Chapter 240: Three-In-One Arena Challenge

Some things cannot be fully understood by mere observation, for cultivation is inherently mysterious.

For instance, the blade technique of the Chen Shixian Clan—what Dao principles it embodies—is understood by no one outside the clan, let alone Ji You's swordplay.

After the match at Cangwu Arena ended, everyone except the Lou family patriarch remained.

Because they all harbored the same question: why could Ji You wield the Ten-Stage Slash?

Know that such secret techniques, like the sword arts of Lingjian Mountain, are never passed on to outsiders.

"It's not the Ten-Stage Slash."

"Not…?"

"No."

Among the spectators, many of high cultivation base could sense the technique's aura.

Because techniques stem from Heavenly Dao principles and require alignment with the Dao to be executed.

Yet in their observation, the Tian Shu Academy's private cultivator showed no trace of that unique technique aura when he swung his sword.

But Ji You's sword strikes were undeniably stronger with each blow—this much everyone saw clearly.

If it wasn't the Ten-Stage Slash, the only explanation was obvious.

From the start, Ji You never used his full strength; he merely imitated the Ten-Stage Slash, incrementally increasing his force.

The Ten-Stage Slash theoretically draws upon heavenly power to cleave the heavens, yet the wielder's capacity is limited.

That is, Chen Ruiyang's final strike drew power even he could not control—and it backfired on him directly.

Like a bucket that cannot hold water overflowing, continuously filling it will inevitably cause it to burst.

So there was no swift sword to break the deadlock—only relentless sword strikes, one after another.

Once they understood this, everyone, like the Lou family patriarch, suddenly grasped why Lou Wanpeng had withdrawn just before the final round of the group stage, and fell silent again.

Ji You sheathed his sword and left the platform.

He had no technique lineage, but he had always been deeply interested in techniques.

To him, techniques were like chemistry and physics from his past life—hiding the truths of the world's essence, and he always wanted to observe them more closely.

Sometimes, when things moved too fast to see clearly, he wished to watch again, and again…

After leaving the arena, Ji You met Wen Siyuan below the stage. After waiting a while and seeing no sign of Cao Jingsong's group returning, he assumed they were too frightened by the arrogant ghost to rise first, so he decided to leave.

At this moment, Cao Jingsong sat before the Lingjian Mountain Junior Inspector, moved but motionless, his chest swelling as if about to burst.

Meanwhile, Pei Ruyi and Wen Zhengxin quietly studied Yan Shuyi's profile, their eyes filled with even greater confusion.

They sat behind and to the right of Yan Shuyi; though not directly facing her, they could still see her expression.

Since ascending the stairs, the Lingjian Mountain Junior Inspector had appeared approachable, yet her demeanor remained as cold as ice—just as they had seen her at Rusheng Garden.

But during the match, they noticed her expression suddenly brightened, her eyes sparkling, as if she had become a different person.

Especially when her junior delivered the final sword strike that defeated Chen Ruiyang, from their angle, her expression was nearly identical to Cao Jingsong's—both radiating pride.

The Lingjian Mountain Junior Inspector seemed to greatly admire her junior.

Of course, when the Tian Shu Academy once visited Lingjian Mountain to seek Dao, many elders had wanted to take Ji You as their direct disciple, even calling him a born sword seed…

But this admiration seemed too intense.

Meanwhile, people at Cangwu Arena began silently departing, still unable to recover from the match even as they reached Huxindao.

Yet the memory of that final sword strike remained etched, indelible in their minds.

At this time, in Rusheng Garden, He Lingxiu, Wang Gaocen, and Xiao Hanyan sat together.

Xiao Hanyan had won yesterday, but because she secretly used a magical artifact, her victory was tainted, so she had not left her quarters today and was in low spirits, prompting the two to repeatedly comfort her.

The Former Sages' Sanctuary is what every cultivator desires to enter; even those breaking through during the competition appeared—so what's wrong with using an artifact? They're just sour grapes.

In truth, Xiao Hanyan had always thought so herself.

By the third round, opponents were evenly matched; absolute dominance rarely occurred, and victory often hinged on minute details.

As for reputation, she would reclaim it in her next match.

Meanwhile, people passed through Rusheng Garden one after another, whispering.

At first, the three paid little attention to these murmurs, but as more people passed, they could not help but take notice.

Because many of the whispers contained Ji You's name, repeated again and again.

The deeper one's cultivation, the less one concerns oneself with worldly affairs—so although Ji You had gained fame through some mundane events, he had not drawn special attention from major figures.

In other words, though Ji You had stirred up much commotion over the past two years, he remained relatively obscure at the grand, world-renowned Tian Dao Assembly.

This was evident from the night of the Gathering Immortals Banquet—many did not know him, and even those who did could not match his face to his name, leaving him to wander aimlessly through the banquet.

The only time he had truly gained fame was due to Lou Wanpeng's withdrawal.

Withdrawal just before competition was virtually unheard of in Tian Dao Assembly history, naturally sparking widespread discussion; and since Lou's next opponent was Ji You, he too drew attention.

But now these whispers made the three suddenly realize: Ji You was already becoming renowned within the Former Sages' Garden.

Not long after, a group of Lingjian Mountain disciples returned to Rusheng Garden. As they passed the stone tablet inscribed "Rising Sun in the East," they could not help but turn to gaze at Ji You's residence.

The three exchanged glances, puzzled.

At that moment, Qin Rong and a Zh Zhangshi Yuan disciple, both clad in Tian Shu Academy robes, returned, walking swiftly with heads held high, causing the three to frown slightly.

Yesterday, the Tian Shu Academy had been thrust into controversy, so everyone had unspokenly removed their robes.

Even He Lingxiu and Wang Gaocen, who had comforted Xiao Hanyan, wore ordinary clothes, storing their robes in spirit gourds.

The Zh Zhangshi Yuan disciples had also changed into ordinary attire when leaving the academy to watch the match—but now, upon returning, they were once again draped in glory…

Chai Ze returned with the Zh Zhangshi Yuan group.

He had won his third-round match yesterday and, having nothing else to do, had gone out to watch matches several times today.

Now he arrived at their tea table, turned over a cup placed upside down, and looked up at the three: "Have you seen the Chen Shixian Clan's Ten-Stage Slash?"

He Lingxiu frowned slightly: "I saw it at the previous Youxian Gathering."

"What did you think?"

"It's called one of the two strongest offensive techniques alongside Lingjian Mountain's sword art for good reason—this blade technique can only be evaded with clever strikes; direct confrontation would leave no one victorious."

"Ji You today clashed directly with Chen Ruiyang, who used the Ten-Stage Slash, and shattered him with eight sword strikes."

"?"

"Earlier, many wondered why Lou Wanpeng withdrew before the match, unwilling to even try—now everyone knows the answer."

He Lingxiu stared for a long time, her red lips slightly parted, dazed.

When they had been drinking tea earlier, Ji You had already returned; they had asked about his match and heard only "won" from his mouth.

He Lingxiu had heard of Chen Ruiyang and knew the Chen clan disciple was extremely powerful, so she assumed Ji You had expended great effort and urged him to rest well.

But none of them had imagined Ji You had won like this.

Similarly dazed were the officials of the Great Xia Imperial Court's Immortal Faction; upon returning, they too fell silent.

Before the Tian Dao Assembly, they had always assumed that although Ji You was strong, his humble origins meant he still paled beside all other cultivators in the Nine Provinces.

For example, direct disciples of Elders, Hall Masters, or sons of noble houses—these titles alone conveyed nobility.

This was a hierarchy issue; in the rigid mindset of Qingyun Realm, two people of vastly different status were never even considered comparable.

Yet they never imagined that even at the Tian Dao Assembly, where immortal sects gathered, clans convened, and prodigies abounded, Ji You still commanded widespread renown.

Prince Chong's expression was complex; beside him, Zhao Yunyue remained even more silent.

Liu Junchi lost today, carried away grievously wounded, failing to reach the third round; though they were not of the same realm, the contrast still left a crushing sense of disparity.

Back at his residence, Ji You had not yet rested when a visitor arrived.

The visitor was Gongshu Chou, the famed masked storyteller of Lingjian Mountain.

Ji You sat at the tea table, gazing at the excited Gongshu Chou, expressionless.

Gongshu Chou was also a Tian Dao Assembly contestant; today he lost to a disciple of Shanhai Pavilion, yet he showed no regret—instead, he begged Ji You to recount how he defeated Chen Ruiyang, pen and paper in hand, his creative urge bursting.

According to him, he had just finished writing "Forcing the Elder's Hall to Bow, My Fate Is Mine, Not Heaven's," but he couldn't stop.

Ji You thought: no wonder you lost—who writes all night?

But Gongshu Chou was now fully immersed in his own theory: it doesn't matter how hard I work—what matters is how strong my former enemies are!

Ji You urged him to show some pride, not to disgrace Lingjian Mountain—as if Lingjian Mountain were his own family—leaving Gongshu Chou utterly baffled.

Then Wen Siyuan arrived, interrupting their exchange.

The Si Xian Jian had just delivered the list for the third round of the Tian Dao Assembly; after studying it for a while, he brought it over.

"The third round is critical to the Tian Dao Assembly—the format is three-in-one, meaning ten of these thirty will advance. You understand why it's critical, Ji You."

Ji You looked up at Wen Siyuan: "Ten cultivators from each realm enter the Former Sages' Sanctuary—so this round selects those ten?"

Wen Siyuan nodded: "Correct. Winning this round means securing entry into the Former Sages' Sanctuary. You're already one step away—if you win your next match, your journey won't have been in vain."

"But there are still thirty Tongxuan Realm cultivators left, and if ten are to be chosen, shouldn't the format change?"

Wen Siyuan raised his eyes: "Three-in-one. Arena challenge."

After the second round, thirty Tongxuan Realm cultivators remained; to select ten, an arena challenge was the best format.

So the third round will have ten arenas, each guarded by one cultivator.

The remaining twenty will challenge them; if they win, they replace the guardian—identical to the Tian Shu Academy's preliminary selection.

By past Tian Dao Assembly tradition, the ten arena guardians are chosen by the overseers, who have watched so long they know each contestant's strength.

And on this list before them, ten names were circled in red.

Ba Yang, Li Yunlang, Wei Bo, Yan Hao, Murong Yu, Zhuang Zixin… no Ji You.

No one knew the overseers' criteria for selecting guardians—some were strong, some weak, some from immortal sects, some from noble clans; no clear pattern emerged.

Ji You looked up at Wen Siyuan: "Arbitrary selection?"

Wen Siyuan nodded: "Yes. Any arena may be chosen freely."

"What if you pick a weak opponent? Wouldn't your chance of winning be much higher?"

"Of course, but you can't be sure someone isn't hiding their true strength—just like the Heavenly Dao Assembly before. Most people hold back until at least the third round, though some do pick the weak ones. They just got lucky. But luck is sometimes part of strength."

Wen Siyuan finished speaking and pointed to two names on the list.

The first was Wei Bo, whom he had watched fight earlier; the other was Zheng Lei, from the thousand-year Zheng family.

Wei Bo, though not weak, was poor at offense—perfect for Ji You to target. Zheng Lei, meanwhile, had the lowest overall strength among the ten arena champions.

The arena selection works like this: the core idea is to pick the lamest general from the bunch.

Wen Siyuan pointed at the two names and said, "I suggest you choose these two. Zheng Lei is best—your odds are highest. I know, Ji brother, you might have a clear sword heart and look down on such calculations. But still, an easier path is always better, especially since the finals await."

Ji You stared at the list without nodding or shaking his head. He looked up at him: "How do you apply to challenge?"

During the Heavenly Dao Assembly preliminaries, challengers had to register at the Office of Affairs—hence his question.

Wen Siyuan nodded. "Just write down the name of the champion you wish to challenge. I'll deliver it to Taiping Garden. After verification, the match will be announced. But I advise you hurry—like you said, the weaker ones will attract many challengers."

Ji You rose from the tea table. "Forget it. I'll go myself. You've been busy with matches and gathering info on opponents for me these past days—rest. Besides, I have a friend in the Immortal Supervision Office. I can cut corners."

"There's such a thing? That's excellent…"

"I'm off."

Gongshu Chou looked up. "Hey, don't forget the book."

Ji You glanced back at him. "We'll talk when I return."

Stepping out of the house, Ji You headed toward the outer gate of Rusheng Garden—and happened to meet Qin Zhangshi, who had come looking for him.

Major immortal sects and clans all pay special attention to disciples who reach the third round, so it's no surprise they'd send someone personally.

Qin Zhangshi had just watched his duel with Chen Ruiyang. His eyes still held complex emotion. His purpose matched Wen Siyuan's: he too thought Wei Bo and Zheng Lei were the best choices, and urged Ji You to sign early.

Ji You nodded, then left the garden and made his way to Taiping Garden.

The Immortal Supervision Office sat in the eastern courtyard of Taiping Garden, housed in a grand hall dedicated to Heavenly Dao Assembly affairs. Lou Wanpeng had come here when he withdrew from the competition.

Ji You stepped inside, stated his purpose, and was handed two forms.

One was for the champion; the other was his return receipt, requiring him to select his challenge target.

By principle, each arena could be challenged only twice. Before Ji You arrived, someone had already come—so the official added, "Zheng Lei is no longer available."

Poor guy…

Ji You muttered under his breath, then listened as the Immortal Supervision official gave him a long analysis.

He suggested Ji You first watch the first round—perhaps the one who beat Zheng Lei wasn't strong either, and a weaker challenger might still appear. He even hinted he could secretly reserve a slot for him.

Though the office bore the words "Immortal Supervision," most of its officials came from poor backgrounds and held a natural aversion to cultivators. Yet they felt an unspoken fondness for Ji You.

Such was the difference in perception between immortals and mortals.

Still, after thanking the official, Ji You filled out the form according to his own choice.

Seeing the name Ji You wrote, the official froze, then raised his hand to rub his eyes, thinking he'd misread.

"Has Kuangcheng returned?"

"Not yet. But he probably went to watch the Young Master's match. Didn't you see him?"

"I did. But he didn't come back with me. Never mind—I didn't need him for anything important. We'll talk next time."

Ji You kept one of the challenge slips and left Taiping Garden, returning to Rusheng Garden.

As soon as he entered his house, he found it packed.

Wen Siyuan waited for his return. Gongshu Chou waited to hear his story. Also present were Cao Jinsong and his three companions, plus Xiang Kuangcheng and Wei Rui.

Aside from Wen Siyuan, Gongshu Chou, Kuangcheng, and Wei Rui, the other four looked ecstatic—each wearing the expression: "You have no idea—I met the Young Mistress of Lingjian Mountain today and watched the match with her."

Especially Ban Yangshu, who now looked at Ji You with regret, thinking it a pity he hadn't been there.

Kuangcheng sat nearby, watching their expressions, thinking: You weren't like this upstairs. When the Lady Yan was there, you couldn't even breathe.

Especially Cao Jiaoxi—he sat rigid, as if wearing chains and enduring punishment.

Wei Rui's thought: Is that all?

Just watched one of Ji Young Master's matches. Wait till you have a little Immortal Sister—you'll all lose your minds.

Wen Siyuan naturally didn't understand why they were so excited. Cao Jinsong certainly wouldn't tell him—he was an outsider. If he revealed today's events, he might be labeled a traitor.

At that moment, the biggest traitor sat down among them—and Wen Siyuan turned to him with a questioning look: "Did you submit your challenge list?"

"Mm. Submitted."

"Still not too late…"

In Wen Siyuan's view, none of the cultivators gathered here were fools. They'd all see Zheng Lei was the easiest target—he should've been the most popular choice.

He expected the slots to be gone by the time Ji You arrived. He hadn't expected it to work out so perfectly.

Wen Siyuan reached out to take the return receipt from Ji You's hand, thinking: Ji brother's luck is nearly matching his talent.

But as he opened the receipt, his eyes froze. He rubbed them again, certain he'd misread.

Yet cultivators rarely suffered from eye ailments or illusions. Even if he rubbed his eyelids raw, the characters wouldn't change.

Cao Jinsong and the others noticed his reaction. They snatched the receipt from his hand, glanced at it, and upon seeing the name "Yan Hao," exchanged glances, then raised their eyebrows at Ji You.

Not quite appropriate. Lingjian Mountain is actually quite decent.

Cao Jinsong stared at the two characters on the receipt, thinking: I was just planning my post-Tianshu Academy career. Now it's ruined.

Wen Siyuan looked up at Ji You, puzzled: "What's your reasoning for this choice?"

"To give Lingjian Mountain a lesson."

"I didn't realize you cared most about our Tianshu Academy's prestige. But Yan Hao… he always holds back in battle. Not very safe…"

Cao Jinsong's beard twisted in disbelief: He cares about academy prestige? He's thought of returning to banditry dozens of times.

But knowing his disciple's mind was clear as a sword, this choice only made it more baffling.

Gongshu Chou took the slip, glanced at it, and his expression grew grave: "Yan Hao isn't an ordinary man. I can't tell you the details, but I advise you go back to Taiping Garden and withdraw this challenge."

Wen Siyuan frowned deeper, thought long, then spoke: "The third round—from thirty to ten—is still too risky. If Ji brother wants to teach them a lesson, he should wait until after this round to defeat him."

Ji You shook his head. "Most people don't care about the process—only the result."

"?"

The arena matches in the third round, since challengers choose their opponents, weren't as strictly timed as the earlier group stages. Matches simply began when someone challenged.

At that moment, officials from the Immortal Supervision Office arrived at Taiping Garden and began posting challenge notices on the lake-island bulletin board.

Zheng Lei's notice was already posted, surrounded by onlookers murmuring in disbelief.

The Heavenly Dao Assembly worked this way: weakness invited exploitation. Zheng Lei was the obvious soft target in the third round.

Beside Zheng Lei's notice, Wei Bo's was also posted.

Perhaps because he was poor at offense, many saw him as an opportunity—just as Wen Siyuan had thought.

But after posting Zheng Lei's notice, the official held one more. Before even sticking it up, it drew attention.

Because everyone knew the other challengers were formidable. Caution was needed—especially Yan Hao of Lingjian Mountain, whose true strength remained unmeasured.

The next moment, as the challenge notice was pasted to the board, every eye froze.

Because the champion listed was Yan Hao.

Seeing this, the crowd was stunned. Then their eyes dropped to the challenger's name.

【Tianshu Academy, Ji You】

Many in the Eight Immortal Gardens were still discussing Ji You's duel with Chen Ruiyang. Even elders from sects who'd previously ignored him now paid close attention to his name.

A boy from the countryside, who secretly cultivated to completion before turning twenty, entered Tianshu Academy, broke through the inner courtyard gate, and climbed step by step to the Heavenly Dao Assembly—this was more astonishing than any withdrawal.

Especially since he had directly faced Chen Ruiyang, who wielded the Ten-Stage Slash, and shattered him.

As they buzzed about it, news spread that Ji You intended to challenge Yan Hao—and the entire garden erupted.

"He challenged Yan Hao?"

"Yes. The notice is already posted."

"He picked the one everyone finds most uncertain. Did he win too many times today?"

"Everyone who reached this stage isn't weak. Choosing Yan Hao is better than picking those who broke through right before the match."

"Hmph. I doubt it…"

The news quickly reached Rusheng Garden. The once-quiet courtyard erupted again.

The three Zhangshis of the Office of Affairs had just been pleased by Ji You's victory—now their brows furrowed instantly.

The most dramatic reaction came from Lingjian Mountain's disciples in the western courtyard. They all turned eastward, whispering furiously.

Ding Yao and Zhuo Wanqiu also heard the news. They stood on the second floor, staring in shock for a long while.

They knew Ji You chose Yan Hao to suppress Tianjian Peak's prestige.

Tianjian Peak had deep roots. Even though their own Young Mistress held the Spirit Mirror, many top-qualified disciples still chose Tianjian Peak.

The number of disciples affected the allocation of spirit herbs and taxes—and the stability of their foundation. The Young Mistress had long wanted to weaken Tianjian Peak's influence. But the timing was wrong.

This was the critical moment—from thirty to ten. The risk was highest.

If the Young Master were wise, he should've passed the third round first, secured a top-ten spot, then considered this.

This wasn't about who was stronger—it was about what should be done.

At that moment, Ding Yao suddenly looked into the courtyard: "Gongshu Chou just went to the Young Master's place and is walking back. I'll call him up."

Gongshu Chou was called up and immediately raised both hands in protest: "Report to the Young Mistress—I didn't leak anything…"

"If you didn't leak, what did you talk about?"

"We talked about the match. I disgraced our sect's honor and lost. Ji You was angry—he said I brought shame to Lingjian Mountain, like it was his own family."

Ding Yao froze slightly, then turned to look behind her. She saw the Young Mistress's eyelashes tremble.

Zhuo Wanqiu spoke next: "Do you know why Ji You chose Yan Hao of our Lingjian Mountain?"

He said a few words, but they didn't make much sense.

What did he say?

He said many people don't care about the process, only the result—that if he failed to even enter the top ten, it would mean more.

Hearing this, Yan Shuyi lifted her eyes slightly, her feet shifting subtly.

The events of the Tian Dao Hui would surely spread back—to the Nine Provinces, to Lingjian Mountain, to the ears of the disciples within the mountain.

For those disciples, they truly didn't care about the process—only the result—so Yan Hao losing in the top ten matches was less shameful than him failing to enter the top ten at all.

This was the Tian Dao Hui—it would utterly shake the glory of Tianjian Peak among the disciples.

Yan Shuyi sat upright in her chair, her eyelashes gilded by candlelight.

In truth, she hadn't required Ji You to defeat him; in the end, it was merely her selfish desire that he win.

To her, even if Ji You failed to defeat Yan Zhong, it wouldn't affect the bigger picture—but she hadn't expected him to take this matter so seriously.

Yan Shuyi looked up at Gongshu Qiu: "Did you tell him that Yan Hao is breaking through to a new realm, and his strength is no longer within the Tongxuan Realm?"

Gongshu Qiu immediately shook his head: "Respected Inspector, I mentioned nothing of this."

Then he's dead.

The Inspector speaks truly…

You're close to Ji You—do you know if he has any hidden tricks or secret methods? Tell Yan Hao so he can be cautious in battle.

Gongshu Qiu shook his head: "I know nothing of this."

Yan Shuyi regarded him coolly: "Go find out. Report back to me."

Inspector, our Lingjian Mountain's sword heart values straightness, not cunning. Besides, I cannot betray a friend.

Ding Yao, seeing the Inspector's intent to promote him to Deputy Abbot, immediately spoke up: "Forget it. Gongshu Senior Brother has worked hard all day—let him rest."

Gongshu Qiu didn't realize his words had opened a path to heaven—he bowed deeply and turned to leave.

Yet he felt a faint doubt—had the Inspector's voice just now sounded like a cold?

(End of Chapter)