"Luo Yunsheng, what is he doing here?"
In the great hall of Taiyi Peak, upon hearing this voice, the various peak masters' expressions changed.
Luo Yunsheng, the Grand Elder of Yaoshan Sword Sect.
His swordsmanship was peerless. In his youth, he challenged several holy land sects to hone his skills, achieving victory in every encounter.
He was the peerless prodigy of that era, and several of the peak masters present were his defeated opponents.
This was why his name made them change their expressions.
"Yaoshan Sword Sect has inexplicably sent Luo Yunsheng, but for what purpose?"
"Perhaps it's about the Dao Discussion Assembly a year from now."
"He even brought his disciple. This trip might not be for good intentions!"
"What are you afraid of? Is our dignified Eastern Domain's number one holy land afraid of him?"
"That's right, that's right! We'll deal with whatever comes our way!"
The peak masters in the hall murmured amongst themselves.
At this moment, the Holy Lord of Taiyi suddenly opened his eyes and said, "Quiet, Wuya, you go and escort them to the guest hall. All peak masters will accompany me to greet our guests."
"Yes!"
Nie Wuya, the Peak Master of Qingyang Peak whom Xu Chuan had met before, took his orders and left.
...
"Rumble!"
Outside the mountain gate, the void trembled, and Nie Wuya's figure appeared.
With a wave of his hand, the calling card instantly burned up.
"I wonder who it is, so it's you, old ghost Luo. What, aren't you staying put in your Yaoshan Sword Sect? Why have you come to my Taiyi Holy Land?"
Nie Wuya was also among Luo Yunsheng's defeated opponents back then, so they did not get along.
Upon seeing the visitor, Luo Yunsheng couldn't help but laugh, "Nie Wuya, so many years have passed, and you're still stuck at the seventh level of Tongtian. You're no good. I'm already at Half-step Heavenly King!"
Immediately, Nie Wuya's face turned as black as charcoal, his expression extremely gloomy.
Luo Yunsheng's words had struck a raw nerve.
Ever since he was defeated by Luo Yunsheng, his state of mind had been flawed. After reaching the seventh level of Tongtian, he had made no further progress.
"Hmph, don't just rely on your sharp tongue!"
Nie Wuya snorted coldly and had no desire to converse further with Luo Yunsheng.
He secretly vowed to go into seclusion immediately upon his return and not emerge until he reached the eighth level of Tongtian.
"Follow me. The Holy Lord is already waiting in the hall."
He led the two to the guest hall on Chuyang Peak.
In the great hall, the Holy Lord of Taiyi and the peak masters were already present.
Luo Yunsheng, with his disciple, entered the hall and bowed respectfully to the Holy Lord of Taiyi.
"Luo Yunsheng greets the Holy Lord of Taiyi."
The Holy Lord of Taiyi nodded and replied in a calm voice, "Fellow Daoist Luo, there's no need for formalities. May I ask the purpose of your visit?"
Luo Yunsheng cupped his hands slightly and said, "I, Luo, have been invited by the Holy Lord of Huangsha to inform all the sects in the Eastern Domain about the venue of the Dao Discussion Assembly."
"This Dao Discussion Assembly will be hosted by the Huangsha Holy Land, and its location will be in the center of the vast expanse of ten thousand miles of yellow sand."
"I hope the Holy Lord of Taiyi will not forget the date!"
"In addition..."
Just when everyone thought Luo Yunsheng had finished speaking, he spoke again.
"I heard that not long ago, Taiyi Holy Land accepted a Fire Spirit Body named Yang Sheng as a direct disciple. Therefore, I have specifically brought my newly accepted disciple here today to let him spar with your Holy Land's direct disciple and broaden his horizons."
Upon hearing Luo Yunsheng's words, everyone had a look of 'as expected.'
They knew Luo Yunsheng's intentions wouldn't be so simple.
Now, they were finally revealed.
They cast their gaze towards Gong Lin, who was standing behind him.
They wanted to see what kind of disciple the man who was invincible throughout the Eastern Domain in his youth would have.
Upon seeing him, their expressions immediately turned grim.
With their cultivation levels, they could tell at a glance that this person was already at the fifth level of the Divine Ability Realm, possessed an innate Sword Bone, and his swordsmanship had reached the level of Clear Comprehension of the Sword Heart.
Such a person, even if his cultivation was not high, would have few equals within the same realm, let alone Yang Sheng, who had only recently become a direct disciple.
Although Yang Sheng was a Fire Spirit Body and was being fully nurtured by the Holy Land, he was currently only at the fifth level of the Mortal Transformation Realm. He was an entire major realm behind. How could he possibly have a chance to defeat him?
This was clearly an attempt to humiliate Taiyi Holy Land.
Otherwise, why would he have specifically requested to spar with Yang Sheng?
The Holy Lord of Taiyi smiled upon hearing this and said, "That might disappoint you, fellow Daoist. That lad Yang Sheng is currently in seclusion and won't be able to come out anytime soon. Moreover, he is only at the fifth level of the Mortal Transformation Realm and is far from being a match for someone at the fifth level of the Divine Ability Realm."
The Holy Lord of Taiyi would naturally not allow such an obvious provocation to succeed easily.
Over the years, Yaoshan Sword Sect had produced several prodigies, leading to an ever-increasing reputation for the sect in the Eastern Domain, even subtly surpassing Taiyi Holy Land.
The difference in strength between the top experts of the two sects was not significant. Therefore, the Sect Master of Yaoshan Sword Sect was harboring such plans, aiming to replace Taiyi Holy Land and become the number one power in the Eastern Domain.
Luo Yunsheng bringing his disciple to challenge them this time was likely also a probing move.
"It's alright, we can wait!"
"Besides, I will have Gong Lin suppress his cultivation to the same realm as him, ensuring no bullying of the young. Please rest assured, Holy Lord."
Luo Yunsheng shook his head, unconcerned.
"I brought him out this time precisely to temper him and prepare him for the Dao Discussion Assembly a year from now."
"I believe that as the number one power in the Eastern Domain, Taiyi Holy Land will not shy away from a challenge, right?"
Luo Yunsheng spoke these words lightly, but the implication was clear.
It meant that if your grand Holy Land couldn't even dare to face a disciple's spar, then perhaps it was time to relinquish the title of the number one power.
The Holy Lord of Taiyi frowned upon hearing this, feeling a hint of indignation.
This Luo Yunsheng was being rather presumptuous.
However, for the sake of Taiyi Holy Land's prestige, after some consideration, he transmitted a message to the Peak Master of Ziyang Peak, "Send someone to summon Yang Sheng, but there's no need to rush him out. Let them wait for a while."
"Holy Lord, Yang Sheng hasn't been here long, I'm afraid..."
The Peak Master of Ziyang Peak hesitated, fearing Yang Sheng might not be a match.
"There's no need to say more. It's decided."
The Holy Lord waved his hand.
"Yes!"
The Peak Master of Ziyang Peak quickly departed.
The Holy Lord of Taiyi looked at Luo Yunsheng and said, "Fellow Daoist, please wait a moment. I have already sent someone to notify Yang Sheng to come."
"How about this? Since your Holy Land's Fire Spirit Body direct disciple will take some time to arrive, why don't we have some other disciples spar first?"
Luo Yunsheng continued to speak.
The Holy Lord of Taiyi's frown deepened. This Luo Yunsheng was becoming increasingly audacious.
At this moment, one of the peak masters offered a suggestion, "Holy Lord, why don't we agree to his request and let some of our inner disciples go first to deplete this young man's strength, thereby increasing Yang Sheng's chances of winning?"
His mind raced, and he also felt it was feasible, so he nodded in agreement.
"That's acceptable. Since that's the case, any inner disciples who are confident can come forward for a spar."
As soon as these words were spoken, the crowd watching the spectacle outside the hall suddenly became noisy.
A tall, muscular inner disciple with a broad-bladed giant sword on his back, whose cultivation was at the first level of the Divine Ability Realm, pushed through the crowd and entered the hall.
He looked coldly at Gong Lin and said sternly, "Qin Cheng, a disciple of Lieyang Peak, has come to offer guidance!"
"Divine Ability Realm, first level, right? Come on!"
Gong Lin glanced dismissively at Qin Cheng, suppressed his cultivation to the first level of the Divine Ability Realm, and said calmly.
He didn't take Qin Cheng seriously at all.
To him, Qin Cheng was too ordinary, and sparring with him would be effortless.