On the sword training grounds of the Qingfeng Sword Sect's Main Hall, there were more than four hundred inner court disciples of the Main Hall and the outer court disciples of the three academies gathered under the Sword Observation Platform according to the Main Hall and the three academies.
On the circular Sword Discourse Platform, there was a Main Hall Elder who was the referee, thirty-one disciples who were drawing lots, and two disciples who were carrying the lottery tube.
Chu Mu and the other four stood to the side, waiting for the others to finish drawing their lots before they went to get them.
"What number did you draw?"
"Number 18, what about you?"
"Haha, I drew number 15. It seems that at least in the first round, we are not a match for them."
"I wonder who drew a blank."
"Say it if you drew a blank."
No one answered.
"It seems that the blank lot has not been drawn yet."
Not long after, the twenty-six elite disciples finished drawing their lots. Chu Mu and the four inner court disciples of the three academies walked over.
Reaching into the lottery tube, there were only five lots left.
Chu Mu casually grabbed a lot and retracted his hand to take a look. He immediately found it funny, it was actually a blank lot.
"He actually drew a blank lot!" A few sharp-eyed elite disciples at the side also saw Chu Mu spread out his hands and immediately screamed.
Immediately, all the elite disciples' gazes fell on Chu Mu. There was envy, jealousy, indifference, and disdain.
The inner court disciples below the Sword Discourse Platform were also alarmed. They all looked at Chu Mu, and all sorts of discussions sounded out.
"What a lucky guy."
"Who says so? Otherwise, he definitely wouldn't have been able to pass the first round."
"I remember that in the previous Qingfeng Sword Battle Festival, the three inner courtyards would each send out two disciples. Every time, there would be exactly 32 participants, and there would not be a bye. The six disciples from the three inner courtyards would usually be eliminated in the first round. But this time, one of the three inner courtyards only sent out one disciple, resulting in a total of thirty-one disciples. Thus, one disciple will be directly promoted. "
"Oh, looks like the three inner courtyards really have a good plan. Maybe they'll be lucky enough to draw a blank lot. That way, one of them will be able to enter the second round, and it won't be as ugly as before."
"I recognize the disciple who was given a bye. I have seen his swordsmanship and fought with him before. His swordsmanship is really exquisite. I can't even block one of his attacks."
"No matter how powerful his swordsmanship is, is it as powerful as our First Senior Brother, Second Senior Brother, and Third Senior Brother?"
"This … I don't know since we haven't fought before."
"What do you mean I don't know? Even if his swordsmanship is good, his cultivation base is not even at Stage Nine. With such a huge gap in cultivation base, it's already very good for him to enter the second round. It's impossible for him to enter the third round."
"But, he's been dominating the Sword Battle Arena for two months."
"What's the use of that? The Sword Battle Arena is a competition of swordsmanship between disciples below Stage Nine. Do you know that the difference between the eighth phase and the ninth phase is extremely obvious? The fact that he was able to dominate the Sword Dueling Arena for two months only means that his sword arts are pretty good and his luck is pretty good. If he were to face the elite disciples of our main hall, he would definitely be defeated within ten moves. "
"Yes, to become an elite disciple, which one of them doesn't have extraordinary swordsmanship?"
…
"Senior Brother Chu's luck is good. He actually drew a blank lot and directly advanced."
"Haha, even if he didn't draw a blank lot, with Senior Brother Chu's unpredictable swordsmanship, it won't be difficult for him to advance."
"That's right. Senior Brother Chu is the pride of our High Wind Courtyard. His swordsmanship is unparalleled. I believe that Senior Brother Chu will not only enter the second round, but also the third or even the fourth round."
"As long as he can enter the third round, our three inner courtyards will be proud and elated. If he can enter the fourth round, he will definitely scare those arrogant guys of the main courtyard."
Although the voices of discussion were very small, there were a lot of them and it was very noisy. It sounded like the chirping of insects.
"I really didn't expect that the one who drew the blank lot would be Chu Mu." The High Wind Courtyard also smiled in surprise.
At this time, the other four inner disciples had also drawn lots. Naturally, it was impossible for them to draw a blank lot. All of them looked excited and worried at the same time.
"Alright, you two can go down first." The Main Hall Elder smiled and said. The two disciples carried the lottery tube and left. They immediately looked at Chu Mu and said, "First of all, congratulations to the disciple who drew the blank lot. You can directly advance." "In addition, the disciple who drew lot number one and the disciple who drew lot number thirty-one will stay and prepare for the first sword battle. The other disciples will return to their respective observation platforms and wait."
As soon as the elder finished speaking, many disciples flew away from the Sword Platform. The elite disciples of the main hall used their movement techniques and flew towards the Sword Observation Platform of the main hall like birds or arrows. In midair, they stepped on the air to catch their breath, ensuring that they would not land on the ground. They landed directly on the Sword Observation Platform.
"You're lucky this time. I hope you can still be lucky next time and not meet me." Wenren Yun revealed a sinister smile at Chu Mu and said coldly in a low voice. He turned and left.
The three elite disciples who were called Eldest Senior Brother, Second Senior Brother and Third Senior Brother once again shot out like sharp swords. They were unbelievably fast and sharp.
Chu Mu and the other four, after leaping off the Sword Platform, had to leap a few times before reaching the Sword Observation Platform, causing another wave of laughter.
"With this level of cultivation and movement technique, even if he drew a blank lot, it would be useless. He was just lucky."
In the end, only the two elite disciples of the Main Hall and the Main Hall Elder who was the referee were left on the circular Sword Discourse Platform.
The two elite disciples were both at the early stage of the ninth phase of sword qi.
"This elder announces that the thirty-third Qingfeng Sword Competition of the Qingfeng Sword Sect has officially begun." The Main Hall Elder stood between the two disciples and announced in a clear voice. Soon after, he raised his right hand high and slashed down like a sword in the void. "The first battle of the first round is a grand sword battle. Zhang Chi versus Wang Fu.
The high-pitched voice soared into the sky and stirred up the wind and clouds. The Main Hall Elder flew back at the same time and landed on the circular Sword Discourse Platform.
"Please!" The two early stage ninth phase swordsmen bowed to each other and pulled out their swords. They faced each other from a distance and a sharp killing intent instantly spread out.
All the disciples held their breaths and watched carefully. They were afraid that they would miss any part of the competition.
For inner disciples like them, the opportunity to watch elite disciples fight was very rare. Normally, they would not be able to see it at all. And this kind of competition was only held once every three years. They had to cherish it. Maybe they would be able to comprehend something or gain something.
The Sword Light flashed and the two disciples attacked. The Qingfeng Sword Competition officially began.
"Chu Mu, in your opinion, between the two of them, who wins and who loses?" Lingfeng Academy Master suddenly asked.
Chu Mu did not answer immediately. Instead, he looked at it carefully and said, "About a hundred moves. Zhang Chi wins."
The Lingfeng Sect Master and the three elders were slightly moved. Although they also felt that Zhang Chi would win in the end, they were not sure how many moves it would take. If Chu Mu was right, it meant that not only was Chu Mu's swordsmanship astonishing, his eyesight was also extraordinary.
On the Sword Discourse Platform, the two balls of Sword Light danced in the air and constantly collided with each other, producing countless clanging sounds. The two figures leaped and crossed each other. It was extremely exciting and dazzling.
The elders also nodded their heads.
Very quickly, at the hundredth move, Zhang Chi suddenly revealed a flaw. With a feint, he knocked away Wang Fu's sword and placed his sword on Wang Fu's neck.
"Thank you for letting me win." Zhang Chi said.
"Thank you for letting me win." Although Wang Fu's expression was a little ugly, he did not lose his demeanor.
"Chu Mu, you were right. About a hundred moves. It's about a hundred moves." The Lingfeng Sect Master did not hide his admiration at all. The three elders of the Lingfeng Sect were also surprised and impressed.
"Chu Mu, if you were to make a move, how many moves would it take to defeat any one of them?" Elder Lin suddenly asked. The eyes of the Lingfeng Sect Master and the other two elders immediately lit up as they stared at Chu Mu's face.
"One strike." Chu Mu closed his eyes and thought for a few seconds. Then, he opened his eyes and said indifferently.
"One strike!" The Lingfeng Sect Master and the three elders were all moved. They were extremely shocked, but soon after, they were pleasantly surprised. "If that's the case, then this time, Chu Mu might be able to fight for the top three."
"That's right, this is truly the fortune of our Lingfeng Sect." The elders were all overjoyed.
"Sect Master, can you tell me about the most powerful elite disciple of the Main Hall?" Chu Mu smiled and said.
"Of course, you should also know about this because they will be your formidable opponents." The Lingfeng Sect Master smiled and said, "Among the elite disciples of the Main Hall, there are three most powerful ones. They are the current Eldest Senior Brother, Second Senior Brother and Third Senior Brother."
"Eldest Senior Brother is called Li Yi. He is 21 years old this year and has reached the peak of the ninth stage more than a year ago. His foundation is solid and his temperament is carefree and casual. He mainly cultivates the Cloud Sword Qi Technique and the Cloud Sword Technique. His attainments are profound. It is said that he has also mastered an incomplete high level sword technique." The Lingfeng Sect Master slowly said, "Second Senior Brother Yuwen Wenhua is about the same age as Li Yi. He reached the peak of the ninth stage a year ago. His foundation is solid, but his temperament is more direct and fierce. He mainly cultivates the Metal Sword Qi Technique and the Metal Sword Technique. Third Senior Brother Wang Tinghao is 20 years old. He reached the peak of the ninth stage half a year ago. In terms of Sword Qi cultivation, he may not be as good as Li Yi and Yuwen Wenhua, but in terms of sword techniques, he is a bit more profound. He mainly cultivates the Thunder Sword Qi Technique and the Thunder Sword Technique. "
"Actually, in terms of cultivation and sword techniques, there is a difference between the three of them, but it is not big. The main reason is that Li Yi cultivates an incomplete high level sword technique. Its power is extraordinary, and he entered the sect early, so he is the Eldest Senior Brother. As for Yuwen Wenhua and Wang Tinghao, there is not much difference. "
"The three of them have profound attainments in sword techniques, and they are not inferior to some of the elders of the sect. Moreover, they have records of contending with a tenth stage Sword Qi Realm swordsman. Therefore, the three of them are your true opponents. I hope that you can take them seriously with all your strength. Even if you lose, you will not have any regrets. "The Lingfeng Sect Master said seriously. In his opinion, Chu Mu was definitely qualified to compete for the top three.
However, the top three were Li Yi, Yuwen Wenhua and Wang Tinghao. Their profound cultivation and exquisite sword techniques made the Lingfeng Sect Master feel that the probability of Chu Mu winning against them was not high.
At the end of the day, he had two main goals. The first was to let Chu Mu defeat the main palace's elite disciples and fight for the top three places. This would allow the three academies, especially the Towering Wind Academy, to hold their heads high. After all, in the past, the three academies had always been eliminated in the first round. Second, to let Chu Mu fight with the most powerful elite disciples of the Main Hall and increase his knowledge. It would be more helpful for Chu Mu's future path.
What the Lingfeng Sect Master didn't know was that Chu Mu's goal was to win the championship!