This scoundrel is a bit of a swordsman.

Chapter 165 Sword Immortals Gather

Xiao Xingchen was very puzzled. Why would asking Ruoxue to find his broken sword cause such a huge uproar?

Unable to contain his curiosity, he longed to break free of his cage and explore the truth.

However, the thought of the Supreme Being made him feel as if he were under a spell, and he forcefully suppressed his impulse.

After all, that broken sword belonged to him, and no one else could take it away.

Moreover, with Ruoxue around, he firmly believed that she would protect him. With this in mind, he continued to feign unconsciousness, awaiting the arrival of the Venerable One.

But to his utter surprise, Ruoxue was also stunned, like a clay sculpture.

She stared incredulously at the familiar broken sword, as if she were seeing an old friend she had lost for many years.

From the moment the tray was removed, she seemed to be frozen in place, unable to move.

Isn't this the very sword I threw into the woodshed to chop wood?

The sword was covered in rust, and only half of it remained. It had no hilt and was exactly the front half of Xiao Xingchen's wood-chopping knife.

If the two are combined into one, it becomes a complete sword.

"The sword of the Heavenly Sword." These words struck her like a thunderbolt, leaving her speechless.

Realizing she had carelessly tossed the other half away, she couldn't help but feel resentment towards Xiao Xingchen. Why didn't you tell her sooner that this sword had such a remarkable history? If she had known, how could she have been willing to discard it?

As Wu Xie appeared, sword immortals descended upon the Talented Persons Platform like shooting stars.

"I am Jian Wuhen, a rogue cultivator from the Great Qian Dynasty, and I have come here to learn from your superior skills!"

A figure descended from the sky, stirring up a raging storm behind him; clearly, this was a Wind Sword Immortal.

"Scholar Sword, Lan Beitang, please enlighten me!"

Exclamations arose from the crowd as the scholar's sword, like a blue lightning bolt, slashed through the sky and landed steadily.

But that wasn't all. A raging ball of fire, like a meteorite, hurtled from afar and crashed down in front of the Fourth Prince, revealing a figure within it.

"Fire Sword Immortal!" This shout was like a thunderclap, and it was none other than the Fire Sword Immortal who had once displayed his divine power at the city gate to deal with the wilderness.

"With all these heroes gathered here, and the Heavenly Sword emerging from the heavens, how can we possibly lag behind?"

A stream of water, like a silver dragon, streaked across the sky. As the water crashed to the ground, it coalesced into a figure as white as snow—this was the Water Sword Immortal descending to the mortal world.

"Proud Sword Water Pure Lord, how could someone as aloof as you come here to compete for love and be jealous? This is not like you at all!"

The Fire Sword Immortal chuckled mockingly.

"Wang Fei, if you keep spouting nonsense, believe me, I'll extinguish your fire with a single sip of water! With the Heavenly Sword appearing in the world, how can things be peaceful?"

The water and fire sword immortals who followed one after another were all pillars of the Great Qian Dynasty.

The arrival of the two men didn't surprise anyone, but Lan Beitang and Jian Wuhen, who were in the know, frowned deeply. With Wu Xie and Miao Wu also involved, this originally exciting poetry competition had already begun to veer off course.

Because everyone knows perfectly well that Dali and the other kingdoms of the Western Regions will never let go of such a rare treasure as the Heavenly Sword, and in the end, more and more sword immortals will appear.

Originally, everyone came with great interest to watch the poetry competition, but in an instant it turned into a chaotic battle among sword immortals, which excited the audience and made them shout that it was so enjoyable.

However, the expressions of the Fourth Prince and Li Jinxian were extremely grim. The current situation was clearly beyond their control. The sword immortal of Daqian had already made his move, so how could the other countries remain indifferent?

"Yan Yi, you've caused such a huge disaster, how are you going to clean up this mess?"

After shouting angrily, Li Jinxian turned around and gave orders to the people behind him.

"Go quickly and bring Nan Jian to me. Tell him that if he can seize this sword, I will give him ten thousand catties of fine wine."

The name Nan Jian was like a sharp sword, piercing Yan Yi's heart. His eyes widened in shock, followed by a look of sudden realization. Nan Jian, known as the Great Li Wine Sword Immortal, was a variant of the Water Sword Immortal, an unparalleled swordsman, and a recognized swordsmanship prodigy.

"Quickly send someone to inform the Emperor, and earnestly request the appearance of the Imperial Sword Immortal!"

The Crown Prince and the two prime ministers exchanged glances and nodded in acknowledgment.

Having made their stance clear and determined to contend for the Heavenly Sword, how could the Great Qian Dynasty possibly concede defeat?

Huangfu Lingxue frowned and pondered for a long time, hesitating whether she should make a move. With her triple Ghost Sword skill, she was a formidable competitor among the crowd.

That celestial sword undoubtedly held a fatal attraction for sword immortals.

"Your Highness, please calm down. This matter is probably not so simple. Yan Yi's purpose is unclear, so we need to wait and see."

Makino seemed to have read her mind and quickly tried to dissuade her.

"what do you mean?"

"For some reason, I have a feeling that Yan Yi is coming for us this time. Therefore, it is not advisable to make any rash moves now. Moreover, there is something strange about that sword. If it is truly a remnant of the Heavenly Sword, why would Great Yan reveal it here?"

Mu Ye's words were like a wake-up call, and Huangfu Lingxue suddenly understood.

Yes, if that sword were priceless, why would Yan Yi take it out in such a situation?

It must be that the Great Yan determined that this sword was worthless, and that's why it was taken out to lure fish into a trap.

Only after thinking of this did she feel relieved and sit down peacefully.

As news of the Heavenly Sword spread quickly, more and more people flocked to it.

If the Hall of Wise Talents only attracted scholars from across the land, then the Heavenly Sword naturally attracted sword immortals. This made Emperor Wu realize upon receiving the news that…

Today's competition has exceeded its original scale.

Today, the Terrace of Talented Individuals is no longer under the control of the Ministry of Rites.

He needed to send someone who could win the hearts and minds of the sword immortals. But after searching his mind for a long time, he found very few people who could gain the trust of so many sword immortals.

This involves a circle of people.

Among scholars, the Second Sage is one of the very few who stand at the pinnacle. His mere presence is enough to awe all scholars in the land.

Similarly, the world of sword immortals is like a towering mountain, with its own peak.

There are countless famous sword immortals in the world, but those who are truly unparalleled are extremely rare.

This is because it involves not only strength but also virtue. A sword immortal must be righteous; only in this way can one win people's hearts and minds.

Within the Great Qian Empire today, there is only one person who truly possesses such prestige.

Emperor Wu was extremely reluctant to invite her himself, and just as he was hesitating, the Second Sage arrived uninvited.

“I have heard about the Talented Persons Platform, and I will go there myself.”

Upon meeting, the Second Saint immediately spoke,

"Old Drunkard, this is not merely a literary contest; it also involves numerous sword immortals. As far as I know, more sword immortals are continuously arriving. The Heavenly Sword's pillar soars into the sky, much like the pungent smell of pork, which will inevitably attract a large number of sword immortals. Are you sure you have the ability to control it?"

The old drunkard hesitated, unsure whether he could do it.

"What should we do? The Great Yan has actually brought the remnants of the Heavenly Sword. They intend to take advantage of the chaos at the Poetry Immortal Gathering to wreak havoc on the Great Qian Dynasty. We must not sit idly by."

"Of course I won't sit idly by. I'm thinking about who can keep all the sword immortals in check."

Emperor Wu replied leisurely,

Do you have a suitable candidate? Is it that one?

The old drunkard was surprised and suspicious. Emperor Wu nodded slightly upon seeing this, but his face was full of worry.

"If she were to take action, she would certainly be the most suitable, but I may not be able to persuade her at the moment, and once she appears, she will bring many uncontrollable factors."

“You are absolutely right. It would be best not to disturb her. My suggestion is that since the Great Yan wants to cause trouble, we might as well go along with their wishes and turn the Talented Person Platform into a martial arts arena.”

The sage suddenly made a suggestion.

"Tell me the details."

As the sage recounted his story, Emperor Wu nodded in satisfaction.

"That's excellent. The Heavenly Sword must remain in the Great Qian Dynasty; this is the best course of action."

"However, regarding the contestants, on the Daqian side..."

"Rest assured, they possess both literary talent and martial prowess. Under the age restriction, these two are more than capable of dominating the world."

Emperor Wu said with great confidence,

"This is your trump card. Are you sure you want to reveal it now?"

The sage looked worried.

"The Heavenly Sword must not be lost; victory in this battle is imperative!"

Emperor Wu's words were icy cold, like the chill of iron.

"Although it is only a broken Heavenly Sword that remains, no one can guarantee whether there is any Heavenly Sword inheritance within it. This inheritance alone is enough to make the Great Qian go all out. After all, it is the Heavenly Sword. It is said that the Heavenly Sword is the only sword immortal who can break through the nine heavens. All those who pursue the martial path are captivated by it."

“I understand. I will go and stabilize the situation.”

The Second Sage said nothing more and left directly, rushing towards the Terrace of Talented Men.

On the platform of virtuous talents, the fourth prince was extremely uncomfortable. He could neither advance nor retreat, since he had initiated the challenge. If he were to leave in such a sorry state, he would be a laughingstock.

Just as he was at a loss, Ruoxue's voice rang in his ears. After a few words of advice, the Fourth Prince was startled, but his tension quickly dissipated, and he resumed his arrogant demeanor. He then shouted towards the approaching Sword Immortal...

"No matter who you are, even if you're a sword immortal, you have to obediently abide by the rules of my Great Qian! I initiated this bet, so as the initiator, don't I have the right to set the rules?"

"So good!"

The young monk Miaowu readily agreed, clearly pleased that the Fourth Prince had stepped forward to uphold justice.

"can!"

"nature!"

"Your Highness, please speak up!" Lan Beitang gave him face first, after all, they were acquaintances. With the scholar swordsman taking the lead, the others naturally had no objections. Only Wu Xie was dissatisfied and was about to speak up to refute, but the Fourth Prince, as if he had expected it, suddenly retorted.

He had been keeping a close eye on Wu Xie, and seeing Wu Xie's restless expression, he shot a barrage of spittle at him like arrows.

"Then it's settled! Anyone who comes here to compete for the Heavenly Sword, no matter what kind of deity you are, must obediently follow my rules! Anyone who dares to disobey will be beaten down by the others! How about it?"

Wu Xie's lips twitched, and he wisely shut his mouth.

The Fourth Prince's eyes were full of malice as he looked at him, as if he was waiting for him to speak so that he could kick him out with a legitimate reason.

He won't fall for that!