The central plaza first fell into a brief silence, then erupted with a mountain- and sea-shaking roar of discussion!
“Xuan Yuan Heavy Water? It isolates divine sense? This difficulty is too high!”
“Treasure Summoning? This is testing a cultivator’s compatibility and spiritual connection with their own magic weapon!”
“More than just compatibility! Xuan Yuan Heavy Water is said to block eighty percent of divine sense probing and can distort spirit energy sensing. The magic weapon an ordinary cultivator throws in there, I’m afraid they won’t be able to sense even a trace of connection!”
“No wonder it’s the final round. This topic is truly tricky! It tests a cultivator’s fundamentals even more than simple combat and killing!”
The Heavenly Sword Sect is famous for its Sword Dao, so sensing and controlling a sword is a basic skill.
This topic isn’t unfamiliar to her.
The Golden Core Offering waited for the discussion to subside a bit, then flicked his sleeve again.
A jade plate with flowing radiance appeared in his hand.
At the center of the jade plate lay a fist-sized, silver-gray ore covered in natural spatial cracks.
The ore was right before their eyes, yet it gave people a feeling of being both close and distant, as if it existed in another layer of space.
“This is the prize for the champion of this Dharma Assembly—” the Offering’s voice suddenly rose, carrying a trace of pride and solemnity, “—a top-grade relic, Duan Kong Stone!”
“Whoa—!”
A more intense uproar than before swept across the entire arena!
Countless gazes instantly turned fervent, fixed dead on that silver-gray ore!
“Duan Kong Stone?! The legendary spatial treasure?”
“It contains the aura of the Spatial Dao and can help one comprehend spatial laws! A supreme treasure!”
“Isn’t this thing already extinct? The Jin Royal Family is actually willing to take out such a treasure as a reward?”
“If one can comprehend even a little, moving without a trace against enemies, containing a universe within a mustard seed when setting up formations… its uses are endless!”
Even those contestants on the stage who originally wore calm expressions now revealed unconcealable desire and fervor in their eyes.
The Spatial Dao—that was one of the great Daos countless cultivators dreamed of!
Even if they could only comprehend the surface, it would be enough for their strength to undergo a qualitative change!
On the observation seats, Fu Shangyu’s hand, which had been toying with a jade bone folding fan, paused slightly.
A trace of surprise flashed in her pink eyes, but it quickly returned to calm.
Her foundation was deep, and she had seen similar treasures before, but this Duan Kong Stone was indeed precious, making even her feel a bit moved.
As for Lu Li… his reaction was much more indifferent.
Duan Kong Stone?
It sounded impressive, but for a cultivator like him who had already mastered the Spatial Dao, its use was indeed limited.
The spatial divine ability rewarded by the System was directly imprinted on his soul, far more efficient than this kind of external object that required slow comprehension.
At best, this thing could make his understanding of space a bit more detailed—icing on the cake.
What he cared about more was his own disciple’s performance.
On the stage, Gu Qingying’s purple eyes instantly shone with startling brilliance when she heard the words “Duan Kong Stone”!
‘The Spatial Dao! Isn’t that what Master uses? If… if I can win this stone and give it to Master, will Master’s Spatial Dao advance further? Will Master… be happier? Like me more?’
This thought ignited like wildfire in her heart, instantly overriding her consideration of the competition’s difficulty.
Almost impatiently, she secretly transmitted her voice to Lu Li on the observation seats, her voice filled with suppressed excitement and determination.
“Master! Did you hear? Duan Kong Stone! A treasure containing the aura of the Spatial Dao! Your disciple will definitely seize it for you! To let your spatial divine ability reach a higher level!”
Lu Li received the transmission, slightly startled, a warm current rising in his heart.
This child, the first thing she thought of was giving it to him.
Although he didn’t really need it, he didn’t want to dampen his disciple’s good intentions and filial piety.
The smile on his face grew a few degrees warmer as he transmitted back.
“Qingkong, you have a kind heart. But don’t get distracted during the competition. Focus on yourself, safety first. Regardless of victory or defeat, you are your master’s pride. Your master looks forward to your performance.”
This gentle encouragement was like the best stimulant, filling Gu Qingying’s entire body with strength.
She nodded heavily.
When she turned to face the massive water ball floating above the Dharma Stage, her gaze had already become incomparably focused and sharp.
“Alright!”
The Golden Core Offering put away the Duan Kong Stone and declared loudly, “The rules and rewards are clear! Now, please, the fifteen contestants, take turns throwing your chosen magic weapon into the Xuan Yuan Heavy Water ball!”
As his words fell, the water ball slowly descended to the center of the Dharma Stage, hovering about thirty feet off the ground, its surface flowing with light, like a small, independent world.
According to the order of positions, Gu Qingying stepped forward first.
She took a deep breath and untied the Love Thread Sword from her waist.
The silver scabbard flowed with a warm luster under the sunlight, the entwined patterns like threads of emotion seeming to come alive.
She gently stroked the hilt once and whispered, “Partner, it’s up to you.”
Then, with a flick of her wrist, the Love Thread Sword transformed into a silver stream of light, whoosh, accurately disappearing into the massive blue water ball.
The sword entered the water without even stirring a single ripple, as if completely swallowed and isolated by the deep blue Xuan Yuan Heavy Water.
The clear connection between Gu Qingying and the Love Thread Sword instantly became extremely weak and blurry, as if separated by a thick layer of fog.
Gu Qingying’s heart tightened, but she quickly steadied her mind, stepped back to her original position, closed her eyes, concentrated her spirit, and began to sense with all her might.
Next was Feng Lingshuang.
She stepped forward and took down the long sword from her back.
It was a simple, ancient-style long sword with a blade as clear and blue as autumn water.
Intricate Heavenly Sword Sect cloud patterns were carved near the guard.
Her movements were crisp and decisive.
The long sword left her hand, similarly disappearing into the water ball without a sound.
Afterwards, Zhou Ruoxi, Wan Shou Shan’s Qu Baichuan, and the other contestants each threw their chosen magic weapons into the water ball.
Sabers, swords, spears, rings, mirrors, seals… various spiritual lights vanished into the deep blue water body, disappearing without a trace.
The one called “You Mo” threw out a pitch-black bone shuttle that emitted a sinister aura.
In less than half the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, all fifteen magic weapons had been submerged into the Xuan Yuan Heavy Water ball.
The water ball still hovered quietly, its surface flowing with light, but its interior seemed to have become a chaotic space isolated from the world, devouring all the auras and spiritual lights of the weapons.
“Magic weapons are in the water!” the Golden Core Offering announced loudly.
“Now—Treasure Summoning begins!”
As his words fell, the fifteen cultivators on the Dharma Stage almost simultaneously closed their eyes.
Spirit energy surged around them, and their divine senses were fully deployed, probing towards that deep, unfathomable water ball!
Divine senses clashed, undercurrents surged.
Gu Qingying held her breath and concentrated, sinking all her mind into the extremely weak connection with the Love Thread Sword.
However, the isolating effect of the Xuan Yuan Heavy Water far exceeded her imagination.
The feeling was like trying to touch a blurry shadow behind a thick, constantly flowing and distorting wall of water.
She could vaguely sense the Love Thread Sword’s existence, knew it was somewhere in the water ball, but its specific location, state, even whether it could still respond to her summons, all became chaotic and unclear.
Her divine sense probed into the water ball like a clay ox entering the sea, constantly being worn down and distorted by the heavy water, thick and containing a strange Dao aura.
‘No good… the sensing is too blurry…’
Gu Qingying frowned slightly, fine sweat beading on her forehead.
She tried operating the Supreme Severing Emotions Art, condensing her spirit energy and divine sense even more, like a fine needle trying to pierce through the layers of water curtain.
The connection seemed to clear up a tiny bit, but there was still a thick membrane separating them.
The situations of the other contestants were largely similar.
Some had pale faces, clearly having expended a great deal of divine sense; some trembled slightly, as if struggling against the water ball’s isolating force; and some had relatively calm expressions, but their progress was obviously not fast either.
Zhou Ruoxi kept her eyes tightly shut, but a faint, elusive smile hung at the corner of her mouth.
Her method of extending divine sense was quite unique—not forcing penetration, but being as flexible as seaweed, gently swaying and seeping along with the flow of the Xuan Yuan Heavy Water, slowly but steadily spreading towards the depths of the water ball.
Wan Shou Shan’s Qu Baichuan had faint blue veins bulging on his forehead, his divine sense carrying a fierce, savage aura, crashing against the water curtain again and again like a wild beast.
As for that “You Mo,” his entire body was shrouded in a cloak, his expression unclear, but around him, extremely obscure, cold divine sense fluctuations emanated.
When those fluctuations touched the water ball, the Xuan Yuan Heavy Water actually faintly rippled with a few abnormal gray-black ripples, but quickly returned to deep blue.
Feng Lingshuang also closed her eyes and concentrated.
The Heavenly Sword Sect’s sword-refining methods inherently emphasized the unity of man and sword, cultivating the spiritual connection between the swordsman and their sword.
Her divine sense was like a clear and tenacious sword intent, incredibly condensed, piercing straight into the depths of the water ball, searching for the location of her own azure long sword.
At first, she also encountered powerful isolating force.
But her Sword Heart was clear and bright, her divine sense pure, with far fewer distracting thoughts than others, giving it stronger penetrating power.
Gradually, she sensed a faint, cool response.
‘Found it…’
Feng Lingshuang felt a surge of joy in her heart, then hurriedly strengthened her sensing, preparing to guide her spirit sword to break through the water and emerge.
Then, they saw that the Xuan Yuan Heavy Water ball, which had been quietly hovering and deep blue, suddenly erupted with a point of dazzling silver light from within!
That silver light was faint at first but quickly grew bright and sharp, like a star in deep water suddenly igniting!
“Is a magic weapon coming out?!”
The audience below instantly held their breath.
“So fast?! It hasn’t even been the time it takes to burn half an incense stick!”
“Who is it? Whose sensing is so strong?”
Under the gaze of countless eyes, that point of silver light broke through layer upon layer of heavy water obstruction with unstoppable force, getting closer and clearer!
Zing!
A clear, phoenix-cry-like sword hum resounded throughout the arena!
A silver stream of light, like a dragon breaking free from its bonds, whoosh, shot out from the Xuan Yuan Heavy Water ball!
Instantly, water splashed in all directions, refracting dazzling light under the sun.
The stream of light drew a graceful arc in the air.
The silver scabbard, the entwined patterns like threads of emotion, shone brilliantly under the sunlight!
It was precisely the Love Thread Sword Gu Qingying had thrown in!
“Ah! It’s my sword!”
Seeing this, Gu Qingying was overjoyed in her heart.
Although she didn’t know why she had summoned her own sword out when she hadn’t even sensed it properly.
But the sword was out, that was good!
Gu Qingying immediately stepped forward, reaching out her hand, ready to directly catch the returning Love Thread Sword.
However, in the very next second, something happened that left everyone dumbfounded!
That Love Thread Sword, which had broken through the water, suddenly paused slightly in mid-air, as if identifying direction.
Then, it actually… directly passed by Gu Qingying, whose face was full of joy and whose hand was outstretched to catch it!
Under Gu Qingying’s instantly frozen smile and bewildered gaze, the Love Thread Sword, like a young swallow returning to its nest, with a joyful tremor, flew with pinpoint accuracy… towards Feng Lingshuang, who was standing in the second position and had just lowered her loosely clenched right hand!
Feng Lingshuang seemed to sense something and instinctively raised her hand.
Tap.
A soft sound.
The warm, slightly cool hilt landed steadily in her palm.
That touch, that weight, the subtle rhythm of spirit energy flow… familiar enough to make her soul tremble.
Feng Lingshuang held the sword, her body under the cloak trembling slightly, as if what she held was not a sword, but a whole world regained, the last warm link with her master across life, death, and reincarnation.
Dead silence.
The entire arena was deathly silent.
At this moment, not to mention Gu Qingying, even Feng Lingshuang herself didn’t understand what had happened.
‘I was just summoning my own life-bound spirit sword of this life, Cang Yun. How did the one summoned turn out to be the spirit sword I used in my previous life, which in this life already belongs to my junior sister Gu Qingying—the Love Thread Sword?’
Just as the Love Thread Sword landed in Feng Lingshuang’s palm, the solidified silence of the entire arena was violently broken, replaced by an even more surging tide of astonishment and discussion!
“It’s out! It really came out!”
“Too fast! How long has it been?!”
“Jian Mingzi! It’s Jian Mingzi! He was the first to summon his magic weapon out!”
“Heavens! The isolating power of that Xuan Yuan Heavy Water is so immense, yet he could break through the water curtain so quickly and accurately summon his sword? This youth’s sensing and control over the sword is simply astounding!”
“As expected of someone from the Heavenly Sword Sect. This skill of Sword Heart Enlightenment is truly remarkable! The bearing of a champion is already showing!”
The audience below didn’t know the truth.
They only saw that silver long sword break out of the water ball and then fly straight towards Feng Lingshuang in the second position, who had just lowered her hand.
Naturally, everyone assumed this sword was the life-bound magic weapon Feng Lingshuang had thrown in and successfully summoned!
This speed and precision were enough to shock the entire arena.
Even the Golden Core Offering presiding over the assembly had a trace of surprise and appreciation flash in his eyes.
The Offering’s face broke into a smile.
He cleared his throat, and his resonant voice cut through the noise below as he loudly announced, “Good! The first magic weapon successfully summoned! The winner is—Heavenly Sword Sect’s Jian Mingzi!”
However, as soon as the Golden Core Offering’s words fell, they saw Gu Qingying suddenly run up to Feng Lingshuang with a red face, looking utterly wronged.
She pointed at the Love Thread Sword in Feng Lingshuang’s hand and shouted.
“Give it back… give my Love Thread Sword back to me!”