Unlike Moyang, however, the Sect Master had explicitly stated yesterday that he was free to enter and leave at will.
Moyang was not interested in the martial arts manuals inside; rather, he wanted to examine the ancient texts to see if he could find any information regarding the Star Emperor.
The elder guarding the Scripture Pavilion glanced at Moyang and could not help sizing him up for a moment. A flash of imperceptible shock crossed his eyes, but he said nothing, merely nodding slightly in his direction.
Upon entering the Scripture Pavilion, Moyang walked up level by level until he reached the fifth floor.
He had previously heard the Fourth Elder mention that the sect’s most formidable martial arts techniques, secret skills, and precious ancient records and documents were kept on the fifth floor, and even the Heavenly Prodigy disciples within the sect rarely had the opportunity to set foot there.
At the very moment Moyang stepped into the Scripture Pavilion, Su Fei'er burst in through the gates of the Lingxu Sect's main hall with tears streaming down her face, giving the Sect Master and the several elders inside quite a fright.
Su Fei'er looked in an exceptionally disheveled state. Her long hair was a complete mess, her long dress had several tears in it, one of her clean, bare feet was exposed to the air, and she was left with only a single shoe.
The powerful figures inside the hall exchanged glances, their expressions shifting instantly as their minds immediately jumped to a certain conclusion.
"Fei'er, what happened?" The Sect Master sprang up from his seat, his face already turning gloomy.
"It was Moyang! It was—he bullied me... He almost... Wuwu!" Su Fei'er looked as pitiful as anyone could possibly look, crying so heartbrokenly that she could barely catch her breath.
Hearing that it was Moyang, the Sect Master and the other elders froze on the spot, and even the Supreme Elder furrowed his brow slightly. However, it sounded as though nothing of that sort had truly happened, which allowed all of them to quietly heave a sigh of relief.
The Sect Master narrowed his eyes and asked, "Fei'er, was it truly Moyang?"
Su Fei'er wept and wailed, wiping away her tears continuously as she nodded vigorously.
"Scoundrel!" a few elders could not help roaring in anger.
"Sect Master, it seems this brat cannot be allowed to stay. To dare commit such a lawless and rebellious act—he ought to be executed directly in accordance with the sect rules!"
"It has only been a day, and yet he dares to be this audacious! Does he really think he can act without restraint?"
"No wonder he suddenly changed his mind yesterday and stayed behind. He is taking revenge on the sect!"
...
The Supreme Elder furrowed his brow slightly and said to Su Fei'er, "Fei'er, go down and rest first. Rest assured, Grandpa will uphold justice for you!"
After Su Fei'er left the main hall, the Supreme Elder spoke up. "Regardless of anything else, it was merely a false alarm. Let's observe the situation first!"
He continued, "Early in the morning like this, if that girl hadn't run over to Wood Peak, how would she have even crossed paths with Moyang? Besides, Moyang has been with the Lingxu Sect since childhood; given his character, he shouldn't be capable of doing such a thing!"
After hearing this, the Sect Master and the other elders frowned. When they thought about it carefully, it really did feel rather strange.
"Fei'er has a mischievous and eccentric personality, and she's been spoiled rotten since she was a child. Perhaps she went to make trouble for Moyang because she was held hostage by him yesterday, but failed to get the upper hand, and so she deliberately kicked up such a fuss!"
The Sect Master thought it over carefully and felt this was highly probable. After all, he knew the personality of his own daughter better than anyone.
Of course, all of this was due to the cultivation Moyang had displayed; had this happened in the past, he would have only met one end.
Subsequently, the Sect Master and several elders left the main hall. Having learned from some disciples that Moyang had gone to the Scripture Pavilion, the group headed there as well, though they did not go inside, choosing instead to observe from outside the pavilion.
"He certainly has a lot of nerve, going straight to the fifth floor just like that. Does he think those martial arts are so easy to master!" The First Elder's expression was somewhat unpleasant, and his tone carried a hint of mockery. Moyang had not given him an ounce of respect yesterday, and in his heart, he had always found Moyang an eyesore.
"Do you all feel that this little fellow is a bit different from yesterday? The faint aura about him seems much more solid than it was yesterday!" The Supreme Elder observed quietly before speaking with a suspicious expression, a trace of astonishment lingering in his tone.
"He truly is somewhat different. What on earth has happened to him in just a single day?" The Sect Master spoke up in astonishment after observing closely as well.
Peering into the Scripture Pavilion, the Supreme Elder said, "As for the matter Fei'er mentioned, don't go looking for him just yet; let's observe in secret for a while. Fei'er is sixteen years old now, isn't she? If we want to keep Moyang in the Lingxu Sect, I actually feel Fei'er is a rather good choice. Putting aside yesterday's incident and thinking about it carefully, this little fellow Moyang actually has quite a decent character."
Upon hearing this, both the First Elder and the Second Elder froze. They naturally understood the subtext in the Supreme Elder's words. Yet when they looked toward the Sect Master, even he was subconsciously giving a slight nod, forcing the words that had already reached the tips of their tongues to be abruptly swallowed back down.
Chapter 5: The Might of the Fragmented Art
Moyang, who was inside the Scripture Pavilion, had no inkling of everything transpiring outside. He had already leafed through nearly ten ancient texts, yet he failed to find even the slightest trace of records concerning the Star Emperor.
However, he accidentally discovered a set of incomplete sword techniques—though it was severely fragmented, leaving behind only the mental cultivation method of the first layer.
"Why would he pick that fragmented manual? That sword technique is far too incomplete, and the mental formula is profoundly abstruse; it is utterly impossible to cultivate!" The Supreme Elder frowned, taking in every single one of Moyang's actions within the Scripture Pavilion with absolute clarity.
"Hmph, this kid—does he look down on all the other martial arts? Why is he coming out already?" The Supreme Elder frowned again.
Lurking in the shadows, several elders watched Moyang emerge from the Scripture Pavilion and head straight in the direction of Wood Peak.
Yet, just as he was about to leave the elders' line of sight, Moyang actually turned his head and looked directly toward the spot where they were hiding.
"Could it be that he has discovered us?!" Even the First Elder was somewhat startled, hurriedly restraining his aura.
"He is only at Stage 1 of the Earth Mystic Realm—how can his spiritual perception be so acute?!" The Second Elder also exclaimed in a lowered voice.
"He shouldn't have noticed us, but this little fellow is indeed becoming increasingly inscrutable..." The Supreme Elder stroked his beard, a faint smile actually blooming at the corner of his mouth.
Afterward, they all departed in secret. Originally, they had come because of Su Fei'er's incident, but the Supreme Elder had directly intervened to stop them. Although the First Elder and the Second Elder found Moyang an eyesore, they had no choice but to swallow their grievances and bear it in silence.
Upon returning to Wood Peak, Moyang went straight into the Stone Tower and began comprehending the sword technique he had obtained from the Scripture Pavilion, having already committed those few short lines of the formula firmly to memory.
The reason Moyang had taken a fancy to this set of sword techniques was simply because the formula was unusually obscure and awkward to pronounce—at first glance, it looked nothing like an ordinary sword technique.
The Star Emperor Scripture he practiced was quite similar to it.
He cultivated all the way until nightfall without making any headway, though imperceptibly, his cultivation had grown quite a bit, gradually nearing the mid-phase of Stage 1 of the Earth Mystic Realm.
Moyang could not help marveling that the Star Emperor Scripture was truly extraordinary. At this rate of progress, he would likely break through to Stage 2 of the Earth Mystic Realm in just a few days. Such a cultivation speed would probably cause jaws to drop in shock even among those major powers.
Little did he know that the Lingxu Sect was already in an uproar over him at that very moment.
Because quite a few disciples had seen Su Fei'er crying as she rushed down from Wood Peak, her dress torn in several places and her long hair an utter mess, such a sight naturally gave rise to no small amount of speculation among those disciples.
All sorts of rumors spread incessantly among the disciples, and Su Fei'er's admirers completely blew a gasket.
Yet what left the disciples baffled was that a group of the sect's elders actually let the matter rest without a single inquiry, acting as if they were completely unaware of it.
As for Su Fei'er herself, she was utterly bewildered. Those rumors were one thing, but what she simply could not fathom was that when she went to see the Supreme Elder that very evening, the Supreme Elder showed not the slightest intention of punishing Moyang. Instead, he kept telling her to spend more time with him, lavishing praise on Moyang and declaring how wonderful he was—the subtext couldn't have been more obvious.
The following day, Qi Heng—the Lingxu Sect's foremost Heavenly Prodigy—emerged from closed-door cultivation. As the Senior Brother of the main peak, he had spent several months in seclusion this time, and his cultivation had successfully broken through to Stage 1 of the Earth Mystic Realm.
Upon hearing those rumors, Qi Heng flew into a towering rage. He initially wanted to charge straight up to Wood Peak, but after learning from other disciples about Moyang's actions over the past few days, he deliberated for a moment before directly having someone deliver a letter of challenge to Moyang.
On Wood Peak, Moyang sat on a stone stool in the small courtyard, staring at the letter of challenge in his hand, feeling somewhat bewildered. Because the note contained only a time, a location, and Qi Heng's name, Moyang was completely oblivious to the fact that it was all because of Su Fei'er.
"So be it. It's a good chance to test my current combat strength. Master often said that true powerhouses are forged through endless battles!" Moyang did not dwell on it too much either. In his view, Qi Heng must have learned that his cultivation had reached the Earth Mystic Realm and therefore come to challenge him.
The time specified in the challenge letter was noon three days later, and the location was none of other than the martial arts practice field.
Naturally, this matter could not be concealed from the sect's elders, but the Supreme Elder turned a blind eye, intentionally letting the situation develop. He wanted to take the opportunity to gauge Moyang's true combat strength; after all, Qi Heng and Moyang were both at Stage 1 of the Earth Mystic Realm, and a clash between the two would naturally reveal who was stronger and who was weaker.
For the days that followed, Moyang spent most of his time comprehending the mysterious runes within the Stone Tower while also practicing the fragmented sword score. Three days passed in the blink of an eye.
At noon on this day, the Lingxu Sect's martial arts practice field was bustling with activity as disciples from various peaks gathered together. At the same time, a black-robed youth slowly walked into the practice field.
The youth had a tall figure and a cold, stern expression, and one could clearly discern the explosive contours of his muscles beneath his black robe, invisibly exuding a powerful sense of physical might.
He was none other than the Lingxu Sect's premier Heavenly Prodigy, the Senior Brother of the main peak, Qi Heng.
Seeing Qi Heng arrive, many disciples burst into cheers.
"Senior Brother Qi has come out of seclusion! Let's see how that Moyang acts arrogantly now!"
"Senior Brother Qi will surely win!"
"That beast Moyang is no better than an animal, attempting to harbor evil designs against Junior Sister Su—he deserves to die!"
...
Yet some disciples also furrowed their brows. After all, Moyang had likewise displayed Earth Mystic Realm cultivation just a few days prior. The crucial point was that Moyang had previously been a good-for-nothing who couldn't even set foot in the Qi Condensation Realm; it seemed there were unknown secrets hidden within him.
"Moyang is also at Stage 1 of the Earth Mystic Realm, so it's still hard to say who will win and who will lose this fight!"
"Indeed, judging by Moyang's performance a few days ago, this fellow is no pushover either. Luo Hao's hands were both broken, and to this day he can't even hold a sword steady..."
No one noticed that not far away, several figures had already been monitoring the situation on the practice field in secret; a group of elders was already watching closely from the shadows.
However, noon had arrived, and the perimeter of the martial arts practice field was a sea of black hair as disciples from various peaks rushed over to watch the battle. Qi Heng had also been waiting on the field for quite some time, yet Moyang's figure failed to appear.
"Could it be that Moyang doesn't dare to accept the challenge? Why isn't he here yet..."
"Damn it, this trash actually dared to stand Senior Brother Qi up!"
Some disciples craned their necks toward Wood Peak while cursing angrily.
...
On the practice field, Qi Heng wore a cold expression, leaning on a long sword planted before him. He uttered not a word, merely standing quietly right in the center of the arena.
As time slowly drifted by, the atmosphere at the scene gradually grew somewhat bizarre, for Moyang's figure still had not shown up.
It was not until nearly half an hour later that Moyang finally appeared within everyone's sight. Yet what left people speechless was that he looked utterly bleary-eyed, seemingly yawning as he strolled over.
An uproar broke out all around the martial arts practice field, and many disciples began discussing animatedly.
Qi Heng's expression had long since turned pitch-black. Staring at the slowly approaching figure, a powerful aura surged from his body—all of it driven by sheer anger.
"Sorry everyone, I overslept!" Moyang arrived at the edge of the martial arts practice field and offered an apologetic smile to the assembled disciples.
"Moyang, I thought you wouldn't dare to come!" Qi Heng finally could not hold back, his voice bone-chillingly cold as the fury in his tone became unmistakable.
"I actually was a bit flustered!" Moyang looked toward Qi Heng and chuckled.
"To think you'd be audacious enough to reach this point—what on earth did you do to Junior Sister Su?" Seeing Moyang's absent-minded demeanor, a thick wave of rage welled up on Qi Heng's face as he barked the question.
"Huh? Which Junior Sister Su?" The remark left Moyang completely dumbfounded.
"I am talking about Junior Sister Su Fei'er!" Qi Heng was already on the verge of flying into a rage, speaking in a heavy, emphatic voice.
"The beast! He did it and now he refuses to admit it!" A disciple directly roared in fury.
"You eat your fill, wipe your mouth, and deny everything—are you even a man?!"
...
"What did I do to Su Fei'er?" Listening to the angry rebukes echoing all around him, Moyang was filled with utter perplexity.
He truly had no idea, though vaguely, he recalled what Su Fei'er had said when she left his courtyard three days ago, sending a wave of speechlessness rolling through his heart.
Qi Heng's expression turned thoroughly icy. Fixing his gaze squarely on Moyang, he asked in a cold voice, "Are you not going to use a sword?"
Moyang stretched his back lazily and spoke unceremoniously, "Even if you can't beat them, you can't lose your momentum. Just fight it out—what use is a sword!"
He then swiveled his waist and said, "Come on, I'm still in a rush to go back and take a nap!"
Quite a few disciples around him wore dumbfounded expressions; they had never realized before that Moyang could be such an eccentric character.
"Hmph!" Qi Heng let out a cold snort.
Instantly, he drew his long sword with a swish, his entire aura surging violently upward as he flashed forward to stab at Moyang. A trace of true qi could be clearly seen condensing upon the sword's edge, and a razor-sharp aura surged forth in a split second.
Yet facing this fierce and formidable strike, Moyang simply stood quietly in place, neither attacking nor evading.
Qi Heng's assault was exceptionally swift, his long sword reaching right in front of Moyang in the blink of an eye. It was only at this exact moment that Moyang abruptly thrust out his right hand, his palm gliding along the blade's edge before slamming fiercely against the body of the sword.
Qi Heng's expression shifted slightly. He clearly felt a massive wave of force transmitting along the blade, nearly sending his long sword flying from his grip and leaving his arm completely numb. Hurriedly exerting strength in secret to grip the hilt firmly, he leveraged the momentum to sweep horizontally toward Moyang.
Moyang withdrew his body with a swift motion, and as true qi circulated through his right hand, a wisp of sword qi slowly condensed out of his palm, colliding violently and instantly with the sweeping long sword.
This was none of other than that fragmented sword manual. Having practiced it for several days, Moyang could barely manage to condense this single wisp of sword qi.
"Clang!"
With a soft sound and the fleeting flash of an incomparably sharp aura, the long sword in Qi Heng's hand was actually cleanly severed right down the middle. The broken section dropped onto the bluestone slabs of the martial arts practice field, emitting a crisp sound.
At this moment, absolute silence descended upon the surroundings of the practice field, and the numerous onlookers stood frozen in place.
Not far away, the Supreme Elder's eyeballs nearly popped out of their sockets, and his hand, which had been stroking his beard, directly yanked out a large handful of it.
He had practiced that fragmented sword manual in the past, yet even after years of cultivation, he had failed to master it because it was far too incomplete.
And yet he clearly remembered that Moyang had only obtained this sword technique from the Scripture Pavilion three days ago! Merely three days, and this incomplete sword formula had actually been successfully mastered by Moyang!
How could this be possible?!
Su Fei'er, who had been hiding in the shadows all along, nearly failed to hold back a gasp of astonishment. Compared to a few days ago, Moyang seemed to have grown even stronger; she could see clearly that from the very beginning, Qi Heng had unleashed his full strength, whereas Moyang had handled it with apparent ease.
Meanwhile, on the practice field, Qi Heng was utterly dumbfounded.
Chapter 6: The Crafty and Cunning Elder
Qi Heng's body froze instantly, staring in a daze at the long sword in his hand that had already been lopped off by half, a look of incredulity filling his eyes.
As the foremost Heavenly Prodigy of the Lingxu Sect and the Senior Brother of the main peak, how could the sword he used possibly be an ordinary item?
This sword had been a gift from the First Elder, forged from refined hundred-refined gold and capable of cutting through iron as if it were mud. It had accompanied him through the years, bringing him victory in every battle, yet right now, it had actually been snapped in two by a single streak of sword qi.
The First Elder, who was watching the battle in secret alongside the Sect Master and the Supreme Elder, thought he must have seen wrongly. He hurriedly reached out to rub his eyes, yet the severed half-blade lying on the martial arts practice field remained stubbornly glaring and stark.
"Moyang, you..." Recovering from his shock, Qi Heng snapped his gaze toward Moyang, two beams of piercing cold light shooting from his eyes as his expression grew dark to the extreme.
Moyang was still frowning at that moment, recalling the split second before. That streak of sword qi had dissipated after a single strike, but its power seemed rather decent; if he could truly comprehend it thoroughly, its might would inevitably be even greater.
When he raised his head, Qi Heng had already lunged forward. Abandoning the broken sword in his hand, Qi Heng clenched his single fist, wrapping a dazzling aura around it as he viciously smashed it toward Moyang.
"The fourth layer of the Tyrant Fist!" Some of the surrounding disciples immediately cried out in astonishment.
This was a fist technique known for its fierce, unyielding, and overbearing power, divided into a total of five layers. The fourth layer could only be unleashed once one's cultivation reached the Earth Mystic Realm, as it required true qi to condense and propel the fist force, capable of splitting mountains and shattering rocks.
Among all the disciples, Qi Heng was the only one who had cultivated the Tyrant Fist to the fourth layer.
"The fourth layer of the Tyrant Fist!" Moyang's gaze narrowed slightly; he was naturally well aware of the terrifying might of this fist technique.
He originally intended to channel his true qi to counter it, but after a momentary hesitation, he simply threw his own punch to meet it head-on.
"Boom..."
The two fists smashed violently against each other, producing a muffled explosion. A visible shockwave of air spread rapidly outward with the two of them at the center, and immediately afterward, both men staggered backward simultaneously.
Whether it was Moyang or Qi Heng, with every step they took backward during their retreat, the bluestone ground was trampled until it shattered completely!
One could easily imagine the sheer power erupted by their previous clash!
The discussions at the scene came to an abrupt halt, and numerous disciples stood frozen. In all previous duels between sect disciples, they had never witnessed such a staggering spectacle.
Most crucially, everyone had just witnessed that Moyang had not channeled any true qi whatsoever, relying entirely on pure physical strength, whereas Qi Heng had unleashed the power of the fourth layer of the Tyrant Fist.
The look of shock in Qi Heng's eyes flashed and vanished, replaced by a complexion as dark as a thundercloud. He stared silently at Moyang, taking a serious look at him for the very first time. A moment later, he spoke in a deep voice, "To think that you were hiding so deeply! Everyone assumed you were incapable of cultivation, yet your cultivation turns out to be the strongest of all!"
Qi Heng spoke with utmost sincerity, but then his tone abruptly shifted. "However, today I will definitely obtain justice for Junior Sister!"
Moyang felt an extraordinary wave of speechlessness in his heart and blurted out, "Obtain justice for your head! Do you have any brains at all?!"
These words instantly provoked Qi Heng into a fury. A murderous glint flashed in his eyes, and utilizing the Lingxu Movement Technique, he once again flashed forward in a charge.
Moyang's gaze narrowed slightly as he slowly channeled the true qi within his body. A golden luster overflowed onto the surface of his skin, covering him as though he were clad in a suit of golden battle armor.
The scene played out identically to before, with the two men once again trading a punch head-on.
Both men were simultaneously knocked back once more, but as they steadied their stances, a trace of paleness had already surfaced on Qi Heng's face. The look of agony on his features was difficult to conceal, and his eyes revealed a profound and heavy shock.