Volume 7: The Strongest Four Realms Chapter 3: Watching the Tide
"Although the Sword Washing Pond belongs to our Western Region sect, your comparison is too biased towards the Sword Washing Pond. I can't stand it anymore." A sensible yellow-robed monk in the crowd took over.
“The Sword Sect originally had the fewest members among the seven major sects. In addition, it is said that the total number of disciples in the Nascent Soul stage in the entire Sword Sect does not exceed 300.
Xijianchi is the number one sword-cultivating sect in the Western Region. It has hundreds of thousands of disciples, including nearly 10,000 disciples in the Nascent Soul stage.
With such a large base, the fact that there is one more disciple on the list than the Sword Sect does not mean that the younger generation of the Sword Sect is not as good as Xijianchi?
Besides, don’t you see who is at the top of the yellow list?
Haoran Sword Jichuan!
You have to understand that among the disciples on the Sword Washing Pool list, the highest ranked is only 37th."
After being lectured by the yellow-robed monk, the gray-robed monk who had spoken earlier also understood the difference. He lowered his head in silence and said no more.
Seeing that the gray-robed monk did not refute, the yellow-robed monk who won the debate became interested and continued, "The Sword Sect has always been famous for having a small number of people but excellent talents, so there is even a unique phenomenon that the number of Void-Refining monks in the sect is more than that of Nascent Soul monks, which violates the pyramid structure. Don't look at the fact that there are only two Sword Sect monks on the Yellow List, but on this Mysterious List, the Sword Sect has nine monks on the list, which is the largest number of people on the list among all the sects in the world."
After hearing what the yellow-robed monk said, the others also turned their attention to the Xuan List.
They took stock of it in their minds and found that it was indeed the case.
In the Daoist Sect's Taiqing Palace, which had the largest number of people, there were only seven cultivators who made it onto the Xuan List.
From this comparison, we can see how terrifying the Sword Sect is.
"Moreover, looking at the four lists, the Sword Sect actually occupies two of the top spots. They are Ji Chuan, who is at the top of the Yellow List, and Taibai Sword Master, who is at explain something?"
At this point, the gray-robed monk was completely speechless.
In fact, he just suddenly realized that the number of Sword Sect disciples on the yellow list was actually less than that of the Sword Washing Pool, and he blurted it out without thinking too much.
But the moment he spoke, he realized something was wrong.
But I didn't expect that I would run into a knowledgeable guy and end up getting lectured by him. It was really depressing.
"Just talking about the top two lists is nothing," the girl in yellow clothes actually took over the conversation at this time, and said crisply: "The most amazing thing about the Sword Sect is that they have produced the strongest seventh realm, Luoshen Fairy Xia Daoyun."
When Xia Daoyun's name was mentioned, all the monks immediately started talking.
Obviously, this name is very well-known.
This is indeed the case. You should know that Xia Daoyun is the cultivator who was given the title of the strongest for the first time .
How could an unprecedented monk not be famous?
"It is said that the Fairy Luoshen has done something big recently." Seeing that everyone's attention was drawn, the girl decided to reveal some of her own unique information.
"What's the big deal? Little girl, stop keeping us in suspense and just speak frankly." A middle-aged male cultivator with a beard, who was impatient, urged.
"Why are you in such a hurry?" The girl's nose turned up slightly, and she was a little dissatisfied with the middle-aged man's urging, but she finally opened her mouth and told the story: "It is said that some time ago, there was an eighth-rank demon king in the East Region. I don't know what kind of courage he had, but he actually threatened the Sword Sect. Later, the fairy Luoshen went straight to the demon king's lair with a single sword, and killed the demon king with just one sword."
Hearing the girl mention the name of her master, Lu Qingshan, who was also listening attentively to the first-hand intelligence, couldn't help but be amazed at this moment.
Could this bold and courageous eighth-grade demon king be the Source Demon King?
Lu Qingshan guessed in his heart.
"One sword? Really just one sword?" A cultivator on the scene heard the girl's story and exclaimed in disbelief. He asked suspiciously, "Didn't the Luoshen Fairy advance to the eighth realm only a few decades ago? Could she be so powerful and fierce?"
"Yes, he only used this one sword! Otherwise, how could Fairy Luoshen be the strongest in the seven realms? Of course, she must be extremely powerful to make such a statement." The girl was beaming with joy, as if she had witnessed Xia Daoyun's heroic grace in slaying demons with her own eyes, and said with admiration.
In response to the doubts of others, the young girl said with disdain, "Fairy Luoshen has an amazing record of killing an eighth-level cultivator with the seventh-level cultivation. Once she advances to the eighth level, and finds that the demon king is provoking her, she will be furious and kill a small eighth-level demon king with one sword. What does it matter?"
"Hmm..." Lu Qingshan curled his lips unconsciously when he heard this.
Xia Daoyun is very strong, there is nothing much to say about that.
But considering my master's temperament, why would he be so furious when he just killed an eighth-grade demon king?
Seeing the amazed expressions of the monks around her, the girl felt extremely satisfied. She finally packed up and shouted to her brother beside her: "Let's go, big brother, let's go to Fengling River to watch the tide!"
"Watching the tide in Fengling River?" When Lu Qingshan heard this term, he couldn't help but feel moved.
"Why, are you planning to join in the fun too?" The girl at the side was very sharp-eyed and sharp-eared. Seeing Lu Qingshan's reaction, she greeted him enthusiastically, "How about we go together?"
The reason why the girl was so enthusiastic was that, firstly, she was young and inexperienced, innocent and romantic, and not too wary of others; secondly, she had just exchanged a few words with Lu Qingshan and felt that this man was considerate and easy to get along with.
Of course, the most important thing is that this fellow Taoist is good-looking and seems like a good person!
"Ping'er..." The young male cultivator was dumbfounded when he saw his sister inviting a strange cultivator to travel with her like this, and called out weakly.
"Okay, that's exactly what I meant." On this side, Lu Qingshan had already agreed with a smile.
The words on the young male cultivator's lips were immediately blocked.
Although he is more cunning than his sister, he is, after all, just a thin-skinned rookie monk.
His sister had just extended a warm invitation to Lu Qingshan, so he couldn't just turn around and push Lu Qingshan out.
This is really unkind, maybe in a few decades he will be able to do this without batting an eyelid, but now he can only feel uncomfortable in his heart.
The girl, who was in high spirits, obviously didn't notice that her brother was sulking nearby. She introduced herself cheerfully, "We are from the Baima Li family. My name is Li Baoping, and this is my brother, Li Zhan Gong."
A water bottle and a wine glass, these two siblings have very cute names, their father must be a wonderful person.
"May I know your name?" Although Li Zhan Gong felt uncomfortable, he was a well-educated man after all. Seeing his sister introducing him, he didn't want to show a bad face to Lu Qingshan. He bowed and asked politely.
"Lu Qingshan." Lu Qingshan said with a smile, without hiding his name.
Li Baoping and Li Zhangong would naturally not connect a cultivator they met casually on the road with the unreachable leader of the Seven Realms Discussion Forum just because of a name.
After all, Qingshan is not a rare name, and there are countless people with this name in the world.
While chatting, the three of them had already left Baima City and were flying towards Fengling River on their swords.
The girl looked at Lu Qingshan and suddenly asked, "Brother Lu, it seems that you are not from Baizhou?"
"Why do you think so?" Lu Qingshan raised his eyebrows slightly and asked in surprise.
Li Baoping smiled and replied, "'From Baizhou to the west, everyone has deep eyes'. It means that from Baizhou to the west, the people's eye sockets are more or less sunken. Unlike you, your eye sockets are full."
Lu Qingshan didn't expect that a confused little girl could be so thoughtful. He smiled and said, "I was born in the south, and later joined a sect in the east. For some reasons, I happened to end up here."
The south he was referring to was the southern region, but in the eyes of the two Li brothers and sisters, it naturally meant the southern states.
Knowing that Lu Qingshan was from another place, Li Baoping's eyes lit up immediately. "This is my first time traveling far away from home, and it was only because I happened to be watching the 'tide' in Fengling River that my father let me go, under the banner of broadening my horizons. If I have the chance, I will definitely go to a farther place to see the sights."
Lu Qingshan did not comment.
Seeing that neither Lu Qingshan nor her brother paid much attention to her, the girl did not get angry, but started muttering to herself about her own little thoughts.
"One day, when I have cultivated the golden elixir, I will definitely travel around the world and meet those legendary figures on the Yellow List... It would be great if I could say a few words to them..."
Li Baoping had a girlish nature and kept chattering along the way, "If...if I can make a name for myself someday, that would be even better. I've already thought of a name, it's called Yijian Kaiyuan, Yijian Kaiyuan Li Baoping..."
"One sword opens the origin," Lu Qingshan, who had been paying attention to Li Baoping, became interested and asked, "Daoyou Baoping is also a sword cultivator?"
"Of course! Our Li family is originally a family of sword cultivators, otherwise why would my brother and I rush to watch the tide?" Li Baoping said seriously, turning his head to look at Li Zhan Gong, "Brother, you are right, right?"
"Yes, yes, yes!" Li Zhangong glared at Li Baoping, who had already confessed all his secrets, and responded perfunctorily.
"You should be a sword cultivator as well, otherwise why would you join in the fun?" Li Baoping asked Lu Qingshan in return.
"Of course I did. I heard about the Fengling River tide and wanted to see it," Lu Qingshan nodded in acknowledgement, and then asked casually, "I wonder how far we are from the Fengling River now, and who is the person riding the tide this time?"
Li Baoping was very enthusiastic and said everything he knew: "Fengling River is near Baima City, not far away. At our speed, we will be there in a day or so. As for the one who will ride the tide this time, he is 'Bilang Sword' Qianliu, who is ranked 98th on the Yellow List."
When mentioning this "Bilang Sword", Li Baoping's eyes suddenly shone with a divine light, and he obviously admired it very much. He spoke about it like the back of his hand and could not stop talking about it.
"The Jade Wave Sword Qianliu, Yuanying perfected his cultivation, cultivated the water sword intention of the upper state of perfection, and the killing sword intention of the upper state of unity. His natal sword is the middle-grade heavenly weapon Liuxue, and he is good at external swords. He once killed a fifth-grade early water tiger monster..."
"Bilang Sword..." Lu Qingshan repeated the name, nodded slightly, and continued chatting with the two.
…
A day later, the three finally reached Fengling River.
It can be seen that on both sides of the river, there are numerous tide-watching pavilions, among which people are intertwined, making it very lively.
If you look more closely, you will be surprised to find that the figures in the pavilion are all monks.
The so-called "watching the tide" naturally does not refer to the tide of Fengling River.
Although the tides of Fengling River are indeed surging and are known as the best in the world, how could such a natural scene attract so many cultivators?
The "tide" that these monks want to watch is actually the sword tide.
Among all the sword-cultivating sects in the world, the Eastern Domain Sword Sect is the only Taoist sect and the undisputed leader in sword-cultivation. Next on the list is the Western Domain Sword Washing Pool.
But who in the second position would be willing to be in this position?
Xijianchi has wanted to be promoted to Dao Sect, or even replace the position of Jian Sect, for a long time.
Over the years, Xijianchi has been making all kinds of plans to enhance the reputation of the sect externally and to improve the strength of the sect internally.
The Fengling River Sword Tide was an event organized by Xijianchi to publicize its reputation.
Every ten years, when the tide of Fengling River is at its highest, Xijianchi will send out its own disciples to meet the challenge of sword practitioners from all over the world in the tide of Fengling River.
It does not hurt anyone, nor does it seek money. It is more of a means of guidance, and it shows that the sect's disciples are very powerful and invincible at the same level, thus enhancing their own reputation.
It is euphemistically called "washing the sword".
Swordsmanship is a practical art. Whether fighting against masters or watching master swordsmen fight with each other, it will help swordsmen improve their swordsmanship.
Therefore, whenever the disciples of the Sword Washing Pool were washing their swords in Fengling River, whether they were sword cultivators who wanted to challenge the battle or sword cultivators who wanted to watch the battle, they would come in droves like a tide.
Therefore, it is also called "watching the tide" by people who like to geek out.
Located on the riverside, in the Tide-Watching Tower.
The young girl Li Baoping had already booked a private seat in advance, which was located on the top floor, facing the Fengling River.
The mighty river is in full view, right before your eyes.
Lu Qingshan was also benefited by the Li brothers and sisters, otherwise, with such a lively scene at this time and place, how could there be such a good tide-watching position left for him.
In all likelihood, he is waiting on the nearby hillside.
There were quite a few side dishes ordered on the table, but the Li brothers and sisters were obviously not interested in them. Their eyes were always looking towards the center of the Guangling River, as if they were waiting for something to arrive.
Lu Qingshan was eating very happily.
"Here it comes!" Li Baoping said suddenly excitedly.
At the same time, the densely packed crowd of tide-watchers suddenly became agitated.
Lu Qingshan followed Li Baoping's gaze.
I saw a blue-shirted monk coming with a sword, followed by a dozen sword cultivators of varying levels of skill.
More than a dozen sword lights flew at the same time, looking spectacular.
The figure of the blue-shirted monk finally hovered above the center of Fengling River on his sword.
"For this sword washing event at Fengling River, the sword washing pool has sent out a total of fourteen sword cultivators. There are seven small levels, from the early Jindan stage to the late Yuanying stage, and each small level has two guarding cultivators. Fellow sword cultivators, if you are interested, you can all come up and give me your advice." The blue-shirted cultivator channeled his spiritual power into his voice, and his voice instantly spread to both sides of the river.
"As for the last person who beat the tide..." The blue-shirted monk paused, then continued, "It is me... I am 'Green Wave Sword' Qianliu, and I have reached the perfect level of Nascent Soul. I also welcome your guidance."
"The rules remain the same as before. Every fellow sword cultivator can only challenge those with the same or higher cultivation level as himself. If anyone wins, a cultivator of the same cultivation level as him will receive two Spirit Crystals as a reward. A cultivator of the Nascent Soul stage will receive five Spirit Crystals as a reward. If anyone can defeat me... ten Spirit Crystals will be presented to him!"
Qian Liu waved his hand, and twenty spirit crystals were thrown out, hovering high above the sky, shining with spiritual light. "If you win by crossing levels, the reward of spirit crystals will be doubled!"
As soon as Qianliu finished speaking, the fourteen disciples of Xijianchi immediately dispersed in rows, each occupying a piece of space above Fengling River.
At the same time, waves suddenly rose in Fengling River, and there was a faint sound of water.
The Fengling River tide is about to rise!
