Chapter 129: Unable to Discern Victory or Defeat

Lord Lord Jingzhao, Lu Yuanlang, Sun Zhenliu, and Qu Xuan—these four were the top experts of the younger generation in the Jingxiang cultivation world. All were between twenty-five and thirty years old. The youngest, Lord Lord Jingzhao, was only five years older than Liu Xiaolou, yet all had already broken through to the Golden Core Realm, and their future achievements would be limitless.

If they were the bright moon in the sky of the Jingxiang cultivation world, Liu Xiaolou was like a firefly in the grass, able only to look up at the moonlight and sigh. He knew himself that by the time he reached their age, let alone Golden Core, even Foundation Establishment would be a pipe dream.

Comparing talent, wealth, cultivation techniques, or background—no matter what he compared, he was left in the dust. The only thing he could show off was perhaps his looks...

Of course, as a rogue cultivator from Wulong Mountain, his greatest strength was maintaining a grounded perspective. Because he had experienced so many setbacks and humiliations, he would never lose his composure because of them.

I'm just an ordinary person; being able to walk the path of cultivation is already good enough. I won't compare myself to them, I won't compete with the bright moon, and I don't even aspire to be the stars accompanying the moon. I'll just be a firefly, free and easy, without constraints, not responsible for a sect, not worrying about heritage, not troubled by glory, and not distressed by ascension.

Just as Cai Qiugong finished praising them, he announced the start of the sword trial. The rules were simple: whoever could hold out until the end would be the winner.

As for stopping at a touch, there was really no need to say it, nor was it necessary. With so many Grandmasters present, they couldn't die even if they wanted to.

This sword trial was originally a joint effort by the Dongyang Sect, Mount Tianmu, and the Zhanglong Sect aimed at the Qingyu Sect. Therefore, it was impossible for Sun Zhenliu, Lu Yuanlang, and Qu Xuan to attack each other; their target was Lord Lord Jingzhao of the Qingyu Sect. Of course, they couldn't attack together either; if they won that way, it would be the same as losing, and they couldn't afford to lose face like that.

So, they would go up one by one. The first to go up was Sun Zhenliu of the Dongyang Sect. Since this matter originated from the Dongyang Sect, it was natural for him to take the lead.

Sun Zhenliu stepped into the arena, didn't say a word, and cupped his hands toward Lord Lord Jingzhao.

The Qingyu Sect agreed to the sword trial and combat precisely with the intention of letting Lord Lord Jingzhao spar and hone his skills against the experts of the three sects. Thus, Lord Lord Jingzhao had long known this would be the situation. He returned the salute, stepped into the arena, and stood facing Sun Zhenliu.

A major characteristic of the Golden Core Realm was refining magic treasures into the dantian and nourishing them with Qi. Therefore, as Sun Zhenliu pinched a sword incantation with both hands, a fiery red longsword flew out from the top of his head, transforming into a streak of sword light. The sword light was sometimes solid and sometimes ethereal; it was both a real sword and a phantom sword, constantly transforming between the two.

With just this move, the arena was instantly in an uproar, and the sound of applause and cheering resounded throughout the venue.

"As expected of Sun Zhenliu of the Dongyang Sect! I've only heard his name in the past and never seen his techniques. Today, just for this sword move, this trip was truly worth it!"

"This is the Ethereal-Solid Sword Intent! Ethereal-Solid Sword Intent! Is he really only at the early Golden Core stage? Unbelievable!"

"I'm afraid I won't reach this step even in another ten years..."

"Good!" Liu Xiaolou clapped and cheered along.

The Tiger-Headed Flood Dragon shook its head and also praised loudly: "Marvelous beyond words! What does Brother think?"

Liu Xiaolou sighed in admiration: "His sword is really long. I don't know how he hides it in his stomach. You have to wonder how big his dantian is!"

The Tiger-Headed Flood Dragon said: "This sword light is also too beautiful. Brother, can you tell how many colors it contains?"

Liu Xiaolou said: "At least three colors: red, orange, and purple!"

The Tiger-Headed Flood Dragon said: "I see five colors, including blue and white flames!"

Liu Xiaolou bowed to the Tiger-Headed Flood Dragon: "Brother Brother Brother Hutou's cultivation far exceeds mine. I am in awe!"

The two first laughed until their sides hurt, then smiled bitterly. They both knew that Sun Zhenliu's sword intent looked impressive, but they really couldn't understand or explain why it was good. They could only say the gap was so large it was almost despairing.

Lord Lord Jingzhao opposite nodded, cupped his hands again, and then shook his arms. Figures suddenly flashed behind him. These figures overlapped and intertwined, gathering more and more, converging behind him into a three-zhang-tall Golden-Armored Divine General.

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The Divine General took a step forward, merging Lord Lord Jingzhao into his figure. He beckoned with his right hand toward the sky, and a radiance appeared in his palm, which instantly solidified into a Painted Halberd.

This scene was even more intimidating than Sun Zhenliu's Ethereal-Solid Sword Intent; it was the Qingyu Sect's Spirit Manifestation—Mountain God Manifestation.

At this point, Liu Xiaolou finally matched the Lord Lord Jingzhao before him with the Golden-Armored Divine General who had fought the Demon Vine in the Wulong Mountain sinkhole last year!

So it was him.

Sun Zhenliu stood before the Golden-Armored Divine General, looking even smaller than an infant facing a strong man, but he was fearless. His figure leaped up, rushing straight toward the Divine General's face, the Ethereal-Solid sword light accompanying his side, slashing down at the head.

The Painted Halberd swept across with immense power, and the sharp gale it stirred up instantly swept across the entire arena.

"Ouch!" The Tiger-Headed Flood Dragon instantly lowered its body, wanting to dodge the gale, but its elbow hit Liu Xiaolou on the head.

"Ouch!" Liu Xiaolou, who had crouched down a step earlier, cried out in pain from the elbow strike. He moved his arms, which were protecting his head, to cover the missed spot as well.

The subsequent gale was dispersed by Elder Cai, and the two then stood up embarrassedly, moving a few steps further behind Elder Cai.

For them, the subsequent battle was just a spectacle. They thought Sun Zhenliu, who had slashed off the Divine General's helmet with his sword light, had won, and just as they were about to cheer, Sun Zhenliu retreated several zhang, looked up at the Divine General in a daze for a while, and cupped his hands to concede defeat.

Lord Lord Jingzhao dispersed the Mountain God Manifestation and returned the salute: "Thank you for the guidance."

Liu Xiaolou and the Tiger-Headed Flood Dragon looked at each other, not knowing what to say.

The Tiger-Headed Flood Dragon suddenly left, and after a while, it hurried back and whispered into Liu Xiaolou's ear: "The phantom sword of the Ethereal-Solid sword light was broken, leaving only the solid sword, which is why he slashed off the helmet."

Liu Xiaolou pondered: "That makes a lot of sense... Then what if the solid sword is broken?"

The Tiger-Headed Flood Dragon was stunned and ran off again. After a while, it hurried back and said: "If the solid sword is broken, the entire Mountain God phantom will be shattered, and Lord Lord Jingzhao will reveal his true self!"

Liu Xiaolou sighed in admiration: "That's really profound."

The Tiger-Headed Flood Dragon shook its head: "Who's to say it isn't!"

Liu Xiaolou had another doubt: "The helmet was slashed off, and that counts as Lord Lord Jingzhao winning. The Mountain God was shattered, and that still counts as Lord Lord Jingzhao winning. Then how can he be considered defeated?"

The Tiger-Headed Flood Dragon scratched its head and ran off again.

Liu Xiaolou, however, had no time to think about these questions, as the second sword trial had reached a critical moment.

This time, Lord Lord Jingzhao summoned a new god, but it wasn't a golden-helmeted, golden-armored, golden-halberd god. Instead, it was a bare-chested warrior tied with a yellow silk sash. This warrior wasn't as huge as the Mountain God, only about a zhang tall, but he was burly and had no weapons, relying purely on divine power to stir up a heaven-shaking storm.

In the vortex of that storm, a flood dragon shuttled back and forth. The dragon's roar was silent, but it shook Liu Xiaolou's eardrums with such pain that he was almost deafened. Fortunately, Elder Cai waved his sleeve to condense a piece of green mist, and the sharp pain gradually dissipated, but the tinnitus was unavoidable.

The Tiger-Headed Flood Dragon, which had run back, shouted hoarsely into Liu Xiaolou's ear: "..."

Liu Xiaolou, dizzy and disoriented, heard a jumble of things: "..."

Please visit the latest address. ===== CHAPTER 130 =====