"Great Master." The way Jian Meng'er respectfully addressed the woman fully illustrated the nature of their relationship.
"Hmm." Shui Hanxin nodded, turning her gaze to the grandstand. "I didn't expect you'd also be here, Mr. Bai Chong."
"Elder Shui, it's been so long since we last met. Have you been well?" Bai Chong's reply appeared to be rather stiff.
"Haha, the arrival of Elder Shui of the Tianyuan Sword Sect brings light to our humble Sword Marquis Mansion." Jian Xinhong stood up with a face full of smiles. The other famous experts on the grandstand followed his cue and made their greetings.
They had to be humble in the face of the eminent status of an Elder of Tianyuan Sword Sect. Bai Chong's eyes flickered as he stared at Shui Hanxin. He was the only one who did not get up to greet her.
"You're all too courteous," she said, smiling faintly. Then Shui Hanxin climbed onto the arena. A servant from Sword Marquis Mansion prepared a seat for her immediately. The grim-looking young man following Shui Hanxin chose to stand quietly by her side.
"Elder Shui, is that girl your disciple?" Bai Chong casually asked.
"You're right." Shui Hanxin nodded. "I accepted her as a personal disciple two years ago. This time, I'm actually here to bring her back to cultivate in the Tianyuan Sword Sect."
"Personal disciple?"
"Cultivate in Tianyuan Sword Sect?"
Everyone on the grandstand all sucked in a breath.
It was the one and only Tianyuan Sword Sect! For Jian Meng'er to enter such a Sect and be accepted as a personal disciple by an Elder, it only meant she was destined for a great future. Not to mention, it spoke volumes about her incredible talent!
This raised an uproar on the Drill Ground.
"Tianyuan Sword Sect!"
"Jian Meng'er was accepted as a personal disciple by an Elder of the Tianyuan Sword Sect?"
"To begin with, she's already so strong. Now that she'll be cultivating in the Tianyuan Sword Sect, her future is a promising one!"
"Looks like our Sword Marquis Mansion will be welcoming another expert very soon! She might even be stronger than the Mansion Master!"
Numerous eyes were fixed on Jian Meng'er. She, who was already eye-catching in the first place, became even more dazzling under the attention.
Before, her innate talent was already enough to make others despair. She was now even more perfect as the personal disciple of an Elder of the Tianyuan Sword Sect. No one would dare to question any of her future achievements.
She was truly God's chosen Daughter.
"Tianyuan Sword Sect?" Jian Wushuang squinted but did not say anything else.
On the grandstand, Jian Lan was in high spirits and said, "Let's start our battle today!"
The annual Sword Marquis Token Battle had begun.
This battle was divided into two rounds. First, was Martial Arts Technique, followed by Cultivation of Spiritual Power.
Of course, this battle was not meant to be a duel. It was enough as long as everyone demonstrated their strongest Martial Arts Technique and Cultivation of Spiritual Power.
"Come forward one by one according to the number you received in the lottery!" Jian Lan shouted. "First, Jian Lin!"
Everyone on the Drill Ground immediately focused their attention on Jian Lin.
"Huh. Jian Lin's the first one, while I'm the last one." Jian Wushuang looked at the number 38 on his ticket from the lottery. There were exactly 38 youngsters taking part in this battle, so he was the last one.
Under everyone's eyes, Jian Lin took a deep breath and slowly walked forward to the arena.
"Show us your strongest Martial Arts Technique, or what you're most skilled in," Jian Lan said.
"I understand." Jian Lin nodded and started to demonstrate his Martial Arts Technique.
Roar!
A Giant Tiger, entirely conjured from Spiritual Power, materialized in front of him, roaring loudly.
Tiger-roaring Fist!
It was Jian Lin's strongest, as well as most skilled, technique. Swift and violent, this move was also full of power and might.
"Amazing!"
"What an overbearing punch! "
Exclamations soon resounded around the Drill Ground.
"Hmm, not bad. You can leave now," Jian Lan ordered, glancing at Jian Lin who had slowly returned to a neutral posture.
Jian Lin nodded and slowly walked down from the arena under the eyes of everyone. He glanced at Jian Wushuang at the same time, feeling nervous after seeing his poker face.
He was pretty happy with his performance today. But, he had used his Tiger-roaring Fist and still lost to Jian Wushuang a month ago. That experience had inevitably left him with some trauma.
"Next, Jian Qiu!"
...
The disciples all went up to the arena to demonstrate their best Martial Arts Techniques, one by one. Many of them chose to show off their swordsmanship. They were pretty good to have such levels in the Spirit Path, but it was difficult for them to leave an impression on the famous experts in the audience.
"Next, Jian Meng'er!"
When Jian Lan read his daughter's name, he deliberately made his voice sound impassioned.
Excitement immediately swept everyone on the Drill Ground, including the famous experts on the grandstand. They all fixed their gazes on her. They had high expectations for this chosen Daughter.
Dressed in white, Jian Meng'er walked up to the arena. She first bowed to those on the grandstand before beginning her swordsmanship demonstration.
Whoosh!
The unsheathing of her sword edge caused a piercing sword echo to resound through the Drill Ground. The sword echo carried a faint trace of Killing Intent, coming from the first-class killing sword, the Triple-kill Sword, from the Marquis's mansion.
Swish!
The waving sword light was so gentle that it gave the onlookers the feeling of drifting in the ocean.
"It's... The Wave Superposition Sword Art!"
The moment Jian Meng'er demonstrated this Sword Art, everyone immediately recognized what it was.
"Interesting! Out of the Eighteen First-class Eighteen Sword Arts of Sword Pavilion, she chose this one. Looks like she's very confident," Bai Chong said, smiling.
"You seem to understand this Sword Art very well," Shui Hinxin casually noted.
"Just barely," Bai Chong replied. "It's only a First-class Sword Art, but if you can utilize it to the end, its power can surpass that of First-class Sword Arts."
"Oh?" The rest of the people on the grandstand became interested.
"Jian Xinhong, you're the Sword Marquis Mansion Master. You should be the one most familiar with this Sword Art. Why don't you explain it?" Bai Chong threw the responsibility of answering to Jian Xinhong.
"Haha! Mr. Bai Chong, you're right." Jian Xinhong immediately gave his explanation. "Though this kind of Sword Art is just one of the Eighteen First-class Sword Arts of Sword Pavilion, it's quite a special one. If you show the Sword Art in its entirety, its power is no less than those legendary super-class Sword Arts."
"It's called the Wave Superposition Sword Art because the user can accumulate the power of the Sword Art as they continue to use it. There's actually only one true movement to this Sword Art, and that's the splitting technique. It's very simple, just splitting."
"But the splitting process will pile up. The power superimposes on one another and ends up becoming greater. This way, the Sword Art naturally becomes more powerful and finally surpasses the level of First-class Sword Arts."