Members of the Daode Sect, the Liangzhou Governor, and the King of Shu all showed their approval. Seeing this, Daoist Shen Hou of Yuxu Temple stroked his long beard and said, "I've observed that Fellow Daoist Jiang Xiaodao possesses exceptional natural talent and an extraordinary demeanor, suggesting the potential of a third-grade. I have no objections to letting Jiang Xiaodao enter the battle. However, since the others have already spoken... Li Guanming, it seems you'll be the first stepping stone."

Sitting at the lower end of the gathering, a handsome Daoist heard this and showed a look of helplessness, saying, "Uncle Master, who talks about their nephew like that?"

"Then what? Are you proposing that you take the field?"

Daoist Shen Hou said irritably, "You couldn't even defeat a snake demon; if you were to face that snake demon from before in battle, wouldn't it be akin to tossing away a certain defeat?"

His casual words managed to lighten the somewhat tense atmosphere and also steered the conversation towards the so-called snake demon.

"Snake demon? Please, Daoist Master Shen Hou, elaborate," the King of Shu hastily asked.

The battle at the Golden Dam mattered greatly to the safety of Shu County and even to the fate of most of Liangzhou Province from becoming submerged; the King of Shu could not afford to ignore any possibility.

"Previously, at the middle reaches of Cangshui, my disciple and I encountered a half-human, half-snake Devil Cultivator with a pair of bizarre horns on its head. I couldn't tell which Dao Fruit it possessed, but its strength was extremely formidable," Daoist Shen Hou briefly explained, "My disciple thought to subdue the demon; instead, he nearly got subdued by it. Hence, we shouldn't consider him for battle. He'd be more fitting as a stepping stone."

"Half-human, half-snake, with horns..." Tianxuan pondered upon hearing this and then said, "Perhaps this person isn't a Devil Cultivator but a Great Venerate Clan member who has awakened a bloodline. Currently known members of the Great Venerate might be descendants of Fuxi, possessing the Book of Luo River Map. If this person is from the Great Venerate Clan, their strength should not be underestimated among the fifth-rank."

She stated her speculation indifferently, and to those unaware, it seemed as if she was merely guessing.

Jiang Li, witnessing this, had to admit her prowess.

Others might not know who this "snake demon" was, but how could Tianxuan not know?

The middle reaches of Cangshui... That was where the relationship between Tianxuan and Jiang Li had advanced; as for who the "snake demon" was, she could guess it even without thinking.

Her statement caused everyone to feel a chill, for if this "snake demon" was not a snake demon, then the issue was serious. To illustrate with a simple analogy, the descendants of Fuxi with awakened Dragon and Snake bodies are equivalent to the Jiang Clan members who have awakened the Divine Farmer's appearance.

Jiang Li's awakening of the Divine Farmer's appearance has given rise to the notion of Jiang family's legitimate lineage through him. Similarly, if this person awakened the Dragon and Snake body, the same could be said for them.

In this world, a legitimate lineage generally signifies strength.

If one is not strong, who would willingly revere them as the orthodox?

With Tianxuan's explanation, the importance of Jiang Li was once again highlighted. Although there wasn't a saying that only those with Three Emperors' bloodline could defeat those with the Three Emperors' bloodline, the Divine Farmer's appearance of Jiang Li indeed added considerable weight to his standing.

"In that case, we should have a match even more, to ensure our chances of victory," the Liangzhou Governor said decisively.

He cupped his hands towards the King of Shu and said, "Prince, may I request the use of your mansion's martial arts field for a demonstration to decide our contestants."

He was determined to let everyone discuss their abilities and decide on the ones to fight.

But before he could finish, Jiang Li interjected, "There's no need to trouble yourself; let's do it right here."

He flicked his fingers and sent a Finger Strength shooting toward Li Guanming, who wore a cyan Dao robe from Yuxu Temple. Innate Qi, pure and clear, bore no breathtaking momentum, yet it made Li Guanming's face tense, fully focused, without the slightest hint of negligence.

Li Guanming, around the same age as the Upper Pure Sect's Zuo Qinghong and twice Jiang Li's age, ought to not be considered a peer in a real confrontation, but facing Jiang Li's finger strike, he felt as if he were the one in his twenties.

It was as if he was the young one.

"Mo Ye."

With a thought, the sword manifested, a burst of Sword Qi materializing into an Ancient Sword, its momentum fierce, charging forth like a cloud-breaking, sky-soaring thrust to meet the Finger Strength.

The sword technique of Yuxu Temple focused on the interplay of solid and insubstantial, yet it was different from the reality and emptiness of the Moluo Sword Manual. With the sword, the form is taken, Qi forms the sword, refining nothingness into substance, transforming it into a tangible sword, and then refining substance to nothingness, turning the real sword into Sword Light, much like the Great Circle Sword – thus coming and going as willed, harmonizing the heart with the sword.

The sword form chosen by Li Guanming was none other than the Ancient Mo Ye Sword, and his Dao Fruit of the Bingling Duke, Huang Tianhua, had once used the Mo Ye Treasure Sword as its medium, thus his compatibility with it was exceptionally high.

This sword thrust carried the momentum that seemed to shatter the heavens; its sharp edge about to penetrate the Finger Strength, the latter parted by the sword like a droplet by a blade, split in two, and then, adhered to the sword's tip.

The Innate Qi instantly merged into the Sword Qi, Bright Light and Flames appearing at the sword tip, Innate Fire Qi taking Qi as its source and rapidly spreading.

Li Guanming's sword momentum diminished immediately, the sword tip assimilated, robbing his sword of any forward thrust. But since the Mo Ye Qi Sword's gathering and dispersing were controlled by the will, Li Guanming merely shifted his thought, abandoning the sword tip while being inwardly astonished.

'This is the so-called origin of Qi Dao from the "Qi Tomb"...'

This Innate Qi indeed posed a significant restraint on him.

But he was not without a strategy.

Li Guanming rose swiftly, dodging the assimilated sword tip; his fingers transformed, the Sword Qi extremely sharp and fast, like light and electricity shooting towards Jiang Li.

Qi, being intangible, was naturally much faster than any tangible sword. The sword employed the characteristics of Sword Qi, and as soon as it appeared, the Sword Qi had already reached its target.

"Clang!"

Protective Qi spontaneously emerged around Jiang Li's body, and Innate Qi vibrated the Sword Light, emitting a crisp sound.

After a collision, the Sword Light continued unabated, its sharpness amplified, like a fierce storm, a torrential rain, stirring wildly in all directions, like clouds, like rosy clouds, unpredictable in its transformations.

But most importantly, it was fast!

So fast that Perception could hardly capture it, Divine Sense couldn't keep up, and even if Innate Qi made contact, it would be sliced or flung away by the swift sword blade, to the extent that even Li Guanming's own reactions likely couldn't keep pace with the speed of the sword.

To control such speed of the sword, there was only one method—calculations.

Li Guanming's fingers continuously formed calculations, predicting the sword's path in advance, commanding the Sword Control a step, or even ten steps, ahead, so even if his intention or Divine Sense was a tad sluggish, he could still manipulate the sword style.

This was similar to the Louguan Swordsmanship that Jiang Li had learned, but the difficulty far exceeded that of Louguan Swordsmanship, and…

"If you encounter someone with exceptional calculation power, this sword formula might not work at all."

A light glowed faintly at Jiang Li's brow, capturing all trajectories of the Sword Light. Innate Qi left his body, manifesting in the form of Sword Qi, piercing through each streak of Sword Light like scattering clouds and dispersing fog.

Clang clang clang clang...

The sound of collisions rose without end, and in an instant, countless Sword Lights and Sword Qi collided, forming a sight both splendid and cold.

"Taiyin Divine Number, this Daoist does have ambition, trying to emulate Daoist Guang Cheng," Elder Tianpeng commented with praise.

The Daoist Guang Cheng of the Yuxu Temple, proficient in both Taiyin Divine Number and North Pole Divine Number, combined Magic Calculation and Sword Technique. His sword speed was incomparable, its momentum fierce, truly at the apex, as Daoist Guang Cheng completely abandoned harmony for extremity, sword speed approaching light.

No one in the world could match the speed of light, not even Daoist Guang Cheng himself, who could not wield the sword as if it were his own limb. He had to use extremely advanced calculations to predict and control it in advance.

Whenever he crossed hands with someone, he'd calculate with Magic Calculation, then set the sword style in advance. In an instant, thousands of moves would pour out, defeating the enemy in a split second.

Now, Li Guanming was emulating Daoist Guang Cheng's sword, using the utmost swift and extreme sword to counter Jiang Li's Innate Qi.

"Pity that his sword is not fast enough after all. His inability to capture it doesn't mean that Jiang Li can't either, and what's more, Jiang Li's calculation power is even above his," lamented Shen Hou with a shake of his head.

This guy, he truly sees himself as a steppingstone. He's merely focused on testing his sword, not on victory or defeat. Knowing full well his opponent was a master of Yi Dao, he still chose this approach, clearly seeking to refine himself and not to strive for victory.

If this went on, Li Guanming would be defeated within three breaths' time.

But at this moment, Jiang Li suddenly spoke up, calling out lightly, "It's your turn as well."

His gaze fell on Zhang Daoyi. A Sword Qi appeared out of nowhere, rushing straight towards Zhang Daoyi.

Although he was still clashing with Li Guanming, this Sword Qi was every bit as fierce as Li Guanming's.

"Infinite Heavenly Venerate."

Zhang Daoyi chanted softly, fluttering his horsetail whisk as light as flying catkins, but in an instant, an immense Qi Mechanism emerged. The countless strands of the whisk exploded with the force of a tsunami, causing the Sword Qi to burst loudly.

Dark Five Vile Qi gathered and took shape, with a small portion also transforming into Yin Yang Qi, merging into his own body and rapidly elevating Zhang Daoyi's momentum beyond his own Grade.

He was Sixth Rank, but the Nine Heavens Demon Clearing True Technique he cultivated could convert the Five Vile Qi into a spiritual mechanism, allowing him to breathe in and out the Heaven and Earth Qi during the End of Dharma Era, simultaneously cultivating ancient and modern techniques. Zhang Daoyi's Power was far above that of others at the Sixth Rank, and only those who cultivated the Qi Tomb could be compared to him.

If not for Jiang Li, he would have been the true peerless person of his generation, defeating Fifth-Rank at Sixth Rank.

Without resorting to the Five Vile Qi, Zhang Daoyi pushed forth with a palm. The palm force incorporated the two elements, blasting a gap through the intertwining Sword Light and Sword Qi, striking directly at Jiang Li.

Compared to Li Guanming's speed, Zhang Daoyi's palm force was all about strength—massive, mighty strength. The Demon Cleansing True Qi roared violently, unstoppable in its force, and if not for the restrictions secretly imposed by several Fourth-Rank, the Qi Mechanism would have shattered the hall directly.

Facing one fast and one strong assault, Jiang Li still showed no sign of movement, standing with one hand behind his back, majestic and immovable. Innate Qi emerged from the acupoints around his body, instantly forming an Array. Countless Magic Talismans upheld the massive Array Plate, creating a field.

With the Qi Mechanism fluctuating and the Array Plate spinning, Mo Ye Sword Light continuously diffused Sword Qi, which instantly became a mass of Essence Qi. The Demon Cleansing True Qi repelled all other Qi, the stronger the opposing Qi was, the more domineering it appeared. But as subtle ripples appeared and space began to distort, the forceful Qi surprisingly surged back toward Zhang Daoyi.

"Boom!"

Zhang Daoyi's horsetail whisk and palm force were both deployed, but he was still shaken so forcefully that his robe billowed, the tables and chairs behind him shattered, and he was sent flying backward.

Daoist Wen Xu waved his hand, and a gentle force caught Zhang Daoyi, while he looked intently at the still operating Array, "To analyze martial techniques and magic during combat, dissipating the offensive force, reversing space, the talent of the Fellow Daoist is truly astonishing. With just this move, it will be hard to find an opponent among those of the Fifth Rank."

Most importantly, Jiang Li remained motionless the whole time, standing there channeling his Qi, already deflecting both Zhang Daoyi and Li Guanming.

"Excessive praise," said Jiang Li lightly, with wisps of white smoke rising from his head.

Admiration aside, the burden was truly immense; such world-shocking wisdom was indeed enough to astonish the world.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.