Daoist Competition

The disciples present only saw Zhang Yan abruptly disappear, and when he reappeared, the sword light conjured by Luo Yuanhua had already shattered and collapsed. Even Luo himself vomited blood and fell.

Fortunately, Elder Xun took swift action upon seeing the unfavorable situation, immediately grabbing Luo Yuanhua. Otherwise, he would have fallen to the ground and been smashed to pieces.

Luo Yuanhua couldn’t understand how this had happened, but Xiao Tang, who was spectating from the peak, saw it clearly. His expression darkened, and he said in a heavy tone, "The Little All Heaven Moving Technique?"

Even so, he couldn’t figure out exactly how Zhang Yan managed to break through Luo Yuanhua’s protective sword light.

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Earlier, Zhang Yan had simply set up a trap.

He deliberately placed obstacles to the north, east, and south, leaving only one open path to the west to lure Luo Yuanhua there.

In battle formations, there is a concept of "surrounding three and leaving one." Zhang Yan mimicked this strategy, but reversed the logic to set up an ambush.

Being skilled in sword escape himself, Zhang Yan anticipated that cultivators relying on sword light for rapid movement wouldn’t have time to think carefully. Instinct would drive them to exploit perceived vulnerabilities, giving Zhang Yan confidence in his setup.

As Luo Yuanhua circled the field in flight, Zhang Yan secretly activated the Little All Heaven Moving Technique, waiting for his opponent to head for the western corner.

Sure enough, Luo Yuanhua spotted the flaw and rushed towards it without hesitation.

This wasn’t entirely his fault. Typically, with sword escape leading the way, even if something unexpected happened, he could react in time.

But encountering Zhang Yan, conventional reasoning couldn’t be applied.

Almost at the moment Luo Yuanhua darted forward, Zhang Yan employed his escape technique, instantly dashing sideways to block his path. The Earth True Light surging from Zhang Yan shattered Luo Yuanhua’s tunneling light on the spot, causing severe injuries.

Elder Xun hoisted Luo Yuanhua and tossed him onto the Fifth Peak without saying anything further, as the outcome of the battle was quite evident.

Xiao Tang snorted, waved his hand, and two disciples stepped forward to retrieve the unconscious Luo Yuanhua.

One disciple took out elixir pills, dissolved them in water, brought out a golden cup, pried open Luo Yuanhua’s jaw, and fed him the medicine.

After waiting for a while and finding that Luo Yuanhua showed no signs of recovery and remained unconscious, Xiao Tang saw that his injuries were clearly grave—almost fatal—and shook his head.

He had earlier warned Luo Yuanhua not to underestimate his opponent.

But judging by the fight earlier, it was evident that his junior brother had indulged in a bit of showmanship, hoping to force Zhang Yan into a swordsmanship duel. However, an uncalculated move led to immediate defeat, leaving many of his upper-grade sword moves unused and countered in vain.

Fortunately, this was only an internal tournament. Had it been a fight against an evil demon outside, his death would have been utterly senseless.

Xiao Tang turned his gaze downward. When he looked at Zhang Yan, his expression carried a touch of gravity.

The "Little All Heaven Moving Technique," though just a minor divine power within their sect, was derived from one of the Twelve Divine Abilities—the Five Elements Escape Technique. Among the sect’s disciples, practitioners of this technique were few, and among the top ten disciples, only Yun Tian knew it.

Thus, Xiao Tang suspected that Zhang Yan might have been groomed as a strategic pawn by his mentor’s lineage or, at the very least, backed by Yun Tian.

If that were the case, Xiao Tang needed to remain cautious, as Zhang Yan might have other hidden means to contend with him.

Having thought things through, Xiao Tang flicked his robe sleeves, stood up from his flying carriage, and slowly descended to the foot of the peak. Staring intently at Zhang Yan, he spoke in a measured tone: "Junior Brother Zhang, I’ve heard that one of my clan’s juniors has fallen into your hands. I’d like to propose a deal. If you win today, we won’t speak of it further. However, if I, as your elder brother, manage to win even by half a move, I’d ask you to return that junior to me. What do you think?"

Since Xiao He had been captured by Zhang Yan, as an elder of the clan, he was obligated to inquire out of both sentiment and reason, unable to simply feign ignorance.

After a brief moment of reflection, Zhang Yan nodded and said, "Since Brother Xiao has spoken, very well. Regardless of the outcome of this battle, I’ll release Xiao He after the tournament."

Xiao Tang hadn’t expected Zhang Yan to agree so readily. However, as long as the person could be returned, it was sufficient to account for his clan. Whether any harm had come to Xiao He was no longer his concern. Bowing deeply, he said, "Junior Brother Zhang’s generosity is commendable. I thank you in advance."

Zhang Yan responded with a faint smile and returned the bow, saying, "I dare not accept such praise. You’re too kind, Brother Xiao."

Xiao Tang stroked his long beard and smiled as he said, "Junior Brother Zhang, since you wish to seek instruction from me, I shall oblige. But you’ve already fought two matches beforehand, and I won’t take advantage of you. Here’s what we’ll do: I’ll remain stationary at this spot, giving you a full hour to attack me freely. If you can injure me, it will count as your victory. What do you say?"