Heavenly Sword Saint
The moment the elder's voice faded...
The atmosphere around the martial arena became tense.
Everyone's attention focused on the two disciples standing in the center.
One was a young man dressed in gray robes.
His name was Jian Wei.
He was sixteen years old and had reached the same cultivation stage as his opponent.
Standing opposite him was Jian Mo.
At seventeen years old, Jian Mo was one of the ten disciples currently occupying a position inside the Spirit Gathering Pavilion.
He had already awakened three meridians.
His spiritual energy circulated steadily through his body.
Jian Wei tightened his fists.
"I'll take your position today."
Jian Mo smiled faintly.
"You can try."
The elder raised his hand.
"Begin!"
Boom!
Jian Wei immediately rushed forward.
His foot slammed against the ground as his body shot forward.
His fist carried all the strength he could muster.
Jian Mo didn't retreat.
He waited until the final moment.
Then...
He shifted sideways.
Jian Wei's fist passed beside his shoulder.
Before Jian Wei could recover...
Bang!
Jian Mo's palm struck his chest.
Jian Wei staggered backward.
He gritted his teeth and attacked again.
This time, he changed his approach.
His fists came one after another.
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
The two figures exchanged blows across the arena.
The surrounding disciples shouted excitedly.
"Jian Wei!"
"Don't lose!"
"Jian Mo, defeat him!"
Jian Chen stood quietly among the crowd.
His eyes followed every movement.
He didn't judge their techniques.
He didn't point out their weaknesses.
He simply observed.
After all...
These were the first real battles he had witnessed since returning to this world.
He wanted to understand exactly how powerful cultivators of this realm were.
Jian Mo suddenly stepped forward.
His right hand struck toward Jian Wei's shoulder.
Jian Wei raised his arm to block.
Bang!
The force pushed him several steps backward.
Jian Mo didn't give him time to recover.
He rushed forward.
Another strike landed.
Jian Wei fell to one knee.
The elder immediately raised his hand.
"Enough."
"Jian Mo wins."
The crowd erupted.
"Jian Mo defended his position!"
"As expected!"
"He's too strong."
Jian Mo withdrew his hand and stepped away.
A clan disciple immediately approached him and presented five small jade bottles.
The bottles contained the Body Tempering Pills promised by the clan.
Jian Mo's eyes brightened.
He carefully stored them.
These five pills could save him a considerable amount of time.
Jian Chen watched silently.
So the rewards were given immediately.
That was convenient.
His eyes briefly swept across the jade bottles before returning to the arena.
Another disciple stepped forward.
"I challenge the eighth-ranked disciple!"
The challenger was Jian Hao.
His opponent was Jian Rui, the eighth-ranked disciple.
The battle quickly became intense.
Sword clashed against sword.
Spiritual energy surged across the arena.
After more than twenty exchanges...
Jian Rui seized an opportunity.
Clang!
His sword struck Jian Hao's wrist.
Jian Hao's weapon flew from his hand.
"The defender wins!"
The elder announced.
Another challenger stepped forward.
"I challenge the seventh-ranked disciple!"
This time, Jian Lei entered the arena.
His opponent was Jian Feng.
The battle lasted nearly thirty exchanges.
In the end...
Jian Feng retained his position.
Then came the next challenge.
Jian Liang challenged the sixth-ranked disciple, Jian Yun.
The result was another defeat.
One after another...
The battles continued.
Some challengers fought bravely.
Others were defeated within a few exchanges.
Every successful defender received five Body Tempering Pills from the clan.
These pills were one of the reasons the Spirit Gathering Pavilion's positions were so highly valued.
Cultivating inside the pavilion already provided a tremendous advantage.
Adding Body Tempering Pills to that advantage made the difference even greater.
For the younger generation...
Obtaining a position could save them months of cultivation.
Jian Chen quietly watched everything.
He didn't make a move.
Not yet.
He was waiting.
Waiting for the right moment.
Waiting for the right opponent.
...
Several battles later.
The fourth-ranked disciple, Jian Zhen, successfully defended his position.
The elder looked toward the crowd.
"Next challenger."
Silence.
Nobody stepped forward.
The previous battles had made the difference in strength between the disciples clear.
Those who weren't confident enough had already abandoned the idea.
The elder frowned slightly.
"Does no one wish to challenge?"
Still...
Silence.
Then a young man stepped forward.
"I challenge the fifth-ranked disciple!"
His name was Jian Hao.
The crowd immediately became excited.
The fifth-ranked disciple, Jian Yun, entered the arena.
Both cultivators were at the same cultivation stage.
Yet their fighting experience was clearly different.
Jian Yun remained composed.
Jian Hao attacked aggressively.
They exchanged more than twenty moves.
Sword strikes collided.
Spiritual energy surged.
Finally...
Jian Yun found an opening.
Clang!
His sword knocked Jian Hao's weapon away.
The elder immediately announced the result.
"The defender wins."
The crowd sighed.
Jian Chen remained silent.
His attention wasn't on the result.
Instead...
Something else had caught his attention.
He could sense spiritual energy gathering beneath the ground.
The Spirit Gathering Pavilion was drawing spiritual energy from the spiritual vein beneath it.
Even from outside...
The concentration was noticeably higher.
Jian Chen's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Interesting."
If he could cultivate there...
His progress would undoubtedly increase.
He had already opened one meridian.
Opening the second had become his immediate goal.
However...
The Heavenly Sword Scripture was different from ordinary cultivation techniques.
It required spiritual energy to temper his body while the sword qi gradually opened the blocked meridians.
The more spiritual energy he absorbed...
The faster his body could recover from the process.
And the stronger his body became...
The easier it would be to withstand the pain of opening additional meridians.
Therefore...
The Spirit Gathering Pavilion wasn't merely a place to cultivate.
For Jian Chen...
It could become the foundation of his rise.
He looked toward the ten defenders.
One position.
One opportunity.
Five Body Tempering Pills.
A spiritual vein.
Jian Chen slowly exhaled.
"It seems..."
"I'll have to take one."
...
At that moment...
A familiar voice sounded beside him.
"Youth Master..."
Xiao Yue looked at him nervously.
"You've been watching for a long time."
Jian Chen nodded.
"Yes."
"Are you still planning to challenge someone?"
Jian Chen glanced at the arena.
"Of course."
Xiao Yue's face became tense.
"But who?"
Jian Chen didn't answer immediately.
His eyes moved across the ten defenders.
First.
Second.
Third.
Fourth.
Fifth.
He continued downward.
Finally...
His gaze stopped on the lowest-ranked position.
The tenth-ranked disciple.
A young man named Jian Rui.
He was one of the weaker disciples among the ten.
Most importantly...
He was at the same cultivation stage as Jian Chen.
Jian Chen's eyes narrowed.
"That one."
Xiao Yue followed his gaze.
Her face instantly became pale.
"You want to challenge Jian Rui?"
Jian Chen nodded.
"Yes."
"But..."
Xiao Yue hurriedly grabbed his sleeve.
"Young Master, you only just recovered!"
"Even if you're now able to cultivate..."
"You've only awakened one meridian!"
Jian Chen looked at her.
There was no arrogance in his eyes.
Only calm confidence.
"I know."
"Then why..."
"Because I need the position."
Xiao Yue fell silent.
Jian Chen turned his gaze back toward the arena.
His hand slowly touched the wooden sword at his waist.
He had spent enough time watching.
Now...
It was time to test his strength.
The elder's voice once again echoed across the arena.
"Does anyone else wish to challenge?"
Jian Chen took one step forward.
Then another.
The crowd gradually noticed him.
Whispers began spreading.
"He's moving."
"Who?"
"Wait..."
"Isn't that Jian Chen?"
The surrounding voices grew louder.
Jian Chen continued walking.
His expression remained calm.
His footsteps never hesitated.
Then...
He stepped into the arena.
The elder looked at him with surprise.
"Jian Chen?"
Jian Chen nodded.
"I wish to issue a challenge."
The entire arena became quiet.
The elder glanced at the list.
Then looked at Jian Chen.
"Who do you challenge?"
Jian Chen slowly raised his hand.
His finger pointed toward the tenth position.
"I challenge Jian Rui."
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Then...
The entire arena erupted.
"Jian Chen?"
"He's actually challenging someone?"
"Isn't he the cripple who couldn't cultivate?"
"He only woke up a few days ago!"
"Has he lost his mind?"
Even Jian Hu stared at him in disbelief.
Then...
A mocking smile slowly appeared on his face.
"So..."
"The useless young master finally wants to embarrass himself."
On the high platform...
The Great Elder Jian Wuchen narrowed his eyes.
The Clan Master Jian Tianyu also looked toward the arena.
Meanwhile...
Jian Rui slowly stood from his position.
He looked at Jian Chen with surprise.
He had never expected to be challenged by him.
After a moment...
He stepped onto the arena.
The elder looked between the two.
"Both challengers are at the same cultivation stage."
"The challenge is valid."
"Once the battle begins..."
"There will be no interference."
Jian Chen nodded.
Jian Rui slowly raised his fists.
His expression became serious.
"Young Master..."
"I don't want to disrespect you."
"But I won't surrender my position."
Jian Chen looked at him calmly.
"I don't expect you to."
The elder raised his hand.
The entire arena became silent.
"Prepare yourselves."
Jian Chen's hand slowly rested on the wooden sword at his waist.
His eyes became sharp.
"Begin!"