"Cough cough, it was my oversight," Yan Nanfei said with an awkward smile, then pointed to the crowd.
"That one, Yuan Jianxin of the Laoshan Sword Sect."
Everyone looked in the direction he pointed and saw a young man standing in the crowd. He had an ordinary appearance but held a sword case in his arms. His somber and solitary demeanor set him apart from the others.
"In the past, Longhu Mountain, Maoshan, and Laoshan were collectively known as the three great Daoist mountains. Unfortunately, the Laoshan Sect has declined considerably and is not as unified as Longhu Mountain. Now, there are dozens of Daoist temples of various sizes in Laoshan, each managing its own affairs independently with little interaction. Most temples don't even qualify to participate in the Luotian Grand Ceremony. Only the Laoshan Sword Sect stands out. The disciples of the Laoshan Sword Sect are famous for their swordsmanship. They rely on the Demon-Slaying Sword in their hands to vanquish demons and eliminate evil. Their sword techniques become sharper with each generation."
"Unfortunately, the Laoshan Sword Sect has many entry rules, and they can't recruit many new disciples each year. That's why only Yuan Jianxin came this year. Either they are too old to meet the conditions for the Luotian Grand Ceremony, or they are too young and haven't yet mastered their skills. In short, they are in a rather dire situation. However, Yuan Jianxin is indeed formidable. At the last Luotian Grand Ceremony, he was only seventeen and had already reached the quarterfinals, eventually losing to Zhang Wuma, a prominent figure from Longhu Mountain."
Yan Nanfei shifted his gaze and pointed again, indicating the Maoshan Sect. The Maoshan disciples were distinctively dressed in yellow Daoist robes, wearing black hats, with five-emperor coins at their waists and a money sword on their backs.
One of the young men among them was handsome, making the other disciples pale in comparison. He seemed to relish this special aura.
"That one is Han San of the Maoshan Sect. This guy is an old acquaintance; he also reached the quarterfinals last time. This guy is narcissistic, extremely narcissistic. He can barely resist checking himself out whenever he sees a mirror. Moreover, he always thinks girls are interested in him. Last time, he was beaten up for harassing a female elder from a certain sect, and even after having his leg broken, he stubbornly claimed he was telling that female elder not to care about worldly opinions and that love is about brave expression..."
"That's utterly shameless! His looks are not even as good as mine!" Long Feicheng asked, "What happened then?"
"Later, his other leg was also broken."
Everyone nodded silently: "Serves him right."
"The last one is Zhao Chengxiang. I don't need to introduce him further, right?" Yan Nanfei said with a smile. "He is the senior disciple of Wudang Mountain, considered by many to be the most likely contender to win this year."
"I know this guy!" Long Feicheng laughed, "Zhao Tiedan!"
"Zhao Tiedan?" Yan Nanfei was stunned, not understanding what Long Feicheng meant.
Old Jin chuckled and explained, "Little Long took that guy down there, you know. Legend has it that Zhao Chengxiang's 'bottom' is harder than iron. Little Long and I discussed it just now, and we gave him the nickname Zhao Tiedan."
"Hahahahahahahaha!"
The crowd, upon hearing the explanation, was first taken aback, then erupted in laughter. Zhang Shantong laughed so hard he almost fell over. If he were still alive, his false teeth would probably have fallen out.
Even the nuns like Master Guanyun, Ling Xiaoxiao, Luo Ning, and Zhao Yiyao, despite their reserve, couldn't help but stifle their giggles, covering their mouths.
"Then we'll call him Zhao Tiedan from now on," Yan Shouyi said with a smile. "Wudang Mountain excels in Tai Chi, Bagua Palm, and Tai Chi Swordplay, all of which rely on overcoming hardness with softness. If any of you encounter Zhao Chengxiang, remember not to confront him head-on."
Yan Nanfei nodded and added, "These three are old faces, and everyone has a rough idea of their strength. However, there are a few dark horses you need to pay attention to."
"The first is Wang He, a disciple of the Suishan Sect. Although this guy is young, his footwork is seasoned. Several strong opponents have surprisingly lost to him before."
"The second and third are both disciples of Longhu Mountain, one male and one female. They are wearing masks, so their identities cannot be determined for now. However, it can be inferred that the male is likely Zhang Wuma. As for the female disciple, she cannot be identified."
"This fourth one is the most mysterious. She is a woman who has worn a veil from beginning to end. It is said she is an independent cultivator. So far, she has not revealed any of her sect's skills. However, when she went on stage earlier, she chose to use an iron spear, completely overwhelming her opponent and making her quite remarkable."
Yan Shouyi's gaze swept over these four dark horses, finally settling on the mysterious female independent cultivator.
The female independent cultivator seemed to sense Yan Shouyi looking at her, so she turned around and disappeared into the crowd.
"You're still looking?" Luo Ning suddenly patted Yan Shouyi's arm. "Lin Zitong specifically told me to keep an eye on you. I didn't expect you to guard against Zhao Yiyao but not the female independent cultivator!"
Yan Shouyi said with a wry smile, "Can't I even observe the opponents?"
"Explain that to Lin Zitong!"
"..."
There was nothing he could do, so Yan Shouyi withdrew his gaze.
"One more thing worth mentioning," Yan Nanfei said finally. "According to the Old Heavenly Master, there are two Dragon-Tiger Secret Script disciples participating from Longhu Mountain this time. And currently, only three Longhu Mountain disciples remain on the stage. If the possessor of the Dragon-Tiger Secret Script is not too weak, then among the current three disciples, two must possess the Dragon-Tiger Secret Script..."
Everyone's expression immediately turned serious, and they began to scrutinize the three Longhu Mountain disciples.
Perhaps, the next Heavenly Master would be one of these three.
...
After some arrangements, the Second Elder of Longhu Mountain announced the start of the second round of the competition.
From this round onwards, there would no longer be multiple matches happening simultaneously on the same stage, and the rule restrictions would be further relaxed. Not only could participants use their own weapons, but they could also use some of their own talismans and magical treasures.
The further the competition progressed, the more individuals' abilities would need to be showcased through weapons and magical treasures.
For example, Yuan Jianxin of the Laoshan Sword Sect cultivated sword arts. If he were not allowed to use his sword on stage, it would be equivalent to him forfeiting.
As for Han San of the Maoshan Sect, he primarily used talismans. However, according to the previous rules, unless he drew talismans on the spot, his carried talismans could not be used, greatly reducing his strength.
After a similar drawing of lots, the Second Elder announced:
"The first match of this round is Changshan of Hanshan Temple, versus Kun Ding of Longhu Mountain!"
The so-called Kun Ding was not the name of this Longhu Mountain disciple but a codename based on the sixty-four hexagrams.
To conceal the possessors of the Dragon-Tiger Secret Script, Longhu Mountain had all its disciples wear masks, making it impossible to distinguish their identities by their build alone, and thus their names also needed to be hidden.
Upon hearing Changshan ascend the stage, everyone paid close attention, eager to see if Changshan's skills had improved.
However, the result was unexpected. Changshan's Dao cultivation had indeed deepened, and his 'Living Buddha Golden Body' was used to perfection. Wang Jiwang even felt that his cleaver could not break Changshan's golden body.
But Changshan's opponent, the Longhu Mountain disciple codenamed Kun Ding, broke the golden body with a single sword strike, directly kicking Changshan out of the Ten Thousand Dharma Altar!
The match ended so quickly that one wondered if Changshan had gone easy.
But Yan Shouyi could tell that Changshan had not held back; it was truly that Kun Ding was too powerful!
He had been too busy with his own matches to pay much attention to other participating disciples. Now, standing below the stage, Yan Shouyi truly realized that this Luotian Grand Ceremony was indeed full of hidden talents.
At this point, no one was holding back anymore, so the atmosphere in the Ten Thousand Dharma Altar suddenly became tense.
"Next match, Agong, the paper-craft heir of a folk sect, versus Yuan Jianxin of the Laoshan Sword Sect!"
[Author's Note]
Two chapters delivered~
There are quite a few dinners at the end of the year. Drinking delays things, so please forgive me~