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Chu Liang opened his eyes and felt something was amiss.
He lay on the ground beside the arena, a blanket beneath him, with disciples from the Dan Ding Hall channeling their energy to heal him—not that he had any serious injuries. The weakness from igniting his blood was actually more intense than the palm strike from Jiang Yuebai.
But he was still better off than Ling Ao. He had immediately replenished himself with dragon blood crystals after igniting his blood, so the depletion wasn't too severe. Coupled with the recovery from two top-grade Golden Elixirs, he should be back in peak condition shortly.
What was strange, though, was the way people looked at him—complex, subtle, mixed with various emotions, and tinged with more or less malice…
As if he had committed some unforgivable crime.
Wait a minute?
A flash of realization struck Chu Liang's mind, and memories of what happened before he passed out surged forward.
At that time, Sister Jiang had unleashed the Five Thunder Heart Spell, an ancient method used by Qi cultivators to combat demons, capable of devastating destruction.
Even a cultivator with a weak physical body could fend off physically strong demons with this spell, making it a classic method to counter close combat. Jiang Yuebai's use of this divine ability against him was certainly not a spur-of-the-moment decision.
Within the range of the Five Thunder Heart Spell, not only did it suppress demons and evil spirits, but it also somewhat prohibited the use of magic. The paralysis caused by the thunder not only affected the physical body but also significantly delayed the flow of Qi and the casting of mental spells.
That's why Chu Liang couldn't use his space-compressing technique to flash away at that moment.
He could only lunge forward to avoid it.
Yes, that was it.
All of this was merely an accident during the fight.
Why are you all staring at me?
Chu Liang, feeling the world's malice towards him, felt extremely wronged.
"Sigh," he exhaled softly.
He was only a step away from becoming the chief disciple, yet he lost. The defeat was not unjust. Such arena battles were all about revealing one's trump cards. Sister Jiang's divine abilities were too numerous, and she hadn't revealed them in previous battles. Not knowing what she was capable of, he naturally couldn't guard against them.
His own methods had been exposed during the fight with Xu Ziyang, so this outcome was actually predictable.
Moreover, his cultivation level was still lower than theirs. To have fought from the fourth to the fifth realm to this extent was already an achievement.
Although he didn't win the chief disciple title, this result was satisfying enough. After returning, he would continue to cultivate diligently. The path of cultivation was long, and he was just at the beginning.
"Awake?" Elder Chuan Jian approached, interrupting Chu Liang's reverie: "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine now," Chu Liang immediately stood up.
"Then get ready to come up on stage. In a while, I'll take you to Jian Xia Peak," Elder Chuan Jian called out, turning and heading towards the stage.
Although the arena competition had ended, the audience had not left, waiting for the result of the Sword Inheritance.
This was unique to this Shu Mountain summit.
Jiang Yuebai, Chu Liang, Xu Ziyang, and Ling Ao, the four disciples who made it to the semifinals, stepped onto the stage together, greeted by thunderous applause and cheers, congratulating these rising stars of Shu Mountain.
Chu Liang stood beside Jiang Yuebai, the breeze lifting strands of her hair, bringing a somewhat familiar fragrance.
"Sister Jiang…" he called out softly, "I'm sorry about earlier…"
"Let's take care of business first," Jiang Yuebai glanced at him, "We'll settle our score later."
Chu Liang gave a sheepish smile, not dwelling on it further.
Then, from the spectator's platform, Wen Yuan Senior floated gently down onto the stage.
The four promising disciples immediately became solemn.
Wen Yuan Senior had been reclusive for nearly a century. Those disciples who had been on the mountain for a longer time might have caught a glimpse of him at the summit ten years ago. Those who came later might have never seen the sect leader.
Such a close face-to-face encounter was even more unlikely.
The leader of the Nine Heavens Immortal Gates, even the least ranked Shu Mountain Sect, counted among the most powerful figures in the mortal world. Moreover, even disregarding this status, he was a mighty being of the eighth realm, the Heavenly Origin Realm.
Just the phrase "master of Heavenly Origin" carried a powerful aura.
However, Wen Yuan Senior did not exude a strong sense of superiority; instead, he wore a gentle smile, his gaze serene, making people feel as if they were basking in the spring breeze.
"Every time at this moment, I feel very emotional. Shu Mountain always has astonishingly talented youths emerging, which is the greatest blessing for an immortal sect," he said to the young men and women before him: "The future belongs to you."
The four nodded and bowed in respect.
Wen Yuan Senior then turned to address the audience, announcing: "From today, Jiang Yuebai will be the chief disciple of Shu Mountain! When she travels in the mortal world, she represents our sect. Fellow immortals and friends from all over, please bear witness."
His voice was not loud, yet it rippled through the crowd like a stone causing a thousand waves.
The venue erupted into cheers and shouts once more, with Jiang banners waving triumphantly, celebrating the moment, a fulfillment of expectations.
For the next ten years, Jiang Yuebai would represent Shu Mountain in the mortal world.
Jiang Yuebai stepped forward, and behind her, Chu Liang's face was warm with a genuine smile, happy for her; Xu Ziyang's gaze was sharp, still determined and positive; Ling Ao's eyes burned with intense longing.
Wen Yuan Senior flipped his hand and took out a white jade token, handing it to Jiang Yuebai.
"Take good care of this Human Authority Token. Seeing this token is as seeing Shu Mountain. As the chief disciple, you must cultivate diligently, uphold the righteous path, and carry the banner of Shu Mountain," he earnestly advised.
Jiang Yuebai accepted the Human Authority Token, declaring, "Disciple will heed the teachings!"
There were three such tokens in Shu Mountain: the sect leader held the Heaven Authority Token, the peak masters held the Earth Authority Tokens, and the chief disciple held the Human Authority Token, each representing the most authoritative figures of their generation.
The sect leader's role was self-explanatory, overseeing all affairs within the sect. However, the sect leader, usually the strongest in combat, was not suited for frequent travels.
Thus, the peak masters handled various matters on a daily basis, often undertaking the sect leader's responsibilities when traveling. Other immortal sects would receive them with the same respect due to a sect leader. Should the sect leader fall, the peak masters would be the first in line to succeed.
The chief disciple was the face of the sect, walking among mortals.
Jiang Yuebai was undoubtedly a fitting representative.
In every aspect.
Wen Yuan Senior turned again and said, "These are tumultuous times, presenting both opportunities and challenges for your generation. The emergence of the Purple and Green Swords at this time means that if chosen by the swords, you will bear a great responsibility for Shu Mountain. You four have stood out in this summit, and you will accompany Elder Chuan Jian to Jian Xia Peak shortly, to see if you are destined for the Purple and Green Swords."
"Yes!" the four responded in unison.
The Purple and Green Swords would choose outstanding disciples as their masters during this summit, a fact that had been announced beforehand.
However, the scope of "outstanding" was also roughly determined.
Choosing only the two finalists would be acceptable, but that would be akin to forcibly assigning masters to the Purple and Green Swords, and the capricious sword spirits might not appreciate that.
If the swords chose a weaker master, it would undoubtedly be a loss for Shu Mountain. A disciple of mediocre talent, even with the Purple and Green Swords, might not be able to save Shu Mountain.
Therefore, having the top four go together for the selection was a compromise reached between the Shu Mountain elders and the sword spirits.
There were rumors that the sword spirits of the Purple and Green Swords were lovers, so they preferred to choose lovers as their masters, believing that harmonious partners could unleash greater power.
The veracity of this rumor was unknown.
After all, many of the strongest disciples in previous Shu Mountain summits were men. If it happened to be such a year, would they have to change something for the sake of the Purple and Green Swords?
That sounded too far-fetched.
A more reasonable explanation was that the two sword masters, due to their cultivation, would spend a lot of time together, sharing responsibilities, and under suitable conditions, it was easy for them to develop a romantic relationship.
Perhaps over time, this evolved into the rumor that the Purple and Green Swords only chose lovers.
Thinking this way, Jiang Yuebai was very likely to get one of the swords. Whoever got the other sword could join forces with the Fairy Jiang, an opportunity that was maddeningly enviable!
The audience, looking at the three young men on stage, couldn't help but speculate who would be the lucky one.
Logically, Chu Liang had come the furthest, but his cultivation was slightly lower; Xu Ziyang seemed more like the heroic figure who could save Shu Mountain, and giving the sword to him would be the most reassuring; as for Ling Ao… his cultivation was even lower than Chu Liang's, excessively so, yet he carried a mysterious allure as a dark horse.
The aesthetic preferences of the Purple and Green Swords were hard to predict.
Most people stayed put, eagerly awaiting the final news from Jian Xia Peak.
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Elder Chuan Jian, with the four in tow, soared through the clouds and in the blink of an eye, arrived at Jian Xia Peak!