Chapter 1735: Solitary Moon Heavenly Palace
"Then tell me this."
The man in green spoke calmly.
"Can you kill Li Tianxing with a single sword strike?"
The disciple instantly choked on his words.
Kill Li Tianxing with one strike?
That was a joke.
Being killed by Li Tianxing in one strike was far more realistic.
"B-But..."
The disciples of Solitary Moon Heavenly Palace still wanted to argue, but the green-robed man cut them off.
"That's enough. I've already made my decision."
His tone remained calm.
"At a time like this, for someone like him to appear in this ancient city, his target is obviously that ruin as well. Since that's the case, I might as well see for myself exactly what he's capable of."
The green-robed man looked toward the disciple who had delivered the report.
"Send the invitation according to my instructions."
"Yes!"
The disciples finally stopped objecting.
Even so, they still found it difficult to understand.
A mere native from the Dongling Region was being regarded so highly by Senior Brother Xiao.
...
Dongling Region Camp.
After several hours of meditation and recovery, Ling Feng had completely stabilized the two sword wills within his body.
Their circulation had become smooth and flawless, without the slightest obstruction.
Not only that, but the embryonic form of his Sword Force, which had remained stagnant for a long time, had finally begun to improve once more.
With the divine ability Heaven-Seizing Sword Condensation Art, his progress in Sword Dao could only be described as advancing a thousand miles in a single day.
However, after reaching Great Perfection Sword Will, absorbing Sword Soul Crystals to improve Sword Force was no longer nearly as effective.
Thinking about it, that made perfect sense.
If Sword Force were as easy to advance as Sword Will, then the Xijian Region, where Sword Dao flourished above all else, would be overflowing with experts who had comprehended Sword Domains.
At that moment, Ling Feng held a crimson invitation card in his hand.
Its edges were trimmed in gold.
On the cover was the image of a sword, set against the backdrop of a solitary moon.
A sharp aura seeped from the card itself.
That aura alone was enough to make cultivators with weak wills uneasy and fearful.
The invitation had been delivered by Murong Bai and Yue Huaqing.
As for Shi Haoxuan, he had already entered seclusion to study the Great Sun Burning Heaven Sword Art.
Murong Bai had previously been injured by Long Tengyuan.
However, after receiving treatment from Ling Feng's Profound Art of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, he had mostly recovered.
The moment he felt the aura emanating from the invitation, his expression changed drastically.
His Sword Dao attainments were considered respectable within the Dongling Region.
In the Xijian Region, however, they probably would not even qualify as average.
Yue Huaqing also felt a slight chill in her heart.
A mere invitation carried such overwhelming pressure.
It was probably a form of intimidation in itself.
"Solitary Moon Heavenly Palace. Xiao Juanyun?"
Ling Feng slowly opened the invitation and skimmed through its contents.
The message was simple.
At noon tomorrow, he and the geniuses of the Dongling Region were invited to gather in the center of the ancient city.
"Who exactly is this Xiao Juanyun?"
Ling Feng closed the invitation and looked toward Murong Bai.
"Xiao Juanyun..."
A trace of fear flashed across Murong Bai's eyes.
He clenched his fists and said through gritted teeth,
"He's a truly powerful expert."
"Oh?"
Ling Feng asked calmly.
"What makes you say that?"
"When we first arrived in the ancient city, Senior Brother Shi defeated several experts from the Xijian Region. His goal was to establish our reputation and secure a foothold here."
Murong Bai took a deep breath before continuing.
"Everything went smoothly at first. Then we encountered the disciples of Solitary Moon Heavenly Palace."
"Senior Brother Shi directly challenged Xiao Juanyun."
"The result..."
Murong Bai paused briefly.
"The result was that Senior Brother Shi suffered internal injuries that still haven't fully healed."
Ling Feng nodded slightly.
He did not need to hear the rest.
Shi Haoxuan had clearly suffered a crushing defeat.
Without those internal injuries, Long Tengyuan would never have been able to push him into such a desperate situation.
"In that case, this invitation from Xiao Juanyun is a trap?"
"Probably not."
Murong Bai shook his head.
"Xiao Juanyun is a genuine swordsman. He's nothing like Long Tengyuan."
"After defeating Senior Brother Shi, he personally offered medicine to help him recover. Senior Brother Shi refused to accept it."
"More importantly, although he defeated Senior Brother Shi, he never made things difficult for us. Otherwise, we might not even have been allowed to stay here."
"Mhmm."
Ling Feng rubbed the bridge of his nose.
From the sound of it, this Xiao Juanyun was indeed someone noteworthy.
The ancient city was connected to a mysterious ruin.
This so-called tea gathering was probably an opportunity for everyone to gauge one another's strength.
Which suited Ling Feng perfectly.
He also wanted to see just how powerful the true experts residing in this ancient city really were.
"Very well."
Ling Feng smiled faintly as he put away the invitation.
"Tomorrow at noon, I'll meet this Xiao Juanyun."
The night passed in the blink of an eye.
This was the first time Ling Feng had left the Dongling Region camp since arriving in the ancient city.
Because Shi Haoxuan was in seclusion studying the Great Sun Burning Heaven Sword Art, Ling Feng would have to handle matters alone this time.
Of course, after relentless pleading from Yue Huaqing, he ultimately agreed to bring her along.
Murong Bai joined them as well to serve as a guide.
After all, nobody was perfect.
Even Ling Feng had one glaring weakness.
He had absolutely no sense of direction.
Before long, the three arrived at the central district of the ancient city.
Since the invitation came from Xiao Juanyun of Solitary Moon Heavenly Palace, nobody dared refuse him face.
The ancient city lay in ruins, and conditions were crude.
As a result, the so-called tea gathering was simply an open-air meeting.
Geniuses from the various major factions of the Xijian Region had gathered together.
A quick glance revealed nearly a hundred participants.
Compared to them, Ling Feng's group consisted of only three people.
They looked pitifully outnumbered.
"So many people!"
Yue Huaqing widened her eyes in surprise as she looked at the crowd ahead.
"The entry quotas are different for each region."
Murong Bai explained quietly.
"Our Dongling Region only receives a hundred slots."
"The Xijian Region receives around five hundred."
"As for the Zhongyuan Region above them, they receive at least a thousand."
He paused before continuing.
"I've heard Sunset Ancient City has as many as thirty-three levels."
"The highest record achieved by the Dongling Region in nearly a thousand years was only the tenth level."
"The gap between us is simply too great."
Ling Feng rubbed his nose and shrugged.
His expression remained completely calm.
"Let's go."
Soon, the three reached the outer perimeter of the gathering area.
Two swordsmen carrying massive greatswords stood guard at the entrance.
Both wore the robes of Solitary Moon Heavenly Palace disciples.
Judging from their auras, their strength was roughly comparable to Long Tengyuan's.
Solitary Moon Heavenly Palace...
Interesting.
A sharp light flashed across Ling Feng's eyes.
His curiosity about Xiao Juanyun only grew stronger.
"Huh? Why are people this weak attending the tea gathering?"
"Wait. They don't seem to be geniuses from the Xijian Region."
"Damn, there's even an Extreme Human Emperor among them. With a lineup this pathetic, they must be those trash from the Dongling Region."
The appearance of Ling Feng's group immediately attracted ridicule from many Xijian Region geniuses nearby.
Ling Feng acted as though he had heard nothing.
He simply took out the invitation and handed it over.
The two Solitary Moon Heavenly Palace disciples opened it and examined it carefully.
After giving Ling Feng a thorough look, they immediately stepped aside and allowed him to enter.
"What? He has an invitation?"
"Wait, I remember now!"
"Could this guy be the one who killed Li Tianxing from Dragon Sword Heavenly Manor with a single sword strike?"
"No way!"
"He's only an Extreme Human Emperor!"
"You're telling me he instantly killed a Fifth Level Divine Destiny Realm expert?"
At once, numerous hostile gazes locked onto Ling Feng and his companions.
Ling Feng remained completely unconcerned.
He simply shrugged and ignored them all.