The moment the Fierce Sword Taiyi was drawn, its radiance instantly retracted.
The sword concealed its killing intent without revealing it; when wielded, it generated wind, thus a sharp blade!
However, Ren Yuanhao had already exhausted his last reserves of strength to resist the illusions of the 'Mirror of Truth,' and as the blade left the sword pool, he toppled backward.
"This brat, given time, will undoubtedly become a paramount figure in the world. Truly, one wonders where his limit lies."
Saintess Yang Ziyan lay sprawled on the ground, her back against the jagged rocks, panting heavily.
"Indeed, Ziyan. This Taiyi Sword has been undrawn for a full century. The last person to draw it was our martial uncle Xuan Ye."
The Sect Master, looking at his disciples, all completely exhausted and unconscious, was filled with a sense of satisfaction.
"Martial Uncle Xuan Ye, he was a peerless genius of our Chaoyang Sect. Even when he drew the sword, it's said he had the assistance of seven Foundation Establishment realm cultivators and one Enlightenment realm expert to pull it from the sword pool. To think that this brat, without the benefit of such aid, and gravely injured, managed to draw it. He is truly a monster among monsters, a fiend among fiends! He is worthy of this sword."
Yang Ziyan heaped praise upon him, as if the man lying by the sword pool had surpassed her understanding.
"Generations produce talented individuals; this is a fortunate event. To think that we were worried he would need a long time to properly cultivate the Qingxin Jue. Yet, in such a short while, he has managed to suppress the fire attribute true qi within his body using the Qingxin Jue. Also, I find it hard to imagine how someone as aloof as you would pass on the Qingxin Jue to him?"
The Sect Master was well aware that the Qingxin Jue was the second most important cultivation method in the history of the Chaoyang Sect, typically managed by the Saintess, who also had the final say in its transmission.
"Do you remember when I came to you to request the 'Qingxin Jue'? You haughtily told me that Shuang'er's disposition was too impetuous and her talent ordinary, and that the Qingxin Jue could not be given to such a woman. Thinking back, perhaps you were right."
The Sect Master's strength was extraordinary. Even after expending so much true qi, he could still stand with composure.
"It can't be helped. This brat shares a not-so-shallow connection with my old friend, so it's a small personal favor from me."
"Perhaps this is fate. We are all people who are about to be phased out by the times."
The two shared a smile. A faint light curtain projected down from the sky. Yang Ziyan whispered softly, "Look, the sun is rising."
"No, the sky is clearing."
...
After an unknown period, when Ren Yuanhao awoke, his head was shaded by a massive parasol. The sun was fierce, its heat penetrating the sand and beating against his face.
He rolled over and looked down, only to find himself lying on the back of a colossal elephant.
From a distance, the surroundings were an endless expanse of desert, with thorny bushes being the only splashes of color against the barren landscape.
"Brother Bao, you're finally awake?"
The speaker was Han Ling Shuang.
"Mm, where is this?"
Ren Yuanhao seemed to have some gaps in his memory. He vaguely recalled being in a hidden cave, holding a sword in his hand.
"In another two to three hours, we'll reach the location of this Grand Competition. However, it's all sand here, utterly uninteresting. I had hoped to see something more engaging."
After Han Ling Shuang spoke, Ren Yuanhao suddenly slapped his forehead.
—Damn it? I fainted for another day? It's over, it's over. I haven't even finished comprehending my Qingxin Jue yet.
Ren Yuanhao gave a perfunctory "Oh" and immediately took out the Qingxin Jue manual from his waist, ceasing to speak.
"Wow, so this is how monsters are forged. If you asked me to read in this environment, you might as well kill me."
Han Ling Shuang frowned slightly, stuck out her tongue, and continued to look ahead expectantly.
This was her first time representing the sect in a Grand Competition and her first time seeing a desert. She had heard from her senior brothers that the venue for the competition was the pearl of the desert, the most hidden oasis within the desert. The Dragon Pool there, every three years, would brew the purest spiritual energy of heaven and earth, hence the custom of the triennial Grand Competition.
Every three years, the four major sects would dispatch all their elites, deciding the victors through individual and team battles. Then, the three individuals with the highest points would be selected to enter the Dragon Pool and bathe in the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.
It was said that at the bottom of the Dragon Pool lay a piece of ten-thousand-year-old ice, which was quite a rarity in a place like the desert. However, no one knew where this piece of ice came from, nor had anyone truly seen it. Some claimed it was meteor ice from outer space, while others believed it to be the lifeblood of the entire desert.
In any case, the theories varied, but without exception, everyone desired to see this treasure that could nurture the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. Some even wished to break the rules, to sneak into the competition grounds and excavate the treasure from the Dragon Pool.
However, the ultimate fate of these individuals was tragic. Later, the four major sects pooled their strength and created a restriction that could only be bypassed by the combined secret keys of the four sects to enter the competition grounds.
Finally, with this method in place, people from the four major sects became much more orderly. Yet, the more this was the case, the deeper the longing for the ten-thousand-year-old ice beneath the Dragon Pool became.
Time passed, and the spiritual energy of heaven and earth gradually weakened, increasing the need for the Dragon Pool. Therefore, in recent years, the four major sects had vigorously cultivated talent, all hoping to secure the honor of being in the top three at the triennial Grand Competition, to enter the Dragon Pool for purification.
Those who had been purified by the Dragon Pool achieved considerable success in their future endeavors. Furthermore, a saying circulated among them:
Enter the Dragon Pool, the flood dragon transforms into a dragon, winds and clouds gather, foundation establishment is achieved.
This meant that those who entered the Dragon Pool had a significantly higher probability of breaking through to the Foundation Establishment, and even the Enlightenment realm.
This time, the Chaoyang Sect's objective was to secure at least one spot, to send Ren Yuanhao to the Dragon Pool for cleansing and purification. Of course, if their strength permitted, they also planned to send their beloved junior sister to the Dragon Pool.
In previous years, this was something they wouldn't even dare to dream of. However, with the great fortune unintentionally bestowed upon them by Ren Yuanhao, this wish seemed to be within very close reach.
Of course, these were merely their imaginings. What kind of monstrous talents the other three sects would dispatch was still unknown.
At this moment, after traveling for another half hour, although they had not yet sighted the oasis of the competition venue, they unexpectedly encountered another sect.
This sect was known as the Yuehan Sect.
The Yuehan Sect had a majority of female disciples, accounting for sixty percent of their members. As they saw the sickly young man sitting atop the elephant from afar, their mocking voices could be heard from a hundred meters away.
"Oh! Who is so grand, sitting on an elephant to read? Tsk, tsk, tsk, has someone in the Chaoyang Sect lost their mind?"
"Indeed, sending such a bookworm to participate in the Grand Competition?"
"No matter, they're just here to make up the numbers anyway."