The night falls!
In the small courtyard.
The swordâs edge flowed, and throughout the courtyard, the entire area was filled with sword light, with sword shadows everywhere.
Ye Qingchen contemplated in his mind.
He suddenly turned his right hand.
A sword shadow, moving extremely fast, pierced through the void like lightning.
"This is the First Form, Chasing Lightning!"
Then.
The sword shadow transitioned, slowly surging forth, its posture was slow yet resembled a towering mountain, wherever it passed, it crushed everything like dry weeds and rotten wood.
"This is the Second Form, Mountain Collapse!"
At the end.
This sword erupted even more fiercely.
Infinite sword light shimmered like stars in the sky, illuminating this night intimately, as if to drown everything.
"This is the Third Form, Explosive Annihilation!"
"The so-called Jinghong Sword, means the sword being as fleeting as a rainbow! It requires the speed of lightning, the overwhelming stance of mountain collapse, and the absolute power to annihilate everything!"
"So, this is the secret of the Jinghong Sword!"
The more he practiced, Ye Qingchenâs eyes grew brighter.
When he comprehended the essence of the Jinghong Sword.
A captivating brilliance appeared in his eyes!
At this moment.
He rotated his right hand again.
Ding!
An arc of sword light instantly pierced into a twenty-meter-high green stone. Immediately, this stone exhibited a sword mark as thin as a vacuum needle hole.
Swish!
The Silver Dragon Sword returned to its sheath.
However.
With a "crack," from that very sword mark as a center point, numerous cracks crazily spread unimaginable within a short moment, covering the entire stone.
In the end.
There was a thunderous crash, collapsing explosively, transforming into countless dust particles.
"Is this the power of the Jinghong Sword? Itâs incredibly astonishing!"
Watching the swordsmanship being practiced, Hong Man, Jiang Churan, and Ye Qing couldnât help but jump in fright.
With their strength.
They could also shatter this massive stone, but they absolutely couldnât do it with the ease and elegance of Ye Qingchen, nor break it entirely into powder with just one sword strike!
"Tomorrow is the qualification tournament, countless dormant old disciples from the eight major sects will gather, itâs bound to be a fierce battle between dragons and tigers, are you confident in securing your spot on the Bronze List?"
At the side, Qin Wentian casually fiddled with the wine pot in his hand and asked lightly.
When hearing this, everyone couldnât help feeling tense.
These past few days.
Theyâve heard many rumors, none of those old disciples were not strong veterans of the previous generation, even including the likes of the Newcomer King. These people resemble the flooding tide, its grandeur enough to tear apart any existence.
Can Ye Qingchen withstand this wave?
For a moment.
Everyoneâs gazes turned.
Ye Qingchen merely smiled faintly, proudly said:
"Old Man Qin, tomorrow not only will I secure my spot on the Bronze List, I will also win the qualification tournament! I shall ascend the Qingzhou Sword Fighting Conference and make Taotian Palace renowned once more!"
"Excellent!"
Qin Wentian took a hearty swig of wine, eyes aglow with endless boldness.
...
Morning.
As the sky lightened, the entire Imperial Capital seemed to awaken from sleep, countless crowds were gathering from all directions, converging onto the square.
On this day.
Itâs the qualification tournament for the Qingzhou Sword Fighting Conference.
But before the qualification tournament starts, the strong on the Bronze List will face a wave of challenges, only by securing their position can they participate in the final qualification tournament, thus representing Celestial Peak Country in the Qingzhou Sword Fighting Conference!
Todayâs scene is vastly grander than the sectâs selection conference from before.
Only to see.
On the training field, there stood two high platforms.
One was the arena for disciples to battle, the Bronze List contest and the qualification tournament would unfold here, and surrounding this arena were seventy-two bronze chairs, clearly representing the seventy-two members of the Bronze List!
The other was a viewing stand, and even the sect leaders from the eight major sects have personally come, showing how much they value this qualification tournament.
However.
Usually, only people from the eight major sects are on this viewing stand, but today there are three more individuals.
"Huh, isnât that the Imperial Tutor? Whatâs he doing here? He never pays attention to the Qingzhou Sword Fighting Conference!"
"Who is that other old man? Could he be Taotian Palaceâs Qin Wentian?"
"Martial Arts Arenaâs Zhou Yuntian is here too?"
People around the training field continued to discuss, their eyes occasionally glancing at the viewing stand, looking at those rarely seen figures.
The eight sect leaders exchanged glances, confused in their hearts.
They understood Qin Wentianâs presence since he represented Taotian Palace. But why did Zhou Yuntian, who usually has little contact with the eight major sects, along with Imperial Tutor Kong Shun, also show up?
Could it be.
Is there someone special in todayâs Sword Fighting Conference?
However.
The eight major sects have little interaction with them, even if the otherâs status is honorable, if they choose not to care, they simply wonât.
...
At this moment.
Several bright figures squeezed through the crowd, craning their necks to look into the distance.
When they saw the still-empty seventy-two bronze chairs, their faces immediately showed a dejected expression, and they began to complain.
"Looks like we arrived early!"
"Yes, the strong on the Bronze List havenât arrived yet!"
"Those on the Bronze List are as elusive as dragons, and this is the only chance to see them!"
Several charming young women chatted and discussed.
"Ah, An Mengxiang, what are you looking for?"
At this time.
One of the girls asked aloud.
Seeing An Mengxiang hesitantly trying to speak, she suddenly realized: "Youâre not still looking for Ye Qingchen, are you? Among so many people, how can you find him?"
"Heâs already ascended to the Bronze List, when he appears, Iâll see him!" An Mengxiang whispered.
Her words immediately made the surrounding sisters frown.
To know.
An Mengxiang always held high standards, having many suitors, each from eminent families with promising futures. Yet strangely, she couldnât forget Ye Qingchen.
Especially in recent times, rumors have been rampant, many claim Ye Qingchen reached the Bronze List. Others say Ye Qingchen crafted the Dragon and Tiger Pill at the pill exchange conference, overpowering Dongfang Yu.
See, how could this possibly be true!
Who can possibly excel in both alchemy and martial arts?
One slightly older young woman shook her head: "An Mengxiang, those are just rumors. Ye Qingchen is a disciple of the same generation as you, even if his strength were extraordinary, itâs impossible to reach the Bronze List!"
"Yes, yes, sister Han Yun is right!" Another agreed: "Many old disciples have emerged recently, even if he made it to the Bronze List, heâll be knocked off, he simply canât secure those seventy-two bronze chairs!"
"But...!"
An Mengxiang wanted to contest.
But the woman continued, "An Mengxiang, Ye Qingchen is ultimately not of your path. Although heâs done some astounding things since joining Taotian Palace, without sect resources, heâll eventually be obscured among the crowd."
"True, the one pursuing you, Sun Hao, is quite good. He reached the Spiritual Sea Fifth Heaven, is also the Young Master of the Ministry of Revenue, holding a prestigious position. Yet heâs uniquely interested in you..."
"Yes, Ye Qingchenâs brilliance is like a blooming flower at night, never enduring for long ... you should forget him!"
An Mengxiang clammed up, speaking no more.
Since the sectâs selection conference day, Ye Qingchenâs figure never faded from her mind. After witnessing Ye Qingchenâs presence, how could anyone else capture her attention?
As the saying goes:
Once youâve seen the sea, no other waters will suffice, except for the clouds on the Wushan Mountain.
Just then.
A majestic voice resonated from the high platform:
"Please, the seventy-two disciples of the Bronze List, take your seats!"
Boom!
Instantly.
The entire field erupted in a mighty uproar.