Myriad Rivers to the Sea

"Draw a sword ?" Li Yu chuckled and shook his head slowly while looking at the Axe champion. He projected his voice so every cultivator in the valley could hear his words clearly. "The swords and techniques of the Heavenly Sword Sect are far too sacred and profound to be wasted on an uncultured brute like you. Their path requires skill, deep understanding and a clear Dao heart. You are a crude beast swinging a heavy piece of iron around while hoping you hit something before you run out of breath. I will not stain their standard of swords to defeat you."

The words hung in the air and sent a shockwave through the gathered crowds. The Sundered Peak disciples stopped their laughing and glared down at the plateau with burning hostility.

Li Yu raised his right hand and took out his true weapon. A dark light flashed across his palm and a long weapon materialized in his grasp. It was not a refined rapier or a sharp broadsword that many from the rival sect was expecting. It was a heavy staff forged from a dark material and etched with intricate star patterns along the shaft. Star Abyss felt familiar and comforting in his hands even though he had not gotten the chance to use it often. He rested the heavy weapon against his shoulder and looked Tuoba Leng in the eye with a piercing gaze.

"You enjoy using overwhelming force and heavy strikes," Li Yu said with a cold edge entering his voice. "I happen to know a few things about that style of combat. My cousins back home favor the brute path as well. Let me show you how a true brute fights."

The junior disciples of the Heavenly Sword Sect stood near the edge of the plateau and their eyes went wide with awe. Lin Xue clutched her bruised side but a bright smile broke across her face. Zhou Ming pushed himself up from the dirt and stared at the Holy Son with newfound pride. Feng Tianyi gritted his teeth through the pain of his broken bones and felt a deep surge of pride welling up in his chest as well.

Their Holy Son was stepping onto the battlefield to defend their home and he was doing so while actively elevating their martial path above his own. Li Yu possessed a terrifying cultivation but he chose to say that their sword path was much too strong and his opponent unworthy of seeing it. He instead was going to wield a staff so he would not disrespect their sacred sword arts by using them on an unworthy opponent. It was a display of respect for them and it moved many of them.

It had to be understood that Li Yu came from both the Zhan and Li Clans. Both clans that are extremely powerful and carried legacies that matched or were greater than the Heavenly Sword Sect. For Li Yu to put down his own heritage to boost their own was a great showing of respect and humility.

"He honors the ancestors," Zhou Ming whispered to Lin Xue while keeping his eyes glued to the suppression dome. "He protects our dignity with his own hands and elevates our Dao in front of our enemies."

Elder Huo Zheng let out a booming laugh that cut through the tension hanging over the canyon. "That boy knows how to make an entrance and he sure knows how to honor the people around him. Zhan Tian probably wouldn’t like what he just said regarding the Zhan Clan but if he saw this he would be laughing to watch his grandson act like a proper tyrant."

Sect Master Ling Wuji maintained a stern expression but a faint smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. He knew Li Yu was playing to the crowd to boost the morale of the younger generation but he was thankful for it. The Sect Master kept his senses focused on the suppression array to ensure Kuang Shan did not attempt any underhanded tricks during the upcoming clash.

Tuoba Leng felt a vein bulge in his forehead as the mocking cheers from the sword disciples washed over him. He was the reigning champion of his generation and he was not used to being treated with such casual disdain. Worst of all was he was a bit afraid now after learning of Li Yu’s true identity. The heavy gravity of the World Anchor Stele pulsed in the background and fueled his rising anger but he felt as though the treasure had weakened after Li Yu entered the stage. It was as though the treasure was afraid of Li Yu and wanted to retreat from him. Tuoba glared at the dark staff resting on Li Yu's shoulder and his pride demanded immediate retribution.

"A blunt stick will not save you," Tuoba Leng roared as his aura erupted into a violent frenzy. "I will shatter your staff and your skull in a single strike!"

The axe wielder bent his knees and launched himself forward like a released arrow. The stone floor cracked under his boots as he closed the distance in the blink of an eye. He gathered every ounce of his suppressed Karma Severing Qi and channeled it into the heavy iron blade of his battle axe. The surrounding air screamed as Tuoba Leng initiated a crushing overhead cleave aimed directly at Li Yu's head using a strength he had not shown this entire time. Showing that he had been holding back in his other fights.

A phantom projection of a collapsing mountain materialized behind the Sundered Peak champion. The intent was dense and suffocating as it sought to lock Li Yu in place and crush him under the weight of the descending strike. Tuoba Leng poured all of his rage and his bloodline power into the attack to ensure the arrogant Holy Son would not stand back up.

Li Yu remained standing in his original position as if he was frozen from fear. He did not attempt to evade the strike and he did not summon a defensive Qi shield about himself. He watched the heavy iron blade descending toward his face and analyzed the incoming force with cold precision.

The suppression array was working exactly as intended by the two sect leaders. Li Yu felt his vast reserves of energy restricted tightly to the peak of the Karma Severing realm. The power flowing through his meridians was capped at a specific limit to ensure a fair fight of techniques and intent.

The array could only suppress spiritual energy and the physical body to an extent though. It could not erase the physical density and the structural integrity of a Creation Lord that had undergone such a massive Tribulation. It was as fair as it got but it would never truly be fair for someone to step down in cultivation realms to fight another.

Li Yu possessed a body forged through heavenly tribulations and imbued with all kinds of different laws as well as his unique physique. His muscles, bones and tendons were fundamentally different from a normal cultivator that no suppression would change. His physical strength far exceeded the limits of the Karma Severing realm even when locked down and worst of all was that Li Yu still had no experience fighting at these higher realms yet. His journey back in time was faced with only weaklings that could not test his limits.

'I need to be very careful,' Li Yu thought to himself as the axe closed the final few feet toward his forehead. 'My Qi and body are restricted but my bodily strength is still monstrous within this realm. If I put my all into this swing, I will obliterate this plateau and turn this man into a red mist. I need to use the First Form: The Mountain Collapse with only a tiny fraction of my physical strength to begin with. A simple tap should be enough to deflect his weapon and knock him off balance so I can end the fight peacefully.'

Li Yu gripped Star Abyss with both hands and raised the heavy staff to meet the incoming axe. He deliberately withheld his Qi and relied solely on the raw physical power of his arms. He calculated the exact amount of force needed to create a solid parry to enact the rest of his plan. Li Yu aimed to match the momentum of Tuoba Leng and create a loud clash for the audience to enjoy so as to not embarrass the man too much.

The dark metal staff swung upward in a smooth and controlled arc. Li Yu felt confident in his restraint as he executed the foundational movement of his staff arts. He prepared his wrists for the jarring impact of the iron axe and waited for the sound of metal striking metal.

The calculation was sound in theory but the practical execution was a disaster just waiting to happen.

Li Yu had never fought a real duel while suppressing his Creation Lord body to such an extreme degree. His fine tuning control was severely untested in this specific state and he vastly underestimated the baseline power of his own muscles. Even a tiny fraction of his physical might carried a weight that defied the natural laws of the lower realms.

When Star Abyss collided with the descending battle axe, there was no loud clash of metal. There was no struggle for dominance and there was no prolonged stalemate between the two fighters. The dark staff met the heavy iron blade and passed right through it as if it was made of tofu. Both the staff and the man using it were so much better than the axe and the person wielding it.

The high tier battle axe forged from rare metals shattered into a cloud of fine gray dust upon impact. The incredible kinetic force generated by Li Yu's casual swing did not stop at the weapon either. The blunt end of Star Abyss continued its upward trajectory and caught Tuoba Leng squarely in the center of his reinforced leather armor with Li Yu realizing what had happened just in time to pull almost all of his power back before the staff struck Tuoba.

The sound of the impact still resembled a thunderclap tearing through a narrow valley.

Tuoba Leng's eyes bulged out of their sockets as the breath was violently forced from his lungs. The phantom projection of the collapsing mountain behind him shattered into a million pieces of broken light. The heavy gravity radiating from the World Anchor Stele had no effect on the overwhelming physical force transferring into his body. The dense muscles and the bone tempering he relied upon folded under the pressure like wet paper before a rock.

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The Sundered Peak champion was launched backwards with terrifying speed and he slammed into the stone floor of the plateau like a falling star afterwards. The thick rock cracked and gave way under his armored body as a deep crater formed instantly within the glowing boundaries of the suppression array. A shockwave of dust and debris exploded outward and rattled the silver runes of the dome.

Silence descended upon the Canyon of Sleeping Echoes once again. The howling wind died down and the only sound left was the gentle hum of the spatial rift high above the outer ridge.

The Sundered Peak disciples stood with their mouths hanging open in shock. Elder Kuang Shan dropped his arms to his sides and stared at the settling dust with a look of disbelief. Their unbeaten champion had been crushed in a single exchange by a man wielding a stick even if the stick looked quite impressive. The battle had ended before anyone could even process the clash of techniques.

Li Yu stood near the edge of the newly formed crater with Star Abyss resting casually on his shoulder once again. He kept his expression cool and detached as he looked down at the ruined stone before him. He acted like the devastating blow was exactly as he had planned from the very beginning.

Inside his mind, he was sweating profusely and scrambling to assess the damage.

'That was way too much force,' Li Yu yelled at himself internally while maintaining his calm exterior for the watching crowds. 'I barely flicked my wrists and I turned his weapon into powder. Thankfully I realized what was happening at the end and was able to pull nearly all of my power back before the staff struck him. I need to dial this way back or I am going to end up killing someone by accident. This body is absurd. I have zero calibration right now at this level and I am swinging this staff like a madman.'

He peered into the dust and searched for Tuoba Leng. From his senses he knew that Tuoba was alive but he still couldn’t see the man yet. The axe wielder lay crumpled at the bottom of the deep crater with his armor dented and cracked down the middle but his chest was still rising and falling with ragged breaths. The heavy body tempering of the Sundered Peak Sect had managed to save his life this time.

Up on the high pavilion, Sect Master Ling Wuji let out a long sigh of relief that ruffled his white beard. His sharp senses had swept over the crater the moment the dust settled. He confirmed that Tuoba Leng survived the strike with just a few broken ribs and a shattered pride. A death would have escalated the conflict into a blood feud but a severe beating was perfectly acceptable..

"It seems your champion lacks the heavy intent required to withstand a simple parry," Li Yu called out to the Sundered Peak disciples on the ridge. He infused a hint of disappointment into his voice to complete the performance and sell the illusion of his mastery. "I barely warmed up my shoulders and he is already sleeping in the dirt. Is there anyone else who wishes to test the standard of the sacred Heavenly Sword Sect or are you all going to hide behind your elder?"

The junior disciples of the Heavenly Sword Sect erupted into uproarious cheering. They threw their arms into the air and shouted praises for their Holy Son. The sound of their celebration echoed off the canyon walls and drowned out the humming of the spatial rift. The other disciples and elders smiled as their sect honor was regained.

Even though these fights happened often between the two sects and there was no real harm done, no one liked to lose. Winning or being on the winning side was always one hundred times better and bragging rights was always a thing both sides fought for.

No one could sense the physical miscalculation that had taken place inside the array. They only saw an overwhelming manifestation of martial truth. They believed Li Yu had utilized a hidden formless intent to shatter the enemy weapon and crush the arrogant brute without wasting a single drop of excess Qi. It was a flawless victory in their eyes and it validated the teachings they had discussed the night before.

Elder Kuang Shan snapped out of his shock and his face turned an ugly shade of purple. He leaped down from the upper ridge and landed heavily near the edge of the suppression dome. He pointed a thick finger at Li Yu and his voice trembled with rage.

"You cheated!" Kuang Shan roared while glaring up at the Sect Master's pavilion. "Ling Wuji, your Holy Son bypassed the array. No cultivator at the Karma Severing realm could produce that level of destructive force without utilizing higher level Qi. I demand you punish this boy for breaking the rules of our exchange."

Ling Wuji crossed his arms and looked down at the rival elder with a cold expression. He did not raise his voice but his words carried the weight of unquestionable authority.

"The silver runes of the array never flickered," Ling Wuji stated simply while gesturing toward the glowing dome. "The suppression matrix remained stable throughout the entire exchange and you should already know that since you are keeping an eye on it as well. Li Yu did not draw upon any energy above the peak of the Karma Severing realm. If your champion cannot handle the strength of a peer, that is a failure of your own teachings. Do not accuse us of cheating simply because you cannot accept a loss."

Kuang Shan ground his teeth together and stared at the glowing runes. He knew Ling Wuji was telling the truth. The array was intact and he would be the first one to know if Li Yu had forced his higher cultivation into the strike. The realization only made the humiliation burn hotter in his chest. His prized prodigy had been flattened by physical force of all things, one of the things he was most proud of.

"Fine," Kuang Shan spat on the ground and gestured for two of his disciples to retrieve Tuoba Leng from the crater. They hauled the unconscious champion away and dragged him back to the outer ridge. "The boy has some brute strength. I will give him that much. But strength alone does not win a fight. You think one lucky strike makes up for the softness of your own disciples?"

"It was not a lucky strike," Huo Zheng shouted back with a proud grin. "It was a lesson in humility. You should take notes, Kuang Shan."

The Axe elder refused to retreat in disgrace and ignored his words. Walking away now would leave a permanent stain on the pride of the Sundered Peak Sect and it would embolden their historical rivals for decades to come. He needed to reclaim their honor and crush the arrogant guest standing in the ring.

Kuang Shan turned to the group of heavily armored youths and looked past the youngest prodigies. He locked eyes with the older veteran juniors standing near the back. These were core disciples who had trained for centuries. They had spent hundreds of years tempering their bodies and refining their intent on deadly battlefields. They technically still qualified as the younger generation by orthodox standards but their experience far exceeded Tuoba Leng.

"Tuoba Xiong, Gongsun Bao," Kuang Shan called out the names of his most trusted veterans. "Step forward and prepare to fight. We are not leaving this plateau until we break the spirit of these gardeners."

The two veteran disciples pushed their way to the front. They were imposing figures wrapped in thick scars and heavy chainmail. They did not exude the loud arrogance of the younger prodigy though. Their eyes were cold and focused while their hands rested calmly on the hafts of their respective weapons. They possessed the quiet confidence of warriors who had survived countless life and death struggles.

Ling Wuji frowned and his voice carried a warning tone. "You are pushing the boundaries of this exchange, Kuang Shan. Sending your veterans against our younger prodigies is a desperate tactic. Look at how old our Holy Son is. You are going to send people hundreds of times his age to fight? You are acting like a sore loser."

"The rules were set," Kuang Shan sneered and reached into his spatial ring. "The younger generation fights and the array suppresses the realm. You agreed to the conditions. But since you feel we are being unfair, I will sweeten the pot to entice your participation."

He waved his hand and a pile of glowing resources materialized on the stone floor near the edge of the dome.

There were several large chunks of Dragon Vein Ore radiating a warm golden light. Next to the ore sat a dozen blocks of Void Steel which was highly sought after for forging spatial rings and high tier weapons. Kuang Shan finished the display by placing a wooden chest filled with rare beast cores pulsing with heavy earth intent. The wealth sitting on the stone plateau was enough as he knew the sect leader was just trying to gain additional benefits.

"We will place wagers on the remaining duels," Kuang Shan declared loudly so everyone could see the treasures. "If your disciples can defeat my people within the suppression dome, you keep the resources. If we win, you must publicly admit that the Axe Dao is superior to the Sword Dao in front of your own ancestral graves."

The Heavenly Sword Sect elders murmured among themselves. The wagers were incredibly rich but the ideological cost of losing was too great this time around. Admitting inferiority in front of the blades of their ancestors would not help the sect members to push forward, it would instead shatter the drive of the entire sect instead. It was a vicious trap designed to force them into a corner with no benefits this time.

Li Yu looked at the glowing pile of Dragon Vein Ore and a bright smile spread across his face. He did not care about the ideological dispute between the two sects but he understood things well enough to know what would happen if he were to take this challenge and lose. Li Yu wasn’t worried about losing though and he only saw a golden opportunity standing right in front of him. Touba might have been undefeated at their sect within the same realm but Li Yu was also undefeated within the same realm since he stepped foot onto the cultivation path.

He needed to practice fine tuning his control on highly durable targets without accidentally hurting people and these people were the perfect subjects. Tuoba Xiong and Gongsun Bao looked incredibly sturdy and their bodily tempering made them ideal test subjects for his calibration efforts. The fact that he would get paid a fortune or at least share in the spoils of some rare crafting materials just for practicing was a wonderful bonus for him.

"I accept the wagers," Li Yu called out eagerly before Ling Wuji could decline the offer. It was a selfish move by Li Yu but it was backed by his overwhelming confidence in his own victory. The Sect Master opened his mouth to stop him but Li Yu offered another reassuring nod to him.

"You brought out the good treasures, Kuang Shan," Li Yu laughed and pointed Star Abyss at the two veteran disciples. "I will fight them both. Let them step into the ring and we can continue the lesson. I will show you how brutes should really fight, the Zhan way!"

The junior disciples of the Heavenly Sword Sect cheered even louder than before. They viewed his eagerness as a defense of their sacred ground and a fearless display of martial ability and pride. Kuang Shan grinned a wicked smile and gestured for the first one to enter the dome. It was time for them to regain back some of their pride.