Firmament Sword

The massive arena stage had transformed into a sea of light, brilliant and dazzling, as resplendent as the sun itself!

It was impossible for anyone to see clearly what was happening inside.

Only a very small number of people could roughly guess the situation within.

In the stands, Jin Ming shot to his feet and cried out, "This is impossible!"

True, he had hoped Luo Tian would win, as that would best serve his interests. But he absolutely did not want to see an incomparably powerful opponent... burst onto the scene like a blazing sun.

Although he couldn't see everything that had happened within the sea of light on the stage, he had guessed the general outcome, which was why he had lost his composure.

An Yu had lost.

He had lost utterly.

His defeat had been without a shred of suspense.

After the Four Demon-Slaying Swords were sent flying by Xu Luo's four punches, An Yu had no chance of victory!

Even many of the older generation figures from Celestial Brilliance in their private boxes were completely astonished. The reputation of the Four Demon-Slaying Swords was simply too great!

The moment the four swords appeared, almost everyone who knew of them had concluded in their hearts: 'This battle... is already decided!'

However... they had only guessed the beginning, not the end.

This battle... indeed had no suspense. But the one who lost... was An Yu, the wielder of the Four Demon-Slaying Swords!

"How is this possible?" Ge Datong stood before the window of his private box, gazing at the brilliant sea of light below as he exclaimed, "In this world... I have never seen anyone who could withstand the Four Demon-Slaying Swords with their physical body alone. How can such a monster exist?"

Su Qianqian sat in the stands, a faint smile on her face as she whispered, "I knew it... I knew you could do it!"

Xie Yurou gently rubbed her chest, her lovely face still pale with shock. She murmured, "That jerk... he scared me to death. But thank goodness... thank goodness!"

In the section where the large group of Medicine Garden disciples sat, the cheers were the loudest. Pride shone in everyone's eyes.

This was their Eldest Brother's victory, and it was the Medicine Garden's victory!

As the light on the stage faded, what surprised people slightly was that both figures were still standing.

It looked... as if they were still in a standoff.

"What... what's going on?"

"Don't tell me An Yu hasn't lost yet?"

"No way. The Four Demon-Slaying Swords were already knocked away. What other trump cards could An Yu possibly have?"

"It's hard to say. Elder Ge Datong dotes on An Yu the most. The treasures he carries are definitely not limited to just the Four Demon-Slaying Swords!"

A slight commotion rippled through the crowd in the stands.

An Yu raised his head, a trace of unwillingness on his somewhat pale face. He asked, "How did you do it?"

"Study hard, train harder," Xu Luo replied succinctly, with just four words.

An Yu said softly, "Ever since I was young, I've carried titles like 'peerless prodigy' and 'top-tier genius.' But I've always known that without painstaking effort, there can be no peerless experts. So... I can say that from childhood to now, I have never dared to be the least bit negligent in my cultivation. I have always studied diligently and trained hard, tempering my own body..."

"My cultivation environment was thousands of times better than yours. On what grounds... can you possess such a tyrannical physical body? I cannot accept this!"

An Yu was being very frank. He simply couldn't imagine how the person before him had cultivated to achieve such a monstrously powerful body.

"Though I lost today, I believe that one day, I will reclaim this victory!" An Yu gave Xu Luo a deep look and said softly, "I hope you become the champion of this year's annual competition... Farewell!"

With that, An Yu decisively pressed the number plate in his hand and departed directly.

Although he didn't concede to the Referee, his actions had already made his intentions clear.

"Annual competition... Match seven of the round of 250 advancing to 125. Medicine Garden's Luo Tian versus An Yu. Luo Tian... is victorious!" The Referee's voice was sonorous and resonant. At the same time, his gaze toward Xu Luo was filled with admiration.

No matter when, no matter where, the strong... always commanded such gazes.

From the surrounding stands, a deafening roar of cheers erupted.

Xu Luo didn't wave gracefully to the crowd in all directions like Jin Ming. He simply clasped his fist to the surrounding stands in a salute, then activated his number plate and teleported away.

Meanwhile, the people from Celestial Brilliance in the stands were all excitedly discussing what had just happened.

"I can't believe Luo Tian was hiding his strength so well. It's too surprising!"

"Yeah, and what's even more incredible is how powerful his physical body is! He sent the Four Demon-Slaying Swords flying with just his fists. An Yu's strength has already stepped into the Great Saint Realm, right?"

"He should be in the Great Saint Realm. An expert of that realm wielding the Four Demon-Slaying Swords... even a Supreme wouldn't dare to face that head-on. But Luo Tian dared to, and not only that, he succeeded! He's a true monster!"

"A monster? I'd say he's a prodigy of demonic talent!"

"The Medicine Garden has truly risen this time. We'd better be more polite when we go there asking for elixirs in the future. Otherwise, if they throw an attack elixir at us, we'll be in for more than we can handle..."

"All you can say is... the Medicine Garden's luck is too good, finding such a powerful disciple. If they had known earlier, I'm afraid all the Elders would have been fighting tooth and nail for him!"

...

...

An Yu knelt before Ge Datong, his face full of shame.

"I'm sorry, Master. This disciple was incompetent and has brought you shame!" An Yu kept his head down, his voice tinged with a hint of unwillingness, but more than that, it held the shame of being unable to face his master after defeat.

"Victory and defeat are common in battle. There's no shame in this. The key question is, do you know *why* you lost?" Ge Datong's expression was calm; he didn't seem angry at all.

"I was too confident and underestimated him. I wanted to use the Four Demon-Slaying Swords to suppress him directly, but I never imagined... his physical body was so powerful that it actually blocked them. As a result, my mental defenses... completely collapsed. Even though I knew it would take a long time to determine a winner if we kept fighting, at that moment... I had already lost my fighting spirit." An Yu said with a self-reproachful look, "It is this disciple's fault. I relied too much on external objects and neglected my own cultivation."

"It is good that you can recognize this!" A gratified expression appeared on Ge Datong's face. He looked at An Yu with a gentle gaze and said faintly, "The human body is the world's most mysterious, most powerful... and most miraculous treasure trove!"

"Many people fail to realize this, or... even if they do, they cannot find the way in."

"This Luo Tian from the Medicine Garden has clearly found the key to his own treasure trove. That is why he is so powerful!"

"Even I... am somewhat shocked by the power of his physical body."

Ge Datong continued, looking at An Yu, "You have a clear understanding of yourself, which is a good thing. I had originally thought that if you achieved a good result this time, I could send you to participate in that grand event. Even if you didn't gain anything tangible, you would at least broaden your horizons. But now, it seems... not being able to participate might not necessarily be a bad thing."

"That grand event?" An Yu frowned slightly. He had never heard of any such event and looked at his master in confusion. "What grand event?"

"The Peak of Jiuzhou," Ge Datong said faintly, a flicker of reminiscence in his eyes.

"What..."

An Yu, still kneeling, jerked his head up. Intense unwillingness and regret flashed in his eyes. He stared at Ge Datong with wide eyes, his mouth slightly agape, as if he wanted to demand an explanation. In the end, he finally calmed down, took a deep breath, and lowered his head without a word.

"I thought you were going to blame me." Ge Datong suddenly smiled, a satisfied look on his face. "Get up. Sit with me for a while."

An Yu carefully got to his feet. Kneeling there, he hadn't dared to use any of his power, making him no different from an ordinary person. His legs were therefore a bit numb and weak. He slowly walked to a chair and sat down, placing his hands on his knees as he looked at his master.

An Yu believed his master would give him an explanation.

Though he appeared calm, a tempest was already raging in An Yu's heart. He never would have imagined that this year's annual competition came with such a shocking side benefit.

'If I had known this earlier, I would have never challenged Luo Tian. I would have advanced cautiously, playing it safe and steady to reach the finals. In that case, there's no way I would have missed out on a spot for the Peak of Jiuzhou.'

'But now...'

An Yu smiled bitterly to himself. 'I've probably lost my chance.'

Ge Datong looked at An Yu and said faintly, "The Peak of Jiuzhou is held once every three hundred years. Participants cannot be over three hundred years old, and each person is only allowed to participate once in their lifetime!"

"This is a true summit for the peerless, a genuine opportunity to make a name for oneself. Those who can participate in the Peak of Jiuzhou are all the true top-tier geniuses from every continent, a gathering of all the elites. If you can win even a single match there, your name will instantly shake all of Jiuzhou."

"The reason I didn't tell you in advance was because I believed your strength was sufficient to participate in the Peak of Jiuzhou, so I saw no need to mention it."

"This disciple was incompetent..." An Yu lowered his head, speaking with immense regret. "I missed this chance, and I'll never get another one."

By the time of the next Peak of Jiuzhou event, he would be over three hundred years old. It would be impossible for him to participate then.

"Not participating... might not be a bad thing. The matches at the Peak of Jiuzhou are nothing like the Celestial Brilliance Annual Competition," Ge Datong said softly. "In the Celestial Brilliance Annual Competition, even if there are deaths or injuries, they are rare occurrences. Generally speaking, it's still focused on sparring."

"But the battles at the Peak of Jiuzhou... every single one is a true, no-holds-barred fight! Because every battle determines the ownership of vast amounts of resources!"

"Years ago, Jiuzhou jointly discovered Gui Xu. The Heavenly and Earthly Treasures, Divine Birds and Beasts, and all sorts of rare Refining Materials there are simply innumerable!"

"However, Gui Xu is far too dangerous. It was once one of the forbidden zones of the Divine Domain. Later, it was proposed that the powers of Jiuzhou gather to develop Gui Xu together!"

"But this created a new problem: the distribution of benefits."

"That's actually how the Peak of Jiuzhou came to be. Therefore, the Peak of Jiuzhou isn't a competition; it's a truly cruel struggle! On that battlefield, no one shows mercy, and no one retreats. Because retreating... means giving up, and it also means death!"

"On the battlefield of the Peak of Jiuzhou, the weak are always killed first."

An Yu's face flushed red, because he felt that he was precisely the 'weak' one his master was talking about.

'Indeed, I couldn't even stand out in our sect's internal annual competition. What right do I have to call myself strong? What right do I have to feel indignant?'

Ge Datong looked at An Yu's ashamed face and suddenly said, "But if you truly want to participate, it's not as if there's no chance..."

An Yu, who had already given up in his heart, felt his eyes suddenly light up. In an instant, they shone with a fiery light like the sun. Looking at Ge Datong, he fell to his knees. "Master, no matter the price, as long as I can participate, this disciple is willing to pay it! I will prove with my actions that I am not weak! And I am certainly not a coward!"

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