The female cultivators, dressed in hues of pink, misty white, purple, or yellow, strolled softly through the spring drizzle, each holding a delicately swaying bamboo umbrella as they moved with gentle undulations of the hip.
On the mountainside of North Peak lay a flat expanse known as the North Peak Plain. This area, usually reserved for the disciples’ morning and evening exercises, had now been sectioned off as the arena for the upcoming contests. A high stage had recently been constructed from wood and reinforced with restrictive enchantments to prevent easy breakage. Countless rows of seating lined both sides of the platform.
The reserved seating areas were arranged sequentially: the Huashan Immortal Sect, the Wudang Immortal Sect, the Qingcheng Immortal Sect, the Kunlun Immortal Sect, the Nanhai Immortal Sect, followed by the Great Jin Imperial Family, and finally, the envoys from the Great Yuan State.
All the esteemed High Venerables of the Huashan Immortal Sect were present: High Venerable Yuanyang from East Peak, High Venerable Huifeng from South Peak, High Venerable Yuanyuan from North Peak, High Venerable Zixia from West Peak, and High Venerable Yuzhen from Central Peak.
Representing the Wudang Immortal Sect were Yin Zheng, one of the Seven Sons of Wudang known for his pale complexion and handsome beard, and Mo Qi, who was notoriously idle and useless. Both held positions of considerable stature.
The Qingcheng Immortal Sect was represented by the Clear Sound Sword Immortal, Sun Qingyi, along with several other renowned Sword Immortals.
The Kunlun Immortal Sect also had a contingent of recognized Sword Immortals in attendance.
The Nanhai Immortal Sect's delegation likewise comprised several notable Sword Immortals.
Behind each sect’s renowned Sword Immortals stood a collection of Elders and direct lineage disciples, mostly on foot. Prominently among them were Zhao Qiankun, Zhang Qingshu, and Li Xuxuan—all of whom had previously been defeated by Tiemuer, the envoy from the Great Yuan.
The Great Jin Imperial Family was represented by Emperor Jinrong, who sat solemnly, his face unusually pale and eyes swollen and puffy. Behind him stood several members of the Imperial Family; though the Emperor himself appeared frail, several individuals standing behind him possessed strength comparable to that of well-known Sword Immortals. Additionally, there were several younger princes and pretty princesses, the true scions of the Jin dynasty.
The Great Yuan delegation was also quite large. The most arresting figure was a square-faced, middle-aged man with a shaven head positioned centrally. This bald monk, possessing exceptionally large ears and thick lips, was Venerable Fanfa, a disciple of the Heavenly Perfection Grandmaster, one of the three Grandmasters of the Great Yuan, and he served as the chief delegate for this mission.
On this occasion, all Five High Venerables of North Peak were present.
The Wudang Immortal Sect had sent two High Venerables, and the other immortal sects had sent at least one each. Including the High Venerable from the Great Yuan, the total number of High Venerable-level experts present exceeded ten.
The power level of a High Venerable far surpassed that of an ordinary Ninth Generation Sword Immortal.
Ninth Generation Sword Immortals were typically in the Longevity Stage, like Li Yuanbai and Sima Changbai.
Since this competition touched upon the very dignity of the Great Jin State, all parties took it seriously. If the Huashan Immortal Sect were defeated again by the Great Yuan envoys, the only remaining hope for the Jin would rest with the Nanhai Immortal Sect, whose most outstanding young disciples were considered top-tier, though still only on par with someone like Zhao Qiankun.
Of course, this matter concerned more than just pride; it directly impacted the ongoing negotiations concerning the Hetao region on the border between the Great Jin and Great Yuan.
Thus, the outcome of this battle at the Huashan Immortal Sect was of paramount importance.
The drizzle continued to fall.
High Venerable Yuanyang of East Peak inquired, “Venerable Fanfa, we hear that Buddhism champions compassion, yet why does the Great Yuan State so frequently harass our Great Jin border during the winter?” Although the Great Jin State held a slight military advantage over the Great Yuan, these border disturbances were incessant—occurring annually during peak frequency, or every few years following a significant setback.
Venerable Fanfa pressed his palms together: “Amitābha. ‘Survival of the fittest’ is the way of Heaven. A wolf must eat a rabbit, and a rabbit must eat grass; this is natural law, and natural law is also Buddhist law. The lands of the Great Yuan are not fertile; some regions are too frigid, others too scorching. To ensure survival, we have no choice but to act thus…”
Mo Qi, one of the Seven Sons of Wudang, chuckled, “Monk, I heard tales in the scriptures of the Buddha cutting his own flesh to feed a hawk. How about this: why doesn’t your Great Yuan simply wait patiently until our Great Jin is conquered? Once we are ruled by the Great Jin, and as subjects of this unified state, you would suffer no hunger and know no war. Would that not be preferable?” Venerable Fanfa smiled faintly. Those devoted to Buddhism are masters of rhetoric, and Venerable Fanfa frequently preached doctrine, garnering countless followers. In a verbal sparring match, even facing the many High Venerables and Sword Immortals of the Great Jin alone, he held no fear.
What followed was a clash of sharp tongues.
Politics, it seemed, was precisely this: sordid, clamorous, and ultimately tedious.
A somewhat stout, thirty-year-old monk in hemp robes stood to the south.
A lean young man, perhaps twenty years old, clad in flowing green robes, stood to the north.
The hemp-robed monk, Tiemuer, stated, “I have always heard that the people of the Great Jin, apart from the peerless Yan Cangtian, are rather weak. This eastward journey has confirmed it. The foremost direct disciples of the other three great sects—Zhao Qiankun, Li Xuxuan, and Zhang Qingshu—were easily felled. I hope you can withstand a few more exchanges.” This statement was a mixture of truth and falsehood. The Jin’s advantage over the Yuan in recent years was largely due to the existence of the peerless Yan Cangtian; before his emergence, the Jin were arguably weaker. However, the claim that Tiemuer defeated Zhao Qiankun, Zhang Qingshu, and Zhang Xuxuan so easily was a fabrication stemming from only one factor: Tiemuer was a Reincarnated Spirit Child, and through a powerful initiation rite, he had awakened his past life’s memories, accelerating his cultivation exponentially.
This half-true, half-false remark deeply disgusted the Jin delegation, yet it was remarkably difficult to refute.
Across from him, Lu Yuan yawned languidly. “I’ve always heard that the greatest skill of Buddhists isn’t their spiritual power, but their mouths. I see now that it is indeed true. This High Venerable, and you as well—you possess unpleasant appearances, yet both of you are blessed with such fine mouths. I heard that Longyang [a term for homosexual relations, used here as a severe insult] was briefly fashionable in the mortal realm. Given such eloquent mouths, Masters, you would certainly thrive in that line of work…” The remark drew stifled laughter from many nearby. The Ninth Generation experts managed to maintain rigid composure, though their complexions visibly darkened, but some of the Tenth Generation direct disciples openly chuckled.
They had not anticipated Lu Yuan’s ferocity in verbal combat.
In reality, though Lu Yuan usually appeared listless, his tongue was often brutally sharp.
He had developed this skill years ago while being the undisputed leader of the children in Donglin Town.
Sima Hao had already suffered the sting of this verbal skill before the North Peak Grand Competition.
Lu Yuan’s current insult was utterly malicious. If Tiemuer were to retort, it would confirm that Buddhists indeed possessed fine mouths, confirming their nature as glib, sharp-tongued individuals. If he remained silent, it would imply that his fine mouth indeed offered an easy path to success in Longyang.
This statement left Tiemuer in a bind, whether he spoke or stayed silent.
Of course, Lu Yuan’s method of insult bordered on the roguish. Those concerned with decorum would never resort to such language. Experts like Zhao Qiankun and Zhang Qingshu, usually models of steadfast poise befitting future sect leaders, would rather die than utter such words. But Lu Yuan never considered himself someone of lofty status.
He viewed himself as merely a lazy person, occasionally fearless, sometimes unscrupulous, and often cunning—that was simply who he was.
Being a transcendent master felt impossibly far away.
Furthermore, he had never aspired to such a role.
Why become a master? It sounded too tiring.
I am who I am—that was the most comfortable way to live.
“Enough idle talk then,” Tiemuer moved, sending a palm strike toward Lu Yuan. If cultivation practitioners favored the sword, then Buddhist practitioners favored the palm.
Sword cultivators possessed myriad sword techniques, such as the One Hundred and Eight Winds and Clouds Swords, the Morning Sun One Qi Sword, the Thousand Transformations and Thirteen Hundred Cloud Mist Forms, the Rain Beating Flying Silk Sword Style, the Fast and Slow Seventeen Forms, and the Tai Chi Sword Technique.
Similarly, Buddhist cultivators employed various palm arts: the Prajñā Palm, the Veda Palm, the Demon Subduing Palm, the Great Strength Vajra Palm, and many others.
Tiemuer utilized the Esoteric Sect’s Demon Subduing Palm, channeling the power through a specialized method that allowed the strike to meet a flying sword without any disadvantage. This palm whistled outward, its force utterly astonishing. Countless high-ranking observers among the spectators gasped sharply at its terrifying might.
The momentum generated by this single strike possessed the aura of the Sixth Level of Body Tempering—Bone Refining—indicating that this Reincarnated Spirit Child had already reached that stage.
What a formidable palm force.
Zhao Qiankun and Zhang Qingshu exchanged horrified glances. When they fought Tiemuer, he had only displayed the power of the Third Level of Body Tempering. They never imagined his true maximum output reached the Sixth Level of Body Tempering. Even some Ninth Generation Elders nearby changed expression; the cultivation level of the Sixth Level of Body Tempering was exceptionally high, ensuring this Reincarnated Spirit Child could dominate the younger generation.
In truth, Tiemuer deployed his strongest force so quickly because he was aware of Lu Yuan’s reputation; Lu Yuan was rumored to be the strongest of the current generation in the Great Jin, possessing formidable sword skills and having reached the Body Tempering stage in power. Tiemuer thought to himself: I might as well defeat him quickly with sheer force first.
As a Reincarnated Spirit Child, Tiemuer possessed the experience of a past life, making him incredibly astute.
Simultaneously, Tiemuer harbored another goal: the faster Lu Yuan was defeated, the greater the blow to the Great Jin’s morale, allowing him to secure better terms in the Hetao negotiations. This was the same tactic he used to quickly vanquish Zhang Qingshu and the others. He aimed for an equally swift victory against Lu Yuan.
The surging torrent of palm wind swept across the stage.
Lu Yuan countered, drawing his sword and seeking the weakness within the palm’s wind, striking precisely into the center of Tiemuer’s palm.
“Clang!” Lu Yuan was pushed back slightly, and Tiemuer staggered momentarily.
Tiemuer’s cultivation level was the Sixth Level of Body Tempering. By this measure, Lu Yuan’s cultivation should be at the Fourth Level. Because Lu Yuan practiced a highly concealed Cloud-based Heart Method, outsiders could not gauge his power until he exerted himself. To everyone's surprise, Lu Yuan had actually reached the Fourth Level of Body Tempering!
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