Having studied for a hundred years, why do you call me the Martial Saint?

Fang Jianxing was defeated.

The training ground fell into a brief silence.

Fang Jianxing, one of the three outstanding disciples of the outer sect, was a favorite to win the competition, yet he was defeated so easily.

"Senior Brother Fang lost?"

Some of the Suishan disciples muttered to themselves, their faces filled with disbelief.

The servants watching the battle were even more devastated.

Fang Jianxing was already an unattainable figure for them. Even he had been defeated. Could it be that the younger generation of the Suishan Sword Sect really had no one who could stop this outsider?

"good!"

A cheer erupted from the crowd.

This shout enlivened the atmosphere at the scene.

"Shen Jianyi of the Qingping Sword Sect truly lives up to his reputation!"

"Those so-called Three Heroes of Sui Mountain were all defeated by him. From today onwards, Young Hero Shen's name will surely spread throughout the entire martial arts world!"

The cheers and comments from others were so grating to the ears of the Suishan disciples, making them feel extremely embarrassed.

Han Baitao, the one-armed swordsman, stood in the corner, his cloudy eyes slightly narrowed as he looked at Shen Jianyi and nodded slightly.

This action, however, was noticed by Yue Songting and Shen Jianyi, the master and apprentice who had been watching him closely.

A smile appeared on Yue Songting's lips, and he felt extremely gratified.

My disciple, well done!

The humiliation I suffered here in Suishan back then, you have repaid me tenfold today!

Shen Jianyi was even more in high spirits.

Even the venerable Master Han acknowledged his swordsmanship!

Shen Jian pointed his sword at the audience below and said proudly:

"And which senior brother or sister from Suishan would be willing to come up on stage and offer their guidance?"

The disciples of Suishan clenched their fists, their faces filled with resentment, but what could they do if they were inferior in skill?

"I'll do it."

A clear, cool female voice rang out.

The crowd turned to look and saw a woman dressed in the outer sect uniform of Suishan slowly walking onto the arena.

She has a beautiful face and a resilient look in her eyes.

"It's Senior Sister Lu Luoxia!"

"One of the Three Beauties! Go, Senior Sister Lu!"

The disciples of Suishan were greatly encouraged, as if they had grasped at a straw.

Lu Luoxia took a deep breath and drew her sword:

"Lu Luoxia, an outer disciple of the Suishan Sword Sect, requests guidance from Brother Shen."

Shen Jianyi nodded slightly: "Please."

As soon as the words were spoken, the two of them moved at the same time.

However, as soon as they clashed, Lu Luoxia was forced to retreat repeatedly, her sword strikes were received hastily, and she looked extremely disheveled.

"W-What's going on?"

"Isn't Senior Sister Lu one of the Three Beauties? Why is she struggling so much?"

The servants in the corner watched anxiously, while the outer disciples nearby had a bright look in their eyes.

"This...this is the Lotus Sword!"

"The Lotus Sword?" Qian Le looked bewildered.

The outer disciple excitedly explained:

"The essence of the Lotus Sword lies in the word 'concealment'! Every move feigns weakness, avoiding the enemy's strength and attacking their weakest point. It seems as if you are at a disadvantage, but in reality, you are subtly guiding the enemy's momentum to follow yours! When the enemy's momentum is drawn to its extreme, the illusion will give way to reality, and you will overcome the strong with the weak!"

"Senior Sister Lu never uses this move normally, we didn't even know! We never expected her to be so secretive. This must be her trump card for the outer sect competition!"

Upon hearing this, everyone immediately looked over.

As expected, although Lu Luoxia was retreating step by step, her footwork was not disordered at all, and her sword moves seemed to be scattered, but each sword strike was exactly blocking Shen Jianyi's attack.

The sword light flowed, like a resilient lotus flower.

The balance of power on the field had quietly shifted without anyone noticing!

Lu Luoxia has begun her counterattack!

One sword, two swords, three swords!

The sword light bloomed like lotus petals, layer upon layer, enveloping Shen Jianyi within it.

"good!"

"Senior Sister Lu is awesome!"

The disciples of Suishan finally felt triumphant and cheered thunderously.

However, Shen Jianyi on the stage had a slight smile on his lips.

"The Lotus Sword, concealing its skill in its simplicity, overcomes the strong with the weak—indeed..."

He suddenly changed the subject:

"But can you withstand this move?"

Before he finished speaking, Shen Jian's sword stance changed!

The long sword in his hand, like a rolling dark cloud, pressed down with a heavy aura!

The once elusive and agile sword moves were now incredibly heavy, like a rain cloud that blots out the sky!

"This is……"

From the crowd, an elderly martial artist exclaimed in shock, "Sword intent! This is sword intent! This Shen Jianyi has actually reached the threshold of sword intent!"

Most swordsmen spend their entire lives focusing on sword techniques, only grasping their form.

Only a very few geniuses can comprehend the momentum carried in the execution of sword moves after immersing themselves in the way of the sword for many years!

Shen Jianyi's sword strike was no longer just a simple move, but carried the momentum of his swordsmanship!

Like dark clouds pressing down on the city, and torrential rain pouring down, it instantly washed away the lotus flower that Lu Luoxia had painstakingly woven!

laugh!

The sword flashed.

Lu Luoxia let out a muffled groan as the longsword in her hand shattered inch by inch, and she was sent flying backward, a trickle of blood spilling from the corner of her mouth.

She lost.

The entire room fell silent.

Fang Jianxing's defeat only brought shame to the disciples of Suishan, but Lu Luoxia's defeat left them feeling bewildered.

Shen Jianyi was like a dark cloud hanging over them, making it hard for them to breathe.

"They've even mastered the sword stance, how are we supposed to fight now?"

"Isn't Shen Jianyi only nineteen this year?"

"Does this mean that our Suishan Sword Sect truly has no one left to rely on in this generation?"

A strong sense of despondency spread among the disciples of the Suishan Sword Sect.

"The Sword Master's strength is unparalleled, so how come his disciples' swordsmanship is so mediocre?"

"Alas, the Sword Master may be powerful, but he might not be willing to teach disciples..."

"From today onwards, what happened on Mount Sui will probably become a laughing stock."

These hurtful remarks made the disciples of Suishan extremely distressed, yet they found it difficult to refute them.

Gu Shuxian stood among the servants, his brows furrowed.

He wasn't distressed about the sense of honor of these outer disciples; he was distressed about his own plans.

If a sect's reputation is damaged, fewer disciples will come to become its disciples. If there are fewer disciples, the sect's size will not increase. If it cannot increase in size, it will not expand. If it cannot expand, when will it ever be able to build its own library?

This Shen Jianyi is going against me!

If you want to have a sword fight, why don't you do it secretly?!

You have no manners!

Gu Shuxian couldn't stand it anymore.

He turned to Qian Le and the others beside him and said:

"This is boring, I'm going back to my book."

Qian Le wanted to persuade him to stay, but thinking of the previous scene, he felt extremely discouraged and could only nod helplessly.

Gu Shuxian left the crowd, walked into a secluded, shadowy place, and disappeared.

After a while.

From the shadows emerged a sixteen-year-old boy, dressed in the outer disciple robes of the Suishan Sword Sect, carrying a wooden sword in his hand.

On the arena, Shen Jianyi stood with his sword in hand and proclaimed in a loud voice:

"Gentlemen, if one-on-one is not feasible, you may come in pairs or threes at once, and I will respond with a single sword strike! Today is merely a day for exchanging sword skills and testing what I have learned; I hope you will not hesitate to offer your guidance!"

The disciples of Suishan below the stage all had ashen faces, but no one responded.

Zhong Zhenshan sat in the armchair, his face extremely grim.

Two of the three beauties are gone. Ji Mingzhao, who is still left, is no better than Fang Jianxing and Lu Luoxia. Going up there would only be a disgrace to him.

Alas, is it really true that the younger generation of the Suishan Sword Sect will be trampled underfoot today?

At that moment, a figure silently walked onto the stage.