Soon.
Disciples from both sects had already gathered in the martial arts arena.
They were all high-spirited and eager.
Taoist Longshan and Divine Sword Old Man sat on the grandmaster chairs, smiling.
They spoke softly to each other.
"Brother Divine Sword, how do you like my idea?"
"You old Longshan are unexpectedly crafty."
"Brother Divine Sword, you are mistaken. This proposal is meant for our disciples to gain more practical experience. Think about it, usually we are the ones fighting, while they watch, how much do they learn by just observing? But now, they have to step on the field themselves, bearing the responsibilities of their sect, which will certainly push them to give their all. The effect is totally different."
"You are smart enough, let my Divine Sword sect's disciples beat your True Martial Sect until they're crying for their mothers, then I will reluctantly accept you staying on True Martial Mountain for a few more years."
Taoist Longshan just smiled and did not argue back against his old friend's verbal jabs.
In his heart, Divine Sword Old Man was slightly grateful.
He understood that Taoist Longshan proposed this plan to consider his pride.
But in reality, he did not plan on taking True Martial Mountain back, at most just teasing a bit.
Grateful as he was, pride was still a factor.
"If I can't beat you, it's the same if my disciples can beat yours!"
Divine Sword Old Man was quite confident.
Luo Wentian received Taoist Longshan's signal and looked at the disciples from both sects.
"Ladies and gentlemen, according to the words of my master and Senior Divine Sword, this sparring mainly serves as practice. Though you must give your all, please stop when necessary and avoid hurting others recklessly, otherwise, there will be serious punishment."
"Of course, if you perform well, both masters will generously reward you!"
"Which disciple wishes to go first?"
Everyone was eager to try.
Soon.
A disciple from the True Martial Sect's Outer Sect stepped forward.
"I am Wang Chong from the True Martial Sect's Outer Sect, may someone from the Divine Sword Sect offer me some advice?" The young man was full of youthful vigor.
In both True Martial Sect and Divine Sword Sect, there are Outer Sect, Inner Sect, and True Disciple divisions. Outer Sect disciples are all at the Body Tempering Realm, Inner Sect disciples are at the Inner Essence Realm, and those at Gang Essence Realm are elder-level figures, though they're rare as both sects were established not long ago.
As for True Disciples, they aren't ranked by strength. They are disciples personally taken by Taoist Longshan and Divine Sword Old Man.
A young man from the Divine Sword Sect drew his sword and stepped forward, revealing his edge.
"I am Li Bing from the Divine Sword Sect's Outer Sect here to meet you!"
The two fought into a tangled melee.
Sword lights flew, fist winds howled.
Those who dared to step out first surely have some confidence.
Everyone nodded secretly while watching.
Ning Qi was also watching, though he rarely fought, his comprehension surpassed merely the creation techniques, gaining experience from battles was easily achieved, and observing others fight allowed him to grow significantly.
"Wang Chong is about to win."
Wang Chong used the Tiger Slaughter Fist, a fist technique that Ning Qi had practiced too. In a brief moment, he reached the Perfection Realm with it, and then assimilated it into his Myriad Phenomena Fist, probably understanding it even better than its creator.
With this thought, Wang Chong's fist lashed out like a tiger's roar, carrying a fierce aura that blasted Li Bing away.
"Thank you for letting me win."
Wang Chong stopped at the right moment.
The disciples from the True Martial Sect were all excited and pleased, while those from the Divine Sword Sect could no longer hold back.
"Let me fight you!"
The atmosphere in the martial arts arena was thoroughly mobilized.
One Outer Sect disciple after another took the stage.
However, it was clear to see that the disciples from the True Martial Sect were stronger and more profoundly built, with Divine Sword Sect disciples losing more often than not.
Divine Sword Old Man was puzzled, slightly envious, and said:
"Longshan, you've indeed taken in a batch of fine disciples."
Taoist Longshan stroked his beard and laughed, glancing subtly at Ning Qi's direction with great satisfaction.
With nearly two years of improved Body Tempering Powder, the results were already showing.
It was anticipated that the foundation of True Martial Sect would only deepen in the future.
Seeing Taoist Longshan pretending to be profound, Divine Sword Old Man snorted uncomfortably.
Very soon.
It was time for the Inner Sect disciples to compete.
At this point, True Martial Sect's advantage wasn't as pronounced, since Divine Sword Old Man was formidable too, rumored to have obtained fragments of a Sword Saint's legacy, making Divine Sword Sect disciples proficient in combat.
The victories of True Martial Sect were nearly equal to those of the Divine Sword Sect disciples.
This time.
Divine Sword Old Man's expression finally improved a bit, though still somewhat dark.
He scanned the area with his gaze, and a white-clothed youth understood, immediately flying out with grandeur, his eyes like electricity, the three-foot cyan blade in his hand shone coldly like autumn water.
"I am Yan Shiheng, the sixth True Disciple of the Divine Sword Sect, here to seek guidance from the True Martial Sect's True Disciple!"
All eyes shook.
The confrontation between True Disciples was undoubtedly the most captivating, as they represented the true foundation of a sect in a sense.
Ning Qi raised an eyebrow, interested.
Qin Yun was about to rise.
A figure beside him held him down.
The young man in a blue Taoist robe, slim and dry, smiled:
"I am Sun Chuanhai, the sixth True Disciple of the True Martial Sect, asking Brother Yan for guidance!"
Sixth True Disciple against sixth True Disciple, this was right.
They greeted each other.
And then, almost simultaneously, launched at each other.
The True Martial disciple's strike made it immediately apparent; though both were at the Inner Essence Realm, their combat strength was much stronger than that of Inner Sect disciples. Their exquisite moves were enthralling, drawing exclamations from the crowd continually.
Even Taoist Longshan and Divine Sword Old Man watched much more attentively.
"Sixth brother will likely lose."
Ning Qi watched very seriously.
He wanted to observe the operation of Inner Strength, but Inner Strength at the Inner Essence Realm was restrained, only enhancing the body. Those deeply cultivated can extend it outside, but not release it like the Gang Essence. Ning Qi could only deduce the changes in Inner Strength from the shifts in the two's moves, after straining himself.
Hence, he could see that after hundreds of exchanges, Sun Chuanhai was gradually struggling.
A flicker of joy surfaced in Divine Sword Old Man's eyes.
Sure enough, Sun Chuanhai's expression suddenly changed as Yan Shiheng's sword subtly landed at his throat.
In the first battle of True Disciples, Divine Sword Sect took the victory.
"Brother Yan, your swordsmanship is amazing."
Sun Chuanhai took a deep breath and said, acknowledging his defeat without protest.
Yan Shiheng responded:
"Brother Sun overpraises; it's merely the result of eating a few more meals."
He looked at the others from True Martial Sect, peacefully asking:
"Any other True Disciple willing to offer guidance?"
The disciples from Divine Sword Sect relaxed, while those from True Martial Sect were becoming a bit anxious.
Qin Yun finally couldn't hold back, with a kick, he gracefully landed across from Yan Shiheng.
"I am Qin Yun, the eighth True Disciple of the True Martial Sect!"
Fighting spirit rose in his eyes.
Yan Shiheng frowned slightly; although Sun Chuanhai was around his age, Qin Yun was likely five or six years younger, and winning would be unfair.
But in the next instant.
He changed his mind.
Qin Yun wielded a blade; with just one slash, the strong and fierce blade light made him discard his previous thoughts.
This young man was even stronger than the sixth True Disciple before!
Within the arena, blade light and sword light crisscrossed, and despite their best effort to control, several intersecting marks had been carved on the martial arts arena.
Qin Yun's gaze was cold, growing stronger with each fight.
After just a hundred moves.
A blade light tore through Yan Shiheng's chest garment.
True Martial Sect disciples couldn't help but cheer excitedly.
"Eighth brother, mighty!"
Defeating the sixth True Disciple with the eighth was quite a morale booster.
Divine Sword Old Man's expression was complex.
He could tell that this eighth True Disciple of True Martial Sect had a remarkably high talent, potentially progressing towards the Great Success of Inner Essence Realm, a rare achievement for such a young age, unmatched by anyone currently within his Divine Sword Sect.
Taoist Longshan also smiled.
Before Ning Qi came to the mountain, Qin Yun was the most talented disciple of True Martial Sect.
Enjoying the sensation of being the center of attention, Qin Yun felt inexplicably cheerful.
He calmly said:
"Thank you for letting me win."
Yan Shiheng merely smiled bitterly and waved his hand, slightly defeated.
Taoist Longshan smiled and said to Divine Sword Old Man nearby:
"Brother Divine Sword, how about ending today's battle here?"
"It seems the disciples have an understanding of each other's strength, so let's wait until the next decade for the results."
Divine Sword Old Man was slightly silent.
He felt somewhat suffocated.
Outer Sect disciples were entirely outmatched, Inner Sect disciples slightly inferior, though with True Disciples one win and one loss, their eighth defeated the Divine Sword's sixth, hardly equating to a draw.
His face burned, glancing at a chubby boy, Zhuang Chen, sniffing on the side, and resolutely suggested:
"How about one more match?"