It had been two months since the Great Desolate Tablet had once again sunk into the earth. The shock brought about by the birth of the Great Desolate Scripture and that unfinished, earth-shattering Sword Secret, had gradually subsided.
Moreover, with the emergence of the Great Desolate Scripture, the entire Dao Sect had instead fallen into a rather tense atmosphere, because soon after, it would be the Dao Sect's Four Halls Competition.
Originally, the Desolate Hall, which had always been at the bottom of the Four Halls, now had Lin Dong's strong addition, and even mastered the Dao Sect's strongest Martial Arts, the Great Desolate Scripture, the head of the Four Great Scriptures. For the other three halls' direct disciples, the pressure was undoubtedly enormous.
In previous years, the Desolate Hall was always at the bottom of every hall competition, but now, Lin Dong, who possessed the Great Desolate Scripture, had previously achieved an astonishing record of fighting against a Nine Yuan Nirvana Realm expert. The pressure on the other three halls was naturally immense.
However, these matters did not have much to do with Lin Xuan on Dao Peak. Although he was nominally the Dao Sect's Eldest Senior Brother, no one in the Dao Sect had ever regarded him as someone of the disciple generation. Such competitions and exchanges between disciples would naturally not allow him to participate.
After all, this hall competition was about the strength between the four halls' disciples, to compete for the strongest among the disciples, not to compete for the strongest in the entire Dao Sect.
Not only did it have nothing to do with Lin Xuan, but it also seemed to have nothing to do with Ying Xiaoxiao and Ying Huanhuan, who were Heaven Hall disciples.
Ever since the Great Desolate Tablet sank into the earth, Ying Xiaoxiao had completely let go of her identity as the Heaven Hall's Eldest Senior Sister. She didn't care at all about the upcoming hall competition, and practiced on Dao Peak every day.
In any case, Ying Xiaoxiao was still cultivating every day. In comparison, Ying Huanhuan seemed much more leisurely. Apart from practicing the Sword every day, she basically spent the rest of her time watching Lin Xuan cultivate, or just running off somewhere.
On Dao Peak, Lin Xuan stood with his Sword, lowered his head and stared at the Sword in his hand, shaking his head slightly. His understanding of the Supreme Force seemed to have suddenly stagnated. In two months, although there had been some progress, this progress was originally a matter of course. There was not a trace of a real breakthrough.
Shaking his head slightly, Lin Xuan looked at the empty flat ground, and felt inexplicably unaccustomed. After a moment of daze, he sat alone beside the desk, holding the wine pot, drinking to himself.
After taking a light sip from the wine cup, the long-lost familiar taste made Lin Xuan a little dazed. Vaguely, he seemed to have a slight touch, but it was fleeting, like a streamer, impossible to grasp when he wanted to.
Suddenly, Lin Xuan raised his head slightly, his gaze looking somewhere, watching the girl in white clothes and white trousers falling on Dao Peak, his brow slightly wrinkled, he raised the wine glass in his hand, and directly drank the remaining wine in a hurry.
After Ying Huanhuan landed, her face originally carried a bit of joy, but after seeing Lin Xuan's actions, a few doubts flashed in her eyes. She glanced at Lin Xuan suspiciously, walked over, opened the pot lid of the wine pot, and lowered her head to smell it.
In the next moment, Ying Huanhuan's face darkened, making Lin Xuan's gaze a bit more evasive, not daring to look at the faint smile on the girl's face.
"So Senior Brother is also such a lover of wine. But Junior Sister has been letting Senior Brother drink that bland tea all along. It's Junior Sister's fault."
Seeing Lin Xuan have such a cute side for the first time, Ying Huanhuan almost couldn't help but laugh out loud. Forcibly suppressing her smile, her face was tense, and the tone of her words was a bit strange, like the tea she drank, seemingly elegant, but with a long aftertaste.
"Miss Huan Huan is joking, I just think that tea has the fragrance and elegance of tea, and wine has the endless aftertaste of wine."
Lin Xuan tilted his head slightly, his eyes fixed on the wine pot, not daring to look at Ying Huanhuan, like a rebellious student, caught on the spot by the teacher for doing something wrong.
"Hmph! Forget it, this young lady is generous and won't bother with you!"
Ying Huanhuan originally wanted to pretend to say a few words, but Lin Xuan's appearance made the corners of the girl's mouth almost unable to be suppressed. She immediately snorted coldly and waved her hand, pretending to be generous.
As soon as she finished speaking, a smile appeared on the corner of Ying Huanhuan's mouth. She leaned close to Lin Xuan, grabbed Lin Xuan's arm with one hand, and said softly while pulling Lin Xuan.
"Let's go, Lin Xuan, there's something that needs you to handle."
Perhaps feeling a little guilty, Lin Xuan waved his sleeves, and while putting away all the wine pots and everything else, he took the opportunity to get up, not daring to break free, and asked Ying Huanhuan softly.
"What's the matter?"
"Hmph, haven't many of our Dao Sect disciples been in closed-door cultivation recently? Then, a sect came to visit the mountain, saying they wanted some sparring and exchanges. Tsk, isn't that just wanting to step on our Dao Sect's name to rise to the top? I guess they've already colluded with Yuan Gate in secret."
When Ying Huanhuan spoke, her tone was obviously a bit angry, because the other party's method of taking advantage of the situation really made the girl very contemptuous. If they wanted to spar and exchange, why didn't they come when the Dao Sect's elite disciples were all there? Now that they're in closed-door cultivation, they jumped out?
At present, the Dao Sect can be said to be in the limelight in the entire Eastern Xuan Region. First, it defeated Yuan Gate at Hundred Dynasty Mountain, and then, the Sword Saint powerfully killed the eight chiefs of Yuan Gate, but Yuan Gate didn't even dare to fart. It can be said that it has already begun to impact Yuan Gate's position as the overlord of the Eastern Xuan Region.
At this time, a super sect suddenly came to visit the mountain for sparring and exchanges while the Dao Sect's elite disciples were in closed-door cultivation. It's hard not to suspect that they want to suppress the Dao Sect's momentum, and then take the opportunity to rely on Yuan Gate, or have already secretly relied on Yuan Gate.
"Which sect?"
Ganging up with Yuan Gate? The moment Lin Xuan heard these words, he immediately thought of some possible connections, a glint of cold light flashing in his eyes.
"It's called Hongya Cave, a super sect with considerable strength, one of the top super sects below the eight great super sects. Its cave master's strength is at the peak of the Death Profound Realm."
When Ying Huanhuan heard Lin Xuan's question, the smile on her face deepened. Originally, this matter should have been handled by Ying Xuanzi, but Ying Huanhuan had stopped him.
"After all, the other party is also the master of a sect. In any case, Dao Sect cannot lose its courtesy on the surface. And my daddy and the Grand Elder happen to be in seclusion, so I can only let you represent our Dao Sect, hehe."
As the girl spoke, her bright eyes sparkled with starlight-like smiles. Lin Xuan nodded slightly upon hearing this, not refusing. After all, in Dao Sect, besides Ying Xuanzi and Qian Laogui, he was the strongest and held the highest position.
Dao Sect, the front hall. The front hall has always been a place to receive guests. However, when Taiqing Palace came last time, Dao Sect directly used the main hall to show respect to Taiqing Palace. As for Hongya Cave, to put it bluntly, they were not qualified enough, even if the Hongya Cave Master came in person.
In the front hall, on the huge platform in front of the hall, Qi Lei, Chen Zhen, Wu Dao, and the other eight hall masters were all present, but at the moment, their faces were a little unsightly, because in the first two competitions, Dao Sect disciples had been defeated.
"Dao Sect disciples are indeed remarkable, their strength is extraordinary!"
A middle-aged man in a green robe looked at the competition on the platform and said with a light smile. From that rather charismatic face, it could be seen that he was definitely a handsome man in his youth.
This person was the Hongya Cave Master, a powerhouse at the peak of the Death Profound Realm, once hailed as the top powerhouse in the Eastern Xuan Region most likely to break through to the Revolving Wheel Realm. However, this title was no longer mentioned after the rise of the Sword Saint.
If the Hongya Cave Master's praise was under normal circumstances, Qi Lei and others would naturally respond with a smile and flatter him in return. But now, after Dao Sect lost two matches in a row, such praise suddenly seemed a bit awkward.
At the moment, Qi Lei, Chen Zhen, and others all frowned, their faces sullen and silent. The green-robed man only chuckled upon hearing this, then continued to speak.
"I heard that Sect Leader Ying Xuanzi of your esteemed sect has always liked to collect good tea. I wonder if I have the honor to drink tea with Sect Leader Ying today?"
These words seemed to be about drinking tea, but in reality, they were subtly saying that Dao Sect was not treating guests well. He was the Hongya Cave Master, a dignified powerhouse at the peak of the Death Profound Realm, but Dao Sect sent several Life Profound Realm experts to entertain him, as if they didn't take him seriously.
"Cave Master is too polite. Sect Leader is currently in seclusion. We have already sent disciples to report to the Sword Saint. However, Cave Master, you may not know the Sword Saint's temperament. The Sword Saint is devoted to cultivation, and his thoughts are not something we can influence."
Qi Lei was not an easy person to deal with either. You want Dao Sect to give you respect? We have given it. We sent disciples to invite the Sword Saint to receive you. As for whether he comes or not, that has nothing to do with us disciples. If you feel dissatisfied, you can scold us as you please. If you think he is not worthy, you can speak your mind!
Hearing Qi Lei's words, the Hongya Cave Master couldn't help but choke for a moment, then laughed and looked at the competition in the arena, saying softly.
"It seems that in this competition, my Hongya Cave will once again be lucky enough to win. Thank you for your humility, Dao Sect!"
As soon as these words came out, the faces of Qi Lei, Chen Zhen, and others became even more unsightly. Even some Dao Sect disciples on the side had expressions of indignation.
"Whoosh!! Whoosh!"
At this moment, two streams of light flashed from the sky, and finally, transformed into two white-clothed figures, landing on the open space, instantly attracting everyone's attention.
After Lin Xuan and Ying Huanhuan revealed their figures, Chen Zhen, Qi Lei, and the Dao Sect disciples on their own initiative all showed a bit of a smile.
"Sword Saint, I probably don't need to introduce him to the Cave Master, right?"
Qi Lei smiled softly, while the Hongya Cave Master's gaze was fixed on Lin Xuan the moment he landed, because from Lin Xuan's body, the Hongya Cave Master could sense a faint aura of danger.
"Sword Saint, this is the Hongya Cave Master."
Lin Xuan nodded to the Hongya Cave Master upon hearing this, without saying anything. Qi Lei on the side then said with a smile.
"Cave Master, sorry, the Sword Saint has always disliked speaking. If there is any rudeness, please forgive him!"
Although he knew that the Sword Saint was rumored to have this kind of temperament, disliking talking to people, the Hongya Cave Master felt that the other party seemed to be doing it on purpose, but he responded with a smile on his face.
"It's okay, it's okay, even this Cave Master has long admired the Sword Saint's great name."
"You're welcome!"
Lin Xuan responded softly, but in the next moment, he waved his sleeve, and a force directly interrupted the two people in the arena, causing everyone to be slightly stunned. Some Hongya Cave disciples even looked at Lin Xuan with some anger.
Lin Xuan ignored them, just calmly sat down in the main seat. Ying Xuanzi wasn't here, so there was naturally no problem with him sitting in this position. He looked calmly at the Dao Sect disciple who was staring at him with some confusion, and said softly.
"A competition is just a competition. Winning or losing is not the goal, but to see one's own shortcomings clearly. There's no need to take advantage of an opponent's moment of distraction to exploit their weakness."
As soon as these words came out, everyone's expression froze. The Dao Sect disciple's expression became solemn upon hearing this, and he quickly clasped his fists in salute, saying in a deep voice.
"Senior Brother's teachings are correct. This disciple will definitely know shame and then be brave in the future, and work hard in cultivation!"
Lin Xuan nodded slightly upon hearing this. At this time, some disciples reacted, looking at the Hongya Cave disciple standing there awkwardly. It seemed that the Dao Sect disciple had won the match just now, but the Sword Saint had intervened at a critical moment.
"This match, after all, was not a glorious victory, so let's call it a draw!"
After hearing Lin Xuan's words, the Hongya Cave Master's expression turned slightly stern. Although Lin Xuan didn't say anything about their Hongya Cave, those words might not have had any other meaning, just simply educating the Dao Sect disciples, but in the ears of the Hongya Cave disciples, it had a kind of veiled criticism.
However, the expression and tone with which Lin Xuan said those words didn't have any extra meaning at all, which made the Hongya Cave Master and others feel a burst of suffocation in their hearts.
At the moment, the Hongya Cave Master just barely squeezed out a few smiles and responded softly.
"Haha, the Sword Saint is right, sparring is just sparring, so why bother about winning or losing?"
"That's right, sparring is intended to find one's own weaknesses, exchange ideas, and promote each other. A temporary victory or defeat cannot determine anything. Some people, when faced with failure, can become more courageous, while others, who have never been defeated, seem to have an unstoppable momentum, but often a single failure can completely destroy their beliefs."
Many Dao Sect disciples were listening to Lin Xuan's teachings with serious expressions. Those seemingly ordinary words, when spoken from Lin Xuan's mouth, had a convincing power that made it impossible to refute. It wasn't just because he was the Sword Saint, but also because, when he said these words, his voice seemed to carry a convincing power.
Even Ying Huanhuan's gaze towards Lin Xuan had a bit more respect. This guy, when he gets serious, is still very charming.
But the next sentence made Ying Huanhuan's expression become strange again.