The next day, inside the Cosmos Sect’s Training Field.
Disciples of the Six Sects sat cross-legged on meditation cushions, discussing the path of cultivation with each other.
They talked of cultivation arts, divine abilities, and even alchemy and artifact refining.
Above the Training Field, viewing platforms had been erected. The elders of the Six Sects watched the scene below with great interest.
Just then, someone suddenly asked, “I cultivate the Sword Dao. What is the Sword’s Ultimate Realm?”
“One slash that moves mountains and fills seas, seizes stars and plucks the moon!”
“Using a blade of grass as a sword, cutting down sun, moon, and stars…”
Disciples from each sect in the field freely voiced their thoughts.
Suddenly, a soft, somewhat hesitant voice came from the Purple Cloud Sect’s area: “My senior brother said that the Sword’s Ultimate Realm is divided into two types.”
“One is internal, the other external. The internal and external complement each other!”
It was a somewhat shy and obedient junior sister named Su Rou. Deng Tianyu had some impression of her—she also cultivated the Sword Dao.
When he lectured on the Dao in the sect, he had even given her personal guidance.
A disciple from the Thousand Leaf Sect looked puzzled. “What is meant by internal, and what is external?”
Su Rou glanced at Deng Tianyu beside her and mustered her courage. “Internal means using the heart as the sword. With one sword, you can break ten thousand laws.”
“External means using momentum as the sword. Where the sword points, none can stand against it!”
As her words fell, many Sword Cultivators sank into contemplation, as if grasping something.
“Heart” meant the Sword Heart. With Sword Heart Clarity, one could find the flaw in all laws and break them with a single sword.
“Momentum” was Sword Momentum. If one could condense an unstoppable momentum, one would dare raise a sword against anyone.
“I do not see it that way.”
Just as everyone was deep in thought, from the Snow Garment Sect’s area, a white-robed man with an exceedingly sharp aura spoke up.
“The ultimate realm of the sword should be—the sword is me, and I am the sword!”
“You said: Where the sword points, none can stand against it.”
“Do you dare to receive this sword, then?”
As he spoke, sword light flickered. An immensely sharp Sword Intent erupted and slashed directly toward Su Rou’s right hand.
Wherever it passed, fierce winds raged. Everyone felt their skin prickle painfully and activated their True Essence to resist.
Facing this sword, Su Rou felt an unprecedented, suffocating pressure. Her small face went pale with fright.
She had only joined the sect just over a year ago. Although her talent was good, she had very little actual combat experience.
Remembering what her senior brother had taught during lectures, Su Rou clenched her teeth, threw caution to the wind, and directly withstood that sharp Sword Intent as she drew her own longsword.
But no matter how she channeled her True Essence, she couldn’t bring herself to swing it.
Seeing this, a trace of mockery flashed in the white-robed man’s eyes. “You haven’t even grasped Sword Intent, and you think you’re qualified to discuss the Sword’s Ultimate Realm?”
No sooner had his words faded than Su Rou’s eyes suddenly widened. Her longsword actually moved!
“Ring!”
The sword in her hand burst forth with a piercing sword cry. An even stronger, more ferocious Sword Intent exploded, instantly annihilating all the oncoming Sword Intent and slashing toward the white-robed man.
“Pfft!”
In the next instant, an arm was severed by the Sword Intent, blood spraying everywhere.
The white-robed man wore a viciously contorted expression and collapsed to the ground in agony, convulsing violently!
“Senior Brother Deng?”
Only then did Su Rou react, turning joyfully toward the person beside her.
Deng Tianyu smiled at her before looking at the white-robed man on the ground and saying coldly, “You’ve only grasped a mere fraction of Sword Intent, and you think you’re qualified to talk about the Sword’s Ultimate Realm?”
He already held no goodwill toward the Snow Garment Sect. And now, right in front of him, this man was pushing boundaries and attacking a Purple Cloud Sect disciple. Did he think Deng Tianyu had no temper?
“Fellow Daoist, wasn’t your action a bit too venomous?”
“It was merely a Dao debate. Why sever Junior Brother Lin’s arm?”
Another man in blue robes stepped forward from the Snow Garment Sect. He first fed a pill to his junior brother to stabilize his injuries, then glared coldly at Deng Tianyu.
Deng Tianyu countered, “It was merely a Dao debate. Why did he try to strike Junior Sister Su?”
It was obvious the man had just tried to sever one of Su Rou’s arms. He was simply answering in kind!
The blue-robed man confronted Deng Tianyu. “Junior Brother Lin would have known restraint. That half-wisp of Sword Intent wouldn’t have harmed her.”
“Even if Junior Brother Lin hadn’t pulled back in time, I would have erased that wisp of Sword Intent.”
Deng Tianyu narrowed his eyes, a chill swirling within them. “So what you’re saying is… I shouldn’t have intervened?”
The blue-robed man nodded, speaking as if it were perfectly natural. “Exactly!”
“Of course, now that Junior Brother Lin’s arm has been severed, you must also leave an arm behind.”
Without a word, Deng Tianyu raised his hand and another surge of Sword Intent shot forth.
“You’re courting death!”
The blue-robed man’s expression instantly turned utterly grim. He, too, unleashed a peerless Sword Intent to meet it.
Unfortunately, Deng Tianyu’s Sword Intent vanished in an eerily sudden manner.
“AH—”
Suddenly, a bloodcurdling scream rang out. The already downed white-robed man’s remaining left arm was ruthlessly severed, and he fainted on the spot.
“Now I’ve severed two of his arms. Should you sever two of mine as well?”
Deng Tianyu didn’t answer the previous statement, instead asking that question.
He was an extremely “reasonable” and harmonious person—provided the other party was also reasonable, of course.
It was obvious the blue-robed man was deliberately stirring up trouble. So he’d escalate the matter even further.
“You…”
Hearing this, the blue-robed man’s fury surged, his killing intent condensing almost into a tangible substance.
“STOP!”
Just then, a voice rang out. The Cosmos Sect’s Enforcement Elder appeared.
He looked at Deng Tianyu and the blue-robed man, asking coldly, “What happened here?”
Deng Tianyu said calmly, “He wanted to sever my junior sister’s arm. I severed two of his.”
The blue-robed man glanced at his junior brother, who had passed out on the ground, his face full of rage. “A pack of lies! Junior Brother Lin’s sword would never have harmed your junior sister!”
“This Seat cares not what grievances you hold. If any such incident occurs again during the Dao debate, all will be dealt with according to the Cosmos Sect’s rules.”
The Enforcement Elder said nothing more. His gaze swept over the two before he gave a warning and left the Training Field.
The enmity between the Purple Cloud Sect and the Snow Garment Sect was well known to the other four sects.
The elders of both sides were all up on the viewing platforms and hadn’t shown themselves. Why should he get mixed up in it?
After the Enforcement Elder left, the fury on the blue-robed man’s face vanished, replaced by an unsettling calm. “When the formal tournament begins, I will take your life.”
“Remember my name: Tang Feng!”
Deng Tianyu smiled. “I’ll be waiting for you to try.”
He’d already heard the news.
After its Sect Leader fell, the Snow Garment Sect had become a subordinate of the Bright Moon Sword Sect, a second-rate power.
The Bright Moon Sword Sect had always had designs on the spirit vein of the Hidden Mist River, but had never found the opportunity.
Now that the Snow Garment Sect was their subordinate, they naturally wanted to stick their hand in.
This Six Sect Martial Tournament was the perfect opportunity.
If they could use this tournament to claim first place, they would occupy the upper reaches of the Hidden Mist River, seizing the richer spiritual energy resources there.
Afterward, by gradually annexing the other five sects, the entire Hidden Mist River would effectively belong to the Bright Moon Sword Sect.
Without a doubt, Tang Feng and that “Junior Brother Lin” were disciples of the Bright Moon Sword Sect.
And Tang Feng’s earlier strike was a deliberate test of his strength.
It was just that after this test, Junior Brother Lin had lost both his arms…
