Chapter 478: Whetstone
"Very smoothly."
Dongfang Shi smiled in response, then introduced Zhao Dong to the crowd. "This is the champion of this year's Sermon Assembly."
"Oh? This is the champion? He's so young!"
"To win the championship at such a young age, he must be a disciple from a major power. Could it be the Blood Sect?"
"I think he must be from the Xiao Family. I heard the Xiao Family has a seeded contestant participating in the Sermon Assembly this year who's incredibly strong!"
"Right, right, right! His name is Xiao Qitian, I think. Could this young master be Xiao Qitian?"
The crowd buzzed with discussion.
Dongfang Shi stroked his beard and chuckled. "This young friend is not Xiao Qitian. His name is Zhao Dong."
"Zhao Dong? I've never heard that name before!"
"That's right, and I don't recall any prodigy from the Provincial City with the surname Zhao."
"Could he be an expert from another city?"
The crowd once again erupted in confused questions.
"Alright, that's enough baseless speculation," Dongfang Shi said with a wave of his hand and a smile. "I already spoke with Young Friend Zhao on the way here. He's from the East Sea and is just a Loose Cultivator."
"But Young Friend Zhao's perseverance is astounding. Relying solely on the resources available to a Loose Cultivator, he seized the championship of the Sermon Assembly. He even took first place in three consecutive trials and ultimately defeated Xiao Qitian. His performance left all of us elders amazed! Although you all enjoy abundant resources, your perseverance is far inferior compared to Young Friend Zhao's. You should all learn from him."
As soon as he finished speaking, the surrounding disciples were all completely baffled.
"What?! He took first place in three consecutive trials? And he defeated Xiao Qitian? Even the geniuses of our sect might not be able to do that. He's just too amazing, isn't he?"
"Amazing? What's so amazing about that? You and I both know what kind of backwater the East Sea is and the quality of its Loose Cultivators. How could someone from a background like that be so powerful? I say he must have cheated!"
"That makes sense. Second Elder, are you sure this young man didn't use any tricks? We don't think he seems like an expert at all!"
"Exactly! I can't even sense his specific cultivation realm. How strong can he possibly be?"
"You want us to learn from someone who won through trickery? We refuse to accept it!"
Upon hearing Zhao Dong's origins, the crowd immediately grew discontented.
"Silence!" Dongfang Shi snorted coldly, halting the disciples' clamor. "I witnessed Young Friend Zhao win the championship with my own eyes. Are you suggesting I'm blind and can't tell the difference?"
At his words, the disciples' faces turned pale with fright.
"We wouldn't dare! We would never dare to question your judgment, Elder Dongfang. It's just that this young man is too strange. We truly cannot accept this."
At that moment, a young man holding a longsword stepped forward. "Second Elder, this disciple requests a battle with Zhao Dong! You once said that the best way to prove oneself is to let the sword do the talking!"
"This..." Dongfang Shi feigned hesitation, glancing sideways in Zhao Dong's direction.
Zhao Dong laughed to himself. Dongfang Shi's methods were quite shrewd. He hadn't brought him to the Spirit Medicine Pool, but instead to this square to introduce him to everyone, deliberately emphasizing that he was a Loose Cultivator from the East Sea. This was clearly a calculated move to provoke the disciples' dissatisfaction. Now that a disciple had voluntarily jumped out to challenge him, wasn't this precisely the outcome Dongfang Shi had been hoping for?
Of course, Dongfang Shi didn't intend to humiliate Zhao Dong. On one hand, he genuinely admired Zhao Dong and had no reason to do so. On the other hand, with his own strength, if he wanted to humiliate Zhao Dong, he wouldn't need to resort to such a convoluted scheme.
Dongfang Shi's objective was obviously to use him as a whetstone. It would allow him to temper his disciples' combat skills and test their innate talent. At the same time, it would show them the gap between themselves and an expert from the outside world.
Although Zhao Dong was slightly annoyed by this, this was the Qingyun Sect, after all. Besides, Dongfang Shi's attitude towards him had been quite good. He saw no reason to refuse.
Thus, Zhao Dong nodded and said, "This junior is willing to have a friendly spar with this disciple."
"It is this junior's honor to learn and improve together."
"How embarrassing, Young Friend Zhao," Dongfang Shi said with an awkward laugh. "Since you agree, go ahead and teach these clueless brats a lesson to stop them from running their mouths."
"Of course," Zhao Dong replied with a calm smile, stepping into an empty space to the side.
The challenging disciple immediately followed. He flicked his longsword and declared proudly, "Luo Feng of the Qingyun Sect, third-level Grandmaster. I seek a challenge!"
"Please," Zhao Dong said, gesturing for him to begin.
Luo Feng didn't hesitate. With a fierce shout, man and sword became one, and he transformed into a whirlwind of sword energy that charged straight at Zhao Dong.
TING!
A crisp sound rang out.
The tip of the ferocious blade was stopped dead by Zhao Dong's index finger, unable to advance even an inch!
TWANG!
With a flick of his thumb, Zhao Dong sent the longsword—and Luo Feng with it—flying backward. The disciple staggered and collapsed to the ground.
Face flushed with shame, Luo Feng said bitterly, "My skills are inferior. My apologies!"
With that, he scrambled back into the crowd.
Zhao Dong's ability to send a man flying with a flick to his sword had certainly shaken many of the disciples. However, there were still voices of dissent.
"I'm not convinced!"
A burly disciple strode forward and barked, "What's so great about defeating Junior Brother Luo Feng? If you have the guts, try me!"
As he spoke, the man brandished his longsword, and the power of a third-level Great Grandmaster burst forth from him.
Zhao Dong smiled calmly and gestured with his hand. "Please."
"Taste my sword!" The man didn't hold back. Once again, he became one with his sword, transforming into a ferocious storm of blades that swept violently toward Zhao Dong. This time, however, the storm was clearly far more terrifying. Countless shards of stone swirled within it, and at such high speeds, they shot out like a hail of bullets with lethal force.
And yet!
TING!
It was still just the index finger!
TWANG!
It was still just a single flick!
The man was sent flying backward. He stumbled several steps before plopping onto the ground, even rolling over once!
Dead silence.
The entire square fell utterly silent. The voices of dissent vanished completely.
"An expert! He's a true expert!"
"To think he could stop a third-level Great Grandmaster with a single finger!"
"We were truly arrogant... Our mistake, our mistake..."
Murmurs of awe rippled through the crowd.
Dongfang Shi stroked his beard with a satisfied chuckle. This was exactly the effect he had wanted. The Qingyun Sect was powerful, and its disciples held themselves in high regard, often looking down on others. This had its pros and cons. The pro was their confidence and their indomitable, forward-charging spirit. But the con was just as obvious.
They were ignorant of the sheer scale of the world and their own place in it!
If this continued, the disciples of the Qingyun Sect would undoubtedly suffer greatly when they ventured out. Therefore, letting Zhao Dong temper them and curb their arrogance was one of Dongfang Shi's goals.
And now, it was clear that goal was mostly achieved.
However, just then, another discordant voice rang out from the crowd.
"Since this kid could win the championship, a third-level Great Grandmaster is naturally no match for him. Otherwise, wouldn't that mean any cat or dog could win the championship at our Qingyun Sect's Sermon Assembly?"