Chapter 720: Chapter 138 Acquired Dao Embryo, Rogue Challenger (Two in One)_3
“I will participate.”
Li Hao replied to the Sword Saint.
The Sword Saint nodded slightly and said, “If you were not a disciple of the Supreme Saint Gate, I would be willing to take you as my disciple and let you represent the Sword Ancestor Holy Land in battle. But since you already belong to a sect, you cannot fight under the name of my Sword Ancestor Holy Land. If you do not plan to return to your original sacred sect land, there is only one other path.”
“A loner?”
Li Hao asked.
The Sword Saint nodded slightly, “Yes, this Supreme Genius Battle allows only ten spots from each of the Thirty-Three Realms, meaning our Canglan Realm can send only ten competitors!”
“Besides the Three Great Sacred Lands, that includes the numerous dynasties of the Canglan Realm and the top forces within those dynasties. Some who couldn’t join the Sacred Lands but are monstrously talented will also get a chance to compete, but the difficulty to advance is no less than the Sacred Lands’ selection.”
Li Hao nodded slightly, having previously heard about this from Lin Shanhai.
Each of the Three Great Sacred Lands selects ten participants, and together with another ten selected from the various dynasty forces, a total of forty compete in a fierce battle to ultimately decide the final ten representatives for the Canglan Realm to compete!
“The selection battles of the Thirty-Three Realms are imminent, taking place in three months’ time. The Sword Ancestor Holy Land’s ten spots have already been chosen; next, we will compete against the Literary Ancestor Holy Land and the Buddhist Holy Land. If you wish to participate, you must quickly join the nearby dynasty’s competition and advance to the top ten to qualify,” said the Sword Saint.
The Three Great Sacred Lands in the Canglan Realm are the Sword Ancestor Holy Land, Literary Ancestor Holy Land, and the Buddhist Holy Land. Among them, the Buddhist Holy Land takes the lead with the most formidable power.
Li Hao nodded, as this was his plan as well. Many forces had previously approached him under his identity as Qingfeng Pill Master, offering him a chance to fight under their banner to secure a position in the top ten.
However, the final battles of the Supreme Genius Battle would take place under the watchful eyes of the Supreme Saint, and would also draw the attention of numerous Saints; it was likely that the Void Saint would notice him too.
When it came to that, he would need to undergo the Ritual Path to Saint Ascension beforehand.
That way, even if his identity was exposed, it wouldn’t matter. If he could secure first place in the Pride of Heaven Battle, he would receive Incense Fire, which was the most ideal scenario.
Thus, his schedule in the coming days would be incredibly tight.
If he hadn’t become a Saint by the time of the final battle, he would have to withdraw from the competition, or else the renewed attention from the Void Saint could result in an even fiercer retaliation.
Previously it was just an incarnation; next time, it might be the original himself coming to suppress him personally.
Considering all this, a killing intent surged in Li Hao’s heart, but he concealed it deep within.
“Although your talents are immense, and your swordsmanship has entered the Dao, do not underestimate the challenge. This Pride of Heaven Battle is much more intense than you can imagine. The Sword Ancestor Holy Land participating in this battle serves only as a training opportunity. Most of the top ten from previous battles are reincarnated Saints, some even fifth or sixth reincarnations, with unimaginably powerful tactics,” the Sword Saint seriously cautioned Li Hao.
Li Hao’s eyes sparkled, understanding the underlying meaning. Was Haoyue just gaining experience in the Pride of Heaven Battle?
Considering the opponent’s strength, Li Hao silently nodded; if someone like Haoyue could potentially advance to the top ten, then securing the first spot should be fairly easy for him.
After the Sword Saint finished speaking, he said nothing further as the fight for second and third place was about to start. Lin Qingyue’s Dao embryo was crippled, and she chose to concede, thus concluding the Sword God War.
The Sword Saint stepped forward and bestowed a nation’s worth of Incense Fire to his disciple, the prize for securing the first place in the Sword God War.
Yet this Incense Fire, though significant, was not enough to make one a Saint; it could only condense a single column of incense inside the body.
Even so, it was a substantial reward, saving hundreds of years of accumulation.
Besides, other treasures and Divine Pills were also awarded.
Lin Qingyue received her prize, though the third place reward was considerably less.
After the awards, the Sword Saint left, and the Sword Master started casually chatting with Li Hao.
“You lad, really not afraid of stirring up trouble, huh? This is the Sword Ancestor Holy Land, and you easily defeated Haoyue right in front of us; that’s kind of slapping our faces,” the Sword Master said to Li Hao via spiritual transmission, chiding him playfully.
Seeing his demeanor, Li Hao felt surprised but did not get angry, and curiously asked, “Senior isn’t angry?”
“If he loses, he loses. If his skill is inferior, there’s nothing to be angry about. By crippling that girl’s Dao embryo and severing his own distractions, his defeat by you was also karma,” said the Sword Master.
Li Hao smiled wryly; the other side seemed very open-minded about it.
“When you have time, come and sit with me. However, since the Canglan Realm’s dynastic forces have already selected their combatants by now, you probably won’t have much time, as you need to quickly secure a spot; otherwise, you’ll miss this Supreme Genius Battle,” the Sword Master said regretfully, shaking his head.
In the short term, it seemed this young man wouldn’t be available to join him for fishing.
As the two conversed, on the other side, Lin Qingyue quietly watched the young man chatting and laughing with the Sword Master, envy apparent in her eyes—not for the acquaintance with the Sword Master, but for the carefree and open-hearted aura around him.
Other than the day he got angry for her, she had never seen that young man gloomy.
“Did he guide you in Sword Dao?”
Bian Ruxue stood next to Lin Qingyue, her eyes also glanced at that figure briefly before withdrawing her gaze and calmly said:
“Meeting someone who can practice swordsmanship with you is truly a fortunate thing.”
Lin Qingyue’s pupils quivered slightly, her heartbeat speeding up a bit, remembering those days in the courtyard practicing her swordsmanship while he sat nearby sipping tea and chatting. Aside from Sword Dao, she regarded everything else as trivial.
But now, those trivial things seemed to have taken root in her heart.