Chapter 243: Fusing Swordsmanship, Ten Thousand Swords Return to One

Chapter 243: Chapter 131: Fusing Swordsmanship, Ten Thousand Swords Return to One

Fallen leaves littered the stone steps of Dragon Transformation Peak, unswept.

Inside the cave residence at the summit, the light was dim.

A faint scent of sandalwood filled the air, but even that couldn’t suppress the oppressive atmosphere within the cave.

The people of Dragon Transformation Peak were on edge, as if shrouded in shadow.

Many knew that Yu Hualong, along with the Celestial Prides from Medicine Valley and the Five Elements Sect, would soon represent the Three Sects Alliance in a challenge against the Celestial Pride of the Jingyuan Sect.

This was no ordinary battle between Celestial Prides. It was a deathmatch!

The word “deathmatch” weighed on the heart of everyone on Dragon Transformation Peak like a giant stone.

Once Yu Hualong left, it meant he might die!

A deathmatch between Celestial Prides. Life and death would not be questioned.

These were the terms proposed by the Jingyuan Sect. The Three Sects Alliance had no choice.

Yu Hualong sat inside the cave residence.

He wore a long azure robe, his eyes closed as if he were meditating and regulating his breath.

Several other Inner Sect Disciples were in the cave, all of them Yu Hualong’s trusted confidants.

They stood on either side of the cave, their expressions solemn.

One of the disciples said resentfully, “Senior Brother, the Sect’s actions are truly disheartening. You challenged Shi Buyi for the Sect’s sake, but after you were defeated and injured, the Sect just propped up some so-called Inner Sect Celestial Pride, Zhang Su.”

The one who spoke was Fang Yun.

He wore a long azure robe with a longsword hanging from his waist. At this moment, however, his face was flushed red, his eyes filled with indignation.

His voice carried a trace of suppressed anger.

“Many of the Sect’s resources have already been diverted to Zhang Su. Now, both openly and secretly, everyone in the Sect is saying Zhang Su is the number one Celestial Pride of the Guiyuan Sect. But what has he done to deserve it? He’s just an Embracing Pill Martial Artist! How could he possibly know how many meritorious deeds you’ve performed for the Sect, Senior Brother?”

Fang Yun grew more agitated as he spoke.

“Now, Senior Brother is about to challenge the Jingyuan Sect’s Celestial Pride to a deathmatch, yet the Sect continues to funnel resources to Zhang Su! And when you tried to meet with him, he just fobbed you off with the excuse of being in seclusion. He’s unbelievably arrogant…”

As Fang Yun spoke to this point, a hint of sorrow entered his tone.

He was one of the first people to follow Yu Hualong.

He had been by Yu Hualong’s side ever since he was just an Inner Sect Disciple.

Over the years, he had watched Yu Hualong rise from an ordinary Inner Sect Disciple, step-by-step, to the position of a Celestial Pride.

He had also personally witnessed the countless things Yu Hualong had done for the Sect.

When Shi Buyi of the Five Elements Sect was at the height of his fame, it was Yu Hualong who stepped forward and single-handedly shouldered the reputation of the Guiyuan Sect.

He risked venturing deep into the Five Elements Sect’s territory and slayed several of their Gang Force experts, causing a sensation throughout the Three Sects.

That time, Yu Hualong returned to the Sect covered in wounds. He had over a dozen injuries, large and small, and his robes were stained red with blood.

Later, to restore the Sect’s prestige, Yu Hualong went so far as to challenge the Five Elements Sect’s Celestial Pride, Shi Buyi.

In that battle, Yu Hualong lost.

He lost utterly.

Shi Buyi’s Five Elements Unite, with its five types of Inner Strength rotating endlessly, was nearly invincible.

Yu Hualong used every trick up his sleeve, but he was still defeated.

After his defeat, Yu Hualong went into secluded cultivation in the back mountains to recuperate, rarely making an appearance.

And it was at this time that Zhang Su appeared.

A seventeen-year-old Inner Sect Celestial Pride who, with his Embracing Pill Cultivation, defied the odds to strike down a Gang Force master. He killed Zhou Dingshan with a single sword strike, shaking the Three Sects.

The Sect’s resources began to shift toward Zhang Su.

Yu Hualong, it seemed, was forgotten.

Fang Yun was resentful, as were many of the disciples on Dragon Transformation Peak.

Today, Fang Yun could finally hold it in no longer.

Many of the disciples on Dragon Transformation Peak remained silent.

Before, Yu Hualong was the Guiyuan Sect’s only Celestial Pride.

He was highly valued by the Sect and admired by countless disciples.

Back then, Dragon Transformation Peak was one of the liveliest peaks in the Guiyuan Sect.

But ever since Yu Hualong lost to Shi Buyi, it seemed everything had changed.

Dragon Transformation Peak grew more and more deserted, so much so that sometimes an entire day would pass without hearing an unfamiliar voice.

As disciples of Dragon Transformation Peak and part of Yu Hualong’s core followers, they felt the change acutely.

Before, whenever the Sect had any good resources, the first person they thought of was Yu Hualong.

But now, the first person the Sect thought of was Zhang Su.

Even the Sect Leader, Meng Shouzhen, mentioned Zhang Su more and more frequently.

This time, Yu Hualong was even going to challenge the Jingyuan Sect’s Celestial Pride to a deathmatch.

If he failed… the consequences would be unthinkable.

To say they didn’t feel any resentment would be impossible.

After Fang Yun finished speaking, the cave was silent for a long time.

SNAP.

Yu Hualong opened his eyes.

His eyes were very bright, standing out sharply in the dim cave.

His gaze swept over each of the disciples in the cave.

Every disciple his gaze fell upon couldn’t help but lower their head.

“Do you all think this way, too? That the Sect is unfair? That the Sect favors Zhang Su?”

Yu Hualong’s voice was calm.

Everyone was silent.

But their silence was an answer in itself.

Yu Hualong’s gaze turned cold.

His eyes landed on Fang Yun, lingered for a moment, then swept over the other disciples.

“You think the Sect is unfair? But Zhang Su only became a Celestial Pride after completing two assessments of the Celestial Pride Trial. If you could complete the Celestial Pride Trial’s assessments, you could become Celestial Prides too!”

“As for the Sect favoring Zhang Su, that’s even more ridiculous. The Sect’s resources are limited. Before, I was the only Celestial Pride, so naturally, the resources all came to me. Now there are two of us. Although Zhang Su is only at the Embracing Pill stage, he is very young and has immense potential. What’s more, he’s only the fourth Inner Sect Celestial Pride in the Sect’s entire history. It’s only natural that resources should be skewed in his favor.”