Sword Sovereign of the Celestial Emperor-Chapter 61, The Contest (Seeking Recommendations, Seeking Collections)

Chu Ming glanced around and followed the steward towards Cyan Yang Hall. At this moment, the sect disciples outside the hall stood in solemn silence.

"Greetings, Sect Leader and Elders!"

Upon reaching the entrance, the steward left, leaving Chu Ming to enter the grand hall alone and salute the seated Sect Leader and Elders.

"Hmm."

Seated above, Guan Chengzhi nodded slightly. In the hall, many disciples had already gathered, standing there quietly waiting. Chu Ming casually found a spot to stand, observing the figures in the hall.

At the head of the hall sat two individuals. One was Guan Chengzhi, dressed in white. The other had a gaunt face, deep-set eyes, and wore a blue robe with stars embroidered on his chest. His hands were long and thin like a longsword. This man was the Sect Leader of Celestial Star Sect, Liu Tianxing, whose palm technique was renowned throughout the Great Yan Kingdom.

Additionally, to the right side stood over a dozen men and women dressed in blue, all exuding extraordinary auras. The expressions on their faces were proud; they were disciples of Celestial Star Sect. Among them, two stood out, giving an impression of standing out from the crowd.

One of them appeared to be in his twenties, with handsome, chiseled features. He carried a green longsword on his back and stood next to Liu Tianxing. If Chu Ming wasn’t mistaken, this person should be one of the five great talents of the Great Yan Kingdom, known as the "Fast Sword," Liu Lin.

The other was relatively young, around the same age as Chu Ming, with ordinary looks but an expression full of determination. He wore a blue robe and had a cultivation level in the Seventh Layer of the Transcendence Realm, yet did not seem inferior to the others.

This was the young genius of Celestial Star Sect, Tianxing Zi!

The disciples of Cyan Yang Sect entered one after another, none of them unknown figures. Among them, Chu Ming saw Zhang Quan, whom he had seen before at Cyan Yang Tower, and also Li Yuqing, another of the Great Yan Kingdom’s five great talents, dressed in white attire that made her look valiant and heroic.

In the blink of an eye, the top ten disciples of the Cyan Yang List had all entered, standing in a row, their expressions stern.

"Hahaha, I merely came to catch up with Sect Leader Guan today, I didn’t expect such a grand reception from Sect Leader Guan."

Liu Tianxing rubbed his hands and said with a chuckle, his eyes continuously assessing the disciples of Cyan Yang Sect as he thought.

"Hehe, Sect Leader Liu’s entourage is also impressive." Guan Chengzhi forced a smile, glancing at Liu Lin and Tianxing Zi, both of whom radiated extraordinary presence and spoke with authority.

"I have two main reasons for coming this time. One, naturally, is to discuss the Beast Tide issue." Liu Tianxing paused, then continued, "As for the second, I’ve heard that Cyan Yang Sect has many talented disciples and wanted to broaden their horizons!"

As he spoke, he pointed to the disciples seated beside him and glanced at Guan Chengzhi.

"How about letting them compete?" Guan Chengzhi said slowly, pondering in his heart. To be honest, having Li Yuqing was enough to hold the situation. Even if they lost, it wouldn’t look too bad, and they might not necessarily lose.

"Ah, competitions can be a bit too aggressive," Liu Tianxing shook his head at this moment, intending to say more, but before he could continue.

A disciple of Celestial Star Sect stepped forward, his face handsome, and saluted both sect leaders, "I believe otherwise. If it’s about broadening horizons, only through competition can one recognize their shortcomings. Flowery words are nowhere near as impactful as true combat. I beg Sect Leader to permit me to challenge the disciples of Cyan Yang Sect!"

After speaking, he saluted Liu Tianxing and Guan Chengzhi again, then stepped to the side, glaring provocatively at the Cyan Yang Sect disciples, eyes full of battle intent.

This instantly angered many of the Cyan Yang Sect disciples. Known as prodigies in their sect, they had never faced such provocation. A young man in white immediately stepped forward, saluting Guan Chengzhi, "I am willing to accept this challenge, Sect Leader, please permit me!"

"Sect Leader Guan, what do you think..." Liu Tianxing looked at Guan Chengzhi with a face full of feigned hesitation, a smile flickering in his eyes. How could Guan Chengzhi not see Liu Tianxing’s intention, but he also did not believe they would lose. Besides, if he refused now, it would make him look bad. So he nodded immediately.

"Very well!"

"Thank you, Sect Leader!"

The group exited the grand hall. In front of the hall was a spacious square, the ground forged of hard volcanic stone, even a true dao expert could not leave a mark upon it. For the disciples of the Transcendence Realm, it was an ideal place for combat.

"It is said that Jing Tian of Celestial Star Sect has mastered the Fluctuating Fist to the level of mastery. Senior Brother Yue Shan will need to put in some effort to deal with him!" a Cyan Yang Sect disciple whispered. Although the voice was low, everyone present was highly perceptive and heard him clearly.

"Don’t praise others too much and undermine our own morale. Senior Brother Yue Shan’s Five Mountains Divine Palm is not to be trifled with. He has severely injured a Ninth Layer Transcendence Realm martial artist with a single palm. To spar with Senior Brother Yue Shan is a mark of respect."

Another disciple retorted immediately. Chu Ming listened quietly on the side. Yue Shan was the eighth-ranked genius on the Cyan Yang List, originally seventh, but had been pushed down due to Chu Ming’s rise. Still, no one dared to underestimate him.

This time, apart from Li Yuqing, no core disciples of Cyan Yang Sect appeared in the hall. After all, Celestial Star Sect had only brought Liu Lin as their core disciple. Bringing all core disciples would seem as if they had no other capable figures.

"Simply watching the competition isn’t enough, Sect Leader Liu. How about we add some stakes?" Guan Chengzhi suggested, looking over the scene, determined to not appear weak and be led by Liu Tianxing.

"Oh, what stakes do you propose?" Liu Tianxing was briefly stunned, quickly recovering and asked after a pause.

"For each match, the loser shall give the winner ten thousand lower-grade spirit stones, what do you think?" Guan Chengzhi said plainly, glancing at Liu Tianxing.

"No problem!" Liu Tianxing replied evenly. Ten thousand lower-grade spirit stones were a trivial amount for their wealth. The key was maintaining their prestige, not losing momentum.

On the field, the two stood ten steps apart. Jing Tian, dressed in blue, although short, had rough, powerful fists. His aura conveyed an eerie sensation. Yue Shan, true to his name, was clad in white, but his imposing physique was like a towering mountain.

"Junior Brother Jing, you may strike first!" Yue Shan said calmly, letting loose his full aura, revealing his Ninth Layer Transcendence Realm cultivation. His long robe billowed without wind.

"Then, I won’t hold back!" Jing Tian said, his eyes filled with caution. He had heard of Yue Shan’s reputation. Many Celestial Star Sect inner sect disciples had been defeated by Yue Shan.

He hadn’t expected that merely by the first match, Yue Shan would be his adversary. Nevertheless, although not as strong as Yue Shan, he wouldn’t lose too badly.