Chapter 1646: Infuriating Beyond Repair

He Yuan was about to say more when Wan Tongtian stood up. "Brother He," he said, "victory and defeat are common in battle. It's not good to make things difficult for the younger generation, is it?"

I still remember how smug Qiuchanzi was when he was praised by those people earlier. Now that things have reversed, there's no need to be polite to him. After all, when Pei Mianman won last time, Qingxu Manor also sided with Li Hentian, so there's no need to save face for him.

He Yuan's expression shifted between dark and light. He wasn't really afraid of Wan Tongtian; after all, this was Wang Wuxie's territory, and Wang Wuxie wouldn't stand by if something happened. It was just that...

He glanced at Zu An, who was not far away, and ultimately said no more. Instead, he walked over with a dark expression to check on Qiuchanzi's injuries. Last time, Zu An had helped Biluo Palace. Elder Xu of Luofu Mountain, disbelieving, ended up losing all face for his sect. He Yuan didn't want to repeat that mistake.

Soon, Wang Wuxie announced Wan Guiyi as the winner. The next match would be Lou Wucheng of Baiyujing against Shi Dingtian of Taixuan Cave.

When Wan Guiyi returned to the Biluo Palace camp, the disciples enthusiastically congratulated him on his victory.

"What's there to be happy about?" Wan Guiyi's face was extremely grim.

The others were stunned. Why did he look like the one who had lost? For a moment, they didn't know what to say.

Wan Guiyi was very unhappy because Wu Xiaofan had won so easily earlier, defeating his opponent in just two moves. He, on the other hand, was battered and bruised, winning in a pathetic state. Compared to Wu Xiaofan, it was like night and day.

His junior brother, Cai Yu, knew his temper best. "Senior brother, there's no need to be upset," he said. "Qiuchanzi from Qingxu Manor is clearly much stronger than Luo Dongjiang from Luofu Mountain, so naturally, he's a more difficult opponent to deal with."

Wan Guiyi snorted. "A true strong person wouldn't make such excuses. No matter how powerful he is, I should have been able to suppress him with ease."

Cai Yu: "..."

His senior brother's overflowing confidence was truly baffling.

At this point, Lou Wucheng and Shi Dingtian were already standing on the arena.

As the successor of the Longevity Sword, Lou Wucheng was not only exceptionally gifted but also extraordinarily handsome. Although Baiyujing had no explicit rules, its disciples were generally handsome men and beautiful women. Standing there casually, he was truly a vision: white robes like snow, graceful and distinguished. This drew continuous screams from many female cultivators:

"Ah, Senior Brother Lou, my idol!"

"Isn't your idol Senior Brother Zhiyin?"

"Don't worry about the details! Today's idol is Senior Brother Lou!"

Unlike Wan Guiyi, Lou Wucheng graciously nodded to the surrounding disciples, looking elegant, refined, and faultless. He deliberately glanced towards Aunt Yan Xuehen, feeling a bit regretful. It was a pity Junior Sister Chuyan wasn't in the stands; otherwise, he could have shown off for her today.

In contrast to the dashing and handsome Lou Wucheng, Shi Dingtian, his opponent, looked around self-consciously after stepping onto the stage, his expression resembling a country bumpkin entering a city. However, after the previous Qiuchanzi incident, no one dared to underestimate him. What if he was another one who pretended to be weak only to strike hard?

Lou Wucheng smiled and cupped his hands in greeting to Shi Dingtian. "Hello, Senior Brother Shi!"

"Hello, hello," Shi Dingtian replied hurriedly.

Lou Wucheng was not in a hurry to attack; he planned to test his opponent's strength first. After the recent Qiuchanzi incident, everyone understood that the moves and skills shown by these chief disciples in the group stages were not indicative of their true abilities. They had mostly hidden their real power—except for that good-for-nothing Zhiyin, who used all his trump cards and still lost, yet still had the nerve to compete with me for Junior Sister Chu.

Lou Wucheng slowly raised his sword level with his chest. "This sword is three feet seven inches long and weighs seven catties thirteen taels. It's my best friend, and I'm always happy when I'm with it."

He voluntarily introduced his weapon. Actually, it didn't matter if he introduced it or not; the world knew his unique skill was the Longevity Sword, so his weapon was naturally a sword. He wanted to use this opportunity to gauge his opponent's true strength. After all, Shi Dingtian was not well-known; it was only upon arriving at Purple Mountain that they learned he was Taixuan Cave's chief disciple, and he hadn't used any weapons in the previous group matches.

Shi Dingtian was taken aback, clearly not quite understanding that such an opening speech was required on the stage. He instinctively replied, "My best friend is Erhei."

Now it was Lou Wucheng's turn to be confused. He had been waiting for Shi Dingtian to continue, but there was nothing more. Helpless, he had to ask, "What kind of weapon is Erhei?"

*Erhei? Does that mean he wields two weapons? I'll have to be careful of his other hand later.*

"Erhei isn't a weapon; he's a dog," Shi Dingtian replied earnestly.

Lou Wucheng: "???"

As if worried Lou Wucheng wouldn't understand, Shi Dingtian continued to explain, "Didn't you just introduce your best friend? Erhei is my best friend too. I'm very happy when he's with me. It's a shame the Cave Master absolutely wouldn't let me bring him this time."

"But I've met a lot of people here at Purple Mountain this time, like those from the group matches, and you today. You guys keep me from feeling lonely. And there's one thing you're better at than Erhei: he can only bark, but you can talk."

"Pfft!" The disciples below the stage could no longer hold back and burst into laughter. Naturally, the disciples who had fought him in the group matches looked displeased, realizing they had just been compared to a dog. Even Wang Wuxie and the other sect leaders looked at Mu, the Cave Master of Taixuan Cave, with extremely strange expressions. Cave Master Mu's old face turned beet red. The reason they hadn't allowed Shi Dingtian to bring his dog was precisely to avoid embarrassment, but to their utter dismay, they were embarrassed nonetheless.

*And Lou Wucheng! Just fight the match, why talk about all this nonsense!*

Yun Jianyue also found it amusing. "This kid, I don't know if he's genuinely foolish or just pretending. Be careful if you face him in the next round."

Qiu Honglei rolled her eyes. "I haven't even had my match yet, and you're already thinking about the next round?"

"With your current ability, winning this round won't be a problem."

"Just now you told me not to underestimate any opponent."

"Oh? Did I say that?"

On the stage, Lou Wucheng's face twitched. He took a deep breath, seemingly to calm his growing irritation. "I was asking about your weapon?"

"Weapon?" Shi Dingtian was surprised. "Oh, I used to have a saber, but the two Cave Masters said this was a tournament where we should stop before causing serious harm. I was worried I might accidentally kill someone, so I didn't bring it."

As soon as he said this, Wu Xiaofan, Wan Guiyi, and Liang Ling from Kunlun Xu all sharply opened their eyes. This fellow sure had a big mouth. Even the sect masters of the various major sects looked at Cave Master Mu with displeased expressions. Cave Master Mu wiped cold sweat from his brow and said awkwardly, "The boy doesn't know how to speak properly. Please don't take it to heart, everyone."

Zu An looked at Shi Dingtian on the stage with amusement, thinking, *This kid probably has something up his sleeve. I hope he gives that Lou fellow a good beating. How dare he have designs on my Chuyan? If I weren't a referee right now, I'd really want to go down there and teach him a lesson myself.*

Lou Wucheng's eyelids twitched. He felt that engaging him in conversation had been a mistake. "You can use a weapon; it's fine." If his opponent clearly had a weapon but chose to fight with bare hands, using his sword would seem unfair and would make him a laughingstock.

"No, no, no, no," Shi Dingtian waved his hands hurriedly. "I don't have good control. When I get aggressive, I tend to lose all sense of proportion. This way is fine; if I only use my hands, I won't have to worry about accidentally killing you."

Even Yan Xuehen couldn't help but give him another look. This kid was indeed a bit strange. Li Changsheng, nearby, frowned slightly and scrutinized Shi Dingtian, trying to determine if his words were genuine or merely intended to provoke his opponent.

"Amitabha," Master Jianhuang remarked from the side. "This young benefactor also possesses a pure heart. If he were to join my Wuyou Temple, he could surely propagate the Dharma greatly."

The young monk Jie Se, beside him, said discontentedly, "Master, are you saying I don't have a pure heart?"

Master Jianhuang squinted at him. "Why don't you look at what your own name is?"

Jie Se: "..."

At this point, Lou Wucheng finally grew angry. He said coldly, "In that case, I shall experience your esteemed techniques."

As soon as he finished speaking, his long sword flew from its sheath, and a myriad of sword shadows appeared before him. However, in the next instant, all the shadows vanished, becoming ethereal and unpredictable. Only a handful of people on the entire Golden Summit could faintly discern the profound trajectory of this sword.

Zu An was a little surprised. Was this the renowned Longevity Sword? In some ways, it resembled the Snowfall Divine Sword, but while the Snowfall Divine Sword embodied the poignant beauty and coldness of snow, the Longevity Sword was more like the ethereal quality of high mountains, as if a celestial immortal truly touched one's head to bestow immortality.

Shi Dingtian hurriedly swung his fist, striking directly on the sword tip. Both men's bodies trembled simultaneously, and a gentle breeze swept through the surroundings. Compared to the fierce clash between Wan Guiyi and Qiuchanzi earlier, this encounter was clearly much quieter.

Lou Wucheng wasn't surprised that his opponent could block this sword, as he was, after all, a chief disciple of his sect. He said calmly, "Although I only used four-tenths of my vital energy in that strike, your ability to withstand it makes you a rarity among your peers. No wonder you possess such arrogance. However, if you don't use a weapon soon, don't blame me for getting serious."

After speaking, he paused, then, as if compelled, added, "How much vital energy did you use just now?"

Shi Dingtian was momentarily stunned, then hesitated before replying, "Let's say... three-tenths of my vital energy."

Lou Wucheng became furious. "I'll kill you!"