Chapter 67

In the hall, Bai Xiaosheng and Duan Yu were seated. Duan Yu savored the fragrant tea in his hand and praised, "Big Brother Bai, the tea here is truly excellent!"

Bai Xiaosheng smiled but said nothing. How could his tea not be good? This tea was made from leaves he had cultivated using knowledge from the future, making it the top-grade tea in Dali, which ordinary people could hardly afford.

"By the way, you haven't said why you came to my Famous Sword Manor," Bai Xiaosheng asked again. Duan Yu, however, did not respond directly. He looked around and said, "Big Brother Bai, the arrangement here is also very good, it looks very comfortable, much better than the mansion..."

"You little rascal, didn't you run away from home again?" Seeing his appearance, Bai Xiaosheng chuckled, recalling Duan Yu's departure from home at the beginning of *Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils*. Back then, Duan Yu was unwilling to learn martial arts, but now, although he still did not want to learn those killing techniques, he was not completely without martial skills. Why did he run away from home again?

"Hehe..." Duan Yu laughed foolishly and explained in a low voice, "Big Brother Bai, you know, my father has always kept a close eye on me, and I never had the chance to go out and see the world. This time, I took the opportunity when my father wasn't paying attention and sneaked out. Big Brother Bai, please don't send me back!"

"You little scoundrel..." Bai Xiaosheng shook his head and laughed, saying, "You came at the right time. In three days, there will be a martial arts competition on Wuliang Mountain. Do you want to go and join in the fun?"

"Sure, sure!" Duan Yu's eyes lit up, saying, "I've never seen what the martial world is like, it would be great to go and see it."

Bai Xiaosheng nodded and threw a scroll to Duan Yu, saying, "If you want to participate in the competition, you need to master the content of the scroll. Otherwise, I won't take you."

Duan Yu, puzzled, opened the scroll and found that it was not martial arts but a series of footprints, involving the I Ching and the Eight Trigrams, which greatly interested him. After carefully reading it, he understood and confidently said, "Big Brother Bai, don't worry. In less than three days, I will definitely learn the steps on the scroll."

Bai Xiaosheng nodded and walked out of the hall, returning to the backyard, while Duan Yu seriously studied the scroll and soon went to the front yard to practice the steps.

These steps were precisely the Lingbo Weibu. Without the Lingbo Weibu, Duan Yu would have no means of self-protection in the martial world. Indeed, his Beiming Shen Gong was very powerful, but with his current skills, he could not catch anyone, making the Beiming Shen Gong useless. Moreover, Duan Yu did not yet know the effects of the Beiming Shen Gong. If he did, he might not practice it or use it to attract internal energy, which was not what Bai Xiaosheng wanted.

"But this guy is truly a genius in martial arts. In just a few years, his internal energy has reached such a level!" When he saw Duan Yu, Bai Xiaosheng noticed that his eyes were glowing and his breath was restrained, clear signs of advanced internal energy. In just over four years, he had cultivated his internal energy to such a high level, which was quite remarkable.

Standing alone on the tower, Bai Xiaosheng gazed at the sky, his right hand resting on the sword. In the manor, he did not carry the sword on his person but placed it on the sword altar in the tower. This was the highest place in the manor, and Bai Xiaosheng hoped that the sword could absorb the essence of the sun and moon, enhancing its power. It might seem a bit ridiculous, but for the sake of his small fantasy, he did not mind doing so.

Feeling the warmth of the sword in his hand, Bai Xiaosheng's mind was unusually calm. He slowly drew the long sword, and a faint glow seemed to flow on the black blade, making the sword look somewhat hazy.

With a single swing, a whistling sound arose, and a sword beam about a foot long appeared at the tip of the sword, extremely sharp. This was the result of Bai Xiaosheng's four years of practice. His sword beam had already surpassed Zhuo Bufan!

Although the sword beam technique was extraordinary, once the principles were understood, it could be quickly mastered, and with sufficient internal energy, it could be sustained indefinitely. Although Bai Xiaosheng did not have Zhuo Bufan's extraordinary experiences, his sword technique was at a very high level, and he had created this sword beam technique based on the Dali Duan family's Yizhi Finger. He did not know how Zhuo Bufan was, but he could maintain the one-foot sword beam for half an hour.

Although this time was not long, compared to when it was first created, it had been extended significantly.

'The sword beam is incredibly sharp, transformed and compressed from internal energy. My internal energy has also made great progress, but it still seems insufficient!' Bai Xiaosheng looked at the sword beam and felt a bit disappointed.

In the past four years, Bai Xiaosheng had made great progress in all aspects, and even in the highest realm of "no technique," he had made significant improvements. However, it was like running on a long road with no end in sight.

Rapidly increasing strength but no end in sight left one feeling uncertain.

In the blink of an eye, three days passed, and early in the morning, Bai Xiaosheng, Qin Shuang, and Duan Yu set off for Wuliang Mountain. After half an hour, the three, using the Lingbo Weibu, arrived outside Wuliang Mountain.

Due to the East and West Sword Sects' competition, Zuo Zimu and Xin Shuangqing invited many people to watch the battle. The two personally greeted the guests at the mountain gate. Seeing Bai Xiaosheng and the others arrive, Zuo Zimu hurriedly welcomed them, saying, "The arrival of Lord Bai Xiaosheng brings great honor to the Wuliang Sect. Please come in!" Xin Shuangqing, who did not recognize Bai Xiaosheng, had heard of his name and quickly stepped forward, saying, "It turns out that Lord Bai Xiaosheng of the Famous Sword Manor has come in person. Xin Shuangqing welcomes you!"

These two clearly had some ulterior motives, but Bai Xiaosheng did not care. He followed the Wuliang Sect disciples into the mountain gate and sat in the main hall.

"Big Brother Bai, what is the reason for the Wuliang Sect's competition?" Duan Yu asked curiously.

Bai Xiaosheng explained, "The history of the Wuliang Sword Sect is very long, far surpassing your family. They were founded during the Later Tang Dynasty of the Five Dynasties period. During the Song Dynasty, they split into the East, North, and West Sects. Every five years, the disciples of the three sects compete in Wuliang Mountain. The winner can stay in Wuliang Mountain for five years, and in the sixth year, they compete again. Forty years ago, the North Sect lost the competition, and the sect leader, in a fit of anger, led his disciples to Shanxi, reportedly settling in Mount Tai. Since then, it has been the East and West Sects, and for thirty-five years, these two sects have been in constant conflict."

"Big Brother Bai, if the three sects came from the same school, why did they split?"

Bai Xiaosheng shook his head, saying, "How would I know? It's a secret of the Wuliang Sword Sect, but I imagine it's all about power struggles."

Duan Yu nodded and did not say more. He curiously turned his head to look around at the martial artists. Bai Xiaosheng saw this and quietly explained to him, "These are the witnesses and guests invited by the Wuliang Sect. Look at that one, Ma Wude, a major tea merchant and wealthy patron. The tea I made is in collaboration with him. He has a large business and is quite famous in Yunnan..."

Duan Yu listened and nodded. When all the guests had arrived, the two leaders of the East and West Sects took their seats. Zuo Zimu said, "Friends, today is the Wuliang Sword Sect's five-year competition. Zuo Zimu thanks you all for coming."

"Brother Zuo, after this competition, Brother Zuo will probably have to move to Xiaohu Manor!" Xin Shuangqing interjected, making Zuo Zimu's face turn sour, but he quickly adjusted and said, "Does Sister Xin have such confidence? Guanghao..."

"Disciple is here!"

"Go and learn the West Sect's sword technique."

"Yes!"

Gan Guanghao entered the arena, looked at the West Sect disciples, and bowed, saying, "I wonder which West Sect brother will come to teach me." As he spoke, his eyes glanced at Ge Guangpei, and he smiled softly.

"Brother, I didn't expect you to send a defeated opponent!" Xin Shuangqing laughed coldly and said to Ge Guangpei, "Guangpei, go and learn from your brother Guanghao."

"Yes!"

Five years ago, Gan Guanghao had deliberately lost to Ge Guangpei. However, after five years, Zuo Zimu was very confident because not only had his own sword technique improved, but his disciples had also made significant progress. From Zuo Zimu's perspective, these West Sect disciples were no match for his East Sect disciples.

However, the reality exceeded his expectations. When Gan Guanghao and Ge Guangpei fought, it was Ge Guangpei who took the upper hand, which surprised Zuo Zimu. He carefully observed and found that Gan Guanghao was deliberately holding back, which made him furious, and he shouted, "Guanghao, what are you doing?"

In the arena, Gan Guanghao, who was exchanging glances with Ge Guangpei, was startled. His long sword trembled, and the sword light suddenly became faster. Ge Guangpei, not expecting his sword technique to be so swift, was a step slower. When her sword touched Gan Guanghao's sword, her throat was already pointed at by his sword.

"Good!" Zuo Zimu was delighted and said, "Sister Xin, five years ago, Guanghao couldn't beat his nephew, but five years later, the result is reversed. Sister, your disciples are not up to par!"

"Zuo Zimu, you..." Xin Shuangqing was furious, but seeing the people sitting on the west side, she coldly snorted and glared at Ge Guangpei, then pointed to one of the male disciples and shouted, "Guanglu, you go this time!"

"Yes!" Guanglu stepped forward and said to the East Sect disciples, "Which senior brother will teach me?"

Zuo Zimu pointed and said, "Guangxue, you go!"

"Disciple obeys!" Another male disciple stepped forward, raised his sword, and said, "Junior brother Guanglu, please teach me!"

He thrust his sword straight, very fast. Guanglu was startled and quickly raised his sword to block, but Guangxue's sword technique was one after another, making him very awkward. In less than ten moves, his sword was knocked out of his hand.

"Thank you for letting me win!"

As Guangxue retreated to the East Sect, the West Sect disciples were shocked. Five years ago, everyone was about the same, but how could the gap be so large after five years? Not only the disciples but also Xin Shuangqing and the guests were amazed.

Is this still the Wuliang Sword Sect? How could their sword techniques and martial arts improve so much?

They did not know that due to their neighborly relationship, Zuo Zimu had often led his disciples to the Famous Sword Manor to learn martial arts from Bai Xiaosheng. Over time, he naturally learned a lot, and the competitions among the disciples accelerated the progress of the East Sect disciples.

Look at Zuo Zimu, his confident expression was a result of knowing his significant progress.