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Chapter 63: The Foremost Talent!

"Stop right there, haven't I seen you somewhere before?"

At the gates of the outer pavilion, a Tianshu Sect disciple stepped out from the crowd, eyes fixed straight ahead.

Chen Moqing turned back, meeting the man's gaze, his own eyes utterly calm. "Take another good look."

The man met that dark, still gaze and, for some reason, felt a sudden chill run through him. He took a hasty step back, not daring to look anywhere but the hem of his robe, his tone softening at once. "...You do look familiar, I just can't place it."

Beneath his sleeve, his fingers twitched faintly. "Perhaps I saw you once, during my travels through the lower prefectures."

"Is that so?" Chen Moqing arched a brow slightly, then paid him no further mind, turning to leave with the little snow-white beast in his arms.

Cang Shun pressed against his arm, casting the Tianshu Sect disciple an indifferent glance, then tugged at Chen Moqing's sleeve again.

【Before the bonding ceremony, I want to forge us a pair of rings myself, what style do you like?】

The voice by his ear was light and lively, just as playful as the little fluffball tugging insistently at his sleeve.

Chen Moqing flicked at the round, soft beast-ears pressing against his fingers, feigning ignorance. "What's Mimi muttering about now."

Cang Shun: "?"

The fluffy little snow-white beast hopped up onto his shoulder, letting out loud, indignant mews by his ear, patting at his face with a paw.

【The bonding ceremony! The bonding ceremony!】

"I know, I know." Chen Moqing laughed softly. "Whatever you make, I'll love it."

Cang Shun fell silent.

The now-quiet little snow-white beast stared at Chen Moqing with round, unblinking eyes for a moment, then quickly burrowed into the crook of his shoulder, pressing its fluffy warmth against the collar, nestled against that warm neck, curling into a small, round little ball.

He said he loved whatever I made.

The Demon Emperor mused quietly to himself, fur puffing up softly.

Me too.

Several days later, the finals of the tournament began. The hundred and two talents made their way to the eastern border of the Zhou Kingdom, arriving at one of Tianshu Sect's training grounds.

In past tournaments, the hundred advancing talents had competed in bracket matches decided by drawn lots. This time, Tianshu Sect announced a change in the rules: all talents would face off directly on the Tianshu training ground, and whoever remained standing last would claim first place.

Seen from outside, Tianshu Sect's training ground looked like a flawless disc of white jade, floating amid the clouds, its priceless White Emperor jade forming steps that anyone was free to tread upon. On either side, viewing platforms rising up into the clouds were fitted with special techniques that let every detail of the training ground be seen clearly, no matter the distance.

The match hadn't even begun, and the viewing platforms were already abuzz with discussion. In recent days, another earth-shaking event had struck Tianshu Sect.

"I heard Immortal Venerable Yu Bai gave Chenjie to his closed-door disciple!"

"What?! Chenjie?! You're saying even a sentient immortal sword has recognized Xiao Jibai as its master!"

"Just how astonishing must Xiao Jibai's sword path mastery be, to earn Chenjie! No wonder Chen Moqing resented him so bitterly back then!"

"If Chen Moqing were still around, he'd probably lose to this junior brother of his in the tournament too, wouldn't he?"

"Heh. His Dao heart wasn't strong enough, he threw himself away willingly. It's only fitting his treasures ended up serving someone else in the end."

"I bet everything I had on Xiao Jibai winning. Turns out I bet right after all!"

Amid the heated discussion, the hundred and two talents had already entered the arena.

In the imperial capital of Zhou Kingdom, Ning Lili poked her head out from the second floor of a teahouse, a massive silver mirror stretching across the sky above, reflecting the vast, boundless expanse of Tianshu Sect's training ground—at this moment, it wasn't just the capital watching; more than half the cultivation world had their eyes fixed on this tournament final.

Streets emptied, every eye turned toward the same spectacle, that was exactly the scene unfolding.

"I told you already, told you not to be so impulsive."

The mysterious turtle A' Bai, munching on an osmanthus cake, said flatly, "You went and bet every last spirit stone you had on Liu Yun. No travel fare to get home now, guess it's begging in the streets for you."

Ning Lili said without a second thought, "Then we'll sell your shell. Eat up, at least food keeps your mouth busy."

The mysterious turtle A' Bai shook his head over and over. "You have no idea what a great sect's true foundation looks like. With Chenjie in hand alone, Xiao Jibai is more than enough to crush the entire field."

Ning Lili wrinkled her nose, unconvinced. "Chenjie's only impressive because Chen Moqing was impressive. Now that it's in that Xiao Jibai's hands, who knows if it's even a tenth as fearsome."

A sudden gasp rose up nearby. One of the talents had struck the moment the match began, knocking the nearest opponent clean out of the arena.

Ning Lili watched the unlucky one who'd been flung out coughing up blood, clearly badly injured, and cried out in shock, "Hitting that hard, aren't they worried about actually killing someone! There's no jade token safety net this time!"

"The tournament's always been about giving everything you've got to settle who's strongest," the mysterious turtle A'Bai said unhurriedly. "Of course, the rule is you can't actually kill anyone. Crippling their spiritual roots, severing limbs, as long as there's still a breath left in them, it doesn't count as killing."

"That's always been the unspoken rule of the tournament. They just... don't bother explaining it to you lower-prefecture cultivators."

Ning Lili shivered, gazing off at that tall figure in black robes on the arena floor, thinking to herself—he had to win!

Across the vast training ground, the hundred talents clashed in chaos. The weaker ones had already descended into constant skirmishing, while the stronger ones held steady amid the turmoil for the time being.

Xiao Jibai stood with arms crossed, glancing sidelong at Gongsun Buzhi beside him, saying in a mocking tone, "Senior Brother, go on and show off a bit, won't you."

Gongsun Bushi replied gently, "Good little brother, I'll leave it all to you."

Xiao Jibai grimaced at that, grumbling to his system, "Must be nice having connections, got eliminated and he still has the nerve to show his face!"

"Host, patience. Don't forget what your master told you."

"Heh, with Chenjie in hand now, I don't need anyone else to take first place!" The corner of Xiao Jibai's mouth curled up as his gaze swept the field, quickly exchanging glances with several Tianshu Sect disciples scattered elsewhere. "Still, better safe than sorry. The protagonist should always have a backup plan."

Her long whip cracking through the air, driving back several talents who'd tried to gang up on her, Qiu Zaiwang scanned the area, spotting the one she was looking for, and was just about to head over when an eager voice rang out beside her: "Fairy Qiu, I've long heard of your name, Chu Qingya of the Chu family, seeking your guidance!"

Qiu Zaiwang turned, sizing up the green-robed young man before her, and said plainly, "You're at Nascent Soul. Not a match for me."

Chu Qingya laughed heartily. "Still worth a try! Fighting above my stage, I'll gain something from it either way!"

Qiu Zaiwang gave her whip a flick. "Fine then. Come."

At one side of the arena, Chen Moqing stroked the little snow-white beast in his arms, again and again, gazing calmly ahead, his still, unruffled eyes reflecting a figure approaching—Gongsun Bushi.

The man in white-and-gold robes looked down at him from above, his peach-blossom eyes fixed on him.

"Look! Gongsun's making his move against Liu Yun!"

"Is he going to avenge his earlier humiliation?"

Though the viewing platforms were impossibly far away, Gongsun Bushi's voice carried softly on the wind: "You're bound to lose today, and lose badly. If you're willing to turn back now, I can still protect you."

Cang Shun narrowed his eyes, and a slender hand settled atop his head, silently stilling the motion he'd been about to make.

The little snow-white beast pressed its head wordlessly against that palm, rubbing against it slowly, twice.

Fine. He'd wait a little longer.

Beneath that palm, the fur lay soft and light. Chen Moqing smiled without a word, runes stirring in an instant, flying free and wild.

Gongsun Bushi neither dodged nor retreated, thrusting forward with a single strike of his sword!

Unlike those dazzling, ornate sword techniques, his swordsmanship was plain and unadorned, sword-light condensed into one, its edge hidden away, never showing off on the surface. A sect elder had once praised him, saying the great Dao favored simplicity, that returning to unadorned truth was the surest path to ascension.

The longsword struck down, colliding with the flying runes—

Gongsun Buzhi's body flew backward, nearly knocked clean out of the arena on the spot!

The crowd on the viewing platforms: "......"

For some reason, this scene felt oddly familiar—they'd already grown used to it.

"This Gongsun Bushi... really is..."

"Not as good as his old senior brother, and not as good as his junior brother now either..."

The skin at the base of his thumb split open, blood staining the sword hilt, trickling down the blade, reflecting a pair of trembling eyes.

The voices from every direction seemed to turn into a dull blade, slicing his chest open bit by bit. Gongsun Bushi struggled to lift his gaze, looking up at that tall figure towering above him.

...Why?

Why couldn't he withstand even a single strike in front of this man?!

There had only ever been one person in this world—only one—who could press him down like this... anyone who came after, even Xiao Jibai, couldn't compare to that man!

How could there be someone just like him?! So alike to him?!

Gongsun Bushi's pupils shook, breath nearly failing him, some thought tearing through his heart, urgent, pushing its way out of his chest.

Could it be—

"Senior Brother, let me handle this instead."

A laughing voice cut between them. Xiao Jibai stepped forward, landing above Gongsun Bushi, his expression full of concern, though the corner of his mouth couldn't quite stay still.

"Don't trouble my senior brother any further. Your opponent now is me."

Chen Moqing met his eyes, saying "Oh" in an unhurried tone. "I've long heard of Fellow Daoist Xiao's name. Finally making your first move, then?"

Xiao Jibai arched a brow, reaching out a hand. "Sword, come!"

A sword shot through the sky, coming to rest between his fingers, radiating astonishing sword intent!

On the viewing platforms, one of the powers said in surprise, "Not Chenjie? Such confidence, does he truly believe he can beat that Liu Yun without it?"

"No need for Chenjie at all, with sword intent this fierce! Truly no ordinary talent!"

Under the gaze of the entire assembly, Xiao Jibai held his longsword aloft, standing high in the sky, looking down over the field, and struck down with a single blow!

A blade of light, sharp beyond measure, split into two, then three, then hundreds upon hundreds of individual streaks of light, dazzling and blinding, almost too bright to look at directly.

Where the sword-light struck, Chen Moqing neither dodged nor retreated, raising a finger to tap once, runes blazing vast as a sky full of stars—

The next instant, countless runes scattered into nothing all at once!

To everyone watching from the platforms, it looked as though that surging sword energy had crushed the runes in an instant!

——Not far off, a Tianshu Sect disciple stood with hands clasped behind his back, and beneath his sleeve, a palm-sized bright yellow banner fluttered unseen, radiating faint waves of golden light that no one noticed.

Chu Qingya suddenly crashed to the ground, a long whip cracking toward his face. He instinctively raised an arm to block, but the whip had already snapped back around, splitting the paving stone beside him.

Shattered stone sprayed outward. Chu Qingya stared down at his own hands in disbelief—after a hundred years cultivating the talisman path, he now found... he couldn't draw a single talisman at all!

Qiu Zaiwang reeled in her whip, brows knitting together as she glanced sharply to one side.

"Xiao's won!"

Gasps rose one after another across the viewing platforms as everyone watched Liu Yun's runes shatter completely the instant they collided with Xiao Jibai's sword energy, leaving the man himself utterly exposed beneath that sky full of sword-light, with no defense at all!

The corner of Xiao Jibai's mouth curled up recklessly as he struck out with his sword once more!

Press the advantage, give no quarter, leave him no chance to recover!

Farewell, Liu Yun! This is my moment to make my name, the title of the Nine Thousand Prefectures' foremost talent, I'll be taking it for myself!

After today, the world would know only Xiao Jibai—not Liu Yun, and certainly not that Chen Moqing!

The sharp sword-light closed in on his brow, yet the runes filling the sky could no longer condense. Chen Moqing looked into a pair of smug eyes, that same smile as ever, brimming with satisfied triumph.

"Just as I thought. You haven't improved at all."

The clear, pleasant voice landed by his ear—perfectly calm in tone, and yet Xiao Jibai's sword hand trembled involuntarily.

...What?

In his instantly frozen gaze, the calm-eyed, black-robed talisman cultivator, rather than dodging the sky full of sword-light, took a step forward instead!

The array rose!

Golden light blazed, a great array blotting out the sky! Countless streaks of sword-light shattered in an instant!

A dazzling, magnificent array surged up from the ground, splitting at once into multiple layers, its base rooted in the earth, its peak reaching the heavens, unfurling a curtain of resplendent golden brilliance, intricate and ancient array-lines spreading and winding like a tree of light holding up heaven and earth, or like an immortal parting the clouds to gaze down upon the mortal world below.

——Dawn of the Path!

His black robes billowed in the wind, flowing gold patterns flashing into view with each turn of fabric. His tall, sword-straight figure stood atop the resplendent golden array, feet planted at its very heart, looking down over the vast training ground below!

Cang Shun let out a light laugh, hopping up onto his human's shoulder, chin lifted slightly, standing side by side with him, looking down over the crowd below.

"Dual mastery of talisman and array!" On the viewing platforms, the Shenlu Sect elder shot to his feet, his voice full of astonishment. "He's mastered both talisman path and array path!"

"Talisman mastery at the very peak, at such a young age, and now this level of array path skill as well?!"

"A monster! An absolute monster! Just who is he?!"

At the Chu family's seats, Chu Langtao sat slack-jawed, utterly speechless, one single thought echoing in his mind—Young Friend Liu Yun! Just how many more cards do you have left to play!

In the imperial capital of Zhou, cries of shock rose from every direction, drowning out the city walls. Ning Lili's mouth hung wide open, the mysterious turtle A' Bai's bean-like eyes practically bulging into soybeans. "Is... is that even human?!"

"Dual mastery of talisman and array, both at the absolute peak! Not in thousands of years has the cultivation world seen a talent like this! Is he Chen Moqing reincarnated?!"

The great sects shook, every clan reeling in shock—this scene had gone entirely beyond anything within their understanding. In this moment, all of the Nine Thousand Prefectures, the entire cultivation world, had its eyes fixed on a single man!

Xiao Jibai crashed hard to the ground, landing right beside Gongsun Bushi, his sword snapped in two, the flying blade's edge having sliced open a line from the corner of his mouth to his ear, blood pouring out—yet he seemed utterly unaware of the pain, staring rigidly upward, pupils shrinking to needle-points.

The blazing golden array, the black-robed figure suspended high above it, a pair of dark, indifferent eyes gazing down without warmth, like a sun that gave no heat.

How familiar this scene was. Just like... just like—

"So it's you... so you're not dead after all..."

Xiao Jibai's voice trembled, shaking as violently as his own hands—though he himself remained utterly unaware of it, his gaze locked rigidly on the sky above.

"You're the one... the demonic cultivator who slaughtered everyone in Qingluan Prefecture—Chi Fei!!"

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