One person: I, Daoist Master, am a cultivator of immortality!

Sun Yao was absolutely right. The thousand-year-old fire dragon at the bottom of the Heavenly Pool is very likely the only one left. If they wait until it dies, it will be very difficult to see another dragon.

Moreover, according to Sun Yao's speculation, this dragon is very likely the same one that fell into the water at Yingkou. The dragon that fell into Yingkou was very likely the fire dragon at the bottom of this Heavenly Pool, but at that time it had already broken out of the Heavenly Pool and transformed into a dragon. Although it is unknown how it broke out of the Heavenly Pool without affecting it, since it had already transformed into a dragon and did not cause any harm to the Heavenly Pool, it means that there must be a way to achieve both goals, but the fire dragon at this time is simply unwilling to use it.

When it reached the end of its lifespan in 34 years, it had to compromise with the Shaman family in order to be allowed to undergo the transformation of a dragon into a dragon, but this may have indirectly led to its failure.

Seeing Sun Yao's confident demeanor, Liao Huzi decided to test his strength as well. He was also very curious about the true strength of this young nephew who had mastered the three sects, knowing that he was certain he wouldn't be able to pass the final Willow Immortal Formation.

"Alright, then go ahead and attack with all your might!" Liao Huzi waved to Sun Yao, and white smoke instantly billowed from the pipe in his hand. It seems that the pipe was not just something he smoked, but also a tactic.

Using a tobacco pipe as a weapon seems to be a technique of a certain sect. It's said to be called a "face-blocking old man," a kind of unusual weapon that's incredibly difficult to defend against when used to strike someone's head. However, in Liao Huzi's hands, the tobacco pipe seems to have other uses. Sun Yao doesn't believe the white smoke is just from his smoking. Because the white smoke clearly contains gas, and it's quite strong.

As expected, the moment the white smoke appeared, it coalesced and charged towards him. The white smoke formed fists that struck Sun Yao, who calmly activated his Golden Light Spell for defense. Or rather, he chose to use the Golden Light Spell to clash with Liao Huzi's white smoke. He condensed his own golden light into fists that clashed with Liao Huzi's smoke fists. Initially, they were evenly matched, but as time passed, Liao Huzi's white smoke visibly weakened against Sun Yao's golden light fists and began to retreat steadily.

"That's certainly true. With such skills, you're definitely among the top extraordinary individuals of this era. However, you can't defeat me with just the Golden Light Mantra. Sun Yao, show me all your abilities!"

Liao Huzi swiftly shattered Sun Yao's golden light with the Old Man with a swift movement, indicating that he had refined the Old Man with a swift movement into something akin to a magical artifact, much like how Jiajia Village used their own qi to refine the artifacts used in their artifact manipulation techniques. However, this was no challenge for Sun Yao, as weapons were not unique to him.

Sun Yao casually released the Thunder Pool Flying Sword from his treasure pouch, but this time he did not use the sword control technique to control the flying sword. Instead, he held it in his hand, ready to fight Liao Huzi.

"This sword is called Thunder Pool. It was forged with lightning to unleash the power of thunder. Uncle, you'd better protect your pipe later. Don't blame me if Thunder Pool cuts it in half." Sun Yao twirled Thunder Pool in his hand, then his eyes blazed with fighting spirit.

This was his first real, hands-on sparring match. Previously, his battles were always aimed at killing his enemies, so he'd unleash devastating attacks right from the start, like a bomber, bombarding without any finesse. However, this also created a weakness in his finer points. Of course, these could be compensated for with protective spells, such as Reverse Golden Fire and Golden Light Spell. But Sun Yao didn't intend to let this weakness remain. Now that he knew where he was lacking, he naturally wanted to improve in that area.

After all, even immortals and gods like Yang Jian and Sun Wukong have had times when they wielded weapons and fought each other, so it's even more impossible for Sun Yao to avoid such situations. He needs to improve in this area as soon as possible; the sooner he addresses his weaknesses, the better.

He wasn't unfamiliar with swordsmanship; a Celestial Master from Longhu Mountain had created a Daoist sword technique that was renowned throughout the world. This sword technique was named after the Qingping Sword, the treasure of the Tongtian Sect Master who attained enlightenment, and was created according to the numbers of the Great Zhou Heaven. The sword path is divided into six rounds, totaling 365 swords, each with a different name, as well as its own sword incantation and usage.

The Qingping Swordplay is unique in style, elegant and distinctive, renowned for its lightness, agility, and graceful movement. When practiced, it appears to advance and retreat simultaneously, with light and agile turns, unpredictable changes. At times, it flows smoothly and gracefully, shifting east and west, sometimes sinking and sometimes rising, like floating duckweed. At other times, it is like a raging storm, swift and decisive, as swift as lightning and as agile as a phoenix. Its routines are rich in content, rigorously structured, combining strength and softness, feints and real attacks, offense within defense, and defense within offense, with yin and yang rising and falling, appearing and disappearing unpredictably. It is an excellent traditional swordplay, and to date, it is the longest in terms of routines, with exquisite moves, emphasizing practicality and highlighting striking techniques.

The entire sword manual emphasizes the principles of swordsmanship and combat, using skill to overcome brute force. It boasts the most sword techniques in the world, thus requiring learners to adapt and combine different techniques in various situations, rather than rigidly adhering to rigid rules and using each technique one by one.

After learning this sword technique, Sun Yao admired the old master's profound martial arts skills, his ability to master so many sword moves to handle so many different situations. However, so many sword moves were useless to Sun Yao. He used his talent of "One Thought, Heaven and Earth" to deduce the Qingping Sword Technique, simplifying it from simple to complex, and then from complex to simple again. In the end, he unified it into twelve moves, which he named after the twelve heavenly generals.

The Twelve Heavenly Generals are Nobleman, Soaring Serpent, Vermilion Bird, Six Harmonies, Hooked Serpent, Azure Dragon, Sky Void, White Tiger, Grand Constant, Black Tortoise, Grand Yin, and Empress. (Abbreviated as: Noble, Soaring, Vermilion, Six Harmonies, Hooked Serpent, Azure, Sky Void, White, Constant, Black Tortoise, Grand Yin, Empress) These twelve gods correspond to the heavens, so they are called Heavenly Generals, or Sun Generals.

"The first sword strike, Nobleman." Nobleman belongs to the Earth element, which is neutral and peaceful, making it the best choice for starting a move. Liao Huzi blocked the sword strike by tilting his pipe, but Nobleman is not just a single move, but a single technique containing as many as 12 variations. Sun Yao turned his sword and flicked the pipe away, followed by a kick that sent Liao Huzi flying three meters away.

"Uncle, how was my sword strike?"

"Not bad, not bad, but with this kind of skill alone, we can't defeat the dragon. Let's see what they're really made of. Master Liu, channel your inner Master Liu!"