Chapter 279: Back off!

The master of the Ghost-Face Chamber showered the three new members with praise. Their enthusiasm also inspired the fellow members of the chamber, encouraging everyone to participate as well.

Upon their return to Mount Shu, Chu Liang promptly informed the higher-ups about the new discovery. While other matters could be delayed, this was deemed too important to postpone.

The higher-ups of the Mount Shu Sect attached great importance to this matter and immediately began a series of discussions. They instructed Chu Liang to remain calm and not divulge any information.

This was, of course, easy to do. The three of them were veteran undercover agents, so they naturally possessed the basic professionalism required.

Having reported the new discovery, Chu Liang was no longer worried. The higher-ups of the Mount Shu Sect would certainly start preparations. If the Dark King Sect dared to infiltrate Mount Shu to do harm, they would never make it out.

The next day arrived, bringing with it another day of competitions.

With the final match of the main competition of the Mount Shu Summit scheduled for tomorrow, the finals of the three recreational competitions were all arranged for today, making the schedule quite tight.

In the early morning, Chu Liang took his seat at the venue for the final competition of the Mahjong Tournament.

There were four people at the table: the innocent-looking Liu Xiaoyu'er, the smiling Chu Liang, a square-faced young man—surprisingly, Yuan Zhuo, a Senior Brother from the Hall of Conservation whom Chu Liang had met before—and a middle-aged man in a wheelchair.

This middle-aged man had a clear and thin face, exuding an air of elegance. With fair and clear skin and a bright gaze, he appeared to possess considerable wisdom.

His name was Tantai Jing. As the peak master of Rain Cedar Peak, he was renowned as a strategist among the peak masters.

Some believed that if not for a serious injury in his early years, which dashed his chances of attaining Dao, Tantai Jing would have had boundless prospects. In terms of intelligence, he might have been more suitable as the grand peak master than Wang Xuanling.

The finalists of the Mahjong Tournament were not simply adept at playing Mahjong. This final game served as a stage for those with extraordinary mental and spiritual prowess.

As Chu Liang faced these two opponents, he didn't dare to claim any advantage for himself.

Of course, he didn't expect to win either.

Tantai Jing smiled faintly and jokingly remarked, "It's quite rare to have two young people from the Silver Sword Peak in the final game. You two better not discard the tiles the other needs when it's your turn."

Chu Liang smiled back and replied, "Why would we?"

On the other hand, Liu Xiaoyu'er looked puzzled as she muttered, "Discard tile?"

...

The Mahjong Tournament ended peacefully.

The game ended quicker than expected, with the result being obvious. This kind of game, akin to "arranging small blocks and then knocking them down," was still too simple for Liu Xiaoyu'er, a lesser demon with normal intelligence.

Before noon, Chu Liang had already arrived at the venue for the Flying-Sword Race. Unlike the group match, the race track for the final was extremely complicated.

Obviously, the finalists were much stronger, being the top players selected from each group.

The small team from Silver Sword Peak also came to cheer for Chu Liang. In addition, many spectators from both inside and outside Mount Shu came to watch. There were far more spectators than at the Mahjong Tournament.

In previous years, the Mahjong Tournament on Mount Shu, while not the most popular recreational event of the Mount Shu Summit, would never have had such a small audience.

This year, the games at the Mahjong Tournament were simply not entertaining to watch. The audience weren't the only ones feeling bored. If it weren't for the fact that four people were absolutely required to start the game, Chu Liang wouldn't even have wanted to be there.

The Flying-Sword Race was different. The thrilling race in the clouds was absolutely exhilarating.

Because he participated in the Mahjong Tournament, Chu Liang arrived relatively late. Many of the participants had already arrived. There were new faces as well as familiar ones, and they all looked like they were not easy to get along with.

Wen Yulong came up and asked, "How is it? Did you practice after going back last time?"

He seemed even more nervous than Chu Liang.

"I tried a few times, it's very difficult," Chu Liang admitted, referring to the technique of flying sword drifting. "Because time was tight, I didn't practice it again."

After losing to Chen Zheng last time, Chu Liang did study the technique of flying sword drifting around corners. However, the difficulty was too great, and he didn't have much time to delve into it, so he still didn't dare to say he had mastered it.

There was nothing he could do. With so many events he needed to participate, he obviously needed to prioritize the main competition.

"

Haaaa,

" Wen Yulong sighed and said, "The fact that you managed to make it to the final despite having never tried flying-sword racing before is already very impressive. You shouldn't be too harsh on yourself with the results."

There were a total of ten finalists, all standing at the same cliff as before, with the clouds shrouding the pathway ahead.

This time, the race track was longer. In addition to simple turns, there was also a section of eighteen loops around the Divine Truncheon Peak. Moreover, on the way to the Azure Falling Peak, there would be random showers of sword qi.

With the length and complexity of the track greatly increased, the challenge was naturally greater. Only in this way could the true strength of the competitors be determined.

"This is the final of the Flying-Sword Race! Take off!"

With the command from the supervising elder, the flag waved, and ten sword lights instantly streaked across the sky!

"Wow!"

The shouts from the valley resounded through the sky!

With his hands strapped with the Hands Of the Azure Dragon and his ankle strapped to the flying sword with his Feet of the Azure Dragon, he controlled the Dustless Sword to fly to its maximum speed, instantly taking the lead at the forefront!

In terms of cultivation energy, he was the first among all the participants.

Among the ten participants, four of them were at the Golden Core Realm. Of the four cultivators at the Golden Core Realm, two were at the middle stage.

Considering that having an ultimate-tier Golden Core would amplify his cultivation energy, it wasn't wrong to say that Chu Liang was ranked first in terms of cultivation energy.

However, being first in cultivation energy did not guarantee being first in speed. Chu Liang had learned this lesson last time, so he didn't dare to be arrogant. He fully accelerated during the first straight where he had the advantage, hoping to gain as much of a lead as possible.

However, everyone flying in a straight line was extremely fast, so the gap was not huge. Soon, he arrived at the first turn.

Chu Liang took a deep breath. He pressed the tip of the sword down and swung the sword fiercely.

Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh—

The Dustless Sword traced a graceful crescent arc, smoothly bypassing the mountain peak. However, the turn was still too wide, and in the blink of an eye, four or five sword lights overtook him on the tighter inner loop!

It all happened in an instant!

His speed was just not quite enough.

Chu Liang maintained a steady expression. As he returned to a straight path, he activated both Golden Cores to their maximum speed, trying to make up for the slight lag from the previous turn. Nevertheless, he no longer had the lead.

Five sword lights advanced side by side, creating a curtain of colorful light ahead of him, like a rainbow bridge to the other side.

"Go, Chu Liang!" Lin Bei shouted loudly from the sidelines.

Wen Yulong remarked, "Senior Brother Chu's turning skills are still lacking. It looks like it will be difficult for him to win this time. Still, there's a chance he will make it to the top five."

Lin Bei said, "Chu Liang has participated in so many competitions, and consistently performing at a top level in each one is already extremely difficult."

Wen Yulong nodded, "Indeed."

If one were to look at Chu Liang, they might be deceived by his gentle and handsome appearance and think that he wouldn't show any aggression.

𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

He wasn't someone who would stand out too much. However, if one were to check his past records in fights and competitions, they would feel this sense of fear.

Even if he couldn't win every event, he was still...

It was another abrupt turn in the sky!

"Wait a minute..." Wen Yulong's voice suddenly trailed off. "Seems like there's a change?"

...

Swoosh! Swish! Swoosh!

As another turn approached, Chu Liang did not fall behind. Instead, he lowered the tip of his sword, leaned forward, and drew an arc on the inside track, keeping pace with the several sword lights.

However, if they were neck and neck on the curve, once they reached the straight track, they would fall behind Chu Liang.

The two Golden Cores spun rapidly, generating foundational qi that filled Chu Liang's Sea of Qi to the maximum. This allowed him to exert explosive power with every acceleration!

Rumble!

As the straight track tore through the clouds, a deafening rumble filled the air!

In the blink of an eye, four turns had already passed, and at each curve, Chu Liang kept up with the pace. However, on the straight track, he widened the gap once more.

In just a moment, he had regained a significant lead!

In a Flying-Sword Race, participants would focus solely on their own flying sword. After all, this competition demanded complete concentration, as they used their divine intent to control their flying sword.

However, he was going so fast that everyone else was left behind. Every participant could see Chu Liang's back!

It's him again...

They all thought.

Chu Liang had been standing out on Mount Shu in recent days, actively participating in every event of the Mount Shu Summit.

This had left some of the disciples specializing in flying-sword racing feeling a bit displeased.

The disciples of the Mount Shu Sect who practiced flying-sword racing had a tight-knit community and took great pride in their skills.

Even those with exceptional cultivation found it challenging to beat them in races, as this was their specialization, and they had dedicated so much effort to it.

All of them shared this thought: I don't care if you are a top cultivator of the Mount Shu Sect! Back off!

But at this moment, Chu Liang, who had never been part of this community, suddenly appeared and trampled on their pride. This sparked a sense of resentment and hostility towards Chu Liang among all of them.

They accelerated and tried to catch up, but to no avail.

Yet, everyone was thinking the same thing.

Even if you are in the lead, it's just temporary as the eighteen loops are right ahead!