Chapter 302: Sect Grand Competition

...

On the peak of the Divine Sword Peak.

It had been over a month since the Spirit Fight between Zeng Yi and Hong Jie had ended.

On a vacant ground, two figures holding swords faced each other. Nearby, a petite girl sat on a rock, holding a small kitten in her arms. With lively big eyes, she observed the scene before her.

A gust of wind blew, ruffling the long hair and clothes of the two. Ling Yunfei's expression was solemn as he faced the man opposite him. The man played with the bamboo sword in his hand, appearing somewhat casual, yet he exuded a great pressure on Ling Yunfei.

Tiny beads of sweat formed on Ling Yunfei's forehead involuntarily. He swallowed and moistened his throat, gripping the sword handle tighter.

Yan Que held Xiao Ju in her arms, her eyes fixed on Ling Yunfei. She could tell he was extremely nervous, but as his senior sister, how could she not give her junior brother some encouragement?

"Junior brother, come on! Believe in yourself, you can definitely score a point against Master! Come on!"

The words of encouragement reached Ling Yunfei's ears, and he couldn't help but turn to look at Yan Que beside him. Seeing her waving her arms to cheer him on, some of his nervousness dissipated.

"Senior Sister! I won't let you down!"

Watching their interaction, Zeng Yi couldn't help but find it amusing.

With a relaxed smile on his lips, Zeng Yi looked at Ling Yunfei and said "Relax a bit. Being too tense will make your movements stiff. In a real battle, that could cost you your life."

"Take a deep breath and calm your mind."

Listening to Zeng Yi's words, Ling Yunfei took a deep breath. After a few seconds, he exhaled slowly, and the grip on the sword handle relaxed slightly.

There was determination in Ling Yunfei's dark eyes as he looked at Zeng Yi and said "I'm ready, Master."

"Uh, you should call me Senior Brother or Senior Uncle. I haven't taken you as my Disciple."

Ling Yunfei nodded "Yes, Master. I understand, Master."

At this, Zeng Yi couldn't help but feel a bit helpless. This guy not only had a deep obsession with swordsmanship, but his cheek was thick as well.

It wasn't that Zeng Yi disliked Ling Yunfei; his talent in swordsmanship was quite high, and with proper guidance, he could achieve considerable success in the path of the sword. However, Zeng Yi really didn't want to take him as a disciple. Why? Well, this guy was actually a year or two older than Zeng Yi himself!

If it were someone like Yan Que or Zhu Zhuqing, who called him Master, Zeng Yi could accept it. It wasn't because Zeng Yi only accepted female disciples, but because they were younger than him.

But having someone older than himself call him Master was something Zeng Yi couldn't accept.

Although he didn't take Ling Yunfei as his disciple, Zeng Yi still guided him in his cultivation as if he were a disciple. Zeng Yi didn't mind guiding others in their cultivation, especially in swordsmanship.

Moreover, Zeng Yi had a lot of experience in teaching students. From Tang San and his friends, to the Skywater Academy's Women's Team led by Shui Bing'er, even the Red Sakura Lady Army in the sect sometimes sought Zeng Yi's guidance on cultivation issues.

So, someone like Ling Yunfei, who had a strong dedication to swordsmanship, was someone Zeng Yi was very willing to teach.

However, considering his age from his previous life, Zeng Yi felt more at ease. Ling Yunfei could call him whatever he wanted; after all, Zeng Yi wouldn't lose out.

Thinking about Ling Yunfei calling him Master, while the group of girls like Hong Jie and Ling Yunfei were of the same generation, they would have to call him senior uncle?

Heh, this feeling wasn't bad at all.

"Come on." Zeng Yi chuckled lightly and waved the bamboo sword in his hand, stirring up an invisible wave of wind, causing countless fallen leaves to flutter around.

Ling Yunfei took a deep breath, his gaze becoming sharper. He stared ahead, locking onto Zeng Yi's body through the gaps in the scattered leaves.

Swish!

Stepping on the ground, Ling Yunfei rushed forward with his sword held in both hands.

Swish!

In the air, a chilling sword light flashed.

Whoosh!

A powerful gust of wind spread rapidly in all directions. The fallen leaves, still descending, were instantly blown away by the gust, and the figures of the two appeared in Yan Que's line of sight.

Ling Yunfei gripped the sword with both hands and slashed down from above.

Zeng Yi, on the other hand, held the bamboo sword with one hand and easily blocked the strike.

A hint of surprise flashed in Ling Yunfei's eyes. His sword was his Martial Spirit, the Silver Purple Thunder Spirit Sword, one of the finest Martial Spirits. However, when it struck the bamboo sword, there wasn't even a trace left behind?

Of course, he didn't know that Zeng Yi's bamboo sword was made from a Sword Bamboo True Body that had been cultivated for over 20,000 years. It was as hard as rare meteorite iron and without Spirit power, leaving a mark on it was extremely difficult.

At least, Ling Yunfei couldn't do it.

Without hesitating too much, Ling Yunfei quickly retreated, seeking another opportunity and angle of attack.

Yan Que sat on a large rock nearby, stroking Xiao Ju's smooth fur, while focusing on watching the duel between the two.

Although she was Ling Yunfei's senior sister, she was not as strong in swordsmanship. Firstly, Ling Yunfei's strength was higher than hers; he was a Level 38 Spirit Elder, and his Martial Spirit was a Sword Martial Spirit, while hers was an Elemental Earth Martial Spirit.

Yan Que had only been practicing with her master for less than a year, and in terms of swordsmanship, she was just a beginner. Ling Yunfei had been practicing swordsmanship for a long time, and with Zeng Yi's guidance over the past month, he had made rapid progress in swordsmanship.

The duel between Zeng Yi and Ling Yunfei was devoid of flashy Spirit power flashes or gorgeous Spirit skill effects. In this vacant area, there were only two swiftly moving figures and the continuous clash of blades and swords, accompanied by the flickering of cold sword light.

It was a pure swordsmanship duel and Yan Que could learn a lot from it.

Of course, with Ling Yunfei's current level, he wasn't a match for Zeng Yi. Even when Zeng Yi's master, Sword Douluo Chen Xin, engaged in a pure swordsmanship duel with Zeng Yi, he felt tremendous pressure.

Under Zeng Yi's deliberate provocation, Ling Yunfei persisted for about five minutes before conceding defeat.

Looking at the bamboo sword placed horizontally on his neck, although there were no visible cuts, the sharp intent of the sword still made Ling Yunfei feel a chill in his heart.

"Master's swordsmanship is still so exquisite, I have lost." Ling Yunfei admitted his defeat candidly, then stepped back a few steps, avoiding the threat of the bamboo sword.

Zeng Yi retrieved the bamboo sword and looked at Ling Yunfei, smiling. "You did well. Your swordsmanship has improved a lot since before."

"By the way, why haven't I seen Hong Jie and the others here these days?" Zeng Yi couldn't help but ask. It had been three days since he last saw Hong Jie and her sisters come to the Divine Sword Peak to play.

Before, they used to come to the Divine Sword Peak every day, but now they suddenly stopped, which made Zeng Yi feel somewhat uncomfortable, as if something was missing.

"Sister Hong and the others should be preparing for the Sect Grand Competition in a few days." Yan Que said as she walked over with Xiao Ju in her arms.

"Sect Grand Competition? What's that?" Zeng Yi was puzzled.

Ling Yunfei explained "It's a Spirit Fight competition held in the sect every year to evaluate the training results of sect disciples for the year. Master, you should be familiar with the four ranking lists within the sect, right?"

Zeng Yi nodded "I know about that. White, Yellow, Purple and Black Spirit Ranking Lists, corresponding to Spirit Masters, Spirit Grandmasters, Spirit Elders and Spirit Ancestors right?"

Ling Yunfei continued "These four lists contain all the disciples of the sect, even the weakest ones. The higher your ranking on the list, the stronger you are in that realm. Generally, the sect doesn't force every disciple to compete for rankings on the Spirit Ranking Lists. However, the higher your ranking, the more resources you can get, and the more attention you receive from the higher-ups.

"In this regard, the sect is quite fair. But in the Sect Grand Competition, every sect disciple must participate in Spirit Fights, that is, challenge the rankings on the Spirit Ranking Lists. The sect doesn't allow any disciple to be absent. Even if you are last, you still have to challenge the one above you. The sect wants to see how each disciple has progressed in their training over the year."