In the grand Sword City, nestled between two mountain ranges, the towering sword spire jutted into the sky like a colossal sword reaching for the heavens. At this moment, as the sun began to rise, rays of light illuminated the sword tower, casting a massive shadow in front of the mountain gate.
Under that shadow, there were ten arenas.
Once the Elder of the Sword City finished speaking, the crowd fell silent.
“Which hero is daring enough to show us what they’ve got?”
“Where did all those big shots from earlier go?”
…
To step onto the arena meant committing to stand there for three whole days, which is no small feat.
Standing on the stage now required immense self-confidence in one’s own abilities.
“Let me give it a try first,” a voice suddenly rang out from the crowd.
As Ke Mo put down his pen, he turned his gaze towards the arena.
There stood a man clad in beast-patterned armor, his face rugged, holding a spear with dozens of personal guards flanking him. He radiated an awe-inspiring demeanor.
Horizontal Cloud Sword Marks didn’t just pertain to swordsmanship.
There were plenty of swordsmen here, for Yunzhou and even all the martial artists revered sword practice.
“It’s Young Master Zhong!”
“Little Young Master is formidable! What a general’s demeanor!”
Everyone was throwing compliments like confetti at a parade.
Ke Mo couldn’t help but take a peek with his Heavenly Fate Divine Eye.
Hmm?
He raised an eyebrow.
【Name: Zhong Zhenyue】
【Age: 22】
【Bone Structure: Iron Horse, Golden Spear Body】
【Realm: Five Apertures of Guan Shen】
【Heavenly Fate: Blue with Purple】
【Evaluation: Son of the King of South Border, enlisted in the army since childhood, a steel straight man.】
【Recent Encounter: On his way to Yunzhou, he was deceived by Misty Rain Tower’s saintess, Ying Mianmian. She didn’t even use any mind-controlling techniques, and he was adamant about marrying her… Accidentally helped Misty Rain Tower snatch the Horizontal Cloud Sword Marks and was consequently heavily punished.】
Ke Mo: “….”
So the straight-laced iron man is getting played by a top-tier sea witch?
This is going to be tricky.
The other side wasn’t poisoned, nor was it due to some messy martial arts allure, and definitely not one of Misty Rain Tower’s people.
Sword City was no Qingyuan Sect; whatever he said, the higher-ups would just believe it.
“Let’s take it one step at a time,” Ke Mo shook his head.
Currently, he had two things on his agenda.
First, he would hone his skills in Dugu Nine Swords through the sword trials.
Second, he wanted to help Ice Chunk and Little Jiang observe the Horizontal Cloud Sword Marks.
Misty Rain Tower had its designs on the sword marks, but he hadn’t seen anyone from there in his Heavenly Fate Divine Eye.
But as long as the Martial Arts Summit continued, they’d eventually make a move.
“Ice Chunk…..”
Just as Ke Mo was about to speak, he noticed Ying Bing had already stepped onto the stage.
Gasps echoed through the crowd.
“Isn’t that the Domineering Empress? Liu Wuyan?”
“It’s her! She looks exactly like her!”
“Dude, have you also read ‘The Domineering Empress Fell for Me’?”
“Wait, the characters in that comic are actually based on real people?”
“Waaah… I want to be Sister Wuyan’s dog!”
“Empress Wuyan, invincible under heaven!”
“I raise a banner for the Empress, who dares challenge her!”
…
Suddenly, the atmosphere exploded with noise, even louder than when Zhong Zhenyue stepped on stage.
The scene was teetering on the brink of turning into a fan meeting.
Ying Bing furrowed her delicate brows.
She hadn’t expected that comic to become so popular.
First off, she didn’t look like Liu Wuyan at all…
Yet, with that frown, the cheers only grew louder.
Ke Mo: “….. So, Brother Ouyang, is Liu Wuyan modeled after Ying Bing?”
“I had no choice; with such a gem in front of me, you know it’s not my fault that my junior sister looks so stunning! I racked my brain trying to capture the essence of the Empress.”
Ouyang spread his hands, adding:
“By the way, Jiang Chen is based on you, Junior Brother Li, after all, art comes from life; you taught him well.”
Viewing the thunderous applause, Little Li, in a fit of disbelief, never once thought that one day he would be clobbered by his own boomerang.
Nor did he imagine he’d become an internet sensation…
“Wow, is that Jiang Chen?”
“He really does look gentle and handsome, definitely a gentleman!”
“Ah? So ‘The Domineering Empress Fell for Me’ was based on those two?”
“Oooh, I want to have babies with Brother Jiang Chen!”
…
The crowd wasn’t just filled with heroic figures from the martial world; there were also onlookers from all walks of life in Yunzhou, including nobility and commoners.
The serious atmosphere of the sword trial evaporated.
On the high stage of Sword City…
“What is your External Affairs Hall doing!”
Elder Zeng slammed the table, sending fruits floating momentarily before crashing back down.
“Elder, we can’t do anything about it either!”
“We hired over a hundred storytellers to hype it up for the three true disciples, and even the price of Fat Dahai has skyrocketed!”
The external affairs steward wore a pained expression.
Storytelling can’t compete with what’s trending right now, can it?
“You don’t understand, every major bookstore has people lining up every day, and some are offering up to a hundred taels just to read the latest chapters of ‘The Domineering Empress Fell for Me.’”
“In terms of hype, we are too far behind!”
“Too far behind….”
Elder Zeng scoffed, glancing at the three guys standing there — Wu, Cao, and Qian.
“Just some petty tricks, in the end, it’s all about showing your true skills.”
“You three must make a name for yourselves today, show off your grandeur!”
“Yes.”
The three of them all clasped their hands, while Qian sighed in resignation.
When they came down from the high stage, Elder Zeng narrowed his eyes at the steward.
“By the way, how do you know everyone’s lining up at the bookstores?”
“Uh, I just happened to be wandering by, and…”
“As the steward of Sword City, aren’t you ashamed of yourself? Show me what you’ve brought!”
“Ah? I haven’t finished reading it yet…”
Ultimately, the steward obediently handed over the comic.
Elder Zeng took the comic and looked around to make sure the steward was gone before hurriedly flipping through it, like a man frantically searching for an antidote.
“Hehe, the latest chapter… heheh…”
Elder Zeng was a jolly old guy.
His personal life and work were beautifully intertwined.
…
On the stage.
The ten arenas were finally filled.
The rules of the sword trial were incredibly simple!
Each person could step up to the stage only twice; if their cultivation exceeded a major realm, they had to suppress it to remain within the same level, after all, this was about making friends through martial arts, not about showing who had the higher level.
Among the ten people currently on stage, nine were in the Five Apertures of Guan Shen.
Only Little Jiang was in Internal Breathing Realm.
Naturally, many who wanted to step onto the stage to make their names were focused on her.
“Whose kid is this?”
“She looks like a little beggar; I saw her feeding stray cats last night.”
“Hey, little girl, get down, you might get scared and cry later.”
A Xuan Dan Realm swordsman leaped onto the stage.
Looks like he intended to challenge her.
Jiang Chulong clutched her jade sword peach blossom branch, standing there shy and helpless.
She could only bite her lip and glance towards the side of the arena.
Just then, Li Mo, smiling gently, gave her a thumbs up under his robe.
Jiang Chulong suddenly felt more confident and whispered, “Is it starting?”
“Mm, it’s starting.”
Whoosh—
The peach blossom branch seemed to appear from nowhere and fell just as swiftly.
But she was determined not to back down, her resolve unwavering.
Like a spring breeze.
And then, it was over.
