Chapter 558: Red Lotus Nine Swords

A renowned teacher must possess a profound understanding of cultivation to speak eloquently and pinpoint deficiencies. Otherwise, their lectures and explanations are nothing more than theoretical discussions. The ability to discern the essence of cultivation and cultivate rapidly is paramount, no less important than educating others. For this reason, after extensive discussions with several elders, we've decided that this assessment round will not adhere to conventional practices. Instead, we have specially designed a new martial art. Participants will be given the time it takes for one stick of incense to burn to study it, absorbing as much as they can. Afterward, they will be assessed to determine their scores. Rest assured, this martial art has never been seen before, so there's no need to worry about advance leaks.

Hall Master Kang smiled as he surveyed the room.

"Leaked questions? Hall Master, you jest. The renowned teacher assessment places the utmost importance on fairness. If any breach is discovered, qualifications are immediately revoked. Who would knowingly risk that?"

"Even if there were an unfair advantage, it would surely benefit Young Master Ruohuan, as he is the Hall Master's student... though it seems he's been quite defeated this time!"

"Yes, look at him before! He was the head of the Four Young Masters, full of spirit and vigor. Now, he's like a defeated rooster—it's truly a struggle for him."

"By the way, Hall Master Kang, what kind of martial art is it exactly? If it's simple, their talent would allow them to reach the 'minor accomplishment' level within the time it takes for an incense stick to burn. How would that even be a competition?" Upon hearing the competition rules, someone could not help but voice their concern.

Martial arts are categorized into five levels: Entry, Proficiency, Minor Accomplishment, Major Accomplishment, and Perfect Mastery. Entry signifies a basic understanding of the martial art, allowing one to barely execute it. Proficiency denotes an advanced stage, where one can unleash power, though execution may still lack complete fluidity. Minor Accomplishment indicates a comprehensive grasp of the martial art, enabling its use as a life-saving ultimate technique. It's worth noting that most martial artists only cultivate their techniques to this level. As for the subsequent levels, Major Accomplishment and Perfect Mastery, these are not about mastering a single move; they demand over a decade of dedicated immersion and are virtually impossible to achieve in a short time. If this martial art were simple enough for everyone to reach Minor Accomplishment within an incense stick's time, their proficiency would be identical, making it difficult to determine a winner.

"Minor Accomplishment?" Understanding their concerns, Hall Master Kang smiled slightly: "If you knew who designed this martial art, you certainly wouldn't be saying that!"

"Who designed it?"

"Could it be... Elder Hong?"

"Elder Hong is renowned in the Myriad Kingdoms Renowned Teacher Hall as the most thorough researcher of martial arts. Over the past fifty years, he has created no fewer than twenty-seven or twenty-eight sets of martial arts, perhaps even thirty!"

"Indeed, the Grand Illusion Fist and Ripple Chain Palm I practice were both created by him!"

"Exactly, I also learned three martial arts from his courses..."

"But... hasn't Elder Hong been in seclusion for the past decade? When did he emerge?"

"I'm not sure, but if it truly is a martial art he created, then even achieving the Entry level in such a short time would be challenging, let alone Minor Accomplishment!" Upon hearing the Hall Master's words, everyone was reminded of a legendary figure and began discussing him animatedly.

"Precisely. The one who designed this martial art is indeed Elder Hong!" Hall Master Kang chuckled softly, revealing the answer: "Elder Hong has been in seclusion for the past decade specifically to create this martial art, and he finally completed it just a few days ago! Ten years dedicated to honing a single blade speaks volumes about its difficulty. After evaluation by myself and other elders, it has been determined to be at the peak of the Spirit-tier Middle-grade level!"

"A peak Spirit-tier Middle-grade martial art?"

"Incredible!" Everyone gasped in collective awe.

Even peak cultivators at the Grandmaster Realm Fourth Stage would struggle to fully comprehend a martial art of this caliber, let alone the current participants.

"Alright, I've said all that needed to be said. Now, Elder Hong will personally announce and conduct the assessment. Please, welcome Elder Hong!" Hall Master Kang smiled and surveyed the room, then suddenly froze. "Elder Hong, wait! Where are you going?" he called out.

Following his voice, everyone looked in unison. They saw an old man who had, unbeknownst to them, already reached the main hall's entrance and was just a step away from departing.

"Cough, cough, I... was just taking a stroll!" Noticing everyone's piercing gaze, the old man quickly halted, his face flushing.

"The fourth assessment round is about to begin..." Hall Master Kang quickly walked over and gently pulled him back.

"I..." Elder Hong's face flushed deep red. "Hall Master, perhaps... you should conduct it instead!" He had originally vowed to oversee the assessment, but witnessing the miserable state of the previous three elders, he felt a sudden reluctance. That young man was simply too peculiar. If he were to assess him, who knew what bizarre events might transpire? He certainly didn't want his lifelong reputation to be jeopardized by a single examination.

"How can that be? You created this martial art and have cultivated it to the Major Accomplishment level. Besides you, who else could possibly assess and test them? Even I couldn't do it!" Hall Master Kang stated. Since Elder Hong had created this martial art and cultivated it to the Major Accomplishment level himself, who else possessed the expertise to assess everyone apart from him? He certainly couldn't.

"Uh..." Elder Hong hesitated.

"Don't worry," Hall Master Kang assured him telepathically, "in the time it takes for one stick of incense to burn, even the most brilliant genius will only reach the Entry level. There definitely won't be any problems!" Master Zhang was certainly peculiar, but martial arts were not something that could be mastered instantly. Hall Master Kang didn't believe anyone could achieve Major Accomplishment after only learning for the duration of an incense stick, let alone surpass Elder Hong, the very creator of the technique. Therefore, there was no need for concern.

"Alright!" After a moment's thought, convinced by the Hall Master's reasoning, Elder Hong returned to the front of the group.

"Hall Master Kang just informed you about the assessment content. Now, I will explain the detailed competition rules!"

"This martial art is called the Nine Red Lotus Swords, inspired by a fleeting glimpse I had of a red lotus. The rules are simple: in a moment, I will provide you with the cultivation method for this sword art. Each of you will have the time it takes for one stick of incense to burn to observe and comprehend it!"

"Afterward, I will personally test your comprehension. Don't worry, understanding this sword art is related to your grasp of cultivation principles and innate talent, not so much your personal cultivation level. As long as you have reached the Grandmaster Realm, you can learn and even execute it."

"During the test, you must not use your cultivation base; you will compete purely with sword moves. If you can land three strikes against me, you will have reached the Entry level; six strikes signify Proficiency; and achieving nine strikes means you have attained Minor Accomplishment... If you can exchange ten or more moves with me, that will be considered Major Accomplishment..." Elder Hong elaborated on the specific rules.

This was actually somewhat similar to the second assessment's cultivation test, with the key difference being that only the newly learned Nine Red Lotus Swords could be utilized. Any moves outside this scope would result in disqualification. An incense stick lasts approximately fifteen minutes. In such a brief period, it would be challenging even to observe an entire martial art, let alone comprehend it and execute it in combat! Strictly speaking, this assessment round was considerably more challenging than the first three combined.

"For fairness, this assessment, like the previous competitions, will take place in separate rooms. I will go in first, and you may enter one by one..." At this point, Elder Hong paused: "Alright, I'll set the order for you. Du Hu will go first, followed by Luo Xi, Feng Mosheng, Fu Xiaochen, Jun Ruohuan, and finally, Master Zhang!" Zhang Xuan was peculiar, so it was safer to place him last. If he went first and created some uncontrollable situation, it would be difficult to proceed with the assessment afterward.

"Understood!" Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Let's begin!"

Once the order was set, Elder Hong entered the room first, closely followed by Du Hu. Approximately one incense stick's time later, a light flashed on the wall, and a number appeared: three! Unexpectedly, in such a short time, Du Hu had grasped the Entry level, performing three sword strikes before Elder Hong. As expected of a genius recommended by the other elders, he was indeed exceptional.

Next was Luo Xi. She and Du Hu were among the lowest-ranked of the six. Knowing that their chances of selection were slim, she felt no pressure and learned quickly. After one stick of incense had burned, she also reached the Entry level, performing three sword strikes.

Next was Feng Mosheng. As expected of Elder Feng's student, his comprehension of the martial art was clearly superior to that of Du Hu and Luo Xi, who came from the lower kingdoms. In just the time it took for an incense stick to burn, he not only surpassed Entry but also achieved Proficiency. He impressively executed five sword strikes! Fu Xiaochen was equally impressive, also performing five sword strikes.

After these four, everyone's gaze converged on Young Master Ruohuan. He himself was a swordsman, and being Hall Master Kang's personal student, he also had the most public support, leading to even greater expectations. Although he had been severely challenged in the first three rounds, he was, after all, a four-star renowned teacher with a transcendent state of mind. After half a day, Young Master Ruohuan had fully adjusted and did not disappoint. After one stick of incense, a prominent number "six" glowed brightly. This demonstrated that his comprehension of the martial art was the most exceptional among his peers.

"Performing six sword strikes before Elder Hong indicates he has mastered the martial art to the peak of Proficiency, meaning he's not far from Minor Accomplishment!"

"Indeed, a true genius!"

"I wonder if Master Zhang can surpass this record!"

"Master Zhang... if I'm not mistaken, his preferred weapon is the spear, isn't it? This is a sword technique, which might put him at a disadvantage!"

"That's true..."

As Young Master Ruohuan exited the room, all eyes turned to the unexpected dark horse, Master Zhang. Previously, no one had held high hopes for him, yet he had consecutively broken records in three rounds, unequivocally securing the first position. He now commanded a strength that no one dared to underestimate. Nevertheless, despite his previous feats, skepticism still lingered regarding this particular round. After all, it was evident from the first assessment round that he excelled in spear techniques, so learning sword techniques might prove challenging for him.

Amidst the murmuring, Master Zhang entered the room. Soon, the time allotted for one incense stick to burn elapsed.

"Hmm? Why is there no number?"

"Exactly! Based on the previous participants, a number should have appeared by now, regardless of whether he reached Entry or Proficiency. Shouldn't it be displayed?"

"What's happening?" When the time concluded, not only was there no number on the wall, but an unnerving silence also enveloped the room. The many renowned teachers in the hall exchanged puzzled glances. Given Master Zhang's unusual behavior in the previous rounds, everyone would have accepted it, even if he had defeated Elder Hong in a single move. But... there was absolutely no sign of activity, not even a single move displayed. What was going on? Could it be that Elder Hong was displeased and... eliminated him? Or perhaps... he defeated Elder Hong?

What exactly happened?