Chapter 117: Sword Sweeps the Heavenly Gang

In front of the hall, the fourteen scholars remained silent; no one withdrew.

The boy smiled and said, "Since no one has withdrawn, this round can now begin. Master."

Daoist Lingyun walked out from inside the hall, his gaze sweeping over Qin Mu and the others. He smiled and said, "The previous rounds tested your foundational skills, ingenuity, and temperament. This round will test your strength. Although you are scholars, reaching this point is extraordinary, and each of you possesses astonishing strength. As the Hall Master of the Pure Yang Hall, I will personally oversee this test."

The scholars exchanged glances, and one of them whispered, "That's not fair..."

Daoist Lingyun's eyes glinted. He chuckled and said, "Of course it's not fair. You come from junior and senior academies and cannot be compared to the Imperial College. I, on the other hand, am a director of the Imperial College and have extensively studied its vast scriptures. Even within the same cultivation realm, I surpass you by an immeasurable margin. Therefore, for this assessment, you only need to withstand three moves from me. If you remain undefeated after three moves, you will pass."

He smiled gently and said, "I have sealed my cultivation to only the Five Elemental Realms, so you can rest assured."

At his words, the scholars all breathed a sigh of relief. As long as it was a contest within the same realm, they feared no one. After all, they were all outstanding martial artists and masters in their respective junior and senior academies, and they had this confidence!

Daoist Lingyun also smiled faintly, feeling relieved. Although it was within the same realm and only three moves, there was a great deal of room for manipulation. Within three moves, he could easily hold back without revealing any flaws, or he could eliminate other scholars within three moves! After all, he was a director of the Imperial College. While he wouldn't claim to be invincible within the same realm, he was certainly among the few strongest in the world!

"Ding Shan, you're first."

Daoist Lingyun, having sealed his cultivation, said in a deep voice, "Boy, bring the wooden swords."

The boy brought two wooden sword cases and stood them upright on the ground.

Daoist Lingyun pointed a finger, and a thread of vital qi as fine as a hair flew out, retrieving a wooden sword from one of the cases. He said, "This sword case contains thirty-six swords, perfectly suited for the Heavenly Dipper Sword Art. You can carry the case on your back for ease of use. As for me, one sword will suffice."

The scholar named Ding Shan stepped forward, placed the sword case on his back, bowed to Daoist Lingyun, and with a fierce cry, activated the Heavenly Dipper Sword Art. Wooden swords flew out from the case, one after another.

The Heavenly Dipper Sword Art was a compulsory sword art for scholars everywhere. Qin Mu had already seen this sword art on the flying boat to the capital. The first time he saw it, he was surprised, marveling that the martial artists of Eternal Peace Kingdom were all so remarkable, with even a casual martial artist being able to display such a refined sword art. However, when he saw that almost all the scholars practiced the Heavenly Dipper Sword Art, his thought was that he could easily defeat ten such scholars with one hand.

Ding Shan performed the Heavenly Dipper Sword Art, and the thirty-six wooden swords flew up and down, their power not weak. But the moment he displayed this set of sword moves, Qin Mu knew that he absolutely could not withstand three moves from Daoist Lingyun, not even one!

*Whoosh—*

Daoist Lingyun controlled his sword with vital qi. He thrust his sword forward; the wooden sword was incredibly cunning, darting like lightning through the thirty-six wooden swords, striking Ding Shan in the chest. The force sent the boy flying backward, he landed on the ground with a thud, and for a long while, he did not get up.

"Your cultivation is not weak," Daoist Lingyun said with a nod and a smile.

The other scholars felt a chill in their hearts. Daoist Lingyun's sword art had reached the 'transformation realm'. The phrase "superb and miraculous" meant that the 'transformation' itself was a realm, transforming into a single realm, creating its own world. At this level, one was no longer confined by specific sword techniques; any move became a sword art. What was even more terrifying was that, even though Daoist Lingyun had sealed his other divine treasures, only retaining the Spirit Embryo and Five Elemental divine treasures, his cultivation was still incredibly profound, far surpassing Ding Shan's! This was truly terrifying. Could anyone truly withstand three moves from him?

Daoist Lingyun's eyes flickered. He said, "Ding Shan, leave the sword case. You may descend the mountain. Next scholar, Qin Yu."

"Qin Yu?"

Qin Mu was momentarily stunned. He looked at the young man stepping out of the line. The young man was remarkably handsome, with elegant bearing and a dignified, neither-humble-nor-arrogant demeanor. His face gave Qin Mu a familiar feeling.

'He somewhat resembles Qin Feiyue, Little General Qin,' Qin Mu thought to himself.

Qin Yu stepped forward, slung the sword case onto his back, and bowed respectfully.

Daoist Lingyun smiled and said, "Although you are from the Qin family, which holds great power and influence in the court and throughout the land, I will not hold back in this grand examination. Display your strongest abilities, or you will meet the same fate as Ding Shan."

Qin Yu affirmed, reached behind him and drew a sword. He held one wooden sword in his hand, while thirty-five more wooden swords flew out simultaneously. They did not form the Heavenly Dipper Sword Array; instead, each sword moved like a swimming dragon, remarkably nimble. This sword art, however, was not one taught in junior or senior academies.

This sword art was one even Daoist Lingyun had never seen. He felt that each wooden sword was like a swimming dragon, and when these wooden swords combined, they formed a great dragon, merging the power of thirty-five wooden swords, their might truly extraordinary!

Qin Yu let out a cry, and his vital qi erupted. His White Tiger vital qi suddenly became incredibly vigorous. The vital qi permeated the wooden swords, astonishingly making them gleam with a golden hue, like golden swords! Now, these thirty-six wooden swords were even superior to metal. Under his control, they attacked Daoist Lingyun!

Daoist Lingyun praised aloud, thinking to himself, 'This isn't the Qin family's sword art. He must have had another fortuitous encounter and comprehended a sword art in the form of a swimming dragon. Even if the Qin family hadn't sent word for me to look after Qin Yu, he would still be qualified to become an Imperial College scholar.'

Qin Yu followed a path that combined martial techniques and divine arts. His sword art was like a swimming dragon, extremely sharp and formidable. The thirty-five wooden swords darted and weaved, resembling thirty-five small dragons. Occasionally, the wooden swords would merge two by two, or three by three, as if several small dragons had combined into a larger dragon, doubling their power. The wooden sword in his hand, however, was even more fierce and domineering. The sword in his hand was like an extension of his arm, striking precisely where he aimed, incredibly elusive, employing a formidable martial technique.

Qin Mu's heart skipped a beat at the side. 'This Qin Yu has seen a true dragon! That's right, Qin Feiyue pulled the son of the Surging River Dragon King, the young dragon sealed in profound ice, out of the Great Ruins and brought it back to Eternal Peace! Qin Yu's sword art must have been comprehended from that young dragon. Could that young dragon have been revived?'

Besides the young dragon whose heart was pierced, the Grand Tutor Gu Lihuan was also sealed in the profound ice. Qin Mu couldn't help but feel uneasy. Since that young dragon had been rescued, Gu Lihuan would naturally have been rescued as well. As a First-Rank Grand Tutor, Gu Lihuan possessed extraordinary strength. Qin Mu had tricked him out of his Grand Tutor Sword, and the cripple had even taken the scabbard. If Gu Lihuan recognized him, he certainly wouldn't let it go. He hadn't brought the Grand Tutor Sword to this grand examination. He had left the precious sword in the Listening Rain Pavilion, under Fu Qingyun's care. After all, the Grand Tutor Sword was a saber carried by a First-Rank official. Although it had been missing for decades, someone would surely recognize it.

'I don't know if Gu Lihuan is still the Grand Tutor or not. Regardless, he's not someone I can contend with. I should find the Founding Master first!'

The fight between Qin Yu and Daoist Lingyun was extremely impressive. Unfortunately, it was only three moves. Within those three moves, both men exchanged offense and defense multiple times.

After three moves, Daoist Lingyun withdrew his sword and said with a faint smile, "You have passed."

Qin Yu breathed a sigh of relief, recalled his wooden swords, and put down the sword case.

Qin Mu frowned slightly. Daoist Lingyun and Qin Yu had exchanged offense and defense, and it looked extremely impressive, but it gave him a strange feeling. It seemed Daoist Lingyun hadn't used his full strength. Qin Yu's techniques were indeed exquisite, but his cultivation wasn't much higher than Ding Shan's earlier. Daoist Lingyun could have easily suppressed Qin Yu with his profound cultivation, but he deliberately chose to use one sword to compete in sword art against his opponent's thirty-six swords. Wasn't that using one's weakness against the opponent's strength?

Qin Mu's cultivation was strong. Moreover, the blind man had already taught him the Nine Heavens Eye-Opening Method. Although he had only mastered the first heaven, his eyesight was astonishing, allowing him to perceive this.

'There's something fishy going on here...'

"Next, Qin Mu," Daoist Lingyun said with a smile.

Qin Mu stepped forward, just as he was about to put the sword case on his back, Daoist Lingyun said, "Are you also surnamed Qin?"

Qin Mu looked up at him and nodded, saying, "I am."

Daoist Lingyun smiled faintly and said, "Unfortunately, not the Qin of the Qin family."

Qin Mu's eyebrow twitched slightly. He didn't put the sword case on. He gave a dull smile and said, "Teacher, I'm rather dull-witted and I prefer more. Could I use both sword cases?"

Daoist Lingyun didn't take it seriously. He laughed and said, "Go ahead and use them. One wooden sword is enough for me."

Qin Mu moved the other sword case over as well, placing it beside his feet. His vital qi surged out; a thread of vital qi as thick as an arm permeated one of the sword cases, and a wooden sword flew out.

Daoist Lingyun couldn't help but laugh. "How did you practice? Didn't your teacher teach you to refine vital qi into threads?"

Qin Mu bowed slightly, and with a simple, honest smile, said, "I haven't learned that yet. Teacher, please begin."

Daoist Lingyun clasped his hands behind his back. An almost imperceptible thread of vital qi guided his wooden sword, which glided in front of and behind him. He smiled and said, "You may make your move."

Qin Mu's right hand formed a sword incantation with joined fingers. His vital qi suddenly erupted, incredibly violent. He took a step forward, thrust his sword incantation hand forward, and swept it upward!

*Whoosh—*

The whistling sound of the wooden sword tearing through the air almost burst everyone's eardrums. Daoist Lingyun's heart leaped. He hastily urged his wooden sword to block, but it hit empty air. Immediately after, Qin Mu's wooden sword scooped him up, sending him flying into mid-air!

Sword-Lift Style!

Qin Mu remained expressionless. His sword-forming fingers thrust forward. Daoist Lingyun had just been lifted into mid-air and hadn't had time to react. The wooden sword had already pierced his heart, sending him flying backward, crashing into the hall's entrance and disappearing from sight.

Simultaneously, Qin Mu stomped his foot. The two sword cases were jolted three feet off the ground. The buckles on the sword cases burst open with a *pop pop* sound. Wooden swords shot out like lightning, one after another, striking consecutively, one after another, into the hall.

*Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud-thud—*

A series of piercing and breaking sounds of wooden swords echoed from within the hall. In the blink of an eye, both sword cases were empty. Seventy-one wooden swords formed a single line. As the front sword struck Daoist Lingyun's chest and its force just ran out, the next sword immediately struck, pushing through the previous one to continue piercing Daoist Lingyun's chest. This continued one after another, so relentless that it left no room to breathe!