Invincible Under Heaven

Jianghu

Steeds galloped swiftly.

Two gazes met for a brief moment before growing distant from each other.

On the other horse, Fang Xin noticed the middle-aged man's odd expression and asked with concern: "What's wrong, director Zhao?"

The middle-aged man addressed as Director Zhao withdrew his gaze, sighing with some emotion: "This Sword Assembly held right before the Dragon Gate test has truly attracted countless powerful figures! Especially those young powerhouses under thirty who still qualify for the Dragon Gate Token—there are so many of them! Just like that warrior by the roadside; he was obviously quite young, yet I could sense a hint of Primordial Unity from him. Truly, the waves of the Yangtze push forward the old ones with the new; each generation surpasses the last."

"Primordial Unity!?"

Fang Xin widened his eyes at Director Zhao's words.

Primordial Unity was the threshold to achieving Leakless Body.

After one underwent Marrow Cleansing, only by comprehending the subtlety of Primordial Unity could the flesh be conditioned to a Leakless state, allowing the body to enter inner circulation, with one's strength flowing ceaselessly within.

In this endless internal cycle, one's essence, spirit, and vitality would all reach their peak perfection.

When they could grasp Ki and Blood and seize the opportunity for the union of spirit and energy, they could cultivate True Ki, thus stepping immediately into the extraordinary True Ki Realm.

People of this level were among the absolute elite in all of Jiangzhou.

And yet that person just now...

Despite hiding most of his face with a veil and bamboo hat, he clearly wasn't old.

He had actually already comprehended the mysteries of Primordial Unity!?

This...

"Master, you're sure it's Primordial Unity!? Someone like that surely has a shot at crossing the Dragon Gate!"

A man in his early thirties standing beside Director Zhao was also deeply astonished.

"The Great Zhou Dynasty only has six spots for the Dragon Gate each year. The Prince's Residence has already secured one, leaving five. Among these, only two—the prodigy Princess Yan Yu and Xiang Yangsheng, the Sword Disciple of the Taixu Sword Palace—are confirmed to have cultivated True Ki and can claim the Dragon Gate Token outright. The remaining three will be decided among the many geniuses who have reached the Leakless realm..."

Director Zhao glanced again at the figure disappearing in the distance: "If that man is truly a martial genius with a Leakless Body, he definitely stands as a strong contender in this year's Dragon Gate contest."

Hearing this, Fang Xin couldn't help but cast another glance toward that figure.

However...

As he watched, Fang Xin couldn't shake a vague sense of familiarity about the stranger.

Even though he was tightly wrapped up to shield himself from the dust, Fang Xin felt as though he'd seen him somewhere before.

Yet this thought only lingered for a moment before he forced it from his mind.

A martial expert at the Leakless level would be an honored guest even for the Marquis himself.

Even Martial Master Zhao Tianming, whom they had just brought back from Mount Canglang with such effort to deal with Li Xian, was merely at the Marrow Cleansing level—one stage below Leakless.

As a Captain of the Guards only at the level of bodily consummation, Fang Xin had no chance to interact with such figures, so how could he possibly find him familiar?

Besides...

It was more important to get Martial Master Zhao back to the Marquis Residence quickly and discuss how to deal with Li Xian.

During the volatile period of the Sword Assembly around Mount Canglang, it was best not to invite any extra trouble while traveling.

"We'd better return to Lijiang City as soon as possible,"

Fang Xin said.

Zhao Tianming nodded as well.

The important matters came first.

They had to help the Marquis Residence settle this trouble and repay the kindness of the silver aid from years past.

...

"Very strong."

Li Xian, having reincarnated into this body, though physically frail, had particularly keen spiritual perception.

He could clearly sense the dangerous aura given off by that middle-aged man on the horse just now.

He was definitely a master even stronger than Liu Fu, whose Viscera Refinement was already perfected.

Now, despite still being over a hundred li from Mount Canglang, Li Xian had already encountered such an expert.

This only made him look forward to the upcoming Sword Assembly at Mount Canglang with increasing anticipation.

With that, he unconsciously increased his pace.

After half a day, Mount Canglang was already drawing closer.

Mount Canglang was home to the great sect of Jiangzhou—the Canglang Sword Sect.

With a two-hundred-year inheritance, the Canglang Sword Sect was renowned throughout the Jianghu.

Within a radius of a hundred li around Mount Canglang, people knew only of the Canglang Sword Sect and not even the county office.

The words of the sect leader here carried even more weight than those of the magistrates of the surrounding three counties.

Even the large town at the foot of Mount Canglang—which housed over ten thousand people—survived thanks to the mountain.

Its residents were mostly connected in some way to the Canglang Sword Sect; it was, in a sense, the sect's living quarter for families.

Upon arriving in the small town, Li Xian saw many Jianghu figures wearing swords and sabers, coming and going in groups of threes and fives, chatting boisterously.

These Jianghu folks were free with their spending, making the already populous town even more vibrant.

Patrolling disciples of the Canglang Sword Sect, swords at their waists, kept order and ensured that these Jianghu men didn't make too much trouble.

This atmosphere...

Reminded Li Xian of the sense of novelty he felt as a child, following the old Daoist to temple fairs.

As he watched, a sudden shout came from a certain direction: "Zhang Yunsheng of the Pine Breeze Sword and Bai Zhanfeng of the Snow Fiend Saber are going to duel at the Dueling Platform!"

In the next moment, a huge crowd surged in that direction.

Li Xian, still new to all this, wouldn't miss a lively scene, so he joined the flow and hurried toward the Dueling Platform.

On the way, he didn't even need to ask questions. All sorts of information flowed into his ears.

"Zhang Yunsheng of the Pine Breeze Sword and Bai Zhanfeng of the Snow Fiend Saber are both famous young talents of Jiangzhou. The Snow Fiend Saber's reputation is built on real blade-and-blood fights; it's said he once single-handedly cleared out six bandit strongholds on Mount Lianyun—if he's not killed at least eighty, he's killed a hundred outlaws! As for Zhang Yunsheng, he comes from a prestigious lineage, the disciple of the Pagoda-Hand Zhang He—a master and a worthy student! This is going to be a good show!"

"The two seem to have no deep grudge; their backgrounds are completely different—why the sudden fight?"

"I hear it's because of Madam Yu! Bai Zhanfeng said a few words about her, claiming she was using moral pressure to manipulate the Swordsage of Guangyuan into her vendetta with the Luoyang Thirteen Hawks. Zhang Yunsheng couldn't stand it, argued back, and things escalated until they ended up having to duel at the Dueling Platform."

"Madam Yu's case? Hard to say who's right or wrong! Who knows if the rumors about her family's Blood Jade Art are even true or not."

"Want to know? Go get a copy of the news—it's confirmed, it's fake! And anyway, if the Blood Jade Art were as amazing as the rumors said, how could the Xu family have been wiped out—thirty-four in all—by a mysterious martial artist?"

Amid chatter, the crowd approached a stone platform at the mountain's foot.

The platform looked partly natural, partly man-made. It was oval, about twenty meters in diameter.

Since Li Xian arrived late, the two "young talents" were already fighting atop the platform.

Surrounding them were several hundred spectators.

Among these, some wore the elder robes of the Canglang Sword Sect, maintaining order among the crowd.

Li Xian only needed to observe for a moment to see through the two fighters' abilities and was immediately somewhat disappointed.

These two...

Their bodies had both reached the Internal Viscera Refinement stage.

Zhang Yunsheng's swordplay was exquisite but lacked agility—obviously inexperienced in real combat.

Each move seemed endlessly variable at first glance, but in truth, each strike saw his essence, spirit, and energy separated, making his attacks stiff.

Bai Zhanfeng, with the Snow Fiend Saber, was rich in combat experience but his saber technique was monotonous—just the same few moves over and over, relying on sheer ferocity to slightly overpower Zhang Yunsheng.

However, as his blade style became more strained, the balance of the fight was already tipping toward Zhang Yunsheng.

At this level...

"So this is the standard of third-rate martial artists."