Book 5 Chapter 16

The finals of the Dao Saint Tournament.

The intense heat and cheers filled the area around the martial arts stage.

On the martial arts stage, the pinnacle of swordsmanship clashed.

It was an undefeated sword that had brought countless warriors to their knees on its rise.

Amidst the dazzling sword energy, the eyes of the entire academy focused on the outcome of the Dao Saint Tournament.

"Kwang!"

"Ooooooh!!"

Exclamations erupted from everyone watching the Dao Saint Tournament finals. The clash just moments ago was that spectacular.

The main contenders of the Dao Saint Tournament finals were Ha Yun-myeong, the Storm Blade of the Divine Blade Sect, and Yu Yeop-seong, the Clear Stream Blade of the Qingcheng Sect. What was surprising to everyone was that the Qingcheng Sect, known for its emphasis on swordsmanship, had produced a contender who reached the finals wielding a blade. Previously, Yu Yeop-seong's blade techniques were merely a conversion of the Qingcheng Sect's Sun-Shooting Sword Style into blade techniques, but the blade technique he displayed in this final was by no means a simple variation of the Qingcheng Sect's Sun-Shooting Sword Style.

Ha Yun-myeong, the direct disciple of the Divine Blade Sect, the foremost blade sect of the righteous path, felt this fact more keenly than anyone else. He too had rushed in, initially dismissing it as insignificant, only to suffer such a setback. Perhaps the impact of the clash was greater than expected, as he couldn't even twitch a finger. His internal organs seemed to have suffered significant damage. Judging by the sensation of the collision, his opponent likely felt the same.

"Ho ho! What was that just now!"

Qing Heun's exclamation of admiration burst forth as he witnessed the ultimate clash in the Dao Saint Tournament finals.

"Indeed. Did you know?"

"Of course! Isn't that the Clear Stream Mark, the sole secret blade technique of the Qingcheng Sect, known as the Invincible Blade!"

"That's right! As expected, your insight is truly astonishing. To recognize it at a glance. It's said to be almost lost to the world. The Clear Stream Mark! I thought it was a technique that would lead our Nine Virtues Association to victory in the Dao Saint Tournament, but perhaps that was too much to expect…"

The Clear Stream Mark!

The one and only secret blade technique of the Qingcheng Sect!

They believed this was the very technique that would help them seize victory from the Eighteen Houses of Heroes, where blades were much more developed than swords. Therefore, Baek Mu-yeong had placed great expectations on Yu Yeop-seong, the inheritor of the Clear Stream Mark.

"You've managed to retrieve what Qingcheng carefully guarded. Isn't it a secret technique that's difficult to even demonstrate carelessly? They would have been reluctant to show it to others."

Qing Heun commented with a sense of wonder. No matter how one looked at it, Baek Mu-yeong's methods were always superb. In fact, martial arts tournaments are, in a way, double-edged swords. This is even more true for such grand events. Whether through direct participation or merely spectating, martial arts tournaments broaden the horizons of many and enhance their skills. They can truly be called a treasure trove of learning.

However, just as there are advantages, there are also disadvantages! The risk of secret techniques being leaked is one of them. It is common knowledge in the martial world that a technique, once demonstrated, loses about 30% of its power. Moreover, there are countless masters observing with keen eyes. One must not only be mindful of the audience seats.

If one were to be precise, one might even have to worry about the elders seated on the judging panel and the old masters from other sects. This is why masters try to avoid carelessly revealing their secret techniques in such tournaments and attempt to conserve them as much as possible. They are concerned about their secrets leaking out. A single moment of carelessness could lead to disadvantages for the entire sect later on. Sometimes, people even deliberately reveal fake weaknesses. Of course, these are not genuine weaknesses. They are perfect traps.

The martial world is a perilous place, and no amount of caution is too much. Especially secret, sealed techniques require the utmost confidentiality. Their ripple effects may not be immediately apparent, but they can often return to strike you unknowingly at a later time.

The same applies to life-saving ultimate techniques. How can a technique that has been fully exposed to others be a life-saving ultimate technique in a moment of absolute crisis? Known techniques are disqualified. However, as the level of opponents rises, it becomes increasingly difficult to hide one's true ultimate techniques.

Therefore, in martial arts tournaments and hero tournaments like these, the activities of the information gathering organizations belonging to each sect become more active than ever.

Baek Mu-yeong decided to take on this risk and venture forth. To snatch victory from the Eighteen Houses of Heroes, where the Divine Blade Sect, a successor lineage of the Dao Saint Ha Hu-sik, and the Peng family of Hebei stood tall, he had no choice but to use his trump card.

In fact, there are few of the Nine Great Sects that have as little connection with the blade as they do. Most of the Nine Great Sects, with the exception of the Shaolin Temple, wield swords for cultivation and enlightenment, and have distanced themselves from blades for practical combat. They haven't even considered them. Thus, although they always achieved victory in other battles during the annual Three Sects Tournament, they had to concede victory in the Dao Saint Tournament to the Eighteen Houses of Heroes. Therefore, the Dao Saint Tournament was the last remaining pride and the final bastion of the Eighteen Houses of Heroes.

Baek Mu-yeong wanted to conquer it somehow. He believed that if they could win the Dao Saint Tournament as well, they would completely subjugate the Eighteen Houses of Heroes. This time, he had poured all his effort into bringing out the Clear Stream Mark.

Finding a blade technique to counter the Floating Supreme Blade Technique of the Divine Blade Sect and the Five Tiger Severing Gate Blade of the Peng family of Hebei was an extremely difficult task. After much difficulty and through various convoluted procedures, they finally obtained permission to use the secret technique, the Clear Stream Mark. The expectations placed upon it were as great as the effort invested.

They had expected victory… Unfortunately, they had to settle for a draw. Indeed, the wall of the Dao Saint Tournament was high. Even a draw, when examined closely, was no different from a victory for the Nine Virtues Association. Achieving a draw in the Dao Saint Tournament was akin to breaking the final pride of the Eighteen Houses of Heroes.

"It's a satisfactory outcome. To desire more would be excessive ambition…"

It was already done. It was wise to harbor no further regrets.

"Hahaha! I am always amazed by your wisdom! To have kept such a trump card hidden…"

Qing Heun was genuinely impressed. His friend, seated beside him, was meticulous in handling matters, leaving no room for even a pinhole of error.

A draw in the Dao Saint Tournament!

For Ji Ryong Baek Mu-yeong, it was a satisfactory result. He was very curious to see what kind of expression his rival, Dan Mu-gi, would have.

"Th-this can't be! We lost the Dao Saint Tournament!"

Cheon Gi Ryong Dan Mu-u could not believe the current turn of events. His complexion had turned noticeably pale. This was a clear indication of the mental blow he had received. The agitation of Seom Ryong Cheon Ya-jin, who was with him, was also strikingly evident.

He had never imagined that the victory in the Dao Saint Tournament would vanish like a bubble simply because he did not participate. His hands, clenched as if to crush something, showed blue veins bulging on the back. He was suppressing his grief inwardly.

Although they had lost the Three Sects Tournament for nearly 10 years, that was a matter of overall evaluation. In the Dao Saint Tournament alone, they had never conceded victory. This time too, they were certain of victory in the Dao Saint Tournament. However, contrary to expectations, they had to be satisfied with a draw. For the Eighteen Houses of Heroes, it was no different from a defeat.

Who could have imagined that the Qingcheng Sect, a family renowned for swords, would wield blades! The entire affair, from its inception, overturned everyone's expectations. The Clear Stream Mark, the Qingcheng Sect's sole blade technique and secret martial art, was indeed terrifying in its power. They had never imagined it could block the Floating Wind Impermanence, the most exquisite technique within the Divine Blade Sect's Floating Blade Technique.

One consolation was that while they hadn't won, they also hadn't conceded victory to the other side. However, strictly speaking, for the Eighteen Houses of Heroes, who had always won the Dao Saint Tournament, it was no different from a defeat to the Nine Virtues Association, who had not conceded victory. Therefore, Dan Mu-u's despair was as vast as if the sky had fallen.

Now, their only hope was Mo Yong-hwi.

Both the Sword Empress Battle and the Dao Saint Battle ended in draws. This was a very rare occurrence in the history of Cheonmu Academy. Now, everything depended on the outcome of the Sword Saint Battle. At this point, no one was paying attention to the Three Sects Grand Tournament, as they had already presumed victory for Wi Ji-cheon.