raknovel Chapter 53 The Sword Appraisal Tournament Begins
Chapter 53 The Sword Appraisal Tournament Begins
Several forces entered the scene in turn, and no one was stopped, including Lin Xian'er, who passed through without hindrance.
Only Sheng Wansong and An Lan, who were following behind Xian'er, were blocked at the door by two blue-clad disciples from Mingjian Villa.
"The master has decreed that no one without a visiting card may enter!"
Tsk tsk.
Sheng Wansong didn't want to make things difficult for these lowly soldiers, so he took out the visiting card and showed it to the two men.
Having confirmed the request, the gatekeepers each took a step back, cupped their hands in a respectful gesture, and stepped aside, saying, "We have been very rude; please forgive us!"
The three Wudang brothers followed behind a long-bearded old Taoist priest. When Yuwen Lie saw Sheng Wansong, he nodded and smiled at him, keeping pace with the old Taoist priest without deviating.
We are still at sea, not on an island, but on a stone pier extending outward from Mingjian Manor.
The edge of the pier is surrounded by a waist-high railing with a simple and elegant design and exquisite relief carvings.
Before reaching the island, the road splits into two sides.
A square pool is flanked by roads on both sides, and a stone sword tens of meters high is stuck in the pool, half of which is submerged in the water.
Wastewater from sword forging within the manor flows out through a passageway, washing over the stone swords before overflowing into a pool and returning to the sea.
"Brother Wansong, I heard from Sister Xue that a very terrifying monster is sealed beneath this stone sword!"
"monster?"
Sheng Wansong glanced down into the sword pool but didn't sense anything unusual.
I don't know if it was Sister Xue teasing Xian'er, or if there really was such a big monster down there.
It doesn't matter if I have it or not, anyway, Sheng Wansong will go home after the competition.
At that time, no matter how much trouble the monsters overseas cause, they won't be able to affect the mainland.
Upon entering the Famous Sword Manor, the disciples were led to their rooms to rest, while the sect leaders went to the main hall, which bore the plaque of "Tai'a Pavilion," to pay their respects to the manor lord.
Judging from their solemn expressions, the sword appreciation gathering was probably just a pretext; their gathering likely had another purpose.
Upon arriving at the side room, Sheng Wansong immediately spotted the familiar girl in red, sunbathing on a recliner in the courtyard.
There were no signs of the Six Doors at the beach earlier, so it seems they arrived a few days earlier to discuss some secrets that cannot be known to outsiders.
Upon seeing her, Sheng Wansong said with a half-smile, "So your backer is gone now?"
Upon hearing this, Han Lingsha immediately became anxious: "The Marquis will be back soon!"
Sheng Wansong then said, "The time he's been back is enough for me to manipulate you a dozen times over."
She swallowed hard.
Lin Xian'er looked on curiously. She had seen Han Lingsha with the Marquis before, but she didn't know that she had a grudge against Sheng Wansong.
Xian'er leaned close to An Lan's ear and whispered some information to him.
As Sheng Wansong closed in, Han Lingsha tumbled off the recliner and cried out, "Brother Tieshou, save me!"
Clang.
The door to a side room was kicked open, and a lightly armored man stood in the doorway, casting an inquiring glance.
Tie Shou glanced at Han Lingsha and asked in a deep voice, "What is it?"
Before Han Lingsha could answer, Sheng Wansong answered first.
"She's a thief; she broke into my house and stole my things."
Upon hearing this, Iron Hand nodded. "This person has been chosen by the Divine Marquis, and his crime doesn't warrant death. Don't let it escalate to murder!"
After saying that, he returned to his room and slammed the door shut.
"Brother Iron Hand?"
Han Lingsha was full of surprise and rushed over to bang on the door.
"Brother Iron Hand! Haven't we been getting along really well these past few days?!"
"I even bought you steamed buns, haven't you forgotten?!"
However, the door remained tightly shut and refused to be opened.
"It seems this Iron-Handed Detective doesn't like you, you little thief."
Han Lingsha leaned against the door, swallowed hard, and said, "Shh, can we reconcile?"
"Anyway, I didn't steal anything, but you took my precious copper coins."
Sheng Wansong smiled gently, "Sure. I can even return the copper coins to you."
Disciples from various sects and factions were watching this farce unfold, but Sheng Wansong didn't intend to go too far.
Anyway, Han Lingsha had already been punished by being tickled all night.
"An'an, fetch the Four Treasures of the Study."
Upon hearing this, An Lan immediately put down her luggage, took out paper and pen, and began to apply ink.
"Xian'er, come and hold her down."
Without hesitation, Xian'er rushed forward and pinned Han Lingsha down.
Sheng Wansong then picked up a brush and wrote a large character for "thief" on the forehead of the girl in red.
It is indeed cursive script.
Sheng Wansong used his internal force to send out a cold wind, drying the words on the other person's forehead.
"It must not be wiped off or covered up within a month."
The girl, with tears in her eyes, returned to her bedroom and refused to see anyone.
"You don't want the copper coins anymore?"
As soon as she finished speaking, the door opened a crack, and a slender hand reached out.
Sheng Wansong took out the Zhong Kui Five Poisons Copper Coin and placed it in the other person's palm.
Upon receiving the copper coins, Han Lingsha immediately withdrew her hand and closed the door.
A click sound came from inside the house as a lock was put on.
"Oh."
The copper coin contained Sheng Wansong's imperial true energy, and Sheng Wansong could sense its location within a ten-mile radius.
If Han Lingsha really went to the ancient tomb in the Chu Xiang area with Shenhou, Sheng Wansong would be able to detect it and follow them.
As Sheng Wansong turned around, Yuwen Lie suddenly appeared from the side.
"Hopefully, this will teach this girl a lesson and she won't do anything like stealing again."
Sheng Wansong glanced at him, "You've already mastered the Cloud Ladder Leap."
Upon hearing this, Yuwen Lie was inevitably embarrassed, after all, his senior brother had overheard him discussing how to defeat Sheng Wansong's Tathagata Palm.
Although embarrassed, he still smiled and said, "I look forward to learning from your skills tomorrow."
Afterwards, they all went back to their rooms to pack their belongings.
Lin Xian'er, being a young woman, found it inconvenient to stay with Sheng Wansong, so she went to stay with her sister Xue and confide in her about her experiences during this time.
The next day.
The sword-tasting competition is about to begin.
Each faction occupied a corner.
On the steps in front of Tai'a Pavilion, the owner of Mingjian Manor glanced around, surveying the people present.
"It seems there are still a few people who haven't arrived."
He raised his hand, and behind him his attendants held a square tray with a sword covered by a red cloth.
Those who are late need not wait any longer.
The manor lord ripped off the red cloth, and instantly sword energy emanated from the air, its chilling light captivating everyone present.
The ancient sword Zhanlu was being held on the square tray!
Throughout its thousand-year history, Mingjian Villa has been renowned for its unparalleled swords.
"Take this!"
Ouyang Heng picked up his sword and slashed through the air. The head of a stone lion several meters away rolled over, the cut as smooth as a mirror, without a single rough mark.
He carefully put the sword back and said loudly.
"I hereby declare the Sword Appraisal Competition officially open!"
Who wants to be the first?
Seeing that no one else was going on stage, Sheng Wansong wanted to follow the old story of Chu Xiangcheng and was the first to go on stage.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Four blood-stained invitation cards were thrust diagonally into the ground of the sword-slaying platform.
In an instant, a strong wind arose, accompanied by a screeching sound as the blade scraped against the ground.
Sparks flew as the blade scraped against the ground, and a person walked in with their back to the light, their hair dancing wildly in the wind.
Sheng Wansong narrowed his eyes. Whose subordinate was this?
She's even better at pretending than me?
Mo Xuan recognized his former nemesis at a glance and pointed to reveal his identity.
"It's you! Blood Blade Liang Chen!"
Liang Chen stopped and hoisted the blood-red sword onto his shoulder.
"Today, the blood-soaked blade will break the gentleman's sword!"