“Senior Brother Jin, as fellow disciples, why must we take it this far?”

Xu Ziyan finally couldn’t help but speak up from the side.

“Sister Zi Yan, if you agree to become my Dao companion, I might consider it.”

Jin Hezhi smiled slyly at Xu Ziyan.

“Scoundrel, don’t think I won’t dare to make a move on you!”

Hearing this, Dugu Qingxiao snorted coldly, and the long sword behind him unsheathed with a “swoosh,” its formidable sword aura sweeping across the entire Yunlou.

“Enough, you two!”

At this moment, an Elder of the Qingxuan Sect from within Yunlou let out a cold huff.

“If you wish to duel, go to the Zhi Ge Building; otherwise, sit down and behave.”

The Elder then issued another warning.

“Brother Qingxiao, don’t fall for his provocation; he’s just trying to force you to act.”

Xu Ziyan tugged at Dugu Qingxiao’s sleeve.

“Brother, don’t be angry.”

Zhao Linglong also tried to calm him down at this time.

Dugu Qingxiao gave Jin Hezhi a glare upon hearing this, then bowed to the Elder patrolling inside Yunlou, sheathed his sword with a “clang,” and sat down without a word.

“Ah, that really scared me. Little Xuan, you must fight well for your Senior Brother later, don’t let the Senior Brothers and Sisters of the Seventh Peak laugh at us.”

Seeing this, Jin Hezhi’s mouth curled up, his face regaining his usual nonchalant expression.

“Don’t worry, Senior Brother, I will give it my all no matter who I compete against.”

Ye Xuan nodded.

Then he glanced at Lin Buyu, who was sitting behind him, and noticed that she hadn’t looked at him from the beginning to the end, which instantly ignited a surge of anger in his eyes.

“If the swords and sabers are blind and I accidentally injure or even kill this young brother, I hope the Senior Brothers and Sisters of the Seventh Peak will understand.”

Hearing this, Zhao Linglong’s heart tightened, and then she stared coldly at Ye Xuan:

“Brother Ye Xuan, if you can kill him, I can kill you too.”

Upon hearing this, Dugu Qingxiao patted Zhao Linglong’s shoulder, then looked down at the arena without turning his head, and said in a cold tone, “Sister, I won’t let that happen.”

…

The so-called Sword Inquiry of the Seven Peaks.

It is a test where each of the Seven Peaks selects a disciple to compete with a chosen disciple from the foot of the mountain, to gauge the latter’s strength and potential, serving as a basis for selecting disciples thereafter.

According to the sect’s rules, the peak that placed highest in the last Seven Peaks competition has the first right to choose.

And the champion of the last Seven Peaks competition was none other than the First Peak, Qionglou Peak.

“Logically, it should be the peak that is interested in you that will send a disciple to challenge you, so the one who should be challenging you…”

“That should be a Senior Brother from the Seventh Peak.”

At this moment, Xu Taiping, who had returned to the arena, was communicating with Baiyu inside the gourd with his soul.

Next to Xu Taiping stood six other outer disciples who had also won the right to the Sword Inquiry.

However, aside from Xu Taiping, everyone’s faces were filled with excitement and nervousness.

“What if another peak challenges you and they take an interest in you? How will you choose? You must know that the Seventh Peak, just like its name, whether it’s the cultivation strength of its disciples or the resources it possesses, is considered the least among all the peaks.”

Baiyu asked Xu Taiping again.

It knew much more about the affairs of the Qingxuan Sect than Xu Taiping did.

“Of course, I would still choose the Seventh Peak.”

Xu Taiping answered without any hesitation.

“Don’t let your emotions cloud your judgment. The path of cultivation is long, and the choice you make today could determine your future.”

Baiyu advised.

“The future is uncertain for anyone; what I can do now is to make a choice that I won’t regret.”

As Xu Taiping replied, he looked up towards the Yunlou viewing platform where Zhao Linglong and Qingxiao were seated.

“Well said.”

The voice of Fairy Lingyue sounded in Xu Taiping’s mind at this moment.

“However, Taiping, if you encounter the same situation as the last match, you’d better take off the items on your body. Even if you can endure the pain, your soul won’t be able to withstand the damage.”

She then reminded Xu Taiping again.

“Understood, Sister Lingyue. In the last match, I just wanted to test my limits of enduring pain. I won’t be so reckless again.”

Xu Taiping responded in his mind.

He himself was somewhat frightened by the last match because at the moment he killed Ji Wuyou, his consciousness experienced a momentary blank, as if he had truly died once.

“The first match of the Sword Inquiry of the Seventh Peak will be chosen by the First Peak, Qionglou Peak.”

At this moment, the rough and hoarse voice of the Black Dragon Elder resonated from the highest Yunlou.

Upon hearing this, the six outer disciples on the stage, aside from Xu Taiping, all showed hopeful expressions.

Qionglou Peak was the strongest among the Seven Peaks, having held the title of the First Peak for three cycles of sixty years. It was their first choice, so they all hoped that the First Peak would choose them for the Sword Inquiry.

“Green Bamboo Residence, Xu Taiping.”

A robust male voice then sounded.

Undoubtedly, the speaker was the Peak Master of the First Peak seated in Yunlou.

However, the commotion among the disciples watching from the surrounding Yunlou was not about the identity of the speaker, but the content of his words.

“The First Peak chose Xu Taiping?”

“Why him? Although he defeated Ji Wuyou, his roots and cultivation are clearly not as good as the six of us.”

“Yeah, why would the First Peak choose like this?”

Not only were the people on the Yunlou viewing platform discussing, but the six disciples on the stage were also whispering among themselves, looking at Xu Taiping with eyes filled with confusion or jealousy.

At this moment, Xu Taiping frowned.

He didn’t want to be chosen by the First Peak at all.

“Fortunately, even if I’m chosen, I still have the right to refuse.”

Xu Taiping muttered to himself.

“Xu Taiping, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, you better not refuse when the time comes.”

As if guessing what Xu Taiping was thinking, Baiyu inside the green gourd quickly reminded him.

Xu Taiping did not argue with Baiyu, because he saw the supervising Elder on the stage gesturing to him.

“Xu Taiping, a disciple from the First Peak will soon challenge you. During the Sword Inquiry, aside from not being allowed to use spiritual treasures and talisman scrolls, there are no restrictions. However, even though it’s a Sword Inquiry, weapons do not have eyes, so you are still responsible for your own life and death.”

The Elder reminded Xu Taiping.

“Thank you for the information, Elder.”

Xu Taiping bowed to the Elder.

“Please send out the trial disciple from the First Peak.”

The voice of the Black Dragon Elder sounded again.

“The trial disciple for the First Peak this time is a true disciple, Ye Xuan.”

Before long, the voice of the Peak Master of the First Peak began to echo over the Sword Control Platform.