Chapter 242: Broken Sword, Number One

The gap in strength between the Fusion Dao realm and the Penetrating Void realm is insurmountable—whether in sword qi, the efficiency of condensing sword aura, or the surging intensity of spiritual energy, none can be compensated by external means.

This fact has been personally verified by countless individuals.

Yet the greatest distinction between Fusion Dao and Penetrating Void lies in the mutual integration with the Dao's cosmic laws—but Yan Hao only broke through last night and has had no chance to reach this stage.

Thus, to Ji You, Yan Hao was ultimately not as strong as he had imagined.

Beneath the searing flame, the blade descended; Yan Hao instantly felt his arms go numb, his skin prickling as if pierced by needles, his eyes wide open.

Since specializing in heavy swords, he had replaced countless blades to match the sword path's nature, each time increasing the blade's weight.

This caused every strike to Ningju a sword intent capable of splitting heaven and earth.

Yet now, wielding his heavy sword, he was unable to parry the opponent's slender green blade, barely two fingers wide.

Yan Hao did not understand why this battle had turned out this way—he had already crossed into Fusion Dao, yet was losing to a Penetrating Void opponent!

This is not Penetrating Void.

There is no Penetrating Void in Qingyun Realm like this!

Blades flashed, sword light danced, killing intent unceasing.

Filled with fury and resentment, Yan Hao condensed multiple sword intents, unleashing them through his heavy sword, the blade's song rising to heaven.

The 【Broken Dust Calamity】 awakened by his Clear Mind Sword Heart, the 【Green Duck's End】 that began as a breeze and ended as heaven's collapse, and the 【Mountain and Sea Overturn】 carved by sword qi.

Even, he channeled the lingering sword intent of the 【Four Mystical Mountains】 to strike the 【White Rainbow Illumination】, propelling that heavy intent with swift force, revealing the full depth of Heaven's Sword Peak—yet all were crushed beneath the plain iron blade, like an old monk striking a wooden fish.

The Lingjian Mountain disciples repeatedly clenched their palms, each clenching marking a moment when Ji You stepped back.

Though Ji You's sword techniques varied with each strike, his offensive rhythm remained strikingly similar.

Thus even now, the Lingjian Mountain disciples still believed that if one could precisely seize the gap between his rhythms, there would be an opportunity to deliver a crushing blow—perhaps even end his life and conclude the duel.

But launching an attack within such an extremely brief window was no easy feat for most present.

Yet Yan Hao certainly could.

Because he possessed a slender sword, and everyone knew Yan Hao's slender sword excelled in speed and sharpness.

And in their eyes, the slender sword's strike was the key to victory.

Yet in the following exchanges, Yan Hao's slender sword never reappeared; his aura grew increasingly chaotic, his arm swings still crisp but now revealing a trace of fatigue…

Yan Hao was a good comrade—he had cooperated fully since stepping onto the stage.

He broke through into Fusion Dao, unleashed all his Dao swords, and raised his prestige to the heavens.

But the longer this dragged on, the more the story spreading outside might change its flavor.

"Boom!"

Amid sparks flying from clashing blades, Ji You exploded forward with his legs, leaping upward and switching to two-handed grip.

Vast qi gathered relentlessly from his flesh, converging on his swollen arms, while an even hotter aura roared across the arena, causing all to bristle with gooseflesh and tremble inwardly.

Human physiques are frail; during the era when the Descendant Clans ruled Qingyun, humans faced daily risk of slaughter, living in constant hardship.

This life forged in humans an extreme sensitivity to danger—sometimes before the mind registered threat, the body had already reacted; this trembling now stemmed from that instinct.

At this moment, facing the sword wind that swallowed heaven and earth, the grimacing Yan Hao suddenly pinched a small sphere from his sleeve.

The sphere was pure gold, engraved with intricate patterns, one side inlaid with a thumb-sized pure white spirit stone.

Spirit stones in Qingyun Realm are almost always blue, because spiritual energy itself emits a faint blue glow, or because this substance easily reflects blue from the spectrum.

The only source of pure white spirit stones is the spirit core.

This was a top-tier artifact powered by a spirit core.

All present had been staring intently; when their spiritual sense caught sight of the sphere, their hearts jolted—they saw the spiritual energy surrounding Ji You rapidly sucked dry, his expression instantly changing.

Celestial spiritual energy is the medium through which cultivators commune with heaven and earth, the source of power.

Ji You was mid-leap, his momentum nearing its peak, when suddenly his surrounding spiritual energy was drained—consequences were inevitable.

As they stared, a heavy sword song suddenly jolted them awake; they turned to see the black iron heavy sword rising toward heaven.

Yan Hao's arm muscles twisted like coiled ropes, spiritual energy surging like boiling water; the Dao Sword Four Mystical Mountains rose again, its furious slash yet to reach the ground, its Gang wind already reversing the dust on the platform, killing intent condensing into a single line, crashing down.

The roaring airwave exploded outward, spraying to both sides, shaking the barrier.

Reputation matters, but it is hollow; the Ancestral Sanctums are real, and the Ancestral legacies are real.

Sometimes one must make choices, and what is ultimately chosen will always be the most valuable…

Xiao Hanyan secretly used an artifact in her duel the other day; though heavily criticized, she still advanced to the next round, drawing closer to the Ancestral Sanctums.

Thus although everyone in the Ancestral Garden condemned this act, should they face the same situation, they would make the same choice.

Wind howled, dust surged like wild waves.

The figure Yingzhe the black iron heavy sword still burned fiercely, like a rising sun; Yan Hao, raising his blade to meet it, turned pale, a sense of dread rising within him.

With a deafening crash, the once-powerful black iron heavy sword flew out of sight.

Yan Hao's boots shattered instantly; his body flew sideways, then slammed into the barrier with a thud, collapsing motionless, silent.

Ji You landed with his sword, panting heavily; the white jade platform beneath his feet cracked into a spiderweb of fissures with faint clicks.

His own long sword also cracked with a snap, breaking into two pieces.

The sword he used today was naturally no match for the opponent's black iron heavy sword; its shattering was unsurprising.

He discarded the iron blade, continued panting, sweat streaming down his forehead instantly evaporated by his scorching body.

Zhu Yao of Wenda Sect, Li Yunlang of a thousand-year clan, Ba Yang who broke through just before the match, Wei Yingmeng, daughter of the Shanhai Pavilion's branch master, and the remaining twenty-plus Penetrating Void cultivators—all turned pale at this sight.

They had come here today primarily to watch Yan Hao.

In their view, Ji You—who had defeated Chen Ruiyang—was indeed strong, and would surely draw out Yan Hao's true combat power.

Among those attending the Dao Assembly, the top ten was a threshold, and the number one was another threshold.

Those outside the top ten longed for it; those within longed for first place—so Yan Hao's true strength mattered greatly to them.

The good news was it was drawn out; the bad news was they'd accidentally drawn out something even stronger.

For millennia, due to disparities in resources and lineage, the Dao Assembly had always been the exclusive stage for prodigies of immortal sects and thousand-year clans—especially after the third round, even heirs of hundred-year clans became rare.

Yet now, standing before them, crushing the air and leaving all breathless, was a self-taught cultivator from the countryside.

Qiu Han Yue, daughter of the Qiu clan, had always dreamed of marrying a nobleman in fine robes and riding a spirited steed, hence her fierce rejection of He Lingxiu's suggestion that she wed a countryside self-taught cultivator.

But she never imagined that the man she once thought she'd meet only once had now rendered every noble heir dim and insignificant.

The battle had ended, yet the barrier remained active, for the overseer was also stunned.

But as the wind and dust settled, the Lingjian Mountain disciples gradually saw the full scene on the platform.

Yan Hao's artifact robe was gone; the artifact he had thrown last was gone too—clean, as if it had never existed. At that moment, everyone blinked in surprise.

Where their eyes fell, a broken sword lay across the spot where the two had clashed.

The sword was slender and needle-like, pure white, nearly identical in hue to the Hanbai marble of the Awakening Ground, so it had been inconspicuous; combined with the obscuring wind from the clash, they had not noticed it earlier.

Only now did someone recognize it: the hidden sub-sword concealed within Yan Hao's heavy sword.

During the fierce battle, Yan Hao had used this sword to unleash the Dao Sword White Rainbow Illumination.

They had all assumed this was his breakthrough tactic, expecting him to use it to deliver a crushing blow to Ji You—but then it vanished, never seen again.

Seeing the broken sword, the Lingjian Mountain disciples blinked, then looked up in shock at Ji You, still standing on the platform.

More precisely, they were staring at his chest.

There, a narrow slash had torn through his clothing, shattering even his inner robe, revealing his powerful, flawless chest.

Anyone seeing this would think it a miracle—that the blade had cut through his robe and inner garment, yet somehow missed his flesh entirely.

But it had not missed…

Hearts trembled; suddenly, all their previous questions found answers.

Why had Yan Hao never used his slender sword again? Why had he noticed Ji You's retreat but failed to seize the opening?

Because the first strike had not missed.

At that proximity, unless one were a Wujiang cultivator, no one could dodge White Rainbow Illumination—let alone a Penetrating Void cultivator.

The blade had struck—but shattered, leaving no wound.

From that moment, Yan Hao's aura had grown chaotic, because only he knew: he had lost his final chance.

Realizing this, the Lingjian Mountain disciples looked up at Ji You, trembling inwardly, then turned to gaze at the man behind them, scribbling furiously, nearly wearing out his brush bristles—now their eyes held even greater reverence.

"Master won…"

"How could the son-in-law be this strong…"

But major events always unfold with twists.

Since last night, Ding Yao and Zhuo Wanqiu had been tense over Yan Hao's breakthrough, an ominous feeling never lifting.

The gap between Penetrating Void and Fusion Dao is hard to bridge—this had been confirmed in prior matches.

But worse, Yan Hao's concealment of his cultivation progress to enter the Dao Assembly likely meant he sought a way to control the Sacred Artifact in the Ancestral Sanctums.

Upon learning this, they quickly forgot Ji You's situation.

Compared to the Sacred Artifact, the outcome of the duel became trivial; their only thought had been: if Yan Hao truly became number one and entered the Ancestral Sanctums, how would they stop him from seeking the origin of the Spirit Mirror?

Thus chaotic images flooded their minds: assassination, ambush, using the Spirit Mirror to cripple his cultivation.

Because they truly believed Yan Hao, now in Fusion Dao, was unstoppable.

But assassination or any such act was extremely difficult—after all, the Dao Assembly was watched by countless eyes.

Who knew that just as disaster loomed, he was defeated by Ji You—without drama, simply toppled onto the platform, halting everything instantly.

Ding Yao and Zhuo Wanqiu stared at the figure on the platform, thinking: such a son-in-law, the Mirror Master surely couldn't withstand him—thankfully, there's another sister…

Yan Shuyi stood behind them, also gazing at that figure; his cold, proud eyes flickered with predatory hunger, hiding a trace of malice.

"Why is there a Fusion Dao aura in the Lingxi Dao Arena today?"

"Yan Hao of Lingjian Mountain broke through just before the match."

"Could this be true? I never imagined Spirit Sword Mountain had such ambition—it seems the top spot in the Tongxuan Realm is no longer in doubt. How can anyone compete when an immortal sect disciple breaks through during the competition? No wonder the noble family youths look so grim."

During the Lingxi Dao Hall duel, the Jingyang Dao Hall also held a Rongdao-level match, drawing many spectators.

After returning, some people went to the tavern to discuss the day's events, curious about what had transpired at Lingxi Dao Hall.

When they heard it was Yan Hao who broke through during the match, they couldn't help but exclaim—only to notice the strange expressions around them.

"What's wrong? Did I say something incorrect?"

"Yan Hao lost."

"Lost? An immortal sect disciple in the Rongdao Realm lost? Are you joking?"

"He really lost—to Ji You from the Heavenly Book Academy."

Upon hearing this, the questioner stared in shock for a long moment, then opened his mouth in disbelief: "Did the Heavenly Book Academy secretly use a magical artifact?"

The man across from him looked up: "No, they didn't—but Yan Hao did use one."

"？？？？"

"He broke through into Rongdao and still used a magical artifact—and he still lost?"

"The artifact had no effect at all."

Many people saw Yan Hao secretly use a magical artifact on stage to instantly drain the spiritual energy around Ji You.

They had all assumed Yan Hao would turn the tide with it, but the artifact proved utterly useless, having zero impact on Ji You's slash.

The only explanation was that it wasn't sword dao or spellcraft.

Ji You's slash from above was pure power—power drawn solely from within himself.

How could anyone be this strong through sheer physical strength alone? Thinking of this, everyone fell silent once more…

In past Heavenly Dao Gatherings, even by the third round, there was still debate over who would claim the top spot.

But after this battle, there was virtually no debate left about who would be the Tongxuan Realm champion.

Even the competitors themselves, after watching the duel, remained silent about where they would rank among the top ten.

Wherever storms rage, there are places untouched by ripples.

The Heavenly Book Academy after Ji You's departure was such a place—long silent, with nothing noteworthy occurring; for the students who remained, their cultivation life seemed to have returned to its dull routine.

Until the Autumn Duel began.

Pu Yangxing ultimately failed to break through to Tongxuan, but Fang Jincheng and Lu Hanyan crossed that threshold.

Thus, this Autumn Duel became a one-on-one clash between the two.

The Heavenly Book Academy students arrived early at the Ascension Jade Terrace, watching the sword-wielding figure and feeling as if they were witnessing an old acquaintance who had stirred up trouble these past years—thinking, "Lu's second daughter truly bears the likeness of Master Ji."

Though literature has no first place and martial arts have no second, as blade and saber clashed endlessly, the final outcome sparked continuous controversy.

Fang Jincheng was weaker than Lu Hanyan—a fact nearly everyone in the Heavenly Book Academy knew—but in the final match, he used an offensive magical artifact.

The Autumn Duel did not prohibit magical artifacts, but like the Heavenly Dao Gathering, covert use was considered cheating.

Yet the greatest controversy wasn't the artifact's use—it was that Fang Jincheng collapsed unconscious on the stage, while Lu Hanyan was knocked off the platform at nearly the exact same moment by the artifact's attack.

According to Autumn Duel rules, both falling unconscious and being thrown off the stage counted as defeat.

But anyone with eyes could see that if Fang Jincheng hadn't used the artifact sneakily, Lu Hanyan would never have been forced off.

Thus, the result was not announced on the spot; everything was suppressed.

Lu Hanyan sustained minor injuries, a wound on her arm; after it was bandaged, she lifted her head to look at her sister Lu Qingqiu and her parents.

After their failure at the Heavenly Dao Gathering—with no Lu family members advancing—the Lu Xiong couple saw little point in staying in Zhongxing County, especially since their daughter still had the Autumn Duel ahead.

So yesterday afternoon, they left Zhongxing County and returned to the Heavenly Book Academy to watch.

Lu Hanyan's eyes were dim: "I'm powerless—I couldn't win…"

Lu Qingqiu looked at her father: "Father, my sister gave her all, but Fang Jincheng truly resorted to underhanded tactics. Still, the result hasn't been announced—no one knows who truly won."

"There's no uncertainty—it's certain we've lost. You both know this, don't you?"

"Father…"

Lu Qingqiu bit her lip as Lu Xiong stood with his hands behind his back, sighing softly into the night outside the window.

The Fang family had deep roots in the Heavenly Book Academy, while the Lu family's presence there was virtually nonexistent.

In such a controversial situation, the Lu family held no advantage—so the one entering the Inner Court would inevitably be Fang Jincheng, not them.

Even if every student in the Heavenly Book Academy believed they deserved to win, it wouldn't matter.

In this Qingyun world, background and lineage matter immensely—this is precisely why Lu Xiong had always wanted to send his daughter into an immortal sect's Inner Court.

The Lu family simply lacked powerful backing.

Then the family chatted about the Heavenly Dao Gathering, lamenting that all Lu family disciples had been eliminated, and discussing how Ji You had reached the second round and was likely already in the third.

Afterwards, Lu Qingqiu and Lu Hanyan left the inn and encountered Fang Jincheng, who had just awakened.

His face was still pale, but he wore a smug sneer.

"It's common in Qingyun to rely on a big tree for shade—but to treat a backwater private cultivator as a great tree? I've never heard of such a thing. I must thank Miss Lu for opening my eyes."

"But now you must realize—what's the point of all your hard work learning sword dao from Ji You? It was all wasted effort."

As Lu Xiong had suspected, Fang Jincheng believed he had already won—after all, the Fang family's roots in the Heavenly Book Academy ran so deep that in a stalemate, Lu Hanyan had no chance.

Hearing his words, Lu Qingqiu's face darkened, but she restrained her rising fury, grabbed her sister's arm, and pulled her toward her own courtyard.

Along the way, students whispered about the two sisters.

Everyone understood how vital family background was to a cultivator, and naturally knew that under normal circumstances, the Inner Court spot would never go to Lu Hanyan.

Now, recalling how Lu Hanyan had spent the past half-year training daily in the Sword Grove with Ji You, exhausted to the point of collapse, it all seemed absurd.

Public opinion shifts swiftly—especially when the tiger is away.

Tingdaozhexiefengyanfengyu ， Luhanyanbingmeiyoushuohua ， Yilugenzhuluqingqiuhuileyuanzi ， Zhishiyanmouzhizhongquezhujianyoushuiwushengteng ， Xinzhongchongmanleweiqu 。

Before they could even sit down, a disciple from the Administration Hall rushed in: "Sister Lu, the result of the Autumn Duel… has been decided."

"？"

The Lu sisters were summoned to the Administration Hall, and Lu Xiong and his wife also hurried over from their inn in the capital.

Since the three heads of the Administration Hall had gone to Zhongzhou, Elder Ge was temporarily in charge and received the four of them.

Fang Jincheng had arrived earlier, surrounded by several attending disciples, looking smug—as if victory were already secured. But as Elder Ge spoke, his smug expression froze on his face.

"The Autumn Duel has ended, but due to controversy over the outcome, we deliberated all day. We've called you here to discuss it."

Lu Hanyan instinctively gripped Lu Qingqiu's wrist: "What's the result?"

Elder Ge placed his hands behind his back: "According to the Academy's decision, both of you are rare talents. Since victory is too close to call, perhaps fate intends for you both to enter the Inner Court together to train—choose any Immortal Hall to study spellcraft, neither will be delayed. But officially, you remain Outer Court disciples. Can you accept this?"

Lu Xiong blinked in shock: "So that means entering the Inner Court?"

"I didn't say that. Don't jump to conclusions. Also, keep this quiet—only you four need to know. Tomorrow morning, Hanyan, report to the Inner Court. The Bichen Hall seems particularly interested in you—visit after reporting."

"Wait!"

Fang Jincheng's eyes widened: "Two people admitted? How can this be? Has my great-grandfather been informed?"

Elder Ge glanced at him, said nothing, and swept his sleeve—giving them no chance to ask further.

After all, this was unprecedented; once word spread, it would spark endless debate. He preferred to say nothing and avoid criticism.

What remained were the bewildered Lu family and the utterly stunned Fang Jincheng.

Forcing Fang Jincheng alone into the Inner Court would have caused far less disruption than admitting two—this decision by the Heavenly Book Academy was utterly unexpected.

Especially for Fang Jincheng, who had already begun celebrating—he found the outcome utterly absurd.

Lu Qingqiu was well-liked, so after Elder Ge left, she turned to the Administration Hall disciple standing nearby: "Brother Yu, could you tell us why this outcome? We're not dissatisfied—we're just stunned."

Brother Yu pursed his lips, then after a long silence, spoke: "This… has something to do with Brother Ji."

"With Ji You?"

"An urgent message arrived via the transmission platform from Zhongzhou—it says… Brother Ji is very likely this year's Tongxuan Realm champion."

Lu Xiong stared in disbelief: "The Heavenly Dao Gathering hasn't even reached the third round yet—how can there be a champion?"

Brother Yu smiled faintly: "This morning's duel saw Yan Hao from Spirit Sword Peak break through into Rongdao mid-match—only to be cut down by Brother Ji on the stage. The elders are now uncertain where he'll stand after entering the Ancestral Sanctum. Most have decided not to provoke him—only a few still dare to oppose."

This year's Autumn Duel, with only one match, ended by the hour of Chen.

Duiyushuishuishengshuifu ， Zhangshigeyenabudingzhuyi ， Yushiyaoqingzhufangqianlaitaolun 。

Initially, the consensus was as Lu Xiong had guessed: Fang Jincheng, as the grandson of Elder Fang and with the Fang family's deep roots, should be prioritized.

But just before final voting, an urgent report arrived from Zhongzhou, detailing Ji You's sword strike that slew Yan Hao of Spirit Sword Mountain in the Rongdao Realm.

This wasn't just a magical robe claiming "can resist Rongdao"—it was a living descendant of an immortal sect, a bloodline steeped in legacy.

This wasn't some underhanded preliminary match—it was the true Heavenly Dao Gathering.

No one knew if the Lu sisters were Ji You's lovers, but remembering his nature—cutting a sword at even a barbarian warlord just to taste his flavor—many elders found their votes stuck in their hands.

Finally, someone proposed: let both enter the Inner Court to train.

Because no one knew how far Ji You would go if he continued like this.

Hearing Brother Yu's account, Fang Jincheng stared in shock.

Lu Qingqiu and Lu Hanyan widened their tear-filled eyes, their lashes trembling.

When they first met, Fang Jincheng had mocked them, saying it was foolish to treat a backwater private cultivator as a great tree; others had called their training under Ji You laughable.

Yet it was precisely this "backwater private cultivator" who, without even appearing, once again reversed the entire outcome and intimidated the long-aloof elders of the sect.

The two sisters couldn't help but turn to look at their mother.

Last time she came, she had misunderstood, thinking Ji You wanted to marry them, and had criticized his humble origins—they now wondered what she was thinking now.

Mrs. Lu's gaze was deep, silent.

Even during the Heavenly Dao Gathering, she had sensed her misjudgment after witnessing Ji You's several strikes—but that feeling had been nothing compared to this.

Having lived in Yunzhou for decades, she had always believed the Lu family was a distinguished clan, worthy of respect.

But just now, while discussing the outcome at the inn, she felt a profound helplessness—the helplessness of having silver but no combat power.

Only now, upon hearing that her daughter had entered the inner court because of Ji You, did she suddenly understand: in the eyes of the immortal sect, the Lu family name was truly inferior to the name Ji You.

(Stayed home on Labor Day; early month, begging for monthly votes.)

(End of chapter)