The gates of the Grand Sky Sect in the Grand Sky Mountain Range were wide open today.

The Great Elder personally went to the gates to welcome the guests.

Such a grand reception was mainly because the visitor was Cheng Xiaotian, the Lord of Martial Emperor City, a figure who could rival Gu Mingchao.

A strong person naturally deserves the treatment befitting their status.

"Lord Xiaotian, welcome from afar! The Grand Sky Sect welcomes you!" The Great Elder warmly invited Cheng Xiaotian and his entourage into the sect.

Everyone exchanged pleasantries all the way to the Grand Sky Palace, where Gu Mingchao had been waiting in the Grand Sky Hall for quite some time.

When the Great Elder led the people from Martial Emperor City and the Heavenly Medicine Palace to the entrance of the Grand Sky Palace, Gu Mingchao rose from his seat and went out to greet them.

As he walked, Gu Mingchao spoke to Chu Xinghe, who was standing to the side, "Xinghe, follow me."

"Alright..." Chu Xinghe, not understanding the situation, followed the Sect Master.

However, the expressions of the other elders around them changed.

It was known that a large sect like the Grand Sky Sect had many rules, such as the specific positions everyone should stand in when receiving a distinguished guest like the Lord of Martial Emperor City.

The position behind the Sect Master could only be occupied by two people: the Great Elder or the Chief Disciple!

By having Chu Xinghe stand in that position, the Sect Master was implicitly acknowledging Chu Xinghe as the Chief Disciple of this generation!

The elders exchanged glances but said nothing more.

After all, Xinghe's abilities and character were well recognized, and there was truly no one who would oppose him becoming the Chief Disciple.

"Brother Mingchao! It's been ten years, and you still look as impressive as ever!"

"Lord Xiaotian, you're too kind. In these ten years, it's you who have truly become renowned throughout the world!"

As Gu Mingchao and Cheng Xiaotian exchanged pleasantries, the people from the Grand Sky Sect also turned their gaze to the three young people behind Cheng Xiaotian.

Standing in the first position was someone who, as Chu Xinghe would say, looked like a protagonist straight out of a comic book, as if he were standing in the light.

He was Zheng Yu, the so-called once-in-a-millennium genius mentioned by the Great Elder.

Behind Zheng Yu was a girl carrying a long sword. Although the girl looked ordinary, the sword behind her was anything but.

The sword seemed alive, constantly trembling as if it were ready to be drawn at any moment!

"Sword Intent! How young is this girl, and she's already cultivated Sword Intent!" An elder recognized the mystery contained within the sword behind the girl.

That was Sword Intent, the dream of those who practiced the way of the sword. But Sword Intent was hard to achieve; many people spent their entire lives without even touching the threshold of Sword Intent.

Yet this young girl had already comprehended her own Sword Intent at such a young age. Martial Emperor City truly came with ill intentions this time.

Further back was the third person, a young man standing two meters tall, with skin of a strange gray color and muscles that made one wonder if he might burst out of his clothes at any moment.

However, this guy's looks were quite rough, and he didn't seem very bright?

"It's the Ancient Dragon Rhino bloodline! Martial Emperor City actually found a disciple with the Ancient Dragon Rhino bloodline!"

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The well-informed elders of the Grand Sky Sect recognized the Dragon Rhino bloodline in this third person.

Goodness, a young genius who comprehended Sword Intent and someone with the Dragon Rhino bloodline—either one would be a Chosen among the Chosen. Yet these two were ranked behind Zheng Yu, who seemed to have nothing special. What made Zheng Yu so special? His good looks?

Besides Martial Emperor City, Wu Qun, the master of the Heavenly Medicine Palace, also brought their palace's genius, a girl who looked like you couldn't tell if she was an adult or not!

If you only looked at her height and appearance, you'd definitely think she wasn't an adult. But if your eyes just glanced at her chest, you'd know calling her underage might be too hasty.

The girl was staring intently at Zheng Yu, her eyes never leaving him since entering.

She probably had already thought about growing old with Zheng Yu and where they'd be buried together.

Wu Qun coughed and introduced the little girl, named Luo Ying'er, and Chu Xinghe also remembered the names of the two from Martial Emperor City.

The girl with Sword Intent was named Xiao Ling, and the big rhino was called Zheng Bo!

What shocked Chu Xinghe the most was that the big rhino Zheng Bo was actually Zheng Yu's younger brother.

To this, Chu Xinghe could only say that their parents were truly awesome. Shouldn't they check if someone wasn't actually their biological child?

Gu Mingchao also briefly introduced Chu Xinghe and the others, and everyone's gaze naturally fell on Chu Xinghe.

"Having obtained the inheritance of the Grand Sky Sword Box, even I want to see your flying sword technique!" Cheng Xiaotian looked at Chu Xinghe with a smile.

It was no longer a secret that Chu Xinghe had acquired the Grand Sky Sword Box, and the legend of the nine flying swords had spread throughout the world.

"Yu'er, you should learn well from your Senior Brother Xinghe."

"Yes! Zheng Yu greets Senior Brother Xinghe."

"Ah... Junior Brother Zheng Yu, you're too kind... Let's learn from each other..."

Gu Mingchao led everyone to their seats, and the Grand Sky Sect had prepared a grand banquet to welcome the arrival of Martial Emperor City.

The banquet was quite dull, just listening to the elders from both sides engage in humblebragging.

Chu Xinghe, along with Wan Lin and Ma Liang, also approached the others to toast and express their welcome.

Zheng Yu drank his wine in one gulp, continuously saying that he wanted to learn more from Senior Brother Xinghe in the coming days.

Xiao Ling used tea instead of wine, explaining that she had recently comprehended Sword Intent and feared that drinking would suppress her Sword Intent.

The big rhino, on the other hand, didn't even acknowledge Chu Xinghe and just focused on gnawing on a chicken leg.

This guy didn't just seem not very bright; he was genuinely not all there...

Lastly, there was Luo Ying'er, who didn't even take her eyes off Zheng Yu when Chu Xinghe came over to toast.

Chu Xinghe left helplessly, but Junior Sister Wan Lin felt a connection with Luo Ying'er and sat beside her. However... as Chu Xinghe watched the two chat, Junior Sister Wan Lin's hand... why was it placed where it shouldn't be?

And the way she looked at Zheng Yu... Luo Ying'er looked at Zheng Yu with stars in her eyes, but Junior Sister Wan Lin's gaze at Zheng Yu... why did it seem like she had a grudge against him?

The banquet ended in a harmonious and joyful atmosphere.

The Grand Sky Sect also arranged accommodations for the guests.

After escorting the guests to their accommodations with the Great Elder, Chu Xinghe returned to rest.

He had a dreamless night, and early the next morning, the Great Elder called him to the Medicine King Palace.

"The martial competition is set for tomorrow. The first match is Wan Lin against Xiao Ling, the second match is Ma Liang against Zheng Bo, and your match with Zheng Yu is the third."

Chu Xinghe nodded.

"Last night, the Sect Master and I discussed it. It's unlikely that Wan Lin will win the first match."

Chu Xinghe agreed with the Great Elder's assessment. Wan Lin was excellent, very excellent, but Xiao Ling, having comprehended Sword Intent at such a young age, meant that even though both she and Wan Lin were Third Grade, the difference in combat power was significant.

Although Chu Xinghe appeared worried, inside, he was already celebrating.

What was this called?

A bad start!

If Junior Sister Wan Lin lost the first match, giving the Grand Sky Sect a bad start, could there be anything more exciting?

If Ma Liang lost to the big rhino in the second match, it would be even more perfect. In the third match, he certainly wouldn't disappoint them, losing all three matches. Could there be a more perfect ending?

"Even if Ma Liang can't win the second match, he won't lose. The Ancient Dragon Rhino bloodline is the strongest in defense, and Zheng Bo has likely cultivated Martial Emperor City's unique Elephant Armor Technique, which maximizes defense. But as you saw yesterday, this guy..."

The Great Elder pointed to his head, and everyone understood the implication.

"So this match will likely end in a draw, as Ma Liang can't break through the opponent's defense, but Ma Liang has an absolute speed advantage, and the opponent can't do anything to Ma Liang."

A draw?

Well... it's not unacceptable.

"So the outcome rests on your match with Zheng Yu. Even if the first two matches are just preludes and the results don't matter, as long as you can defeat Zheng Yu, Martial Emperor City will still lose even if they win the first two matches!"

The Great Elder looked at Chu Xinghe with a serious expression.

Chu Xinghe nodded firmly, "I am confident!"

As they say, the greater the expectation, the greater the disappointment. This time, Chu Xinghe didn't even need to make any promises. As long as he performed at his usual level and lost disgracefully, no one could protect him, and even the Grand Sky Sect's reputation would suffer.

The Great Elder, seeing Chu Xinghe's serious demeanor, smiled.

"Xinghe, don't put so much pressure on yourself. As you said, don't be so afraid of failure that you don't even dare to hope for victory."

The Great Elder patted Chu Xinghe's shoulder with satisfaction and left.

After the Great Elder left, people from various palaces came to cheer for Chu Xinghe.

"Senior Brother Xinghe, you're the best! Who does Zheng Yu think he is? Knock him down!"

"Junior Brother Xinghe, believe in yourself. With your strength, as long as you perform normally, victory is assured."

"Senior Brother Xinghe... you can definitely win, but could you not hit Zheng Yu's face? It would be a shame if it got damaged..." This was from the Junior Sisters of Hill Forest Palace...

Indeed, looks are justice. Their elbows were practically leaning towards Zheng Yu's bed.

More people came to cheer for Chu Xinghe, but the Great Elder stopped them.

The reason was not to put too much pressure on Chu Xinghe!

But pressure... back then, with my hands in my pockets, I didn't know what pressure was!

That evening, Feng Fei watched as Junior Brother Xinghe slept soundly without any pressure and couldn't help but shake his head and sigh, "Junior Brother Xinghe is truly extraordinary..."

In the Grand Sky Sect, the largest martial arts training ground was packed today.

Everyone in the Grand Sky Sect who could come had gathered at the training ground, with the Sect Master personally presiding over the martial competition.

After a few words about the camaraderie between the Grand Sky Sect and Martial Emperor City, the competition officially began.

Amidst the crowd's attention, Wan Lin stepped onto the martial stage, holding a large staff that was particularly eye-catching.

Chu Xinghe glanced at it; the staff in Junior Sister Wan Lin's hand was called the Curled-up Dragon Three-Section Staff, a Spirit Weapon merged with her soul, and she had cultivated the Hill Forest Palace's supreme Wishful Staff Technique.

Chu Xinghe just couldn't understand why the Hill Forest Palace, full of female disciples, was so fond of studying staff techniques.

Was it the degradation of morals or the distortion of human nature?

Or... was it compensating for something they lacked?