Borrowing a sword

Chapter 160 [The Organization] Has Arrived

Inside the Gentleman's Temple, Xu Ziqing was somewhat taken aback.

He knew very well what it would be like if he held the sword in his right hand.

At that time, my senior brother will not be facing me, but this sword left behind by the Dao Ancestor!
Although only one of the nine restrictions was lifted, Xu Ziqing was still aware of its astonishing power.

"Senior brother is really strong, stronger than any other first-realm cultivator!"

"But what if we're facing something that has broken a seal?"

Xu Ziqing glanced at the sword box behind him: "Even my senior brother has no chance of winning."

This demonstrates just how powerful the bronze sword was.

Xiao Xu had an almost blind admiration for Chu Huaixu, and even thought he couldn't beat him.

Its power carries a sense of suppression based on its status.

It is a completely different kind of power from the spiritual power within a cultivator's body.

Moreover, the sword spirit was asleep when he held the sword in his left hand.

In this situation, the bronze sword will spontaneously absorb the opponent's spiritual power.

If you hold a sword in your right hand and the sword spirit awakens, then you will actively devour it!

He wasn't even sure if the sword's malevolent nature would cause irreversible internal injuries to his senior brother!

This sincere young man didn't seem to have thought much about himself.

At this moment, Xu Ziqing looked up at his junior grandmaster and mustered his courage to say:

"But, Junior Grandmaster Uncle, isn't the purpose of the Eastern and Western Continents Grand Competition to select the strongest cultivator in the First Realm?"

"If I were to wield the sword in my right hand, even if I won, it would be an unfair victory."

The boy possessed a pure and innocent heart, and the teachings he received at home from a young age also educated him on how to become a young swordsman in the martial arts world.

Such actions contradict his ideals of chivalry.

Jiang Zhi looked at him with an expression that said, "I knew you would do this."

He remained calm and collected, as if he had anticipated this all along.

As he has spent more time with the boy, he has come to understand him better.

He felt that Xu Ziqing's temperament made her quite suitable to be a savior of the world.

He was just like his fellow disciples who had entered the fifth level of the Origin Spirit Realm; they were all willing to dedicate their strength to the benefit of all living beings, even if it meant their death and the dissipation of their spiritual essence.

"Let me ask you, if a great calamity were to befall the world, and you were required to stop it, would you be willing?"

The boy's expression immediately turned serious and earnest: "It is my duty!"

"Even if it's a near-death experience?" Jiang Zhi asked again.

"It is my duty!" Xu Ziqing replied loudly.

That's how high the awareness of a protagonist in the world is.

Jiang Zhi's next words caused Xu Ziqing's previous insistence to gradually crumble.

He said, "What if I told you that the champion of the East-West Continent Grand Competition is to go to a special place to accomplish a world-saving task, and that he has to face death at the cost of his life?"

"Only those at the first level can enter. So, do you think it's more suitable for you, who possesses the Dao Ancestor Sword, or for your senior brother, whom you mentioned?"

Xu Ziqing was stunned for a moment.

He opened his mouth, but finally asked, "Is it really that dangerous? Even with your strength, Senior Brother, it's not enough?"

"In previous years, it would have been more than enough, but this time is different. It may be a certain death situation."

After saying that, he pointed to the sword box: "Only you, who have reached the first realm, can break this deadlock by carrying it."

The handsome young man's expression kept changing; he never expected there to be such a hidden story.

But Xiao Xu wasn't inflexible; he quickly came up with a solution.

Jiang Zhi, who seemed to have anticipated this, gave him a stern and cold glare.

"No need to say anything, I know what you want to say!"

"Are you suggesting that you let your beloved senior brother win the Eastern Continent Grand Competition, and then you take his place in handling the rest of the affairs?"

Xu Ziqing nodded vigorously, saying, "As expected, Junior Grandmaster Uncle is incredibly insightful."

Jiang Zhi immediately let out a cold snort and said, "Absurd!"

"Do you know that the East-West Continent Grand Competition has been going on for hundreds of years? This is actually a tacit understanding between the four major sects of the East Continent and the royal family of the Moon Kingdom."

"Because the place you are going to is both a matter of great calamity and contains supreme treasures!"

“In previous years, the problem was not too difficult.”

"Everyone is vying for the title of champion, but in reality, they are also fighting for the ownership of the most precious treasure."

“By doing this, you are breaking a rule that has been in place for hundreds of years! This involves other countries as well, and is not just a matter for my Eastern Mirror Kingdom.”

"The East-West Continent Grand Competition is not some child's game."

After giving a stern reprimand, Jiang Zhi softened her tone slightly and began to patiently persuade him:

"Whoever wins the championship will receive a reward, and will also receive resource support from the sect."

"Once you return from your tribulation, you can handle these things as you see fit. You can sell them to the Treasure Pavilion or give them away as gifts. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

"As for the glory of the leader, that is merely the strongest first realm in the Xuanhuang Realm."

"The first realm is ultimately just the first realm!"

"Before a great cultivator, they are like ants."

"They can only be famous for a short time, what's so special about that!"

That's all I have to say. Think about it carefully yourself.

After saying that, Jiang Zhi, who was lying on the rattan chair, disappeared, leaving Xu Ziqing standing there, stunned and lost in thought for a long time.

This junior Taoist master arrived at the courtyard where a madman was being held.

He stood outside the courtyard gate, his divine sense already probing the situation inside.

The madman in this courtyard was once the most likely person to become the abbot of the Junzi Temple.

Some even believe he possesses the ability to hold both the positions of sect leader and abbot. He is incredibly powerful, a master strategist, and possesses unparalleled wisdom!

No matter how big the problem, he always smiled gently and calmly, as if he had everything under control, telling everyone not to worry, he could handle it himself.

He is the person Jiang Zhi admires most, and he perfectly fits the standards of the gentleman in Jiang Zhi's mind. Sometimes he will deliberately imitate him.

"Fifth Senior Brother, is there any problem with what I'm doing?" the junior brother muttered to himself.

In the end, after hesitating for a while, Jiang Zhi still did not push open the courtyard gate.

Having eaten so much nauseating Ding Sheng Gao (a type of sweet rice cake) a while ago—enough for twenty people in one go—he felt he needed to recover for a while.

As dusk fell, the higher-ups of the Taoist sect received a message delivered by a flying sword.

Today, the Western Continent Grand Competition in the Moon Kingdom has officially come to an end.

Unlike the East, which suffered a series of unexpected results, everything in the West was within expectations.

The one who won the top spot was none other than the very famous Prince Rui's heir.

The royal family of the Moon Kingdom possesses many unique cultivation methods, and over the past thousand years, it has consistently produced numerous talented individuals and a multitude of powerful figures.

And this Prince Rui's heir is even more extraordinary.

He dominated the entire tournament, winning every single match.

His position as the leader is truly well-deserved.

For a time, this person was incredibly famous.

Born into nobility and possessing extraordinary talent, he is also said to be handsome and have a dignified and composed demeanor, reminiscent of an emperor.

In the Western Moon Kingdom, he was the dream lover of countless young women.

After determining the victor on the Eastern Continent side, he will then set off for the Daoist sect.

According to the tradition of the East-West Continent Grand Competition over the past few centuries, if the East Continent wins the last time, then the leader of the West Continent must come to the East Continent to participate in the next competition.

Previously, the Western Continent team suffered a narrow defeat.

I've heard they're all in high spirits lately, believing that His Highness the Crown Prince will surely be able to avenge the shame of Xizhou!
The Taoist leaders could only laugh at this.

"With the power of the bronze sword, no one can defeat it."

"This young master, facing Xu Ziqing who wields a sword in his right hand, can forget about wiping away his previous humiliation; he'll only suffer another humiliation."

However, the other party was of special status, being a member of the royal family.

His visit to the Mirror Kingdom had a diplomatic aspect to it.

Therefore, when the Taoist sect welcomes him, the protocol will definitely be upgraded, and they will not just treat him as the leader of the Western Continent.

"Junior Sister Nangong, you will be in charge of this matter. As for the minor details, the outer sect stewards will assist you," Xiang Yan instructed.

“Okay.” Nangong Yue immediately agreed.

As for which outer sect steward to assist, Niu Yuanshan, who is most skilled in internal affairs, is naturally the best choice.

After receiving the notification, Lao Niu appeared calm on the surface, but his heart was in turmoil.

The organization is unique in the Mirror Kingdom, controlled by the royal family and serving the royal family.

He knew that the leader of the organization was a member of the royal family, but he didn't know which one it was.

But in any case, the Crown Prince of Rui has royal blood, which means he is the one to whom he must serve.

“He is also the person Chu Huaixu is to serve,” Niu Yuanshan thought to himself.

People like us are essentially the henchmen of the imperial court.

Old Niu even speculated that before the Prince Rui came to the Daoist sect, the higher-ups in the organization might have informed him who their spies were.

He felt this was highly likely, because the other party certainly had the authority to know, and his father, Prince Rui, was a powerful prince.

"In this way, the arrival of Prince Rui's son is actually equivalent to the arrival of someone from the [organization]."

It was still me and Chu Huaixu's "host" who came.

After returning to his bedroom, he sat on the bed, lost in thought for a long time.

He left the organization to come to the Daoist sect, and so many years have passed in the blink of an eye.

But his loyalty to the organization has never diminished in the slightest.

Now, Niu Yuanshan sincerely hopes that Chu Huaixu can defeat Xu Ziqing and take the top spot in Dongzhou.

“Now everything is safe,” he thought.

In the first realm's East-West Continent Grand Competition, the West Continent had actually lost twice in a row.

They say things shouldn't happen more than three times, so Prince Rui's arrival was met with the expectations of countless people.

If we suffer another defeat, the people of the Mirror Kingdom will likely laugh at the Moon Kingdom for a long time!
Niu Yuanshan hopes that the one who will ultimately stand on the ring is a Chinese man who has been there for two months.

"However, although Chu Huaixu is a Yue Kingdom person at heart, he still needs to continue to lie low in the Daoist sect, just like me."

"If he wins, in the eyes of the world, it will actually be a victory for the Eastern Continent, which is equivalent to the Western Continent suffering three consecutive defeats."

"Unless he reveals his identity!"

"But this is unnecessary, detrimental to long-term development, and also to the organization's grand plan!"

"Judging from Chu Huaixu's current performance, he will definitely be able to enter the realm of gentlemen in the future."

"This is truly a great achievement!"

For so many years, Lao Niu has been quietly keeping tabs on the various rumors circulating in the Moon Kingdom.

He had long heard that this Prince Rui's heir was very powerful.

However, being a member of the Daoist sect, he had no idea how strong he really was.

After all, strength is a very vague concept; the real test is in the hands of the people.

"But it doesn't matter, as long as the leader of Dongzhou is Chu Huaixu."

"This child is a very perceptive person. His style of doing things seems to be very different from ours. He never does anything low-key or stealthy and prefers to take unconventional approaches, but he should know his limits."

"As a member of the [organization], he knows what to do once he steps into the ring!" Old Niu thought to himself.

"Chu Huaixu has only been in the Mirror Kingdom for a short time. His loyalty must be even more fervent than mine!"

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