Elderly Martial Saint: Sixty Times the Cultivation Speed ​​at the Start

On the high platform, after the competition ended, Xiao Zhengyan unconsciously reached for the heavy sword at his waist that he had used for twenty years.

The blade had been with him for twenty years, and had been repaired five times, with one of the nicks right next to his thumb.

When he was thinking about things, he would always rub that gap.

Today, he touched it for a long time.

He stared at the figure with a full head of black hair and an old face on the ring, and the scene from more than half a year ago came to mind.

That day, while flipping through the files, he saw the information marked next to the words "Yiyang".

At sixty years old, he possessed the fundamental strength of a Bing-type bone marrow cultivator and the first level of internal energy.

Upon seeing the file, he didn't even bother to glance at it, simply concluding, "Useless."

He casually pushed the roster aside and selected Feng Fei.

Later, the files from Baiyu City were sent back to the prefectural city. Yi Yang single-handedly discovered the Blood Pool, quelled several factions, and killed several people at the third level of inner energy.

Xiao Zhengyan pulled out the old files and looked them over.

I wouldn't say I regret it.

At most, it was a mistake.

After all, no matter how strong one is in the Inner Qi Realm, they are ultimately stuck there. The Punishment Division doesn't lack people at the third level of Inner Qi; losing Yi Yang isn't a serious blow.

But today, Yi Yang stood on the arena and defeated Jing Chen head-on with his True Qi Realm cultivation, and even used an excessively powerful sword technique.

This is something that can't be covered up by simply saying "misjudgment".

The Punishment Division personally pushed a True Qi Realm expert to the Netherworld Division.

He was someone who entered the True Qi Realm in less than a year of cultivation, dared to kill the leader of the Nine Evil Sects, and could single-handedly suppress a county town.

Moreover, Xiao Zhengyan's perception of the continuous momentum contained in Yi Yang's dark green sword strike was accurate.

This is not an ordinary sword technique; it is at least a superior one.

The power layering increases with each layer, making it more potent; this characteristic ranks among the top three in the sword techniques he knows.

Xiao Zhengyan withdrew his hand from the sword, placed his palm on his knee, and clenched and unclenched his knuckles.

His expression remained unchanged.

But Xiao Yunhe, who was sitting next to her, saw her boss's action.

She had followed Xiao Zhengyan in the Punishment Division for six years and knew his habits all too well; he was agitated when he touched his sword.

Xiao Yunhe remained silent, fearing that he might not be able to reward her with one less True Pill.

On the other side, Ji Yunzhang stood in front of the Po Xie Si's ranks, his hands behind his back, his index finger rubbing back and forth on his cheekbone.

Wen Shiheng sat next to him, holding a folding fan in his hand without unfolding it, the fan ribs twirling twice in his palm.

"You noticed?" Ji Yunzhang spoke first.

Wen Shiheng stopped fanning himself, the fine lines around his eyes smoothing out as he spoke seriously:

"That monk's fourth strike can change the speed and confuse the opponent's perception. Ordinary True Qi cultivators in the early stages can't even grasp the direction of the attack."

But Yi Yang was able to strike ahead of time, intercepting the landing point head-on.

"Spiritual cultivation?"

"Um."

Ji Yunzhang's gaze fell on the Tiger Roar Blade, and he slowly said:

"That sword technique also has problems. The aftereffects are layered and overlapping. Jingchen's sword energy was initially superior, but it was suppressed after a few breaths."

"His swordsmanship is also among the best in true martial arts."

Wen Shiheng tucked the folding fan into his sleeve, puzzled, and asked:

"Before Yi Yang entered the Youquan Division, he had no way to access true martial arts. Half a year after entering the Youquan Division, he entered the True Gang realm and took out this sword technique."

"You mean, Yan Wuyuan taught him?"

"Who else could it be but her?"

Ji Yunzhang did not answer immediately.

He turned his head to look at Yan Wuyuan.

Yan Wuyuan was still leaning back in her chair, her hands resting on the armrests, showing no surprise at the outcome of the match.

Ji Yunzhang rubbed his cheekbone.

"interesting."

Wen Shiheng's lips moved slightly, as if he wanted to say something but then swallowed it back.

When the four departments were selecting people, Yi Yang's list was also in front of him, but he missed it and chose Wei He instead.

This decision was correct.

Wei Chang'an saved his life, and he promised to take care of Weihe.

Once a promise has been made, it cannot be broken for someone more valuable.

It's a pity, but it's true.

If they had read two more pages of Yi Yang's file back then, the Zhiwen Division would have had one more True Gang Realm candidate for Chief Inspector.

Such talent, placed in an intelligence network, could accomplish so much; now, he might even become a commander and an ally.

Wen Shiheng loosened the pendant, his voice even softer: "What a pity."

He couldn't tell whether he was saying those three words to Yi Yang or to himself.

On the arena, the incense stick placed to the side had burned down to the bottom.

Pei Zongyue raised his hand and announced:

"Yi Yang successfully defended his title."

A garrison guard, having received the order, stepped onto the stage carrying the token.

Yi Yang sheathed his sword, took the token, and glanced at it.

The official pattern is a flying eagle, with the second round's serial number pressed against the edge.

The fourth token was taken.

He put the token into his waistband, bowed in the direction of Jingchen, and turned to leave the stage.

The people from Jinyang Temple have already helped Jingchen up.

Despite the blood staining his chest, Jingchen still returned Yiyang's salute.

The two did not say much.

The arena is for martial arts competition, but off the arena, the Xuan Yuan Blade is involved, and that's another matter entirely.

Yi Yang returned to the ranks of Youquan Division.

Zhou Fangyu watched him walk back, her lips trembled twice, and she managed to stammer out, "You..."

Yi Yangchong smiled at him but didn't explain anything.

Seeing Yi Yang's expression, Zhou Fangyu swallowed back what he was about to say, and sighed softly, saying:

"You really know how to hide things."

Zhou Fangyu shook his head, his tone neither angry nor convinced.

Yi Yang patted him on the shoulder without saying anything.

The battle for the fifth token soon began.

Qi Zhi, the last candidate for chief inspector of Youquan Division, took the stage.

Qi Zhi had been stationed in another region for many years and was just recalled the day before yesterday.

He was thin and had a sinister aura between his brows. He rarely interacted with others within the company.

After Yi Yang seized the token, the Youquan Division had few opportunities left.

Qi Zhi stepped onto the stage and announced his name.

The first challenger was from the Liu family, a middle-aged martial artist who had reached the third level of internal energy perfection.

The two exchanged more than thirty blows.

Qi Zhi has mastered the third level of the Hidden Breath Formless Technique. His Qi is highly variable, sometimes lowering and sometimes raising slightly, repeatedly causing his opponents to misjudge.

Finally, he held a dagger to his opponent's throat and secured his first victory.

Some people in the audience began to reassess Qi Zhi.

Qi Zhi did not relax.

Having served on surveillance missions for many years, he knows best the troubles of defending one's position.

Even if you defeat one person, another will come and take your place when you are weak.

Sure enough, the second challenger followed immediately.

A bearded man from the Punishment Department.

This person was at the peak of the third level of internal energy perfection, and cultivated a body-strengthening technique. Without saying a word, he immediately engaged Qi Zhi in close combat.

Qi Zhi's method is assassination, which emphasizes killing with one blow and taking things by surprise.

He suffered a great loss in the head-to-head environment of the ring.

The bearded man punched him on the left shoulder, then pounded him in the chest.

Qi Zhi staggered back five steps, blood seeping from the corner of his mouth. He couldn't block the third punch and tumbled off the edge of the platform.

Pei Zongyue announced that Qi Zhi had been eliminated.

Yi Yang watched Qi Zhi get up from the ground, brush the dirt off his body, and was not surprised.

People from the Yuquan Division are not suited for arena battles; this is an inherent disadvantage.

When Qi Zhi returned, he didn't go straight back to the queue; he stopped in front of Yi Yang.

"Brother Yi."

Qi Zhi clasped his hands in a fist salute, the bloodstain at the corner of his mouth still not completely wiped away.

Yi Yang returned the gift.

Qi Zhi lowered his voice: "I was on a mission outside before and didn't get to see Brother Yi much, which was my oversight."

That's a very straightforward statement.

Yi Yang glanced at him and understood what the other person meant—he wanted to get involved with him.

"Brother Qi, you're too kind."

Yi Yang didn't refuse and politely said, "Let's have a drink together sometime."

Qi Zhi nodded and turned back to the queue.

On the way back, Qi Zhi gritted his teeth secretly.

He had been stationed outside for almost two years when he returned and discovered that the Youquan Division had acquired this new character.

Six months ago, he was an unknown candidate for chief inspector; now he is a candidate for chief inspector at the True Qi Realm.

If he had known this would happen, he shouldn't have turned down the opportunity to come to the prefectural city to report on his duties.

The competition then intensified.

The fifth token was contested by three parties: a bearded man from the Punishment Division, another candidate chief inspector from the Knowledge Division, and a middle-aged man recommended by the Wu family.

In the end, the person from the Wu family won. This person was the younger brother of the current patriarch of the Wu family, named Wu Dingshan. He had a solid and steady body of true qi and easily took the token.

The sixth token was taken by the fat monk from Jinyang Temple.

After he went on stage, he immediately unleashed his true energy, sending both challengers flying.

The seventh sword was given to the young man carrying the sword in the Xuanjian Pavilion.

His name is Xu Yu. After stepping onto the stage, he didn't even draw his sword. He forced two challengers to retreat simply by using his fingers as a sword.

The last one who dared to come forward was slain by him with a single sword strike.

Clean and neat.

The eighth one was taken by a middle-aged Taoist priest from Cangwu Mountain.

This person used a whisk, and his true energy flowed into the silver threads, binding his opponent so tightly that he could not move.

All eight tokens have now been issued.

Yi Yang looked around at the eight people.

Wang Hechang, Director of the Department of Exorcism; Gu Zhang, Director of the Department of Knowledge; Xiao Yunhe, Director of the Department of Punishment; and Yi Yang, Director of the Department of the Netherworld.

The fat monk Kongwu of Jinyang Temple, Xu Yu of Xuanjian Pavilion, Zheng Yan, a Taoist priest from Cangwu Mountain, and Wu Dingshan of the Wu family.

All eight people who advanced to the next round were at the True Qi Realm.

There is not a single person at the Inner Qi Realm.

Those who had previously hoped to take advantage of the situation by relying on their perfected third level of internal energy cultivation were now speechless.

What courage, what strategy, what timing?

Once the objective was laid out, all those calculations became futile.

Pei Zongyue walked to the front of the stage and had the arena cleaned up again.

"Round Two: Matchup by Draw."

"The winners will advance to the semi-finals, and the semi-finalists will fight again. The two winners will be appointed as the commander and deputy commander of the Zhenfu Guard, respectively."

"The winner of the final battle is the principal, and the loser is the secondary."

Eight wooden sticks were placed in an iron box.

Everyone took turns drawing.

Yi Yang was drawn into the third round.

He glanced down at the signature on the document and then put it away for the time being.

Pei Zongyue took out the first set of wooden sticks and displayed them to the public.

"The first match."

"Xu Yu of the Xuanjian Pavilion."

"The Evil-Slaying Division, what has the King ever done?"

This is a lucky sign.

Someone in the audience gasped.

Wang Hechang lowered his arms, twisted his neck, and his joints cracked twice.

He grinned, revealing a set of white teeth.

"Here it comes, here it comes."

The bald, burly man rubbed his fists together as he walked toward the ring.

On the other side, Xu Yu from the Xuanjian Pavilion stepped out of the queue.

He looked to be about twenty-five or twenty-six years old, with delicate features. He always walked with his eyelids half-closed, his right hand resting on the hilt of his sword behind him, his pace neither fast nor slow.

The two jumped onto the newly repaired ring one after the other.

Wang Hechang stood on the left, his bare upper body bulging with muscles, and his inner energy was already beginning to circulate along his skin. He stared at the young man opposite him, slamming his fist into his palm.

"From the Xuanjian Pavilion?" Wang He tilted his head, glanced at Xu Yu, and said casually, "Not very old."

Xu Yu ignored him.

He stood slightly to the right of the center of the stage, drawing his narrow sword from behind his back with his right hand.

The sword made no sound when it was drawn from its sheath. The blade was so thin that it was translucent, and there were subtle, flowing patterns along the spine.

Xu Yu held the sword horizontally in front of him, the tip pointing diagonally at the ground, and finally his eyelids were fully open.

There was nothing superfluous in those eyes.

There was only one sharpness that made the hairs on Wang Hechang's back stand on end.

Yi Yang stood below the stage, leaning Hu Xiao on his shoulder, staring at the two people on the stage.

The early stage of True Qi fist techniques were being used against a sword genius whose true strength was unknown.

This is going to be interesting.