Watching the Mountain

Deceitful Blade Chen Chang’an was ranked alongside Yue Qingyu, Zhang Zhentian, and Ye Qingxue as one of the four Heavenly Prodigies of the Profound Pure Sect, but his fame paled in comparison to the other three, both within the Cultivation Realm and the Profound Pure Sect itself.

Within the Profound Pure Sect, he was often overlooked. People knew the Sect had four Heavenly Prodigies, but they only ever discussed and remembered three of them. As for the fourth, they could rarely recall his name.

It wasn’t until this very moment, after seeing Chen Chang’an speak with the Demon Sect’s representative, Zhao Wuyang, that it suddenly dawned on many from the Profound Pure Sect.

’Oh, so he’s the Sect’s fourth Heavenly Prodigy! Right, our Sect actually *does* have four of them.’

This was Chen Chang’an. Despite cultivating the supremely domineering Sword Dao, he had no presence and was easily overlooked.

And to the people of the Cultivation Realm, the name Deceitful Blade carried far less weight than those of the other three from the Profound Pure Sect.

His performance was inconsistent.

In ordinary spars, one could argue he was deliberately holding back. However, on the Evil Demon Battlefield—the place that truly brought him to prominence—the stakes were life and death. No one believed he could still be holding back there.

What people found most fascinating about Chen Chang’an was his record on the Evil Demon Battlefield. When facing the prodigies from the Evil Demon Race and Phoenix Race who had inflicted such heavy casualties on the Cultivation Realm, he maintained a fifty-percent win rate. In every battle he won, his opponent died. In every battle he lost, he survived.

But the battles that truly cemented his fame were his encounters on the Evil Demon Battlefield with Tianxiezi, the leading figure of the enemy’s younger generation. He fought Tianxiezi ten times, lost all ten, and survived every single encounter.

Prior to this, Tianxiezi had inflicted devastating losses upon the Immortal Ancient Cultivation Realm. Countless brilliant prodigies had fallen at his hands, and no one who faced him in direct combat had ever survived.

Then came Deceitful Blade Chen Chang’an. The fact that Tianxiezi failed to kill him in ten battles was a testament to his strength. At the same time, however, it also revealed his limits. He was far from being invincible among his peers, unlike Yue Qingyu and Zhang Zhentian.

So now, hearing the words "always win" from Chen Chang’an, the assembled prodigies from the various sects were stunned. Their eyes glinted as they sized him up.

’Could it be? Has the Deceitful Blade’s Dao advanced another step? Has he reached the level of Yue Qingyu and the Evergreen Sword Saint?’

’If that’s true, then the Profound Pure Sect is truly something else.’

’How many times has this sect shocked everyone recently?’

First came figures like Yue Qingyu and Zhang Zhentian. Then there was Sword Dao Ye Shan and Master Vermilion Bird Ning Xiyue, who had reached the very apex of the Sword Dao and Array Dao respectively. And on top of all that, there was a modern-day Shennong who refused to reveal their name.

Any one of these achievements, in any other sect, in any other era, would be enough to merit its own Chapter in the history books.

Yet at the Profound Pure Sect, all these figures had emerged in the same era, within an incredibly short span of time. It was a source of immense curiosity.

On the surface, the gathering of these prodigies from various sects seemed to be a show of great respect for the Profound Pure Sect. After all, they all hailed from top-tier factions backed by Divinity Transformation Daoist Monarchs, factions that were several tiers above the Profound Pure Sect.

In reality, however, they were simply satisfying their own curiosity. It was rumored that even the Upper Three Sects had planned to send representatives to see what was so miraculous about the Profound Pure Sect, but their pride and status ultimately kept them away.

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After a long silence, the Demon Sect’s representative, Zhao Wuyang, was once again the first to speak. He looked at Chen Chang’an, his face cold, and said,

"What, Fellow Daoist Chen? Are you finally done with the act? Ready to show your true strength?"

Chen Chang’an shook his head, his expression calm. "No," he said. "I just want to test my own limits."

"Hm?" Zhao Wuyang frowned, his sharp gaze fixed on him.

Chen Chang’an met his gaze calmly. The words Ye Shan had spoken to him after one of their spars, back before he had fallen into silence, echoed in his mind:

"Your bladework lacks confidence and courage, and even more, it lacks conviction. If you keep this up, I’d advise you to switch weapons. You’re simply not suited for the blade."

Chen Chang’an had never forgotten those words, but he could never understand why Ye Shan had said them. In every battle, he gave his all and fought with his life on the line. He had always trusted the blade in his hand completely, believing that with it, he could face anything.

And yet, Ye Shan had insisted he lacked confidence, courage, and conviction. He didn’t understand it, nor could he accept it. But since the words came from Ye Shan, he never forgot them.

But today, facing the prodigies from the various sects who had come to probe Senior Sister Yue’s true strength, he suddenly felt that he was beginning to understand Ye Shan’s words.

In past battles, whenever he faced an enemy he couldn’t defeat, his first instinct was to retreat, because he always had a way to survive.

But this battle was different. He could not retreat. He could not lose. He could only win, again and again, until every last challenger was defeated.

Never before had he craved victory as he did today.

The world only knew that he had become a True Disciple at a relatively late age. What they didn’t know was that before then, he had been utterly mediocre, unable to find his path, and had nearly died during a mission.

It was Senior Sister Yue who had saved him from the brink of death and guided him onto the path of a Sword Cultivator.