191: Chapter 191 Qingyang Sword Formation!

The second round of the competition came to a close at dusk.

The victorious Disciples returned to their respective places, and the discussions on the viewing platforms rose and fell; some said Chu Xuan's sword techniques had improved again, others said Duan Xinghe's starlight Sword Intent had become more refined, and still others said that those two mysterious young men, Xu Mo and Han Jun, might become the biggest variables.

But everyone shared a common understanding—tomorrow's third round would be the true Peak showdown.

According to the rules of the Cloud Sea Grand Ceremony, the third round would adopt a round-robin points system.

The five people with the highest final points would obtain the Xuanhuang Key and represent the Southern Wilderness in heading to the Xuanhuang Fortress to compete for the command flag.

Seventeen promoted Disciples were competing for five spots, and every match could determine their final stay or departure.

Night fell, and the lights in the Yundian Ancient City lit up one after another; spiritual light still flickered within the residences of the various factions, as clearly, no one had relaxed because of the day's victory.

Nothing happened throughout the night, and the next morning, as the sky just began to brighten, the viewing platforms around the battle arena were already packed.

The crowd, even more packed than the day before, surrounded the entire square, and those Cultivators who arrived late could only stand on the steps at the edge of the viewing platform, standing on tiptoe to peer toward the battle arena.

Flags of various colors fluttered in the morning breeze, and an indescribable sense of tension permeated the air, like a bowstring pulled to its limit, waiting only for the command to be released.

After taking his seat in the main position, Ancestor Zhou Huaixu stood up and announced the start of the third round of the competition.

Before his voice had completely faded, a voice already transmitted clearly from the jade tablet in his hand.

"First match: Kunlun's Lu Jinghan versus Qingyang Sect's Chu Xuan."

The entire venue went silent for a moment, then erupted into even more fervent discussion than the day before.

Lu Jinghan, the Kunlun Senior Brother—this name had been circulating among the younger generation of the Southern Wilderness for too long, but few people had truly seen him fight with his full strength.

As for Chu Xuan, the once-in-a-century sword Dao Genius of the Qingyang Sect, with his Void Refining Middle Stage cultivation and his Qingyang Sword Art, he had defeated his opponents within three moves in both the first and second stages; no one had ever been able to force out his full strength.

The two stood up almost simultaneously; Lu Jinghan rose from the Kunlun seating area, his expression calm, and walked down the viewing platform with measured steps, heading toward the battle arena along the bluestone path.

Behind him, the gazes of Zhou Tianchen and Ao Qin followed his back; neither spoke, but that look of certainty already said everything.

On the other side, Chu Xuan also stood up from the Qingyang Sect's seating area, raising his hand to grasp the cyan longsword beside him.

When he reached the edge of the battle arena, he paused slightly, then stepped up onto the stage.

The two stood still in the center of the battle arena, separated by over ten zhang.

Morning light poured down from the edge of the eastern Cloud Sea, stretching their figures long.

The discussion below the stage gradually died down, and everyone held their breath, their gazes tightly locked on the two figures on the battle arena.

Chu Xuan spoke first; his voice was not loud, yet it clearly reached the ears of everyone present, carrying a calm and sharp edge unique to Qingyang Sect Disciples: "Fellow Daoist Lu, I have long admired you. When you reached the seventh floor of the Nine Heavens Tower in the Purple Bamboo Forest, I was actually in that vicinity."

He paused, looking directly at Lu Jinghan, "I always had some regrets about not being able to cross swords with you back then."

Lu Jinghan stood opposite him, his expression calm, his right hand resting on the hilt of the Jinghan Sword at his waist, his tone equally flat: "Today is just right."

The corners of Chu Xuan's mouth turned up slightly, and he did not say anything more.

He slowly drew the longsword from its sheath; the sword body was entirely cyan, with a slender golden pattern running along the sword spine, glowing with a warm luster in the morning light.

The moment the sword was unsheathed, a sharp Sword Intent spread in all directions, allowing the Cultivators in the few rows closest to the battle arena on the viewing platform to clearly perceive that sharp aura.

Lu Jinghan also moved; the sound of the Jinghan Sword being unsheathed was not loud, yet it was as clear as if it were right by one's ear.

The sword body presented an overall pale and calm ice-blue, with silvery-white light faintly flowing within the sword spine.

He did not release any pressure, nor did he deliberately urge his Sword Intent, simply standing there quietly holding his sword.

But within that calmness, it seemed to hide a deeper kind of power that made one unable to ignore it.

Below the stage, Xu Mo's gaze landed on Lu Jinghan.

From the moment Lu Jinghan stood up, he had been watching him.

Since their last battle, Xu Mo had always wanted to find another opportunity to fight Lu Jinghan, but due to the plan, he had been holding back for a long time.

Beside him, Han Jun's expression remained cold, though his gaze also lingered on Lu Jinghan for a moment, without paying too much attention.

Han Jun was different from Xu Mo; he was entirely cultivated by the Black-robed Man and only knew how to obey orders.

In a seat in the corner of the viewing platform, that Black-robed Man was still sitting in an inconspicuous position.

He was slightly tilting his head, his gaze piercing through the morning light and landing on Lu Jinghan.

He had not expected that Kunlun would actually have a Space-Time Dao Body; if he could seize it, it would certainly be of huge help to his subsequent plans.

It was just that provoking Kunlun now was not a wise move.

He still had to wait for the others to awaken; by then, even if Kunlun had Immortals, they would be unable to resist.

On the battle arena, Chu Xuan moved first.

His figure darted forward, and the cyan longsword carved a sharp arc through the air.

The sword light was refined and pure, carrying a sharpness that seemed as if it wanted to slice the heavens and earth apart, heading straight for Lu Jinghan's shoulder.

Lu Jinghan dodged to the side, and the Jinghan Sword slashed out horizontally, a silvery-white light flashing and vanishing on the sword's edge.

Chu Xuan's eyes narrowed slightly; he did not meet this sword strike head-on, but instead turned his body, and the cyan sword thrust out again from a tricky angle.

The two figures crossed rapidly on the battle arena, and as sword light flickered, every collision was accompanied by a crisp clanging sound that spread outward.

The Cultivators watching from below simultaneously eased their breathing, their gazes tightly locked on the two intertwined figures.

Chu Xuan's sword momentum changed abruptly on the third move.

The originally sharp and direct sword edge suddenly retracted, transforming into a swirling arc, leaving several cyan sword light afterimages in the Void Realm.

Those afterimages did not immediately dissipate, but instead, like a net woven from streaks of Sword Qi, closed in on Lu Jinghan from all directions.

As the sword lights intertwined, a refined Sword Intent permeated the air as if it were tangible, making one feel as if they were placed within an invisible sword formation, with every afterimage carrying real sharpness.

Someone below the stage exclaimed in a low voice: "Qingyang Sword Formation! Is Chu Xuan getting serious so quickly?"