Chapter 453
453 Sword Dao Conference
Li Yuanqing watched from the crowd for a while before he understood.
It turned out that this place was the registration place for the Sword Dao in the Dao Discussion.
Just as Qing He had said, the Dao Discussion was divided into hundreds of venues. Among them, the Martial Dao was the most important. Below were the Alchemy Dao, the Weapon Dao, and a unique Sword Dao.
Swordsman was the strangest.
Originally, the sword belonged to one of the many weapons stores. However, there happened to be a peerless genius among the many swordsmen. He forcefully separated the sword from the other weapons and created a Sword Dao alone.
Most cultivators could use all kinds of weapons, and only a set of cultivation techniques was enough.
However, those swordsmen stubbornly focused on one weapon and cultivated their swordsmanship to the extreme. Finally, they separated their swordsmanship from other weapons and became a separate Dao technique.
Apart from these four paths, there were many other paths.
This Dao Discussion was huge and complicated. As the organizer, it was jointly elected by many sects in the West Continent. It was the most powerful martial arts sect on this continent-Kunlun.
Kunlun was the largest sect in the entire West Continent. Its entire sect was located on Kunlun Mountain. It was vast and stretched for tens of thousands of kilometers.
The disciples under it were even more outstanding and had many geniuses. The most important event of the Dao Discussion was a competition of martial arts. Over the years, most of the Kunlun disciples won the championship.
If nothing unexpected happened this year, the Kunlun disciples would probably have to take this championship. There were many projects in this Dao Discussion. Even someone as powerful as Kunlun could not manage all the Dao techniques.
Therefore, every Dao technique was basically managed by an organization with a deeper aptitude in their domain.
And all these branches finally converged in one place, the core institution of the Dao Discussion-the Elders Council.
Just like the two people who were currently testing the applicants on the platform.
The white-haired old man’s name was Du Xuan, an elder of Mount Cloud Crane. However, he had been in seclusion for many years and was now working in the Sword Casting Pavilion.
This Sword Casting Pavilion was a place that could connect all swordsmen. It was said that those extremely capable swordsmen would eventually enter the Sword Casting Pavilion. This was also a legend among the swordsmen. Therefore, these swordsmen had always regarded the Sword Casting Pavilion as a holy land in their hearts.
The organizer he saw this time was from the Sword Casting Pavilion.
Du Xuan, who was the representative of the Sword Casting Pavilion, is also a member of the entire Dao Discussion’s Elders Council. The middle-aged man beside him was called Duan Lingxiao.
He was the leader of the Nine Spirits Sect, and is acting as Du Xuan’s deputy.
“Elder Du, there are many talents in the Sword Dao this year. In my opinion, we might be able to get a good ranking in the finals of the Martial Dao.”
Duan Lingxiao looked at a young man who had just gone down with joy.
The man was also a disciple of the Nine Spirits Sect.
Du Xuan nodded slightly, seemingly noncommittal about these words, making Duan Lingxiao a little embarrassed.
“Does Elder Du have anyone you appreciate? I heard that Mount Cloud Crane has many good seedlings this year.”
Du Xuan smiled and said, “I haven’t asked about the Mount Cloud Crane for many years. If they can achieve good results, it will naturally be very beneficial to the entire Sword Dao.”
“Elder Du, you’re right.” Duan Lingxiao complimented him, slightly easing the awkwardness just now. “Speaking of which, several disciples of Kunlun have already cultivated to the eighth level of the Supremacy realm. I believe that the first place this year will still be theirs.”
“Kunlun is powerful, so it’s not strange for them to win first place. However, if our disciples can find an opportunity, we still have a chance to take another step forward.”
Du Xuan’s words were so ambiguous that Duan Lingxiao did not know how to answer for a moment.
He shook his head hesitantly and turned to the front of the stage. Another person had regained his footing in front of the stone.
This person was none other than Chou Wu.
Chou Wu held the hilt in his left hand and casually drooped to the ground.
This posture made Duan Lingxiao frown when he saw it.
The disciples of the Sword Sect protected their swords like they were their lifeblood. They were even more particular about their posture. No one was as sloppy as him and looked like a hooligan. He did not have the temperament of a disciple of the Sword Sect at all.
Instead, he looked like an exiled killer.
“Chou Wu? Didn’t your master teach you how to hold a sword? A swordsman has to behave when holding a sword!” Duan Lingxiao scolded Chou Wu unhappily.
Li Yuanqing looked at the guy with interest.
This person called Chou Wu was really different from the swordsmen beside him.
In fact, this fellow’s aura was more or less a little strange. He carried his sword casually on the ground and stood sideways. The sword was hidden behind him. If an enemy stood opposite him, they would not even be able to see where his sword was.
However, there was indeed a very strong sword intent on this person’s body. That will was extremely powerful. Although he had already restrained himself very much, he could still clearly feel a little sharpness coming from his body.
Li Yuanqing acted as if they were close friends and asked the impatient swordsman beside him.
“Fellow Daoist, who is this person? Why is he so strange? He looks quiet and sloppy, but he seems to be quite powerful.”
The swordsman beside Li Yuanqing looked very depressed. He was standing here just now, but for some reason, a guy came over.
After this guy came over, he kept trying to get close to him. Initially, he did not take it seriously and just answered whatever he asked.
However, the kid kept asking questions and couldn’t stop talking. In just a short while, he had already asked no less than thirty to forty questions. No matter how mature a swordsman was, it was still infuriating to have such a fellow buzzing around his ears and asking non-stop.
Just as he was about to flare up, Li Yuanqing suddenly said, “Hey, why does the mark on your shoulder look so similar to theirs? Are you two fellow disciples?”
Li Yuanqing did not hide his words. Everyone beside him heard him clearly. They turned around at the same time and their eyes focused on him.
“It’s really from the Lingyun Pavilion.”
“I was wondering why I felt like there was a weirdo standing beside me.”
“Yo, this guy even used a sword to block his badge. If this little brother didn’t say so, we wouldn’t have noticed.”
There were even swordsmen at the side who nodded at Li Yuanqing as if to express their friendliness.
“Little brother, the people from the Lingyun Pavilion are indecent from top to bottom. You should stay away from them and not get involved with any bad habits.”
“That’s right. There has been something wrong with the Lingyun Pavilion since their previous sect master. Now, it’s getting stranger and stranger. I think they’re about to become an evil cultivator.”
Li Yuanqing looked at the swordsman beside him whose face was gradually turning red. He had been practicing swordsmanship all year round and his heart was already as calm as water.
However, he did not expect that Li Yuanqing’s words would easily break his psychological defense.
Li Yuanqing took a step back cautiously and pretended to look at the other person as if nothing had happened. He smiled and said, “I don’t think so. Aren’t we all swordsmen? Let’s be friendly and not fight. Besides, it’s not appropriate to do it in public.”
Although he was speaking to that person, his words reached the ears of the Lingyun Pavilion disciple.
“Don’t worry, this is Tianyun City. No one dares to attack here.”
Li Yuanqing suddenly felt a gaze sweeping over him. He hurriedly looked in that direction and saw that old man Du Xuan had just retracted his gaze and was sizing up Chou Wu. He stared at Du Xuan cautiously. Just now, he suddenly felt a chill down his spine.
Du Xuan was actually so powerful. Just one look from him was enough to make people tremble from the bottom of their hearts.
Li Yuanqing thought that Du Xuan would pursue Chou Wu’s matter. Unexpectedly, he turned to Duan Lingxiao and said, “Now that these children have their own cultivation methods, we should give them fewer restrictions. Perhaps this is the right way for the Sword Sect to flourish.”
“Elder Du, our Sword Sect was able to make a name for ourselves back then because of the strict laws set by the Exalted One. If we break them just like that, that would be terrible.”
“It’s been so many years. It’s long past time to change the rules.”
After Du Xuan finished speaking, he said to Chou Wu, who was standing in the field, “Alright, according to the rules, if your sword intent can’t reach level six or above, you’re not qualified to participate in the Dao Discussion. If there’s no problem, let’s begin the test.”
As soon as Du Xuan finished speaking, Chou Wu waved his arm without looking back. In an instant, a sword energy streaked across the air and landed lightly on the stone.
Just as the sword energy entered the stone, Chou Wu had already put away the sword in his hand and turned around to enter the crowd. The person beside him quickly made way, looking like he did not want to have anything to do with him.
Duan Lingxiao was very dissatisfied as he stared at Chou Wu’s departing figure. He did not even look at the test results on the stone.
“This kid is too arrogant! How can we give such a domineering person a chance to participate in the competition?”
But Du Xuan ignored him. He stared at the fading scratches on the stone and smiled in satisfaction.
“Level seven. His strength is really not bad.”
“Elder Du, he doesn’t care about us seniors. How can we give such a person a chance to continue participating in the competition? We should revoke his qualifications. We can’t indulge them like this.”
Duan Lingxiao seemed to have a lot of opinions about the people from the Lingyun Pavilion. Just now, Chou Wu had left after brandishing his sword. He did not even show any respect to the two judges. He really could not hold back his anger.
“The only rule of the Sword Dao Conference is that one’s sword intent can reach the sixth stage. The rest is fine, let him be.”
This made Duan Lingxiao furious, but there was nothing he could do. He was only a deputy here today, and the real person in charge was still Du Xuan. He did not expect Du Xuan to condone such behavior, making him lose his temper.
Li Yuanqing was excited and wanted to ask the disciple of the Lingyun Pavilion. That guy was already prepared and turned around to glare at him, deliberately keeping a distance from him.
Li Yuanqing pretended to be nonchalant and smacked his lips. He turned to the other side and asked the other unlucky guy, “What’s the standard for this level six sword intent? Why haven’t I heard of it before?”
“Fellow Daoist, where are you from? Why are you here?”
“Well, to be honest, I’ve been cultivating in the deep mountains all this time. Recently, my master passed away, so I came out to explore the world.”
“This is the registration venue for the Sword Dao. If you want to participate in the Martial Dao, go north and look. There are places to sign up.”
“I think my swordsmanship is quite good. Isn’t anyone allowed to participate in the Sword Dao?”
That person couldn’t help but laugh when he heard Li Yuanqing’s words.
“Fellow Daoist, you’ve been cultivating deep in the mountains and your knowledge is shallow. I don’t blame you. It’s just that this Sword Dao has always been a competition that only disciples of the Sword Sect can participate in. If outsiders participate, I’m afraid they won’t have a good ending.”
Li Yuanqing scratched his head in confusion. He looked at the stone in the middle of the stage and asked in confusion, “Didn’t you say that it’s enough as long as one reaches level six? Why are there so many restrictions? I thought that old man would keep his word.”
As soon as he said this, the entire scene fell silent. Everyone’s eyes gathered on him.
Even Du Xuan stopped and turned to Li Yuanqing with a kind smile.
“What are you getting at, young friend?”
The Sword Sect disciples beside Li Yuanqing immediately retreated to the side and quickly distanced themselves from him.
Duan Lingxiao frowned as he sized up Li Yuanqing, as if he was very puzzled by the appearance of such a figure.
Facing Du Xuan’s question, Li Yuanqing was not nervous. He took a step forward and replied to Du Xuan, “I said that Senior had just said that as long as one sword intent reaches the sixth stage, they can participate in this meeting. Why can’t I?”
Du Xuan finally couldn’t help but laugh when he heard Li Yuanqing’s words. Everyone had seen many ridiculous things at their age, but today was the first time they had seen such a first-stage Supremacy, and he wasn’t a disciple of any sword sect, say that he wanted to participate in the Sword Dao Conference.
“Senior, why are you laughing?” Li Yuanqing even asked boldly.
This made Duan Lingxiao extremely angry.
Duan Lingxiao slammed the table and stood up with wide eyes. He roared at the people around Li Yuanqing, “Who brought this brat here? Hurry up and take him away!”
The crowd around them said nothing.
Duan Lingxiao turned his gaze back to Li Yuanqing.
“Who did you come with? Go back to where you came from! Don’t make trouble here!”
Not only was Li Yuanqing not intimidated by his aura, but he even puffed out his chest and replied, “I came by myself? I’m here to sign up for the Sword Dao Conference!”