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Chapter 27 - Prosperity Leads to Decline
Chapter 27 - Prosperity Leads to Decline
Chapter 27: Prosperity Leads to Decline
“Arrogant as ever.”
Feng Qingshan sneered.
The world believes that only the academy is the true sanctuary for cultivation.
As long as one is a disciple of the academy, they must be stronger than others.
Today, he would take this opportunity to defeat Yuan Nongbai and prove to the world that the academy is a thing of the past.
At the same time, he would promote his own sect.
He believed his master would surely reward him handsomely in the future!
In Xunyang City, where aristocratic families abound, there were countless geniuses; half of them chose the Xuantian Sword Sect, which provided an enormous influx of fresh blood.
This was enough to sustain a sect for a hundred years, or even a thousand!
“Let the competition begin!”
The steward of the Wanxiang Pavilion stepped forward, expressionless, raising his right hand high before bringing it down forcefully!
Boom!
In an instant, Yuan Nongbai made his move.
The ground beneath his feet exploded.
His body moved like a thunderbolt.
In no time, he was before Feng Qingshan.
In his hand, the wide-bladed sword resembled an ancient mountain, incredibly heavy, and just lifting it created a suffocating sensation.
If it struck, one would surely be split in two.
However, Feng Qingshan’s expression remained unchanged, even revealing a hint of coldness.
He simply leaped back lightly, dodging the blade’s edge.
Then, his long sword was unsheathed from behind.
Countless sword shadows surged forth.
The power of the blade was overwhelming.
Yuan Nongbai raised his eyebrows.
He quickly withdrew his sword to block.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
In an instant, sparks flew.
The power of the sword shadows was so great that it forced him to retreat several steps.
“Mid-tier Profound Rank sword technique.”
Yuan Nongbai said slowly.
Both he and Feng Qingshan were at the ninth level of the True Aperture Realm, and only such a sword technique could push him back a few steps.
He was already prepared for this.
Generally speaking, those who made it onto the Hidden Dragon List had all cultivated mid-tier Profound Rank martial techniques.
The difference lay in their levels of attainment.
What surprised him was that Feng Qingshan’s sword technique had not only reached perfection but was also quite remarkable among the mid-tier Profound Rank techniques.
Its power would not be lower than his sword technique.
In fact, it might even be stronger.
“Surprised? There’s even more to astonish you!”
A smirk appeared at the corner of Feng Qingshan’s mouth.
The moment he finished speaking.
Feng Qingshan’s figure began to blur, leaving behind multiple afterimages.
In an instant, he closed the distance to Yuan Nongbai.
“Not good!”
Yuan Nongbai’s expression changed drastically.
He hadn’t expected Feng Qingshan to be this fast.
This was definitely a high-level movement technique!
At least a mid-tier Profound Rank!
Feng Qingshan had mastered two mid-tier Profound Rank martial techniques!
For a True Aperture Realm martial artist, such martial techniques were extremely difficult to cultivate, so even a genius like him had only practiced one.
Feng Qingshan’s talent was comparable to his; how could he have mastered two?
In an instant, Yuan Nongbai was overwhelmed with mixed emotions, and the confidence he had initially felt vanished!
Boom!
Although Yuan Nongbai barely avoided the attack, he was still struck on the arm by a sword.
Blood gushed forth instantly.
Feng Qingshan would not miss the opportunity to strike a drowning man; using his movement technique advantage, he launched continuous attacks, every sword Qi interwoven.
Finally—
Bang!
Yuan Nongbai’s large frame was sent flying out of the square, crashing heavily to the ground, on the verge of collapse.
Seeing this scene, the previously quiet surroundings erupted in an uproar.
Many people displayed incredulous expressions.
Yuan Nongbai had actually lost!
And he lost so quickly.
They had thought it would be a thrilling battle!
Who would have imagined it to be completely one-sided!
Both at the ninth level of the True Aperture Realm, Feng Qingshan’s strength utterly crushed Yuan Nongbai.
“The winner is Feng Qingshan of the Xuantian Sword Sect!”
The steward of the Wanxiang Pavilion announced expressionlessly.
“The disciples of the academy are nothing special.”
Feng Qingshan flicked his right hand, sheathing his long sword, his gaze sweeping across the crowd, a smirk playing at the corners of his mouth.
Upon hearing these words, Cheng Qingman and the others were instantly filled with rage.
Within the empire, the academy had always been a sanctuary for cultivation, revered by all. As disciples of the academy, the three naturally shared honor and disgrace.
They would not allow others to belittle them.
“So, this is the expert from the Hidden Dragon List? A bit stronger than I expected.”
Luo Mu squinted slightly.
He had actually mastered two mid-tier Profound Rank martial techniques.
Although his movement technique wasn’t perfect, it had reached a small level of success; otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to force Yuan Nongbai to retreat step by step.
From the perspective of martial skill attainment, Feng Qingshan was on the same level as him.
But he had an even stronger trump card: the blade momentum!
The martial momentum that all martial artists dream of!
Once blade momentum was unleashed, defeating Feng Qingshan would be but a single strike.
Inside the tavern.
Crash!
A wine cup shattered on the floor.
The head of the Yuan family wore a grim expression.
Just a moment ago, he had confidently guaranteed and even bet with other family heads that Yuan Nongbai would defeat Feng Qingshan within ten moves.
But who would have thought the reality would be the complete opposite!
“Victory and defeat are common occurrences in battle; there’s no need for Yuan family head to overthink it. Just relax,”
the Ninth Prince took a deep breath.
A smile appeared on his face.
As a member of the royal family, he naturally wouldn’t let such trivial matters affect him; even if they did, he wouldn’t show it in front of others.
“Thank you for your understanding, Your Highness. In the future, I will urge my son to cultivate even more diligently,”
the head of the Yuan family said, feeling relieved upon hearing that the Ninth Prince did not blame him.
Yet deep inside, he felt immense regret.
Had he known this would happen, he wouldn’t have meddled.
He had simply shot himself in the foot.
The main reason was that he had not expected Feng Qingshan to be hiding his strength.
He was completely different from what the intelligence had suggested.
“Now, sects are truly flourishing,”
the Ninth Prince said slowly, standing with his hands clasped behind his back, “As you mentioned, your son and Feng Qingshan’s talents are nearly equal, yet their strengths differ greatly.”
“This shows that the Xuantian Sword Sect’s training of geniuses has surpassed that of the academy.”
“Under heaven, all lands belong to the king; at the edge of the earth, all subjects belong to the king,”
a family head stood up and said, “No matter how strong the sect is, there are limits. They must submit to the rule of the empire.”
Upon hearing this, the Ninth Prince’s lips curled up.
Although it was flattery, he enjoyed it.
“The sects…”
A cold glint flashed in the Ninth Prince’s eyes.
“The rise and fall of power is a cycle; the academy may no longer be the best choice. You might consider the Xuantian Sword Sect,”
Feng Qingshan proclaimed loudly in the square.
As these words left his mouth, the uproar intensified once again.
To openly belittle the academy was quite rare.
Yet no one could refute it.
After all, Yuan Nongbai was still lying on the ground; no, he was already unsteadily getting to his feet.
But he looked pathetic, his body covered in bloody sword marks.
“Damn it!”
Cheng Qingman clenched her fists.
Anger surfaced on her beautiful face.
Her father and even her ancestors had mostly studied at the academy, including her, so she held deep feelings for the academy.
Hearing others insult it like this was naturally unbearable.
However, she was currently only at the sixth level of the True Aperture Realm, and even Yuan Nongbai was no match for Feng Qingshan, let alone her.