Comprehending Myriad Techniques as Woodcutter

"Your ranking is too low. You should have a spot in the top ten."

Qin Zhenyang nodded slightly. His body swayed as he managed to cup his hands in a salute.

"I have learned my lesson."

It wasn’t until the two had left the stage that some in the audience finally processed what had happened. ’Did Qin Zhenyang lose?’

Xie Yuan sighed as he watched. ’Now *that* is the kind of strength a top disciple from a Major Sect should possess!’

The two were almost evenly matched in cultivation. They had fought the entire match, frequently unleashing advanced techniques. Sword auras crisscrossed the stage, and both had nearly exhausted their energy before a winner was decided. In the end, Qin Zhenyang lost by half a move.

To be able to fight He Jin, who was ranked seventh, to such a standstill clearly meant that the Hidden Dragon List had ranked Qin Zhenyang far too low. Just as He Jin had said, his rank should have been around the top ten.

The disciples of the Cloud Mountain Sword Sect were disappointed to see their first senior brother defeated, but they were also filled with immense admiration for him.

The strength Qin Zhenyang displayed commanded everyone’s respect. No other disciple from the Sword Storage Pavilion could have lasted against him.

Wei Dong spoke slowly.

"Sect Leader Li, you’ve taught your disciple well."

"He is a good disciple, but my ability to teach is still a step below Pavilion Master Wei’s."

Li Xingtuo chuckled, taking all the "blame," thoroughly pleased with his top disciple.

With the end of today’s matches, the disciple duels were officially over.

Five matches for External Training and four for Qi and Blood Metamorphosis. The Cloud Mountain Sword Sect had one win and eight losses.

However, compared to their single victory, these last two matches were far more spectacular, with victory and defeat hanging by a thread.

The higher the cultivation realm of the Cloud Mountain Sword Sect disciples, the more formidable their strength became. This sent a chill through the hearts of the Sword Storage Pavilion members.

...

「The final day of the sword debate.」

Guests and disciples from both sects alike wore solemn expressions.

There were only two battles scheduled for today: the Grandmaster battle and the Sect Leader battle.

Everyone knew that regardless of the outcomes of the previous days—whether they were pretty wins or ugly losses—they had no decisive impact.

The real factor that would determine the success or failure of this sword debate was today.

Xie Yuan stood by the edge of the stage, watching with keen interest.

’I’ve waited for days. The Grandmasters are finally taking the stage.’

The disciple competitions, especially yesterday’s match between the top disciples in the Qi and Blood Metamorphosis Realm, had featured masters among masters. They were absolutely brilliant and left the crowd roaring for more.

But compared to Grandmasters, it was all still just child’s play.

Those who entered the Heaven and Earth Bridge Realm could communicate with heaven, earth, and nature. They had stepped onto the true path of seeking the ’Dao’ and could be called Grandmasters.

Martial Artists of this realm possessed unfathomable methods, gradually transcending the common person’s understanding of the Martial Dao.

In Xie Yuan’s opinion, things were starting to get mystical.

Mu Chaoyun’s Arrays and divination, bizarre Secret Techniques like the Celestial Concealment Skill, mysterious treasures like the Black Celestial Book, Li Tai’s peerless speed, Aunt Hong’s ghost-like elusiveness, not to mention Lu the Third’s miraculous tracking and ferocious slashes, and Deng Wan’s... uh, tenacious life force.

Deng Wan was probably the weakest Grandmaster he had ever met, but his Profound Weapon and the sight of him sprinting away with a broken back had left a deep impression. It was as if he and Martial Artists of the Qi and Blood Metamorphosis Realm were two different species.

Mu Chaoyun had once said that in the ancient age of myths—during the countless years from the rise of the Human Race to when the celestial books fell from the sky and burned—human cultivation methods were many and varied. The path of attaining divinity through the Martial Dao was not the only one.

The Immortal Path, the Demon Dao, the Divine Dao, achieving sainthood through the physical body... The Human Race of that era had flourished, with countless powerful experts. There truly were immortals, gods, demons, devils, and peerless Great Demons.

But after the celestial books shattered, the Human Race declined. The entire world seemed to fall into a slump, and such a brilliant, great age never appeared again.

Although the Human Race was now firmly established and had rediscovered the path of attaining divinity through the Martial Dao, which could eventually lead to the ultimate Great Dao, it all felt somewhat withered. There were still some monsters and ghosts in the deep mountains and old forests, but they were extremely rare and posed no real threat.

These were all stories Mu Chaoyun had told him. ’I wonder how she’s doing now.’

As his mind wandered, the two Grandmasters for the first match of the day had already taken the stage.

From the Sword Storage Pavilion: Elder Song Qingping, the "Autumn Water Divine Sword," ranked thirty-second on the Flying Dragon List.

From the Cloud Mountain Sword Sect: Luo Shuang, the "Moonfall Sword," Peak Master of Yao Yue Peak.

Song Qingping was, of course, a famously handsome man. The moment he stepped onto the stage, countless female disciples became infatuated, and the disciples of Yao Yue Peak were on the verge of switching their allegiance.

But Luo Shuang was equally beautiful and captivating. In her youth, she had been a renowned beauty in the martial world. With her high cultivation and age-defying techniques, she still looked as lovely as a woman in her twenties. Only her mature aura and indifferent eyes betrayed her true age.

Song Qingping cupped his hands with a suave flourish and smiled.

"Senior Sister Luo, it’s been a long time."

Luo Shuang snorted softly and said coolly,

"You’ve got some nerve showing your face to me."

An awkward expression flickered across Song Qingping’s face before he broke into a relaxed smile.

"That’s all in the past. I thought we had already talked things through."

Luo Shuang’s expression was icy.

"You left a letter. Is that what you call talking things through, a unilateral declaration?"

Hearing this, Xie Yuan’s expression turned peculiar.

’Looks like there’s some gossip here?’

It wasn’t just him. Situ Qin also looked keenly interested and whispered excitedly,

"I didn’t even know the Peak Master of Yao Yue Peak was on Song Qingping’s list!"

The audience members looked at each other in dismay. It seemed the battle of Grandmasters was about to unfold in a way none of them had expected...

The members of the Sword Storage Pavilion covered their faces and lowered their heads. It seemed this was another one of Elder Song’s romantic debts.

And they were arguing on stage! Two esteemed Grandmasters! Wasn’t this absurd?

One disciple saw the strange looks from the other guests and the wary expressions on the faces of the beautiful female disciples, and he wished he could stand up and shout, ’We at the Sword Storage Pavilion aren’t all like this! It’s just Song Qingping! It has nothing to do with us!’