Chapter 125: Reward - The Dao Scripture: Golden Elixir Chapter!

Yu Wan’s expression turned peculiar as she listened to Li Zhiyun’s instructions to Xing Mengfan. Although she knew Li Zhiyun meant no harm, the image of her junior sister earnestly telling a buxom loli to "go find your Senior Brother to practice swordsmanship" made it hard for her not to let her imagination wander.

Knowing her disciple’s temperament, if Xing Mengfan really went to him to "practice swordsmanship," he likely wouldn't refuse—he might even welcome it.

Yu Wan recalled a conversation she once had with Cao Xuan. She had asked, "Disciple, is having your master and Li Yao not enough for you?"

Cao Xuan thought for a moment before replying, "Master, you might not believe this!"

Yu Wan smiled. "Speak your mind; I will judge for myself!"

Cao Xuan, caressing Yu Wan’s generous bosom, pondered before saying, "Everyone who cultivates the Dao has their own pursuits. For many, these are the objects of their heart's desire, the very foundation of the Great Dao."

"Some seek immortality, some seek status, others seek power. These are the driving forces of their cultivation and the bedrock of their Dao."

"But to me, the Fairies are my Great Dao."

Cao Xuan could only describe it this way; after all, with his "Simp System," the Fairies truly were the foundation of his Dao.

After listening, Yu Wan looked at him deeply. In Cao Xuan’s eyes, she could feel that her disciple was not lying. In Daoist cultivation, one always has obsessions, and her disciple’s obsession was the Fairies.

If Xing Mengfan were to truly seek out Cao Xuan for "swordsmanship," wouldn't that be like a lamb walking into a tiger’s den, never to return? As for whether she could handle it, Yu Wan only thought that given her disciple’s expertise in such matters, he would surely have Xing Mengfan tamed and submissive in no time.

Setting aside the master and disciple of Demon-Driving Peak, the winners on the competition stages were soon decided. As previously noted, the top five were indeed disciples sent by the five major lineages: Meng Weizhi, Qiu Qianliu, Xiao Xuan'er, Qing Zhu, and Cao Xuan.

Once the top five were determined, Qiu Qianliu immediately raised his hand to forfeit, fearing he wouldn't be able to resist challenging Cao Xuan to a duel. The remaining four held a random draw. In the end, Meng Weizhi was matched against Xiao Xuan'er, and Qing Zhu against Cao Xuan.

Above the Qingyun venue, the five floating stages remained. Qiu Qianliu’s platform collapsed, and the stages for Meng Weizhi and Xiao Xuan'er merged, leaving Qing Zhu to face Cao Xuan.

Qing Zhu was tall and thin. Unlike the other disciples who favored eccentric styles, he wore the standard blue robes of the Qingyun Sect’s outer disciples. Even as a disciple with high expectations from his lineage, in Central Province, a Foundation Establishment cultivator was still considered an outer disciple. Compared to Cao Xuan’s three-striped blue robes, he was immediately overshadowed. It had to be said that upon reaching the peak of Foundation Establishment, Cao Xuan had undergone a transformation; not only in appearance, but with his identity as a sword cultivator, his presence was extraordinary.

Gone was the timid youth from the Qingshan market whom Lin Miaoxuan had once deemed unremarkable; he was now a man of dashing grace, a true sword immortal.

Qing Zhu, living up to his name, stood as straight as a bamboo stalk. He produced a bamboo pole artifact, pulled both ends, and revealed it to be a bamboo sword! He clasped his hands toward Cao Xuan, asking with some trepidation, "Senior Brother Cao, I, too, study the sword."

"Could we have a 'civilized duel' instead of a physical one? Let us compare only our Sword Intent, without engaging in actual combat."

Qing Zhu knew this sounded like cowardice, but unlike Qiu Qianliu, he was a fellow sword cultivator and hoped to better observe the Sword Intent. Fearing he hadn't made himself clear, he quickly added, "Of course, I wouldn't have Senior Brother Cao guide me for nothing!"

"All the rewards from this Qingyun Dharma Assembly, excluding the spot in the Qingyun Cloud Cave, I will gift to you, Senior Brother Cao, if you would only offer me some guidance on the Dao of the Sword!"

There were many cultivators within the Central Province's Qingyun Sect, and it wasn't that there were no sword cultivators who had grasped Sword Intent. However, as mentioned before, those who could usually grasped it were either at the peak of the Nascent Soul stage or had already broken through to the Deity Transformation realm. Their statuses were worlds apart, and they would never deign to guide disciples from other, unrelated lineages. Thus, Cao Xuan, a peer at the Foundation Establishment stage who had mastered Sword Intent, was the best teacher possible.

Cao Xuan checked his identity token. The rewards accumulated for reaching the top five were already quite significant, not to mention pills like the Spirit-Condensing Pill or the Essence-Gathering Pill, which were beneficial for forming a Golden Core. There was also the "Dao Scripture: Golden Core Chapter"—a top-tier manual for Golden Core formation, rumored to exist only within the six great sacred grounds. It seemed the Qingyun Sect had spent a fortune on this assembly.

According to the token, this manual was a jade slip containing a one-time opportunity for enlightenment, making it one of the most precious rewards in the top ten. For Qing Zhu to offer such a reward—was this his dedication to the sword? Cao Xuan didn't know that Qing Zhu had another identity: a descendant of the Azure Wood Ancestor. To him, even the champion’s rewards or the guidance of the Azure Wood Ancestor held no appeal compared to Sword Intent, which he had dreamed of for years. Although other sword cultivators in the sect had guided him privately, it was always from a condescending, distant perspective that yielded little. He refused to believe those who claimed he lacked talent for the sword.

"Are you sure? You don't want the 'Dao Scripture: Golden Core Chapter' inside either?"

"Yes, I am sure!"

"Very well!"

Cao Xuan thought it over; he could give this to his master later, which would surely help her form a Golden Core in the Qingyun Cloud Cave.

Since it was a "civilized duel," things were simple. Qing Zhu raised his sword to gather his momentum, while Cao Xuan simply stood there with his Qingyun Sword strapped to his back, his own Sword Intent condensing instantly. If his opponent was a cultivator wielding a sword, Cao Xuan himself was the flying blade.

"Man and sword as one!" a Golden Core cultivator in the audience exclaimed.

The elders of the six sacred grounds in the sky nodded. It seemed Cao Xuan was not someone who had merely stumbled upon a shallow flicker of insight. The mastery of the sword he displayed was something that usually required centuries of hard work. As they thought this, they suddenly froze. Right—if it usually took centuries, and this boy had only been cultivating for a year, as his senior sister had claimed...

"A genius! A genius of the sword!"

The Sword Immortal Qing Yin could hardly contain her desire to recruit him, but the other sacred grounds showed no intention of letting go. Ultimately, it would come down to Cao Xuan’s own choice, just like with Xian Xiangqiu. If only one sacred ground were interested, there would be no choice to make, but when all six wanted you, you earned the right to choose—provided the sacred grounds didn't resort to underhanded tactics.

Li Yao, watching from the stands, was also a little fan-girl. She couldn't help it; her junior brother was the absolute focal point of the entire assembly. Unknowingly, even the cultivators from Central Province had lost their condescending gaze toward him. Even talents like Qing Zhu and Yun Fan-you had to bow and address him as "Senior Brother."

"Hum~"

"Pfft~"

Not even a quarter of an hour had passed before Qing Zhu’s hands lost their grip on the hilt, and he collapsed to the ground, vomiting blood.