220: Chapter 220 Seven Summit Martial Arts Tournament

The Qixia Sect consisted of seven Peaks, which were the seven lineages of the Legacy.

There was only one Treasure Trove, and it had to be divided among the seven lineages. How should it be split?

Should it be divided equally, or based on merit? There was a lot of nuance involved in this.

At this moment, in the Sect Master's main hall, the Peak Masters of all seven Peaks were seated. Each one of them was a person of profound Aura; sitting there, they were like mountains, and the mere Aura they emitted made the Disciples serving in the hall break out in a cold sweat.

The Peak Master of Chixia Peak was a burly, red-faced man with a fiery temper, and he was the first to speak.

His voice was like a booming bell, shaking the dome of the hall until it hummed: "Is there even a need to discuss this? Naturally, those with the greatest merit should receive the most! My Chixia Peak Disciples have slain the most demons from the Demonic Sect on the battlefield, charged at the very front, and shed the most blood. Based on war merit, my Chixia Peak deserves the largest share!"

As soon as his voice fell, the Peak Master of Bixia Peak let out a cold laugh.

The Peak Master of Bixia Peak was a middle-aged woman with a cold expression and eyes as sharp as knives.

She said unhurriedly: "Peak Master of Chixia Peak, that statement is biased. Does killing more enemies equate to greater merit? How many wounded did our Bixia Peak Disciples save on the battlefield? How many lives of our fellow Disciples did we protect? Without our Bixia Peak supporting from the rear, what use would your fierce charges be? In terms of merit, our Bixia Peak is no less than yours."

Upon hearing this, the Peak Master of Chixia Peak's eyes widened, and he slammed his large hand heavily onto the armrest: "Bullshit! Killing enemies on the battlefield is the only real, tangible merit!"

"Who are you calling bullshit?" The Peak Master of Bixia Peak's gaze turned cold.

The two Peak Masters clashed right on the spot.

The Peak Master of Jinxia Peak was an old man with white hair and beard. Seeing the two arguing incessantly, he frowned and spoke up to smooth things over: "Alright, alright, say less. Instead of arguing back and forth, why not just split it equally? Each of the seven Peaks takes one share, so no one takes advantage of anyone else."

As soon as these words were spoken, the Peak Master of Qingxia Peak shook his head.

"Split equally? I'm afraid that's not appropriate." The Peak Master of Qingxia Peak was a middle-aged man with the appearance of a scholar, his tone steady and logical: "The seven Peaks each have different specialties, and their roles on the battlefield are also different. Some Peaks specialize in offense, some in defense, and some are responsible for logistics. If we just divide it equally, it would be too unfair to those Peaks that contributed more."

"Then how do you suggest we divide it?" The Peak Master of Jinxia Peak retorted.

The Peak Master of Qingxia Peak was silent for a moment, unable to provide an answer that satisfied everyone.

The seven Peak Masters argued back and forth, each having their say, but no one could convince the other.

The atmosphere in the main hall became increasingly tense, and the expressions of the several Peak Masters were not very pleasant.

Finally, the Sect Master spoke.

The Sect Master had not spoken the entire time, sitting upright in his high seat, quietly listening to the arguments below. Now that he spoke, the entire hall instantly fell silent.

All seven Peak Masters shut their mouths in unison, casting their gazes toward the Sect Master.

"Since you cannot reach a conclusion," the Sect Master's voice was calm, yet carried an unquestionable majesty, "then listen to me."

The seven Peak Masters all pricked up their ears.

The Sect Master scanned everyone and said slowly: "Our Qixia Sect has not held the Seven Peaks Tournament for a long time."

Upon hearing this, the expressions of the seven Peak Masters shifted slightly.

The Sect Master continued: "This is the perfect opportunity. Over the past two years, geniuses have emerged from all your sides; some have achieved a Breakthrough in their Realm on the battlefield, and some have recruited promising new talent. Let us take this opportunity to hold a Seven Peaks Tournament."

He paused, his voice deepening: "The Treasure Trove will be distributed based on the tournament rankings. The Peak ranked first gets the largest share, and so on."

The main hall was silent for a moment.

The Peak Master of Chixia Peak was the first to agree: "Good! I agree!"

The Peak Master of Jinxia Peak also stroked his beard and nodded: "Using martial arts to determine the outcome is the most fair."

The Peak Master of Bixia Peak nodded slightly: "I agree as well."

The remaining Peak Masters exchanged glances and nodded one after another.

"Then it is settled." The Sect Master waved his hand, "Go back and prepare."

The news spread quickly.

Peak Master Su Hanyan returned to Zixia Peak, and her first task was to summon all the Elders of the Peak.

In the council hall, the lights were bright. Peak Master Su Hanyan recounted the matter of the Seven Peaks Tournament from beginning to end. Once she finished speaking, the Elders present began to discuss it.

A white-haired Elder spoke first, sighing: "The Seven Peaks Tournament... our Zixia Peak's strength is not weak, but wanting to take first place, I'm afraid, won't be that easy."

Another Elder continued: "Chixia Peak has produced a Genius named Cao Yun, who has already achieved a Breakthrough to the Peak of the Fifth Grade. You have all seen that kid's strength on the battlefield with your own eyes; he is truly fierce."

Someone else added from the side: "It's not just him. Senior Brother Wang Yidao from Jinxia Peak, do you remember him? That kid has also achieved a Breakthrough to the Peak of the Fifth Grade, and his sword technique is outrageously strong. With these two around, Chixia Peak and Jinxia Peak will certainly secure the top two spots. For us to take first place... it's difficult."

The expressions of the Elders present were somewhat grave.

"It would be better to aim for the top three." An elderly Elder spoke slowly, "We can't compete for first or second, but we can fight for the top three. As long as we get into the top three, the share of the Treasure Trove we receive won't be too little."

This suggestion was agreed upon by the majority of the Elders.

Next, it was time to select the participants.

The Elders spoke one after another, calling out the names of the Disciples on the Peak who were capable, discussing it heatedly.

Just then, Peak Master Su Hanyan suddenly asked: "How is Lin Tian doing?"

The council hall went silent for a moment.

An Elder paused, then said with some hesitation: "Lin Tian? He... I'm afraid he won't do, right?"

Another Elder also frowned and said: "He might not even have the qualifications to participate. Even if he did, we cannot place our hopes on him."

"Exactly." The Elder next to him echoed, "He hasn't been to the battlefield and hasn't experienced life-or-death tempering, so his combat experience must be lacking by a huge margin. Besides, his cultivation... if I remember correctly, two years ago he had just achieved a Breakthrough to the Early Stage of the Fifth Grade, right? In two years, even with good luck, he would only have reached the Middle Stage of the Fifth Grade, which isn't enough to be seen in the Seven Peaks Tournament."

The other Elders nodded one after another.

Peak Master Su Hanyan shook her head, her tone calm and firm: "Lin Tian's sword technique is very strong, and his martial arts foundation is excellent. Summon him back and let him contribute."

Since she had spoken, the Elders could not say anything more.

"Very well." The leading Elder nodded, though his expression remained dismissive, "Then let's summon him back."

They agreed verbally, but in their hearts, they did not place any hope on Lin Tian.

A Disciple who had never been to the battlefield, whose cultivation at most was only at the Middle Stage of the Fifth Grade—what could they expect from him?

Their gazes were all focused on two other people.

Shen Haoran.

Qiao Yiyi.

These two were the truly top Prodigies of their Zixia Peak. Having experienced life-or-death tempering on the battlefield against the Demonic Sect, their combat experience was far richer than that of ordinary Disciples.

More importantly, both of them had achieved a Breakthrough on the battlefield, stepping into the Late Stage of the Fifth Grade.

The Late Stage of the Fifth Grade—this was the capital needed to compete for the top three.

The Elders knew in their hearts that for this Seven Peaks Tournament, Zixia Peak's hope rested entirely on these two.

As long as either Shen Haoran or Qiao Yiyi could make it into the top three, then Zixia Peak would not be considered to have lost this time.

As for Lin Tian? He was just coming back to make up the numbers.

Far away at Yunhai Fishery, Lin Tian did not know that he had already been regarded as someone to make up the numbers by the Elders.

In the courtyard, he continued to Cultivate and raise fish as usual. His days passed unhurriedly, yet his strength was growing bit by bit.

This morning, he had just finished practicing a set of Great Strength Vajra Palm, his blood and Qi surging, and steam rising from his forehead.

Just as he was about to return to his room to regulate his breathing, he suddenly heard the sound of flapping wings outside the courtyard.

He looked up and saw a carrier pigeon flying in from the distance, landing on the courtyard wall.

Lin Tian walked over, untied a thin bamboo tube from the carrier pigeon's leg, and pulled out the note inside.

There was only one line of text on the note, in Peak Master Su Hanyan's handwriting.

"Return to Zixia Peak immediately to participate in the Seven Peaks Tournament."

Lin Tian looked at this line of text, his eyes narrowing slightly.