Longfengs men immediately rushed onto the stage, helping Fang up. They gazed at the sword lying broken on the ground and glared at Xueqi with furious faces, as if they wanted to devour this beautiful woman whole.

  Under the stage, Cang Song Dao Ren clenched his fists and said coldly: "Shui Yue Shimei, your disciple is really ruthless. He has already won, but its not enough for him. He even used his magical artifact to deliberately ruin someone elses immortal sword. What kind of logic is this?"

  Shuizue Masters face was indifferent, and he said coldly: "Xue Qis cultivation is too shallow, her Tao is not deep, she cant control a divine object like Tian Que, its nothing serious."

  Cang Song Dao Rens anger surged up, and he was about to act when a hand suddenly landed on his shoulder. It was Dao Xuan Zhen Ren, who had appeared out of nowhere, patting him on the back. Cang Song Dao Ren looked at him and finally managed to suppress his anger, letting out a heavy hum from his nose before walking away with large strides.

  Dao Xuan Zhen Ren gazed at the tall back of Cang Song Dao Ren, shook his head, let out a bitter laugh, and turned around to speak. However, he saw that Shui Yue Da Shi had also walked away. At this time, Liu Xue Qi had already come down from the stage and stood in front of Shui Yue. Shui Yue looked at her, a faint smile spreading across his face as he nodded. Liu Xue Qi didnt say anything either, slightly bowed, and then stood behind Shui Yue, following her as she walked away.

  Zhang Xiaofan stood by, finally coming back to his senses from the shocking and thrilling battle just now. He looked at Shuiyue and Xueqi, this pair of master and apprentice gradually moving further away, suddenly finding that these two people were so similar, both as cold as ice and frost, as if they were carved out of the same mold.

  He was so absorbed in his gaze that he suddenly heard a voice beside him say: "I never thought that Tianyue, such a divine object, would also appear in the world!"

  Zhang Xiaofan inexplicably asked, "What is Tianyue?"

  At this time, the surrounding Qingyun disciples gradually dispersed. Zeng Shu Shu gave a nod to her fellow disciple Feng Hui Feng and walked away with Zhang Xiao Fan, saying: "The Tian Jue is that sword that Xue Qi used just now. I once read about it in the Yi Bao Shi Pian (Ten Chapters of Strange Treasures). The Tian Jue first appeared a thousand years ago in the hands of a loose immortal named Ku Xin Shang Ren. Legend has it that this treasure was forged from the iron of the nine heavens and fell into the mortal world, where Ku Xin Shang Ren found it on the North Pole ice field and cultivated it. During the Great War between Good and Evil, our Qingyun Sects founder, Qing Ye Zu Shi, was naturally the leader of the righteous path, but Ku Xin Shang Ren was also very famous, especially for his battle with the evil Black Heart Old Man using the Tian Jue sword, which lasted three days and nights. In the end, he severely injured Black Heart Old Man, eliminating a great threat to our righteous path. Its said that at that time, only the Tian Jue sword could counter the demonic Blood Draining Pearl, so from then on, the name Tian Jue shook the world and became the ultimate goal of all cultivators. However, after Ku Xin Shang Ren passed away, the Tian Jue disappeared without a trace. Who would have thought it ended up in Xiao Zhu Fengs hands?"

  Zeng said: "Xiao Fan Shidi, if Xue Qi has such a divine object, Im afraid we have no hope in this trial."

  Zhang Xiaofan didnt feel any disappointment, anyway he had never thought that he could achieve anything. He just looked at Zeng Shu who seemed quite disappointed and felt curious, asking: "Hey, Zeng Shixiong, didnt you tell me that you werent very interested in this big test either? Why do you look so disappointed?"

  "But if I can really stand on stage and hold out until the end, thats also very impressive, dont you think?"

  Zhang Xiaofan was speechless with laughter.

  Zeng Shu looked at him with a strange expression, feeling somewhat embarrassed in his heart. He punched him and laughed: "What are you laughing at?" Before he finished speaking, he himself couldnt help but laugh too.

  The two walked smiling towards another arena, watching another trial.

  On this day, among the seven disciples of Dazhu Peak who went to battle except for Zhang Xiaofan, four won and three lost. Song Daren, Tian Linger, He Dazhi, and Du Bishu all advanced to the next round. Together with Zhang Xiaofan, who was lucky, five out of eight disciples of Dazhu Peak advanced, which is a rare achievement in hundreds of years, making Tian Naiyi so happy that he couldnt close his mouth.

  ※※※

  The second day.

  The morning sunlight lazily sprinkled on the sea of clouds, and the disciples of Qingyunmen came to the square as they did the day before, continuing to watch the once-in-a-lifetime grand martial arts examination of the Seven Veins of Qingyunmen.

  Everyone stood under the red list of yesterday, only to see that half of the names on the red list had been removed. Next to Zhang Xiaofans name was also written his opponent today - Chu Yuhong.

  From the moment he woke up in the morning, Zhang Xiaofan felt inexplicably tense, although he knew that he was probably just there to get a feel for things. His heart was racing, his mouth was dry, and he had no appetite for breakfast, only managing to eat two bites before losing interest.

  At this moment, he quietly asked his senior brother Song Daren standing beside him: "Senior brother, who is Chu Yuhong? Is he formidable?"

  Song Daren furrowed his brow and shook his head, "Im not clear either, Ive never heard of it before. Looking at the list, he is a disciple of Chaoyang Peak, but how his Taoism is, I dont know." When he said this, Song Daren glanced at Zhang Xiaofan, seeing that he was very tense, and smiled, "Little brother, dont be nervous, its okay. My first time participating in the Grand Trial was also nervously to death, once you get on the stage, itll be fine."

  Zhang Xiaofan nodded and said: "Yes."

  At this time, Du Bishu, who was standing aside, walked over with an ill intention and smiled: "Hey, fellow seniors, why dont we make a bet to see whether our junior brother wins or loses this time?"

  "Alright alright, I bet little brother will lose!"

  "Me too!"

  "Im right too, Ill press charges!"

  "Count me in."

  Song Daren was furious and pointed at everyone, saying: "What are you doing? The little Shidis trial is imminent, and youre still trying to strike him down?"

  Zhang Xiaofan was overwhelmed with gratitude and called out: "Big Brother Master"

  "Old Six."

  Du Bi Shu spat out his tongue: "Big Brother Master, I was just joking earlier, you mustnt tell Master."

  Song Daren: "No, anyway youve already attacked me. Earlier, you opened that bet and I covered five times!"

  Du Bishu, Zhang Xiaofan: "The Grandmaster"

  At this time, Tian Bu Yi and Su Rou walked over, and the disciples of Da Zhu Peak all came to meet them. Tian Bu Yi looked at everyone and said: "Your performance yesterday was not bad, but today is the second round, and basically, the remaining ones are all elite disciples of various veins. You must be careful."

  Everyone said in unison: "Yes."

  Su Ru looked at Zhang Xiao Fan and walked over, saying: "Xiao Fan, today is your first trial, be careful with everything, got it?"

  Zhang Xiaofan felt a warmth in his heart and said softly: "Yes, Shifus wife."

  Su Ru nodded, wanting to say something else, but suddenly the bell rang, and the competition officially began. Tian Nanyi and Su Ru exchanged a glance, nodded, and said: "You all know where the competition is, it was also written clearly on that red list earlier. After the competition starts later, I and your Shifu will also go to the stage to watch you compete, dont make us lose face."

  The crowd responded in unison, Tian Bu Yi nodded and walked away with Su Rou, speaking in a low voice. As they left, Tian Ling Er turned around and looked around, then walked towards Zhang Xiao Fan, who suddenly felt his heart racing.

  Walking up to him, Tian Linger looked straight at Zhang Xiaofan and suddenly burst out laughing. She turned her head back to the crowd and said with a smile: "Look at how tense Xiaofan is, hes even sweating on his forehead."

  Everyone laughed, and Song Daren also smiled: "I comforted the little brother just now, but it seems that there is no use, after all, you still need to take action, little sister."

  Tian Linger spat, turned her head to Zhang Xiaofan and said: "Xiaofan, well wait for a while and then compete, cant go cheer you on now, you have to work hard yourself, and be careful with everything!"

  Zhang Xiaofan gazed at her beautiful face, which was so close that he could smell the faint fragrance of her breath. He couldnt help but feel a surge of excitement in his heart and nodded heavily, but somehow, he couldnt even speak.

  Tian Linger, however, didnt seem to think much of it and just smiled at Zhang Xiaofan before walking over to chat with the other senior brothers for a bit. After a short while, everyone dispersed in twos and threes, apparently some going to the arena to compete, others going to cheer on their fellow disciples. Yet, not a single person thought to accompany Zhang Xiaofan, perhaps because everyone considered him a completely hopeless case.

  Zhang Xiaofan stood still, watching as all his senior brothers walked far away. He suddenly felt an inexplicable pang of sadness in his heart and slowly walked to the red list, carefully reading it again.

  He and Chaoyangfengs disciple Chu Yuhong were arranged at the farthest "Zhen" position stage to compete.

  Zhang Xiaofan sighed and walked forward. Along the way, countless Qingyun disciples came and went, chatting and laughing. Zhang Xiaofan listened in on their conversations, most of which were discussing the results of yesterdays trial. Yesterdays trial saw several popular figures easily emerge victorious, with some people mentioning that apart from Qi Huan, another young expert had appeared in the Longfeng lineage. Zhang Xiaofan heard them describe him for a few sentences and guessed that it was probably Lin Jingyu. However, more people were talking about Xiao Zhufengs 6th disciple, Xueqi. This beautiful woman who possessed the divine sword "Tianjue" had an unexpectedly deep understanding of the Tao, but what was even more astonishing was that she had broken her opponents immortal sword in front of everyone yesterday, which seemed to have left many people dissatisfied. However, this only made more people want to watch her trial, and her popularity actually increased instead of decreasing. Moreover, the reappearance of the long-lost "Tianjue" was also a major topic of interest, with countless people wanting to take a look at this divine artifact from the great war between good and evil a thousand years ago. Even some of the Qingyun Sects elders were not exceptions.

  Zhang Xiaofan walked while listening, and he couldnt help but think of the beautiful Snow Qis appearance from yesterday. He shook his head. At this moment, a shout suddenly came from the front: "Xiaofan."

  The voice sounded very familiar, and Zhang Xiaofan looked up to see Lin Jingyu walking towards him with big strides. Zhang Xiaofan went forward to greet him, laughing and saying: "I was wondering why I couldnt find you anywhere, it turns out you came here!"

  Lin Jingyu pointed behind him and said, "Today I still want to try out, on the Kan position stage, of course, I have to come early to prepare." He looked up and down at Zhang Xiaofan and smiled, "Today its your turn too, which stage are you on?"

  Zhang Xiaofan said: "Im on the Zhen stage, its about to start, I wont be able to go over and cheer for you, you have to be careful yourself."

  Lin Jingyu smiled and said: "You too, huh? Why havent your fellow disciples or seniors come to visit you?"

  Zhang Xiaofan was taken aback, forcing a smile: "Youre not unaware that our sect has few people, and today there are many people competing. Master and Mistress have gone to watch Eldest Brother and Sisters competition."

  Lin Jingyu looked at him for a moment, sighed, and patted his shoulder.

  Zhang Xiaofan perked up his spirits and smiled, saying: "Its nothing, anyway I just came to take a look around, it doesnt matter. But you should work harder, dont let others say that people from our Caomiao Village are useless."

  Lin Jingyu nodded heavily, just about to say something, when a sudden sound of gongs and drums came from behind him. He turned his head to look, saying: "My test is about to begin, I wont talk to you now, wait a moment, if I have time, Ill come over to see you immediately."

  Zhang Xiaofan nodded and said, "You go quickly."

  Lin Jingyu turned and walked away, Zhang Xiaofan watched his back disappear into the distance, muttering to himself: "If you can make it in time, I might still be able to hold on up there, that would be weird."

  He was muttering to himself in his heart, slowly walking to the "Zhen" position platform. This was the easternmost part of Yunhai Square. At a glance, there were only about a dozen Qingyun disciples, most of whom were also from the Chaoyang Peak faction. Compared to the central stage where Xueqis Dry Platform was located, it was truly worlds apart. On the platform below, only one chair was placed, and an old man with white whiskers sat there. Zhang Xiaofan took a look at him and felt somewhat familiar. After thinking for a moment, he remembered that this was the elder who had scolded the disciples for being lustful and complained about not recruiting female disciples before the competition against Xueqi yesterday morning.

  In the Seven Veins Assemblys grand trial, there are eight arenas. Generally speaking, each arena will have at least one elder from the Qingyun Gate presiding over it. Otherwise, with young disciples being so hot-blooded and impulsive, things might get out of control once they start fighting.

  Zhang Xiaofan walked over, came to the front of the white-bearded old man, bowed and saluted, saying: "Master Shibo, I am Zhang Xiaofan, a disciple under the Great Zhupo Peak, here today for the Shock position platform trial."

  The old man with a white beard turned his head, glanced at Zhang Xiaofan and said casually: "Oh, youre here. Its about to start. Go on stage."

  Zhang Xiaofan responded with a sound, looked up at the stage, and saw that no one was there. It seemed that Chu Yuhong, the disciple of Chaoyang Peak, had not arrived yet. He hesitated for a moment, but finally followed the old mans words and walked onto the stage from the stairs. At the same time, behind him, among the many disciples of Chaoyang Peak on the platform below, whispers suddenly spread out, apparently discussing him.

  At this time, the morning sun had already risen, and the first ray of sunlight from Tongtian Peak fell quietly on his body, with a little warmth. Zhang Xiaofan stood on the platform, looking towards the eastern horizon, where a newly risen sun was slowly rising, red and bright, with soft and non-dazzling light, casting a reddish glow on the distant clouds in the sky.

  In Zhang Xiaofans heart, he suddenly felt a wave of emotion. Five years ago, he was still an ignorant rural child who had never dreamed of standing on the top of Tongtian Peak to watch the sunrise. No, it wasnt that he hadnt dreamed of it, but rather he didnt know that there would be such a beautiful sunrise in this world.

  In the blink of an eye, life is fleeting like white clouds.

  His heart was like a sixty-year-old mans sorrow at this moment, though he was only a sixteen-year-old boy.

  He stretched out his hand, reached into his bosom, and touched the icy fire stick. A month ago, when no one knew or noticed, Zhang Xiaofan was surprised to find that he could barely control this black fire stick. At that moment, he almost didnt dare believe his eyes. However, as he repeated it countless times in the still of the night, driven by his willpower, this fire stick was indeed moving.

  "Driven by objects", this is a phrase in the Qingyunmen Xiuzhen Taoist method, like thunder piercing the ear, it is the manifestation of the fourth layer of the Yuqing realm in the Taiji Xuanqing Taoist cultivation, and it is also what every new disciple repeats in their heart, hoping, striving, in countless years of cultivation. Zhang Xiaofan even dares to think about reaching this realm only in his dreams, to be able to argue with his master, to make his master smile.

  But is this possible?

  Zhang Xiaofan desperately suppressed himself and didnt mention this to anyone. At the same time, he tried to use his mind to move other objects like kitchen utensils, but there was no movement at all, which also hit his confidence. He couldnt figure out why such a strange situation would occur.

  In the dead of night, he got up and stared at this seemingly doomed to entangle with him, strange and weird fire poker, and could feel that thread of icy air slowly wandering in his body.

  "Ding!" The crisp sound of the bell rang out, startling Zhang Xiaofan awake. He turned his head to see that below the stage were still those dozen or so Chao Yang Peak disciples, and the old man with the white beard was still sitting there drowsily. But on the stage opposite him, he didnt know when a man had appeared, about thirty years old, smiling at him.

  Zhang Xiaofans face turned red, and he hastily bowed, saying: "Zhang Xiaofan, disciple of Dazhu Peak, seeks guidance from Brother Chu."

  Chu Yuhong smiled and said, "I dont dare to say that. Talented people emerge in every generation. Although Zhang is young, he has a big test ahead of him, yet he stands on the stage with a calm expression, without any signs of anxiety or fear. Hes much stronger than I was at his age. I admire him."

  Zhang Xiaofan was stunned for a moment, and then muttered: "To be honest with you, brother, I was actually stunned just now."

  "Huh", the audience below was in an uproar, those dozen or so Chao Yang Peak disciples couldnt help but laugh until they fell over, Chu Yu Hong also looked stunned for a moment, and finally couldnt help but burst out laughing too. Immediately after, he felt it wasnt proper, and forcibly held back saying: "Zhang Shidi was just joking, uh, the time has arrived, Ill go ask for your guidance now."

  Zhang Xiaofans heart skipped a beat, and he felt a wave of tension. He slowly said, "Please spare me, Brother Chu."

  Chu Yuhong smiled but didnt answer, looking like he had a plan in mind. He shook his right hand and with a "clang" sound, a sword radiating a faint yellow glow appeared.

  "The swords name is Shao Yang, Zhang Shidi, please."

  Zhang Xiaofan glanced at the Shao Yang Xianjian, and saw that the yellow light on the sword was pure and warm. From a distance, he felt his spirit lift, apparently it wasnt an ordinary object. He secretly swallowed a mouthful of saliva, unaware that his face had become somewhat flushed, but in the end, he still reached into his bosom, grasped the firewood stick, and pulled it out.

  Everyone in the field, Chu Yuhong and a dozen or so disciples of Chaoyang Peak below the stage, all looked at this black iron furnace.

  Suddenly silent.

  "Hahaha" Its unknown who laughed first, breaking the silence. Anyway, after a moment, the audience below burst into laughter, mixed with someones awkward voice saying: "Th-that what is?"

  "Ive said it before, the people of Dazhu Peak are all weirdos. Dont even get me started, yesterday that skinny guy used a dice-shaped magic treasure and became a laughing stock. I didnt think it could get any worse, but today... today theres actually someone using a fire poker! Hahahaha"

  At this moment, even Chu Yuhong on the stage couldnt help but laugh a few times before barely holding it in, saying: "Zhang Shidi, haha, this is... haha, yours, haha, sorry, I couldnt control myself. Ah, is this your treasured sword?"

  Zhang Xiaofan listened to the people around him laughing, his face turned red, and he couldnt say a word. He also knew that using this fire stick was too ugly and would definitely be ridiculed, but other things couldnt work, and deep down, he had a small, faint hope that this could really prove himself, so in the end, he still brought out the fire stick.

  But in the end, this fire stick brought him only others contempt and ridicule. The people around laughed loudly, Zhang Xiaofan lowered his head, and within his line of sight, this world was left with only the black and ugly fire stick in his hand.

  They laughed loudly, just like their fellow disciples before they left, even the usually serious Linger Shijie couldnt help but laugh.

  He lowered his head and closed his eyes.

  A cool feeling seemed to call out from deep within his body and slowly wandered around inside him.

  What is it like for one person to feel the loneliest?

  Is it facing the indifference of the whole world alone? Is it facing all the ridicule alone?

  Is ones blood cold or boiling?

  He suddenly lifted his head and looked ahead.

  At this time, the sunlight was shining on his face, and no one could see his expression clearly.

  Chu Yuhongs Shao Yang Xian Jian in his hand, amidst the laughter and applause from below the stage, burst forth with a brilliance almost comparable to the rising sun at this moment, radiant and majestic, with an aura of righteousness. As he chanted his incantation, with a loud shout, the Shao Yang Xian Jian shone like the bright sunlight, advancing steadily and majestically.

  A wave of heat rushed towards him, but Zhang Xiaofans heart was as cold as ice. He didnt know why, but looking at the light approaching in front of him, he suddenly thought of that morning long ago: He and Lin Jingyu had spent a thrilling night outdoors, and when they returned to Caomu Village, they saw a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood. On that morning, all his happiness was lost, and he even felt himself being buried under the bloody sea, struggling desperately, trying to find his loved ones but ultimately unable to do anything, the pain piercing his heart.

  The scorching air seemed to burn his skin, but before his eyes, a serene night reappeared, by the side of the emerald pool, where a beautiful woman stood at the waters edge, tightly embracing her lover.

  "Ah!" The sixteen-year-old boy groaned softly, the inexplicable pain was so intense that he completely forgot about the oncoming light and bit his lip, bright red blood dripping down.

  Fell on the black, dark blue with red threads like blood, burning incense stick.

  The next moment, he was engulfed by that dazzling sunlight-like radiance.

  The audience erupted into cheers and applause, the disciples of Zhaoyang Peak were all beaming with joy, except for a single cry of surprise that stood out among their laughter, sounding particularly jarring.

  Suddenly, the eyes that were once filled with hostility appeared, and he let out a loud sigh. He was deeply sorry for his new friend, but unfortunately, according to the rules of the big test, he couldnt help him. Otherwise, seeing his righteous indignation, he would have probably rushed onto the stage.

  Even the old man with a white beard sitting next to him seemed to be startled by Zeng Shu-shu and glanced over.

  On the stage, the brilliant golden light and the rising sunlight at the horizon complement each other, dazzling and eye-catching. Chu Yu Hong felt a sense of pride in his heart, thinking that he had reached an unprecedented peak in his cultivation. After defeating this unimpressive opponent in front of him, he would surely make rapid progress, and even winning the championship was not impossible! After all, after today, it would only take four more victories to achieve his goal.

  As he thought of this, a smile crept onto the corners of his mouth, and the light of the Shao Yang Immortal Sword grew even brighter. He watched as the young man in front of him winced in pain under the intense light, even biting his lip until it bled.

  Suddenly, at this moment, his heart thumped violently, as if someone had struck a heavy hammer inside his body. At the time when everyone couldnt see Zhang Xiaofan clearly, Chu Yuhong, who was standing opposite Zhang Xiaofan, saw him lift his head and open his eyes through the dazzling light of his Shao Yang Xian Sword.

  Those blood-red eyes filled with brutal and murderous intent!

  A formless, unknown icy aura suddenly expanded, and Chu Yuhong saw that the black incense stick seemed to have come alive at this moment. The black air was surging, and the round bead on the top of the stick was emitting a strong blue light, which shone on Zhang Xiaofans body, as if he had completely transformed into another person. All these changes took place within the glow of the Shao Yang Xian Jian, and no one else saw them except Chu Yuhong.

  Chu Yuhong was shocked to the extreme, but before he could react, the cold breath had already hidden under the light of the Shaoyang Xianjian and wrapped around him. He almost immediately felt a dizzying sensation, his whole body feeling nauseous and wanting to vomit; after a moment, the faint cyan light emitted by the bead on the fire stick shone onto his body.

  Below the stage, Zeng Shu-shu was watching Zhang Xiao-fan who was enveloped in a halo of light with great tension. As soon as he thought that Zhang Xiao-fan now looked like a roasted monkey (normally it should be a pig being roasted, but somehow Zeng Shu-shu had the idea of a monkey in his mind), he almost didnt dare to look again. On the contrary, the disciples of Chaoyang Peak were all applauding and cheering with joy.

  At this moment, suddenly everyone only heard a loud roar from Chu Yu Hong on the stage. The Shao Yang Xian Jian shook the sky and rose, and the light immediately dissipated, revealing Zhang Xiao Fans figure. And Chu Yu Hong seemed to be seriously injured, retreating again and again. After a while, under everyones surprised gaze, his face suddenly burst out with blood from all seven orifices, trembling as he stretched out his right hand pointing at Zhang Xiao Fan, seemingly wanting to say something, but no matter what, he couldnt speak.

  A moment later, he saw his body sway a few times, and with a thud, he fell to the ground, fainting away, unconscious.

  On and off stage, there was a dead silence, with everyone staring at each other in shock, unable to utter a word.