The Sword Lasts Forever

"What was your last move?" Long Qiqi felt that although Li Shiyin's last move looked ordinary, it was actually unusual.

"Sword intent!" Li Shiyin was very happy, leaning close to Long Qiqi's ear and whispering, "I have comprehended sword intent!"

"Sword intent?!" Long Qiqi widened her slender snake eyes, her emotions extremely complex for a moment.

She was naturally also happy for Li Shiyin, and proud that Li Shiyin had comprehended both sword qi and sword intent, but when she thought of herself, after two or three years of struggling, she had just barely stabilized the foundation stage... She couldn't help but feel jealous.

"How wonderful!" She smiled and said, "After Elder Lu Junxing, in the entire Dao Sword Sect, only you have comprehended both sword qi and sword intent!"

"Yes..." Li Shiyin nodded arrogantly, "It's indeed easy to comprehend sword intent!"

Long Qiqi looked at her and said, "Then it will be even easier to beat Ye Qingxuan and Yao Qingke later."

"Hehe, let's talk about it tomorrow!" Li Shiyin turned around and ran towards Arena No.1, "I'm going to tell Master that I've comprehended sword intent."

Long Qiqi watched Li Shiyin's back as the smile on her face disappeared little by little, then she sighed.

"Why are you sighing?" Chasing the Wind asked in puzzlement.

Long Qiqi gave him a sideways glance and said, "I'm tired of standing together with you geniuses!"

"Huh?" Chasing the Wind was startled, "But you always call us idiots!"

"You can be stupid and talented at the same time..." Long Qiqi said ethereally, "You must have traded your brains for talent! Look at you, you're the most stupid, yet the most talented."

"Then you can also trade your brains for talent," Chasing the Wind suggested.

"Hmm..." Long Qiqi glanced at him and shook her head, "forget it."

Li Shiyin excitedly ran to the foot of Arena No. 1, just about to share the good news of comprehending sword intent with Qin Ran, but before she could speak, she stopped.

Because she saw someone on Arena No. 1 who shouldn't be there...

Elder Lu Junxing!

According to Long Qiqi's calculations, Elder Lu's number this round should be 9, which means he should be at Arena No. 9, not Arena No. 1.

"Did Qiqi calculate wrong?" Li Shiyin thought to herself.

But no matter whether Long Qiqi calculated wrong or not, the fact was that Elder Lu Junxing was battling on Arena No. 1; his opponent was another elite disciple, ranked seventh; and the referee overseeing this fight was her master.

Li Shiyin wasn't familiar with that disciple, but no matter who he was, he was ranked seventh on the Elite Disciple Rankings, his strength wouldn't be weak; plus the strongest of this generation, Elder Lu Junxing...

And her master Qin Ran, the referee, only had Early Golden Core cultivation.

"Master?" She knew Qin Ran was very powerful, but... she was worried.

She looked up at the arena and saw that Qin Ran was also looking solemn, completely focused on the fight above, unaware that she had arrived.

Watching the two fighting on the arena, Qin Ran didn't dare let his mind wander at all.

Firstly, he had to be ready to reposition himself at any time to avoid being hit by the "stray shots".

Secondly, the two on the stage were very powerful, so if he made a move to prevent his disciples from getting hurt, he would have to go all out.

The protective barrier around the arena had already been activated by Qin Ran. Now inside this barrier, there were countless strands of sword qi suspended in the air, intertwining with each other, vaguely forming a picture... or an array.

Every time Elder Lu Junxing struck with his sword, he would leave behind a strand of sword qi. These strands of sword qi gradually consumed the open space in the arena, interweaving with each other to form mountains and rivers, as if they were the mountains and rivers that made up the country. To Qin Ran, this was an array.

A sword array, to be exact.

Sword qi could not last long by itself. Once separated from the sword cultivator's control, it would quickly dissipate between heaven and earth. But sword intent could remain for a long time. The sword intent left behind by ancient sword cultivators who had comprehended sword intent could still be found centuries later.

And if sword intent was fused into sword qi, then the sword qi could remain forever with the sword intent.

What Elder Lu Junxing was demonstrating now was precisely this technique.

He had fused the Carefree Sword Intent into the Mountain and River Sword Qi, so the Mountain and River Sword Qi could linger in the arena. Then, the sword qi formed the mountains and rivers that made up the country.

Although Li Shiyin was very worried about Qin Ran's situation right now, when she saw Elder Lu Junxing's skills, she still gained some comprehension.

After all, very few sword cultivators comprehended sword intent, and even fewer comprehended both sword qi and sword intent. So now, in the entire Dao Sword Sect, probably only Elder Lu Junxing could guide Li Shiyin on the path of the sword.

Elder Lu Junxing was clearly stronger than his opponent. Throughout the fight, he seemed relaxed, casually fending off the other's attacks again and again, while silently leaving behind strand after strand of sword qi. In his plan, when the mountains and rivers that made up the country were formed, the junior brother across from him would have to surrender and admit defeat without fighting.

In Elder Lu Junxing's eyes, this was a way to win without harming anyone or damaging harmony.

But in his opponent's eyes, this was an insult!

Seeing that the mountains and rivers were about to be completed, if he didn't stake it all, he would be tortured to death by humiliation. This elite disciple resolutely decided to explode.

He instantaneously drew out all his remaining magic power and detonated it like suicide, exploding out a violent tempest of magic...

Boom!

The frenzied tempest exploded in the arena!

Elder Lu Junxing didn't expect his junior brother to choose to end the battle in this way. He was completely unprepared for the violently exploding tempest of magic.

...Of course, the might of that magic tempest was great, but it wasn't actually that terrifying. It didn't pose a threat to Elder Lu Junxing, and the arena's protective barrier could withstand it too, but...

At this time, there were still countless strands of sword qi carrying sword intent left by Elder Lu Junxing in the arena!

It was like stuffing countless nails into a package of explosives, instantly increasing the destructive power exponentially.

As the magic tempest exploded, carrying countless sword qi surging outward, the protective barrier blocked it for a moment, then it swirled back inward. In an instant, countless strands of sword qi carrying sword intent wildly shot around inside the arena's protective barrier!

"Fuck! It's just a spot to challenge the peak..." Watching the terrifying scene in the arena, a chill went down Qin Ran's spine as he cursed inwardly, "Is it necessary to go all out like this?!"

But there was no other way, he was the referee, he had to ensure his disciples' safety...

He raised his hand to summon the Nine Regions Cauldron and with a "clang" covered the self-detonating disciple within it.

Then he first used Dreamlike Illusion to transform himself into water form to ensure his own safety, before using Dreamlike Bubble Shadow to summon a huge bubble to cover the arena, preventing the protective barrier from shattering and the sword qi from shooting out and injuring passersby.

As for Elder Lu Junxing... pray for blessings! If the strongest disciple of this generation was killed by his own sword qi, it would still make for a "great story".

Sure enough, it didn't take long for the protective barrier to be pierced through by the rampaging sword qi. The sword qi then started attacking the bubble Qin Ran had summoned.

The tremendous impact made Qin Ran grunt, but ultimately, the bubble he summoned stabilized between expansion and contraction without breaking. Then he gradually shrank it, shrinking it into a ball and tossing it onto the arena floor.

Qin Ran's face was ghastly pale, but he still put on an air of a powerful expert. He put away the Nine Regions Cauldron and said lightly to the Peak disciple, "Does this junior have any objections to declaring you the loser of this match?"

Having narrowly escaped death, the disciple looked at the sword scars on the arena floor, then at the nonchalant Elder Lu Junxing. He sighed and nodded, "No objections."

"The winner of this assessment is Elder Lu Junxing," Qin Ran announced the final result.

Elder Lu Junxing put away his sword, took out his wine gourd, and walked towards Qin Ran while drinking and looking him up and down. He smiled and said, "Little Martial Uncle, your strength is inadequate!"

Qin Ran looked at him and said, "As expected of Elder Lu Junxing, ranked first on the Elite Disciple Rankings."

"Just an empty reputation..."

As the two were chatting, suddenly...

"Master!"

Li Shiyin shouted and jumped onto the stage, grabbing Qin Ran and nervously checking him up and down, then asked again, "Master, are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Qin Ran allowed Li Shiyin to examine him and nodded.

"Phew..." Li Shiyin let out a breath, then asked, "Elder Martial Brother, how come you came to Master for your assessment? Shouldn't you be at Arena No. 9?"

Qin Ran shook his head and sighed, "The referee for Arena No. 9 said he had a stomachache and couldn't make it."

"..." Li Shiyin immediately understood. This was obviously an excuse made up by someone afraid of overseeing Elder Lu Junxing's assessment.

Hmm... Although there was indeed an incident in the end.

Originally, Lu Junxing, who was drinking and watching the fun on the side, narrowed his eyes when he heard Li Shiyin's words.

He asked: "Junior sister... How did you know I was supposed to take the assessment at Arena No. 9?"

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