Chapter 75

Why did the Sword Sect of Lishan challenge the National Teaching Academy? Because they came to propose marriage for Qiu Shan Jun but were stopped by Chen Changsheng, losing face. They had to find a way to regain it, as Gou Hanshi admitted, only then could they leave the Great Zhou Imperial Palace in peace, even if it was勉强 (勉强 means reluctantly or barely, but it's omitted here for better flow in English).

If Tang Sanshi's arrangement had been followed, the National Teaching Academy would have won or lost consecutively, and Chen Changsheng wouldn't have needed to appear. In that case, the Sword Sect of Lishan would have been unable to save face. Luo Luo thought this was somewhat... despicable, but also quite interesting, so she showed her support with silence. Chen Changsheng really wanted to talk to Gou Hanshi, who was said to have read all the Daoist scriptures, and wanted to say something to Tang Sanshi, but that guy was already in the arena.

The wind was cold and the night palace was chilly. Tang Sanshi stood in the square, stroking his sword and looking around, his heroic posture standing out. The female disciples from Qingyao and Shengnü Peak on the palace steps looked at him with admiration, but little did they know that before he entered the arena, he had made many boring yet infuriating arrangements.

From a distance of more than ten zhang, Tang Sanshi saw the thin figure of Qijian and was taken aback. Then he remembered something and looked at Zhuang Huan Yu, saying, "Look at this kid. How small was he two years ago? Do you have the heart to win?"

Zhuang Huan Yu naturally didn't respond, just sneered twice, meaning the same as something Chen Changsheng had said earlier—like you could beat him now.

The reputation of the Seven Laws of the Divine Kingdom was well-known, but except for those who had truly seen them, no one could imagine that there was a child like Qijian. He bowed to Tang Sanshi, his face clearly showing some tension, even a bit timid.

Tang Sanshi frowned slightly and asked, "How old are you this year?"

Qijian replied, "I'll be fourteen in two months."

At such a moment, Tang Sanshi wouldn't let Zhuang Huan Yu off. He looked at his position and clicked his tongue, then asked Qijian, "So young... can we not fight?"

Qijian's expression became more serious, like a little adult, and said, "The academy uses the prince's identity to pressure people, uses the elders' promises to pressure people, and uses the name of righteousness to pressure people. My senior brother is not here to defend himself, how innocent he is. As his junior, I naturally have to seek justice for him."

Tang Sanshi's expression also became serious, and he said, "Wrong! It's you who use the parents' orders and the sect's words to pressure people, it's you who use identity and status to pressure people, and it's you who try to use the name of righteousness to pressure people. These things were all done by your elders first. We are just retaliating. As for your senior brother... he wants to marry Chen Changsheng's fiancée. Is it Chen Changsheng who wronged him? Don't forget, the engagement came first, and the white crane is still there."

Behind Chen Changsheng and Luo Luo, a white crane was resting on the copper pillar, very conspicuous in the night.

Qijian was silent for a moment, then said no more. He gripped the sword hilt with his small hand and slowly drew the sword from its scabbard.

Just this simple action gave off a powerful aura.

The thin young boy gave off a sense of a grandmaster's presence.

The crowd watching the battle suddenly fell silent. Xu Shiji and others looked surprised, and even Mao Qiuyu's expression became more serious.

Chen Liangwang praised, "The Seven Laws of the Divine Kingdom are indeed extraordinary."

Tang Sanshi's expression was serious as he drew his sword from its scabbard.

He had been known for his talent since childhood, proud and aloof. Even after coming from Wenshui to the capital and entering the Heavenly Dao Academy, he remained the same.

He knew Qijian was the strongest opponent he had encountered among his peers. He knew that the curriculum taught by the Sword Sect of Lishan, a true orthodox sect, was much stronger than the family techniques he had learned. If he could study in the Heavenly Dao Academy for two more years, he might truly surpass the Seven Laws of the Divine Kingdom.

But tonight, he still wanted to win.

He looked down at the ground, where a blade of grass was growing in the crack of the brick by his boot.

He looked up at Qijian and said, "Come on."

Qijian's expression was solemn, and he said, "Please!"

The sound still echoed in the quiet night sky, and the blade of grass in the crack suddenly bent backward, as if it were about to break.

The night wind suddenly rose, and two figures appeared, heading for the center of the square.

A loud boom!

Tang Sanshi and Qijian met, and their swords also met. Fierce winds howled, swirling around their bodies, flapping their clothes, and making a crackling sound, as if a heavy rain had fallen on the green vines outside the palace!

The two swords met in the night, reflecting the stars, as if a stream of water were flowing over them, clearly not ordinary.

"Wenshui Sword!"

Someone recognized the origin of the sword in Tang Sanshi's hand. The bright, mirror-like sword that could reflect the stars was none other than the ancestral sword of the Tang family of Wenshui—the Wenshui Sword!

Old Master Tang had actually entrusted the family's ancestral sword to Tang Sanshi to bring to the capital, showing how much he doted on his grandson, how much he expected of Tang Sanshi, and representing that the Tang family had decided to pass the legacy to Tang Sanshi!

Some were shocked by the Wenshui Sword, while others were moved by the sword in Qijian's hand.

The thin boy held a sword with a slightly dark and dull surface, almost without a sharp edge, and wider than a normal sword, looking more like an iron ruler—yes, this sword was the "Iron Ruler"!

The Iron Ruler was the law sword of the elder of the Discipline Hall of Lishan!

The head of the Sword Sect of Lishan had actually allowed Qijian to carry the law sword across the continent, showing how much he expected from his youngest disciple!

...

...

Who was stronger, the Tang family's ancestral sword or the Lishan law sword?

This was what the people watching the battle most wanted to know.

At least for now, neither sword showed any signs of defeat.

Tang Sanshi and Qijian didn't hear the crowd's exclamations; their minds were focused on their swords.

With the point where the two swords met as the boundary, two half-circular light surfaces appeared in the night sky, enveloping the two boys, facing each other and colliding.

On the half-circular light surfaces, the stars in the black night sky were reflected, and there were countless dangerous and powerful forces flowing beneath.

Countless powerful forces shot out from the tails of the half-circular light surfaces, making a hissing sound.

The stone platform under their feet couldn't withstand such terrifying cutting. With the sound of shattering stones and a grating sound, more than ten cracks appeared on the stone platform, spreading out like a spider web.

The head of the Heavenly Dao Academy, Mao Qiuyu, raised his eyebrows slightly and flicked his sleeves, sending a pure and powerful aura to envelop the stone steps in front of the hall.

He was one of the few great masters in the world, with the Daoist name "Two Sleeves of Clear Wind." His cultivation was all in his sleeves. No matter how intense the battle between Tang Sanshi and Qijian was, it couldn't affect the people watching on the stone steps in front of the hall, but he didn't care about the people in the square.

A crane cried, and the white crane spread its wings, breaking through the night, and landed on the roof of the Weiyang Palace.

Jinyu Lu stood in front of Chen Changsheng and Luo Luo.

Xiaosong Gong gripped the sword scabbard and coughed softly.

The more than ten cracks stopped abruptly in front of the two sides and couldn't advance any further.

The people watching the battle were somewhat stunned and shocked.

One was a well-known young strongman, and the other was one of the legendary Seven Laws of the Divine Kingdom, both ranked on the Qingyun List. Their strength beyond their age didn't surprise people, but the current situation did.

Before the battle, people thought that although the Tang family of Wenshui was a thousand-year-old clan, its lineage couldn't compare to Lishan. In terms of techniques or essence, Tang Sanshi should be inferior to Qijian, but he was older and had practiced Daoism earlier, so he should have more true essence.

Who would have thought that in the first clash, the two boys were competing in the quantity and purity of true essence, and Qijian was not at all inferior!

Many people couldn't understand why.

Tang Sanshi understood very well why.

Even if he and Qijian had the same talent, the Sword Sect of Lishan's bone-washing method and the method of inner observation were stronger than those of the Tang family. Over the years of practice, even the slightest difference would eventually lead to a significant gap.

And there was the most critical point.

He was lazier than Qijian.

Although he had been practicing hard for the past few months to prepare for the Qingteng Feast and to challenge Zhuang Huan Yu, he hadn't seen Chen Changsheng much, but... it was only a few months.

He was a nobleman, as Zhuang Huan Yu said, born with a silver spoon in his mouth, pampered by Old Master Tang since childhood, living a happy and comfortable life. If he practiced a little harder, his grandmother would blame the whole family, and the maids would find ways to make him lazy...

The disciples of the Sword Sect of Lishan mostly came from poor backgrounds, and Qijian was no exception. Tang Sanshi could imagine that the intensity of Qijian's practice must have far exceeded his own. Even though Qijian was not yet fourteen, his meditation time must have been more than his own...

Suddenly, a clear sound rang out in the night sky.

The night wind became chaotic, and the reflections of the stars on the two half-circular light surfaces also became disordered.

If it were a pool of water, it would be as if someone had thrown a stone into it.

The Wenshui Sword and the Iron Ruler met for the first time and then separated.

Then they met again.

In an instant, the two swords clashed dozens of times.

The clear sound was the sound of the two swords touching, so fast that the sounds were so dense that it seemed continuous.

The clear sound suddenly stopped, and the night wind suddenly calmed.

The two figures suddenly separated and then stood still, still about ten zhang apart.

Tang Sanshi looked down at the ground.

The wind and the sword were calm, and the blade of grass had already straightened up.

But earlier, the blade of grass was by his boot, and now it was in front of his boot.

Tang Sanshi looked up and saw that the thin boy was still standing in the same place.

"Remarkable."

He said, "I thought I had at least two more years of experience than you, and at the very least, I should be on par with you, but I ended up retreating half a step more."

Qijian looked at him seriously and asked, "Are you going to admit defeat?"

Tang Sanshi felt greatly humiliated and said, "Do you think I'm that boring a person?"

Qijian was confused and asked, "Then why did you say that?"

Tang Sanshi said seriously, "I'm reflecting... I really can't be so lazy anymore."

Chen Changsheng said behind him, "That's not right."

Qijian said sincerely, "It's very good that you have this realization."

"But that's for the future. Tonight, I still have to win you."

Tang Sanshi's clothes swelled slightly, and his eyes brightened.

Qijian's expression became more serious, and he waited calmly.