Even Mu Qiu of the Yuqing Sect had grown somewhat uneasy. His gaze never left Moyang, yet no matter how he observed and probed, he ultimately could not fathom Moyang's true depth.
At this moment, even Pang Long felt an inexplicable sense of relief. Seeing Qian Wushan blasted off the stage with a single punch, he suddenly felt that all eyes were no longer on him. Being knocked off the stage earlier suddenly did not seem quite so humiliating.
After two rounds of matches, Lingxu Sect's points were now tied with the Yuqing Sect, while the Dragon Pool Pavilion had fallen to third place beyond everyone's expectations, leaving the Xuan Sect firmly at the bottom.
Yet from Moyang's current performance, it was clear that in the third round of matches, the Lingxu Sect would not fare too poorly. Although Moyang would likely face Mu Qiu, no one dared to jump to conclusions about the outcome too early, because in everyone's eyes, Moyang was somewhat freakish.
If Xu Xin had not continuously held Su Fei'er back and reminded her that a young lady ought to be modest, Su Fei'er would have likely jumped up and down on the spot. Hearing her call out "Brother Mo" time and again made the bones of those around them tingle.
In truth, ever since Qian Wushan was blasted off the stage by Moyang with a single punch, everyone already had some guesses about his cultivation level. He was at least at the Heaven Mystic Realm, and undoubtedly focused on body-refinement just like Pang Long.
Having experienced such arena battles, everyone found the subsequent fights rather tasteless. Even though Mu Qiu stepped onto the stage several times, he never encountered prodigies at the Earth Mystic Realm - Stage 3 like Long Wu or Qian Wushan, and his true strength had never been truly revealed.
"Just wait and see tomorrow. Tomorrow, Moyang will probably face Mu Qiu. Let's see if this fellow can still strut around then!"
"It's hard to say how it will turn out. Qian Wushan lost so miserably. Even if Mu Qiu manages to win in the end, it probably won't be easy!"
Many of the onlookers had long since lost the heart to watch the battles, continuously discussing the possible outcomes of the third round.
That evening, when Moyang opened his Spatial Ring to retrieve the Marrow Cleansing Pills, he discovered a token inside, with the character "Qian" engraved upon it.
"Qian... Could this be the token of the Qian Sect!" Moyang was somewhat startled. The only possibility was that the Sixth Senior Sister had slipped it in when she snatched his banknotes, yet he had not sensed it in the slightest at the time.
"Your grandpa, just thinking about it makes me mad! She gives me nothing in the way of battle weapons, fobbed me off with a perfunctory cultivation technique, and though Senior Sister is pretty, she robs me the moment she makes a move. What kind of lousy sect is this..."
Moyang muttered to himself for a moment before taking out a bottle of Marrow Cleansing Pills and swallowing them all at once. Having taken them so many times already, a small dose no longer had any effect.
Afterward, he took out a bottle of Spirit Origin Pills and consumed them as well, intending to try and breach his second mysterious meridian.
When he broke through to the Heaven Mystic Realm, he had forced his dantian open anew, which at the time caused it to fracture and nearly cost him his life.
Half an hour later, Moyang finished his session and exhaled a breath of stale air. The second mysterious meridian had broken open.
Moyang felt that this time, it was surprisingly effortless. Although there were no special sensations within his body, true qi flowed through the meridian as if it were a small treasury, and as he continued his cultivation in the future, it would be capable of nurturing power.
"Next is the Heaven Mystic Realm - Stage 2. At the very beginning of cultivation, the foundation of the Dao must be sufficiently solid. I'd better suppress it for a while longer!" Moyang introspected his meridians. Originally, he could have broken through directly to the Heaven Mystic Realm - Stage 2 at this moment, but after a moment of hesitation, he set the thought aside.
Ever since he began cultivating the Star Emperor Scripture, even when he fell asleep late at night, the technique within his body would still operate on its own. The spiritual qi of heaven and earth around him seeped into his body at every moment, and even if he did not practice deliberately, the true qi within him would slowly grow stronger.
What puzzled Moyang most was the mysterious imprint in his dantian. Every time his cultivation broke through, that imprint would become a bit clearer, yet it never underwent any other changes, leaving no clue as to its purpose. He had always suspected whether that might be the so-called seal.
Chapter 33: Is This Hard Enough?
Moyang cultivated within the Star Emperor Pagoda for the entire night. Although he never slept, he felt not the slightest bit of fatigue; instead, he was brimming with energy.
Today was the final day of the Martial Arts Grand Assembly, and also reputed to be the most exciting round of matches, because the strongest disciples of every sect would take action.
Yet after the first two rounds of matches, what the numerous onlookers most wished to see was Moyang and Mu Qiu clashing in the arena. Everyone wanted to know who would ultimately emerge victorious.
Because prior to this, Mu Qiu had intentionally concealed his strength, each time defeating his opponents by the narrowest of margins without exposing his true might. Judging by his performance, however, he seemed to have already stepped into the Heaven Mystic Realm.
And Moyang was the same. Even Qian Wushan had been blasted off the stage by him in two punches, leaving him with a full store of power he could not display. Whoever faced him was filled with grievance, yet utterly powerless.
"Victory or defeat rests on today. Junior Brother Mo, everything depends on you!" Upon arriving at the seating area, Xu Xin looked earnestly at Moyang.
"Brother Mo is the greatest!" Su Fei'er had already begun buttering him up. Nowadays, calling him "Brother Mo" left her neither blushing nor her heart beating fast, rolling off her tongue more and more smoothly.
"Ugh... Don't look at me with those gazes. How am I great!" Moyang was speechless, especially when he looked into Su Fei'er's eyes, brimming with undisguised adoration; it made him feel somewhat panicked.
"Brother Mo is great in every way!"
Su Fei'er's single remark left Xu Xin completely speechless. The little girl seemed to have completely fallen for him; now, anything concerning Moyang was good, and whatever Moyang said was right.
The Third Elder also addressed Moyang, saying, "Moyang, how confident do you feel?"
Everyone knew he was referring to encountering Mu Qiu of the Yuqing Sect. Immediately, the other disciples looked toward Moyang, for after all, Moyang alone knew best how much strength he possessed.
Moyang said with an indifferent expression, "No matter how confident I am, it's just a matter of one punch. Small scene, don't panic!"
The Third Elder was rendered utterly speechless. He felt that Moyang was simply too arrogant. Judging by Mu Qiu's previous performance, he should have reached the Heaven Mystic Realm, and the combat power gap between the Heaven Mystic Realm and the Earth Mystic Realm was not trivial.
At this moment, only Su Fei'er believed him implicitly, while the other disciples maintained a tacit silence.
The third round of matches was somewhat similar to the first, except that in the third round, each sect could select a maximum of five people to take the stage, and those who took the stage were the strongest individuals of each sect.
Moreover, to conserve strength, almost every match would decide victory or defeat in the shortest possible time.
The first match was the duel between Qian Wushan and Pang Long. Although everyone knew the outcome in advance, when Pang Long suffered defeat, many cultivators still could not hold back their laughter. Pang Long was so depressed he felt like vomiting blood; throughout this assembly, he seemed to have won scarcely a few matches.
In the subsequent matches, the Xuan Sect suffered consecutive defeats as well, provoking endless discussion among the onlookers.
Without a doubt, the Xuan Sect finishing at the bottom was a certainty.
"Tsk tsk, thirty years in the east, thirty years in the west. Don't bully the Lingxu Sect for being weak; this year, even the Yuqing Sect might not necessarily take the crown!" Many cultivators could not help sighing with emotion.
"That fellow Pang Long deserved it. Last year, Xu Xin of the Lingxu Sect was almost stripped of her dress by him; this year, retribution has arrived!"
...
"It's our Lingxu Sect's turn. Shall I go up and fight a match first?" Qi Heng looked toward Moyang, his gaze carrying a hint of inquiry.
"Never mind, I'll go. Perhaps, just like before, I won't even need to fight to win!" Moyang pondered slightly and stood up from his seat.
Seeing Moyang rise, the surrounding spectators immediately broke into discussion.
"Judging by his stance, could he be planning to take on all five matches by himself?"
"Hard to say. Didn't Mu Qiu fight all five matches by himself last year..."
The first match was against a Xuan Sect disciple. The elder of the Xuan Sect turned green in the face; if a Xuan Sect disciple was blasted off the stage by Moyang with a single punch once again, it would truly disgrace the Xuan Sect beyond redemption.
"Our Xuan Sect concedes!" Before that disciple could even speak, the elder leading the Xuan Sect voiced his surrender first.
Moyang was stunned. He looked toward the direction of the Xuan Sect and said, "Isn't it just a matter of coming up to take a punch? Who knows, maybe it could even help you clear your meridians. Truly boring."
That elder's face turned ashen; he felt like coughing up blood.
Even the veteran cultivators presiding over the arena matches were left speechless, feeling that Moyang was somewhat bizarre—not only was his style of doing things unlike ordinary people, but his speech was also quite unorthodox.
The sect they faced next was the Dragon Pool Pavilion. Amidst a chorus of cheers, Long Wu slowly stepped out from the seating area.
Within the Dragon Pool Pavilion, both Long Wu and Qian Wushan were genius-level disciples. Aside from her outstanding cultivation talent, she was also hailed as the number one beauty of the Dragon Pool Pavilion—true beauty and strength coexisting.
Moyang quietly watched Long Wu, who stepped gracefully onto the arena, and could not help speaking up, "You and Qian Wushan have the same cultivation level; aren't you afraid of meeting the same end as him?"
"I'm naturally kind-hearted, and I have trouble raising my hand against women. Elder Sister, why don't you just concede defeat?"
After stepping onto the arena, Long Wu quietly observed Moyang for a moment, then a faint smile curved the corners of her lips as she said, "It's rare to encounter an opponent like Brother Mo. Even if I end up defeated in the end, it's worth it!"
"Then do you want two punches or one?" Moyang asked.
Long Wu's expression instantly turned somewhat unsightly. They were both prodigies; in the past, who would ever dare speak to her like this? The crucial point was that she had heard from Qian Wushan that this freak Moyang possessed terrifyingly immense strength and an exceptionally formidable physical body.
"It's a rare match; wouldn't Brother Mo care to display some other methods? Numerous spectators have traveled thousands of miles to be here, so Brother Mo shouldn't spoil everyone's enthusiasm, right?"
After a slight change in expression, Long Wu wore a smile once more.
Down below the arena, the crowd also chimed in one after another.
Moyang was somewhat speechless and said, "It seems you don't like the soft approach and prefer it hard. Very well, I shall grant your wish!"
Long Wu's delicate eyebrows furrowed slightly. Why did this fellow speak in such an unconventional way? It didn't sound like anything proper at all.
With that, Moyang raised his hand, and a wisp of sword qi condensed at his fingertips. At the same time, the aura of his cultivation burst forth.
Long Wu's expression changed instantly.
She had never imagined that Moyang had actually reached the Heaven Mystic Realm - Stage 1 Peak, and that fluctuation was extremely peculiar, as if he could surge into the Heaven Mystic Realm - Stage 2 at any moment.
On the side of the Yuqing Sect, Mu Qiu could not help changing color either.
In his estimation, Moyang's cultivation was at most at the early stage of Heaven Mystic Realm - Stage 1; it was impossible for him to be stronger than himself. Moyang perhaps practiced some kind of body-refinement technique, which was why he possessed such terrifying strength. Yet now, even he was thoroughly unsettled.
Before Long Wu could recover from her shock, she only saw a blur flash past. The next moment, a bone-chilling coldness struck her neck. When she came to her senses, a stream of sword qi was already resting horizontally against her fair neck, causing her body to freeze instantly, not daring to move a muscle.
"Is this hard enough?" Moyang's voice sounded right beside her ear.
"I lost!" After a brief silence, she spoke with resignation. She hadn't even managed to clearly see Moyang's movement; continuing to fight would be meaningless.
Moyang smiled, his figure flashing backward as he said, "Wouldn't it have been better to do this earlier?"
Chapter 34: Disregarding Martial Virtue
On the stands surrounding the central plaza, exclamations rang out wave after wave. What surprised the crowd at this moment was not Long Wu's defeat and concession, but Moyang's cultivation.
Just now, when Moyang raised his hand to condense sword qi and his cultivation aura diffused outward, no one had imagined that Moyang was actually this powerful.
"It turns out to be the Heaven Mystic Realm - Stage 1 Peak, and it feels like he's about to break through at any second... What kind of blind luck did the Lingxu Sect stumble upon to find such a freakish fellow!"
"Truly astonishing. It seems the destiny of the martial arts grand assembly among these four sects is going to be rewritten from now on!"
Amidst the chorus of discussions, no one noticed that in a pavilion not far away, a figure stood quietly by the window. This person was none other than the mysterious woman who had approached Moyang earlier.
She gazed from afar at Moyang in the arena, a slight smile playing at the corners of her lips as she murmured to herself, "This little junior brother is indeed rather interesting. Born in a place like this, not only can he refine pills, but he has actually cultivated such an abstruse movement technique!"
...
Meanwhile, in the arena, the subsequent match featured another disciple from the Dragon Pool Pavilion. Refusing to accept reality, that young man gritted his teeth and stepped onto the arena to fight Moyang, but the outcome was self-evident—his cultivation at the Earth Mystic Realm - Stage 1 was simply unable to withstand a single punch from Moyang.
By now, the elders of the other three sects felt exceptionally aggrieved, including the veteran cultivators presiding over the grand assembly, who were also left speechless.
This year's assembly had virtually no highlights to speak of. The arena battles, which ought to have been breathtakingly brilliant, were ended by Moyang with a single punch each time, leaving everyone feeling like they had watched nothing at all in the end.
Although this fellow completely disregarded martial virtue, he did not violate the rules of the arena battles, so they could only watch helplessly.
Afterwards, several matches involving other sects took place. Mu Qiu also fought a match against Long Wu. After exchanging more than a dozen blows, Long Wu was defeated. Facing Long Wu, Mu Qiu's strength was thoroughly exposed; he was indeed in the Heaven Mystic Realm, though he was at the early stage of Stage 1, appearing to have broken through only recently.
When it was Moyang's turn once more, Moyang stood in the arena with his hands behind his back, looking toward the seating area of the Yuqing Sect, and called out, "Brother Mu Qiu, I've long admired your great name. How about... coming up to take a punch?"
Seeing how earnest Moyang looked, with a harmless, gentle smile on his face, the disciples and the leading elder of the Yuqing Sect instantly saw their faces turn as black as a frying pan.
Mu Qiu, however, remained quite calm. Hearing this, he rose to his feet and said, "Then I shall grant Brother Mo's wish!"
Everyone's gazes converged upon Mu Qiu. Many still vividly remembered Mu Qiu's elegance during the previous year's Martial Arts Grand Assembly. Prior to this, he had been hailed as the strongest individual among the four sects, and naturally, there was a reason for that.
Stepping onto the arena and standing opposite Moyang, Mu Qiu said calmly, "Does Brother Mo intend for us to decide victory and defeat in a single move?"
He was already prepared to welcome Moyang's damned fists.
"That depends on Brother Mo Qiu!" With those words, Moyang flashed forward. Since Mu Qiu was also at the Heaven Mystic Realm, Moyang had always wanted to see what tier his current combat power truly was.
Seeing Moyang flash toward him, Mu Qiu had already prepared himself to dodge, only to see that what came hurtling at him was not a fist—Moyang had produced a sword from somewhere and slashed at him with it just like that.
Mu Qiu directly galvanized all his internal energy, erupting with the power of the Heaven Mystic Realm in an instant, and slashed out fiercely with his own sword.
He knew very well that facing someone like Moyang, the moment he exposed a flaw, he would likely end up just like those previous individuals, blasted directly off the arena.
"Clang..."
The two swords collided in the blink of an eye, erupting with a piercing, vibrating chime. Mu Qiu's expression changed instantly as the sword qi on his longsword was directly shattered, and his body was driven back step by step.
"Boom..."
No sooner had Mu Qiu steadied his footing than a startling wave of sword qi emanated from his body, drawing a wave of exclamations.
"This is the Yuqing Sword Technique! He actually unleashed the fourth form—Senior Brother Mu Qiu has actually succeeded in cultivating it!" The one who spoke was a disciple of the Yuqing Sect, looking extremely astonished.
That wave of sword qi was formidable, making his entire body appear as though it were glowing, with a faint radiance circulating around him. Brilliant light flickered on the longsword in his hand, while a sharp, piercing aura emanated from it simultaneously.
In the eyes of the numerous onlookers, this Yuqing Sword Technique possessed terrifyingly formidable might; that sharp aura alone made people feel a chill running down their spines. But to Moyang, who cultivated the God-Slaying Technique, this kind of sword qi was very weak—the cultivation technique was simply not on the same level at all, and it was even far inferior to that single incomplete formula he practiced.
Moyang slowly raised the longsword in his hand, fully driving the true qi within his dantian and channeling it entirely into the blade. Then, throwing his body forward, he swept across with both hands gripping the sword.
Mu Qiu did not dare hesitate, fiercely raising his sword to chop downward vertically. A terrifying sound of impact resounded across the entire central plaza, and a ring of shockwaves expanded outward abruptly from the arena, stirring up howling gales that prompted gasps of astonishment all around the plaza.
When the crowd managed to see clearly, Mu Qiu had already retreated to the edge of the arena. Blood was flowing like a stream from the hand gripping his sword, the web of his thumb and forefinger torn open and still trembling incessantly. The blood within his body surged turbulently, and what was terrifying was that the longsword in his hand was covered in cracks.
Meanwhile, Moyang stood opposite him, looking at the mere half-section of the sword remaining in his hand, feeling as though his heart were bleeding. This sword was purchased for twenty thousand silver banknotes after he arrived in Xuantian City, and yet it had snapped just like that.
"Damn it, if I knew this would happen, why the hell did I even bother fighting..." Moyang wore an expression of profound heartache, feeling that this deal was a massive loss. He himself was completely unharmed, but this sword simply could not withstand it at all.
Mu Qiu steadied his footing and looked at this scene, his face filled with shock. The might of the fourth layer of the Yuqing Sword Technique was almost approaching the power of a peak Heaven Mystic Realm cultivator, yet when facing Moyang, it had been unable to inflict the slightest injury upon him.
What truly startled him was the very moment they exchanged blows just then; he felt as though a force of ten thousand jun was pressing down upon him, impossible to contend with.
After muttering to himself for a bit, Moyang casually tossed the broken sword aside, raised his head to look at Mu Qiu with slight displeasure, and said, "Little Qiuchiu, look, the sword is broken too. Why don't you just concede defeat, saving me the trouble of throwing another punch?"
Mu Qiu's somewhat pale complexion grew even uglier. After a moment, he smiled wryly and said, "I never imagined that the Lingxu Sect would produce a monster like Brother Mo. I am indeed no match for Brother Mo. I look forward to sparring with Brother Mo again at next year's assembly!"
With that, he put away his longsword and turned to walk slowly down the arena.
When Mu Qiu stepped onto the arena, he had wanted to strive and contend for victory with all his might, but that single exchange of blows shattered all the hope in his heart. If he continued to fight, he was confident he could endure a few more rounds, but he would sustain severe injuries. Since the outcome could not be changed, risking his life naturally was not worthwhile.
From this point on, this year's four-sect grand assembly had reached its settled conclusion. Although there would still be arena matches involving other sects afterwards, they had already lost all their flavor.
Many of the onlookers kept casting their gazes toward the Lingxu Sect, engaging in low, murmuring discussions. Prior to this, the Lingxu Sect had practically become the laughingstock of the four sects, and who could have imagined that such a monstrous figure would suddenly emerge this year.
Chapter 35: You Want to Pull Me In?
Until the third round of matches completely concluded and the veteran cultivators presiding over the assembly announced the results, the surroundings finally erupted into a boil.
Without a doubt, the sect that claimed the crown this time was the Lingxu Sect, with the Yuqing Sect taking second place, followed by the Dragon Pool Pavilion, and the Xuan Sect bringing up the rear.
The other disciples of the Lingxu Sect were so excited they nearly shed tears. Su Fei'er was so thrilled she directly threw her arms around Moyang, giving him such a fright that a layer of cold sweat broke out across his back.
Qi Heng looked at Moyang with a complex expression. Only now did he truly understand just how massive the gap was between himself and Moyang. Once a ten-year waste of the sect, his cultivation had unexpectedly surpassed him by an entire major realm in the blink of an eye. Although it was somewhat difficult for him to accept in his heart, with the Lingxu Sect winning the crown at this grand assembly, he was ultimately overjoyed.
The Third Elder sat in his seat and let out a long breath. Moyang had actually truly brought a surprise to the Lingxu Sect. Although he had roughly known the outcome when the second round of matches ended, now that the moment had truly arrived, his emotions remained difficult to calm.
"Tonight, all of you can wander around the city as you please and properly relax. Early tomorrow morning, we set off to return to the sect!" A joy that could hardly be concealed hung on the Third Elder's face. This time, the Lingxu Sect had truly saved face; there was no helping it—he simply couldn't be anything less than ecstatic.