Chapter 174 The Grand Competition (Part 3)

The cold, black-robed youth leading them was a standout among the previous generation of Core Disciples of Heavenly Sword Peak. Although his talent was slightly inferior to the later-enrolled Saint Jian Wushuang and Yun Feiyang, he had already entered the Soul Transformation Early Stage many years ago. His "Rift-Sky Sword Art" was fierce and peerless, and he had long held a fearsome reputation among the Core Disciples.

He stood up slowly, his voice not loud, but carried by spiritual power, clearly spreading across the nearby jade platforms and even the area below: "I have been in seclusion for a long time and did not know that such an interesting Junior Brother had appeared in the Sect. I, your Senior Brother, feel my hands itching and would like to spar with you."

After speaking, Li Feng did not wait for Mu Changge's response—or rather, he did not care if the other party responded at all. His figure flickered slightly; he did not use any astonishing movement technique, but simply stepped out, as if "walking" down from the high jade platform. His pace seemed slow, but beneath his feet, it was as if there were invisible stairs. With a few flickers of his figure, he had crossed the surging crowd below and landed steadily on the edge of the arena where Mu Changge was located.

He did not immediately step into the arena, merely standing with his hands behind his back outside the light barrier. His gaze was sharp as a sword, piercing directly at Mu Changge on the stage. Although the Spiritual Pressure of the Soul Transformation Stage was not fully released, it permeated quietly like an undercurrent, bringing a heavy sense of oppression.

The movement of the cold, black-robed youth seemed to be a signal.

"Since Senior Brother Li has such refined interest, this younger brother will join in the fun and ask for a few pointers from this Junior Brother as well."

"Let's go together, it's just right to loosen up our muscles and bones."

"To be able to make Senior Brother Li feel such interest, this Junior Brother must truly have something extraordinary about him. We are also very curious."

Responses echoed one after another from the jade platform where he was located and several adjacent ones. Figures shifted, and more than a dozen silhouettes stood up, some with smiles, some with playful expressions, and others with scrutinizing gazes. These people were all dressed in the black robes representing Core Disciples. Their Auras varied in strength, but even the weakest had the cultivation of the Late Nascent Soul Stage, and among them, four or five had spiritual power fluctuations that were obscure and deep, seemingly reaching the threshold of the Soul Transformation Stage! They clearly followed the lead of Li Feng (Saint of Heavenly Sword Peak).

These dozen Core Disciples did not swarm up, as that would look too unsightly. Like stars surrounding the moon, or perhaps like tacit companions, they drifted down from the jade platforms one after another, two or three at a time. Seemingly casual, they landed around Mu Changge's arena from different directions, subtly surrounding him in the center.

Li Feng stood at the edge of the arena. Seeing Mu Changge act as if he did not see him, his gaze only indifferently sweeping over the dozen fellow Disciples who had surrounded him, a flash of astonishment crossed his face, but it was quickly replaced by coldness. He cleared his throat, his voice deliberately carrying a hint of condescending "guidance":

"This... must be Junior Brother Mu Changge, right? I am Senior Brother Li Feng, a Core Disciple of Heavenly Sword Peak. Seeing that Junior Brother's skills were quite extraordinary just now, this unworthy brother has been in seclusion for a long time, and today, seeing something that piqued my interest, I have come to ask for a few pointers. Surely Junior Brother would not mind..."

Before he could finish speaking, he was interrupted by a flat, emotionless voice.

"If you want to fight, then fight." Mu Changge's gaze did not even fully land on Li Feng's face; he merely glanced at him casually, then swept his eyes over the dozen people who had subtly surrounded him. His tone carried an undisguised impatience, "Don't waste time. Also, you alone are not my opponent."

He paused, and under the gaze of those dozen pairs of eyes that had suddenly become sharp, astonished, and even angry, his thin lips parted slightly, and the words he uttered were earth-shattering:

"Come together."

The air seemed to freeze at this moment.

Around the arena, whether it was the ordinary Disciples of the Peak Masters who were intimidated by the Aura of Li Feng and the others, or the experts from various peaks watching the commotion from further away, and even some Elders on the high platform, all thought they had heard wrong.

Come together?

An Inner Sect Disciple who looked to be only at the Nascent Soul Middle Stage, actually dared to use such a casual, almost disdainful tone in front of a dozen Core Disciples (some of whom were at the Soul Transformation Stage), telling them to come together?

"Arrogant!"

"Presumptuous!"

"You don't know the immensity of heaven and earth!"

After a brief dead silence, there was an angry rebuke that erupted like a volcano. Which of those dozen Core Disciples was not a proud person? In their daily lives, they were figures who were respected and looked up to by the Core Disciples of the Peak Masters. When had they ever received such contempt? Especially Li Feng; his face, which had still maintained a faint smile, instantly darkened until it could drip water. Cold light shot from his eyes, and killing intent flashed and vanished.

"Junior Brother Mu!" Li Feng's voice was spat out slowly, carrying bone-chilling coldness, "Junior Brother, even if your talent is outstanding, you should not be so arrogant and rude! With such high-mindedness and lack of respect for your Elders, how can you shoulder great responsibilities in the future? Today, I will teach you on behalf of the Sect's masters what it means to respect one's Elders, and what it means to...!"

"Noisy."

Mu Changge interrupted him again, the impatience in his tone having turned into undisguised annoyance. He did not even look at Li Feng again, as if the righteous lecture was merely the buzzing of a mosquito.

The next second, he moved.

There was no earth-shattering explosion of Aura, no dazzling light of spiritual power. A faint flash of light appeared in his hand, and a long sword appeared. The sword remained unsheathed.

Then, his figure disappeared.

No, he did not disappear, but was simply too fast. In the eyes of the vast majority of the watching Disciples, only a series of blurry, faint afterimages that seemed to appear in different positions simultaneously remained!

"Careful!"

Li Feng was, after all, a Cultivator of the Soul Transformation Stage (the strongest among them), and his spiritual sense far exceeded others. The moment Mu Changge moved, he felt a sense of warning and shouted sharply. At the same time, the spiritual power within his body surged wildly, his protective spiritual light was instantly pushed to the limit, and a cold flash appeared in his hand—a long, narrow sword that looked like autumn water and radiated a chilling cold air had been unsheathed. It was his Lifebound Treasure, the "Rift-Sky Sword"!

However, his warning and reaction were, in the end, too slow.

No, it was that Mu Changge was too fast!

The first afterimage appeared in front of a Late Nascent Soul Stage Core Disciple on Li Feng's left. The Disciple's face still held anger and a hint of astonishment that had not yet fully coalesced, his finger raised halfway, seemingly wanting to point at Mu Changge and rebuke him. Mu Changge's figure had already stuck to him like a ghost, and the sheathed long sword in his hand was thrust forward with seemingly casual ease. The tip of the scabbard hit his raised right wrist pulse with extreme precision, and a concentrated, tricky Sword Qi (or force) penetrated his body.

"Ugh, ah!" The Disciple felt his right arm go numb and painful instantly, his spiritual power circulation was abruptly interrupted, and his whole body felt as if he had been electrocuted. He screamed and flew backward, and while still in mid-air, a mouthful of blood sprayed out. He fell directly out of the arena, hit the ground heavily, and could not climb up for a moment.

The second, third, and fourth afterimages flashed almost simultaneously.

"Slap!" A Core Disciple who had just drawn his sword half an inch was struck by the hilt of the sheathed long sword on his Jianjing acupoint. His long sword fell to the ground with a "clatter", and his whole body collapsed softly as if his bones had been removed.

"Bang!" Another person roared and blocked with his sword. The blade met Mu Changge's scabbard, but he felt an irresistible force coming through. The web between his thumb and index finger split, his long sword flew out of his hand, and his chest was immediately struck by the end of the scabbard. His vision went black, and he fell backward.

"Swoosh!" Another person retreated rapidly, trying to create distance to cast a sword art, but Mu Changge's figure followed like a shadow. The scabbard struck like a poisonous snake, arriving first despite starting later, hitting his Mingmen acupoint on his lower back. The person's body stiffened, his protective spiritual light shattered like paper, and with a muffled groan, he fell to the ground, unable to move.

Lightning fast!

From the time Mu Changge said "Noisy" to the moment his figure flashed, it was only a matter of three or four breaths! The dozen or so Core Disciples surrounding the arena had already had seven or eight people scream, groan, and fly out of the arena in various awkward postures, or collapse on the edge of the arena, having lost their combat effectiveness. They had not even been able to see Mu Changge's movements clearly, nor had they been able to mount an effective resistance before being easily defeated by that unsheathed long sword in the simplest, most direct way.

Only then did Li Feng's "Rift-Sky Sword" arrive with a shrill whistle, turning into a cold silver lightning bolt, stabbing at an afterimage of Mu Changge that had not yet fully dissipated! Where the sword light passed, the air seemed to be torn apart, leaving a faint black trace, showing its astonishing sharpness.

"Over here."

The flat voice rang out behind Li Feng like a ghost.

Li Feng was terrified. Without thinking, he turned and swept his sword horizontally. The sword light was like a ribbon of silk, sealing off a large space behind him. However, what he swept through was still air.

Mu Changge's true body had appeared three feet to his side at some point, still with that flat expression. The sheathed long sword in his hand was lightly swinging from bottom to top at an inconceivable angle toward the opening under Li Feng's ribs, which had been exposed due to his turning sweep.

Li Feng was, after all, a Soul Transformation Cultivator with rich combat experience. At the critical moment, he forcibly twisted his body, his left palm glowing with a metallic sheen, and he slapped the striking scabbard in a rush, while simultaneously exerting force under his feet, wanting to retreat rapidly.

"Slap!"

Palm and sword (scabbard) met.

There was no expected clash of metal, nor was there a roar of exploding spiritual power.

Li Feng only felt that his palm, which had enough power to split stones and contained the vigorous spiritual power of the Soul Transformation Stage, seemed to have slapped an indestructible piece of metal. Most of the force was deflected and guided to the side!

"Pfft!"

Li Feng felt a sweetness in his throat, and a mouthful of blood was forcibly swallowed back down, but the spiritual power within his body had been shaken into chaos by this tricky force. His body stumbled backward uncontrollably, leaving footprints of varying depths on the hard arena with every step, and he actually retreated all the way to the edge of the arena!

"You..." Li Feng was shocked and angry, and also carried a trace of unbelievable terror. He could not understand why the other party, who was clearly only in the Nascent Soul Stage, could so easily break through his defense and shake his internal organs? That unsheathed sword, and that strange movement technique and way of exerting force...

However, Mu Changge did not give him any time to think.

At the very moment he was stumbling backward, his old strength exhausted and new strength not yet generated, and his posture most unstable, Mu Changge's figure approached like a ghost again. This time, he did not use his sword.

He just lifted his foot.

Then, he kicked lightly.

"Bang!"

A muffled sound.

In the dull, shocked, and unbelievable gaze of all the onlookers, Li Feng, whose cultivation had reached the Soul Transformation Early Stage and who was considered a figure among the Core Disciples, was like a sandbag kicked away. His whole body left the ground, drawing an unsightly arc, crossing the protective light barrier at the edge of the arena, and then...

"Boom!"

He fell solidly on the hard ground outside the arena, rolling several times before stopping, disheveled and in a sorry state. He wanted to flip and jump up immediately, but the strange, vibrating force within his body was still raging. For a moment, his blood and Qi were churning, and he actually could not stand up immediately.

On the arena, Mu Changge's figure had already returned to the position where he had first stood, as if he had never moved. The sheathed long sword in his hand had disappeared at some point, and he stood with his hands behind his back again, his clothes not even ruffled. The sunlight fell on his calm, waveless profile, reflecting not a ripple.

The entire arena area of the Great Competition fell into a dead silence.

Only the sound of the wind, and the faint sounds of fighting coming from other arenas in the distance, as if from another world.

Everyone's gaze was fixed on that edge arena, on the solitary figure standing proudly on the arena, on the dozen Core Disciples lying horizontally and vertically under the arena, groaning, or barely climbing up but full of shame and anger, especially Li Feng, who had just struggled to stand up, his face turning green and white, wishing he could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

One-hit kill!

A true, suspense-free, near-crushing one-hit kill!

One against a dozen, with opponents all being Core Disciples of the Late Nascent Soul Stage or even the Soul Transformation Stage, and he even... did not unsheathe his sword!

This strength, this composure, this... dominance!

On the high platform, Yun Feiyang, who had been watching the battle indifferently, slowly sat up straight, bright light shooting from his eyes. Shi Xin's rugged face showed an expression of mixed solemnity and excitement. Feng Wuchen put down the book in his hand, his brows slightly raised. Even the few Grand Elders on the highest jade platform slightly opened their half-squinted eyes, and their gazes toward Mu Changge held a hint of scrutiny and surprise.

Mu Changge seemed unaware of all this.

He slowly lifted his eyes, his gaze crossing the noise and silence, and landed precisely on the Disciple jade platform at the highest point, on the figure who was always sitting in the center of the crowd, surrounded by golden light and awe—Jian Wushuang.

Four eyes met from afar.

The corners of Mu Changge's mouth curled upward extremely slightly.

That was not a smile, without the slightest warmth. It was a crystal-clear arc full of mockery, disdain, and provocation. He said nothing, but that slightly upturned corner of his mouth, that calm yet penetrating gaze, had already spoken louder than a thousand words.

It was as if saying: The dog you sent over, is this all the ability he has? Your methods, only this much?

Jian Wushuang, sitting on the jade platform, saw the calm he had barely maintained recede rapidly. Although it was an extremely subtle change, his eyes, which always carried indifference and control over everything, had pupils that shrank to the size of needles in an instant. The hand holding the jade armrest tightened suddenly, his knuckles turning slightly white due to the force, and the high-quality armrest even made a slight, unbearable "creak" sound.

A cold, bone-chilling anger and killing intent churned and roared in the bottom of his heart.

He had never thought that this son of the Mu Family, whom he had previously regarded as an ant that could be kneaded at will, would dare, and would be able, to defeat the person he sent so easily under the eyes of everyone, and... actually dare to provoke him like this.

The monstrous anger rushed to his heart in an instant. His knuckles gripped the exquisite armrest beside him tightly, the force in his palm increasing constantly. The hard material of the armrest already had signs of indentation, and in the next second, it was about to be pinched into hideous cracks. But just at this critical moment, a clear, scrutinizing gaze quietly cast from not far to the side, landing lightly on his somewhat gloomy profile. (Saintess's gaze)

The sudden gloom and distortion on his face faded rapidly as if it were an illusion, and he returned to that high and above, indifferent and majestic calm.

He slowly turned his head back, crossed the noisy crowd, and met Mu Changge's provocative gaze steadily. Not only was he not furious, but a faint light of near-pleasure flashed in the depths of his eyes. It was a kind of excitement of seeing the prey about to step into the perfect trap.

'Jump, jump to your heart's content, Mu Changge...' Jian Wushuang chewed the name silently in his heart, the cold killing intent replaced by a deeper, more vicious calculation, 'The more outstanding you perform, the more arrogant, the more eye-catching, the better... I am just worried that I cannot find a high enough place to throw you down. Now, you have personally pushed yourself to the forefront of the storm...'

'When you stand high enough, and are watched and expected by everyone... I will then make public the ironclad evidence of you killing fellow Disciples and harming Wang Meng... At that time, the expression on your face will definitely be ten thousand times more wonderful than it is now. Falling from the clouds into the mud, despised and scorned by everyone, wished to be quickly removed... That is the ending you deserve.'

'And this little bit of provocation and complacency now... what does it count for? It is nothing more than... the wriggling of a dying insect.'

Jian Wushuang leaned back into his chair slowly, his gaze moving away from Mu Changge and throwing it back toward the vast arena below, as if the one-hit kill that had shocked the whole scene just now, and that provocative gaze, were just insignificant little episodes. Only the fingertips that were slightly tapping on the armrest betrayed that his heart was not as calm as it appeared on the surface.