From the beginning of Swordsman, he created a legend in the martial arts world.

Upon seeing the familiar figure on the cliff top, Lu Dayou's eyes lit up. Like a drowning man grasping at a last straw, he screamed with his last ounce of strength, "Senior Brother! Quick... quick, get down the mountain! Master...!"

Before he could finish speaking, he seemed to trip over a stone and fell heavily forward onto the edge of the cliff.

Upon hearing this, Linghu Chong's expression changed drastically, and the long sword in his hand clattered to the ground.

"Tell me quickly! What happened to Master?!"

He rushed to Lu Dayou in one stride, grabbed his shoulders with both hands, and his voice trembled slightly with extreme panic.

Lu Dayou felt dizzy from the shaking, and he endured the pain and suffocation, breathing intermittently.

"Senior Brother... a group of people have come down the mountain... they look fierce and menacing. The leader... the leader said they are the successors of the 'Sword Sect' of the Huashan Sect... they demand that Master immediately relinquish the position of sect leader. Lu Bai of the Songshan Sect and several experts from the Taishan Sect are also among them. I saw that the situation was not good, so I quickly ran up here to find Senior Brother!"

After hearing Lu Dayou's urgent yet coherent words, Linghu Chong's tense nerves relaxed slightly, at least his master was alright.

But the words "successor of the Sword Sect", "Lu Bai of the Songshan Sect", and "the position of sect leader" still struck his heart like a heavy hammer.

"Brother Linghu."

Meng Fei, who had been standing quietly by the sidelines, stepped forward and said in a steady voice, "Since there are foreign enemies invading Mount Hua with the intention of seizing your Mount Hua foundation, as the head disciple of the sect leader, you should go first. If it is just a false alarm, you can return to the Cliff of Repentance later."

Meng Fei's words were like a reassuring stone.

Linghu Chong took a deep breath, suppressing his turbulent emotions, and solemnly cupped his hands to Meng Fei: "Brother Meng is absolutely right! I will descend the mountain immediately!"

After saying that, he helped Lu Dayou to the side, and with a swift movement, he shot down the mountain path like an arrow.

At this moment, the atmosphere in front of the Hall of Righteousness at Mount Hua is tense and ready to fight.

Led by Feng Buping, Cheng Buyou, and Cong Buqi, the three members of the "Sword Sect" are aggressively demanding that Yue Buqun relinquish his position as sect leader and that a successor of the Sword Sect take over Mount Hua, in the presence of Lu Bai of the Songshan Sect and several masters of the Taishan Sect.

Yue Buqun was pale, but he still stood tall and argued his case. The disciples of the Huashan Sect were both shocked and angry, and they all drew their swords to confront the newcomer.

Just as Cheng Buyou was about to force Ning Zhongze into a fight, hoping to compel Yue Buqun to submit by force—

"stop!"

A clear yet angry shout came from afar.

Linghu Chong, his blue robe stained with dust, rushed into the hall like a whirlwind, landing steadily in front of Ning Zhongze and blocking Cheng Buyou.

"Senior Brother!"

The disciples of Mount Hua were invigorated when they saw Linghu Chong arrive in time.

"Chong'er? You..."

Yue Buqun and Ning Zhongze were both taken aback, not expecting him to appear so suddenly.

Linghu Chong first gave a hurried bow to his master and mistress, then turned around and looked directly at Cheng Buyou and the others.

"How dare you presume to seize the position of Huashan Sect Leader? You wish to judge swordsmanship? Fine! I, Linghu Chong, will, on behalf of my master's wife, experience the so-called 'Sword Sect's' superior techniques!"

Cheng Buyou saw that the newcomer was just a young disciple and couldn't help but feel a bit contemptuous, letting out a cold laugh.

"You callow brat, how dare you speak so arrogantly? Today I'll show you what true Huashan swordsmanship is all about!"

After saying that, the two immediately started fighting on the spot.

Cheng Buyou's swordsmanship is seasoned and his attacks are fierce, truly possessing unique strengths.

However, after being instructed by Feng Qingyang, Linghu Chong learned the Dugu Nine Swords and studied the diagrams in the secret cave of Siguo Cliff that deciphered the Huashan sword techniques. His vision and understanding of swordsmanship were no longer those of a novice.

He casually picked up a broom from the side and used it to fight. He did not use any of the fixed sword techniques of the Huashan School, but rather a combination of the "Sword-Breaking Style" of the Dugu Nine Swords and the moves found in the secret cave that were designed to counter Huashan sword techniques.

His figure was elusive, and the broom in his hand would strike Cheng Buyou's weakest point with the utmost precision at the last second.

After exchanging only twenty or so moves, Linghu Chong spotted an opening and swiftly struck Cheng Buyou's wrist with a bamboo stick, hitting the "Shenmen" acupoint!

Cheng Buyou felt his arm go numb, and his long sword slipped from his hand with a clang. Seeing that he had been defeated by a young disciple, he was filled with shame and anger. He disregarded the rules of the duel, gathered his inner strength in his left hand, and took advantage of Linghu Chong's weakened move to strike him hard in the chest.

"puff!"

Linghu Chong was already injured and was focused on his swordplay. He thought his opponent would admit defeat, but unexpectedly, Cheng Buyou suddenly attacked with a palm strike. Caught off guard, he was struck squarely in the chest.

In an instant, he felt a sweet taste in his throat, his vision went black, and a fierce internal force penetrated his body. Connecting with his old injuries, he could no longer hold on and spat out a mouthful of blood. He collapsed backward!

"Chong'er!"

Ning Zhongze cried out in surprise and rushed forward.

"Senior Brother!" The disciples watching exclaimed in surprise upon seeing this.

Although Cheng Buyou succeeded in his sneak attack, he had already lost face by being defeated by a junior in front of everyone and then committing this despicable act.

Meanwhile, their allies from Songshan and Taishan, who had come with them, saw that the situation was hopeless and were beginning to consider retreating.

Feng Buqing and Cong Buqi exchanged a glance, knowing that their attempt to seize the throne had completely failed and there was no point in staying any longer. They could only glare hatefully at the unconscious Linghu Chong before slinking off the mountain.

The disciples wanted to chase after him and demand an explanation, but Yue Buqun stopped them.

When Linghu Chong finally woke up, it was already the afternoon of the next day.

He was lying in his room, his chest still aching slightly, but his master's wife had applied some kind of medicine and bandaged him up.

Yue Buqun and Ning Zhongze stayed by his bedside. When they saw him wake up, they both breathed a sigh of relief, but their worried expressions remained.

"Chong'er, the swordsmanship you used yesterday..."

Yue Buqun pondered for a moment, his gaze fixed intently on Linghu Chong, before finally asking, "It seems... this isn't from any lineage of my Huashan Sect, especially the method used to break down the 'Worry-Free Sword Technique,' which is exquisite, unpredictable, and directly targets the vital points. Where did you learn it?"

Ning Zhongze also looked at him with concern.

Linghu Chong looked at his master and mistress with eager yet scrutinizing eyes, thinking about how he had used the Dugu Nine Swords and the method in the secret cave to break through Cheng Buyou's sword moves yesterday, and also remembered what Meng Fei had said to him.

After much hesitation, he finally recounted how he had accidentally discovered the hidden cave on the Cliff of Contemplation, and how the cave contained the diagrams left by the ten elders of the Demonic Sect, which were specifically designed to decipher the martial arts of the Five Mountains Sword Sect.

However, he deliberately omitted the fact that Feng Qingyang had taught him the Dugu Nine Swords, only saying that he was facing the wall on the cliff, pondering the principles of swordsmanship, and occasionally gained some insights. He then combined these insights with the inspiration from the diagrams in the cave, which enabled him to use those moves.

After listening, Yue Buqun showed no emotion on his face. He remained silent for a long time before slowly saying, "So that's how it is. The demonic sect has gone to great lengths to prepare this last resort! This matter is of great importance. Focus on recovering from your injuries and do not mention it to anyone else."

After giving him a few words of advice to put his mind at ease, he and Ning Zhongze left the room.