The battle between the Houtian cultivators below held little real appeal for them. Had it not been for the knowledge that this great Guan Dao was He Yiming's weapon, they would not have cast their gazes here.

Yet, despite the concentration of masters present, no one could have possibly predicted such an outcome.

One strike—a single slash—and the victor was definitively determined.

With their keen eyesight, everyone could easily discern that Che Wenjun's strike was not some decisive Xiantian technique like the Thirty-Six Slashes of Mountain Splitting.

It was merely casual, simple, akin to a perfunctory greeting offered when meeting someone—just an offhand blow.

Among cultivators wielding long weapons, when two sides confront each other, nine times out of ten they will open with such a probing strike.

But with this very slash, Lin Bai'ao was inexplicably nailed to the spot, unable to shift even an inch from start to finish.

Even though they had foreseen that Lin Bai'ao intended to employ a force-deflecting maneuver when raising his twin hammers.

They simply couldn't fathom why he would suddenly lose his senses and choose hard impact over deflection when the blades and hammers met. This was the true reason for his defeat.

Of course, the gathered experts were unaware that Lin Bai'ao had meticulously planned to deflect the saber's momentum immediately upon impact and surge forward.

The problem was that the moment the saber and hammers locked, they clung together with unnatural intimacy, a sudden development that shattered all his subsequent moves.

By the time he sensed the unusual power surging from the great Guan Dao, the opportunity to abandon his hammers and retreat was lost; he was utterly crushed by that immense, unbelievable force.

Che Wenjun had won in a haze of confusion, but his opponent had lost in an even more bewildering fashion.

Zhou Datian took a deep breath, allowing the muscles in his face to loosen slightly, and turned to say, "Brother Yu, congratulations to the Hengshan lineage for being the first to emerge victorious."

Lin Bai'ao and Che Wenjun were the last pair to fight among the ten groups, yet they were the first to settle their match.

A mere slash, completed in mere breaths, had decided the winner.

The other pairings were either locked in rigid confrontation or engaged in subtle probing exchanges.

No one dared to unleash that thunderous blow that decides life and death without absolute certainty.

After all, those who reached this stage were the elite among the Houtian cultivators; securing victory in the final moments was far from easy.

Yu Jinglei was equally delighted, his face a mixture of shock and joy. Though he witnessed it firsthand, this strange method of victory was something he could never have predicted.

"Brother Zhou is too kind; it was mere luck, sheer luck..." Yu Jinglei laughed heartily.

Zhou Datian’s lips curved slightly, and he finally couldn't help himself: "Brother Yu, the weapon your disciple used—surely that is Elder He's great Guan Dao?"

"Indeed, this is the weapon Elder He lent him. It must be returned after the martial meet," Yu Jinglei admitted without concealment.

Given He Yiming's reputation, his past deeds had long been unearthed, and the great Guan Dao was no secret.

Zhou Datian expressed his surprise: "It is quite a tale, Elder He, utilizing both the great Guan Dao and the Five Elements Rings simultaneously." He paused, then looked at He Yiming: "Elder He, you have already condensed the Three Flowers. When you eventually ascend to the Summit, which weapon do you plan to use as the bridge to communicate with the energies of Heaven and Earth?"

He Yiming smiled placidly: "The Five Elements Rings, of course."

He mused internally that even without the Five Elements Rings, he would never choose the great Guan Dao.

The mere thought of integrating the one hundred and eight blades into his own body sent a chill down He Yiming's spine. Thus, under no circumstances would he make that choice.

However, given his current level of synergy with the one hundred and eight, his connection to the item was already comparable to that between the other Venerables and their fused treasures.

Zhou Datian hesitated for a moment: "Elder He, since you intend to use the Five Elements Rings, what becomes of the great Guan Dao?" He looked seriously at He Yiming: "Surely Elder He understands that once the condensation of the Five Elements Rings succeeds, it will be nearly impossible to use any other weapon for the rest of your life. Given this, would you consider selling this great Guan Dao to my Totem lineage?"

The wondrous power of the great Guan Dao was laid bare today. Though the observers only saw the tip of the iceberg, every old fox present possessed eyes like eagles and hawks, knowing full well that Che Wenjun’s effortless victory was entirely due to this miraculous weapon.

It was just that none of them could discern its profound mystery.

But precisely because they couldn't see through it, their curiosity intensified, compelling Zhou Datian to inquire.

He Yiming shook his head slightly: "Brother Zhou is jesting. This great Guan Dao was personally gifted to me by my ancestor. Where the saber is, the man remains; where the saber is lost, the man perishes."

His latter statement was delivered with absolute finality, leaving no room for negotiation.

Seeing his resolute stance—prepared to live and die with the great Guan Dao—Zhou Datian and the others, though inwardly reluctant, could only sigh over the missed opportunity and press no further.

An hour later, the remaining nine matches concluded.

Zhou Datian's complexion had improved considerably. Despite Lin Bai'ao's inexplicable defeat by Che Wenjun, three of the Totem lineage's other four remaining experts had secured final victories.

The list of the Top Ten now featured three representatives from the Totem lineage—a result that would satisfy any branch.

All ten ultimate victors ascended the stage. Ai Wenbin offered a few words of encouragement before instructing them to continue the competition to determine the final rankings.

No matter how exciting the fights between Houtian cultivators were, they rarely captured the attention of the Xiantian experts. Thus, the majority of eyes followed Che Wenjun.

They were eager to see what other unbelievable capabilities the great Guan Dao concealed.

However, it was clear that the other nine qualifiers had also learned through various channels about the terror of the great Guan Dao. Everyone paired against Che Wenjun insisted on settling the score with bare fists and feet.

Che Wenjun was already skilled in fist and foot combat, and having reached the Top Ten, he lacked the audacity to insist on a weapon duel.

Consequently, in the subsequent rounds, Che Wenjun fought his opponents strictly with hand-to-hand combat. While their matches drew loud cheers from the Houtian cultivators below, they greatly disappointed the Xiantian masters seated on the high platform.

Although Che Wenjun ultimately failed to break into the Top Three, both Yu Jinglei and he himself were thoroughly content.

When the grand competition concluded, Ai Wenbin announced that the following day would feature friendly sparring matches between the disciples of the Da Shen Lingxiao Treasure Hall and the primary branch disciples of Tianchi Mountain.

A roar of approval erupted from the audience, particularly among the disciples of the various branches.

This contest was clearly a traditional event. Zhang Zhongjin and the others maintained calm expressions, but He Yiming, participating for the first time, had already guessed the general idea upon seeing the Houtian disciples who had traveled from the distant Lingxiao Treasure Hall, so he wasn't overly surprised.

That evening, within the courtyard of the Hengshan lineage, from Yu Jinglei down to the ordinary disciples, everyone was ecstatic.

After a full eighty years, the Hengshan lineage had once again secured a Xiantian Golden Elixir through the grand competition.

This held immeasurable significance for the sect. Yu Jinglei carefully stored the Golden Elixir; obviously, even though Che Wenjun had won it, he had absolutely no chance of consuming it himself.

Che Wenjun respectfully approached He Yiming and offered the great Guan Dao with both hands, bowing deeply: "Thank you, Elder He, for lending me the saber. Otherwise, this disciple might not have made the Top Ten today."

He Yiming smiled slightly: "Che Wenjun, now that you've reached the Top Ten, why did you agree to let your opponents use empty-handed combat? If you had insisted on using weapons, you would have had at least a fifty percent chance after the draw."

Che Wenjun replied solemnly: "This disciple knows the saber's power is peerless, but this is not this disciple's true strength. If this disciple hopes to advance to the Xiantian realm in the future, he must cast aside all external aid and cultivate diligently. That is why this disciple chose to relinquish the great Guan Dao." He paused, a trace of shame flickering across his face: "It is just that by doing so, this disciple failed to reach the Top Three and brought shame upon our sect."

Yu Jinglei waved his hand dismissively: "Wenjun, you did the right thing. If you had relied on the great Guan Dao after entering the Top Ten, no one would have respected you."

A cold sweat instantly broke out on Che Wenjun's back. He retreated respectfully to his room to receive congratulations from his peers.

Though he achieved a great feat today, the status of everyone present imposed a deep sense of constraint upon him. Only after leaving did he finally exhale a long breath. Yet, in his heart, he resolved firmly to strive for the Xiantian realm and become one of the elders.

He Yiming took the great Guan Dao out for a trip and returned with empty hands.

Although Yu Jinglei and the others were utterly baffled as to where he stowed it, since He Yiming clearly did not wish to mention it, they naturally feigned ignorance.

Over the next three days, disciples from Lingxiao Treasure Hall and the Tianchi main branch competed against each other, with victories shared by both sides.

This was the pinnacle confrontation between the younger generations of the two major powers, naturally drawing massive attention.

Ultimately, however, a Houtian cultivator from the Lingxiao Treasure Hall stood alone at the top, surpassing everyone to claim the final victory.

Zhu Baqi's expression was far from pleasant. He roared from the high platform:

"This young man is already over forty this year, is he not? Our Hengshan Branch's He Yiming is not yet twenty. How about we arrange a match between them?"

The moment these words were spoken, the entire arena—both on the platform and below—fell into profound silence, and every face was twisted into an expression of extreme strangeness.

Zhang Zhongjin's previously beaming smile instantly became profoundly awkward.

When it came to youth, who else could compare to He Yiming? But to expect him to step onto the stage...

Ai Wenbin offered a few verbal reprimands, but judging by his expression, he was secretly quite delighted.

Thus, this session of the Hengshan Grand Competition finally drew to a close. As for who was happy and who was sorrowful, no one paid any further heed.

Meanwhile, He Yiming was about to encounter a new problem that troubled him immensely!

P.S.: This is the second update for today; three more to come tonight. It is already the 4th. From now until noon on the 6th, there are about fifty hours remaining. Those who still have guaranteed monthly tickets, please continue to support Bai He. Thank you... As I said before, Bai He is working hard; please support me!