At one end of the square, thousands of disciples were in front, with seven or eight cultivators slightly ahead of them—each having attained the Jie Dan stage or above—calm and composed. Behind them, dozens of male and female cultivators were at the Jian Ji level or higher. These were the several heads of the Bai Qiao Academy, its elders, and various officials entrusted with different duties. "They've arrived!" exclaimed one particularly observant disciple, suddenly spotting something and shouting with excitement. Immediately, all the lower-level cultivators turned their heads upward. In the distance, flashes of light appeared in the sky, followed by a large group of colorful luminous points approaching steadily. "It's the Ancient Sword Sect—they're flying using their sword artifacts," someone else announced. Upon hearing this, the crowd became even more agitated, with many people pointing at the glowing points, each expressing different reactions. "Hush! What kind of decorum is this? Do we intend to make the other two sects laugh at us?" A stocky elder standing before the crowd frowned suddenly and said coldly. His voice resonated throughout the hall, and the disciples who had momentarily lost their composure immediately fell silent, the vast plaza now hushed. Satisfied with this response, the elder's expression eased slightly. Several other cultivators at the Dan stage exchanged a glance, as if this scene were now entirely familiar to them. At that moment, the disciples from the Ancient Sword Sect arrived above the plaza. While not all of them were gliding on their swords, only a few were not using any sword implements. "I didn't expect you all to personally come out to welcome us," exclaimed a compact, mid-fifties elder who had been flying ahead, laughing heartily before descending first. Beside him, a young scholar in a green robe and a young lady in white robes descended side by side, both smiling warmly—clearly a couple. At this moment, even the younger, lower-ranked cultivators from Gu Jian Men, who seemed so young, one by one descended upon their platforms. "This time, it's Brother Jiang leading the delegation, and we, Fu and others, have come out to welcome you with due respect. Moreover, the renowned couple, the White Jade Twin Swordmasters, have also made the journey." The sturdy elder bowed gracefully to the three. "Alright. We won't boast any further—we're not afraid of the younger ones laughing at us. But it seems the Lu Yun Sect representatives haven't arrived yet. They've been growing increasingly indifferent toward the Sword-Testing Assembly. Isn't it possible they're embarrassed by repeatedly finishing last?" Jiang, the cultivator, seemed somewhat dismissive of Lu Yun Sect, speaking with a touch of patronizing amusement. Fu, the elder, smiled faintly at this. Their Bai Qiao Institute was quite different from Gu Jian Men. He certainly wouldn't dare to interject on this matter lightly—should it reach the higher echelons of Lu Yun Sect, it would surely stir up a good deal of commotion. Thus, before the elder named Fu had time to think of how to respond, a middle-aged man dressed in a jade-green robe standing behind the elder suddenly interjected, opening his mouth wide: "Master Jiang need not be so eager! The leader of Luoyun Sect this time is said to be Ms. Song from Bái Fèng Peak—she’s truly a stunning beauty, one of the most admired among our three sects. Unfortunately, Ms. Song has always remained reserved and modest, and we from the other two sects rarely had the chance to meet her. Now, at last, we’re finally able to experience her charm!" It was quite a surprise to see this young lady at the current Sword Exhibition. Exactly! Even though she's also a woman, I've always been curious about this renowned Ms. Song. To actually meet her today would indeed be a pleasant occasion! Though the white-clad matron has an unremarkable appearance, her voice is smooth and pleasant, deeply pleasing to the ear. Ah—wait a moment! It seems the people from Luoyun Sect have arrived. As the elder with the surname Fu was about to speak, he suddenly turned and exclaimed, looking up at the sky. Upon hearing this, everyone nearby immediately raised their heads. There, from the eastern direction, a large, distinct dark shape was gradually approaching. What is this? The Crane Sect cultivator with the surname Jiang seemed to recognize it instantly. As it drew closer, others finally got a clear view—there stood a colossal, unusual bird, flying toward them at an astonishing speed. Numerous figures were visible on its back, as if many cultivators were riding it. Hmph! The Luoyun Sect deserves to highlight this unusual azure-light phoenix, though it's merely capable of changing its size and shape—just a fifth-tier spirit beast! The cultivator, upon seeing this large bird, sighed slightly, his tone a bit bitter. The elder Fu and several other Jin-Dan cultivators from the Baiqiao Academy paid it no attention, as if they hadn't heard. However, the younger disciples present, who had never seen a spirit beast of such magnitude, were all taken aback, gasping in surprise one after another. Everyone widened their eyes, staring in awe at the magnificent form of the giant bird, their faces filled with astonishment. The phoenix also moved with remarkable speed—after flapping its luminous azure wings a few times, it was already soaring above the crowd. The vast body of the phoenix, wings fully extended, cast a wide shadow, covering part of the plaza, while a strong, bracing breeze swept through, causing several lower-level disciples standing in the wind to pale visibly. "Halt!" "A man's voice suddenly rang out, and as the giant crane folded its wings, it remained suspended motionless in the air. At that moment, numerous cultivators began descending from the bird's back. 'Ah! Isn't that Du Brother from Fire Cloud Peak? Truly a rare visitor!' The elder with the surname Fu immediately spotted the leading elder in red robes, his eyes brightening as he hurried forward. 'Far from it! Since our last meeting in Yunzhou, I've been thinking of you quite often,' the red-robed elder replied with a warm smile. At the same time, his gaze swept over the others behind him. 'Du Brother is looking for Chang Zheng Elder, isn't he? Unfortunately, Chang's younger brother has been on an outing. However, he should be able to return in time for the later stages of the assembly.' The elder with the surname Fu said casually. 'Ah, that's perfectly fine! It's a matter of chance, whether or not we get to catch up. This is Yu Brother—no need for me to introduce him; everyone knows him. But as for Song Sister, I believe all of you have never met her before.' "I'd like to introduce you all to a few people," the elder in red robes expressed a slight sense of disappointment, but quickly composed himself, pointing to the stunning blue-robed woman beside him with a smile. "White Phoenix Lady—her name has been widely acclaimed in the past few years, especially among the younger generations. To finally see her in person is truly no exaggeration!" The elder with the surname Fu glanced at the woman with the surname Song, his eyes sparkling with admiration, and then praised her warmly. "Your praise is most kind, Master Fu. I truly don't deserve to be called a 'Lady'." The blue-robed woman smiled gently, her voice soft and composed. Her serene and graceful presence stirred the hearts of several lower-level male cultivators, who all found themselves deeply enchanted. Though the higher-level cultivators were more composed, they too couldn't help but display a touch of warmth and enthusiasm. At this moment, the elders in red robes and others also noticed the representatives from the Ancient Sword Sect, and approached to greet them. Though the gentleman with the surname Jiang remained indifferent at first, he managed to respond with a few polite words. It was the young lady in white who, holding the Song-family woman's hand, spoke enthusiastically without cease, as if they were sisters. The blue-robed lady remained always graceful and composed, responding with polite and refined manners that left nothing to be criticized. From there, things proceeded smoothly. After welcoming both parties, Bai Qiao Court cleared out two large courtyards for Gu Jian Gate and Lu Yun Sect, allowing them to rest overnight before resuming formal competitions the next day. That evening, everything was quiet. The next morning, the three sects began their intense competition. The event was divided into three groups. Each sect selected ten representatives, who then teamed up with twenty disciples from the other two sects. Within each group, pairs competed against one another, and only the top four advanced. Then, among the twelve finalists, drawing lots, they engaged in further duels to determine the ultimate winner and the top ten. Given the limited number of participants, the matches were not held simultaneously across multiple venues, but instead took place sequentially in the same location. The order of appearance was determined by drawing lots among the leading cultivators from the three factions—so there was nothing particularly noteworthy about it. As for the referees, they were appointed from a third, unrelated faction, which made the arrangement quite fair. However, when numerous disciples from the Hundred-Tricks Academy had gathered around the arena, filling it completely, a bald man stood calmly at the center of the protective barrier and slowly announced: "First match: Han Li from the Luoyun Sect versus Yao Feng from the Ancient Sword Sect!" As soon as the man finished speaking, one disciple stepped forward from each of the Luoyun and Ancient Sword Sects. Upon seeing their respective opponents, the surrounding disciples from the Hundred-Tricks Academy stirred and began murmuring among themselves. "I must have misheard—wasn't one of them at the Eleven-th level of Qi Condensation, and the other just beginning his Foundation Period?" "Isn't the gap in their cultivation levels rather significant?" ...The disciple from the Ancient Sword Sect, who carried both a short and a long sword device, also looked surprised at his opponent, then briefly expressed a look of mild contempt. To him, defeating his opponent was nothing short of effortless, given the latter's cultivation level. His opponent, the young man dressed in green robes with an unremarkable appearance, frowned deeply, clearly troubled and confused. Outside the mask, the Condensation-stage cultivators from the three sects gathered separately from the disciples, standing in a small open space, chatting calmly among themselves. "I must ask, Du brother," said Jiang Yun of the Ancient Sword Sect, "does Lu Yun Sect really intend to abandon this Trial of Swords gathering? How can they even pass internal selection for a Disciple at the Eleventh Stage of Qi Cultivation—aren't they just picking them randomly to fill numbers?" Upon seeing the young Lu Yun Sect representative step onto the stage, Jiang Yun could hardly contain his surprise and chuckled. "Ah! Eleventh Stage. Indeed! I recall that when this disciple passed internal selection, he was only at the Tenth Stage of Qi Cultivation. Such rapid progress is truly rare." The red-robed elder listened attentively but remained composed, responding calmly. "Wait—Eleventh Stage? At the time of selection, he was only at the Tenth Stage, Du brother? Are you jesting?" Upon hearing this, Jiang Yun of Gu Jianmen frowned, expressing his disbelief. This time, the red-robed elder merely smiled and said nothing. Seeing this, Jiang Yun himself grew somewhat puzzled, fell silent, and began to pay close attention to the scene. "The match begins!" the bald man finally announced solemnly in the air. At once, the young man lifted both shoulders with decisive motion, and simultaneously, a red and a blue flying sword shot forth from his back, hovering above his head. With a flash of green light, a green energy shield materialized around him. Then, he quickly began to chant incantations, preparing to launch his flying swords against his opponent. However, when he had perfected this sequence with great ease, what met his eyes instead were fifty or sixty bright red fire balls, each carrying a surge of hot flame, charging fiercely toward him. "Ah!" Niao Feng was taken aback, his face turning pale with shock. Yet he had earned his reputation as a Foundation Stage cultivator, possessing rich combat experience. Under pressure, he instantly abandoned the activation of his artifact, and at the same time, plunged his body toward the ground, allowing numerous fire balls to surge over him. He was left drenched in cold sweat. This only intensified his fury. In a state of shock and rage, he flipped over to regain his footing and attempt to rise and make a show of strength, only for a large, dark footprint to appear squarely on his forehead and press down with unyielding force. Instantly, the accomplished disciple from the Ancient Sword Sect went limp and lost consciousness.