly, but also very boring. He has no sense of romance."

He's the second most popular guy on the "must-eat for gaming companions" list, with some of his attributes maxed out.

He genuinely couldn't like Chu Huaixu in any way.

Fortunately, the second match began at that moment.

Xu Ziqing, carrying a huge sword box on his back, strode onto the stage.

He had seen all of his senior brother's guidance to senior sister Han.

Xiao Xu even felt a little envious. Compared to his gentleness towards Han Shuangjiang, Chu Huaixu was generally quite strict with him and rarely praised him.

Just as he was slightly distracted, his opponent Chen Haoran also stepped onto the stage.

Under the guidance of two inner disciples, the two men bowed respectfully.

Chen Haoran's ability to fight his way to this point is due not only to luck, but also to the fact that he is not weak to begin with.

After he used all his skills, he forced Xu Ziqing, who was only at the sixth level of the first realm, to open the sword box.

Once the sword is gripped in the left hand, the outcome is no longer in doubt.

Xu Ziqing's left hand was instantly crippled by his own actions, but Chen Haoran would have died if Zhao Shuqi with narrow eyes hadn't personally intervened to save the day.

In terms of excitement, this match was definitely not as good as the last one.

But everyone was still amazed by Xu Ziqing's left-handed swordsmanship.

Even though this is my second time watching it, it's just as impactful as the first time.

"Who could possibly withstand such a terrifying sword strike?"

"This shouldn't be the power of the first realm at all!"

"I wonder if Chu Huaixu is up to the task."

On the stage, all the floor tiles in front of Xu Ziqing had been shattered.

Every time he draws his sword, he destroys half the platform.

Sect Leader Xiang Yan sat on the high platform, already deep in thought.

"The final battle for the title the day after tomorrow will have to be held on a larger arena, and we'll need to send people to set up more arrays."

The competition for today has come to an end, and the martial arts arena is now closed.

Despite her severe injuries, Xu Ziqing had intended to chat with her senior brother and senior sister Han for a few minutes.

As a result, Jiang Zhi openly called him away in front of everyone.

This astonished the ordinary disciples of the Taoist sects, as well as those from other sects.

"Did Junior Grandmaster Uncle call Xu Ziqing away?"

He was actually following his junior grandmaster!?
There has never been such a precedent among the outer disciples!
Many people suddenly felt that Xu Ziqing's strength was somewhat reasonable.

"That must be something that Junior Grandmaster Uncle trained."

"No wonder, it turns out that he is highly regarded by Junior Grandmaster."

Countless people began to feel incredibly envious.

Xiang Yan watched this scene with a sense of helplessness, feeling that his junior uncle was as capricious as ever.

Since Taoism has established the Gentleman's Temple, the Inner Gate, and the Outer Gate, it must treat them differently.

Jiang Zhi's actions were against the rules.

Even if Xu Ziqing is a sword attendant, and he is exceptionally special, it is best not to bring this matter into the open.

As everyone watched as their junior uncle openly led Xu Ziqing away from the martial arts arena, they exchanged glances, all showing expressions of helplessness.

As a result, their junior female classmates also started openly causing trouble!
When her junior uncle was still around, Chu Yinyin didn't dare to be too outspoken.

Now that he's gone, I'm going to give my future disciple some face!
"It's just publicly endorsing someone!"

"I can do it too!"

She stood up directly on the high platform and said loudly, "Chu Huaixu, come with me."

Xiang Yan and others: "."

The youngest of the previous generation and the youngest of this generation are both troublesome!

They were secretly thinking, "What use is it for you, a mere sixth-realm cultivator, to endorse Chu Huaixu?"

"Junior sister, don't you know your own limitations?"

Chu Huaixu didn't mind; on the contrary, he was willing to cooperate.

In his eyes: "What's the difference between this kind of easily angered and loud little girl and a toy that screams when you pinch it?"

"It's so cute, it keeps making little noises."

On the other side, Jiang Zhifei moved quickly and soon brought Xu Ziqing, whose left arm was seriously injured, back to Junzi Temple.

He simply tossed him a magic pill, telling him to take it and recover from his injuries.

Jiang Zhi looked at the handsome young man and said, "The competition for the championship is the day after tomorrow. What are your plans?"

"Uh, what are you planning to do?" The boy was taken aback.

He had no intention of doing anything, leaving it to his senior brother and junior grandmaster to arrange.

If Chu Huaixu asked him to admit defeat, he would readily do so, handing over the unparalleled title of the leader of the Eastern Continent to someone else.

Anyway, he felt that his true strength was far inferior to his senior brother's.

Moreover, the difference in rewards between first and second place is quite significant.

He felt that those treasures should rightfully belong to his senior brother.

Even if he were to take it, he would privately ask his senior brother if he wanted it too.

If Chu Huaixu asked for it, Xiao Xu would definitely offer it to him without hesitation.

However, Jiang Zhi gave him a long, wistful look.

"I know exactly what you're thinking," the junior grandmaster said irritably, his whole demeanor instantly showing signs of annoyance.

"But I'm telling you, you don't know the ins and outs of this matter, you don't understand the intricacies of it."

"The East-West Continent Competition is not as simple as you think."

"Therefore, I want you to win the competition the day after tomorrow!"

After he finished speaking, he raised his finger and gently pointed at Xu Ziqing's right arm.

Jiang Zhi looked at him, gave him a stern order, and said in an unquestionable tone:
"In the battle for supremacy, I want you to wield the sword in your right hand!"

(P.S.: Second update, please vote with monthly tickets~)

(End of this chapter)