Mortal: Fifteenth Realm Sword Cultivator

Chapter 236 The First Sword of Tianquan Peak

On the floating arena, a flash of sword light appeared and disappeared in an instant, yet it continued unabated, slashing again and again.

Several sword shadows formed by sword energy in the air were instantly annihilated.

The swordsman's movements were fluid and seamless.

It appears to be understated, but in reality, it flows smoothly and effortlessly, exuding an indescribable charm.

Like a waterfall cascading down a mountain stream, it is perfectly natural, yet it contains immense power. The sword's movements appear soft and hesitant, but in reality, they are extremely gentle and penetrating.

The area around the arena was already filled with cultivators from various peaks who had come after hearing the news.

All this is because the man in front of them, named Lu Jianghe, defeated twelve Foundation Establishment cultivators from Tianquan Peak with just his swordsmanship.

It's not that he's that great.

After all, the world is never short of geniuses.

He never used any magic, relying solely on a very ordinary magical weapon, a longsword.

It was not like a battle between cultivators, but more like a martial artist with superb skills in the mortal world, relying solely on the opening and closing of a sword, with no trace of magical light amidst the crisscrossing sword energy.

Having overcome numerous obstacles, they have already emerged victorious in today's small competition held by Tianquan Peak to select disciples for the ceremony, temporarily taking the lead.

After more than ten consecutive battles, his prowess was fully displayed, attracting disciples from other peaks to come and witness his amazing skills.

At this moment, Lu Jianghe has already been privately dubbed "the number one swordsman of Tianquan Peak" by busybodies.

Although it only circulated within a small circle, it was enough to show that his swordsmanship had gained the recognition of some people.

"Look! Look! Senior Brother Lu's swordsmanship is truly like a gazelle hanging its horns—unpredictable and terrifying!"

"Senior Brother Qi is at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, and his 'Mysterious Ice Technique' has reached the fifth level. He had just condensed icy sword energy, yet it couldn't stop him in the slightest—"

"That's right! I've heard that although this Senior Brother Lu looks young, he is actually a Foundation Establishment cultivator who is over a hundred years old. He just took a Youth Preservation Pill in his early years."

"So that's how it is. No wonder your swordsmanship is so skillful and refined. I knew it. How could someone so young have such mastery?"

"Hey, you know what, quite a few senior and junior sisters from Bai Feng Peak came to watch the battle. It seems some of them are quite interested in him, and there are even rumors circulating that they want to become his Daoist partners."

"You don't know this, but despite our Senior Brother Lu's extraordinary swordsmanship, his cultivation is only at the early stage of Foundation Establishment. If his lifespan is limited to two hundred years, he only has sixty or seventy years left at most. However—"

The speaker paused, glancing towards the center of the arena.

"His handsome appearance alone has attracted the attention of many senior and junior sisters. After all, besides cultivation level, appearance is also extremely important."

Watching the disciples below the stage chattering away, Zhou Yan, despite having watched many performances, couldn't help but mentally complain.

What do you mean by not being good at killing?

Nobody would believe that someone with that kind of swordsmanship hasn't killed many people!

This level of skill cannot be achieved through mere practice.

Meanwhile, inside the main hall of Liuqi Peak, several peak masters and elders gathered together.

Among them were Elder Feng and Song Yu, the peak master of Baifeng Peak.

A more advanced "mirror image" floated before them, far surpassing the ordinary "water-scooping light technique," clearly reflecting the scene.

Looking at Lu Jianghe's clean and crisp swordplay in the image, Elder Feng suddenly turned to ask Song Yu, who was quietly sipping tea beside him.

"Junior Sister Song, if you were in the Foundation Establishment stage, what would your chances of winning a fight against this boy be?"

Upon hearing this, Song Yu put down his teacup, his expression calm and composed, and asked in return, "Should we go all out, or just have a simple spar?"

Elder Feng waved his hand: "We are all fellow disciples, why risk our lives? It's just a friendly sparring match that ends when we've made our move."

Song Yu answered crisply and decisively: "There is absolutely no chance of winning."

Elder Feng seemed to want to probe further, and asked, "What if—you exert all your strength?"

Song Yu didn't even lift her eyelids, her tone remaining as cold as ever: "No chance of winning."

Although Elder Feng knew that Song Yu was aloof and direct, the absolute denial in the question and answer still left him speechless for a moment.

My junior sister's personality is truly unique.

He secretly grumbled to himself.

At this moment, the Hidden Sword Peak Master couldn't help but speak up. His gaze was fixed intently on Lu Jianghe's reflection in the mirror as he exclaimed, "Truly a promising talent for sword cultivation!"

After saying that, he turned to his right and said, "This disciple has such talent. It would be a waste to keep him at your Tianquan Peak to study talismans and formations. Why not transfer him to my Yinjian Peak? I am willing to take him as my personal disciple and cultivate him with care."

Upon hearing this, the cultivator surnamed Xin didn't even hesitate before flatly rejecting the idea: "When this disciple first entered the sect, he was one of the leftovers from the previous rounds. Why are you saying this now? Where were you before?"

The Hidden Sword Peak Master seemed unwilling to give up, arguing, "It's just that we didn't know he had such talent back then! When it comes to teaching swordsmanship, who in the Falling Cloud Sect is more suitable than our peak? With careful training, this kid might actually win the next Three Sects Sword Trial Competition and bring glory to our Falling Cloud Sect."

Upon hearing this, the cultivator surnamed Xin couldn't help but scoff: "The title of champion in the Sword Trial Tournament has always been firmly held by the Ancient Sword Sect. They are a sect specializing in the sword path, with sharp sword techniques and exquisite magical treasures. It's already incredibly difficult to defeat them among those of the same level. To think that a single disciple can turn the tide would mean that all the accumulated strength and heritage of the Ancient Sword Sect over the years has been wasted?"

It's unclear whether the cultivator surnamed Xin was mocking himself or satirizing the Hidden Sword Peak Master for being unrealistic and naive.

The latter was taken aback, feeling somewhat embarrassed, and was about to argue a few more words.

Elder Feng, standing nearby, interjected, "Junior Sister, isn't this disciple a spy planted by another sect?"

Song Yu sat upright in a chair, his slender hands clenched into fists and placed on his knees.

"With perfect clarity and insight, I can't detect anything unusual."

The subtext of this statement is quite clear.

She couldn't say for sure whether there was a problem, but the supernatural power didn't give any warning.

Elder Feng nodded slightly upon hearing this. "Having passed the test of 'Insightful Understanding' has already eliminated most of the suspicious aspects. Moreover, while their explanation cannot be entirely trusted, it is still reasonably plausible. Furthermore, if they were truly spies sent by another sect, it would be too clumsy for them to infiltrate with such an obvious flaw. It should not be them."

He paused briefly, then pressed on, "What about his aptitude and spiritual roots?"

Song Yu calmly replied, "To break through to the Foundation Establishment stage at the age of one hundred, one can infer that one's spiritual root aptitude is most likely a triple spiritual root, and it is even possible that it is a pseudo-spiritual root."

Upon hearing the words "pseudo-spiritual root," the Hidden Sword Peak Master, who had initially held a sliver of enthusiasm for Lu Jianghe's swordsmanship talent, completely lost interest.

The three spiritual roots are still worth discussing; with diligence or good fortune, one may still make some progress.

However, for a pseudo-spiritual root to break through the barrier between immortals and mortals and enter the Foundation Establishment stage is already a stroke of luck, and can be described as the heavens opening their eyes exceptionally.

Want to take it a step further and break through to the mid-Foundation Establishment stage?

What others might achieve in ten or twenty years could take a lifetime to accomplish, but for someone with a pseudo-spiritual root, it might take the rest of their lifespan to break through.

Elder Feng lightly flicked his sleeve and said slowly, "It is a bit of a pity. I think we should do this: after this matter is over, everyone here can offer some advice and see if we can help him go further."

Upon hearing this, the peak masters and elders at the Core Formation stage showed different expressions, seemingly lost in thought, and did not immediately respond.

The cultivator surnamed Xin from Tianquan Peak spoke first, saying, "I have no objection, after all, they are disciples of Tianquan Peak. However, their spiritual root aptitude is what it is, so everyone can consider it carefully. Whether they have time or not doesn't matter, since they only broke through to the Foundation Establishment stage at over a hundred years old, they will most likely only reach this point."

As he spoke, he was also looking at the reflection of a flower in a mirror.

In the water mirror, Lu Jianghe's ordinary magic weapon, a longsword, was steadily resting on the neck of a fellow disciple in the mid-Foundation Establishment stage.

The sword tip was only an inch from the skin, exuding a chilling aura, yet without a trace of killing intent.

The fellow disciple's face flushed red, his eyes filled with astonishment and a hint of resentment, but he stood frozen in place, not daring to make the slightest move.

Lu Jianghe flicked his wrist slightly, withdrawing his longsword with a smooth and natural movement, devoid of any hint of arrogance.

The Foundation Establishment cultivator gripped the sword hilt, tip pointing downwards, and bowed respectfully.

"I admit defeat, and I accept it wholeheartedly."

Lu Jianghe responded with a slight smile.

Deep down, however, a strange feeling stirred within me that I couldn't quite put my finger on.

Playing the fool to catch the wolf in sheep's clothing is a really uncomfortable thing to do.

There was no sense of pleasure as I had expected; instead, it felt like being separated by an invisible veil, with awkwardness permeating everything.

If the difference in their levels is only a tiny bit, then it's fine.

But the gap between them is so huge, it's like the ancestors are beating their great-grandchildren.

Even the word "guide" seems too much of an exaggeration.

From the moment he stepped onto the stage until now, only one-tenth of the incense stick in the stone incense burner next to him has burned down.

More than ten Foundation Establishment stage disciples were unable to withstand his sword for even half an incense stick's time.

"Lu Jianghe, disciple of Tianquan Peak, wins!"

The butler in charge of hosting the event called out the names loudly, instantly igniting a commotion among the audience.

"Wow—we won again!"

"It's too fast, I can't even see the sword's path."

"What kind of swordsmanship is that? It looks so ordinary, how can it be so powerful? I didn't even have time to use a spell before they got close to me—"

"I think the title of 'Number One Swordsman of Tianquan Peak' is truly well-deserved."

"Tsk tsk, those guys on Bai Fengfeng's side have their eyes practically glued to Senior Brother Lu."

Several Core Formation cultivators began discussing the techniques of this swordplay, attempting to trace its origins and understand its roots.

After much deliberation and speculation, nothing was found.

It's not that the sword technique is too profound; rather, it's that its expression is too natural and simple, without any fixed rules or routines.

Furthermore, since none of them were specialists in swordsmanship, they naturally found it difficult to comprehend the profound mysteries hidden within.

"Who will attend this ceremony? The clan cannot be left unattended."

Elder Feng glanced at everyone in the hall and steered the conversation away from Lu Jianghe and back to the main topic.

The Nascent Soul cultivator arena battle that will determine the ownership of the seven spirit islands in the boundless sea is only a few months away, which is truly a blink of an eye for cultivators.

A few of the Core Formation elders must remain to guard the sect's main formation.

Song Yu spoke directly: "Senior brother, I will stay in the sect."

""