Daoist Competition
Chapter 131 - 30 Heavy Waves Stacked Whose is the Flying Sword

Chapter 131: Chapter 30 Heavy Waves Stacked Whose is the Flying Sword

Feng Ming’s dominance was evident; whether it was his comprehension of the Sword Scripture or his foundational cultivation, he clearly overshadowed everyone present by a considerable margin. At this point, no one dared step forward to embarrass themselves. It seemed certain he would obtain the Star Sword Ball without suspense—until Zhang Yan stepped forward, instantly becoming the focus of the crowd’s attention.

Feng Ming had been prepared to take his step forward, but suddenly pulled back and turned his head. He spotted Zhang Yan standing at the farthest end, which seemed to be the seating area for Meridian Opening Disciples. "Which disciple is this? Does he have no sense of his position?" he thought to himself, quietly annoyed.

Despite his displeasure, he maintained his polite demeanor, presenting himself with a warm smile. "If this junior brother is interested, you’re welcome to come up and exchange insights with me."

Disciples like Feng Ming, chosen by elders, were central to confronting the young elites from Xuanmen Families in the future and establishing their own followings. Under such public scrutiny, he needed to suppress disciples close to his cultivation level with strength, yet for those weaker, he had to display friendliness to gather goodwill and build a reputation.

Zhang Yan smiled faintly and said, "Then I would ask Senior Brother Feng to offer his guidance." With a sweep of his robe sleeve, he stepped forward confidently.

As Zhang Yan stepped forward, Qin Nan, who was beside him, widened her eyes. She watched his figure retreating into the distance with a sense of awe, realizing that if it were her in his place, she would certainly never dare challenge Feng Ming, her idol.

Below the stage, Wang Kun’s expression changed sharply upon spotting Zhang Yan. As a member of the Hao Pu Wang Family, he had witnessed the spiritual paper Island showdown between Wang Pan and Zhang Yan and naturally recognized him. Then, as if recalling something, Wang Kun abruptly turned to glance at Feng Ming, a hint of schadenfreude flashing in his eyes.

Amid the gazes of thousands of disciples, Zhang Yan calmly approached the green stone wall and stood face-to-face with Feng Ming.

Seeing Zhang Yan’s composed demeanor, Feng Ming didn’t dare take things lightly. Earlier, he hadn’t paid much attention to Zhang Yan from afar, but now, upon closer observation, he discovered Zhang Yan’s presence—though subtle—was rich in spiritual essence, clearly marking him as a Ming Qi Cultivator. Yet he couldn’t determine which realm Zhang Yan had reached.

Feng Ming immediately stowed away part of his arrogance yet didn’t let it weigh on his mind. With a smile, he said, "Junior brother, please make the first move."

Zhang Yan had already observed many of Feng Ming’s techniques earlier, while Feng Ming knew nothing about his abilities. Secretly, Zhang Yan thought that if he launched a surprise attack, he had a strong chance of defeating Feng Ming with one decisive move.

But competing for the Star Sword Ball wasn’t just about brute strength—it required strategic thinking and finesse.

Today’s contest was not an assessment of who was stronger or weaker but about who comprehended the True Origin Sword Scripture more deeply over these ten days.

If he defeated Feng Ming too quickly, people might only perceive that his tactics were superior or his cultivation was stronger, without showcasing his swordsmanship prowess. In that case, Elder Chen might favor Feng Ming slightly, letting him save face and still awarding him the sword ball. Zhang Yan couldn’t allow his efforts to be wasted like that.

Thus, Zhang Yan needed to genuinely surpass Feng Ming in swordsmanship utilization to prevent Feng Ming from finding an excuse later.

Seeing Feng Ming inviting him to make the first move, Zhang Yan didn’t hold back. Forming a spell, a white sword ball floated above him. He lightly said, "Senior Brother, be mindful."

As soon as he finished speaking, a faint white light shot forward with a speed almost imperceptible to the naked eye.

A sudden gasp erupted from the audience below. "Rainbow Sky Radiance!"

The so-called "Rainbow Sky Radiance" involved converting most of the spiritual essence attached to the sword into Clear Qi, then wielding the sword for a slash. This technique achieved extreme speed in an instant, with greater amounts of Clear Qi resulting in faster motion.

In just ten days, most disciples at the Ming Qi Second and Third Realm had, at best, grasped the Middle Method "One Qi Breath," while few even touched upon the "Rainbow Sky Radiance." Witnessing Zhang Yan perform it so effortlessly triggered waves of surprise among the crowd.

The sword ball struck toward Feng Ming in the blink of an eye. His expression turned sharp with alarm as he frantically tried to maneuver his own sword ball to intercept. Yet he was half a beat slow. By the time he attempted to block, the sword ball was already nearing him—close enough to touch his robe—but it briefly paused and withdrew before contact. Feng Ming couldn’t help but break into a cold sweat.

Zhang Yan pulled back his sword ball, allowing it to hover above his fingers. He smiled lightly and said, "Senior Brother Feng, stay focused."

Because Zhang Yan attacked quickly and withdrew just as fast, none of the spectators below noticed any flaws, assuming instead that Feng Ming had successfully blocked a sneak attack. Several of Feng Ming’s peers immediately cheered for him.

On the viewing stage, Elder Chen frowned slightly as he observed.

Feng Ming’s eyes betrayed some uncertainty at first, but he quickly regained his composure and responded in a deep voice, "Junior Brother, you’re skilled. But luck is not on your side the next time."

From that prior strike, Feng Ming noticed that Zhang Yan’s sword manipulation speed slightly exceeded his own. Determined not to compete in speed, Feng Ming felt confident that if he seriously defended himself, Zhang Yan’s sneak attack wouldn’t pose a threat. After all, with a distance of ten or so yards between them, he believed he could intercept Zhang Yan’s sword ball in advance.

A month ago, Elder Xun had privately taught him this Sword Scripture, which gave Feng Ming the confidence to face opponents openly. Still, he refrained from showing his full strength to avoid attracting unwanted attention. Now, he had firmly decided: as soon as Zhang Yan attacked again, he would counter using "One Qi Breath" to strike Zhang Yan’s sword ball down. He possessed forty-nine streams of spiritual essence united as one, enough power to overwhelm anyone here. This was his trump card—defeating with sheer force was the proper course.

As for Zhang Yan missing his chance earlier, Feng Ming considered it foolish. He promised himself he wouldn’t leave any gaps moving forward.

With a motion of his fingers, Feng Ming’s sword ball rose and hovered three yards in front of him—a defensive stance.

The crowd below didn’t find this unusual. Most assumed Feng Ming was giving his junior brother a chance to exchange moves, so it made sense for him to defend rather than attack.

Zhang Yan saw through Feng Ming’s intentions immediately, inwardly chuckling. He changed his spell, spinning his sword ball in an arc, making it loop once before rushing toward Feng Ming at the same speed as earlier.

Feng Ming hurriedly manipulated his sword ball to intercept. Seeing the imminent collision, he even curled into a slight smile. Yet at that moment, Zhang Yan’s sword ball suddenly pivoted mid-air, bypassing Feng Ming’s block. Feng Ming was taken aback, hastily altering his own spell to redirect his sword ball and intercept once more.

As the two sword balls nearly collided again, Zhang Yan’s sword ball shifted direction once more. Feng Ming was shocked, not daring to let it through. His sword ball mirrored the movement, rising to meet it head-on.

The two sword balls spun in the air like two sparrows chasing one another, turning several times before the disciples below began to comprehend the technique and exclaimed, "’Heavy Waves Stacked?!"

This was Ming Qi Stage’s most challenging method in the True Origin Sword Scripture. It involved propelling the sword ball using a stream of spiritual essence for a one-circle attack. If blocked or missed, another stream of spiritual essence stacked onto the previous, creating repeated rotations. Each successive cycle sped up the sword ball and intensified its force until the opponent had no way to block or evade.

To master this technique, one needed skill in both "One Qi Breath" and "Rainbow Sky Radiance."

After twenty-eight rotations, Zhang Yan’s sword ball approached within three yards of Feng Ming.

At this point, Feng Ming found himself struggling to keep up. Unlike Zhang Yan’s proactive attacks, his defenses required double the effort and energy, just barely matching Zhang Yan’s speed.

By the end, sweat poured from Feng Ming’s forehead as he stubbornly held his ground. Despite his predicament, he still saw a glimmer of hope in victory. "Heavy Waves Stacked" had a critical limit: the number of spiritual streams a cultivator possessed. For instance, one with thirty-six streams of spiritual essence could perform no more than thirty-six rotations. Feng Ming didn’t believe Zhang Yan exceeded him here.

As long as he survived this obstacle and Zhang Yan exhausted his spiritual essence, Feng Ming knew he’d turn the tide and gain the upper hand!

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PS: Stay tuned—another Chapter is coming.