The First Venerable of the Prosperous Age

Chang'an squatted down beside Meng Xuanwen and asked with a smile, "Do you still think you won now?"

A smile appeared in Meng Xuanwen's eyes, and he slowly said, "Chang'an... won."

Chang'an frowned. "I'm asking about you."

Meng Xuanwen said, "I won too."

Chang'an narrowed his eyes slightly, "You still think you're Chang'an?"

Seeing Meng Xuanwen smile without saying anything, Chang'an continued, "Unfortunately, this is not something you can decide."

He turned around and asked, "Senior Brother Zhang, what kind of reward will the winner of this martial arts tournament receive?"

Senior Brother Zhang remained calm and composed, sitting high in his chair, and announced in a clear voice, "The winner of this competition may become a disciple of Master Kang."

Chang'an laughed, then pointed his sword at Meng Xuanwen beneath him: "The first place isn't this guy, is it? But he looks like he's in a lot of pain."

Senior Brother Zhang shook his head. "No, the first place should belong to that young man who broke the giant sword with his sword."

Chang'an laughed, "But this young man already has this reward."

"Never mind, at least the one who gets the reward is no longer the one on the ground," Chang'an said.

Meng Xuanwen laughed even more heartily.

Senior Brother Zhang continued, "The second place winner of this competition will also receive a reward: they can become the disciple of any one of the people present."

"Everyone here!?" Chang'an was surprised. Seeing the four empty seats in the middle, he realized that he, Senior Sister Hua, Xiao Tao, and Qin Yi were also in the room.

Chang'an gritted his teeth and said, "So, this guy who impersonated an elder and tried to kill his fellow disciple is the second place winner in this competition?"

Senior Brother Zhang sighed, "Although he used some tricks, he didn't really kill anyone. Besides, our sect's competitions have never been bound by any rules, so... all of this counts."

Meng Xuanwen also laughed and said, "Just as I said, Chang'an... won, and I... also won."

Chang'an glared at him, "Whom do you want to become your disciple?"

Meng Xuanwen's eyes lit up in disbelief; how could such a disgusting face actually display the word "excitement"?

The person I want to worship... is not here now...

Chang'an's eyes seemed to be spitting fire as he angrily asked, "Which of these three have you taken a fancy to?"

Meng Xuanwen's smile now undoubtedly tells everyone that he is lost in thought.

This infuriated Chang'an. "So, from the very beginning, you were only after this second place. If I hadn't shown up, you wouldn't have needed to take out that black knife again, right?"

Meng Xuanwen smiled but remained silent.

……

"Good, very good, what a brilliant plan!" Chang'an praised, raising his hand.

"I abstain!"

Upon hearing this, everyone on and off the field showed varying degrees of shock.

However, the one who reacted most strongly was Meng Xuanwen, who was half-dead.

“You…you…you…” Meng Xuanwen’s gaze finally locked onto Chang’an.

Chang'an smiled and said, "What? I remember that you can choose to forfeit in this kind of competition, right?"

Senior Brother Zhang frowned and said, "That's right, but in that case, he will become the number one and will have to become Uncle Kang's disciple."

Chang'an shrugged. "At least this way, his wish won't be fulfilled. Besides, if he becomes a disciple of the master, how he trains in the future will be entirely up to me."

"I will bring him under my thumb."

Although Meng Xuanwen's expression was no longer as excited as before, it was not sad either, and even carried a hint of smugness.

Chang'an thought to himself, "It seems that this guy's target is not Qin Yi, but Senior Sister Hua or Jiang Xiaotao!"

For some reason, the thought of this made Chang'an extremely angry.

He grabbed Meng Xuanwen by the collar, "You, surnamed Meng, what exactly are you trying so hard to get close to those two?!"

After a long pause, Meng Xuanwen slowly spoke:

"In order to..." He couldn't finish his sentence, but just smiled smugly.

Chang'an stared at his face, then suddenly seemed to notice something and immediately pressed, "Who did this to your face? Are you here seeking revenge?!"

Upon hearing this, Meng Xuanwen's expression suddenly turned serious, and he glared at him fiercely.

"Could it be that I was right?"

At that moment, a commotion suddenly broke out below.

Suddenly, the disciples below the stage were struck by a mysterious force and scattered in two rows.

A long, dark gray, rod-shaped object suddenly stretched up from below the stage.

This was an arm that stretched infinitely long, only stopping after it grasped the hilt of the black knife.

"Oh no! They've found that little devil!" Chang'an's expression suddenly changed, and he was terrified.

Sure enough, the arm suddenly retracted, and a rabbit-like figure shot towards them like a cannonball.

Who else could it be but Jiang Xiaotao, that little devil?

Under the shocked and angry gazes of the crowd, she approached the black knife, raised her leg and gently kicked it, sending the heavy black knife spinning into the air.

The black blade spun so rapidly that it immediately stirred up layers of wind and waves, forcing the disciples in the front row to retreat repeatedly, unable to look directly at it.

As the storm subsided, everyone looked up and saw:

The black sword, weighing over a thousand pounds, was firmly gripped in the girl's hand. The murderous red light in her eyes was even brighter than the bald head printed on her clothes.

Blue and orange light waves swirled around the black blade, a first-class light wave that heralded death. They intertwined like colorful snakes, creating a spectacular scene in the air.

But this was just one cut.

A slash carrying light waves, a slash stirring up wind and waves, a slash with overwhelming power, an unstoppable slash!

The blade was aimed at Chang'an's head.

But Chang'an remained unmoved.

He stared intently at Meng Xuanwen on the ground.

Meng Xuanwen's expression froze, but after seeing Xiao Tao's face clearly, he smiled...

It was a smile brimming with happiness and love.

So Chang'an's expression froze.

And now that the black knife is pointed at his head, why doesn't he dodge?

Because he didn't need to hide at all.

The black blade cleaved down like it was splitting the heavens and earth.

With a loud "boom," blood and internal organs splattered like a waterfall from the sky.

The one who was chopped up was Meng Xuanwen, who was lying on the ground...

Moreover, the floor, which should have cracked, remains completely unchanged, without even a single crack...

The blood that should have splattered on Chang'an is now all on a white umbrella.

As Chang'an smelled the faint fragrance of osmanthus, she looked up and saw the stunningly beautiful young man in white standing quietly in front of her, holding an umbrella and blocking the splattering blood.

"Zijin, you're a little late," Chang'an said with a smile.

“I just heard someone outside say that Uncle Chang’an is back, he’s the one in the gray robe on the platform.”

When Wu Zijing spoke, she always had a faint smile on her face, which always gave people a warm feeling, like a gentle spring breeze.

"You must be feeling very strange right now."

"If my eyesight weren't still pretty good, I would have used this broken umbrella to block that knife that just fell from the sky."

"So, can you see it clearly now?"

Wu Zijin looked firmly into Chang'an's eyes and said, "I've never been clearer than I am now."

Chang'an laughed and said, "But some people only believe the rumors and haven't seen the whole truth yet."

As he spoke, he glanced at Jiang Xiaotao, who was covered in red.

She was licking the blood from her face, looking at the broken pieces of flesh on the ground, and laughing morbidly.

"Chang'an! I've finally killed you! It's been three years, a full three years! Master, I can finally see you again."

Wu Zijing frowned. "Uncle-Master, this little girl is here to kill you."

Chang'an shook his head and smiled bitterly, "She didn't come to kill me. She just heard the same thing as you and came to kill the Chang'an she thought she was."

Wu Zijing smiled, wisely took two steps back, and handed the stage over to the real protagonist.

Chang'an didn't immediately go to call for Xiao Tao, but instead shouted up, "Senior Sister Xiao Liu, why didn't you come to save us just now? Didn't you say you could withstand this knife?"

This shout not only made Xiao Liu's face turn even greener, but also made the cook burst into laughter on her chair.

Most importantly, Jiang Xiaotao finally snapped out of her madness and looked at Chang'an in disbelief.

Chang'an smiled and waved to her, "Hello, junior sister, congratulations on finding the black knife again."

Jiang Xiaotao's face instantly contorted in anger, and she immediately raised the black knife above her head again.

The heavy sword, weighing a thousand pounds, was wielded by this petite and frail girl with the lightness and ease of a needle.

Chang'an still wore a smile, but the meaning behind it seemed to have changed slightly.

Sure enough, Xiao Tao stabbed the black knife back into the ground the next second, gritting her teeth and saying, "Now that you're standing here so steadily, I can't beat you."

"I can't beat you"—these simple five words caused an uproar here.

How many people could withstand Jiang Xiaotao's knife attack just now?

Even those sitting at the top weren't entirely confident they could handle it.

So you can imagine how shocked the disciples below must be right now.

Su Xiaotao stomped her foot in anger, making faces as she said fiercely, "I'll come back to kill you soon, you can't escape!"

After saying that, she dragged the knife, wanting to leave this place that suddenly made her feel disgusted.

Chang'an called out to her, "Xiao Tao, do you recognize this person on the ground?"

Jiang Xiaotao turned around impatiently, looked at the pieces of flesh on the ground, crossed her arms, and pouted, saying, "Hmph, just a pathetic scapegoat, what's there to say?"

Chang'an then asked, "You once caused a scene at the Chunhu Sect. Did you disfigure a man named Meng Xuanwen?"

Jiang Xiaotao rolled her eyes and thought for a moment, "Well... I don't think so. I've always been that gentle only to Master."

Seeing her expression and considering what she said, Chang'an knew that her guess was probably pretty accurate...

"He really did come seeking revenge, but... but why did he have that expression at the end?"

Chang'an couldn't help but recall: it was because he saw Xiao Tao that he showed such a loving smile.

"He wouldn't... have that kind of fetish, would he?! Ugh, that's terrifying."

"But speaking of which, where did Meng Xuanwen learn this empty-form Nether Flower Divine Sword?"

Chang'an pondered deeply, muttering to himself, "Spring Lake Sect, Spring Lake Sect..."

"Oh right! Senior Sister once said that she practiced the Nether Flower Divine Sword a lot in the Spring Lake Sect, and Meng Xuanwen must have seen it back then."

Chang'an felt increasingly uncomfortable. "This guy is a peeping tom, he's disgusting!"

"I wonder if he has any other purpose in coming here?"

As Chang'an pondered, he suddenly heard Jiang Xiaotao say impatiently, "Have you finished asking? I'm in a hurry to go back and think of a way to kill you."

Chang'an pushed his hand away, "This matter is not urgent, we can discuss it at length."

He then shouted at Senior Brother Zhang, "Senior Brother Zhang, now that Meng Xuanwen is dead, who should be the winner of this competition?"

"Of course, it's the people who defeated him: you, junior brother, and this little girl with the big sword."

“But I have already withdrawn from the competition,” Chang’an said with a smile.

"Therefore, the winner of this competition is Jiang Xiaotao." Senior Brother Zhang said this seriously and earnestly.

Xiao Tao's apricot-like eyes widened in surprise as she pointed at herself, "Me???"

Chang'an then asked, "Of the four empty seats on the stage, one is reserved for the winner of this competition, right?"

Senior Brother Zhang didn't say anything, but gently patted the empty seat in the middle, his meaning was crystal clear.

Chang'an shook his head with a wry smile and asked, "One last question, is this martial arts competition... Master's idea?"

Senior Brother Zhang laughed, "Junior Brother, you're asking a question you already know the answer to."

Upon hearing this, Chang'an took a step back and sighed softly, "So... all of this was a scheme my master set up for Xiao Tao, just to let everyone know that Jiang Xiao Tao is now his disciple..."

"And I... am just a pawn in this game..."

Thinking about this, he felt a wave of fear.

Perhaps his life will be like this...

And whose life isn't like that?