As dusk fell, the entire city was in an uproar.
Everyone could clearly see a mountain-like city slowly flying toward the eastern side of Peacock City.
The Twelve Towers and Five Cities—the Twelve Towers came before the Five Cities, so naturally, they couldn’t be just small buildings.
Take the Huanzhu Tower, for instance.
It stood five hundred zhang tall and spanned two hundred li in circumference.
Though not as large as Peacock City, it was much taller.
The entire tower was a single, seamless structure, and the people inside looked smaller than ants.
The sight of it was even more awe-inspiring than Peacock City itself.
As the Huanzhu Tower drew closer, dazzling arrays of spiritual light burst forth from both massive structures.
However, their respective city-protecting formations only flashed briefly before disappearing.
The Huanzhu Tower slowly aligned itself with Peacock City.
The people of Peacock City craned their necks, but even then, they couldn’t see the top of the Huanzhu Tower.
From the center of Peacock City, a figure flew out.
The man wore a tall crown and luxurious robes, and where he stood, auspicious lights and colorful clouds appeared in the void.
He spoke, his voice resonating far and wide:
"Brother Shanshou! I’ve finally been able to welcome you!"
"Haha, Brother Boya, I was also anxious to get here. When I left, Brother Rusu tried to stop me. It took some effort to break free, and then when I reached the shores of the East Sea, I encountered a flock of Xuan Swans returning north. I had to give way, which delayed me."
Accompanied by hearty laughter, a man in white robes flew out from the Huanzhu Tower.
The man had a face like jade, a long flowing beard, and an extraordinary handsomeness.
He also carried a long sword slung across his back.
The man in luxurious robes laughed and scolded, "The Xuan Swans are the masters of the Third Heaven. It’s only right to let them pass. But what was Li Rusu trying to do by holding you back? In a few days, I’ll definitely go to the East Sea and cause some trouble for his Zhentao Tower!"
The two men laughed heartily.
"Everyone!" the man in luxurious robes called out, his voice echoing throughout the city and the tower.
"Fellow Daoists who have come to Peacock City, and fellow Daoists of the Huanzhu Tower, tonight after the hour of Hai, the fireworks in Peacock City will not stop, and all drinks are on the house!"
The city and the tower erupted in a wave of thunderous cheers.
"Everyone!" the man in white robes also raised his voice.
"I, Li Shanshou of this tower, will be hosting a sword competition tonight on the precious grounds of Peacock City. I invite young friends of the first and second realms to participate. All who love the sword are welcome to watch!"
As soon as these words were spoken, the cheers continued unabated.
Through the words of others, the group from Mount Sanqing also learned the identities of the two men.
The first to appear, the man in luxurious robes, was none other than the City Lord of Peacock City, Qian Boya, a high-level cultivator at the Loose Immortal Realm.
The man in white robes who followed was Li Shanshou, the master of the Huanzhu Tower, a Sword Immortal at the Heavenly Immortal Realm.
After Sword Immortal Li Shanshou announced the sword competition, the news spread far and wide.
Cultivators from all over the lower realms flocked to the Third Heaven, pouring into Peacock City and the Huanzhu Tower.
By the time the hour of Hai approached, even the rooftops and eaves were packed with people, creating a grand spectacle.
As everyone eagerly awaited, the sun set, the moon rose, and the hour of Hai arrived.
"Boom!"
A massive golden chrysanthemum firework—the Yaotai Jade Phoenix—bloomed in the sky of the Third Heaven, igniting the emotions of everyone present.
This was just the beginning.
From all corners of Peacock City, beams of light shot into the sky like reverse meteors, exploding into dazzling flowers that lit up the city as bright as day.
Amidst the fireworks, Li Shanshou stood atop the Huanzhu Tower.
The full moon behind him cast a silhouette of the Sword Immortal and the tower’s peak.
With a wave of his sleeve, two objects flew out, growing rapidly in size until they became massive.
One transformed into a hundred-step platform made of carved jade, while the other became a giant mirror almost as tall as the Huanzhu Tower itself.
The platform and the mirror floated in the void between Peacock City and the Huanzhu Tower.
The platform was almost invisible next to the mirror, but the image in the mirror clearly showed the details of the jade bricks on the platform.
At this moment, the many cultivators in the city and the tower only needed to look up slightly to see every detail of the platform through the mirror.
One could imagine that if someone stood on the platform, they would be visible down to the finest detail.
Any knowledgeable sword cultivator would recognize these as two of the Huanzhu Tower Master’s treasured immortal artifacts: the Jade Yaotai and the Moon Reflection Mirror.
This was another reason why the Huanzhu Sword Competition was so famous.
Imagine standing on the Jade Yaotai, your figure magnified ten thousand times through the Moon Reflection Mirror for all to see.
Who could remain calm under such circumstances?
"This sword competition will begin with physical swordsmanship. Those who practice physical sword techniques may ascend the steps and take the stage," the Huanzhu Tower Master announced.
As expected, only a few hundred beams of light flew out from the city and the tower, like fireflies heading toward the Jade Yaotai.
In today’s world, flying swords were the most common, followed by magical swords, with physical swords being the rarest.
This was the norm.
In the Haishi Tavern, the group from Mount Sanqing looked at Cheng Xinzhan.
Cheng Xinzhan patted the "Autumn Water" sword at his waist and laughed, "I’m off!"
The young Daoist rode a cloud and also transformed into a firefly.
When they reached the base of the Jade Yaotai, the sword-wielding cultivators realized that the platform only looked small from a distance and next to the Moon Reflection Mirror.
In reality, it was a hundred feet tall, with about a hundred steps from bottom to top.
The several hundred sword cultivators standing at the base of the platform were spread out in a line, still looking sparse, covering an area of several thousand steps.
In the distance, the Huanzhu Tower Master flicked his finger, and a beam of light landed on the Jade Yaotai, causing a sudden change.
The bright moonlight fell onto the Jade Yaotai.
It was said that moonlight was like water, but at this moment, the moonlight truly turned into water.
The platform accumulated moonlight water, which cascaded down the steps like a waterfall.
As it fell, the water grew more turbulent, and after a hundred steps, it resembled a mighty river.
But whether it was a waterfall or a river, it was only an illusion from a distance.
Upon closer inspection, it was clear that it was a dense crowd of people charging down with swords, their momentum unstoppable.
However, these people disappeared after reaching the bottom step.
Cheng Xinzhan wasn’t the first to arrive, but those who arrived before him were waiting at the base of the steps, seemingly observing.
But he believed that the sword had no fixed form, and there was no need to wait or watch.
He stepped forward directly, and as soon as he ascended the steps, a sword came slashing horizontally toward his waist with unstoppable momentum, moving incredibly fast.
He drew his "Autumn Water" sword even faster.
Once the sword was out of its sheath, he twisted his wrist, raised his arm, and swung the sword in a half-circle.
He then gathered momentum, retracted his arm, moved his hand across his chest, and swung the sword again in a low arc.
The force traveled from his feet to his waist and then to his arm.
With a powerful swing, the tip of the sword swept past his ankle and slashed forward.
Like sweeping dust off the ground, the sword transformed into an arc of light, cutting through the sword that had come slashing toward him.
He took another step forward.
A second sword thrust toward his throat.
Using the residual momentum from his previous upward swing, he suddenly lowered his shoulder and pulled the sword down, slashing diagonally onto the second sword.
Another step forward.
The third sword came crashing down from above with immense force.
He retracted his sword and then thrust it forward with all his might.
By now, his first, second, and third steps had formed a continuous momentum.
With the added force from his steps, his sword thrust was so fast that the descending sword hadn’t even landed before he struck the shadowy figure holding it.
He then took another step forward.
He didn’t pause between steps; instead, he moved faster and faster.
The scene in the Moon Reflection Mirror was visible to everyone.
They saw the sword cultivators ascending the steps like a wave against the current.
However, there were too many people, and the sword lights were chaotic.
Naturally, their eyes were drawn to the one leading the pack.
There was one person who had been at the forefront from the very beginning.
"Xinzhan really has some skills!" He Jiyuan, sitting in the viewing corridor of the Haishi Tavern, couldn’t take his eyes off the Moon Reflection Mirror.
Watching Cheng Xinzhan’s uninterrupted progress, he stood up and clapped.
"Is it just 'some skills'?" Wang Miaoyuan, also staring at the Moon Reflection Mirror, retorted without missing a beat.
Feng Jihu watched intently, a smile unconsciously forming on his face.
He thought to himself that with such rapid progress, it wouldn’t be long before Cheng Xinzhan surpassed him, the one who had initially brought him into the sect.
On the top floor of the tavern, Xiao Shiyiniang sat on the viewing corridor with a lion cat in her arms, watching the figure in the Moon Reflection Mirror.
Qingyu naturally attended to her.
She said, "I only knew that Daoist Cheng was skilled at drawing talismans. I didn’t expect his swordsmanship to be so impressive!"
Xiao Shiyiniang chided, "He’s a top disciple of Mount Sanqing. Did you think he was like those people in our White Jade Capital?"
Qingyu, clearly favored, smiled and countered, "That’s not it. Master, look, seven top disciples from Mount Sanqing came, but only Daoist Cheng is participating in the sword competition."
Xiao Shiyiniang’s eyes were brighter than the moonlight that night.
"Then he must be even more extraordinary."
Qingyu smiled and said no more.
At the top of the Huanzhu Tower, Peacock City Lord Qian Boya suddenly appeared.
He carried two jugs of wine, handing one to Li Shanshou and saying with a smile, "Shanshou, ever since your sword competition platform appeared, no one in my city is watching the fireworks anymore."
Li Shanshou couldn’t stand his friend’s feigned modesty and teased, "Then I’ll take the platform and go to Jingwei City. Do you think Yuan Xiuyong hasn’t invited me?"
Qian Boya quickly laughed and said, "You can’t leave. Come, let’s drink."
Li Shanshou chuckled and took the wine jug, savoring a sip.
He looked intoxicated.
"Among the Five Cities, I’ve always liked the wine from your Peacock City and the wine from Golden Eagle City the most. One is soft, the other strong. Both are excellent."
Qian Boya smiled proudly, then pointed at the Moon Reflection Mirror and said, "Physical swordsmanship is indeed declining. There are fewer and fewer practitioners each year."
Li Shanshou shook his head.
"Essence, energy, and spirit are one. Physical swordsmanship focuses on essence, magical swordsmanship on energy, and flying swordsmanship on spirit. They shouldn’t be so divided. I’ve always disagreed with this. But the trend is irreversible, and I can’t do anything about it. Even within the Sword Sect, it’s already divided into these factions."
I’ve heard that the three major sword sects—Hengshan, which practices physical swordsmanship; Lushan, which practices magical swordsmanship; and the Sword Pavilion, which practices flying swordsmanship—are increasingly at odds.
They often challenge each other to sword competitions, and they don’t hold back.
There are often casualties.
It shouldn’t be this way.
"But even a Sword Immortal like him couldn’t resist the trend. Nowadays, very few people practiced all three disciplines. He could only grit his teeth and hold separate competitions, or else he wouldn’t even have enough participants. And he would never allow practitioners of different disciplines to compete against each other. No matter which discipline won, it wouldn’t reflect well on him. Qian Boya pointed at the young man leading the pack and said,"That young man is quite good.
He looks young, but his timing is impeccable." Li Shanshou nodded but teased,"What, are you thinking of recruiting a son-in-law from the stage?" The two men looked at each other and burst into laughter.
Li Shanshou said this because during the last sword competition in Haicheng in the northeast, an elder from the Xiao family had taken a liking to a young man who performed exceptionally well on the stage and immediately recruited him as a son-in-law after he stepped down. Qian Boya shook his head.
At their level, if they hadn’t had children in their youth, having offspring now was even more of a luxury. This was the case for all Five Cities. Those who became city lords were usually those who had focused solely on cultivation in their youth and had never broken their primordial yang.
By the time their cultivation reached a high level, it was naturally difficult for them to have children. Thus, the city lords of the Five Cities were never succeeded by their own children. Each new city lord was chosen from the side branches of the family, with the only requirement being the same surname.
Perhaps this was also why the Five Cities had been able to endure for so long.
"Recruiting a son-in-law might not be possible, but recruiting a retainer or hiring a guest elder is still an option,"Qian Boya said with a smile.
Li Shanshou also smiled and nodded. But since Qian Boya had specifically mentioned this young man, he waved his sleeve, and the image in the Moon Reflection Mirror changed. Previously, it had shown the backs of all the participants ascending the steps.
Now, the image zoomed in, focusing directly on the young man at the front. His face was clearly visible, as were every one of his sword movements. He had organized this sword competition precisely to attract young people to the art of the sword and to give them a chance to make a name for themselves.
The people in the city and the tower cheered. This was what they wanted—to see the young talents.
The six from Mount Sanqing in the Haishi Tavern, as well as the master and servant pair, were naturally also delighted. ———— In the northwest region of Peacock City, in a large private room with a window that offered a clear view of the Moon Reflection Mirror, seven or eight beautiful women were dancing and singing.
However, a young man and a middle-aged man were both watching the mirror, while the remaining middle-aged man was watching the performance.
"It’s our benefactor!"the handsome young man suddenly stood up, pointing at the Moon Reflection Mirror and shouting.
The middle-aged man beside him also looked at the mirror in surprise.
"Father, look!"the young man said, frustrated that his father was still watching the performance.
The man finally turned to look at the mirror, his face showing astonishment.
"Ah! Isn’t that the one from Mount Sanqing!"———— In the southwest region of Peacock City, on the rooftop of a tavern, five young people and a burly man with a thick beard sat on the eaves, watching the Moon Reflection Mirror.
They had rushed to Peacock City after hearing about the Huanzhu Tower Master’s sword competition. The tavern was already full, so they had to make do with sitting here.
"It’s him!"
Among the group of three women and two men, two of the women suddenly stood up and exclaimed. The burly man with the beard also looked surprised. The other companions were startled by the women’s reaction.
One of the men asked,"Qingyun, Yingqiong, do you know this person?" Li Yingqiong didn’t answer but instead looked at the woman beside her and asked,"Senior Sister Zhou, do you also know this scoundrel?"
Zhou Qingyun, however, was staring blankly at the Moon Reflection Mirror, not hearing the questions from her companion or the woman beside her.
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(End of Chapter)