Chapter 238: Did They All Go to Cangwu Daochang?

The Heavenly Dao Assembly's Tongxuan Realm matches totaled thirty, held intensely over three days.

Ten matches were fought on the first day, another ten on the second, and the final ten on the third.

Yet the focal point of public attention fell mostly on the second day's matches.

Because the competitors on the second day were far more compelling than those on the first or third.

As the noon sun blazed high, a sword technique as mighty as a mountain collapsing and earth splitting crashed down upon Tianji Daochang; Lin Chuan, only son of the millennia-old Lin family, trembled uncontrollably in both hands, blood oozing from his twisted lips.

Before he could steady his stance, a sword path brimming with chilling frost pierced through the air, its sharp qi instantly unraveling the still-churning airwaves.

Lin Chuan's pupils shrank sharply; he barely raised his blade in defense—sparks flew as the blade absorbed most of the howling sword qi, yet one piercing strand still grazed his left shoulder, tearing through his brocade robe and spraying crimson blood that stained the luxurious fabric a glaring red.

Lin Chuan was no unknown; on the contrary, he was a famed prodigy of Yuzhou.

Moreover, the Lin family was related to the Shang family of Wenda Sect, and although he had refused to join the Immortal Trails due to his unruly nature, his cultivation resources were never inferior to those of any Immortal Sect disciple.

Standing opposite him, Zhuang Zixin, after delivering that strike, let out a light breath, then lifted his icy gaze.

Amid the watching crowd, Zhuang Zixin flicked his wrist—a perfect circular sword shadow, like a silver moon hanging in the sky, swept down upon Lin Chuan with a howling wind.

Clang! Sparks flew…

On the other side, Qi Yun Daochang.

Li Yunzhao, second son of the old imperial Li clan and brother to Li Yunlang, met his opponent with an iron spear, like a frost dragon bursting from its cave—but against his foe's eerie, unpredictable mother-son heavy sword, his rapidly spinning spiritual energy began to dwindle amid frantic inhalations and exhalations.

A direct strike to his heart was blocked by his family's secret technique, the Radiant Sun Divine Art, yet the opponent's secondary sword swiftly stabbed into his shoulder bone.

His opponent, Yan Hao, grandson of the Tianjian Peak's master, had sustained minor injuries after the fierce clash but remained largely unharmed; he finished the match with a crushing heavy sword strike, then calmly adjusted his hairpin before stepping down from the platform amid the crowd's admiration.

Yan Hao's matches were always known for their speed and decisiveness; his heavy sword unleashed thunderous, mountain-crushing force that dominated all around.

Since the first round of the group stage, many had watched his fights.

They had always believed his secondary sword was weak, existing merely to compensate for the slow mobility of his heavy sword.

But after today's match against Lin Chuan, everyone realized his slender blade's lethality was utterly different—its lightning-fast strikes left opponents unable to react.

On the other side, the fierce clashes at Xingchi Daochang were no less intense than these two.

At that moment, Li Yunlang's cultivation arts enveloped him like a radiant golden sun; his aura surged as he moved like chasing wind, his snow-bright blade growing even colder and faster—he immediately overwhelmed a senior disciple of Lingjian Mountain, forcing him into constant retreat, unable to draw his sword or build momentum.

Sword Dao is such: if one cannot sustain momentum and gather sword qi, its true power cannot be unleashed.

Yet Lingjian Mountain's sword arts were countless; this senior disciple possessed some skill, repeatedly shifting his sword intent, nearly succeeding in counterattack—only to be crushed each time by the sudden iron spear's relentless pursuit.

Finally, he was whipped off the platform by the spear shaft, colliding violently against the arena's barrier, dazed and disoriented.

But the Heavenly Dao Assembly's matches never unfolded as expected; unforeseen events always arose.

For instance, in an afternoon match at Qi Yun Daochang, Wei Yingmeng, daughter of the Shanhai Pavilion's branch master, unexpectedly lost.

Among the Qingyun Realm's female cultivators, there were many; due to their meticulousness and keen perception, their insight surpassed men's, and their cultivation speed was somewhat faster—but their combat power rarely stood out within the same realm.

Yet Wei Yingmeng was an exception.

It was said she had dressed like a boy since childhood, never yielding in cultivation or combat.

For this Heavenly Dao Assembly, many had predicted Wei Yingmeng would rank among the top ten.

In the second round, she faced an opponent from the Zhu family of Qingzhou, named Zhu Shun.

Zhu Shun was not well-known, far less prominent than his brother Zhu Yao, who had joined Wenda Sect; indeed, before the Heavenly Dao Assembly began, few even noticed him.

But as the match began, everyone noticed Wei Yingmeng seemed dazed, falling into disadvantage after several exchanges, narrowly losing on the platform.

The surrounding spectators erupted in shock, rising to stare, momentarily stunned.

"Could it really be like this…"

"What technique was that?"

"The Zhu family's Mingyang Art."

In the following matches, the greatest highlight centered on two men: You Bai and Hao Feng.

The You and Hao families were obscure across the Nine Provinces, belonging to lower-tier clans—but these two, like the earlier Ba Yang, were all last-minute realm breakthroughs.

In the second round of the Heavenly Dao Assembly, both won their matches, crushing their opponents with their realm advantage.

The ones they defeated were not insignificant youths; one was a scion of a millennia-old clan, the other a relative by marriage of the Chen Shixian clan.

Thus, it was clear: even one realm higher made a vast difference, nearly impossible to overcome by other means.

While the entire Xianxian Garden buzzed with excitement, the mood among the Tianshu Academy members was grim.

Wang Gaocen had lost.

His opponent today was a senior disciple of Shanhai Pavilion; the two fought until the third round.

Wang Gaocen was among the stronger Tongxuan Realm cultivators in Tianshu Academy, evenly matched with this Shanhai disciple; their battle was fierce, perilous, and closely contested.

He wielded Tianshu Academy's orthodox method of invoking multiple arts; though its power didn't rival that of his senior brothers and sisters in Rongdao Realm, it still lived up to the name of an Immortal Sect disciple—his movements were swift as wind, his blade strikes heavy and forceful.

Yet in the third round, he still lost by a single move, crushed onto the platform by his opponent's spiritual energy, nearly impaled through the heart.

Fortunately, at the last moment, he activated his protective artifact, flipped over, and drove his opponent back—but was ultimately slashed off the platform.

Now he stepped out of Lingxi Daochang, his gaze dim as he stared toward Xianxian Garden.

He was the grandson of a Tianshu Academy Elder, raised in luxury, a prodigy among his peers; his goal in joining the Heavenly Dao Assembly was to claim first place.

Yet out of humility and caution, he publicly claimed only that he aimed for the top ten.

But every competitor here sought to reach the deepest sanctum of the Xianxian Sacred Ground.

This match had struck him like a blow to the head, leaving him stunned—he suddenly realized he was weaker, more mediocre, than he'd imagined.

Gazing at the long marble path, he paused as he prepared to return, unsure how to inform others of his defeat.

Yet as he stood dazed, a group of Tianshu Academy disciples suddenly emerged from the neighboring Yuyu Daochang, carrying a bamboo-woven litter and sprinting swiftly along the marble path toward the gate arch.

Wang Gaocen froze, eyes widening involuntarily.

For the blood-soaked man lying on the litter was none other than his fellow disciple, Gu Ze Tao.

After staring for a long while, Wang Gaocen spotted Wei Han, a manager-disciple accompanying Gu Ze Tao; he too wore a grim expression, his eyes dull.

Wang Gaocen snapped back: "What happened to Ze Tao?"

Wei Han pressed his lips: "Gu's younger brother lost."

"I recall his opponent was from Wenda Sect?"

"Ye Qing of Wenda Sect. He lost both rounds; his invoked arts were shattered."

Wei Han had been present at Yuyu Daochang, having watched Gu Ze Tao's entire match.

Ye Qing struck fiercely, unleashing immense spiritual energy from the outset; his combat experience far surpassed Gu Ze Tao's, and victory was inevitable.

At that moment, the manager of the Manager's Office arrived before them, hearing Wei Han's report and seeing Wang Gaocen's disheveled, broken hairpin, his face darkened.

By this stage, all Seven Immortal Sects except Yu Danzong had suffered losses.

For example, Chen Shuo of the Chen Shixian clan, and the daughter of Shanhai Pavilion's branch master.

But only Tianshu Academy lost two in a single day, one of them carried off unconscious—this was truly disgraceful.

Among the spectators were some from Jingcheng's noble families, such as Prince Chong's party; they now emerged from Lingxi and Yuyu Daochang, their expressions strained.

They resided in Shengjing, lived close to Tianshu Academy, and regularly associated with its cultivators; their attendance here was natural.

Yet they never imagined Tianshu Academy would lose two matches, one of them critically wounded and unconscious.

Recall when they had watched the preliminary rounds.

They didn't know of the Elder Council's behind-the-scenes interference, but they knew Wang Gaocen and Gu Ze Tao were painstakingly selected from the Academy—was this all they amounted to?

Amid murmurs, another group of pro-Immortal Sect officials arrived from Jingyang Daochang, joining them.

Upon learning of Tianshu Academy's two Tongxuan losses, they brought another grim piece of news.

"In the Rongdao Realm matches, a Tianshu Academy disciple nearly lost."

"Who?"

"Xiao Hanyan."

"Nearly lost means she didn't—this second round was perilous; winning proves skill."

"She was going to lose, but at the last moment, Xiao Hanyan secretly threw out an artifact."

"The Heavenly Dao Assembly doesn't forbid artifacts; that's not a big deal."

"It's not forbidden, but conventionally, if one intends to bring an artifact, one must declare it first; secretly using one is clearly unsportsmanlike."

"How could this happen? She's from Daxia Sacred Sect…"

"The Xianxian Sacred Ground was where the Sacred Artifacts once transmitted the Dao; one year's cultivation here equals ten elsewhere. To enter it, using such tactics is understandable—but Tianshu Academy's reputation will suffer."

Spiritual energy surged like an ocean; blade and sword light flashed like lightning.

Back and forth, one wins, one falls.

Across the Nine Daochang, figures came and went endlessly; some walked with heads high, clearly victorious, others appeared dazed and disheveled.

Among the spectators, some youths felt their Dao hearts blocked by the astonishing displays, overwhelmed by the sense they could never catch up; some elders sighed inwardly, thinking, I was nothing like this in my youth.

In the past two years, rumors had spread that human destiny was nearing its end, causing barbarian and demonic clans to grow suspicious and restless.

Attacks on Han Tie Pass, infiltration into the Nine Provinces under the guise of trade, and attempts to form alliances—all occurred within these two years.

But after witnessing the second round of the Heavenly Dao Assembly, many felt the claim of dying human destiny was utter nonsense.

Look at this flourishing scene—humanity was clearly entering a golden age.

The scenery of Xianxian Garden was elegant, pavilions and towers arranged in graceful order, yet the garden was simply too vast for lively discussion.

But the teahouses and taverns surrounding Zhongxing County, which had grown around this Immortal gathering, were perfectly suited.

As the setting sun slanted westward, every tavern in Zhongxing County was packed, ten thousand red lanterns glowing; couples drank together, endlessly debating today's battles.

"Li Yunlang of the Zhongzhou Li clan performed even stronger than I expected—he'll surely make the top ten."

"I agree, but those Zhu brothers also seem formidable."

"Don't forget Zhuang Zixin—his performance was outstanding, and he's the right age; I have a granddaughter still unmarried."

Speaking of Zhuang Youxin, his eldest brother Zhuang You was also astonishing—I heard he only drew ten swords at noon today and defeated a direct disciple of the Profound Heaven Sect.

The most formidable is surely Yan Hao of Spirit Sword Mountain; I've been watching his battles these past few days and feel he hasn't even shown his full strength.

Then there's Shang Zhou, younger brother of Shang Xiyao of the Questioning Dao Sect, and Wen Song of the Profound Heaven Sect…

Don't forget, besides those you've mentioned, there are three competitors who broke through during the tournament—though it's only a minor realm gap, they've still crossed the threshold between Tongxuan and Rongdao.

If that's the case, the top ten spots aren't guaranteed to anyone.

In past Heavenly Dao Assemblies, the top ten were already clear by the second round, but this year it's still uncertain…

Hey, don't forget there are still ten matches tomorrow—numbers might still increase.

True, surely some still hid their strength during the group stages—no doubt about it, since not all sect disciples have fought yet. But speaking of sects, the Heavenly Book Academy seems to have fared poorly this time.

I heard they lost two?

Three, actually.

How could it be three?

Someone secretly used a magical artifact—results were controversial. The Heavenly Dao Assembly isn't about whose artifact is stronger; winning the match still cost them reputation.

Ji You watched one day of matches, and only upon returning learned the Heavenly Book Academy had lost two matches that day, including the bout involving Xiao Hanyan—though she won, it drew criticism. He thought no wonder the academy was silent today, no one drinking tea.

Wen Siyuan came over specifically to speak with him, but didn't mention the losses—only gave him a grave warning to be cautious in tomorrow's morning match.

This advice wasn't his own—it was given to him by the Administration Hall.

The three abbots, who regard upholding their sect's prestige as sacred duty, must be anxious now—judging by their faces today, they weren't pleased.

It's understandable: among the Seven Immortal Sects, only the Heavenly Book Academy bears the title of Sacred Sect—such results are truly unworthy of its name…

Because the second day of the second round was exceptionally thrilling, many eagerly anticipated the third day's matches.

So early on the second day, countless people left their gardens and inns to head toward the Dao Fields within the Sages' Garden.

Some had stayed up all night chatting with friends, and still carried traces of alcohol on their breath as they stepped out.

The shopkeepers in the taverns stayed up all night too, counting their overflowing silver taels while smiling warmly as they saw guests off.

Several direct disciples of Spirit Sword Mountain, several direct disciples of the Chen Clan, and several highly anticipated scions of millennia-old noble families will all finish their matches today.

Among them, Zhu Yao, the newly risen Dao prodigy of the Questioning Dao Sect, Chen Ruiyang of the Chen Clan, and Murong Yu, eldest daughter of the Murong family, drew great attention; others who shone brightly in the group stages were also watched closely.

Along the white jade path, the crowd walked toward the Nine Dao Fields, passing first the Qi Yun Dao Field, then the Tianji Dao Field.

As they passed the Cangwu Dao Field, some couldn't help pausing, then turned and entered.

Chen Ruiyang's match today was at the Cangwu Dao Field—these people had come specifically for his bout.

Lu Xiong, head of the Lu family, had also arrived here, idly scanning the surroundings, planning to find a Dao Field to watch.

The Lu family's disciples lost three in the first round; the rest barely advanced to the second round by luck.

But luck doesn't last—so all of them lost in the second round.

Still, the Lu family has several allied noble houses with matches today—he wouldn't stay idle in the garden.

At that moment, Lu Xiong met Lou Jingzhi, head of the Lou family, at the entrance to the Cangwu Dao Field.

Though the Lou and Lu families weren't close, they had some spirit stone dealings, and both resided in Lianxing Garden, having exchanged a few casual words before.

Lou Jingzhi looked at Lu Xiong, bowed slightly, and spoke: "Brother Lu, good morning."

"Good morning, Brother Lou."

"Does your family have a match today?"

Lu Xiong waved his hand: "My family's disciples aren't up to par—they all lost yesterday. I couldn't sit still, so I came out to watch."

Lou Jingzhi nodded, then added: "After meeting you a few days ago, I suddenly remembered something I've been meaning to discuss with you properly."

"Oh? What might that be, Brother Lou?"

"It's this—my son is still unmarried, and as a father, I'm deeply concerned. Then I recalled your family has two marriageable daughters still unwed?"

Lu Xiong understood his implication immediately—that he sought a marital alliance. After a long pause, he murmured: "So that's your meaning, Brother Lou. I do have two daughters still unwed, but this matter must be discussed with my wife first."

Lou Jingzhi smiled: "Then where might your lady be?"

"When I left home, my wife had already gone out—I don't know where."

"Probably went to watch the matches."

Lu Xiong chuckled: "She's a woman—she's never interested in such things."

Lou Jingzhi sensed his lack of interest but wasn't offended: "The Heavenly Dao Assembly won't end soon—there's plenty of time. Since it didn't work out this time, we'll find another chance. Brother Lu, farewell."

"Farewell."

Lu Xiong watched him enter the Cangwu Dao Field, then suddenly realized—Lou family's eldest son was the one who withdrew a few days ago.

It was because he withdrew that Ji You won his final match by default…

Lu Xiong stared at the Cangwu Dao Field for a long while, then suddenly stiffened—his eyes locked onto a familiar figure, his expression startled.

Immortals have keen senses—when focused, distant scenes become clear.

As the Lou family entered the Cangwu Dao Field, he suddenly saw his wife already seated in the audience, eyes fixed intently on the stage.

His earlier conversation with Lou Jingzhi had indeed carried evasion—but it was mostly sincere.

He'd woken this morning to find his wife gone, and she truly had no interest in fights.

He'd assumed she'd gone out with other ladies from the Lingzhou Merchants' Guild for a stroll—never imagined she'd come here.

And seeing her seat so close to the central platform, he suspected she'd arrived early to claim it…

Actually, after remembering Lou's son had withdrawn, Lu Xiong had already considered coming to watch the Cangwu match—but he still couldn't fathom why his wife was here.

After a moment's thought, Lu Xiong stepped into the Cangwu Dao Field.

Near the spot where Lu Xiong had stood, a group of noble daughters were approaching.

One was Qiu Han Yue, daughter of the Qiu family; the others were her sisters and new friends she'd met in the garden these past few days.

"What do you think of that young master you met at the tavern yesterday?"

"Very good—cultivated, elegant, a true gentleman."

"I agree—he's handsome and strong."

Qiu Han Yue had told her sisters how she'd fought to break off her engagement to a private cultivator from Fengzhou—they were all delighted for her.

But she was of marriageable age—she couldn't avoid marrying one man or another.

Taking advantage of the Heavenly Dao Assembly's gathering of talents, the Qiu family had newly selected several suitors for her.

Yesterday, accompanied by her sisters, Qiu Han Yue met one…

He was a noble young master—genuinely decent, with formidable strength, having advanced to the second round.

Qiu Han Yue thought him excellent, and hearing her sisters agree, she felt her taste was indeed sharp.

"Han Yue."

"Hmm?"

"That's Huang Rou."

Qiu Han Yue lifted her eyes toward the speaker.

She was one of her closest friends, Sheng Xiyu—who had advised her, when she was distressed over being forced to marry into the He family, to bypass both the He and Qiu clans and speak directly to Ji You.

Now, following Sheng Xiyu's gaze, she saw her other close friend Huang Rou seated in the Cangwu Dao Field's audience—her expression froze slightly.

Huang Rou hadn't been with them these past few days—she'd mostly acted alone.

She'd declined every outing and banquet.

Qiu Han Yue had assumed Huang Rou was spending time alone with her childhood sweetheart—but later learned he'd been gravely injured and collapsed during the competition.

So seeing Huang Rou seated here, Qiu Han Yue felt bewildered.

Worse—Huang Rou stared intently at the stage, her eyes filled with quiet hope, as if waiting to see someone fight.

(End of Chapter)