Fellow Daoist, I gladly accept this heaven-defying opportunity.

"Brother Xu! Don't go..."

Seeing this, Wu Zini hurriedly tried to persuade him to stay, her voice trembling with tears, but Xu Mofeng didn't turn around. With the help of his spiritual power, he disappeared from everyone's sight.

Wu Zini was already filled with grief, and upon hearing this, she felt as if her heart had been squeezed tightly, and she could hardly breathe. Her father was severely disabled, her second uncle died on the spot, the Wu family was falling apart, and even the people she cherished had abandoned her.

Seeing her distraught and infatuated state, Bai Jingyuan felt a surge of jealousy, but he pretended to be understanding and advised, "Zini, Brother Xu is an outstanding person, not on the same level as us. He is devoted to martial arts, how could he care about personal feelings? You should give up on this idea as soon as possible."

Upon hearing this, Wu Zini's tears fell like a broken string of pearls.

……

Biyou Sect.

The square at the mountain gate was teeming with people, forming layers upon layers.

Inside the arena were both inner and outer disciples of the Biyou Sect dressed in blue robes and gray clothes, as well as a small group of people in green robes.

This group of disciples in blue robes formed their own circle, and their attire and demeanor were completely out of place among the other disciples of the Biyou Sect.

In the center of the crowd, two figures were locked in a fierce and evenly matched battle.

One was dressed in black robes, the other in green. Their magical powers clashed, unleashing an incomparably powerful shockwave, causing the disciples on the sidelines to change their expressions drastically.

"Is this a battle between core disciples of the Golden Core realm? The power they exude is terrifying!"

"I'm already at the tenth level of Foundation Establishment; I probably couldn't even withstand a single move from those two!"

"The people from Flowing Sand Valley challenged our core disciples as soon as they arrived; they're clearly here to intimidate us!"

"Sigh, none of Senior Brother Feng Wubian's top core members are in the sect right now. We've lost several matches in a row. Is there any way we can win this one?"

"Senior Brother Huang Chen is at the fifth level of the Golden Core stage. His swordsmanship is profound, and he has even comprehended the sword intent. Winning this match shouldn't be a problem for him."

The disciples were whispering among themselves as the outcome of the battle on the field gradually became clear.

"Intricately intertwined!"

With a low shout, the young man in black robes, Huang Chen, unleashed his longsword, which instantly transformed into countless hazy sword lights.

It was as if a fine drizzle was falling on the dueling platform, with countless raindrops falling from the sky, each one concealing a sharp killing intent.

Luo Fei, a disciple of Liusha Valley, was about to break through the rain curtain when he was already half a step too slow. He was struck solidly by several swords, coughed up blood, and flew backward, defeated.

"We won!"

Seeing that Huang Chen had won, the disciples of the Biyou Sect below instantly perked up and cheered at the top of their lungs.

"As expected of Senior Brother Huang Chen, he's incredibly strong!"

"Even among the core disciples, Senior Brother Huang Chen is a top-tier expert! Ordinary Golden Core cultivators at the sixth or seventh level might not be his match!"

"We've finally won a round! Senior Brother Huang Chen is awesome!"

At this moment, an elderly man in a dark blue robe on the highest platform smiled slightly and gestured to the disciple in blue behind him with his chin: "Du Rumei, go up and meet him."

"Yes, sir!"

A tall, arrogant young man stepped out from among the disciples of Liusha Valley. With a cold smile on his face, he strode onto the dueling platform and clasped his hands in greeting to Huang Chen: "I've come to learn from your superior skills."

Huang Chen nodded slightly, holding his sword horizontally in front of him: "Please!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the tall young man's figure blurred and he disappeared from the spot.

Huang Chen felt a chill run down his spine, but he remained calm and stood still, his sword intent taut.

Suddenly, a figure descended from the sky, the sharp sound of wind being cut was extremely piercing.

"Quicksand Whirlwind!"

The leg strike was like a knife, like a heavy hammer crashing down from the sky. The force of the wind it generated swept across the faces of the onlookers, stinging as if scraped by a knife. The sight moved everyone present.

Huang Chen's expression darkened. He took a deep breath and unleashed streaks of blue sword light to meet the attack.

The sword light and the leg wind collided, producing a crisp sound like metal clashing.

A sharp-eyed disciple noticed it clearly and couldn't help but exclaim, "His boots are specially made, comparable to a Xuan-rank treasure!"

After several rounds, Huang Chen gradually showed signs of weakness under the fierce kicks.

Du Rumei's leg techniques were already fierce and domineering, and with the added enhancement of her Xuan-rank treasure boots, her leg strength was even more ferocious than that of ordinary swords and knives.

Huang Chen's swordsmanship leans towards a more subtle and delicate style, which was precisely what Huang Chen countered. His attacks became increasingly sluggish, and he was forced into a series of defeats.

Huang Chen retreated several steps, gritted his teeth, and once again unleashed the killing move that had won him the previous match.

"Intricately intertwined."

The sword light, like a fine rain, spread out once more, but this time, he encountered his nemesis.

"A whirlwind arises!"

Du Rumei had seen this move before. She snorted coldly, activated her leg technique, and soared upwards.

In an instant, a whirlwind suddenly appeared out of thin air on the fighting platform.

In a daze, a magnificent scene appeared before everyone's eyes: a vast wilderness swept by a fierce wind, with all the grass and trees lying flat.

By the time he came to his senses, the rain of sword light had already been blown away. Huang Chen was kicked hard in the chest, groaned, and flew backward, crashing heavily onto the edge of the stage.

"Senior Brother Huang Chen has been defeated?!"

The disciples of the Biyou Sect exclaimed in unison, their faces filled with disbelief.

Huang Chen, supporting himself on his sword, glared at Du Rumei with resentment in his eyes and demanded, "We are at the same level, and our understanding of martial intent is only around 10%. Even if your technique counters mine, how could you have won so easily?!"

Not only Huang Chen couldn't understand it, but all the disciples below were also full of doubts.

Du Rumei scoffed, her face full of arrogance: "Because the martial intent I've comprehended is of a higher grade than your sword intent, its power is naturally greater!"

"What?!"

Huang Chen stood there stunned, muttering to himself for a long time before finally retreating with a look of disappointment on his face.

On the high platform, an old man in a dark blue robe stroked his beard and smiled, "What you all may not know is that the realm of martial arts has different levels."

"Low-grade martial intents are mostly related to wind, water, earth, and fire, like your disciple's Rain Silk Sword Intent. Of course, there are exceptions like lightning, which, although low-grade, can rival mid-grade in power."

"Mid-grade martial intent is imagery-based martial intent, such as the rising sun, the setting moon, or a vast river. Du Rumei's leg technique martial intent looks like a low-grade wind-attribute martial intent, but it is actually an imagery-based martial intent he comprehended by observing a gale sweeping across the plains. It is grand, majestic, and unstoppable. Those who can comprehend mid-grade martial intent are geniuses among geniuses; perhaps only one in ten people can achieve this. Du Rumei's opportunity is also due to his good fortune."

"Superior-grade martial intent is emotional martial intent. Once unleashed, it can influence the mind and emotions of all living beings around it. It is one in ten thousand, and extremely rare. As far as I know, within the entire Six Sects, the number of people who can comprehend superior-grade martial intent is no more than five, and it is unheard of among the younger disciples. As for top-grade martial intent..."

The old man in dark blue paused, then shook his head and said, "That involves the great Dao of life and death and reincarnation, which is extremely rare and I have never heard of it before. Let's not mention it."

Elder Zou, sitting beside him, spoke calmly: "The grade of martial intent is one thing, knowing how to use it is another. I've only comprehended low-grade martial intent. Do you dare come down and spar with me?"

The old man's tone faltered, and he immediately flicked his sleeve: "We were just having a nice chat, why did it turn into a fight?"

Clearly, he was also quite wary of Elder Zou's strength.

At this moment, Du Rumei on the stage began to provoke, "What, is there no one else from the Biyou Sect who dares to come up on stage?"

There was a commotion below, but not a single person stepped forward.

There was no other way. The top core disciples, such as Feng Wubian, who were at the seventh or eighth level of the Golden Core stage, were not in the sect at the moment. Huang Chen was already the strongest combat force left in the core. If he was defeated, there was indeed no one who could match Du Rumei.

Seeing that no one responded for a while, Du Rumei shook her head, her tone full of contempt: "I originally thought that the Biyou Sect was on par with my Liusha Valley, with countless experts within its ranks, and that I could have a good fight this time. But I didn't expect that its members are all cowards. How boring!"

"How dare you!"

Upon hearing this, the disciples of the Biyou Sect were all furious, their faces turning red with anger, and they glared at each other.

"The Flowing Sand Valley has gone too far!"

"It's a pity my cultivation level is so low. If I had the strength of a Golden Core cultivator, I would have risked my life to bite him!"

"Sigh, if only Senior Brother Feng Wubian and the others were here..."

Du Rumei's arrogance inflamed the Biyou Sect disciples, but they were powerless against him. Apart from angrily rebuking him, not a single person dared to step onto the stage.

"You certainly know how to pick your time to come."

On the high platform, Elder Zou snorted coldly.

The old man in dark blue standing nearby, beaming with pride, said with a smile, "You can't say that. Feng Wubian isn't here, and neither is Xie Jiuzhang. It's a competition between mid-level core disciples. What, can't accept defeat?"

That wasn't wrong, and Elder Zou couldn't refute it for the moment. Although he was displeased, he still said calmly, "Alright, consider this sparring session as a settlement for your Quicksand Valley..."

The smile had just blossomed on Elder Liusha Valley's face, and Elder Zou was about to announce the end of the competition when a clear voice suddenly rang out from the crowd:

"Wait, let me try!"

Elder Zou's eyes flashed with surprise, and the disciples below the stage all turned to look at the source of the sound. Even the people from Liusha Valley looked in the direction of the sound.

Soon, a tall and handsome young man stepped out from the crowd. He held a long sword, had a striking appearance, and although he looked young, he possessed an imposing presence.

The disciples of the Biyou Sect were stunned when they saw who it was.

"Isn't that Senior Brother Xu Mofeng? He's only at the Foundation Establishment stage, how dare he challenge a Golden Core cultivator?!"

Who is Xu Mofeng?

"The number one inner disciple of our Azure Nether Sect!"

"Inner disciples? Are you kidding me? This is a competition for core disciples!"

Upon hearing that it was the Inner Foundation Establishment stage, the disciples of Liusha Valley instantly showed strange expressions, barely able to suppress their laughter.

Not to mention outsiders, even the members of the Biyou Sect themselves were confused.

What gives Xu Mofeng the audacity to step onto the stage?

He's only at the Foundation Establishment stage, could he have broken through?

That's impossible. He was only at the eighth level of Foundation Establishment a short while ago, and it hasn't been that long...

Elder Zou recognized Xu Mofeng at a glance and frowned: "Xu Mofeng, this is a sparring match between the core disciples of two sects. You haven't even reached the Golden Core realm yet, so don't cause trouble!"

"Elder Zou, please let me give it a try."

Xu Mofeng smiled slightly, and as soon as he finished speaking, a powerful aura of the Golden Core Realm erupted from his body.

Elder Zou's pupils suddenly contracted.

"Golden Core Realm! And the second level of Golden Core! You...you broke through?!"