Heavenly Sword Saint
The supervising elder stepped away from the platform.
"Next battle!"
The training ground gradually quieted.
The remaining disciples turned their attention toward the platform.
The annual competition was becoming increasingly intense.
Every disciple still standing had already proven their strength.
Jian Chen stood among the crowd, quietly observing.
His expression remained calm.
He had no intention of rushing into battle.
There was still plenty of time.
More importantly...
He wanted to see what the strongest disciples of the Jian Clan could really do.
His gaze swept across the remaining disciples.
Jian Ming.
Jian Huang.
Jian Lei.
Jian Wei.
Jian Rui.
And several other talented youths.
Among them were cultivators at the peak of the Eighth Stage.
There were also several Ninth-Stage cultivators.
Jian Chen's eyes briefly settled on the Ninth-Stage disciples.
Then he looked away.
Those battles could wait.
For now, he wanted to understand the strength of the disciples around Jian Ming's level.
A tall young man suddenly stepped onto the platform.
A heavy saber was strapped to his back.
His appearance immediately attracted the attention of the surrounding disciples.
"It's Jian Huang."
"Peak Eighth Stage."
"Who is he going to challenge?"
Jian Huang stood in the center of the platform.
His eyes swept across the remaining disciples.
Finally, they stopped on a young man holding a spear.
"Jian Rui."
Jian Rui raised his head.
Jian Huang's voice was calm.
"I challenge you."
A murmur spread through the crowd.
Jian Rui's expression became serious.
He stepped onto the platform.
"I accept."
The two disciples stood several meters apart.
Jian Huang slowly drew his saber.
Jian Rui lowered his spear.
The atmosphere became tense.
"Begin!"
Boom!
Jian Huang moved first.
His foot struck the ground.
His body shot forward.
The heavy saber descended with tremendous force.
Jian Rui immediately raised his spear.
Clang!
The weapons collided.
A powerful shockwave spread across the platform.
Jian Rui's feet slid backward.
But he quickly stabilized himself.
His spear suddenly thrust forward.
Swish!
The spearhead shot toward Jian Huang's shoulder.
Jian Huang twisted his body.
The spear passed beside him.
His saber swept horizontally.
Jian Rui retreated.
The battle instantly became intense.
Saber against spear.
Strength against speed.
The surrounding disciples watched closely.
Jian Chen remained silent beneath the platform.
His eyes followed every movement.
Jian Huang's saber technique was powerful.
His foundation was stable.
His attacks carried considerable force.
However...
His movements were slightly rigid.
Jian Rui's spear technique was faster.
His control was decent.
But he relied too heavily on maintaining distance.
Jian Chen noticed it immediately.
Then...
Jian Rui's spear paused for the briefest moment.
An opening appeared.
Jian Huang's eyes flashed.
He stepped forward instead of retreating.
He entered Jian Rui's range.
Jian Rui's expression changed.
He tried to pull his spear back.
Too late.
Boom!
Jian Huang's shoulder slammed into his chest.
Jian Rui staggered backward.
Jian Huang followed without hesitation.
His saber descended.
Bang!
Jian Rui barely blocked the attack.
His arms trembled.
Another saber strike followed.
Then another.
Jian Rui was forced backward.
Finally...
His foot crossed the edge of the platform.
The supervising elder raised his hand.
"Jian Huang wins!"
The crowd erupted.
Jian Rui stood outside the platform.
His expression was unwilling.
But after several breaths, he lowered his spear.
"I admit defeat."
Jian Huang nodded.
Then turned and walked off the platform.
Jian Chen watched him carefully.
Peak Eighth Stage.
His saber technique was quite good.
His foundation was solid.
His strength was also considerable.
But there were still flaws.
Jian Chen had already noticed several during the exchange.
Still...
Jian Huang was undoubtedly one of the stronger disciples remaining.
The surrounding disciples immediately began discussing the battle.
"Jian Huang's saber technique has improved again."
"His strength is frightening."
"He's definitely one of the strongest disciples remaining."
"His chances of reaching the final rounds are very high."
Jian Chen didn't participate in the discussion.
He simply continued observing.
Another disciple soon stepped onto the platform.
This time, it was a young man named Jian Wei.
He was also at the peak of the Eighth Stage.
A long sword hung at his waist.
After stepping onto the platform, Jian Wei looked across the remaining disciples.
His eyes settled on a young man wearing dark blue robes.
"Jian Tao."
Jian Tao stepped forward.
"I accept."
The two entered the center of the platform.
"Begin!"
Sword light flashed.
Jian Wei moved first.
His sword was fast.
Extremely fast.
Jian Tao immediately raised both hands.
A layer of spiritual energy covered his arms.
Clang!
The sword struck his defense.
Jian Tao was pushed backward several steps.
But he quickly recovered.
He counterattacked with a powerful palm strike.
Jian Wei shifted sideways.
The palm passed beside his chest.
His sword followed immediately.
Swish!
Jian Tao leaned backward.
The sword barely passed across his robes.
The battle continued.
Jian Wei relied on speed.
His swordsmanship was light and precise.
Every strike targeted his opponent's weaknesses.
Jian Tao, on the other hand, possessed a considerably stronger physical body.
He endured the attacks while searching for an opportunity to counterattack.
The two exchanged more than twenty moves.
The crowd became increasingly excited.
Jian Chen remained calm.
His eyes followed the rhythm of the battle.
The changes in their breathing.
The circulation of spiritual energy.
The habits they revealed whenever they were pressured.
Then...
Jian Wei suddenly changed his sword technique.
Three consecutive sword strikes forced Jian Tao backward.
The final strike struck his shoulder.
Bang!
Jian Tao stumbled backward.
Jian Wei immediately followed.
His sword stopped before Jian Tao's throat.
The supervising elder raised his hand.
"Jian Wei wins!"
The crowd erupted again.
Jian Wei withdrew his sword.
Jian Tao sighed and nodded.
"You win."
Jian Wei returned the gesture before walking off the platform.
Jian Chen's eyes followed him.
Jian Wei's swordsmanship showed potential.
His movements were clean.
His reactions were quick.
Most importantly...
He knew how to exploit an opening.
Jian Chen silently memorized the details.
Another battle soon followed.
Then another.
Jian Lei stepped onto the platform and defeated a disciple named Jian Qiu with a series of powerful kicks.
Jian Yue later defeated Jian Lin after a fierce exchange of palm techniques.
Then Jian Fengyu defeated Jian Bo with a short but precise sword technique.
The number of remaining disciples gradually decreased.
The atmosphere became more intense with every battle.
Jian Chen continued watching.
He memorized everything.
Footwork.
Spiritual energy control.
Attack timing.
Defensive habits.
Martial techniques.
Weaknesses.
Nothing escaped his eyes.
His combat experience allowed him to notice details that ordinary disciples overlooked.
Sometimes, a single movement was enough to reveal a weakness.
Sometimes, a slight change in breathing revealed the next attack.
The disciples were fighting.
Jian Chen was studying.
His gaze eventually settled on Jian Ming.
Jian Ming stood calmly among the remaining disciples.
His expression remained indifferent.
Peak Eighth Stage.
Solid foundation.
Excellent control.
His martial technique was also refined.
Jian Chen's eyes narrowed slightly.
Jian Ming was clearly one of the strongest disciples in the competition.
But Jian Chen still had no intention of challenging him.
Not yet.
There was no reason to reveal everything so early.
His gaze moved again.
This time, it landed on Jian Hu.
Jian Hu stood among the remaining disciples.
Unlike the others, he looked somewhat restless.
His eyes occasionally drifted toward Jian Chen before quickly moving away.
Jian Chen noticed it.
But he paid little attention.
His focus returned to the competition.
Nearby, the Third Elder watched Jian Chen in silence.
The more he observed...
The more complicated his expression became.
Jian Chen wasn't behaving like an inexperienced young cultivator.
He wasn't nervous.
He wasn't excited by every victory.
He wasn't blindly seeking stronger opponents.
Instead...
He was watching.
Analyzing.
Waiting.
The Third Elder narrowed his eyes.
What exactly was Jian Chen thinking?
Jian Chen's calmness was difficult to understand.
It was as though everything happening around him was simply part of a larger calculation.
The Third Elder slowly exhaled.
If Jian Chen continued growing like this...
His future would be difficult to predict.
The competition continued.
One battle followed another.
The number of remaining disciples continued to shrink.
The strongest disciples had still not revealed everything they possessed.
Jian Chen could see it.
Jian Ming was holding back.
Several other peak Eighth-Stage disciples were also concealing some of their strength.
As for the Ninth-Stage disciples...
They remained even calmer.
None of them had revealed their true abilities yet.
Jian Chen's eyes narrowed slightly.
Interesting.
The real competition had not started yet.
The next few battles would be far more intense.
He slowly folded his arms.
There was no need to rush.
He would continue watching.
Continue learning.
And wait.
The supervising elder stepped onto the platform.
"Next battle!"
The crowd quieted.
Two disciples stepped forward.
One was Jian Lei.
The other was Jian Wei.
The atmosphere immediately changed.
Both were peak Eighth-Stage cultivators.
Both had already defeated several opponents.
And neither had revealed everything they possessed.
The surrounding disciples became excited.
"Jian Lei against Jian Wei!"
"Now that's a battle worth watching."
"Who do you think will win?"
Jian Chen's eyes narrowed.
Finally...
A battle between two of the stronger disciples was about to begin.
Jian Wei slowly drew his sword.
Across from him, Jian Lei clenched his fists.
Neither spoke.
The supervising elder raised his hand.
"Begin!"
Boom!
Both figures moved at the same time.
The crowd erupted.
Jian Chen's eyes sharpened.
This time...
He watched even more carefully.
Because this battle would reveal something important.
Just how strong were the Jian Clan's top disciples?
And as the two figures collided in the center of the platform...
A faint smile appeared on Jian Chen's face.
The annual competition was finally becoming interesting.