Chapter 513 - 491: Really Just a Friendly Sword Duel

Chapter 513: Chapter 491: Really Just a Friendly Sword Duel

’Meng Dongye of the Five Phoenix Sword Sect?’

Bai Zichen was taken aback. The six Nascent Soul True Monarchs of the Five Phoenix Sword Sect were all world-famous; it was impossible not to know their names.

This Meng Dongye called himself the Suffering Poet Swordsman. His talent and aptitude were said to be inferior to his peers. While others could master the basics of a swordsmanship technique in a month, it would take him half a year or even longer.

Relying on his utter devotion to the Sword Dao, he made up for his lack of talent with diligence, pouring his heart and soul into every technique and practicing it thousands of times over.

He finally succeeded in reaching the Nascent Soul Realm at the advanced age of over four hundred, becoming a legend in his own right.

Of the Six True Monarchs of the Five Phoenix Sword Sect, Meng Dongye was the only one who had not cultivated the Celestial Phoenix Shocking God Sword Techniques, created by the Sect’s Divinity Transformation Ancestor.

These sword techniques combined the strengths of the Five Phoenix Sword Sect and the Taibai Sword Sect. They possessed a noble, dignified, kingly aura, yet also a sharp killing intent that could shock the gods and plunge the world into mourning.

Every Saint Heir and Saintess would be taught the Celestial Phoenix Shocking God Sword Techniques, and Meng Dongye would certainly have been no exception.

But after a hundred years of arduous cultivation, he had failed to even grasp the fundamentals.

In the end, he cultivated the second-rate Primordial Court Sword Scripture, which was considered strong evidence that his Sword Dao Talent was inferior to others.

Therefore, while Meng Dongye’s strength was not outstanding among the six True Monarchs, he had countless admirers among the Sword Cultivators of the world.

Prodigious talents were always a minority; the vast majority of Cultivators were mediocre.

They saw hope in Meng Dongye, treating him as a source of spiritual encouragement. He inspired them to believe that they, too, could make up for their lack of talent through hard practice and achieve something in the Sword Dao.

But Bai Zichen didn’t believe Meng Dongye was some dull blockhead who could reach the Nascent Soul Realm and achieve the state of Refining Sword into Silk on hard work alone.

It was just that such a narrative had more appeal in the Cultivation Realm. As the story spread, people filled in the blanks with their own assumptions, downplaying Meng Dongye’s actual talent.

His failure to cultivate the Celestial Phoenix Shocking God Sword Techniques only proved that it wasn’t the right path for him; it meant nothing else.

"I have long heard of your great name, True Monarch Meng... but we are strangers. Why have you sought me out as an opponent?"

Bai Zichen quickly ran through Meng Dongye’s past deeds and reputation in his mind. He found that aside from his self-proclaimed title of "Suffering Poet Swordsman," there were truly no other impressive accomplishments to his name.

Among the six True Monarchs of the Five Phoenix Sword Sect, Meng Dongye was the type of Nascent Soul Cultivator with a great reputation but very few solid combat achievements.

The Cultivation Realm’s assessment of him had always been about his devotion to the sword and his tireless diligence, with little mention of his actual swordsmanship.

He also had no record of bullying the weak or using his status to oppress others.

"It seems you’re not a Cultivator from the Central Domain, Fellow Daoist. You may not be familiar with our customs here... We’re just sparring, comparing skills. We’ll stop before it goes too far."

Meng Dongye’s gaze shifted, and he could infer a great deal from the other man’s wary body language.

"If you still have doubts, Fellow Daoist, I can make a Dao Heart Oath. We will compete only on the quality of our swordsmanship, not on the power of our Flying Swords or the strength of our True Essence. There are only a handful of us Great Li Sword Cultivators; it’s not every day a new face appears."

Bai Zichen looked into Meng Dongye’s vibrant eyes, which were as clear and fervent as a young man’s, overflowing with a passion for the Sword Dao.

He knew Meng Dongye wasn’t lying. Most likely, he was just overcome with excitement at meeting another master of swordsmanship, his hands itching for a duel. For a Cultivator like Meng Dongye, who was so utterly devoted to the sword, this was perfectly normal behavior.

Without that passion, he could never have reached his current Realm.

"True Monarch Meng’s character is well-known throughout the Cultivation Realm... but my swordsmanship is crude. How could I possibly compare myself to a High Cultivator of the Five Phoenix Sword Sect?"

Bai Zichen instinctively tried to refuse. After thoroughly offending the Outer Sea Demon Clan, he had begun to consciously keep a low profile.

Dueling a Nascent Soul True Monarch from the Five Phoenix Sword Sect—and winning—would undoubtedly cause a sensation throughout the Cultivation Realm.

The Central Domain was the true heart of the Cultivation Realm—not just geographically, but also as a trendsetter and the focus of everyone’s attention.

To make a name for oneself here meant one’s fame would spread throughout the entire Cultivation Realm.

It was just like how True Monarch Ge Cang’s victory over a Nascent Soul from the Nine Tribulations Sect had immediately made him famous. He went from a figure known only to a few High-Tier Cultivators who followed the Northern Domain to a hot topic.

Otherwise, the Five Elements Sect, located far away in the Southern Domain’s Dian Country, would never have received the latest intelligence.

As for losing to Meng Dongye, Bai Zichen had never even considered the possibility.

Among the six True Monarchs of the Five Phoenix Sword Sect, at the top was Great True Monarch Ma Youx, known as the First Sword Cultivator of Great Li. At the bottom in seniority was the newly ascended Nascent Soul, Han Chaoran, whose swordsmanship was divine. During his Core Formation Stage, he had traveled the Central Domain and defeated thirteen Core Formation Sword Cultivators in a row.

Then, in a sword-dueling competition, he fought a Nascent Soul True Monarch from the Cyan Lotus Sword Sect to a draw, stunning the entire audience.

The Five Phoenix Sword Sect had even faced public outcry to drive out the Celestial Principle Sect and seize their Tier Four Spirit Vein, all to secure a Cultivation Dojo for Han Chaoran.

Judging by the fact that there were no praiseworthy tales of Meng Dongye’s swordsmanship, he was likely on the same level as Yann Yuanzai of the Tianhe Sword Sect.

Against an opponent of that caliber, no matter what trump cards he might have hidden, Bai Zichen believed there was no possibility of him losing.

Even without his Star River Sword Array, Bai Zichen’s Sword Dao had already reached the realm of One Sword Breaks Ten Thousand Laws.

He had achieved Sword Light Spirit and was advancing toward the Fourth Realm of Sword Dao.

As for all the Sword Cultivators in the world, only a handful had reached the Sword Light Splitting Realm, and Meng Dongye was certainly not among them.

"Those two disappointing juniors from my sect were putting on a show for you, Fellow Daoist. An unsightly display... Kuang Jiuchui is a far cry from his older brother. Wei Yibo, on the other hand, though he’s from the Outer Mountain, has a solid foundation and powerful swordsmanship. Even among our Core Disciples, few could defeat him."

The fact that the two were secretly putting on an act and holding back during their duel had not escaped Meng Dongye’s eyes either.

In contrast, Meng Dongye knew their swordsmanship like the back of his hand, which was why he was able to spot the inconsistencies in such a short time.

And yet Bai Zichen, who had never once seen the swordsmanship of the Five Phoenix Sword Sect before today, had reacted even faster. That perception alone was proof that his own swordsmanship was anything but lacking.