Firmament Sword

"This is impossible!" Yu Tianjie roared, his hand seals forming in the air as he tried to wrest back control of the Celestial Curtain.

The surrounding stands fell silent. Everyone stared, dumbfounded, at the scene.

The quarterfinals!

It was only the quarterfinals, yet a battle of this magnitude was already taking place. In previous years, not even the championship match would necessarily have been so spectacular.

Xu Luo's Spiritual Power was immense, controlling the countless hidden weapons in the sky. The Star River Map unfurled like a scroll.

All the hidden weapons that formed the Celestial Curtain were enveloped by this scroll.

"Go!"

Xu Luo uttered the command, and the Star River Map in the void trembled slightly...

BOOM!

All the hidden weapons that had formed the Celestial Curtain coalesced into a long river, crashing down toward Yu Tianjie below like a mountain torrent!

BUZZ!

The drone was like a million bees swarming past, a sound that made one's heart tremble!

"Undying Body!"

Yu Tianjie's eyes looked ready to split as he bellowed. Boundless golden light suddenly erupted from his body, sending ten thousand rays shooting toward the heavens!

"My heavens..."

"The Yu Family's fourth young master... he not only mastered the Celestial Curtain but also the Undying Body... This..."

"That's the Undying Body!"

"It's really the Undying Body!"

"I must be hallucinating!"

"The Celestial Curtain and the Undying Body... both manifested in a single person!"

Everyone in the stands was shocked numb, completely unable to believe their eyes.

However... what shocked them even more was the other young man.

He had no Celestial Curtain, no Undying Body, and didn't even seem to possess any special Great Divine Techniques. Yet it was this very person who was forcing a peerless prodigy—one who had mastered both the Celestial Curtain and the Undying Body—into a desperate, humiliating retreat!

The torrent formed from the Celestial Curtain's hidden weapons directly submerged Yu Tianjie.

BANG!

A figure appeared directly above the arena, striking a palm toward Xu Luo on the stage and roaring, "Do not harm the prodigy of my Yu Family!"

At the same time, another figure appeared, meeting the first man's palm with one of his own while shouting coldly, "The Celestial Brilliance Annual Competition is just and solemn. How dare you disrupt the order?"

RUMBLE!

A violent tremor rippled through the space above the arena, nearly shattering the restrictive barrier there.

Then, a third voice chimed in. "People of the Yu Family, you've gone too far."

Many people were familiar with this voice; it belonged to an attendant of the Heavenly Brilliance Sect Master, Xiahou Kaiyuan.

"Hmph!" The Yu Family ancestor snorted coldly and said, "If anything happens to my family's disciple, Luo Tian will be buried with him!"

"Your Yu Family's disciple is a person, but others are not?" The one who confronted the Yu Family ancestor was also an old man, with white hair and a white beard. His eyes were like lightning, glinting with divine light.

Many people didn't recognize this elder. Only a few of the older generation looked startled upon seeing him.

"To think he came out of seclusion too. It seems he survived that death tribulation!"

"The genius once said to be closest to the Medicine King... after surviving a death tribulation, his strength must be even greater."

"Who is this old man? Why have I never seen him before?"

"He is the former Senior Brother of the Medicine Garden. His seniority is even greater than Yuwen Ji's!"

"Back when he was the Senior Brother of the Medicine Garden, the Medicine Garden was no pushover. They were quite strong!"

"Later, he faced a death tribulation and went into seclusion. Many people guessed he had died, but to think he's still alive."

"The vigorous youth of yesteryear is now a white-haired old man..." In the private booths, many of the older generation sighed with emotion upon seeing the white-haired elder.

The Yu Family ancestor had acted out of panic. His family had finally produced such a talented junior who had mastered not only the Celestial Curtain but also the Undying Body. If he were to fall during the annual competition, the entire Yu Family, from top to bottom, would probably collapse from the blow.

Although the Celestial Curtain and the Undying Body were incredibly powerful, Yu Tianjie had only just mastered them. He had not yet reached the Great Success Realm, so he still needed his family's protection.

Though the Yu Family ancestor didn't strike again, he didn't leave either. He remained suspended in the air, staring coldly through the barrier at Xu Luo on the stage and... the mountain of hidden weapons on the other side!

These were all the hidden weapons Yu Tianjie had used to cast his Celestial Curtain, but now they were piled up like a great tomb, burying him within.

Xu Luo didn't press the attack either. He glanced at the Yu Family ancestor above the arena but said nothing.

Just then, the mountain of hidden weapons stirred slightly, and then...

BANG!

With a loud explosion, the mountain of hidden weapons blew apart, sending all the weapons scattering in every direction.

A golden figure slowly walked out from within.

Yu Tianjie... was completely unharmed!

The Yu Family ancestor above the arena let out a long sigh of relief. He gave Xu Luo a deep look and said, "I was reckless today. I will send you a treasure later as an apology!"

With that, the Yu Family ancestor's figure flickered, and he vanished from above the arena.

Yu Tianjie wasn't dead, and there was no more suspense in the battle. There was naturally no point in him staying.

This action from the Yu Family ancestor actually won him some goodwill. People felt that although the old man was reckless, he was a man of character who knew how to admit his mistakes.

'If the arena's order could be disrupted through a barrier and in front of countless Celestial Brilliance elders, then the Celestial Brilliance Sect wouldn't deserve to be called a Supreme Great Sect,' Xu Luo thought.

Yu Tianjie's eyes were filled with unwillingness. He stared at Xu Luo and said, "I've only just mastered my Celestial Curtain; I'm not yet proficient. I've also just mastered my Undying Body. If I had cultivated them both to the Great Success Realm, you would have been no match for me!"

"If you don't want to admit defeat, then let's continue," Xu Luo said faintly, looking at Yu Tianjie. "Or how about this... I won't cultivate, and I'll wait for you for ten thousand years until you reach the Great Success Realm. Then you can come find me for a fight?"

BOOM!

The stands erupted in roaring laughter.

Even many of the elders in the private booths couldn't help but laugh. In their eyes, the grievances between juniors were often quite endearing.

Most of these grievances were just disputes of pride; there was no deep-seated hatred between them. In a few years, when they had all matured, these grudges would naturally fade away and have little lasting impact.

In any case, they all came from the same sect, which made them closer than any outsider.

The corner of Yu Tianjie's mouth twitched violently. He also felt that his words had been a bit foolish.

His chest heaved a few times, but in the end, he cupped his fist. "A loss is a loss. There's nothing to deny. Even my strongest techniques couldn't defeat you. I concede!"

The people of the Yu Family were surprisingly straightforward!

Xu Luo nodded and said, "I heard you made a bet with someone earlier?"

Yu Tianjie's face turned ashen. He gritted his teeth and said, "Don't worry, I know how to honor a bet!"

With that, Yu Tianjie was about to fulfill the terms of the bet by apologizing to Xu Luo and declaring that Luo Tian and Xie Yurou were a match made in heaven.

Xu Luo smiled and waved his hand. "What I mean is, just hand over the wager. As for the rest, let's just treat it as a joke. The fact that you stood up for your friend shows you're a person of honor."

Yu Tianjie froze on the spot. Everyone in the stands was also stunned.

Because almost everyone had heard about the high-stakes bet between Xie Yurou and Yu Tianjie. They all understood that between Heritage Clans, money... was important, but what was more important was face and dignity!

Xu Luo's action seemed greedy, but no one would criticize him for it. Not only was he not the one who made the bet, but even if he were, it wouldn't be a big deal.

Honoring a lost bet was the most basic rule. It was perfectly reasonable for Xu Luo to ask Yu Tianjie to hand over the wager.

Calling Xie Yurou "auntie" might not seem like a big deal, but it would be a huge blow to the entire Yu Family's image!

Especially since Yu Tianjie had already mastered the Celestial Curtain and the Undying Body. Given time, when both Divine Techniques reached the Great Success Realm, this incident... would become an eternal laughingstock!

The higher his realm and the stronger his power, the bigger... the laughingstock would become!

Therefore, Xu Luo's words had effectively removed an invisible shackle from Yu Tianjie!

At the same time, it also prevented a situation where Yu Tianjie and Xie Yurou might become mortal enemies in the future!

Because many blood feuds often start with a simple joke.

In the stands, Xie Yurou was initially a little displeased. But after her little aunt, Xie Wanrou, whispered a few words in her ear, the displeasure on her face gradually disappeared, replaced by a tender gaze as she looked at Xu Luo.

Yu Tianjie stood there stunned for a long moment before letting out a long breath. He faced Xu Luo, clasped his fists, and bowed deeply, saying with heartfelt admiration, "Senior Brother Luo possesses both virtue and talent. I, Yu Tianjie, am inferior! Senior Brother Luo and Junior Sister Xie are a match made in heaven, a talented man and a beautiful woman, a pair destined by fate!"

BOOM!

The entire stands erupted with boisterous cheers, and everyone couldn't help but laugh.

Over on her side, a blushing Xie Yurou buried her head in her little aunt's arms, her fair neck flushed crimson.

Xu Luo returned the gesture with a wry smile but said nothing. After all, Xie Yurou was not his fiancée, and there was no agreement between them. There was nothing he could say.

In the stands, Su Qianqian felt a little awkward. She pouted, pressed the token in her hand, and left.

Although she didn't mind Xie Yurou becoming Xu Luo's close female confidante, a scene like this still made her a bit uncomfortable.

And so, the second match of the Celestial Brilliance Annual Competition's quarterfinals concluded with a happy ending for everyone.

But this match, worthy of being recorded in the annals of Celestial Brilliance, was talked about with great relish for a long time afterward.

The Fourth Young Master's Celestial Curtain and Undying Body, and Luo Tian's power and magnanimity, all became popular topics of conversation.

Naturally, this included all sorts of romantic rumors between Luo Tian and Xie Yurou, the noble lady from a Heritage Clan. Many female disciples of the Celestial Brilliance Sect who admired Luo Tian were heartbroken.

「Two days later.」

The quarterfinals of the Celestial Brilliance Annual Competition were all concluded.

In the first match, Jin Ming faced Wang Tong, and Jin Ming won easily. In the second match, Yu Tianjie faced Luo Tian, and Luo Tian won. The third was Ming Youyue against Zhong Jiuyan, with Ming Youyue winning by half a move. The final quarterfinal match was between Yu Tianjie's older brother, Yu Tianying, and Tang Xiao, with Tang Xiao emerging victorious.

Perhaps influenced by Yu Tianjie's match, Yu Tianying did not use some of the underhanded tricks he had originally prepared.

After the match, he and Tang Xiao also buried the hatchet, resolving their grudge with a smile and turning it into a much-admired tale.