area51novel Page 117
Page 117
In fact, he was calculating the rewards he would receive for the announcement of the Nine Provinces Sword Immortal Ranking.
Without a doubt, this "Heavenly Secrets Monthly Assessment" was very cleverly done, giving him many opportunities to do fortune telling.
Even if this round of Heavenly Secrets Monthly Review ends here, the treasures he has gained will be enough for him to digest for quite some time.
Next, the Nine Provinces Blade Immortal Ranking will be released; I wonder how many good things I can get there.
As he pondered this, Su Chen's spirits lifted, and he opened his folding fan, saying loudly:
"That concludes our commentary on the Nine Provinces Sword Immortal Ranking."
"First: Ke Haoran of Datang Academy."
"Second: Su Xinghe, the guardian of Beijing, and Liu Bai, the sword saint of Southern Jin."
"Third: Absolute Sword Mu Yingxiong, Heavenly Sword Wuming, Yue Maiden Sword Aqing."
"Fourth: Jun Mo of the Great Tang Academy, Jian Yue of the Sword Realm, Deng Tai'a, the Peach Blossom Sword God, and Li Changsheng, the Kunlun Sword Immortal."
"I won't go into detail about the remaining land-based sword immortals who didn't make it into the top ten."
"Next, let's talk about the Nine Provinces Sword Immortal Ranking."
"This list also selects the top ten sword immortals in the world, divided into first, second, third, and fourth."
"However, in this world, the way of the sword is far superior to other weapon styles. Although the way of the knife ranks second, it is still far behind the way of the sword."
"For example, there are a total of sixteen land-based sword immortals in the world, plus the sleeping Sword Emperor of the Sword Sect, making it seventeen."
"There are only five swordsmen who have reached the level of Land Sword Immortal."
As soon as Su Chen finished speaking, the hall erupted in chaos.
Especially those swordsmen carrying large swords couldn't help but roar in anger.
The Nine Provinces Sword Immortal Ranking has finally arrived.
After listening to Su Chen's subsequent analysis, many swordsmen had complicated expressions.
Although they had long known that the way of the sword was inferior to the way of the saber, they still felt uncomfortable seeing such a large gap.
But there's nothing we can do about it; it's not that swordsmen aren't strong, but rather that swordsmanship is too prevalent.
Look at the top ten of the Nine Provinces Sword Immortal Ranking. Their lineup is terrifyingly powerful. They are not inferior to any master from the Buddhist, Taoist, Confucian, or Demonic schools.
Losing to a swordsman of such skill is certainly not shameful.
So after a brief moment of dejection, the swordsmen rallied and stared intently at Bai Yutai.
Facing the intense gazes, Su Chen didn't hesitate any longer and said directly:
"The release of the Nine Provinces Sword Immortal Ranking will, as usual, start from the last place."
"Song Que, ranked tenth on the Sword Immortal Ranking."
"This master of the sword is probably familiar to everyone in the martial arts world of the Sui Dynasty."
"He is the leader of the Lingnan Song Clan, one of the four great clans of the Sui Dynasty. He is famous for his swordsmanship and is known as the 'Heavenly Blade.' His cultivation has reached the Divine Travel Mystic Realm."
"His talent in swordsmanship was exceptional. He became famous in Lingnan when he was a teenager, and at the age of twenty, he defeated Yue Shan, the number one swordsman of the Sui Dynasty, and became famous throughout the martial arts world."
"That was the time when the golden generation of the martial arts world of the Sui Dynasty was rising, and many top geniuses emerged from both the Buddhist and demonic factions."
In Buddhism and Taoism, the two most famous successors of Cihang Jingzhai are Fan Qinghui and Bi Xiuxin.
Chapter 76 The truth comes out
The most prominent sects in the demonic path are the Yin Gui Sect and the Butian Pavilion, with the current Empress Zhu Yuyan and the Evil King Shi Zhixuan being their representatives.
As for Song Que of the Heavenly Blade, his strength is enough to be on par with these four, and he may even be the most talented among the five.
It can be said that Song Que was an outstanding figure among the younger generation during the Sui Dynasty.
However, his reputation was the weakest among the five.
Because he was never interested in the struggles of the martial arts world, but preferred to fight on the battlefield, and to comprehend the true meaning of the way of the sword through repeated battles.
Ultimately, through constant bloody battles, he finally comprehended the "invincible sword in the world" in his heart, naming it "The Eight Styles of the Heavenly Sword".
This sword technique is extremely domineering, with each move adding a layer of momentum. Even if it is not as good as the "Eight Strikes of the Scattered Hands" created by Ning Daoqi, the leader of the Daoist sect of the Great Sui Dynasty, it is not much worse.
At that time, Song Que's cultivation had reached the half-step Divine Travel Realm, far surpassing Zhu Yuyan, Fan Qinghui, and Shi Zhixuan, officially making him one of the top experts of the Great Sui Dynasty.
As soon as Su Chen finished speaking, a chorus of exclamations erupted in the hall.
This name certainly carries weight.
Even among the golden generation of the martial arts world during the Sui Dynasty, Song Que was quite famous, ranking alongside Zhu Yuyan, Shi Zhixuan, and Fan Qinghui.
Although they were said to be equally famous, Song Que's reputation was actually slightly worse than theirs.
Leaving aside the deceased Bi Xiuxin, Fan Qinghui, Zhu Yuyan, and Shi Zhixuan are all worldly successors of the Buddhist and demonic sects.
In this respect alone, Song Que, who comes from a powerful family, is far superior.
So after hearing Su Chen's analysis, everyone showed expressions of surprise.
They never expected that among those five unparalleled geniuses, the one with the strongest talent was actually Song Que.
Everyone was shocked when they heard that the "Eight Styles of Heavenly Blade" was no worse than Ning Daoqi's "Eight Styles of Scattered Hands".
Ning Daoqi was the number one Taoist in the Great Sui Dynasty, and the entire martial arts world respected him greatly.
Now, however, he has been surpassed by a young man named Song Que. Only now do people truly realize Song Que's strength, which is completely inconsistent with his reputation.
Su Chen wasn't surprised by the crowd's reaction; he simply smiled and said loudly:
"In fact, Song Que also had the opportunity to become famous throughout the world."
"At that time, the Sui Dynasty was plagued by constant wars, and various warlords were expanding their power and all wanted to establish their own dynasties."
"As the leader of the Song Clan, Song Que commands 200,000 elite Lingnan troops. Coupled with his half-step Divine Travel cultivation, he definitely has the strength to contend for the world."
"He did indeed have this ambition, personally leading troops into battle, wanting to demonstrate his strength to the world."
"But he ultimately did not leave the mountain, all because of a woman—Fan Qinghui, the holy maiden of Cihang Jingzhai, who was recognized as an unparalleled beauty in the righteous path at the time."
"Upon learning that Song Que was about to go to war, Fan Qinghui crossed the river in white robes to meet him and persuade him to abandon the war."
“Song Que’s will is so firm that even if Ning Daoqi were to stop him, he would still draw his sword and fight.”
"But this person happens to be Fan Qinghui."
"By now, you should all understand that even the heartless Song Que has a tender side."
"The person who moved his heart was Fan Qinghui."
"And so, the 200,000-strong Lingnan army laid down their arms and returned to their homeland in Lingnan."
"Moreover, Song Que also granted Fan Qinghui a seemingly powerless request: to seal the treasured sword for twenty years and never set foot in the martial world again."
Even so, he still failed to win her heart.
"Disheartened, Song Que resolutely severed his emotional ties and devoted himself wholeheartedly to the cultivation of his swordsmanship."
"To focus even more, he even deliberately married a woman of exceptional beauty, all in order to master the most ruthless and merciless swordsmanship."
"Twenty years have passed in the blink of an eye. Song Que's swordsmanship has been perfected, and he has successfully entered the realm of divine travel."
"He comprehended the supreme realm of swordsmanship, 'nothing exists outside the sword,' which is the ninth form of the Heavenly Sword."
"Even Ning Daoqi, the number one expert in the Sui Dynasty, would find it difficult to withstand this strike."
"This shows just how formidable Song Que's strength is."
"Therefore, he is tentatively ranked tenth on the Nine Provinces Sword Immortal Ranking."
The moment the words were spoken, the hall erupted in excitement.
The martial arts heroes present stared wide-eyed, never expecting to hear such a shocking secret.
The Song clan of Lingnan was indeed a formidable force among the feudal lords of that time, but they never participated in the struggle for supremacy.
The reason for this has always been a mystery, with many different theories.
Now the truth has finally come out.
It turns out that Song Que wasn't uninterested in conquering the world, but rather gave it up for Fan Qinghui.
The Holy Maiden Fan Qinghui of Cihang Jingzhai!
Because of just one sentence from her, Song Que gave up his throne as the emperor.
What a shocking secret.
If it weren't for the Celestial Immortal's own words, no one would have believed it.
After listening, everyone felt a greater sense of respect.
Song Que actually went a step further on the basis of the "Eight Styles of Heavenly Blade" and comprehended the "Ninth Blade".
Does this mean that his strength has surpassed Ning Daoqi in every aspect?
If this is indeed the case, it will undoubtedly be a tremendous change for the martial arts world of the Sui Dynasty.
Because the struggle between Buddhism and the demonic sects is intensifying, Ning Daoqi is the only one maintaining the balance.
If Song Que's strength surpasses Ning Daoqi's, this balance will be broken.
No one knows whether he will rekindle his old feelings and side with Cihang Jingzhai, which would severely damage the Demonic Sect.
For a moment, there was a lot of discussion in the hall:
"What? Song Que also intended to contend for the world, but was dissuaded by Fan Qinghui?"
"I knew it! With the strength of the Song clan in Lingnan at that time, they had a real chance to unify the world. How could Song Que not be tempted?"
"Even heroes have always found it hard to resist temptations. I never imagined that Song Que would fall so deeply into this predicament, giving up the throne just because of a single sentence from Fan Qinghui."
“Alas! You young people really don’t understand. When Master Fanzhai came down the mountain, how stunning she was! So many talented young men were captivated by her, hoping she would just glance at them.”
"That's right! Every holy maiden of Cihang Jingzhai is an absolute beauty. In the past, which righteous person in the martial arts world wasn't infatuated with Fan Qinghui?"
"Song Que is too ruthless. He couldn't have Fan Qinghui, so he married an ugly woman. I could never do that."
"Even Ning Daoqi couldn't withstand Song Que's ninth strike, that's too powerful!"