"This battle, the victor is Yan Shouyi, the inheritor of the Lu Ban sect!"
As the second elder of Longhu Mountain announced the result, Yan Shouyi's match against Zhao Chengxiang finally drew to a close.
Zhao Chengxiang's legs were still weak from the power of Yan Shouyi's previous saber strike. He had tried to stand up several times but failed. Finally, an elder from Wudang Mountain, unable to bear watching, ordered a disciple to help him down.
Seeing this, the audience finally recognized Yan Shouyi's strength.
The might of his sword had terrified the senior disciple of Wudang Mountain so much that he couldn't even stand.
This story would likely be retold among the Xuanmen circles for quite some time.
Faced with such a result, the elder from Wudang Mountain could only sigh. He had initially wanted to blame Zhao Chengxiang, but after much thought, he felt Zhao Chengxiang was also innocent.
If Zhao Chengxiang had lost due to carelessness, then he would indeed deserve criticism.
However, this time, he had truly encountered an unbeatable opponent.
Yan Shouyi might not have been as strong as everyone imagined, but he had, in every aspect, perfectly countered Zhao Chengxiang.
This was precisely why both Yan Shouyi and Lin Zitong had felt relieved upon learning that their opponent would be Zhao Chengxiang.
Just as Zhao Chengxiang was about to leave the stage, he suddenly struggled and shouted to Yan Shouyi:
"I have one more thing to say!"
Yan Shouyi looked at him with a smile: "What is it?"
"I..." Zhao Chengxiang hesitated for a long time before gritting his teeth and saying, "I apologize to everyone. I lied. I did not obtain the Longhu Secret Script."
The audience stared blankly at Zhao Chengxiang.
Zhao Chengxiang had expected his confession to be met with shame and accusations, but that was not the case.
Everyone wore expressions of "I already guessed as much."
In reality, whether Zhao Chengxiang possessed the Longhu Secret Script now was no longer important.
Because he had lost to Yan Shouyi, he was already destined to have no connection with the Heavenly Master.
Seeing that no one ridiculed or shamed him, Zhao Chengxiang felt greatly relieved and was helped off the stage with a smile.
Yan Shouyi watched Zhao Chengxiang's retreating back and silently said, "See you in the martial world."
The Luoxing Great Ceremony was merely a small interlude in their lives. Yan Shouyi believed that as long as he hadn't retired from the martial world, he would surely meet Zhao Chengxiang again in the future.
He hoped that by then, Zhao Chengxiang would have found his own path.
After Yan Shouyi descended the stage, Zhang Sishui suddenly stepped forward and announced to everyone:
"You were all too engrossed in watching, and have forgotten that it's already past mealtime. How about a one-hour break? After everyone has eaten, we will continue the matches!"
As the saying goes, people are iron and rice is steel. Even among these cultivators, there were few who could go without eating or drinking for long.
Upon Zhang Sishui's reminder, everyone finally realized they were starving.
Thus, the matches were paused, and everyone headed to the Longhu Mountain dining hall for lunch.
At this time, the audience relaxed and began discussing the morning's matches in twos and threes.
There had been so much content in the morning's matches.
From the thirty-two to the sixteen, and sixteen to eight, plus the recent match between Yan Shouyi and Zhao Chengxiang, a total of twenty-five matches had been played.
With the exception of the match where Zhang Wuma voluntarily conceded, every other match had been spectacular and memorable.
And among all the matches, the ones between Yan Shouyi and Zhao Chengxiang, and Lin Zitong and Han San, were the most exciting.
After this morning, those who had initially not favored Yan Shouyi had begun to discuss whether he had the ability to win the championship.
However, while many discussed Yan Shouyi and Lin Zitong, the majority of the discussions were focused on who would be the successor of the Heavenly Master.
After all, this year's Luoxing Great Ceremony, besides selecting the champion, also had the potential to select a successor to the Heavenly Master, which was the true theme.
Besides Yan Shouyi, who had already advanced to the top four, Lin Zitong, Luo Ning, Yi Hehuan, Yuan Jianxin, and two Daoists from Longhu Mountain were still in contention.
The fate of others was still uncertain, but if these two Daoists from Longhu Mountain entered the top four, it was highly likely that a successor to the Heavenly Master would indeed be chosen this year.
Therefore, during the meal, everyone eagerly anticipated the appearance of those two Daoists.
One couldn't remove their masks on stage, but they surely could during meals, right?
Once their appearances were seen, their identities would be revealed.
However, to everyone's disappointment, the two Daoists from Longhu Mountain did not appear in the dining hall.
Later, people thought about it and understood. They were, after all, Daoists from Longhu Mountain, likely of considerable status. They had probably returned to their own quarters to eat, and had no need to crowd into the dining hall with everyone else.
"Yan Ge, those two Daoists didn't show up," Long Feicheng said softly to Yan Shouyi as he brought his food to the table.
Yan Shouyi was slightly taken aback: "I don't recall asking you to spy on them, do I?"
"It was my own initiative!" Long Feicheng said earnestly. "Only by knowing oneself and the enemy can one win a hundred battles. What if you encounter them later? I'm preparing for you and sister-in-law in advance."
"Then you should have investigated Yi Hehuan too!" Wang Jiwang said from the side. "Sister-in-law's next opponent is that Yi Hehuan."
Long Feicheng chuckled: "Of course, I've been keeping an eye on her too!"
"Any findings from your investigation?" Luo Ning asked.
Long Feicheng replied: "She didn't come to the dining hall either."
Everyone: "..."
So, you went out and wandered around, and didn't see anyone at all?
Long Feicheng said unhappily: "Although Yi Hehuan didn't come to the dining hall, I know where she went and who she went with."
"Oh? Tell us more," Yan Shouyi said.
"Just now, I saw Yi Hehuan leading three disciples from the Wuzhen Sect to a secluded corner of Longhu Mountain. I was curious and wanted to follow them, but I was stopped by people from the Wuzhen Sect. Although I couldn't see Yi Hehuan in the end, I could hear that woman's screams from a great distance."
"Screams? What kind of screams?" Ling Xiaoxiao asked doubtfully.
"The screams of spring," Long Feicheng said with a chuckle.
Yan Nanfei quickly covered Ling Xiaoxiao's ears: "Don't talk about that in front of her, she's still a child."
Long Feicheng's investigation wasn't entirely without merit. After analyzing his report, everyone speculated that Yi Hehuan, perhaps worried about being defeated by Lin Zitong later, had found her own disciples for some "extra practice."
Yan Shouyi said in a deep voice: "You little girl, Yi Hehuan is as venomous as a scorpion. Be extremely careful when you go on stage later. If she finds an opening... I fear she might strike with heavy force."
Lin Zitong nodded, showing no sign of carelessness, and declared fiercely:
"If she has that intention, I will be a step ahead of her."
"With us protecting you, you don't need to worry about the Wuzhen Sect coming to cause trouble!" Lü Jing said domineeringly.
The Wuzhen Sect already had a bad reputation among the Xuanmen, and with Lü Jing accompanied by Abbess Guanyun and Zhang Shantong, they were not afraid of the Wuzhen Sect at all.
Therefore, Lin Zitong could fight without restraint.
...
While everyone was eating and resting, the two Longhu Mountain Daoists who had reached the top eight arrived at the back entrance of the Heavenly Master Hall.
The Old Heavenly Master Zhang Yin and the Grand Elder Zhang Sishui were already waiting for them there.