As the scene on the Moon Reflection Mirror unfolded, cheers erupted from the city and towers.
However, the Jade Terrace fell into an unusual silence, especially among the few people around Cheng Xinzhan.
Their eyes were fixed straight ahead, as if they were trying to see flowers blooming in the shattered clouds.
The Lord of Returning Pearls, from a distance, seemed to grasp the chaotic Cloud Ridge.
The scattered clouds were compressed and shrunk rapidly, as if squeezed by a giant hand, transforming into a glowing, pulsating light the size of half a fist.
"The Sword Arena will determine the victors through duels. There are 757 of you remaining. This tower has set up 36 arenas, modeled after the 36 Minor Heavens. The 36 who performed best in the Cloud-Cutting Trial will be the first-round champions and can choose their arenas freely. All who enter the arena will have their cultivation suppressed to the first realm."
As the Lord of Returning Pearls finished speaking, something miraculous happened:
The massive Moon Reflection Mirror split into two under the moonlight, then into four, and in an instant, it transformed into 36 mirrors, encircling both the Peacock City and the Returning Pearls Tower!
The mirrors reflected the scenes of the city and the tower, and the reflections within the mirrors intertwined, making it hard for the people in the city and tower to tell whether they were in the real world or within the mirrors.
Qian Boya's pupils contracted in shock.
"Brother Shanshou! I’ve never seen your Moon Reflection Mirror wield such power!"
The Lord of Returning Pearls smiled faintly.
"The real show is yet to come."
With a thought, the moonlight reflected on the mirrors twisted and transformed, and the scenes within the mirrors changed once more.
This time, the images were no longer of the Jade Terrace, the city, or the tower, but of various different realms!
Some mirrors showed a vast marshland with thousands of islands, others depicted a desert under a setting sun, and yet others displayed endless green forests.
Each mirror was unique.
Qian Boya's face paled.
"Brother Shanshou, this... this treasure mirror of yours, is it a divine treasure?"
In the world, weapons and treasures are broadly categorized into three types: artifacts, magical treasures, and spiritual treasures.
Magical treasures are a broad concept, encompassing elixir artifacts, embryonic artifacts, and immortal artifacts.
In the current era, elixir artifacts are rare, so embryonic artifacts are elevated half a level and sometimes referred to as semi-immortal artifacts.
Occasionally, to flatter, people even call them immortal artifacts.
True immortal artifacts are the pinnacle, distinguished from semi-immortal artifacts and referred to as divine treasures.
Spiritual treasures are mostly found in ancient myths and legends, rarely appearing in the mortal world.
In Qian Boya's eyes, this treasure mirror, capable of manifesting 36 Minor Heavens, deserved the title of a divine treasure.
The Lord of Returning Pearls smiled without answering.
With a wave of his left hand, 36 people on the Jade Terrace were lifted into the air.
"Go and choose your arenas! First come, first served."
The 36 champions, knowing the advantage of choosing their arenas, quickly flew into the mirrors.
Cheng Xinzhan was one of the 36. He immediately set his sights on the mirror depicting a realm filled with flashing thunder and lightning, a rare sight even in the lower realms.
He flew straight toward it.
Most of the others chose mirrors with abundant elemental energies, and many began fighting even before reaching their chosen mirrors.
However, the thunder-filled mirror Cheng Xinzhan chose had no competitors, and he entered it without any trouble.
As he touched the mirror's surface, it felt like passing through a thin film of water.
In a flash of light, he found himself in a completely different world.
He looked around.
The landscape was dominated by rolling mountains, their surfaces bare and shining with a glossy purple-black hue.
The sky was covered with low, thick clouds, and silver-purple lightning snakes darted through them.
Occasionally, thunderbolts struck the mountains, sending sparks flying.
On a tall stone tablet, he saw the name of this Minor Heaven:
Thunder Accumulation Mountain Heaven.
He couldn't help but laugh.
What a fantastic place!
Soon, after some minor skirmishes, all 36 mirrors had their champions.
"Now, the rest of you may choose to enter any arena, one at a time. The victor stays, the loser leaves. During the duels, only swords may be used—no other artifacts or magical treasures are allowed. There are no other restrictions, but killing is forbidden."
This was much more lenient than the rules of the previous Sword Arena.
As the Lord of Returning Pearls finished speaking, people began flying from the Jade Terrace into the mirrors.
On the Jade Terrace, Liang Zhenjing's face turned red with frustration.
He wanted to challenge Cheng Xinzhan in the Thunder Accumulation Mountain Heaven, but he also knew how formidable Cheng Xinzhan's thunder sword was.
After some thought, he decided to wait.
Since the arena battles were essentially a series of duels, he could let others wear Cheng Xinzhan down before making his move.
Even someone like Liang Zhenjing, who specialized in thunder techniques, thought this way, so it was no surprise that others hesitated.
Many were still recalling the dazzling sword strike from earlier, and seeing Cheng Xinzhan bathed in lightning, they were too intimidated to approach.
This resulted in Cheng Xinzhan being the only one in the Thunder Accumulation Mountain Heaven while the other 35 heavens were filled with clashing swords.
Bored, Cheng Xinzhan began observing the lightning.
He soon noticed that most of the thunder here was illusory, merely light and sound, but there were also real thunderbolts hidden within the clouds.
When the thunderclouds collided, genuine lightning would strike.
An idea suddenly occurred to him.
The thunder here must have been captured by a sword immortal or gifted by someone else.
The mysteries of thunder were inscribed on others.
He had only harvested thunder in the greater world half a month ago, so his body still carried the thunder mysteries of that realm.
He would have to wait until next spring to harvest thunder again.
But could he harvest thunder here?
The sword immortal had set this up as an arena to allow duelists to harness the power of the heavens to enhance their sword techniques.
Although his opponent hadn't arrived yet, there was no harm in gathering some thunder in advance, right?
He tentatively released his High Truth sword to intercept the thunder beneath the clouds.
A silver lightning bolt was drawn by the High Truth and fell into his gourd.
He waited, but nothing happened.
Grinning, he released the High Truth again.
Liang Zhenjing, watching from the Jade Terrace, turned even redder.
After collecting about ten percent of the thunder essence, Cheng Xinzhan stopped and sat down, observing the scenes in the other mirrors.
He focused on the mirrors depicting earth, water, and wood elements.
A massive mirror showing a mountain range caught his attention.
The mountains there resembled those of the Southern Wilderness.
Upon closer inspection, he saw a stone tablet inscribed with five characters:
White Stone Mountain Heaven.
So, these were indeed the mountains of the Southern Wilderness.
In the mirror, two people were dueling, each wielding a sword.
A middle-aged Taoist stood with his sword held vertically in front of his chest, chanting incantations.
The mountains shook, and rocks tumbled down, gathering to form a giant that the Taoist commanded to attack his opponent.
This was the Summoning School of sword techniques.
His opponent was a female Taoist.
She drew her sword and swept it horizontally, her sword energy like a collapsing mountain.
This was the Qi Cultivation School of sword techniques.
Next, Cheng Xinzhan turned his attention to a mirror showing a high mountain with a waterfall.
On the stone wall of the waterfall was written:
Mount Lu Heaven.
Two young men were dueling inside.
Judging by their robes, Cheng Xinzhan realized they were disciples of the Mount Lu Sword Sect.
As they swung their swords, countless waterfalls were drawn toward them, transforming into water dragons that clashed with the abundant water spiritual energy in that realm.
This was the Spirit Control School of sword techniques.
Cheng Xinzhan looked around, feeling overwhelmed by the variety and learning much.
Meanwhile, Liang Zhenjing on the Jade Terrace remained motionless.
He couldn't understand why no one dared to challenge Cheng Xinzhan.
Suddenly, the string of Synchronization Gu beads he wore began to emit a voice.
"What are you waiting for? Do you want the world to think that our Dragon-Tiger Mountain doesn't understand thunder techniques?"
It was the voice of the Little Heavenly Master.
Liang Zhenjing stiffened, gritted his teeth, and flew into the mirror.
The people in the city and towers cheered as they finally saw someone heading toward the Thunder Accumulation Mountain Heaven.
They were eager to see Cheng Xinzhan's sword techniques in action.
What was the point of watching if there was no fight?
Upon closer inspection, the challenger wore purple robes with green dragons and white tigers embroidered on his sleeves.
He was a Taoist from Dragon-Tiger Mountain!
The cheers grew even louder.
Liang Zhenjing could guess that all eyes were on him now, even if he didn't want it.
Cheng Xinzhan saw Liang Zhenjing approaching and noticed he had changed his clothes.
He couldn't help but smile.
This was an old acquaintance.
"I know you're skilled with thunder talismans, but I didn't know you were also proficient in sword techniques," Cheng Xinzhan greeted him first.
Liang Zhenjing's expression darkened.
Yes, even the people of Three Pure Mountains knew he was good with thunder talismans but not swords.
But what could he do when the Little Heavenly Master ordered him to fight?!
Cheng Xinzhan also noticed the sword in Liang Zhenjing's hand.
It was interesting—a two-foot-long coin sword with a wooden hilt, likely made of peach wood, and a blade formed by a string of coins connected by golden threads.
"Enough talk, let's get this over with. I'm not afraid of you!" Liang Zhenjing, as impatient as ever, immediately attacked upon entering the heaven.
He swung his sword, and thunder erupted from the coins, rolling along the golden threads before shooting toward Cheng Xinzhan.
Cheng Xinzhan responded by slashing horizontally with a bolt of lightning, then followed up with five more strikes in quick succession.
Liang Zhenjing cursed under his breath.
This sword had been given to him by the Little Heavenly Master not long ago and hadn't been tempered by his own cultivation.
The thunder energy within it was limited, and he had already expended much of it earlier when cutting through the clouds.
He couldn't afford to be as wasteful as Cheng Xinzhan.
He stepped onto a massive silver thunder talisman, which allowed him to move much faster than Cheng Xinzhan's fiery cloud.
He dodged the sword energy while retreating, then flung out a thunder talisman with his left hand.
The talisman transformed into a purple streak of light, shooting toward Cheng Xinzhan.
Liang Zhenjing had used some technique to make the talisman's speed rival that of sword energy.
Seeing this, Cheng Xinzhan raised his sword high, forming sword seals with both hands—one pointing upward, the other downward, wrists pressed together—and chanted:
"Thunder Lords of the Five Directions, I know your names. Summoned, you arrive swiftly. Lightning and thunder, descend!"
As he finished the incantation, the High Truth sword flashed with thunder talismans, and a bolt of lightning shot into the clouds above.
The thunderclouds churned, and a thunderbolt descended, striking precisely where Liang Zhenjing's thunder technique was headed.
Liang Zhenjing had anticipated this.
He manipulated the talisman from a distance, chanting, "Swift!"
The talisman suddenly accelerated, narrowly avoiding the descending thunderbolt.
However, Cheng Xinzhan's thunder technique wasn't so simple.
With a flick of the High Truth, the thunderbolt that had just struck didn't dissipate.
Instead, it remained connected to the clouds above and the ground below, forming a thunder whip.
As Cheng Xinzhan moved the sword's tip, the whip lashed out toward the talisman.
Though the talisman was fast, it couldn't outpace the thunder whip descending from the sky.
The whip struck the talisman, and the two forces—both among the most volatile in the world—exploded in a dazzling burst of silver-purple light.
Using the blinding flash as cover, Cheng Xinzhan moved his fingers, and the High Truth transformed into a bolt of lightning, shooting straight at Liang Zhenjing.
Distracted by the light, Liang Zhenjing didn't see the attack until it was too close.
He hastily threw out a handful of thunder talismans, which naturally formed a defensive array.
Each talisman emitted a bright light, shooting out multiple lightning bolts that connected with nearby talismans, forming a lightning net in an instant.
The High Truth, now a bolt of lightning, struck the net but couldn't penetrate it, rebounding harmlessly.
Cheng Xinzhan's eyes lit up.
He had never thought thunder talismans could be used this way!
In the past, when harvesting thunder with the orthodox sects, there were always elders present.
Although Cheng Xinzhan and Liang Zhenjing had never gotten along, they had never clashed.
Now, during this sword tournament, Cheng Xinzhan was eager to see just how skilled Liang Zhenjing really was.
The High Truth transformed into a streak of lightning, guiding the thunderbolts from the sky to rain down on Liang Zhenjing.
Liang Zhenjing, unwilling to be outdone, dodged while waving his sleeves to release another string of thunder talismans.
This time, however, they weren't for defense or offense.
Counting carefully, there were 99 talismans, arranged in a line as if connected by an invisible thread.
He formed a dragon seal with his left hand and raised his sword to the sky with his right, chanting a thunder-summoning incantation.
The string of talismans shot into the thunderclouds like a dragon, emerging wrapped in lightning, resembling a thunder dragon.
The string of talismans was clearly the dragon's spine.
The thunder dragon, having drunk its fill of lightning, descended from the sky, charging straight at Cheng Xinzhan.
"This is a sword duel! Why is he using so many talismans?!"
In the Sea Market Tavern, Lady Xiao Eleven suddenly stood up, causing the lion cat resting on her lap to fall to the ground, bewildered.
Seeing her master's agitation, the cat didn't dare make a sound.
In the Violet Chamber, a young man in purple robes smiled faintly.
Dragon-Tiger Mountain only needed one sword to shake the world.
At events like this, as long as someone from Dragon-Tiger Mountain made a splash and reminded the world of the sect's power, the goal was achieved.
Whether they used swords or talismans didn't matter.
Liang Zhenjing still didn't understand this.
Cheng Xinzhan, seeing the thunder dragon charging at him, dodged while smiling.
Today, he realized that his previous use of talismans had been too narrow-minded!
To the spectators, the scene in the Thunder Accumulation Mountain Heaven mirror was quite amusing.
There were two dragons in the mirror: one formed by Cheng Xinzhan's sword guiding the thunderbolts from the sky, and the other created by Liang Zhenjing's string of thunder talismans.
Meanwhile, the two dragon masters were busy dodging each other's attacks.
While fleeing, Cheng Xinzhan suddenly retracted his Dragon Chariot cloud and threw out a string of thunder talismans.
These talismans, however, weren't for attack.
They floated haphazardly in front of him.
He stepped forward, landing on one talisman, which exploded into a streak of lightning, carrying him away.
As the lightning was about to fade, it landed on another talisman, reigniting and carrying Cheng Xinzhan further.
In just a few flashes, he had traveled nearly a hundred miles, leaving the thunder dragon far behind.
He couldn't help but admire Liang Zhenjing's ingenuity.
The talismans were connected by lightning, allowing them to activate each other and form arrays, creating a qualitative change rather than a simple quantitative increase.
Liang Zhenjing, watching from afar, was stunned.
At that moment, Cheng Xinzhan turned back, smiled at Liang Zhenjing, and pointed at him with his right hand, chanting:
"Shock!"
Liang Zhenjing and the spectators in the city and towers were confused.
However, the Lord of Returning Pearls smiled knowingly.
With a thought, the scene in the Thunder Accumulation Mountain Heaven mirror rapidly shrank until Cheng Xinzhan and Liang Zhenjing became mere dots.
The spectators finally saw the full picture of the heaven and gasped in astonishment.
From a distance, the High Truth dragging the thunderbolts resembled a brush dipped in silver ink, while Liang Zhenjing looked like a tiny mosquito.
As the brush chased the mosquito, it also painted a massive talisman in the sky, one that stretched from the clouds to the ground—a completed thunder talisman.
As Cheng Xinzhan's command echoed, the enormous thunder talisman erupted with blinding light, exploding with a deafening roar!
"BOOM!"
The sound was overwhelming, echoing across the city and towers like the rumble of a thunder chariot, lasting for a long time.
However, Cheng Xinzhan had no intention of harming anyone.
This was merely an Earth-Shaking Awakening Talisman, designed to stun with its thunderous noise.
Liang Zhenjing, almost enveloped by the talisman, was predictably stunned by the thunder, his eyes glazed and limbs stiff.
The thunder dragon, now uncontrolled, dissipated into scattered talismans, and Liang Zhenjing himself fell from the sky.
Cheng Xinzhan, using his newly learned talisman-stepping technique, caught him.
End of Chapter 97
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