Chapter 20: Tianyuan Sword Sect
Jian Meng'er stepped forward, step by step. Her peerlessly beautiful face and proud, aloof figure made her seem like a divine maiden whom others could only gaze up at from afar, never hoping to touch. Every movement she made drew the eyes of everyone around her.
"Jian Meng'er, sixteen years old, Great Achievement of the Sea-Forming Stage! She has completely mastered all eighteen of the first-class sword arts of the Sword Pavilion! At this rate of cultivation, she has a genuine hope of breaking through and forming her Golden Core before the age of twenty!"
"A Golden Core expert before twenty? My heavens!"
The many Sword Marquis Manor disciples around the training grounds, seeing this peerless beauty, could not help but sigh with admiration.
Spiritual Dao Seventh Layer, spiritual power forming a sea, Innate Golden Core—of these, the Innate Golden Core already marked a top-tier expert. The Sword Marquis Manor currently had only one Golden Core expert: the manor's lord, Jian Xinhong.
And what did a Golden Core expert under the age of twenty represent?
"She's too dazzling, too monstrous—so monstrous that we can't even summon the slightest desire to compete with her."
"A super genius the Sword Marquis Manor sees once in a century. No wonder she has a chance at such a young age to become the next Pavilion Master of the Sword Pavilion. With a peerless genius like her, never mind the Sword Marquis Manor—who in the entire Bashui Prefecture could compare?"
Even the great figures in the viewing stands now stared fixedly at Jian Meng'er with burning eyes. Nearly all of them had come precisely for her—Bai Chong being somewhat of an exception.
Jian Meng'er, the proud and aloof girl who had become the focus of all attention, walked to the center of the training grounds and then went straight toward Jian Wushuang in the crowd. Her cool, clear voice rang out without a trace of emotion. "Jian Wushuang, I heard you've finally condensed your spiritual power and become a warrior. Congratulations."
Jian Wushuang turned his head and gave Jian Meng'er a cold glance, saying nothing.
Jian Meng'er was not offended and continued, "Although you've become a warrior and even managed to break through to the Spiritual Dao Sixth Layer in such a short time, which is indeed remarkable, the gap between us is absolutely not something you can close in a mere two months. So my advice to you: don't come to challenge me today!"
"Don't come to challenge you?" Jian Wushuang let out a scoff and said coldly, "Two months ago, the moment you and your father set your sights on the position of Sword Pavilion Master, this battle became inevitable."
"Stubborn. But you've always been that way." Jian Meng'er's eyes remained icy. "I know you're unwilling to accept this, but there is an uncrossable chasm between us. Why come here to humiliate yourself?"
"Humiliate myself? You think rather highly of yourself," Jian Wushuang said.
"Fine. Since you won't listen to reason, don't blame me for what happens. In a moment, I will use absolute strength to make you utterly despair and shatter that foolish little hope in your heart," Jian Meng'er said in a cold voice.
"Then I'll be waiting to see," Jian Wushuang replied.
Jian Meng'er said nothing more, simply standing casually at the center of the training grounds. Although all those around her were geniuses among the younger generation of the Sword Marquis Manor, these so-called geniuses seemed to have turned transparent before her. Standing amid the crowd, she was like a crane among chickens, every movement drawing every eye.
Though the exchange between Jian Meng'er and Jian Wushuang had been very brief, everyone nearby had noticed it.
"Jian Meng'er was talking to Jian Wushuang. What did she say?"
Jian Wushuang and Jian Meng'er had spoken in low voices, and the training grounds were extremely noisy to begin with, so apart from a few genius disciples standing beside them, no one had caught their conversation. And precisely because they couldn't hear, their curiosity only grew.
"I heard that two months ago, Jian Wushuang swore a blood oath to face Jian Meng'er in open battle today!"
"I heard that too. This Jian Wushuang really doesn't know his own limitations. Dare to challenge Jian Meng'er? Among all the young disciples of our Sword Marquis Manor, who would even be qualified to challenge that heaven-favored daughter? Jian Wushuang—a good-for-nothing who only condensed his spiritual power two months ago—on what grounds?"
"You can't quite put it that way. Though Jian Wushuang was late in condensing his spiritual power, it took him only one month to break through from the Spiritual Dao First Layer to the Sixth Layer. That speed is simply unbelievable."
"So what? He's still only at the Spiritual Dao Sixth Layer. Another month has passed now—could he possibly have broken through to the Seventh Layer? Or could he have leaped straight to the Sea-Forming stage and be able to stand against Jian Meng'er? What a joke!"
"True enough."
No one believed otherwise.
There was one more person on the grounds paying particular attention to Jian Wushuang—Jian Lin.
One month ago, Jian Lin had been defeated at Jian Wushuang's hands, and defeated miserably at that. He had been stewing in humiliation ever since, and today was his chance to wash away that disgrace.
"Jian Wushuang." Jian Lin clenched his hands tightly, silently repeating Jian Wushuang's name.
All the young disciples who had cleared the first five floors of the Trial Pagoda had now gathered at the center of the training grounds. Jian Lan was just about to announce the start of the competition when—two figures appeared at the edge of the training grounds.
"Hm?"
The great figures on the high platform sensed it at once, and several sharp gazes turned in that direction. Even Bai Chong, who had been lounging lazily the whole time, could not help casting his eyes toward the two figures.
"An Innate Golden Core! And a Golden Core at its peak as well!"
The great figures above the viewing stands all grew solemn.
An Innate Golden Core was absolutely a top-tier expert in Bashui Prefecture. The few people qualified to sit in these viewing stands were all Innate Golden Core experts, though most of them were only at minor achievement of the Golden Core stage. Jian Xinhong was somewhat stronger, having reached great achievement, but he was still a considerable distance from the peak.
Only one person present might possibly have reached the pinnacle of the Golden Core stage—Bai Chong. But that was only a possibility, and since Bai Chong rarely made a move, no one knew for certain. Yet now, of these two who had arrived so suddenly, the one leading them was unmistakably a Golden Core peak expert.
"It's her?" Bai Chong's pupils contracted slightly—he had clearly recognized the visitor.
"Mr. Bai Chong, you know her?" Jian Xinhong asked quickly.
"Mm." Bai Chong nodded. "The Ninth Elder of the Tianyuan Sword Sect, Shui Hanxin. She was already at the Golden Core peak ten years ago!"
"The Tianyuan Sword Sect?"
"And an elder, no less!"
The viewing stands erupted in shock. These were all great figures of Bashui Prefecture, people of considerable knowledge and experience—they all knew of the Tianyuan Sword Sect.
The Tianyuan Sword Sect was one of the five great sects of Tianyan Province. It was said that the sect even had several experts who had reached the Yin-Yang Void Realm, to say nothing of its abundance of Golden Core experts. Throughout all of Tianyan Province, it was an absolute colossus—a truly top-tier sect.
Compared to the Tianyuan Sword Sect, the powers of Bashui Prefecture—even the strongest of them, the Sword Marquis Manor—were simply not in the same league. After all, Tianyan Province had a full one hundred and eight prefectures, and Bashui was merely one of them.
As for an elder of the Tianyuan Sword Sect, both in status and in strength, such a figure commanded the complete, reverent gaze of every great figure present. At the same time, they were curious—what business did an elder of the Tianyuan Sword Sect, someone of such standing, have at the Sword Marquis Manor?
At this moment, Jian Lan, also on the viewing stands, said with some smugness, "Everyone, there is no need to worry. Elder Shui has come specifically for my daughter."
The great figures were all taken aback.
Meanwhile, Jian Meng'er, who had been standing like a crane among chickens at the center of the training grounds, was already walking forward to greet the arrivals.