Chapter 35: The Protagonist's Power Fantasy (34)

The Bixun City branch venue was constructed with seven or eight hundred one-on-one fighting rings.

The first contestant to step onto a ring is known as the "Ring Master." Those who have yet to enter a ring may choose to challenge an existing Ring Master or occupy an empty ring to become one themselves. Successfully defending a ring earns bonus points, though a Ring Master may also choose to abandon their post after defeating a challenger to pursue other Ring Masters instead.

If a Ring Master successfully defends their position for fifty rounds, they receive an additional ten percent of their total points; reaching one hundred successful defenses grants another fifteen percent. Conversely, if a contestant manages to defeat a Ring Master who has already achieved fifty successful defenses, they will be awarded ten percent of that Ring Master's total points.

The more successful defenses a Ring Master achieves, the more bonus points they earn, up to a maximum of three hundred successful defenses, which grants an additional thirty percent of their total points. However, regardless of whether a challenger successfully defeats a Ring Master who has held their post for fifty, one hundred, or even two hundred rounds, they are only eligible to receive ten percent of that Ring Master’s total points.

The Dao Law Three Thousand Grand Assembly is held once every century, and each time it is hosted, the event draws massive crowds. Bookies hope to make a fortune, while weapon smiths and alchemists rely on the contestants to promote their wares on the fighting rings. Furthermore, countless cultivators flock to the event to observe and compare the gap between themselves and the most elite combatants of the future in the cultivation world.

Su Bai arrived early, and there were still many unoccupied rings at the branch venue. She chose one that looked suitable and stepped up.

Most contestants participating in the Dao Law Three Thousand Grand Assembly carry magical artifacts to conceal their cultivation level. Otherwise, those with higher cultivation than the Ring Master would simply wait for the Ring Master to reach fifty successful defenses before "harvesting" the points, or challenge them directly. Conversely, those with lower cultivation would not dare to challenge a Ring Master lightly.

On the ring, only the Ring Master’s name, sect affiliation, and age are publicly visible.

Su Bai’s bone age was forty.

In the cultivation world, where ages are often counted in centuries, this age is not considered particularly advanced. Since the Dao Law Three Thousand Grand Assembly occurs every hundred years, for a cultivator in her age bracket, this first assembly is merely an opportunity for practice; the real competition for rankings will be the assembly a century from now.

A rogue cultivator, seeing that Su Bai appeared young, took the initiative to step onto the ring and challenge her.

Although he carried an artifact to mask his cultivation, the jade pendant Su Bai wore—personally crafted by Elder Ruogu—was no ordinary item. Shaped like a phoenix chasing the sun, this white jade pendant possessed the ability to automatically identify an opponent's cultivation. Su Bai only needed to place a sliver of her divine sense into the pendant to automatically receive information about her opponent.

Golden Core mid-stage.
Bone age: sixty years.
No sect, no affiliation.

"Cheng Qing, sword cultivator, please offer your guidance." Cheng Qing cupped his hands.

"Su Bai, sword cultivator, please offer your guidance." Su Bai returned the gesture.

As a rogue cultivator, Cheng Qing knew he could not compete with the disciples of major sects in terms of innate talent or resources. He had not come to the Grand Assembly with the intention of winning a top spot; he only wished to spar with the sword-wielding disciples of the Eight Great Families of the Immortal Alliance. If he had the chance to be accepted into one of the Eight Great Families or the Lesser Immortal Alliance, that would be a dream come true.

Cheng Qing had chosen Su Bai because she looked young and hailed from the Wuji Sect, the top-ranked among the Eight Great Families. Since the Wuji Sect was renowned for its sword dao, he figured he wouldn't be accused of bullying someone just because he had a higher cultivation level.

Cheng Qing drew his Xiaoyu Sword, took a step, and launched a lateral strike.

The disadvantage of being a rogue cultivator without a sect is clear, but conversely, unlike the rigid and formulaic styles of the major sects, no one could predict the encounters a rogue cultivator might have had in their life, what kind of sword techniques their next strike might be, or what unique insights they might have gained regarding sword intent.

Thirty years ago, Cheng Qing had personally buried his parents.

Born to his parents in their old age, Cheng Qing had been deeply cherished. While cultivators enjoy long, boundless lives, his parents, living in a remote, poverty-stricken area, had no concept of the "Path of Dao." Even if they had known, they had spent their lives in the mountains, feeling insignificant and powerless; how could the path of immortals ever reach such impoverished folk?

Later, Cheng Qing received guidance from an "immortal" and, relying on a sliver of natural talent, began his path of cultivation. He became the "immortal" his parents spoke of, but they were already elderly and frail. He had no money, no connections, and no resources—only a useless lifespan—and no chance to lead his parents onto the path of immortality.

The first sixty years of his cultivation journey were obscure. He lacked the one-in-a-hundred-thousand Heavenly Spirit Root, and because of his poor upbringing, he had no master to guide him, missing the optimal age for refining qi. By the time he officially began his journey in his twenties, he had already missed the selection windows for the major sects.

Being unable to enter a sect meant Cheng Qing had to find energy-rich places himself to improve his cultivation, work hard to save money to support himself, and strive to purchase artifacts to survive lightning tribulations or pills to aid his cultivation. He had to work day and night, racing against time, just to avoid falling too far behind the sect disciples.

"Drifting like a mayfly between heaven and earth, a tiny grain of sand in the vast sea"—that was Cheng Qing’s Dao.

A century passed in the blink of an eye. Cheng Qing could not save his parents, could not ferry the common people, and could not become a heaven-defying genius. He lived a life of mediocrity, achieving nothing, merely scraping by through the charity of the Heavenly Dao. Yet, Cheng Qing understood better than anyone that those so-called geniuses were no different from him.

If he received a sliver of grace from the Heavenly Dao, he was merely stealing a life; but when they received the full support of the Heavenly Dao, were they not also stealing a life?

So what if he lacked the favor of the Heavenly Dao or the grace of fate?
At least the path he walked was his own.
Not the path of the Heavenly Dao.

The moment Cheng Qing drew his sword, a disciple who had noticed this ring could not help but exclaim: "It’s actually the Vast Sea Mayfly Sword!"

"How many years has it been? I can't believe I’m seeing someone wield the Vast Sea Mayfly Sword!"

The Lord of Bixun City had deep, contemplative eyes: "To be able to wield the Vast Sea Mayfly Sword—what is this rogue cultivator's name?"

Elder Fusu of the Kunwu Sect smiled: "The Vast Sea Mayfly Sword is among the top ten sword techniques. For a Golden Core cultivator to wield it, this rogue will surely have a great future."

"It’s a pity that this Wuji Sect disciple is likely to lose her first match, falling at the hands of this rogue."

Everyone wanted the title of the top-ranked sect among the Eight Great Families, so the Kunwu Sect had been competing with the Wuji Sect in both open and hidden ways for years.

The Supreme Elder stood to the side, stroking his beard with a smile: "...Elder Fusu must have been in seclusion for too long; he doesn't realize that the world has long since changed."

Su Bai had been silent in the cultivation world for six full years. Although she had caused quite a stir back then, no one had actually seen her holding the Dragon Chant Sword, nor had anyone seen her attend any auctions or sword competitions as a Golden Core cultivator. In the cultivation world, where talent is abundant, the name "Su Bai" was like a night-blooming cereus, existing only in unverified rumors.

Elder Fusu was displeased: "Supreme Elder, what do you mean by that? I’m not targeting your Wuji Sect disciple; it’s just that this girl is only forty. If she has managed to reach the Golden Core realm, she is already a top-tier talent among the younger generation."

The Supreme Elder only smiled without a word.

Golden Core realm?
This disciple had already been a Golden Core six years ago!

The Bixun City Lord’s eyes flickered.

That old man Su Yueshan had been bragging about his daughter to him every day for the past few years. The Bixun City Lord had met Su Bai when she was a child, so he knew exactly who the girl on the ring was.

But rumors are just rumors.
Strength does not lie.

Sword light filled the sky.

One sword aura after another flowed like the turbulent sea, and the sword intent shimmering with golden light in the center was like a tiny boat on the ocean.

The mayfly, though tiny, still harbored the ambition to shake the heavens and the earth!

The young girl stood on the ring, motionless, her dark pupils bottomless.

Back then, she could defeat a Saint Venerable of the Spirit Severing realm while at the Golden Core realm. Now that she had reached the Spirit Severing realm herself, she naturally had no interest in indulging in such trivial victories.

Initially, Su Bai had intended to use the Dragon Chant Sword to end the match quickly. But the moment Cheng Qing drew his sword, she changed her mind.

For a rogue cultivator like Cheng Qing, they lacked a prestigious family background to provide a foundation, could not nourish their soul with pills in childhood, and had no one to guide them onto the path. Even acquiring a Heavenly-grade weapon like the Xiaoyu Sword must have required decades of blood, sweat, and toil.

Within the Sword Tomb, there were one hundred and eighty-eight types of sword intent, and the Vast Sea Mayfly Sword was among them.

The intent of the Vast Sea Mayfly Sword was narrow and desperate, a "go-for-broke" style—it was far more than just the ambition of a mayfly trying to shake the world.

Unlike the outcasts abandoned by the Heavenly Dao.
Unlike the children of destiny favored by the Heavenly Dao.

The Vast Sea Mayfly Sword was once known as the "Sword of the Mediocre."

Because it had once received the favor of fate, it could neither fully hate the injustice of the Heavenly Dao nor accept the excuses of fate with resignation.

The wielder of the Vast Sea Mayfly Sword stands in the middle of the pros and cons of fate, merely a pawn in the chess game between those favored by heaven and those abandoned by it.

Others saw the mayfly as unfortunate.
But in Su Bai's eyes, those favored by heaven were blinded by it, indulging in its grace, while those abandoned by it defied fate, yet ultimately lived by depending on it.

Only the mediocre stood in the middle—

She drew the Solitary Wild Goose Sword. Sword aura rose, and sword intent emerged.

Standing in the middle of fate, simultaneously receiving the favor of the Heavenly Dao and knowing its injustice—only then could one truly cultivate the Dao!

This sword strike was faster than Cheng Qing’s.

The sword intent was compressed to the extreme, the aura scorching like a rainbow piercing the sun. Even though the girl’s thin, slight figure remained as steady as a mountain, she only needed to focus slightly, and with a wave of her hand, she formed waves of sword intent!

Disciples below the ring exclaimed: "It’s the Vast Sea Mayfly Sword again!"

"How does this female cultivator know the Vast Sea Mayfly Sword too?"

"Who is she? Why haven't I heard this name before?"

The Bixun City Lord was also a sword cultivator.

The girl on the ring held her sword with effortless grace. As her porcelain-white fingers rested on the hilt, waves of sword aura spiraled up the blade, and the sword intent materialized from the void with a mere thought.

She could form sword intent with a single thought!

The Bixun City Lord had practiced the sword for many years; how could he not know the terrifying implications of this?

The Vast Sea Mayfly Sword was a top-ten technique. For Su Yueshan’s daughter to replicate it perfectly with a wave of her hand could only mean one of two things.

It was rumored she was sparring partners with the Sword Venerable of Carefree; it was possible he had taught her the technique. But there were so many sword techniques in the world; learning just one of the top ten would take decades. What were the odds that the Sword Venerable happened to teach her this specific one, and that this rogue cultivator happened to know it too?

The other possibility—
She had long ago mastered countless sword techniques, and this sword was merely second nature to her.

Even though Su Yueshan had praised Su Bai countless times in front of him, it was not as shocking as seeing it with his own eyes.

The two sword intents met in the air, causing the protective formation of the ring to hum and vibrate.

However, Su Bai’s sword intent sliced through Cheng Qing’s Vast Sea Mayfly Sword as smoothly as a knife through a radish. It shattered his intent and continued onward, striking the defensive formation of the ring directly.

In the stunned eyes of the crowd, the formation—which Bixun City had publicly claimed could withstand a blow from a Spirit Severing realm expert—shattered instantly.

The girl's registration info said she was only forty. Reaching the Golden Core realm already made her a top talent among her peers, with a cultivation speed that ranked among the best in the entire cultivation world.

Could it be—
She was no longer satisfied with being a mere Golden Core?

The Bixun City Lord’s mouth twitched.
No wonder Su Yueshan’s daughter dared to break off her engagement with Qin Yang back then.

Since everyone is a child of heaven, why should I endure you? Why should I yield to you?
Since we are both powerhouses, I no longer need your protection, and therefore, you hold no special privileges or favor in my eyes.

Elder Fusu turned his head in disbelief, his beard trembling as he asked the Supreme Elder: "What is this disciple’s actual cultivation level?"

"What kind of artifact is she carrying to hide her aura that even I cannot see through it?"

The Supreme Elder smiled like a crafty old fox and replied slowly: "Fusu, didn't you also say this girl is only forty? How high could her cultivation possibly be?"

With just this one strike, Cheng Qing knew he had lost.

His Vast Sea Mayfly Sword had attempted to contend with fate, but this girl, though only forty, had condensed a sharper sword aura, and the Dao heart contained within her sword intent was far more solid—how could it be compared to what a mortal like him could achieve?

Cheng Qing cupped his hands, lowered his head, and praised her sincerely: "In this sword strike, I, Cheng, am technically inferior. I am defeated and convinced!"

"However—"

Cheng Qing looked up, his eyes devoid of the gloom or resentment of the defeated. His eyes were bright; he stepped forward, bowed, and said solemnly: "Although I have no vast fortune or prominent identity, I have a heart that seeks the sword. If you do not mind, and would be willing to offer me some guidance on the Vast Sea Mayfly Sword, I am willing to offer ten thousand high-grade spirit stones to seek the Dao with you!"

Ten thousand high-grade spirit stones!
The crowd below was in an uproar.
Ten thousand high-grade spirit stones, just to ask about a sword technique that Cheng Qing already knew?

Su Bai watched Cheng Qing’s bow.
Just when Cheng Qing thought the young girl would refuse, her cold, clear voice sounded in his ears.

"I don't need spirit stones."
"Since you can wield the Vast Sea Mayfly Sword, it means you have a connection with this technique."

Su Bai stepped forward. Looking at Cheng Qing, she seemed to see the shadow of the founder of the Vast Sea Mayfly Sword within the Sword Tomb.
The founder of the Vast Sea Mayfly Sword was a nameless person.
Only a nameless person was worthy of this technique.

"I will teach you the Vast Sea Mayfly Sword," she said.

Cheng Qing was stunned, and then a surge of immense joy flooded his heart.
He bent his knees. Under the stunned gazes of the crowd, just as Cheng Qing was about to perform a proper apprenticeship ceremony, a force of spiritual energy lifted his knees.

"I do not take disciples; I only teach sword techniques."
Su Bai withdrew her energy and said calmly: "Sword techniques have a spirit. The Vast Sea Mayfly Sword chose you; I did not."

Cheng Qing looked at her and bowed deeply again, his tone respectful: "Your broad-mindedness makes me feel ashamed and inferior. Yet, the kindness of teaching me this sword is as heavy as a mountain. If you ever find yourself in any danger, I, Cheng Qing, will assist you even at the cost of my life."

He paused, then added: "I swear this by the Heavenly Dao."

As Cheng Qing finished speaking, a golden light shimmered around him—a Heavenly Dao oath had been formed.

"This guy is a real one! Damn! He actually does what he says!"
"This girl is also amazing! She actually agreed to teach him the sword? The Vast Sea Mayfly Sword is a top-ten technique; she’s willing to just hand it over?"
"Is she really not afraid that Cheng Qing might surpass her in the future using that sword?"

"Wait a second!"
Suddenly, a Wuji Sect disciple frowned and asked: "Did you say this girl's name is Su Bai?"

"Yeah!"
The cultivator in front was excited: "Why? Speaking of which, this girl's name is exactly the same as the blacksmith who forged the Suchao Sword on the Divine Weapon List, but the sword she’s holding today is clearly just a Heavenly-grade weapon. It must just be a coincidence of names."

The Wuji Sect disciple behind him slapped his thigh, suddenly realizing: "I remember now! She is actually Su Bai!"

"Who is Su Bai?" someone asked curiously.

"Six years ago, she used a single sword strike, 'Frost Covering Fourteen Prefectures,' to break Qin Yang’s Heavenly Evolution Sword technique. Back then, Qin Yang was already at the peak of the Heart-Activation realm, and she..."

The Wuji Sect disciple paused for effect. After receiving the blank stares of the people around him, he said with satisfaction: "She was only at the early stage of the Heart-Activation realm back then!"

"There are also rumors that the Dragon Chant Sword is currently in her hands!"

The surroundings went silent.
Then, someone immediately retorted: "That's impossible. I believe she could beat Qin Yang, but the idea that the Dragon Chant Sword is actually in her hands—how could she have kept it hidden for so long?"

"Yeah, yeah! It’s been so many years and I’ve never seen anyone use the Dragon Chant Sword. Maybe it’s still sitting safely in the Sword Tomb!"

On the other side, seeing that this young girl could actually receive the Vast Sea Mayfly Sword wielded by a Golden Core mid-stage cultivator, everyone was eager to step onto the ring to challenge her.

Once the Bixun City guards, who were maintaining order at the branch venue, replaced the defensive formation, another cultivator at the peak of the Golden Core realm stepped onto the stage to challenge Su Bai.

Although the previous formation, which had been claimed to withstand a Spirit Severing blow, was shattered by the sword intent, that formation had been used repeatedly since the last assembly and hadn't been replaced. It didn't necessarily mean the girl had true Spirit Severing cultivation.

The Vast Sea Mayfly Sword was a top-ten technique anyway; it wasn't strange that it could exert such power.
Besides, a forty-year-old Spirit Severing expert was something that had almost never appeared in the history of the entire cultivation world!

The second challenger's sword technique was not as exquisite as Cheng Qing's, but his cultivation was solid at the peak of the Golden Core realm.

The audience below held their breath, thinking, *A Golden Core peak must be enough, right?*
A forty-year-old at the Golden Core peak was already the limit of their imagination.

However, Cheng Qing had at least forced the girl to unleash her sword intent. As for this Golden Core peak challenger, as soon as he stepped onto the ring and they exchanged bows, before anyone could even see clearly, a sword aura sweeping across the field sent him flying off the ring with a *whoosh*.

The enthusiastic Wuji Sect disciple from earlier laughed out loud and clapped: "There were rumors back then that Junior Sister Su had reached the Golden Core realm after coming out of the Sword Tomb; it seems those rumors were true!"

Everyone fell silent.
If she was already a Golden Core six years ago, then even if she is at the peak of the Golden Core now—
For a genius, that really isn't strange.

There are levels even within the Golden Core peak. Perhaps the disciple who just went up was a "weaker" peak Golden Core, and he was careless because he relied on his cultivation, which is why he was swept off the stage in one strike.

Another Golden Core peak stepped up.
And was swept off by a single strike.
Another stubborn Golden Core peak stepped up.
Still, he was sent back exactly as he arrived, with a single strike.

After many Golden Core peak cultivators had gone up, the crowd realized that the girl only condensed sword intent when she was sparring with Cheng Qing. They had thought the Vast Sea Mayfly was her limit, but who could have guessed that she didn't actually need that sword intent at all to be more than enough on this ring?

For a moment, an absurd thought popped into everyone's minds simultaneously—
*Could it be that she only used it because she wanted to teach Cheng Qing that sword strike?*

Impossible. Absolutely impossible!

Elder Fusu rubbed his eyes and pointed at Su Bai in shock, asking: "Supreme Elder, this, this... don't tell me your Wuji Sect has produced another forty-year-old Nascent Soul expert!!"

What kind of concept is a forty-year-old Nascent Soul?
It meant that the winner of the next Three Thousand Dao Grand Assembly would likely be this seemingly fragile young girl!

As for higher realms, Elder Fusu didn't even dare to guess or think about it.
A forty-year-old Spirit Severing expert was simply too abstract for the entire cultivation world.

"Six years ago, your disciple Qin Yang’s dantian was destroyed, and he found the Prajna Green Lotus to rebuild it. It was understandable that Qin Yang progressed rapidly to the Nascent Soul realm after that, as the Prajna Green Lotus is a sacred object connected to the energy of heaven and earth. That’s why he could advance so quickly."

"So what’s going on with this girl? Don't tell me her dantian was rebuilt too!"
Just thinking about it made Elder Fusu feel like he was about to collapse: "This is absolutely impossible!"

How could the Wuji Sect keep producing such monsters?
Is there even a way for others to live?

Fortunately, the winners of previous Grand Assemblies were all at the Spirit Severing realm. If these two monsters were at most at the Nascent Soul realm, there would still be others at this assembly who could suppress them.
But a hundred years from now, that would be hard to say.

Elder Fusu’s expression was complex, his heart bubbling with sour jealousy.

The Supreme Elder replied: "I truly don't know the current cultivation levels of Su Bai and Qin Yang."
He looked at the young girl standing on the ring, as upright as cold bamboo, his eyes filled with pride and relief: "Six years ago, Su Bai went to the Far North for training, and Qin Yang went to the Southern Borders to seek opportunities. The two rarely returned to the sect. After Su Bai returned two years ago, she just went into closed-door cultivation."

"Their true cultivation levels, apart from their masters, are likely unknown to anyone in the Wuji Sect today."

The Bixun City Lord sighed upon hearing these two names.
One mountain cannot hold two tigers.
Even if one is male and one is female.

Su Yueshan’s daughter was truly doing him proud!

Su Bai had defeated seven or eight Golden Core peak cultivators in a row, and finally, someone at the Great Perfection of the Golden Core realm stepped up.

Bixun City had set up seven or eight hundred rings, and the commotion on Su Bai’s side, while not massive, was not small either, attracting the attention of many Nascent Soul stage cultivators.

Although these cultivators were interested in the stir Su Bai was causing, they saw she was just a young female cultivator; if they were to use their Nascent Soul cultivation to bully her, it would be considered winning unfairly.
It wouldn't be particularly glorious either.

Zang Wu of the Kunwu Sect was at the early stage of the Nascent Soul realm. His "Soul-Seizing" technique was masterful; even though he was only at the early stage, he had defeated many mid-stage Nascent Soul experts with this technique.

Zang Wu was not interested in defending a ring.
To ensure the number of challengers and defenders, besides the bonus for fifty consecutive defenses, there was also a bonus for fifty consecutive victories as a challenger, though the bonus was slightly lower than that for defending.

Kunwu Sect disciples surrounded Zang Wu and said excitedly: "Senior Brother, did you see that female cultivator?"

"Even those at the Great Perfection of the Golden Core were defeated by her single sword strike!"
"The competition hasn't even been going on for half a day, and it looks like she’s already won over a dozen matches in a row!"

The Kunwu Sect disciples couldn't help but exclaim: "But she is so young! Could it be that the Wuji Sect is about to produce another forty-year-old Nascent Soul expert?"

Zang Wu sneered, arms crossed, dismissive: "She can win so many matches only because she hasn't encountered me yet."