Chapter 547: Fighting Murong Chong Again
The people of the Elders’ a.s.sembly originally thought that with Murong Chong’s talent, he would have been pulled into another sect. They had not expected him to return to the Heavenly Saber Pavilion.
However, the Elders’ a.s.sembly had their doubts as well. They were worried that Murong Chong had not been able to pick himself up after hitting rock bottom from his defeat by Xiao Chen.
They suspected that Murong Chong ended up returning to the Heavenly Saber Pavilion because ordinary people could not attract the attention of the other great sects.
Thus, Jiang Chi and the other elders wanted to test Murong Chong’s strength the moment they saw him.
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Back on Qingyun Peak, Xiao Chen heard the news about Murong Chong’s return from Liu Suifeng. When he did, he felt surprised.
Xiao Chen was different from the Elders’ a.s.sembly. He knew clearly that Murong Chong was not a cultivator who could not suffer a blow.
Given Murong Chong’s talent, the great sects would definitely have valued him. For him to resist such temptation and return to the Heavenly Saber Pavilion meant he was the same as Xiao Chen.
Liu Suifeng said, “Chances are, he came back for the Five Nation Youth Compet.i.tion. He will probably come looking for you tonight.”
Xiao Chen smiled gently. “After not seeing him for two years, I look forward to seeing his growth.”
Liu Suifeng sighed softly and said, “The requirements for this upcoming Five Nation Youth Compet.i.tion will probably be raised. Maybe we will need to be Martial Kings, at the least, to sign up.”
Ordinary cultivators would definitely wish to partic.i.p.ate in the Five Nation Youth Compet.i.tion. Even if they did not qualify, they would benefit from watching; it would be an eye-opener for them.
Naturally, Liu Suifeng was no exception. Unfortunately, he was stuck at the bottleneck to Martial King. He would have difficulty breaking through in the few months left.
Xiao Chen made a quick decision. He took out one thousand Superior Grade Spirit Stones and handed them to Liu Suifeng. He said, “Use these Superior Grade Spirit Stones to cultivate in the next few months. I’ll help you find a natural treasure for your breakthrough. You have to create a good foundation for breaking through to Martial King.”
Xiao Chen had experienced breaking through the bottleneck of Martial King himself. One had to build a firm foundation. Otherwise, even if one broke through, they would only be a regular Martial King.
One’s foundation consisted of their Cultivation Technique, the quality of Spirit Stones they used, the natural treasure they used when breaking through, and their own talent.
Xiao Chen had no way of helping Liu Suifeng with his talent or Cultivation Technique. However, he could do something about the Spirit Stones and natural treasures.
Liu Suifeng immediately refused. “How can I take this? You’ve already given us so many Spirit Stones. Furthermore, it would be a waste for me to use Superior Grade Spirit Stones.”
Xiao Chen advised, “Don’t worry about wastage. Even if you waste most of the Spiritual Energy in the Superior Grade Spirit Stones, its effects would be much better than Medial Grade Spirit Stones and Inferior Grade Spirit Stones. There is no need to be concerned about this when making a breakthrough.”
If a Martial Saint used Superior Grade Spirit Stones for cultivating, it would naturally be a big waste. However, there was no need to bother about this for a breakthrough.
After Xiao Chen’s advice, Liu Suifeng finally accepted the thousand Superior Grade Spirit Stones.
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The moon now hung high in the sky, scattering its radiance over the ground; it was now late at night.
Within his courtyard, Xiao Chen tightly grasped his saber’s hilt with his right hand. He was in deep thought as he stared at the fallen leaves in the courtyard.
“Pu!”
Xiao Chen drew his saber out by about two centimeters. The pitch-black saber immediately gave off a purple light. A sharp saber intent spread out and created a strong wind.
The strong wind picked up the fallen leaves, dancing them around the courtyard, up and down.
“Ka ca!”
Xiao Chen drew the Lunar Shadow Saber completely. A boundless saber intent soared out and all the dead leaves started to buzz and spin in the air.
With the support of the saber intent, these light and graceful dead leaves immediately became sharp killing weapons. Regular Martial Saints would not be able to block them and would end up with wounds all over the body.
“Withdraw!”
Xiao Chen sheathed his Lunar Shadow Saber in an instant. The spinning leaves immediately stopped and fell back to the ground.
Revealing a satisfied expression, Xiao Chen whispered, “Although I still have not figured out what to use as the primer for Winter in the past one month, my saber intent has reached Small Perfection. I can now unleash and withdraw it as I please.”
“Hu chi!”
Suddenly, a strong wind blew in the courtyard. A sharp saber intent spread out from the strong wind. The leaves that had fallen to the ground flew back into the air.
The dead leaves spun and buzzed, becoming like thousands of knives filling the air as they flew at Xiao Chen.
Xiao Chen smiled faintly and moved his right hand fast. As he quickly drew his saber, his own sharp saber intent poured out.
Under the control of Xiao Chen’s saber intent, the dead leaves that filled the air started spinning in the opposite direction.
“Bang! Bang! Bang!”
When the two saber intents clashed, the dead leaves in the air could not withstand the force. They exploded into countless smithereens before drifting down like fine rain.
When the dust settled, the courtyard was covered in a layer of leaf fragments.
Xiao Chen looked in front and saw Murong Chong dressed in black, holding a scarlet saber as he stood on the wall.
Murong Chong’s aura was like a sharp saber. Carrying himself upright, he radiated sharpness and pride.
The two sheathed their sabers at the same time. Murong Chong’s figure flashed and appeared on the ground. Then, he casually walked to the stone table in the courtyard.
However, Murong Chong’s gaze remained fixed on Xiao Chen. A mild shock appeared in the depths on his eyes, although it was very well hidden.
After a good while, Murong Chong released a long, drawn-out sigh. “It has been two years. I thought I would be able to defeat you. Who would have imagined you would still be unfathomable?”
Xiao Chen said softly, “I feel the same about you too. Not only have you advanced to half-step Martial Monarch, you also comprehended saber intent. Looks like in the end, the Murong Chong of the past did not fall and give in to despair.”
Murong Chong did not deny anything. He simply smiled and asked, “Why did you come back? With your talent, there would be powerful great sects extending an olive branch to you.”
Xiao Chen replied calmly, “Same as you. Whatever your reason is, that is my reason.”
Given the two’s talent, the Heavenly Saber Pavilion could not indeed retain their interest. However, they were both people who remembered the kindness shown them. They hoped to use this chance to repay the debt of grat.i.tude they owed the Heavenly Saber Pavilion.
When asked the reason, they did not have to say it to each other for them to understand.
“Three days from now, I will be waiting at the Heaven Ascending Platform. We will compete using only the saber!” Murong Chong enunciated each word one by one.
The battle two years ago was Murong Chong’s greatest loss. He had lost to an up-and-coming youngster in front of thousands from the Heavenly Saber Pavilion.
That battle caused Murong Chong to lose not only his status as Heavenly Saber Pavilion’s top disciple, but also the chance to fulfill a certain longing in his heart forever.
Murong Chong was not just fussing over minor matters. He had his own pride, which he had once lost and had to regain personally.
Xiao Chen accepted the challenge without fear. He said with a calm tone, “Sure, see you in three days at the Heaven Ascending Platform. As you say, we will compete using only the saber.”
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The next morning, the news of Murong Chong challenging Xiao Chen spread throughout the entire Heavenly Saber Pavilion.
Back then, Xiao Chen and Murong Chong’s battle had also been held on the Heaven Ascending Platform. Many disciples still remembered the battle. The wind had blown strongly, the clouds churned. Even the sky changed colors.
After two years, they both had gained their own glory and accomplishments. Now, they were going to fight in the same place again.
Would Murong Chong defeat Xiao Chen and regain his t.i.tle as Heavenly Saber Pavilion’s top disciple? Or would Xiao Chen gain victory again, suppressing Murong Chong?
Before it even began, this battle had all the Heavenly Saber Pavilion disciples on tenterhooks in antic.i.p.ation.
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Three days pa.s.sed in a flash. At the place where Xiao Chen stayed, Liu Ruyue said, “Do we really not need to go?”
Xiao Chen grasped Liu Ruyue’s hand and smiled faintly. “There really is no need. We are just competing with the saber. It is not a true life-or-death battle. It is not even a true exchange of pointers.”
Compete with the saber—this was bladesmen speak. It meant that the two of them would draw their sabers at the same time and see whose saber was mightier.
It sounded very simple but it was actually a complex thing.
The instant the attacks were launched, not only would Essence be infused into them, the cultivator’s states and saber intent would be as well.
Under ordinary circ.u.mstances, when a bladesman with saber intent competed with one without saber intent, the one with saber intent would win without a doubt. However, Murong Chong and Xiao Chen had both comprehended saber intent; it was hard to gauge who was stronger.
However, Xiao Chen was confident in himself. Aside from saber intent, he also comprehended the state of ma.s.sacre and state of thunder to their limits. As his cultivation increased, they would only get stronger.
Furthermore, Xiao Chen’s Essence was frighteningly pure. It had been tempered by countless natural treasures and a Heaven Ranked Cultivation Technique. In addition, he had used Spirit Gathering Pearls. It was hard to find anyone stronger than him in the same generation.
No matter what kind of fortuitous encounter Murong Chong had had, he would not be able to match Xiao Chen.
Only a proud disciple of a great sect who had consumed countless natural treasures since birth and cultivated at least ten years longer than Xiao Chen would be able to barely surpa.s.s him.
However, as time pa.s.sed, the gap between these geniuses and Xiao Chen will only get smaller and smaller. Eventually, Xiao Chen would overtake them.
“Don’t worry. Just wait for my good news.” Xiao Chen released Liu Ruyue’s hands and said goodbye. Then, he rose into the air and vanished in the blink of an eye.
As Liu Ruyue stared in the direction Xiao Chen had taken, a look of deep thought appeared in her eyes.
A long time ago, when Xiao Chen just arrived at the Heavenly Saber Pavilion, he still required Liu Ruyue’s protection. However, in a mere two years, he had completely overtaken her.
Liu Ruyue looked away and revealed a resolute gaze. She said to herself, “It looks like I have to find some time to go for experiential training. Otherwise, it would be too embarra.s.sing if that fellow surpa.s.ses me by too much.”
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Many of the disciples who had received the news were already gathered at the huge drill grounds of the Heaven Ascending Platform.
The blazing sun above them did not dampen the excitement of the crowd. They did not stop discussing the upcoming event.
“Who do you think will win? Two years ago, the two of them were almost equal. Xiao Chen narrowly won by one move.”
“It is hard to say. I hear that Murong Chong has advanced to half-step Martial Monarch. Xiao Chen is also a half-step Martial Monarch. However, he only showed a small portion of his strength and did not reveal his true strength.”
“Still, the two of them are competing with their sabers. They are not fighting a true duel. They will be able to decide a victor right away.”
“We will just wait and see. He he! Actually, whoever’s saber is stronger means that person’s strength is slightly stronger.”
Two years ago, when Xiao Chen and Murong Chong fought, all the cultivators watching favored Murong Chong. They thought that Xiao Chen could not win.
However, two years later, this battle was now filled with uncertainty. No one could say with confidence who would win.