Chapter 19

Hearing that all the third-generation disciples of the Quanzhen Sect had gathered, Ma Yu, who had been sitting with his eyes closed, opened them and looked at the many disciples before him with satisfaction. He then slowly spoke.

"Each of you is a pillar of our Quanzhen Sect. Your future achievements are boundless. Today, in the martial arts competition among fellow disciples, remember to prioritize harmony. Do not rely on brute force. If I find anyone taking advantage of the competition to harm others, do not blame me for being unsentimental and enforcing the sect rules!"

Ma Yu's voice was not particularly loud, but the many disciples standing dozens of meters away heard him clearly. When he spoke the last few words, his voice boomed like thunder, making everyone dizzy and disoriented.

Qiu Chuji couldn't help but praise, "My senior brother's cultivation has become even more profound. Just this one move shows that his internal skills are probably already superior to mine."

The other five disciples all nodded in agreement, feeling inferior.

Ma Yu looked around, and seeing that everyone was obedient and respectful, he nodded in satisfaction. He waved his hand, and a Taoist boy brought forward a large box.

"I announce, the sect competition... begins!"

Amid the cheers of the crowd, Ma Yu reached into the box and took out two lists. He read them carefully and then announced, "Yu Zhicheng versus Liu Zhixuan! The two disciples, step forward."

The two third-generation disciples slowly stepped forward, bowed to the Seven Immortals of Quanzhen, and then took their stances, ready to spar.

Ma Yu stroked his beard and called out loudly, "Begin!"

The two disciples moved simultaneously, drawing their long swords. The tips of their swords hung low, and their bodies leaned slightly forward. Each used the "Phoenix Comes to Pay Homage" move from the Quanzhen Sword Technique.

"Phoenix Comes to Pay Homage" is the weakest move in the Quanzhen Sword Technique, resembling a bow, and is used as the opening move in sparring to show harmony among fellow disciples.

After the formalities, the two began to fight. Their internal skills were evenly matched, and they had both practiced the Quanzhen Sword Technique. They were also familiar with each other from daily practice. This kind of sparring was not uncommon. The two swords flashed, and their movements were light and agile, each matching the other.

Su Yi watched for a moment and then turned away with a sneer.

Ma Yu and the others also showed signs of dissatisfaction. The two disciples' sword techniques looked beautiful at first glance, but their movements were superficial. They had sacrificed power for beauty, and some of the sword techniques had even been slightly altered, making them look more graceful but less powerful. They were typical examples of high aspirations and low skills.

After about the time it took to burn an incense stick, Yu Zhicheng finally won over Liu Zhixuan by a narrow margin.

Facing Yu Zhicheng, who was excited and bowing to him, Ma Yu shook his head and sighed, "Zhicheng, your insight is excellent, and you have made rapid progress in recent years. However, you have neglected the fundamentals of martial arts. You must be down-to-earth and build a solid foundation. Now, you focus too much on elegance and neglect the essence of the sword technique. If you abandon those superficial things, you would have won this match more easily!"

Yu Zhicheng, drenched in sweat, bowed and said, "Disciple thanks Master for the guidance and will not repeat this mistake in the future!"

After saying this, he bowed and stepped back.

Ma Yu announced again, "This match, Yu Zhicheng wins! Next match, Zhao Zhijing versus Liu Zhiyi!"

Su Yi's expression suddenly changed. He nudged Yin Zhiping and whispered, "It's his turn so soon. This is a good chance to see how his skills compare to yours."

Yin Zhiping shook his head and whispered back, "It's hard to tell. Liu Zhiyi is Zhao Zhijing's junior, and he always follows his lead. This match is just a formality."

Sure enough, as Yin Zhiping predicted, the two went up and fought for a short while. Zhao Zhijing didn't even draw his sword and easily defeated Liu Zhiyi.

Su Yi couldn't help but sneer, "Even the fight is fake. You can't even act properly, Yin Senior Brother. You were really useless to be overshadowed by such a clown for years."

Yin Zhiping was so struck by Su Yi's words that he rolled his eyes, thinking, "What can I do? They are many and strong."

After several more matches, the participants were all fellow disciples Su Yi had never seen before, and their martial arts skills were not particularly impressive. Su Yi yawned repeatedly, and the six Quanzhen elders were each busy with their own affairs. Some were sipping tea, some were meditating, and the only female elder, Qingjing Sanren Sun Bu'er, was already talking to the female disciples behind her.

"Next match, Yin Zhiping versus Wang Zhiyuan!"

Su Yi, who had been drowsy, suddenly perked up.

Yin Zhiping, looking grim, whispered, "Wang Zhiyuan is also Zhao Zhijing's junior. He will definitely try to exhaust my strength. In the past, I always lost to Zhao Zhijing because I had already used up too much strength and internal energy."

After saying this, he clicked his tongue in dissatisfaction and slowly walked forward.

After they bowed to each other, Wang Zhiyuan, as if injected with adrenaline, shouted and charged at Yin Zhiping.

Yin Zhiping slightly raised his sword scabbard to block the incoming sword, and his long sword hummed as it was drawn to slash at Wang Zhiyuan's lower body.

Seeing Yin Zhiping attack, Wang Zhiyuan quickly retracted his sword to defend. He used the Quanzhen Sword Technique to protect himself, making it impossible to penetrate his defense. He was determined to avoid any mistakes.

Faced with Wang Zhiyuan's tight defense, Yin Zhiping was like a mouse trying to bite a turtle, finding no place to attack. After fighting for two incense sticks, he finally found an opening and knocked Wang Zhiyuan down. He then took a deep breath and stood there, his forehead already covered in sweat.

Ma Yu nodded in approval and called out, "Yin Zhiping wins!"

Yin Zhiping slowly walked down and whispered to Su Yi, "Among these people, about half are Zhao Zhijing's juniors. In every competition, most of my opponents are from this group. By the time I face Zhao Zhijing, I am already exhausted and cannot perform at my best, so I naturally lose easily. But this year, with you here, I hope my luck is better and you can help me take on some of the opponents. I need to rest and recover my strength now."

After saying this, Yin Zhiping closed his eyes and began to slowly recover his strength.

"Next match, Gao Zhili versus Lu Zhiyao!"

"Next match, Liang Zhihua versus Chen Zhipeng!"

"Next match, Sun Zhijie versus Zhou Zhirong!"

"Next match, Li Zhibin versus Liu Zhichao!"

As the sun gradually set, the number of eliminations increased. The competition rules were simple, with no revival rounds like in later times. Those who lost were eliminated, and those who won advanced. Each round eliminated half of the participants until only four remained.

Soon, the first round of the competition was about to end.

Ma Yu took a piece of paper from the box and called out, "Next match, Yang Kang versus... hmm?"

He reached into the box for a moment, then his face showed surprise and a wry smile. He called out helplessly, "Yang Kang, bye, automatically advances!"

"Hey? ? ? ! ! !"

A chorus of surprised exclamations echoed, and the hundreds of voices even caused resonance, making people's ears ring. It was even louder than Ma Yu's announcement before the competition.

Qiu Chuji, who was sipping tea, also spat out a mouthful and couldn't help but cough repeatedly.

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