Chapter 1273
One Step Ahead, Replacement of the Old and the New
The "Eastern Phoenix Sword Tournament" is a top-level event that only comes once every few hundred years in the Eastern Phoenix Immortal Continent.
While the martial arts competition on the arena was spectacular, there were also bookmakers secretly setting up betting pools below, attracting many spectators to place bets on the outcome and making huge profits.
The organizer, "Xianyuan Palace," seems to be half-asleep about this.
There was neither public support nor explicit prohibition.
Whether it's Song Qingming or Tang Yuchuan.
Both of them were among the top ten in the previous sword competition, and are also recognized as the most powerful experts among the hundreds of Nascent Soul cultivators participating in this sword competition.
The first match was such an intense clash between two strong opponents, which was quite unexpected for many of the spectators.
Even those gamblers and cultivators who were preparing to bet on who would win or lose were now in a state of great inner turmoil.
However, compared to Song Qingming, who came from the remote "Floating Cloud Mountains", Tang Yuchuan, the Grand Elder of the "Three Yuan Sect", was clearly much more renowned in everyone's minds.
It should be noted that the "Sanyuan Sect" has a history of 20,000 years and is also a Nascent Soul sect with a very profound foundation in the cultivation world of Donghuang Kingdom.
Tang Yuchuan, as the Grand Elder of this sect, was already well-known.
He had advanced to the late Nascent Soul stage in less than four hundred years of cultivation, and now he has also reached the half-step Divine Transformation stage, and he also holds a replica of the sect's spiritual treasure.
In the previous tournament, Yuan Luohua of the "Qingyang Sect" made a fierce run and entered the top twenty.
Ultimately, they were defeated by Tang Yuchuan, who easily knocked them off the stage, allowing the "Sanyuan Sect" to snatch their place in the top ten.
In contrast, Song Qingming's battle with "Qingyang Holy Sect" Master Jingyue when he entered the top ten in the previous tournament was a stark contrast.
The battle between the two sides was extremely difficult and evenly matched.
Both fighters were eventually knocked out of the ring, and it was only after three referees stepped in that the winner was finally determined.
However, apart from a few top cultivators, who could discern the truth behind it.
In the eyes of most spectators, the outcome of that match was somewhat uncertain.
The reason Song Qingming was able to win against "Master Jingyue" was simply because he had a good relationship with "Dangmo Palace" in private.
In addition, the three major forces intentionally favored and wanted to use this opportunity to suppress the "Qingyang Holy Sect," which is why he was allowed to represent the "Xiaoyao Sect" and enter the top ten in the martial arts competition.
Even though Song Qingming has now also stepped into the half-step Nascent Soul realm, most people present have only heard of his name and do not know much about his supernatural abilities.
Naturally, people would be more inclined to believe that Tang Yuchuan, the Grand Elder of the "Three Elements Sect," was superior in combat.
As two beams of light landed on the platform, the figures of two cultivators, one in green and one in white, appeared.
Like Song Qingming, Tang Yuchuan also had a youthful face, dressed in a white Taoist robe, with bright eyes and striking features!
Looking at Song Qingming in front of him, Tang Yuchuan immediately smiled and cupped his hands in greeting.
"Fellow Daoist Song, regardless of victory or defeat in this martial arts competition, I would appreciate your guidance!"
"Fellow Daoist Tang is too polite, there's no need to be so courteous!"
Song Qingming raised his hand to return the greeting, but before he could look away, Tang Yuchuan had already raised his hand and cast a spell to take out a glittering silver flying sword.
The sword's edge was fully revealed, emanating a chilling aura.
It turned out to be an extremely rare, high-level ice-attribute magic weapon.
"excuse me!"
As Tang Yuchuan uttered a sentence, the silver flying sword in his hand suddenly transformed into a shower of silver light, shooting straight towards Song Qingming's location like raindrops.
Before the silver light even arrived, the surrounding temperature immediately plummeted.
At this moment, the entire arena was suddenly filled with white mist, and countless frosts appeared, freezing the area around the arena.
Just as the chill approached Song Qingming, a blue bead appeared in front of him, as he was already on guard.
It was the "Ice Scale Pearl," a high-grade level four magic treasure that he had brought back from "Zhongyuan Immortal Continent."
The "Ice Scale Pearl" is also a high-level ice-attribute magic weapon, and its power is no less than that of the opponent's flying sword. It created a protective shield to block the incoming cold air in front of Song Qingming.
As countless silver lights fell, a series of intense collision sounds immediately rang out on the protective shield formed by the "Ice Scale Pearl".
Although Tang Yuchuan broke through to the half-step Nascent Soul realm a hundred years earlier than Song Qingming, the difference in their internal magical power was not significant.
After a fierce clash of magical powers, neither side gained the upper hand, and they had no choice but to disperse.
The area around the arena was frozen white by two powerful ice-attribute spiritual energies, with white mist everywhere and giant ice blocks falling from mid-air.
Despite the initial unsuccessful attempt, Tang Yuchuan's expression remained unaffected, instead revealing a hint of composure.
The flying sword in his hand once again transformed into countless cold lights, flanking from both sides, drawing Song Qingming's attention to control his magic weapon to respond.
He himself then vanished into the white mist in a flash.
Just as the onlookers were searching for his figure, a burst of spiritual light suddenly emerged from the ice block beside Song Qingming.
The next moment, more than a dozen semi-transparent ice swords shot towards him at high speed.
At this moment, the "Ice Scale Pearl" in front of Song Qingming was restrained by the silver spiritual light and could no longer withstand the fierce ice sword. He could only cast a spell to summon a bronze mirror to block it in front of him.
The ice sword landed on it, instantly freezing the magical artifact in mid-air.
But in just a moment, a white flame ignited on the "Five Elements Divine Light Mirror," quickly melting the ice above.
This allowed his natal magic weapon to quickly break free from the opponent's control and return to Song Qingming's side.
But before he could rest for a moment, the ice blocks around the arena lit up again, and countless transparent ice swords quickly appeared.
Seeing this, Song Qingming also unleashed his "Mysterious Yang Blazing Flame," which transformed into more than a dozen fire snakes that coiled around him.
Although the incoming ice sword was incredibly fast, it was blocked by the fire snake and could not break through the "Five Elements Divine Light Mirror" defense head-on.
Before long, the ice swords turned into water mist and fell down.
Just as Song Qingming thought he had blocked the attack and was about to retrieve his magic weapon...
Unexpectedly, the mist surrounding him suddenly came to life, gathering into two transparent water dragons that engulfed Song Qingming.
From the white mist below, a figure slowly emerged—it was Tang Yuchuan, who had been missing for a long time.
At this moment, he was still holding a white jade ruler in his hand, controlling the water dragon to continuously attack Song Qingming, who was trapped inside.
"The Dragon-Wandering Divine Wooden Ruler!"
"Haha, Fellow Daoist Tang actually produced this treasure so quickly. It seems Song Qingming is in some danger and may lose!"
".
Among the spectators, many recognized the white jade ruler in Tang Yuchuan's hand as the "Wandering Dragon Divine Wood Ruler," the most treasured artifact of the Sanyuan Sect.
This treasure is far more powerful than ordinary level four magic treasures; it is a replica of a magical treasure with extremely powerful supernatural abilities.
It is especially powerful in places where water-attribute spiritual energy is abundant.
The reason why Tang Yuchuan initially used the ice sword to fight against Song Qingming was to lure him into using the Xuan Yang Flame to dissolve a lot of water mist.
Only when there was enough water mist around Song Qingming, who was already hidden in the ice, did he trigger the "trap" that had been set up in advance.
Manipulating the "Dragon-Wandering Wooden Ruler," he gathered energy and transformed it into a dragon, trapping it inside.
Before engaging in combat with his opponent, Tang Yuchuan already knew that his opponent was no weakling.
In order to win this battle more securely, they did not choose to launch a frontal assault from the outset, but instead set traps to wait for the enemy to take the bait.
Seeing that Song Qingming had been successfully imprisoned by the water dragon, Tang Yuchuan's face lit up with joy.
Since taking control of the "Dragon-Wandering Divine Wood Ruler," countless powerful masters have been unable to break free from this cage.
This time, Song Qingming was caught off guard and trapped by his own actions. Tang Yuchuan was now 80-90% confident of victory.
Thinking of this, Tang Yuchuan immediately exerted all his strength to activate the jade ruler in his hand and increase the power to control the water dragon.
But just when he was confident of victory, the water dragon in mid-air seemed to be blocked by some powerful force and suddenly stopped rolling.
"Huh! This is... spatial confinement."
Before Tang Yuchuan could recover from his surprise, a golden light reappeared inside the water dragon.
With a flash of sword light, the water dragon in mid-air was severed in two.
A figure wielding a giant golden sword flew out and landed not far in front of Tang Yuchuan.
"not good!"
Sensing the powerful pressure emanating from the golden giant sword in the opponent's hand, Tang Yuchuan was immediately startled and hurriedly urged the magic weapon in his hand to once again manipulate the water mist to gather and take shape.
Three water dragons quickly formed and rushed straight towards Song Qingming's location.
This time, Song Qingming, who was prepared, swiftly slashed out with his golden greatsword before the water dragon could even get close.
Three sword lights flew past, their powerful pressure instantly shattering the hastily gathered water dragon, the remaining force heading straight for Tang Yuchuan behind them.
Seeing that he couldn't stop the other party at all, Tang Yuchuan immediately cast a spell, transformed into a ray of light, and disappeared into the water below.
But the next moment, a giant white hand swiftly plunged into the water.
"what!"
Lightning flashed everywhere, instantly enveloping the entire arena in white lightning, accompanied by a painful groan.
"This is... the art of controlling lightning!"
"I never imagined that Song Qingming would possess such profound lightning techniques!"
".
Seeing the white lightning that had enveloped the entire arena, the many cultivators watching from the sidelines also showed surprise on their faces.
Although they had heard of Song Qingming's reputation as one of the top ten masters, not many people truly understood his extraordinary abilities.
Completely unexpectedly, Tang Yuchuan, who had just been in the lead and seemed to have victory in his grasp not long ago, was now facing a completely different situation.
In the blink of an eye, they were at a disadvantage on the field.
As the lightning gradually dissipated, Tang Yuchuan was found to be caught in the giant white hand.
Unable to break free from the giant lightning hand's restraint, he could only rely on a jade pendant magic item on his body to hold on, and his face was already extremely pale.
On the other hand, Song Qingming seemed to be in complete control, with a continuous stream of lightning energy within his body suppressing his opponent.
This caused Tang Yuchuan, who was already in a difficult situation, to feel a strong pressure once again.
Seeing that he could not change the situation, Tang Yuchuan persisted for a while, but in the end, he had no choice but to admit defeat.
"The Free and Unfettered Sect, Song Qingming wins!"
"What? How could Song Qingming have won?"
"Are you kidding me? My spirit stones..."
".
Before the battle began, two top experts at the half-step Nascent Soul stage clashed. In everyone's eyes, this should have been a thrilling and evenly matched battle, with both sides exchanging blows.
Unexpectedly, the battle ended in a one-sided manner in less than a hundred rounds.
Moreover, the winner was not Tang Yuchuan, the Grand Elder of the "Sanyuan Sect" who should have been more favored, but Song Qingming, who was underestimated by everyone.
This result truly caused many cultivators in the surrounding area to be incredulous.
Completely unexpectedly, the unassuming man in the green robe on the stage came from a remote place in the "Floating Cloud Mountains".
He just defeated a formidable opponent who was also one of the top ten masters of the previous year with remarkable ease.
If we were to say that the great battle two hundred years ago that defeated "Master Jingyue" could be attributed to the fact that the opponent was simply lucky, then we could speculate that he was just lucky.
At this moment, Song Qingming used this decisive battle to demonstrate his formidable strength to everyone.
As the cultivators of the "Immortal Origin Sect" announced the results of the battle.
The audience looked at Song Qingming with utter respect, their doubts completely gone.
Regardless of one's background or social status, strength is paramount in the cultivation world.
Back in the viewing pavilion, Song Qingyu, Li Xuanyi, and the others, who had been waiting there, immediately greeted him with joy.
"Seventh Brother, you've worked hard. I knew you would win!"
"If I had known earlier that Tang Yuchuan was so much weaker than Seventh Brother, I should have bought some spirit stones earlier."
Even before Song Qingming left the station, Song Qingyu had already bought tens of thousands of spirit stones below, allowing Song Qingming to defeat his opponent.
Upon learning the result, she felt even more regretful that she hadn't placed more bets.
Upon hearing this, Song Qingming shook his head slightly.
"Who wins and who loses is not so easy to know. Don't be fooled by my victory. Tang Yuchuan's strength is not as simple as you think."
The opponent lost so quickly simply because my technique countered his, and he had no intention of fighting to the death.
Although Song Qingming easily defeated his opponent, he could also sense that Tang Yuchuan's strength was not weak and he was definitely qualified to be among the top ten masters of the Sword Tournament.
However, the other party was unlucky and ran straight into him.
If it were any other opponent, the "Sanyuan Sect" might still have a great chance of retaining its position among the top ten sects.
While the group chatted, the names of the two opponents for the second round were quickly announced on the arena.
"Jin Yue of the Jin Yang Sect versus Yue Ling of the Shen Gu Sect."
"The battle between the Golden Sun Sect and the Divine Gu Sect seems to be evenly matched. Seventh Brother, who do you think has a better chance of winning?"
"I've never fought against them, how could I possibly guess right away!"
When Song Qingyu tried to place another bet, Song Qingming gave her a somewhat displeased look, which dispelled her greed.
Both the "Golden Sun Sect" and the "Divine Gu Sect" have made it into the top ten sects over the past four hundred years, and their apparent strength is not that different.
The representatives sent by both sects were both at the ninth level of the Nascent Soul stage.
In the end, the two sides fought a fierce battle, lasting nearly three hundred rounds.
Yue Ling of the "Divine Gu Sect" was slightly stronger and defeated her opponent, thus securing the "Divine Gu Sect's" place among the top ten sects.
The results of the next two battles were entirely predictable.
The two who took the stage were Qiu Shui Zhenren from the Wuxiang Sect and Gu Lin Da Elder from the Wanshou Mountain.
Both of them were among the top three half-step Nascent Soul masters in the previous tournament.
Their opponents, the Jade Spirit Sect and the Five Thunder Sect, sent cultivators at the ninth level of the Nascent Soul stage.
As expected, the two easily made it into the top ten.
In the fifth match, Xia Mo from the "Hundred Flowers Palace" faced off against Bai Yuxian from the "Free and Unfettered Sect".
"what!"
When they heard the two names announced on the stage, Song Qingyu, Li Xuanyi and the others in the pavilion were all surprised and turned to look at Bai Yuxian.
Unexpectedly, her opponent was Xia Mo, an old friend with whom everyone was familiar.
Meanwhile, Song Qingming couldn't help but sigh inwardly, thinking that Xia Mo's luck was indeed much better than his.
Of the top twenty, at least half are formidable experts at the half-step Nascent Soul stage.
Bai Yuxian's cultivation level was only at the eighth level of the Nascent Soul stage. Regardless of her supernatural abilities, she was at the bottom of the twenty people. Xia Mo's ability to rank her was incredibly lucky.
"Senior Sister Bai, Sister Xia is already familiar with us, so why don't we just forget about it?"
"Yes! Qingyu is right. It's okay not to fight since we're all acquaintances, so as not to hurt our relationship."
"Having the opportunity to fight fairly with a master like Fellow Daoist Xia is not something you can do every day."
Now that I'm standing here, I have no reason to back down, so don't try to stop me.
Xia Mo's fighting skills were already superior to Bai Yuxian's, and now her cultivation has broken through to the half-step Nascent Soul realm, so the difference in strength between the two is obvious to the naked eye.
But faced with Song Qingyu and Li Xuanyi's persuasion, Bai Yuxian shook her head with a firm gaze.
Even knowing that she was no match for her opponent, Bai Yuxian showed no fear on her face. She bowed to everyone to say goodbye and then stepped onto the stage.
Looking at Xia Mo ahead, Bai Yuxian bowed to her with a serious expression.
"Fellow Daoist Xia, please enlighten me!"
"Fellow Daoist Bai, there's no need to be so polite!"
Facing Bai Yuxian, an acquaintance, Xia Mo, standing on the arena, took this sure-fire match very seriously, showing her opponent the utmost respect.
Having said that, Xia Mo gently raised her hand, and countless flower petals appeared out of thin air.
Meanwhile, Bai Yuxian also quickly cast a spell to summon a crimson long silk magic weapon, which headed straight for her opponent.
The two sides exchanged blows, quickly fighting dozens of rounds.
Under Xia Mo's strong suppression, Bai Yuxian quickly fell into a disadvantageous position and was gradually forced to a corner of the arena by her opponent.
Knowing that his opponent wanted a quick victory and would force him to leave the ring.
Bai Yuxian, however, did not want to admit defeat so quickly. Taking advantage of the gap in Xia Mo's attack, she suddenly unleashed a purple divine light and rushed straight towards her opponent.
This purple divine light was the purple divine light that Bai Yuxian had cultivated within his body for many years after switching to the "Purple Sun Divine Light Technique".
Although she was familiar with Bai Yuxian, Xia Mo had never seen this supernatural power of his before.
Caught off guard, his natal magic weapon was suddenly blasted away by the purple divine light released by his opponent.
Faced with this rare opportunity, Bai Yuxian immediately manipulated the "Purple Flame Divine Fire Silk" in her hand to wrap up Xia Mo and cast a spell to throw her directly off the arena.
But at this critical moment, a white light suddenly appeared on Xia Mo's forehead.
The next moment, the "Purple Flame Divine Fire Silk" that was supposed to bind her suddenly loosened, and Xia Mo moved instantly to break free from it.
Seeing this, Bai Yuxian quickly used her magic weapon to chase after them.
But he still couldn't catch up with Xia Mo and was directly repelled by the white light released by the opponent.
"pity!"
Seeing such a good opportunity slip away from her opponent, Bai Yuxian couldn't help but sigh.
Although he had tried his best to seize the opportunity and used the Purple Sun Divine Light to suppress Xia Mo, he was ultimately outmatched in strength.
Having exhausted all her other trump cards, Bai Yuxian persisted for dozens of rounds before being knocked out of the arena by Xia Mo.
Xia Mo's successful entry into the top ten also signifies that "Hundred Flowers Palace" has officially become one of the top ten sects.
Back in the attic, the group originally wanted to go up and comfort Bai Yuxian, who had lost the competition.
But when Bai Yuxian returned, she had a smile on her face, as if she didn't care too much about the result.
Before long, he was chatting and laughing with everyone again, watching the next match.
As time went by, the results of the remaining five arena matches were revealed to everyone.
These are "Dan Yuan Valley", "Tian Dao Sect", "Bi Xia Palace", "Xuan Mu Sect" and "Qing Yang Holy Sect", which was defeated by Song Qingming in the previous session but has since regained its place among the top ten sects.
The Qingyang Holy Sect was already among the top ten sects in terms of strength, and had been in this position for many years.
At the last sword gathering, Liang Yushan, the Grand Elder of the Qingyang Holy Sect, did not come; he only sent the sect leader, Jingyue Zhenren.
When they entered the competition for the top ten, they unfortunately lost to Song Qingming.
In case of any unforeseen changes, Liang Yushan, the Grand Elder of the Qingyang Holy Sect, personally came to attend the conference.
They ultimately defeated the "Taiyi Immortal Sect," another of the top ten sects, and reclaimed the position that rightfully belonged to them.
With the final match over, the results were displayed above the arena.
The top ten sects in the latest "Eastern Phoenix Sword Tournament".
They are "Wuxiang Sect", "Wanshou Mountain", "Danyuan Valley", "Tiandao Sect", "Bixia Palace", "Xuanmu Sect", "Shengu Sect", "Xiaoyao Sect", "Qingyang Holy Sect", and "Baihua Palace".
The two eliminated teams were "Taiyi Immortal Sect" and "Sanyuan Sect".
The reason why the "Taiyi Immortal Sect" was eliminated was mainly because the sect's Grand Elder, who had been supporting them for many years at the half-step Nascent Soul stage, had passed away decades ago.
The person who came to attend the conference was only a Nascent Soul Elder who had recently advanced to the ninth level of Nascent Soul.
Although this person inherited several powerful magic treasures from the former Grand Elder, his supernatural abilities were not particularly outstanding among the Nascent Soul experts.
As expected, he was defeated and eliminated by Liang Yushan, the Grand Elder of the Qingyang Holy Sect, losing his position among the top ten sects.
The only Grand Elder of the Taiyi Immortal Sect at the half-step Nascent Soul stage had recently passed away.
Now, having lost its place among the top ten sects, a title of vital importance to the sect, it is clear that its decline is inevitable.
In contrast, the other sect that was eliminated was "Sanyuan Sect".
The reason he lost the battle to enter the top ten was due to bad luck, not entirely due to a lack of his own strength.
If Tang Yushan, representing the "Sanyuan Sect," hadn't been unlucky enough to be matched against the powerful Song Qingming right from the start...
Instead, they would face opponents like the "Taiyi Immortal Sect" or those with slightly weaker strength, such as Bai Yuxian.
The other party also has a high probability of successfully maintaining their status as one of the top ten sects.
In martial arts competitions, besides individual skill, luck can sometimes determine the outcome.
Once the list of the top ten sects was announced, Song Qingming, Xia Mo, and the other ten newly appointed experts quickly gathered on the arena.
Next, the final ranking of the top ten sects needs to be decided.
And to receive the rewards belonging to the top ten cultivators present at this conference. (End of Chapter)