The sun was high in the sky, and a grand ceremony of worshipping the heavens and ancestors was held under the leadership of Daoist Master Dan Yi. Thousands of disciples of Emerald Cloud Sect gathered on the "Hundred Feet Plain" behind the Flying Waterfall Temple. They stood solemnly in a fan-shaped formation according to their respective branches. From afar, the six-colored brocade clothes looked like a sea of flowers, which was a spectacular sight.
In comparison, Ding Yuan and Ah Niu's group were the weakest. Excluding the old Taoist priest, there were only these two people standing. Even the usually small number of people under Nun Danchen had more than twenty people. Ding Yuan had also heard from Ah Niu that the old Taoist priest had a few disciples in his early years. The most recent one was Sheng Nian. However, these people had either left the sect long ago or had not been seen for a long time. Now, only the master and disciple were left in the Black Bamboo Pavilion.
Ding Yuan wanted to look for Ji Xueyan in the crowd, but unfortunately, there were more than three hundred disciples from the Flying Waterfall Temple in the crowd.
The 15th day of the first lunar month was the Lantern Festival of the Heavenly Continent. Legend had it that the founder of Cuixia Sect, Perfected Qingxia, was born on this day. Therefore, from the second generation sect master of Cuixia Sect, Perfected Tianxu, the Cuixia Sword Conference was set to begin on this day.
The main content of the sword gathering was the art competition between the disciples of each branch. Since four generations of disciples were under the same roof and there were more than a thousand disciples under them, the disciples participating in the competition were first divided into several groups according to their seniority. Then, the elders of the various branches drew lots to determine the group that each of them belonged to.
The combined results of the previous three sword competitions could be used as a reference for this competition. Dozens of seeded experts would be selected from them, skipping the group competition and entering the elimination round. Ah Niu belonged to the "Wu" generation of Cuixia Sect. He had never participated in the competition of the Sword Association before, so he was divided into the "Wu" and "C groups" this time. There were five other people in the same group, all disciples of the "Wu" generation from other branches.
If Ah Niu was lucky enough to win the first place in the group, he could enter the top 32 of the nameless generation and fight with one of the 16 seeded experts. The winner would enter the top 8 until the final winner. However, even Ah Niu himself did not think so far ahead. In recent years, Emerald Cloud Sect had produced many talents, and he was one of the late entrants among his peers. It would be good enough if he could win one or two victories in Group C.
On the morning of the first day of the Sword Meet, the Six Immortals of Emerald Cloud led their disciples to pay their respects to the heaven and earth and the ancestors of the Emerald Cloud Grandmasters on the Six Harmonies Altar, which had been built long ago, to show that they did not forget their roots. Although the ceremony was solemn, it became a little boring for Ding Yuan.
He had been used to wandering around the world since he was young. Even in the Black Bamboo Pavilion, the Immortal Dan Yan never cared about him. How could he stand standing under the sun like a wooden stake for several hours?
After the initial novelty passed, Ding Yuan felt both sour and numb. In fact, with his current cultivation, he would definitely be fine even if he stood for three days and three nights. It was completely a psychological trick. He wanted to say a few words to Ah Niu, but the Six Directions Daoist Altar was less than thirty feet away, and he was right under the noses of the six old men and women. Even if they blinked, they would be able to see it clearly, let alone open their mouths to speak.
Moreover, there were more than 30 elders with snow-white hair standing around the Six Directions Daoist Altar. They were of the Dan generation with different expressions. They had long since stopped caring about worldly affairs. Most of the time, they were cultivating in the various caves and blessed lands on Zuowang Peak or traveling around the world, as leisurely as clouds and wild cranes. However, the elders who rarely showed up at the Emerald Cloud Sword Gathering that was held once every five years had all appeared, adding a lot of color to the Sword Gathering.
In his boredom, Ding Yuan suddenly thought,"Since I have nothing to do anyway, why don't I use this time to cultivate my Cuiwei Heart Technique for a while?”
Half a month ago, Ding Yuan had already completed the cultivation of most of the singing techniques in the Inner Realm Chapter. Now, the true qi in his body could freely flow through every meridian, and he could even casually recite them to trigger the protective astral winds. However, the last two lines of the song," The nameless earth fire rushes into the void, and the majestic golden sand walks through the mud." Ding Yuan had tried many times in the past few days, but he still could not get the gist. He was in danger of going mad again.
The old Taoist priest was not in a hurry. He only said that he had not reached the right time and that the metal water was not enough to suppress the attack of the earth fire. Ding Yuan didn't want to ask the Immortal Danyan for advice either. These days, besides sleeping and practicing, he had been pondering the last two lines of the song formula.
He lowered his head. To outsiders, he looked as if he was listening to a lecture, but in fact, he was keeping his vitality and concentrating on his dantian. He slowly urged his true qi to flow according to the song formula of the "Entering the Chamber". Not long after, the zhenqi in his body seemed to gradually heat up, like a warm spring flowing in his meridians.
After three cycles, his zhenqi slowly entered his dantian. Ding Yuan only had two lines of the song left to practice.
In the past, Ding Yuan would start to guide his zhenqi upward when he reached this stage of cultivation. However, this time, his zhenqi sank into his dantian as if it was filled with lead. Ding Yuan's heart skipped a beat. He immediately gave up on his original idea and carefully guided the true qi into his dantian.
At this moment, his dantian was like a furnace that was getting hotter and hotter. Ding Yuan gradually felt as if there was a lump of lava boiling in his body. It was indescribably uncomfortable and stuffy. He expelled all distracting thoughts and guarded his spiritual altar as he slowly sent his Genuine Qi to the bottom of his dantian.
The stream of true energy gradually contracted, forming a drop of water the size of a goose egg in Ding Yuan's mind. At first, it felt cool and refreshing. However, under the burning heat of his dantian, the water droplet kept rolling and spinning. Its temperature also rose rapidly, becoming hotter and hotter. The sixty years of true qi that was originally stored in his dantian was now boiling like a pot of hot porridge. Ding Yuan's internal organs felt as if they were boiling.
It turned out that although he had not cultivated the song formula wrongly, his eagerness for success had caused his true qi to be insufficient and his qi circulation to be impeded. He had already reached the edge of Qi deviation. One had to know that the last few lines of each song formula was the time of cultivation success, but it was also the time of the Nine Tribulations. As long as they were careless, natural disasters and man-made disasters could send cultivators into eternal hell. How could it be child's play?
Moreover, the higher the cultivation realm, the fiercer the tribulation would be. Ding Yuan had safely passed the metal and wood tribulations, so it was inevitable that he had been careless. He had actually triggered the earth fire in his body when the sun was approaching the middle of the sky and the yang qi was at its peak. In the end, he had lost control and almost caused a disaster.
Although Ding Yuan was still standing upright, his clothes were already drenched. Faint water vapor kept rising up. His body subconsciously trembled slightly, and his face was constantly changing colors.
Standing on the Six Harmonies Daoist Altar, the Six Emerald Clouds Immortals were naturally the first to realize that Ding Yuan was wrong. The Immortal Dan Yan and Ding Yuan had been together for many years, and he was very familiar with this disciple's temperament. One look at Ding Yuan's appearance and he immediately understood that he must have secretly circulated his Qi and something went wrong.
A green light flashed across the Immortal Danyan's face as he shouted in a low voice with the secret sound transmission,""Ding Yuan!"
He didn't even move his lips when he said this. Even Luo He and Immortal Dannu, who were close at hand, didn't notice anything strange. However, when Shu Jiesi's voice entered Ding Yuan's ears through his supreme true energy, it was like a spring thunder.
Ding Yuan had already lost his consciousness, but after hearing Reverend Danyan's shout, he suddenly woke up. The old Taoist priest saw that the situation was critical, so he infused the Heart Calming Mantra into his shout, temporarily dispelling Ding Yuan's inner demons. Otherwise, it would be useless even if others shouted in his ears.
Ding Yuan felt as if his entire body was burning from the inside out. The water droplet in his dantian was constantly evaporating and roasting. However, he felt a chill on his back, but it was too weak.
Ding Yuan was surprised and immediately realized that it was the Snowfield Sword on his back that was trying to protect his heart. How could he have forgotten about it? Now, he could only try. At that moment, he focused his mind on the Snowfield Sword and felt the bamboo sword tremble slightly.
Then, something unbelievable happened. Suddenly, a refreshing stream of Qi emerged from the sword and flowed into Ding Yuan's body from his Dazhui acupoint. It slowly traveled along his meridians and merged with the burning Genuine Qi in his body.
At first, the effect was not obvious, but the clear stream seemed to be endless and flowed into Ding Yuan's body endlessly. After circulating one cycle, it entered his dantian.
The heatwave gradually subsided, and a cool feeling gradually rose. Ding Yuan's consciousness gradually recovered, but he found that after this clear stream circulated in his dantian, it actually lifted the ball of true qi that looked like a water droplet and rushed straight to the Heaven Pass.
As if he had heard a loud boom, a golden light flashed in front of Ding Yuan's eyes. He felt as if his consciousness had suddenly broken out of his body and rushed into the endless void!
It turned out that under the protection of the Snowfield Sword, Ding Yuan had finally comprehended the "Nameless Earth Fire Rushing the Great Void" by accident. A wisp of primordial spirit had left his body for the first time under the protection of his genuine Qi.
However, his cultivation level was still low, so this feeling disappeared in an instant. As the zhenqi flowed back like a receding tide, it surged up and down in his meridians. Ding Yuan's primordial spirit also returned to his body. However, he could clearly feel every trace of the breeze that blew past his hair. Although he did not use his eyes to 'see' it, he could already see everything that was happening in the surrounding dozens of feet.
What was even more mysterious was that Ding Yuan felt that his body seemed to have become one with the entire world from this moment on. He could even sense the subtle changes in the world with every breath he took. This wonderful feeling was hard to describe with words, but it happened so real.
When the zhenqi returned to his dantian, it condensed into a small ball that kept spinning, absorbing the sixty years of zhenqi stored in his dantian. Although he didn't know how long it would take for him to absorb the power of a sixty-year cycle, at least he was gradually beginning to accept Ding Yuan's control.
Ding Yuan didn't know that he had just crossed a threshold that countless people couldn't break through in their lifetime. Among all living beings, there were more than tens of thousands of people who wanted to cultivate to become immortals. However, most of them could only stop at the realm of entering the realm, and could not reach the initial level of communicating with the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.
One must know that before the Observant realm, all cultivation mainly depended on one's own hard work to explore the potential in one's body. However, although humans were the most powerful beings, they were only a few feet long. After all, they were limited. However, the heavens and earth were boundless, and the sun and moon had no lifespan. To break through the limits of humans, one could only rely on the power of heaven and earth.
Therefore, the cultivators who entered the Observant State were like a huge magnetic field. They absorbed the essence of the world for their own use and began to cultivate their Nascent Souls in order to achieve great success. From this stage onwards, the door to the Heavenly Dao was truly opened.
Ding Yuan raised his head and met the Immortal Danyan's gaze. There was a hint of concern in his wooden voice. However, when he saw Ding Yuan's expression return to normal, the Immortal Danyan immediately lowered his eyes, as if the ground was the only place he was most interested in.
Luo He and the others naturally noticed Ding Yuan's situation and were secretly surprised that this youth was about to go berserk just now, yet he actually managed to get through it so quickly. Luo He had just used his secret voice transmission to instruct his eldest son Luo Kun to be ready to help Ding Yuan at any time. Now, it seemed that his worries were groundless.
Seeing the divine light that inadvertently flashed in Ding Yuan's eyes, Luo He couldn't help but praise in his heart,"Good boy, you really know how to grasp martial arts. In just half a morning, your cultivation has actually advanced another level!”
After the ceremony ended, Flying Waterfall House set up hundreds of banquets to entertain the disciples of each branch. The first round of the Sword Conference competition would also begin in the afternoon. While everyone was eating, the disciples of the Flying Waterfall House swiftly built more than thirty arenas on the Hundred Feet Plain.
The so-called arena was actually made of bamboo poles and surrounded by red silk, forming a five-foot-wide empty arena. The competition would be held inside.
On the screen wall at the entrance of the Hundred Feet Plain, the grouping of the 289 disciples participating in the competition had been posted on the board. The names of the other five disciples who were in the same group as Ah Niu were also on the board. Ding Yuan looked at the names of the opponents in Ji Xueyan's group, but he had not heard of any of them. In fact, in the past three years, he had only come into contact with a few third-generation disciples other than Ji Xueyan. Luo Jiao and the others that Ji Xueyan mentioned last time had all advanced directly as seeded experts. The earliest they met with Ji Xueyan was when they were in the last sixteen.
After taking a few glances, Ah Niu pulled Ding Yuan to the side of the ring early in the morning. He carefully inspected the ring inside and outside several times, even carefully picking up a small stone and placing it outside the ring.
A few other people, accompanied by their fellow disciples, also came to the side of the arena. Many of them were already familiar with each other and immediately greeted each other warmly, but no one paid attention to Ah Niu and Ding Yuan.
Ah Niu and Ding Yuan stood alone at the side, waiting for the competition to begin. Ding Yuan could not help but feel angry when he saw that the few fellows opposite him were all high-spirited and treated the two of them as if they were nothing. So he whispered to Ah Niu,"Fight well later and earn some breath for our Black Bamboo Pavilion!"”
Ah Niu first replied with an "oh", then immediately said in a low voice with a bitter face,"But there is no doubt that senior brother and the others are very powerful. I'm afraid I'm not their match.”
Ding Yuan couldn't help but smile bitterly." You're too honest. You're already deflated before the competition has even started. It's better not to fight."”
Ah Niu shook his head and said innocently,"Little Brother Ding, don't worry. I won't embarrass Master!"”
Instead, Ding Yuan was worried that this guy would recklessly fight with the other party to the end and would definitely suffer a huge loss in the end. The Sword Conference strictly forbade fellow disciples from harming each other with malicious intent, and it was even more forbidden for people to fight to the death with moves that would result in mutual destruction. There was also an elder of the 'Dan' generation who was in charge of the arbitration. However, swords and sabers had no eyes. Moreover, when immortal artifacts flew everywhere, it was probably difficult for anyone to really know their limits. "Ah Niu, I'll give you a sentence. Remember it when you're in the most dangerous situation."”
"What is it?" asked Ah Niu.
"If you can't win, then admit defeat!" Ding Yuan said word by word.”He said this because he didn't think too highly of Ah Niu. Not to mention that Ah Niu had only cultivated for a little over ten years, how could he compare to those old Taoist priests who might have been around for more than sixty years? Even with his silly appearance, no one could have any hope for him.
Ah Niu was stunned, but he still nodded and said,""I understand, Little Brother Ding."
At this moment, a half-dead old Taoist priest held a name list in his hand and slowly walked to the side of the arena. "Luo Niu from the Black Bamboo Pavilion!”
Luo Niu replied loudly and stepped forward.
Ding Yuan looked at the old Taoist priest with sparse hair and a stubble beard and thought,""I don't know where this old man came from, but he looks even weirder than the old Taoist priest.”
The old Taoist priest seemed to have sensed Ding Yuan's gaze and glanced at him indifferently. It was as if a gentle breeze had brushed past his face without leaving a trace. There was no light in his old, yellow eyes. Ding Chuchu did not mind and suddenly came to a realization.""Even the eyes of ordinary Emerald Cloud Sect disciples would have divine light shining in all directions, let alone this old Daoist who has no idea how old he is. It seemed like he had already reached the Return to Nature Realm and was hiding his true strength.”
Thus, the contempt in his heart disappeared. However, when he looked at the old Taoist priest again, he continued to read the list and said," Wu Yin from the Nine Suspended Temple!"
A thin middle-aged Daoist priest stepped out. He was dressed in a black Daoist robe and had a handsome appearance, but his slightly raised eyebrows made him look a little arrogant. The Nine Hanging Monastery was where the Immortal Dannu was stationed. Taoist Wu Yin was his seventh disciple and had entered the sect more than sixty years ago. Because of his profound cultivation, he looked like a middle-aged man in his forties.
Daoist Wu Yin was a late bloomer. He was unknown in the first few sword competitions, but he had been in the top 32 in the last two competitions. This time, he had painstakingly cultivated for a full five years.
Ding Yuan saw Ah Niu and Taoist Wu Yin walk into the arena and knew that the first round of the competition was about to begin. He had the intention to inquire about Ji Xueyan's situation but he couldn't leave. However, with her cultivation, it shouldn't be a problem for her to start a few battles, so it was better to see Ah Niu first.
At the very least, he shouldn't lose too badly, right?
The old Taoist slowly walked to the center of the ring. His wretched body was a full head shorter than Ah Niu. He glanced at Ah Niu and Daoist Wu Yin and said slowly,""The rules of the competition have already been written on the notice. First of all, sparring with fellow disciples is to encourage each other and not to hurt others maliciously. If one side admitted defeat or left the arena, or if it was obvious that they could not fight again, the competition would be considered over. If the winner could not be determined within an hour, it would be considered a draw. The bystanders were not allowed to use any means to interfere with the competition, or they would be punished according to the sect rules. Do you understand?"
"Understood!" The two of them answered at the same time.
The old Taoist nodded and slowly retreated to the corner of the ring. He raised his voice slightly and shouted,"Let the competition begin!"
Ah Niu cupped his fists at Daoist Wu Yin and said,""Senior Brother Wu Yin, please show mercy.”He had already memorized this sentence when he watched the Sword Conference competition five years ago. He finally used it today.
Daoist Wu Yin returned the bow and said lightly,""Junior Brother Luo, please!"
Ah Niu hurriedly waved his hand." You're my senior brother. You entered the sect decades earlier than me. Please make the first move."”
Daoist Wu Yin was stunned for a moment, then nodded and said,""Alright, then this poor priest has offended you!”
"Keng!" The long sword on his back shot out automatically. It was as if Daoist Wu Yin had eyes in his brain, and he held the three-foot-long blade in his hand.
This technique seemed beautiful, but in fact, any disciple who had entered the " Hall of Enlightenment " stage could activate the genuine Qi in their body to do it. However, it would take many years of hard work to do it as casually as Daoist Wu Yin.
Cheers erupted around the arena. Most of them were the disciples of the Nine Hanging Temple cheering for their fellow disciples. In contrast, Ah Niu's posture was much more ordinary. He obediently reached out and pulled out the ancient sword from its sheath.
At first glance, this Heavy Gold Sword was as unremarkable as a cow. The brass-colored blade was simple and unadorned, and the heavy body of the sword exuded a dense ancient aura.
Daoist Wu Yin's gaze fell on the Heavy Gold Sword and he said in slight surprise,""This is the Ancient Golden Sword that Martial Uncle Dan Yan carried with him all those years ago.”
Ah Niu smiled honestly and said," My master is probably afraid that my cultivation isn't high enough, so he passed the Heavy Gold Sword to me. I've embarrassed myself."”
Daoist Wu Yin felt relieved and thought to himself,""That's right, Third Martial Uncle must be afraid that Junior Brother Luo's cultivation would be too weak and make a fool of himself at the Sword Gathering, so he passed the Heavy Gold Sword to him. However, I've cultivated with Master for so many years, so why should I fear him?”He held his long sword across his chest and said with a sword gesture in his left hand,""Junior Brother Luo, be careful!"
Ah Niu sighed and said,"Thank you for your reminder, Senior Brother. I'll definitely be careful."”
Outside the arena, people couldn't help but laugh. They were all wondering why the Immortal Danyan would send this rascal to participate in the Sword Conference. It seemed that there was really no one else in the sect.
The sound of sword Qi breaking through the air could be heard. Daoist Wu Yin's clothes fluttered as his sword moved with him. Green light flashed like lightning, producing nine sword flowers that enveloped Ah Niu's upper body.
Ding Yuan, who was standing below the stage, recognized this move. It was the seventh move of the " Thirty-six Blue Wave Moves ", the " Nine Bends Green Lotus ". It was one of the few pure offensive moves in this set of sword techniques. When he attacked, he went all out, leaving no room for retreat. He was extremely sharp.
However, if he encountered a strong enemy, this move would bring great danger to the user. Once the sword style was used up, it was equivalent to exposing his entire body in front of the opponent, and there was no turning back. Therefore, it was only appropriate to use this move to obtain a quick victory after confirming that the other party's strength was far inferior to his. Otherwise, very few people would easily use the "Nine Bends Green Lotus".
It was impossible for Taoist Wu Yin not to understand this principle. Obviously, he had taken advantage of Ah Niu's short time of joining the sect and his simple and honest nature. He had just started to use the Nine Turn Green Lotus in order to end the battle quickly and reduce his energy consumption to deal with the next strong enemy.
Ding Yuan was furious when he saw this."Isn't this bastard looking down on people too much? No matter how weak Ah Niu is, he won't be defeated in one move. He actually dared to use the Nine Bends Green Lotus. Hmph, if I were on the stage, I would definitely make him suffer!”
###################################
The sun was high in the sky, and a grand ceremony of worshipping the heavens and ancestors was held under the leadership of Daoist Master Dan Yi. Thousands of disciples of Emerald Cloud Sect gathered on the "Hundred Feet Plain" behind the Flying Waterfall Temple. They stood solemnly in a fan-shaped formation according to their respective branches. From afar, the six-colored brocade clothes looked like a sea of flowers, which was a spectacular sight.
In comparison, Ding Yuan and Ah Niu's group were the weakest. Excluding the old Taoist priest, there were only these two people standing. Even the usually small number of people under Nun Danchen had more than twenty people. Ding Yuan had also heard from Ah Niu that the old Taoist priest had a few disciples in his early years. The most recent one was Sheng Nian. However, these people had either left the sect long ago or had not been seen for a long time. Now, only the master and disciple were left in the Black Bamboo Pavilion.
Ding Yuan wanted to look for Ji Xueyan in the crowd, but unfortunately, there were more than three hundred disciples from the Flying Waterfall Temple in the crowd.
The 15th day of the first lunar month was the Lantern Festival of the Heavenly Continent. Legend had it that the founder of Cuixia Sect, Perfected Qingxia, was born on this day. Therefore, from the second generation sect master of Cuixia Sect, Perfected Tianxu, the Cuixia Sword Conference was set to begin on this day.
The main content of the sword gathering was the art competition between the disciples of each branch. Since four generations of disciples were under the same roof and there were more than a thousand disciples under them, the disciples participating in the competition were first divided into several groups according to their seniority. Then, the elders of the various branches drew lots to determine the group that each of them belonged to.
The combined results of the previous three sword competitions could be used as a reference for this competition. Dozens of seeded experts would be selected from them, skipping the group competition and entering the elimination round. Ah Niu belonged to the "Wu" generation of Cuixia Sect. He had never participated in the competition of the Sword Association before, so he was divided into the "Wu" and "C groups" this time. There were five other people in the same group, all disciples of the "Wu" generation from other branches.
If Ah Niu was lucky enough to win the first place in the group, he could enter the top 32 of the nameless generation and fight with one of the 16 seeded experts. The winner would enter the top 8 until the final winner. However, even Ah Niu himself did not think so far ahead. In recent years, Emerald Cloud Sect had produced many talents, and he was one of the late entrants among his peers. It would be good enough if he could win one or two victories in Group C.
On the morning of the first day of the Sword Meet, the Six Immortals of Emerald Cloud led their disciples to pay their respects to the heaven and earth and the ancestors of the Emerald Cloud Grandmasters on the Six Harmonies Altar, which had been built long ago, to show that they did not forget their roots. Although the ceremony was solemn, it became a little boring for Ding Yuan.
He had been used to wandering around the world since he was young. Even in the Black Bamboo Pavilion, the Immortal Dan Yan never cared about him. How could he stand standing under the sun like a wooden stake for several hours?
After the initial novelty passed, Ding Yuan felt both sour and numb. In fact, with his current cultivation, he would definitely be fine even if he stood for three days and three nights. It was completely a psychological trick. He wanted to say a few words to Ah Niu, but the Six Directions Daoist Altar was less than thirty feet away, and he was right under the noses of the six old men and women. Even if they blinked, they would be able to see it clearly, let alone open their mouths to speak.
Moreover, there were more than 30 elders with snow-white hair standing around the Six Directions Daoist Altar. They were of the Dan generation with different expressions. They had long since stopped caring about worldly affairs. Most of the time, they were cultivating in the various caves and blessed lands on Zuowang Peak or traveling around the world, as leisurely as clouds and wild cranes. However, the elders who rarely showed up at the Emerald Cloud Sword Gathering that was held once every five years had all appeared, adding a lot of color to the Sword Gathering.
In his boredom, Ding Yuan suddenly thought,"Since I have nothing to do anyway, why don't I use this time to cultivate my Cuiwei Heart Technique for a while?”
Half a month ago, Ding Yuan had already completed the cultivation of most of the singing techniques in the Inner Realm Chapter. Now, the true qi in his body could freely flow through every meridian, and he could even casually recite them to trigger the protective astral winds. However, the last two lines of the song," The nameless earth fire rushes into the void, and the majestic golden sand walks through the mud." Ding Yuan had tried many times in the past few days, but he still could not get the gist. He was in danger of going mad again.
The old Taoist priest was not in a hurry. He only said that he had not reached the right time and that the metal water was not enough to suppress the attack of the earth fire. Ding Yuan didn't want to ask the Immortal Danyan for advice either. These days, besides sleeping and practicing, he had been pondering the last two lines of the song formula.
He lowered his head. To outsiders, he looked as if he was listening to a lecture, but in fact, he was keeping his vitality and concentrating on his dantian. He slowly urged his true qi to flow according to the song formula of the "Entering the Chamber". Not long after, the zhenqi in his body seemed to gradually heat up, like a warm spring flowing in his meridians.
After three cycles, his zhenqi slowly entered his dantian. Ding Yuan only had two lines of the song left to practice.
In the past, Ding Yuan would start to guide his zhenqi upward when he reached this stage of cultivation. However, this time, his zhenqi sank into his dantian as if it was filled with lead. Ding Yuan's heart skipped a beat. He immediately gave up on his original idea and carefully guided the true qi into his dantian.
At this moment, his dantian was like a furnace that was getting hotter and hotter. Ding Yuan gradually felt as if there was a lump of lava boiling in his body. It was indescribably uncomfortable and stuffy. He expelled all distracting thoughts and guarded his spiritual altar as he slowly sent his Genuine Qi to the bottom of his dantian.
The stream of true energy gradually contracted, forming a drop of water the size of a goose egg in Ding Yuan's mind. At first, it felt cool and refreshing. However, under the burning heat of his dantian, the water droplet kept rolling and spinning. Its temperature also rose rapidly, becoming hotter and hotter. The sixty years of true qi that was originally stored in his dantian was now boiling like a pot of hot porridge. Ding Yuan's internal organs felt as if they were boiling.
It turned out that although he had not cultivated the song formula wrongly, his eagerness for success had caused his true qi to be insufficient and his qi circulation to be impeded. He had already reached the edge of Qi deviation. One had to know that the last few lines of each song formula was the time of cultivation success, but it was also the time of the Nine Tribulations. As long as they were careless, natural disasters and man-made disasters could send cultivators into eternal hell. How could it be child's play?
Moreover, the higher the cultivation realm, the fiercer the tribulation would be. Ding Yuan had safely passed the metal and wood tribulations, so it was inevitable that he had been careless. He had actually triggered the earth fire in his body when the sun was approaching the middle of the sky and the yang qi was at its peak. In the end, he had lost control and almost caused a disaster.
Although Ding Yuan was still standing upright, his clothes were already drenched. Faint water vapor kept rising up. His body subconsciously trembled slightly, and his face was constantly changing colors.
Standing on the Six Harmonies Daoist Altar, the Six Emerald Clouds Immortals were naturally the first to realize that Ding Yuan was wrong. The Immortal Dan Yan and Ding Yuan had been together for many years, and he was very familiar with this disciple's temperament. One look at Ding Yuan's appearance and he immediately understood that he must have secretly circulated his Qi and something went wrong.
A green light flashed across the Immortal Danyan's face as he shouted in a low voice with the secret sound transmission,""Ding Yuan!"
He didn't even move his lips when he said this. Even Luo He and Immortal Dannu, who were close at hand, didn't notice anything strange. However, when Shu Jiesi's voice entered Ding Yuan's ears through his supreme true energy, it was like a spring thunder.
Ding Yuan had already lost his consciousness, but after hearing Reverend Danyan's shout, he suddenly woke up. The old Taoist priest saw that the situation was critical, so he infused the Heart Calming Mantra into his shout, temporarily dispelling Ding Yuan's inner demons. Otherwise, it would be useless even if others shouted in his ears.
Ding Yuan felt as if his entire body was burning from the inside out. The water droplet in his dantian was constantly evaporating and roasting. However, he felt a chill on his back, but it was too weak.
Ding Yuan was surprised and immediately realized that it was the Snowfield Sword on his back that was trying to protect his heart. How could he have forgotten about it? Now, he could only try. At that moment, he focused his mind on the Snowfield Sword and felt the bamboo sword tremble slightly.
Then, something unbelievable happened. Suddenly, a refreshing stream of Qi emerged from the sword and flowed into Ding Yuan's body from his Dazhui acupoint. It slowly traveled along his meridians and merged with the burning Genuine Qi in his body.
At first, the effect was not obvious, but the clear stream seemed to be endless and flowed into Ding Yuan's body endlessly. After circulating one cycle, it entered his dantian.
The heatwave gradually subsided, and a cool feeling gradually rose. Ding Yuan's consciousness gradually recovered, but he found that after this clear stream circulated in his dantian, it actually lifted the ball of true qi that looked like a water droplet and rushed straight to the Heaven Pass.
As if he had heard a loud boom, a golden light flashed in front of Ding Yuan's eyes. He felt as if his consciousness had suddenly broken out of his body and rushed into the endless void!
It turned out that under the protection of the Snowfield Sword, Ding Yuan had finally comprehended the "Nameless Earth Fire Rushing the Great Void" by accident. A wisp of primordial spirit had left his body for the first time under the protection of his genuine Qi.
However, his cultivation level was still low, so this feeling disappeared in an instant. As the zhenqi flowed back like a receding tide, it surged up and down in his meridians. Ding Yuan's primordial spirit also returned to his body. However, he could clearly feel every trace of the breeze that blew past his hair. Although he did not use his eyes to 'see' it, he could already see everything that was happening in the surrounding dozens of feet.
What was even more mysterious was that Ding Yuan felt that his body seemed to have become one with the entire world from this moment on. He could even sense the subtle changes in the world with every breath he took. This wonderful feeling was hard to describe with words, but it happened so real.
When the zhenqi returned to his dantian, it condensed into a small ball that kept spinning, absorbing the sixty years of zhenqi stored in his dantian. Although he didn't know how long it would take for him to absorb the power of a sixty-year cycle, at least he was gradually beginning to accept Ding Yuan's control.
Ding Yuan didn't know that he had just crossed a threshold that countless people couldn't break through in their lifetime. Among all living beings, there were more than tens of thousands of people who wanted to cultivate to become immortals. However, most of them could only stop at the realm of entering the realm, and could not reach the initial level of communicating with the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.
One must know that before the Observant realm, all cultivation mainly depended on one's own hard work to explore the potential in one's body. However, although humans were the most powerful beings, they were only a few feet long. After all, they were limited. However, the heavens and earth were boundless, and the sun and moon had no lifespan. To break through the limits of humans, one could only rely on the power of heaven and earth.
Therefore, the cultivators who entered the Observant State were like a huge magnetic field. They absorbed the essence of the world for their own use and began to cultivate their Nascent Souls in order to achieve great success. From this stage onwards, the door to the Heavenly Dao was truly opened.
Ding Yuan raised his head and met the Immortal Danyan's gaze. There was a hint of concern in his wooden voice. However, when he saw Ding Yuan's expression return to normal, the Immortal Danyan immediately lowered his eyes, as if the ground was the only place he was most interested in.
Luo He and the others naturally noticed Ding Yuan's situation and were secretly surprised that this youth was about to go berserk just now, yet he actually managed to get through it so quickly. Luo He had just used his secret voice transmission to instruct his eldest son Luo Kun to be ready to help Ding Yuan at any time. Now, it seemed that his worries were groundless.
Seeing the divine light that inadvertently flashed in Ding Yuan's eyes, Luo He couldn't help but praise in his heart,"Good boy, you really know how to grasp martial arts. In just half a morning, your cultivation has actually advanced another level!”
After the ceremony ended, Flying Waterfall House set up hundreds of banquets to entertain the disciples of each branch. The first round of the Sword Conference competition would also begin in the afternoon. While everyone was eating, the disciples of the Flying Waterfall House swiftly built more than thirty arenas on the Hundred Feet Plain.
The so-called arena was actually made of bamboo poles and surrounded by red silk, forming a five-foot-wide empty arena. The competition would be held inside.
On the screen wall at the entrance of the Hundred Feet Plain, the grouping of the 289 disciples participating in the competition had been posted on the board. The names of the other five disciples who were in the same group as Ah Niu were also on the board. Ding Yuan looked at the names of the opponents in Ji Xueyan's group, but he had not heard of any of them. In fact, in the past three years, he had only come into contact with a few third-generation disciples other than Ji Xueyan. Luo Jiao and the others that Ji Xueyan mentioned last time had all advanced directly as seeded experts. The earliest they met with Ji Xueyan was when they were in the last sixteen.
After taking a few glances, Ah Niu pulled Ding Yuan to the side of the ring early in the morning. He carefully inspected the ring inside and outside several times, even carefully picking up a small stone and placing it outside the ring.
A few other people, accompanied by their fellow disciples, also came to the side of the arena. Many of them were already familiar with each other and immediately greeted each other warmly, but no one paid attention to Ah Niu and Ding Yuan.
Ah Niu and Ding Yuan stood alone at the side, waiting for the competition to begin. Ding Yuan could not help but feel angry when he saw that the few fellows opposite him were all high-spirited and treated the two of them as if they were nothing. So he whispered to Ah Niu,"Fight well later and earn some breath for our Black Bamboo Pavilion!"”
Ah Niu first replied with an "oh", then immediately said in a low voice with a bitter face,"But there is no doubt that senior brother and the others are very powerful. I'm afraid I'm not their match.”
Ding Yuan couldn't help but smile bitterly." You're too honest. You're already deflated before the competition has even started. It's better not to fight."”
Ah Niu shook his head and said innocently,"Little Brother Ding, don't worry. I won't embarrass Master!"”
Instead, Ding Yuan was worried that this guy would recklessly fight with the other party to the end and would definitely suffer a huge loss in the end. The Sword Conference strictly forbade fellow disciples from harming each other with malicious intent, and it was even more forbidden for people to fight to the death with moves that would result in mutual destruction. There was also an elder of the 'Dan' generation who was in charge of the arbitration. However, swords and sabers had no eyes. Moreover, when immortal artifacts flew everywhere, it was probably difficult for anyone to really know their limits. "Ah Niu, I'll give you a sentence. Remember it when you're in the most dangerous situation."”
"What is it?" asked Ah Niu.
"If you can't win, then admit defeat!" Ding Yuan said word by word.”He said this because he didn't think too highly of Ah Niu. Not to mention that Ah Niu had only cultivated for a little over ten years, how could he compare to those old Taoist priests who might have been around for more than sixty years? Even with his silly appearance, no one could have any hope for him.
Ah Niu was stunned, but he still nodded and said,""I understand, Little Brother Ding."
At this moment, a half-dead old Taoist priest held a name list in his hand and slowly walked to the side of the arena. "Luo Niu from the Black Bamboo Pavilion!”
Luo Niu replied loudly and stepped forward.
Ding Yuan looked at the old Taoist priest with sparse hair and a stubble beard and thought,""I don't know where this old man came from, but he looks even weirder than the old Taoist priest.”
The old Taoist priest seemed to have sensed Ding Yuan's gaze and glanced at him indifferently. It was as if a gentle breeze had brushed past his face without leaving a trace. There was no light in his old, yellow eyes. Ding Chuchu did not mind and suddenly came to a realization.""Even the eyes of ordinary Emerald Cloud Sect disciples would have divine light shining in all directions, let alone this old Daoist who has no idea how old he is. It seemed like he had already reached the Return to Nature Realm and was hiding his true strength.”
Thus, the contempt in his heart disappeared. However, when he looked at the old Taoist priest again, he continued to read the list and said," Wu Yin from the Nine Suspended Temple!"
A thin middle-aged Daoist priest stepped out. He was dressed in a black Daoist robe and had a handsome appearance, but his slightly raised eyebrows made him look a little arrogant. The Nine Hanging Monastery was where the Immortal Dannu was stationed. Taoist Wu Yin was his seventh disciple and had entered the sect more than sixty years ago. Because of his profound cultivation, he looked like a middle-aged man in his forties.
Daoist Wu Yin was a late bloomer. He was unknown in the first few sword competitions, but he had been in the top 32 in the last two competitions. This time, he had painstakingly cultivated for a full five years.
Ding Yuan saw Ah Niu and Taoist Wu Yin walk into the arena and knew that the first round of the competition was about to begin. He had the intention to inquire about Ji Xueyan's situation but he couldn't leave. However, with her cultivation, it shouldn't be a problem for her to start a few battles, so it was better to see Ah Niu first.
At the very least, he shouldn't lose too badly, right?
The old Taoist slowly walked to the center of the ring. His wretched body was a full head shorter than Ah Niu. He glanced at Ah Niu and Daoist Wu Yin and said slowly,""The rules of the competition have already been written on the notice. First of all, sparring with fellow disciples is to encourage each other and not to hurt others maliciously. If one side admitted defeat or left the arena, or if it was obvious that they could not fight again, the competition would be considered over. If the winner could not be determined within an hour, it would be considered a draw. The bystanders were not allowed to use any means to interfere with the competition, or they would be punished according to the sect rules. Do you understand?"
"Understood!" The two of them answered at the same time.
The old Taoist nodded and slowly retreated to the corner of the ring. He raised his voice slightly and shouted,"Let the competition begin!"
Ah Niu cupped his fists at Daoist Wu Yin and said,""Senior Brother Wu Yin, please show mercy.”He had already memorized this sentence when he watched the Sword Conference competition five years ago. He finally used it today.
Daoist Wu Yin returned the bow and said lightly,""Junior Brother Luo, please!"
Ah Niu hurriedly waved his hand." You're my senior brother. You entered the sect decades earlier than me. Please make the first move."”
Daoist Wu Yin was stunned for a moment, then nodded and said,""Alright, then this poor priest has offended you!”
"Keng!" The long sword on his back shot out automatically. It was as if Daoist Wu Yin had eyes in his brain, and he held the three-foot-long blade in his hand.
This technique seemed beautiful, but in fact, any disciple who had entered the " Hall of Enlightenment " stage could activate the genuine Qi in their body to do it. However, it would take many years of hard work to do it as casually as Daoist Wu Yin.
Cheers erupted around the arena. Most of them were the disciples of the Nine Hanging Temple cheering for their fellow disciples. In contrast, Ah Niu's posture was much more ordinary. He obediently reached out and pulled out the ancient sword from its sheath.
At first glance, this Heavy Gold Sword was as unremarkable as a cow. The brass-colored blade was simple and unadorned, and the heavy body of the sword exuded a dense ancient aura.
Daoist Wu Yin's gaze fell on the Heavy Gold Sword and he said in slight surprise,""This is the Ancient Golden Sword that Martial Uncle Dan Yan carried with him all those years ago.”
Ah Niu smiled honestly and said," My master is probably afraid that my cultivation isn't high enough, so he passed the Heavy Gold Sword to me. I've embarrassed myself."”
Daoist Wu Yin felt relieved and thought to himself,""That's right, Third Martial Uncle must be afraid that Junior Brother Luo's cultivation would be too weak and make a fool of himself at the Sword Gathering, so he passed the Heavy Gold Sword to him. However, I've cultivated with Master for so many years, so why should I fear him?”He held his long sword across his chest and said with a sword gesture in his left hand,""Junior Brother Luo, be careful!"
Ah Niu sighed and said,"Thank you for your reminder, Senior Brother. I'll definitely be careful."”
Outside the arena, people couldn't help but laugh. They were all wondering why the Immortal Danyan would send this rascal to participate in the Sword Conference. It seemed that there was really no one else in the sect.
The sound of sword Qi breaking through the air could be heard. Daoist Wu Yin's clothes fluttered as his sword moved with him. Green light flashed like lightning, producing nine sword flowers that enveloped Ah Niu's upper body.
Ding Yuan, who was standing below the stage, recognized this move. It was the seventh move of the " Thirty-six Blue Wave Moves ", the " Nine Bends Green Lotus ". It was one of the few pure offensive moves in this set of sword techniques. When he attacked, he went all out, leaving no room for retreat. He was extremely sharp.
However, if he encountered a strong enemy, this move would bring great danger to the user. Once the sword style was used up, it was equivalent to exposing his entire body in front of the opponent, and there was no turning back. Therefore, it was only appropriate to use this move to obtain a quick victory after confirming that the other party's strength was far inferior to his. Otherwise, very few people would easily use the "Nine Bends Green Lotus".
It was impossible for Taoist Wu Yin not to understand this principle. Obviously, he had taken advantage of Ah Niu's short time of joining the sect and his simple and honest nature. He had just started to use the Nine Turn Green Lotus in order to end the battle quickly and reduce his energy consumption to deal with the next strong enemy.
Ding Yuan was furious when he saw this."Isn't this bastard looking down on people too much? No matter how weak Ah Niu is, he won't be defeated in one move. He actually dared to use the Nine Bends Green Lotus. Hmph, if I were on the stage, I would definitely make him suffer!”
This book comes from：m.funovel.com。