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Chapter 619: Chapter 625: Hostility
"It looks like you’ve had a good rest these days, fellow Daoist!"
Just as she stepped out, Li Zhixuan ran into Zhengyin and Hongyan, greeting them with a teasing smile.
Next to the two of them were several female sword cultivators. Zhengyin introduced everyone, as it was the first meeting for all, and they appeared very cordial on the surface.
Only a cultivator named Qinglian held a hint of hostility towards Li Zhixuan.
This puzzled her greatly, as Li Zhixuan could definitively say that she had never met Qinglian before, let alone offended her, making the inexplicable animosity quite baffling.
Moreover, this hostility was very obvious, and everyone present could clearly feel it.
"Have I met you before, Qinglian, fellow Daoist? And have I done something to offend you?" asked Li Zhixuan directly, "Otherwise, why would you harbor animosity towards me?"
At her words, the atmosphere instantly became extremely awkward.
Hongyan’s smile froze on her face, as Qinglian was her fellow sect sister, and she knew exactly why Qinglian harbored hostility towards Li Zhixuan.
In their sect, Qinglian had always been the darling little sister, pampered and loved by everyone, and her talent was indeed strong. Despite her shorter training time, her comprehension of the Sword Dao was no less than that of her senior brothers and sisters.
It was precisely for these reasons that Qinglian’s arrogance and contempt for others had developed.
After meeting Li Zhixuan, Hongyan had frankly reported her strength to the leading elders, as well as the pressure and threat Li Zhixuan posed to her, adding that she considered Li Zhixuan to be the most formidable among her female peers in sword cultivators.
Qinglian was nearby at that time and, upon hearing this, felt extremely resentful, claiming that she would show Li Zhixuan a tough lesson on the stage and utterly defeat her!
"My fellow Daoist jests, little sister Qinglian is just like that, please forgive her disposition," said Hongyan, forcing a smile.
"The competition is about to start, so we should head over," she added, and with no intention of offending Li Zhixuan anymore, she thought of befriending her and let the matter be.
After saying this, she hurriedly left with the other junior sisters.
"Fellow Daoist has been resting these days, not going out to gather information about your opponents, so you aren’t aware of Qinglian’s renowned arrogance and disdain for others in the Sword Sect. She may simply be jealous that fellow Daoist’s strength surpasses hers," Zhengyin explained with a smile.
"It seems I’ve become an undeserving victim," said Li Zhixuan, not taking the issue to heart.
Or rather, she did not even consider Qinglian worth her notice!
Let alone the fact that Qinglian was only at the Middle Golden Core Stage—the disparity in strength between them was clear, and in terms of Sword Dao cultivation, Li Zhixuan did not feel the slightest threat from her.
Zhengyin smiled, not dwelling on the subject any further, and then said, "Taoist Jiang, the competition is about to begin, let’s go."
Their inn wasn’t far from the competition venue, and the group quickly arrived at their destination.
"Taoist Jiang, we need to meet up with our elders, so we will take our leave," said Zhengyin with a gentle laugh. "I hope to see you shine bright on the stage and claim victory."
"Likewise for you, fellow Daoist!"
Watching Zhengyin and the others depart, Li Zhixuan, now alone, found an unoccupied spot to sit and wait for the contest to begin.
About fifteen minutes passed.
Boom—
A resplendent Sword Light soared into the sky, exuding an overbearing presence that made it difficult for the others to breathe.
Before the eyes of every competing sword cultivator emerged an insurmountable existence that merely glanced around casually, causing everyone to feel an irresistible urge to submit at its feet.
’Lay down your sword, and I shall spare your life!’ thundered a majestic divine authority in the ears of all present.
Some people were so despondent that they didn’t even dare to try, and they simply set down their Spirit Sword, seeking only to survive; others gritted their teeth and persisted, facing ever-increasing pressure, even the onrush of death’s scent, without letting go.
There were also those who gripped their sharp swords with a resolve to sink their boats and fight to the death, and among them was Li Zhixuan.
Crack—
In her mind, that massive divine shadow shattered like glass.
"Well done!"
Though short, those two words conveyed a clear sense of admiration.
By now, Li Zhixuan had also realized that the scene she had just experienced was an illusion, a test.
Huff, puff—
The venue was filled with urgent gasping, as many people felt as if they had been rescued from drowning, taking huge breaths of fresh air.
Suddenly, a Divine Transformation appeared in the middle of the arena and announced, "In that recent trial, a total of sixty percent of Sword Cultivators were eliminated!"
There was no helping it; there were too many Sword Cultivators participating in the competition, so some had to be eliminated due to inadequate strength or insufficient willpower.
No sooner had the voice faded than streaks of Spirit Light shot out, with the majority being ordinary white light and only a small portion dazzling gold light.
"Those who receive the Silver Sword Order, move on to the next round of competition; those who receive the Golden Sword Order, advance directly to the third round."
In Li Zhixuan’s hand was precisely a dazzling Golden Sword Order!
"Taoist Jiang actually obtained a Golden Sword Order!"
"What makes her qualified to get a Golden Sword Order!"
Zhengyin and Qinglian both witness this scene, yet their expressions couldn’t have been more different, one was pure envy, while the other was jealousy.
"You better pray you don’t face me in the third round, or I will make sure you regret it!" Qinglian, clutching her Silver Sword Order tightly, hissed through clenched teeth.
Hongyan, overhearing this, couldn’t help but roll her eyes internally. She acknowledged Qinglian’s talent and aptitude in Sword Dao, but the gap between her and Li Zhixuan was simply too wide.
There was just no comparing the two.
Although Li Zhixuan didn’t have a match to compete in next, she did not leave, as this was a prime opportunity to observe others and learn from their experiences.
She wouldn’t think that just because these people did not do as well as her in the first round of competition, they didn’t have something she could learn from—another’s methods could contribute to one’s own improvement!
After the Sword Commands were distributed, the Divine Transformation elder left, and the hosting duties were handed over to several Golden Cores.
"Please follow the Sword Commands to your respective arenas for the competition! Cultivators who fail to take the stage within a quarter of an hour will be considered to have forfeited automatically!"
To accelerate the pace of the tournament, the Ten Thousand Swords Sect arranged for ten small arenas.
The largest arena would only be used for the final round of the Golden Core Sword Cultivators and for the Nascent Soul Sword Cultivator’s competition.
Twenty Silver Sword Orders, responding to a summons, floated into the air, leading the Cultivators to the stage.
"Prepare yourselves! The competition begins!"
At the host’s command, the two Sword Cultivators on the stage drew their swords and commenced combat almost simultaneously.
