Chapter 615 - 345: Middle Fourth Grade!

"I am as lonely as the falling snow," Immortal Bai, Gongye Bai, silently muttered to himself, a phrase that truly reflected his state of mind.

Back when he dominated the Jianghu, the previous Hidden Immortal Struggle had long since settled—Daasa of the Barbarian Land Immortals had become the current Hidden Immortal.

Although Daasa rarely intervened in the internal conflicts of the Great Wei Dynasty and the Yi Race, each had their own domain. For instance, within Great Wei, the several Land Immortals would naturally not allow chaos to erupt in the Central Plains. For one, excessive slaughter would devastate the mountains, rivers, lakes, and seas, plunging the people into misery. Secondly, exceptionally talented rising stars could not be allowed to die untimely deaths, or it would impact the next "Debating and Striving for the Lead."

In truth, which race the Hidden Immortal belonged to did not affect the daily disputes among the Grandmasters. The only benefit was seen in mutual conquests, such as those between Great Wei and the barbarians.

If existences above the Grandmaster realm were to intervene, they could decide the outcome of a war in a single battle, posing far too great a threat to the mortal world. This was much like Han Jue, the "Sword Ghost," who had once slaughtered three thousand soldiers of the Huben Army. Having just entered the Grandmaster realm, he was able to confront a well-equipped army head-on and emerge victorious. If a top Grandmaster or Land Immortal were to take action, their power would only be more devastating. With a mere wave of their hands, they could determine the life and death of countless others.

Under such circumstances, how could there not be restrictions placed upon existences above the First Grade? Even Gongye Bai was no exception. Weighed down by the word "rules," he, the number one figure in the Martial Arts of the Jianghu, also found himself frustrated. Aside from occasionally bullying the likes of Li Wudang and Chu Xiudao, he had almost no opportunities to fight.

Thus, thirty years ago, feeling he no longer had any worthy opponents, Gongye Bai went into seclusion in the Wind and Rain Tower, no longer concerning himself with the affairs of the Jianghu. It was only now, with the "Debating and Striving for the Lead" approaching, that he, the number one figure in Martial Arts, had to shoulder the banner of the Central Plains. He traveled far and wide, running north and south, east and west, to seek out the thoughts of the dozen or so remaining Land Immortals in the world. After all, he had to ask whether they intended to participate in the "Debating and Striving for the Lead" or if they would prefer to continue their carefree, reclusive lives.

Regardless of what others chose to do, Gongye Bai had idled away half his life; all he wanted was to fight to his heart’s content.

Gongye Bai’s Heart Spirit experienced a rare ripple of emotion, but he quickly calmed down, his white hair and youthful face still making him look like a banished Immortal. Turning his head to look at Xiao Jinghong, he asked with a smile, "I wonder if my martial niece has heard about my sparring match with that boy, Lone Immortal Ye?"

Xiao Jinghong hesitated slightly before nodding. "When I, Jinghong, previously returned to the Prefecture City, I happened to run into Monarch Xue Jian, and he invited me to go and watch the battle."

A peculiar look flashed across Gongye Bai’s smiling face. "It’s good for you to go take a look.

"Lone Immortal Ye entered the Land Immortal Realm through his Sword Dao. Observing his Sword Dao will be of great benefit to you.

"Furthermore, I’ve already had the Wind and Rain Tower widely distribute invitations. Any rising star of our Great Wei can attend and watch; it can be considered my way of showing some goodwill to the younger generation..."

Beside them, Shui Hetong gritted his teeth, barely withstanding the pressure of Heaven and Earth’s Spiritual Mechanism, while secretly curling his lips in disdain. Others might not know, but he was fully aware that Immortal Bai had already met with Lone Immortal Ye, and during their meeting, they had discussed Xiao Jinghong as well as the "Dragon Tiger" Liu Wu—Chen Yi. Right now, Immortal Bai was pretending to be clueless as he questioned Xiao Jinghong, clearly harboring ulterior motives.

As Shui Hetong silently complained in his heart, he heard Gongye Bai continue to ask, "Martial niece, when you watched the sparring match between your master and Chu Xiudao back then, did you duel with any of the other attendees?"

Xiao Jinghong gave a slight nod. "My master ordered me to test the sharpness of my sword."

"This time, many prodigies of the Great Wei Dynasty will be gathering. If I were to have Hetong fight, it would be a bit like bullying the others. How about you step in and fight on my behalf?"

"Me?"

Gongye Bai chuckled and said, "Your Sword Dao has already reached Perfection, but it is still a long way from the Extreme Realm. Taking this opportunity to spar with others might yield some gains." Seeing that Xiao Jinghong was somewhat tempted, he continued to persuade her, "I imagine it’s been a long time since you’ve sparred with a well-matched opponent, hasn’t it?"

Hearing this, Xiao Jinghong showed a thoughtful expression. After a moment, she still did not directly agree, only saying, "Please forgive me, Martial Uncle, but I, Jinghong, currently have military duties to attend to. I’m afraid it will be difficult for me to attend as scheduled."

Gongye Bai smiled and waved his hand. "Do as you wish.

"However, working behind closed doors is not a long-term solution, and a good opponent is hard to find. Think it over; you can come find me anytime."

"Thank you, Martial Uncle..."

After a moment of silence, Gongye Bai finally lifted the pressure off Shui Hetong. The three of them sat at the table, chatting idly while enjoying the late autumn night breeze. Their conversation mostly revolved around the "Debating and Striving for the Lead" and the upcoming sparring match between Gongye Bai and Lone Immortal Ye.

Shui Hetong couldn’t help but feel a bit wry. He had followed along to the Shu State this time with the intention of taking his Martial Arts a step further. Testing his Fist and Foot against the prodigies of his generation during the battle between Immortal Bai and Monarch Xue Jian would have been the perfect opportunity. But now that Hero Bai had invited Xiao Jinghong, his own plans had fallen through.

Fortunately, Shui Hetong had a certain level of confidence in his own aptitude, so he could easily find another opportunity.

In fact, Xiao Jinghong had hesitated to agree immediately due to similar concerns. Since joining the Dingyuan Army five years ago, her progress in the Sword Dao hadn’t exactly stalled, but it had been rather slow. Heavy military duties were one reason, and her simultaneous cultivation of the Spear Dao was another. The third reason was just as Immortal Bai had pointed out—she couldn’t find any opportunities to spar with others. Even if she wanted to, ordinary experts simply couldn’t catch her eye.

Therefore, despite her reservations, Xiao Jinghong made up her mind to go watch the battle and witness the Sword Dao of Monarch Xue Jian, Lone Immortal Ye.

About an hour later, Midnight approached.

Gongye Bai stood up and said, "I am going to Wudang Mountain to ask Elder Daoist Zhong Wu some questions.

"Hetong, will you follow me to Wudang Mountain, or will you stay in the Shu State for now?"

Shui Hetong stood up and chuckled. "It’s best if you go alone, sir. I’d like to explore the Shu State for a bit."

Gongye Bai glanced at him. Hidden within his sleeve, his fingers formed a seal as he divined, saying,