Chapter 231: Sparrow and Thunder

September 10th.

This wide square was located east of the north-south thoroughfare. Entering from the street required walking down a long flight of stairs. The surroundings were surrounded by many restaurants; at this time, not only were the upper floors full, but viewing platforms were also built in the gaps between the two buildings.

When Seeing Pei Ye first arrived, he was simply confused for a moment. When he was squeezed by people and couldn't move, he thought he had already reached the edge of the field. Looking from afar, the martial field was clearly still far away!

Although it had long been said that there would be many more people on the last day, he didn't expect such a near-qualitative change.

After protecting Master Huang and the children all the way to the field, he saw the surging crowd even more, which even made people doubt—are there really so many people in Bowang City?

In the past few days, the square could accommodate more than 30,000 people. Now, not only were these places all occupied, but a circle was even built on the periphery, almost turning every restaurant into an aerial garden. And even so, the number of people far exceeded it. Many people sat on the roofs and tops of buildings, and even on high willows and large locust trees, watching the field with relish. There were also many people who had no seats and no skills, squeezing and poking their heads in the outermost layer, wanting to rub against this atmosphere even with the faint sound and narrow field of vision.

Fortunately, the seats for the contestants' relatives and friends were still preserved.

Seeing Pei Ye looked down at the martial arts arena, which had also changed its appearance significantly. The split-in-two look from yesterday was gone; now there was only a single, broad, and enormous platform, constructed of high wood and flat stone, standing in the very center of the arena. Without any obstruction, when people stood upon it, they were like two ants placed in a white basin.

On the east platform, the adults were still sitting calmly, very conspicuous. Seeing Pei Ye saw Uncle Chang's figure from afar.

And what raised the ceiling sharply today was the extra chair in the highest row. Most people on the martial field were unaware of it, but for those who cared about this matter, the name Sui Zaihua had already fallen heavily into their hearts.

However, Li Weiru hadn't arrived yet.

Seeing Pei Ye withdrew his gaze. Below the field, several contestants were already standing there. He picked up his sword, tidied his clothes, and stepped down.

And just this action caused a small-scale commotion. Eyes fell from near and far, pointing and watching the figure walking down alone in this crowd of ten thousand—of course, it was a finalist.

"Young Hero Pei, what place do you plan to take today?" Looking at the boy walking over, Li Piaoqing turned her head and smiled.

The young girl also changed into a brand-new green dress today. It was a style Seeing Pei Ye had never seen before. It looked a bit more dignified in its lightness and handsomeness, which was very beautiful.

"Ah, you have clothes to change into, mine are all dirty." Seeing Pei Ye looked down. After wearing them for days and fighting in the arena, although there were no large stains, they were indeed not as bright as before.

"When the clothes were made that day, didn't you say that as long as they could be worn, it was fine? Why don't you change into your old clothes?"

"... I'm afraid the audience won't recognize me," Seeing Pei Ye said. "And didn't we make two sets that day? I asked you for that one yesterday, but you wouldn't give it to me."

"... Seeing Pei Ye, you are completely fickle." The young girl made a judgment.

"There's no such thing."

Then Seeing Pei Ye turned to look at the others. Yang Yan was holding his blade with his eyes closed. Since yesterday, his words had become much less. Sitting in meditation was something he had to do before every match, just as looking for people to chat with was something Seeing Pei Ye had to do.

Zhang Zongyuan had no changes. He was still far away from the crowd, leaning silently against the arena, with his staff standing beside him. According to Zhang Dingyun's statement yesterday, this man's purpose was very simple and direct: he was here to get money and then win the championship.

He was a martial artist with quite a reputation in the neighboring prefecture. He was supposed to win the championship in the spring trial this year, but he was framed by powerful people and lost his spot. With the help of the Qiyun Merchant House, this martial artist, who had no relatives or wife, moved his household registration to Bowang and exchanged it for a chance to participate in the autumn trial.

A Sixth Life martial artist, proficient in both fist and staff, if he opened a hall and established a sect, he would be a figure to be reckoned with in the martial arts world of a prefecture now. But the man had always been alone, still running around without a job at over thirty, clearly determined and focused, with his eyes only on the Divine Capital.

And at the other end, Qijiao Shang Huaitong was also standing alone, stroking his sword with his eyes closed, as if he had sunk into a realm of silence.

This man also received the most attention. In the fights of the past few days, he was clearly and steadily one level higher than the others. Among the four opponents, no one could make him draw his sword, and no one saw his second move. He had always been the number one hot favorite spread before the race, and now he had steadily accepted this reputation.

Seeing Pei Ye didn't see him as an opponent in the martial trial. He circled around and found a problem: "Hasn't Junxue come yet?"

"No—wait, she's here."

The young girl pointed to the viewing platform. Seeing Pei Ye looked over and indeed saw the familiar tall figure walking down with a blade on her back, followed by the one-armed man he had just parted with.

"You're a bit late," Seeing Pei Ye smiled as Zhang Junxue came to them.

But the young woman didn't reply, nor did she lower her head slightly as usual. She was silent, looking straight at the east of the arena. That was where Qijiao Shang Huaitong was.

The young woman's state of temperament made Seeing Pei Ye stunned.

He naturally knew that she had always been silent, and he also knew that she harbored hatred. But before, this hatred was deeply buried, and silence was a thick layer of cowhide covered on it.

When you knock, you get a dull echo, revealing the young woman's clumsiness and warmth. You know there is something hidden inside, but you can't see it, hear it, or guess it.

But now the knocking had no sound. This silence became more distinct, exposing the hidden hatred nakedly.

"... What's wrong, Junxue?"

"Nothing," Zhang Junxue whispered, then turned her head and looked at him in a daze. "Seeing Pei Ye..."

"Hmm?"

"... Nothing."

Seeing Pei Ye frowned and was about to ask again when the sound of the four-sided tripod suddenly rang out on the field. He looked up and saw eight red silks falling from the sky. It turned out it was already the hour of Si (9-11 AM).

After all the rites were completed, Xu Sigong stood on the arena, wearing a robe embroidered with birds, holding a public register in his hand: "Only by sifting through the sand can one get the gold; only by picking through the high waves can one see the carp that becomes a dragon. After days of fierce competition, we have these eight phoenixes. Bowang spreads its name, and the Jin Qiu determines the champion. Today, amidst the eyes of ten thousand people, we compete for feathers and sounds. The only one among them will be named by the Han Pavilion for the Divine Capital Martial Trial!"

"The names of the eight people are as follows: Cuiyu's Li Piaoqing, Seven Serpents' Qijiao Shang Huaitong, Cuiyu's Shen Yao, Seven Serpents' Yu Yingcai, Qiyun's Zhang Zongyuan, Dingyun's Yang Yan, Fenghuai's Seeing Pei Ye, and Xu Gu's Zhang Junxue."

After the names were read, the field had long since stopped making noise, and all eyes were gathered here. There was only the man's loud chanting on the field. Xu Sigong closed the register and took out a hard note.

The order of the fights for the first round today had already been drawn yesterday. At this time, high above the arena, the huge red curtain had already shown the matchup for the first match.

Xu Sigong read loudly: "The Bowang Prefecture Jin Qiu Martial Trial, now begins! The first match of the championship, the blade is the color of thunder and lightning, the sword is like a dancing sparrow—Zhang Junxue, Shen Yao!"

Amidst the suddenly boiling cheers, Seeing Pei Ye still didn't have time to ask what had happened. The young woman beside him had already stood up with her blade on her back and walked straight to the arena.

Seeing Pei Ye watched her go until Li Piaoqing beside him suddenly pointed to the high platform: "Master is here."

Seeing Pei Ye looked up and indeed saw the old man's thin figure standing on the high platform. However, he was not alone. Beside him, a middle-aged man with a solid temperament Seeing Pei Ye recognized; the young girl had told him that he was the Platform Master of the Bowang Immortal Platform. But the other tall man Seeing Pei Ye was completely unfamiliar with. He was in blue, tall and straight, with a heroic face, holding a long sword on the ground, chatting and laughing with the officials who were talking to them.

"It's the people from Tianshan who have come!" Li Piaoqing said lightly.

"Oh!" Seeing Pei Ye realized.

On the high platform, Gu Yunfu greeted everyone one by one. Some people in the seats knew that the case had to wait for people from Tianshan to come, and some only knew that the Cuiyu Sect had connected with Tianshan's line. But regardless of which, it didn't prevent them from paying tribute to this major sect that had few in the world.

Gu Yunfu lifted his lapel and sat down beside Li Weiru, moved his stool, which was half the distance of a normal seat, and scanned with a smile. "Sect Master Li, which one is the Seven Serpents Cave Master?"

This voice was neither loud nor soft, almost everyone could hear it. Li Weiru reached out his hand, and Gu Yunfu looked over, meeting the eyes of Luo Defeng, who turned his head with an expressionless face.

Between the Eighth Life and the Master realm should be a natural chasm, but the man's gaze was as if he were the one standing higher. He put away his smile, and the line drawn by the corners of his mouth looked very sharp.

After meeting at the city gate, they had chatted about some basic problems and met Lu Yunsheng before coming over. The junior brother's account and the wounds on his chest all indicated the guilt of the person in front of him.

"This Shen Yao is a disciple of our sect," Li Weiru interrupted him, already laughing and pointing to the field below.

To be honest, knowing it was a small place, Gu Yunfu initially had a mentality of looking down on others. He had experience in dealing with these small sects. Their attitude was flattery and sycophancy, and their eyes were stuck on money and martial arts. He understood it completely and would never treat them badly, and would fully show the demeanor of Tianshan.

But whether it was in the letter or the meeting today, the old man's demeanor won his favor and respect. The junior brother said that this sect could trace its inheritance back four hundred years. Now it seems it is indeed so. The Cuiyu Sect is now as weak as a candle in the wind, but that essence is still steadily hidden in the core.

Some people, even if they wear straw sandals and broken fur, will make people subconsciously put them in an equal position.

Gu Yunfu looked in the direction the old man pointed. Indeed, responding to the official's chanting just now, two women, one with a blade and one with a sword, walked onto the arena.

For a man who had spent most of his life between Tianshan and the Divine Capital, watching this kind of martial trial was naturally no different from watching spiders eating mosquitoes on the beams when reading—just finding something for his eyes to do.

The old man didn't have any meaning of shame, still laughing and introducing, "The thin one is one of the two Fifth Life of our sect, and she steadily ranks in the top three among the disciples."

Gu Yunfu nodded and looked carefully. From this overlooking view, the two people on the arena were as clear as two ants on a white plate.

——————————————

Below the field, the curtain opened.

Shen Yao drew her sword and abandoned the scabbard. After bowing to Zhang Junxue, she stood up straight and slowly pointed her sword diagonally.

At this point, no one was willing to stop here.

Even though she was considered one of the least favored people, Shen Yao still didn't think she didn't have the ability to enter the top four.

The facts were indeed so. She was a Fifth Life of many years, had learned the sword in the Yi Lan Mountains since she was a child, held the most orthodox sword technique of the Cuiyu Sect, and was the most relied-upon senior sister among her peers. This strength could never be said to be not solid.

But looking at the situation this year, among these eight people, she recognized that there were indeed only a few she had a chance to win against. Counting them, there were only Yu Yingcai, Zhang Junxue, and Yang Yan.

Among them, Zhang Junxue had the best chance.

This young woman came from the Zhang family of Xu Gu, which was not as good as the Cuiyu Sect; she had just entered the Fifth Life, and her cultivation was not as good as hers. The only thing she relied on was her natural bones and the Overlapping Wave Blade Technique.

There were no other hole cards; this person was standing in front of her thoroughly.

Sure enough, if she didn't abandon it, heaven would favor her—this was the best draw she could get.

Shen Yao tilted her posture and floated up like a sparrow skimming the clouds.

That day in the Changdao Martial Hall, the Cuiyu master had demonstrated "Green Light," and its lightness and beauty made everyone sigh in admiration. But at this moment, when the senior sister's sword was exposed before her eyes, Zhang Junxue knew what kind of essence the sword she saw at that time lacked.

—The kingfisher is not a toy for people to watch. Its beauty only explodes most brilliantly in the cold moment of skimming the water to catch fish.

Sharpness that forces people's hearts!

Zhang Junxue took the blade to block. The wide blade instantly covered the bright and thin sword light, but the next moment it drifted past a sharp angle and probed out from the side of the blade.

In the blink of an eye, the two had exchanged several moves. Sharpness and heaviness turned and opened. The bright sword light was like a winding and jumping small stream, and the thick heavy blade was the Heishan. White light scattered and jumped, and its range even exceeded the two people—Shen Yao was clearly facing Zhang Junxue, but there was always sword light that could attack her from the side and behind.

But even such an exquisite sword path couldn't escape the black shadow. Seeing Pei Ye had long felt the airtight blocking of the young woman, and at this moment, Shen Yao felt the same.

And for the audience, the intersection of lightness and heaviness that hadn't been seen between Zhang Zongyuan and Zhang Mozhu before was displayed at this moment, but it was the light side that kept attacking.

After eighteen breaths, Shen Yao had tried all angles and still couldn't find a trace of a gap.

She looked at the silent young woman opposite her, knowing that with similar true Qi and strength and speed that couldn't suppress the opponent, to break this situation, there were only two ways—either head-on, for example, the Cicada part that the junior sister said was returned to the sect had a very strong sword to break defense, but unfortunately she hadn't had time to practice; or let the opponent out and return a part of the offensive space to the opponent. Then, while taking risks, this space was also her own opportunity.

Shen Yao looked at the other's eyes calmly. Fighting without chaos had long been engraved in her instinct, and in this kind of duel, no one would be confused. She believed that the opponent must also see the situation clearly.

So there was no trick, and she didn't bother to cover it up. Her next step was clear—I'm going to give you a space, do you dare to attack?

And the tall young woman only had deep silence.

The sword light suddenly retracted two inches, and the true Qi had already been brewed in Shen Yao's body.

So in an instant, the tightened angry waves were released. If Shen Yao was a kingfisher catching fish, then huge waves suddenly surged on the river.

The flying white light suddenly converged into a bundle. With a "clang" of collision, the black water and black mountain hit the white stream.

Although she had imagined it many times, the power of this blade still far exceeded Shen Yao's expectations. Her body suddenly stiffened. And after this solid collision, the long blade drew a floating circle and pressed over again.

Overlapping Wave · First Layer.

And Shen Yao suddenly jumped up.

At this moment, it was the timing she was looking forward to.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 232 =====