Chapter 256: The Sword God of the Falling Waterfowl Peak

As Cheng Jian gazed at the smile on Chu Liang’s face, an indescribable pain washed over him.

The news of Chu Liang forming an ultimate-tier Golden Core had spread throughout all of Mount Shu. Furthermore, his victories during the Mountain God Memorial Ceremony and the Stairway to the Heavens event, where he surpassed Xu Ziyang and Jiang Yuebai to claim first place, had solidified his reputation.

Therefore, there were high hopes for Chu Liang among the disciples of Mount Shu. Although he had recently formed the ultimate-tier Golden Core and despite his inability to match Xu Ziyang and Jiang Yuebai in combat skills, many thought that a swift victory wouldn't be strange as he was fighting a disciple at the Spiritual Awareness Realm.

Cheng Jian himself could accept this defeat.

However, Chu Liang opted for a strategy that some might deem as cunning. He used a versatile enchanted tool with multiple functions, which included the ability to execute sneak attacks.

This made Cheng Jian feel terrible. He felt as though he had just eaten a fly.

Simultaneously, doubts arose among the audience. Was Chu Liang resorting to such methods because his combat skills weren't strong enough?

It could be said that Chu Liang's victory actually tarnished his own reputation.

However, Chu Liang remained composed. He gave a slight salute, then leaped down from the platform, preparing to leave with an air of nonchalance.

It was as though he was completely oblivious to the discussions happening behind him.

The main competition of the Mount Shu Summit and the recreational competitions were held concurrently. Today marked the first round of the fight tournament, while the preliminary round for the Flying-Sword Race was scheduled for tomorrow.

Chu Liang had entered the Flying-Sword Race and needed to head back home to prepare for it.

At that moment, Lin Bei stopped him and asked, "The next fight is Senior Sister Jiang's. Aren't you going to stay and watch?"

"Is it really necessary to watch Senior Sister Jiang's competition? She will definitely win within the blink of an eye," Chu Liang said with a smile.

Although he said that, he still paused in his footsteps.

I guess I can wait a bit,

he reasoned.

At that moment, the stark contrast in popularity became evident.

Although it had been lively earlier, many disciples from Mount Shu and other immortal sects had yet to arrive. However, as Jiang Yuebai's match was about to begin, it suddenly became significantly more crowded.

In an instant, a sea of people filled the area.

For the disciples of various immortal sects, Mount Shu had accommodations arranged. However, the Mount Shu Summit lasted several days and it was impossible for them to stay the entire time. Many disciples from nearby sects returned home after the opening ceremony and only came back for matches they were particularly interested in attending.

Jiang Yuebai's match clearly sparked a lot of interest.

Even some who hadn't attended the opening ceremony showed up. Mount Shu rarely held celebrations that were opened to the public and there was no harm in attending.

Beneath the platform stood a tall and slender young man dressed in white sword attire. His eyes were as dark as ink, sparkling like bright stars. With his arms folded across his chest, he seemed rather nonchalant. Even so, he was like a vortex, attracting all attention just by standing there.

When he saw Jiang Yuebai step onto the platform, he even cupped his hands and shouted, "Fairy Jiang, you've got this!"

"That's Feng Chaoyang from the Celestial King Sect. I heard he's been eyeing Senior Sister Jiang," Lin Bei explained, casting a hostile glance at Feng Chaoyang. With a disdainful snort, he turned and shouted, "Senior Sister Jiang, let's keep the romance within the Mount Shu Sect!"

When Chu Liang glanced over, he observed that the audiences from the Divine Nine and Terrestrial Ten had split into two distinct groups.

𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

With Feng Chaoyang at the forefront, the Celestial King Sect, Celestial Pivot Pavilion, the Sea King Sect, as well as the other sects that had branched out from the Heavenly Star Divine Cult, stood together as a single group.

It has been many years since the Heavenly Star Divine Cult had split up. In the early years, there were intense conflicts between the factions that had branched out. However, the current division had stabilized, and several sects had regained a sense of being branches of the same tree, due to a natural sense of kinship.

However, this might not just be a result of natural kinship, but a result of the reality in this world. In the world of immortal cultivators, the Penglai Supreme Sect was a dominating force that could only be slightly suppressed through the unity of the few immortal sects that branched out from the Heavenly Star Divine Cult. After the dissolution of the Heavenly Star Divine Cult, the sects that branched out from the cult went on to develop and thrive independently. This resulted in the current united forces of these immortal sects becoming even stronger than the Heavenly Star Divine Cult was back then.

This was something the Penglai Supreme Sect could not ignore. These sects were like scattered stars filling the night sky.

However, the Penglai Supreme Sect was not the group vying with the one formed with Feng Chaoyang at the forefront. In fact, the core disciples of the Penglai Supreme Sect did not even attend the ceremony, likely due to their arrogance or their disregard for the Mount Shu Sect, which was in its declining state.

At the center of the other group stood a mighty and vigorous young man.

Indeed. Just by the brows and eyes of that person, he looked rather young, likely around the age of seventeen or eighteen. Yet, he sported a neatly trimmed thick beard around his face.

There were disciples of the sects in the Terrestrial Ten, such as the Ascending Dragon Academy and the Monastery Tower, standing around him. This group of people faced off with Feng Chaoyang's group, appearing to demonstrate equal strength.

"That person is Deng Yixiao, ranked third among the three core disciples of the Thunderbolt Stronghold. In recent years, the Thunderbolt Stronghold has been aligning itself with the imperial court, hence why it should be rather close to the Ascending Dragon Academy and Monastery Tower, both of which were built relying entirely on the Yu dynasty," explained Lin Bei.

"It looks like they don't have a good relationship with the Heavenly Star faction[1]?

"To put it simply, Feng Chaoyang just had an intense fight with Wei Tiandi, the second eldest disciple of the Thunderbolt Stronghold. There is obviously conflict between them," Lin Bei explained. "If we talk about this issue on a larger scale, it's because the imperial court has been trying to win over the Penglai Supreme Sect, a sect of a higher ranking, as well as the Thunderbolt Stronghold, a sect of a lower ranking. However, the imperial court has always struck down the Heavenly Star faction as these sects would always defy the imperial decree. Naturally, there would be conflict between them."

As Lin Bei finished explaining, he even whispered, "Fight, fight, fight!"

Chu Liang nodded. During complicated situations, having someone well-informed about gossip and aware of everything could indeed save him a lot of effort.

He had only heard a little about these internal strife among the higher-ups, and he didn't know much about it. After all, he has never been the one representing Mount Shu. He understood that Mount Shu's stance would likely align with the Heavenly Star faction. The Mount Shu Sect was in a situation similar to that of the Heavenly Star faction. Aligning with the Heavenly Star faction would allow them to maintain some dignity in the face of pressure from the Penglai Supreme Sect and the Imperial Court.

But...

As Chu Liang cast a glance at Feng Chaoyang and then at Senior Sister Jiang, who was fighting on the platform, he suddenly realized that he was just a small figure. As a small figure, he wouldn't have to always share the same stance as the Mount Shu Sect.

With the hidden strife happening below the stage, Senior Sister Jiang's match suddenly seemed less interesting.

In previous years, disciples at the Golden Core Realm were able to directly advance to the next round as seeded players. This year, however, due to the considerable number of disciples at the Golden Core Realm, the system of seeded players has been abolished.

However, this led to competition where there was a significant disparity in strength.

For instance, the opponent against Jiang Yuebai in this fight was a disciple at the pinnacle of the Spiritual Awareness Realm. Reasonably speaking, he wasn’t weak.

However, he wouldn’t even last through a single move from Jiang Yuebai.

The moment Jiang Yuebai’s sword qi reached its target, his flying sword fell to the ground. Thankfully, he wasn't injured because Jiang Yuebai had shown mercy.

The highlight of the fight was his speech afterward.

"I lost..." he muttered as he stared at the sword on the ground. Suddenly, he lifted his head and said, "But Senior Sister Jiang, I want to tell you...I have admired you for a long time!"

“

Boooooo—

”

The crowd's immediate chorus of boos forced him off the stage. If he had uttered a few more words, bricks or eggs might have been hurled at him.

...

After watching Senior Sister Jiang’s match, Chu Liang didn’t care about the fights that happened later on. He returned to Silver Sword Peak to prepare for the Flying-Sword Race tomorrow.

He wanted to practice for a bit for the Flying-Sword Race.

The preliminary round involved a course circling the mountain several times. He was confident in his fine control of sword.

With a bit of practice, he believed it wouldn’t be difficult for him to make it to the next stage.

Sizzle—

His foundational qi surged forth as he rode on the Dustless Sword. In the blink of an eye, he had flown around the entire Silver Sword Peak, leaving behind a crisscrossed white trail of foundational qi that resembled a dragon.

When he landed on the ground, he heard a voice saying, "Too slow."

“

Eh?

” Chu Liang looked over in a frown.

Chu Liang then saw Wen Yulong appear in a flash from the side, shaking his head as he said, “Senior Brother Chu, why didn’t you tell me you signed up for the Flying-Sword Race? I could have helped you prepare for it. I just saw your name on the list in the Hall of Weapons. Unfortunately, it's too late now.”

“Junior Brother Wen! I was just about to visit you to express my gratitude,” Chu Liang said with a smile. “Thanks to the enchanted tool you made, I won the fight very easily. But are you saying that my sword manipulation speed is not fast enough?”

This took Chu Liang by surprise. He considered himself the top of Mount Shu in terms of cultivation energy and exercising fine control. Although his flying sword manipulation might not have been the best, it seemed unlikely to disappoint Wen Yulong.

"With your abundant cultivation energy, this is still too slow," Wen Yulong said. "The control of the sword during the Flying-Sword Race is different from the usual flying by sword manipulation. The sword you usually use is for combat purposes and was crafted with the purpose of killing. However, in a Flying-Sword Race, the goal is the high speed, which means the sword itself is not the same as what you would use during combat."

"What do you mean? Are you saying there are flying swords specially crafted for the Flying-Sword Race?" Chu Liang instantly understood what Wen Yulong was trying to say.

"Of course there are!" Wen Yulong said. "In the Mount Shu Sect, there are the Five Peaks of Swordsmanship—Astral Inferno Peak, Falling Waterfowl Peak, and others—all of which possessed strong legacies in flying-sword racing, passing down many techniques and specially designed flying swords with the purpose of racing for generations."

The Silver Sword Peak was one of the Five Peaks of Swordsmanship.

Regardless, Chu Liang had never received any teachings or advice.

After all, the legacy of the Silver Sword Peak had ended many years ago. When Di Nufeng assumed leadership, the peak had long ceased to have any association with the Five Peaks of Swordsmanship from its past.

As for the other peaks, their legacies never truly came to an end, with some items and knowledge continuing to be passed down from one generation to the next.

For instance, there were flying swords specifically crafted for races. Unlike those intended for combat, these flying swords likely lacked enchanted formation inscriptions for battle. Instead, they were madly engraved with enchanted formations for speed boosting.

The Dustless Sword was powerful, but it would still lose to these flying swords that were specially crafted for speed.

But Chu Liang had no idea about this.

"It is probably too late to use another sword..." Chu Liang said in contemplation.

Just because a flying sword was fast didn't necessarily mean it was better, and familiarizing oneself with the sword was essential. If he attempted to ride an unfamiliar flying sword and flew too quickly, accidents could happen.

"You can't switch swords now. Let me get you some enchanted tools. With your abundant cultivation energy, it will ensure you stand out," Wen Yulong said considerately.

After so many interactions, his bond with Chu Liang has deepened so much.

With this, he took out four silver bracelets and said, "These are the Hands of the Azure Dragon and the Feet of the Azure Dragon. Try them on."

"The Hands of the Azure Dragon and the Feet of the Azure Dragon?" Chu Liang said, puzzled, as he took the four silver bracelets.

He followed Wen Yulong's instructions, wearing two around his wrists and two around his ankles. With some foundational qi, he activated the bracelets.

Whoosh!

Suddenly, silver light shot out from the four silver bracelets. An iron chain shot out from each of the bracelets, wrapping around whatever was in front.

"In a Flying-Sword Race, the immense speed can generate tremendous force. Relying solely on foundational qi to stay attached to the flying sword might result in you falling off, causing an accident. Therefore, use the Feet of the Azure Dragon to secure yourself onto the flying sword. Once that's done, you can accelerate with one less worry," Wen Yulong explained.

Chu Liang nodded in agreement.

He had experienced the struggle of flying too fast and nearly falling off his sword. In a fight, it would be impossible for him to tie himself onto the sword with four chains. However, in a simple racing competition, this could definitely be of great benefit.

Then, Wen Yulong took out four yellow talisman papers and said, "These are the Wind-Manipulation Talismans.

"I thought the Flying-Sword Race banned the use of talismans?" Chu Liang asked.

Although he didn't understand the tradition of the races, he did read the rules.

"You aren't supposed to stick these on the sword. Stick them on your body," Wen Yulong explained. "In a race between experts, even a slight difference in weight can significantly affect their chances of winning. Therefore, they would use Wind-Manipulation Talismans to lift their body up and reduce their weight, which is allowed by the rules. The four Wind-Manipulation Talismans would be just enough for you to use."

"

Hmm...

" As Chu Liang listened to his explanation, he couldn't help but say, "You really have to think about every factor."

"These preparations are done to ensure that you won't fall behind at the start. However, victory ultimately depends on your skills," Wen Yulong said. "Legend has it that there was a sword god from Falling Waterfowl Peak who didn't rely on such items. They say he could win even while holding tofu with both hands. It was said that when he crossed the finish line, the tofu still remained intact."

1. All the sects that branched out from the Heavenly Star Divine Cult are referred to as Heavenly Star faction. ☜