Great Sword Master

All eyes fell on Chen Feng.

Chen Feng took a deep breath, calming his nerves and steadying his emotions.

Ye Yunqi, as one of the true disciples, had been fiercely sought after by representatives of the Twelve Supreme Peaks. As a true disciple myself, I shouldn't be too far behind, right?

"True disciple Chen Feng, do you possess any innate divine ability?" a representative from Tianlan Peak asked.

"No," Chen Feng replied honestly.

As for the Heavenly Creation Seal, that was an absolute secret.

"In that case, Tianlan Peak passes." The representative from Tianlan Peak refused him without hesitation.

The selection process proceeded from the highest-ranked disciples downward.

The true disciples were evaluated first, and only after them would the core disciples be considered.

"Hanhai Peak passes," the representative from Hanhai Peak said.

One by one, representatives from the Supreme Peaks declared their refusal.

Chen Feng's heart shook as if struck by lightning, his body swaying slightly. His face turned pale.

Meanwhile, Ye Yunqi's face lit up with schadenfreude, his smile gloating and mocking.

"Now you understand, don't you?" Ye Yunqi's voice pierced Chen Feng's ears like a dagger.

"A talentless, ordinary person, even if you managed to strike the drum four times and become a true disciple, what does it matter?"

"Without divine abilities, your potential is limited. Even if the sect invests in your cultivation, you'll never compete with the true prodigies. Xuanyuan Peak passes." One previously silent representative sighed softly as they spoke.

One after another, the mountain representatives refused him.

Chen Feng's face grew increasingly pale with every declaration.

"What a pity. If we could select one more disciple, Qingye Peak might have considered giving you a spot," said a representative from Qingye Peak.

"True disciple Chen Feng," the representative from Kumao Peak added, "if we can't secure a suitable disciple, we might consider giving you an opportunity to join our peak."

The tone was casual, almost dismissive, carrying a faint air of condescension.

Chen Feng's heart constricted, and anger began to stir deep within him.

Condescension?

I don't need your pity!

In the end, none of the Seventy-One Peaks chose Chen Feng.

"True disciple Chen Feng," the burly elder from the Disciples' Hall addressed him with a sigh, "it seems you'll have to remain in the Disciples' Hall with me."

He shook his head with regret but offered words of encouragement. "Still, if you have the ability, there's no reason you cannot become a powerful cultivator in the future."

Though the elder's words were kind, it was clear even he didn't hold out much hope for Chen Feng.

Without divine abilities, the odds of Chen Feng rising to prominence were slim to none.

"Thank you, Elder," Chen Feng responded firmly, bowing slightly as he expressed his gratitude.

The selection then moved on to the sixty-eight core disciples.

With Tianchang Peak having already selected Ye Yunqi, that peak withdrew from the competition.

By the end of the process, every core disciple had been assigned to a peak—leaving only Chen Feng.

Striking the drum four times… so what?

Being a true disciple… so what?

The core disciples looked at Chen Feng with a mixture of pity and scorn.

The burly elder overseeing the Disciples' Hall sighed inwardly.

Fate can be so cruel.

At that moment, a dazzling beam of silver-white sword light streaked across the sky, cutting through the heavens like a bolt of lightning. It arrived instantly, hovering just in front of Chen Feng.

"Chen Feng, I am Wang Yuandao. If you are willing to take me as your master, step onto this sword."

A voice filled with immense pride and dominance echoed from within the sword light.

The brilliant silver-white sword light floated at Chen Feng's feet, glowing intensely.

Chen Feng noticed the faint ripple of divine energy emanating from the representatives of the Seventy-One Peaks. Even the burly elder's face showed a rare expression of astonishment and surprise.

Without hesitation, Chen Feng made his decision.

He stepped forward, firmly planting his foot on the radiant sword light.

The moment he did, the sword light surged into the sky, carrying him upward at breathtaking speed.

Chen Feng's scalp tingled, and for a moment, he nearly screamed in shock.

Thankfully, the sword light seemed to have a stabilizing force, keeping his body securely in place. Otherwise, he would have plummeted midair.

"I didn't expect it to be him…" the burly elder murmured to himself, watching as Chen Feng was carried away. "But it's still better than having him waste away in the Disciples' Hall."

"Granduncle, who was that?" Ye Yunqi's expression shifted dramatically.

The glee and satisfaction he had felt were now replaced with shock and disbelief.

"That was Wang Yuandao, the Peak Master of Absolute Sword Peak," replied the representative from Tianchang Peak.

"The Peak Master?!" Ye Yunqi's face turned pale.

Everyone knew what it meant to be accepted by a Peak Master.

Being chosen by a Peak Master was far superior to being a disciple of a peak elder.

The realization hit Ye Yunqi hard, leaving his face ashen.

But then the other disciples began murmuring among themselves.

"Absolute Sword Peak ranks among the bottom of the Thirty-Six Lower Peaks, doesn't it?"

"That's right. Absolute Sword Peak has long since fallen into decline. It no longer has any disciples—only the Peak Master and his old servant remain. Even the Peak Master himself is nearing the end of his lifespan."

"Joining Absolute Sword Peak is no different from cutting off your own future."

Hearing this, Ye Yunqi let out a sigh of relief, his confidence restored.

The core disciples, too, seemed to relax, their earlier unease dissipating.

"What a pity," Jin Hongdang muttered to himself. Having interacted with Chen Feng several times aboard the great airship, he had come to view Chen Feng as a friend.

The silver-white sword light streaked through the sky, its speed blindingly fast.

Chen Feng experienced what it truly meant to move like the wind. Compared to this, his own full-speed effort seemed laughable.

As the sword light carried him forward, the surrounding scenery blurred into streaks of motion.

Just as nausea began to set in, the sword light pierced through a dense layer of clouds and arrived at a solitary mountain peak.

The sword light came to a halt, gently lowering Chen Feng to the ground. His head still spinning, it took him a moment to regain his bearings.

"Old servant Yang Tao greets the Young Master," a calm yet strong voice greeted him.

Chen Feng snapped back to attention and saw a kindly old man dressed in gray smiling warmly at him from just a few meters away.

For a moment, Chen Feng didn't know how to respond, his mind feeling sluggish.

"Young Master, please follow me," the old man said with a smile before turning to lead the way.

As Chen Feng followed, he couldn't help but glance around.

He saw rows of bamboo buildings in the distance, but they all appeared abandoned, giving the place a desolate and lonely atmosphere.

"Those used to be the residences of the Peak Master's followers, as well as the elders and disciples of this peak," the old servant explained casually. "But now, the people are gone, and the buildings are empty."

"Why did they leave?" Chen Feng asked instinctively.

"You'll find out in time," the old man replied with a faint smile.

Before long, they arrived at a cliff's edge. The cliff jutted out like a leaf into the sky, overlooking a vast sea of clouds rolling below.

"Master, Chen Feng is here," the old servant announced, bowing deeply.

Chen Feng finally noticed a figure standing at the edge of the cliff, facing the sea of clouds with his back to the bamboo buildings.

Until this moment, Chen Feng hadn't sensed this person's presence at all—it was as if they were part of the scenery.

But now that Chen Feng's attention was drawn to the figure, his heart trembled uncontrollably.

The white-robed figure seemed unimaginably tall, like a colossal sword piercing the heavens and splitting the clouds.

A vast and indescribable sharpness emanated from his presence, as if he could cut through mountains and seas with a single thought.

The figure turned, and Chen Feng's breath caught as he locked eyes with a gaze that burned like radiant stars, piercing through everything.

"I am Wang Yuandao, the Peak Master of Absolute Sword Peak. Will you take me as your master?"

His voice was like a command from the heavens, vast and unyielding.

"Disciple Chen Feng greets Master!"

Chen Feng immediately snapped out of his daze, kneeling and kowtowing three times.

"Rise," Wang Yuandao said.

Chen Feng stood, finally getting a clear look at his new master.

Wang Yuandao had long hair that draped freely, his temples streaked with white. Though he appeared to be in his forties and carried an air of elegance and charm, there was a faint sense of frailty in his presence, as if the passage of time had taken its toll.

"From this day forward, you are my final disciple," Wang Yuandao said with a faint smile. "You will train here on Absolute Sword Peak."

"Yes, Master," Chen Feng replied without hesitation.

"You must have many questions in your heart," Wang Yuandao said with a laugh. "Ask them now, and I will answer. After that, your training will begin."

[--------------------------------------------]

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