Fellow Daoist! That scoundrel has written a new book again.

Both of them offered their guesses about what would happen next.

The disciples of Xiaotian Sect immediately recited the second part of "Ten Days Without Sealing the Blade," a text of only a few thousand words, which would not take much time.

Moreover, as the saying goes, the storybooks are also quite well-written.

However, after hearing most of it, Xu Piao's expression turned somewhat unpleasant.

The two heroes in the story show no signs of a final battle; on the contrary, they increasingly align with what Zhang Zhihan described in the aftermath.

Zhang Zhihan had already given his answer; the subsequent success or failure was beyond his control.

He waited quietly for the story to continue.

Waiting for the mystery to be revealed.

When the reciter announced that these two heroes were actually the same person, a murmur of astonishment rippled through the audience.

"It was actually an elderly swordsman who passed on his martial arts skills to his younger self!"

"No wonder this sword technique seems tailor-made for her, she can learn it in no time..."

"The key lies here!"

……

Xu Piao's eyes widened; he never expected things to turn out this way.

It wasn't as he guessed, that the two would fight to the death; nor was it, as Zhang Zhihan had speculated, that it became an endless cycle.

How do we determine this?

Do not!

As long as Zhang Zhihan doesn't guess correctly, there's room for maneuver. Who wins and who loses will depend entirely on the decision of the judge from their Xiaotian Sect!

With this in mind, Xu Piao felt confident.

Zhang Zhihan was unaware of his obsession with winning and losing; he simply listened quietly to the story.

Upon hearing that the two were actually the same person, he simply nodded thoughtfully, as if marveling at the ingenuity of the plot.

I didn't think about it anymore.

When he heard that the old swordsman had died on that deserted street, clutching a rusty knife, his expression shifted slightly, and he gently closed his eyes, as if he had sensed something.

Until, just before Song Meisheng died, his gaze shifted from bewilderment to clarity, and he uttered that one line—

"In my youth, I dreamt of wealth and glory; only today do I realize who I truly am."

Zhang Zhihan suddenly opened his eyes.

His gaze seemed to pierce through the long years, seeing his younger self, as he trembled and plunged the dagger into her chest.

The woman who had taken him in, Madam Ge, gave him a bitter smile, a smile that seemed mocking, resigned, and so on that it was impossible to tell whether it was malice or blessing. She then reached out and touched his forehead.

The surging evil energy entered his body, and hundreds of malevolent spirits haunted him.

When he woke up again, Sect Leader Fang was sitting beside him and said:

"If you cannot suppress the evil energy, your mind will be controlled by the malevolent spirit, and you will have no choice but to cultivate the path of war."

From then on, Zhaixinglou had one more disciple who carried geese.

His geese were sometimes many, sometimes few; they had bloodshot eyes and white feathers, and their calls were noisy. They were clearly not the type to be decisive and ruthless, but they had become practitioners of military strategy.

Is it acceptable to kill one person to save ten thousand?

It is possible.

If it is necessary to kill me, so be it.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

He broke through his cultivation level!

The elders of Xiaotian Sect looked on in astonishment as they watched Zhang Zhihan progress from the early stage of the Golden Core realm to the middle stage.

I felt very upset.

If he had known that choosing this debate topic would allow the disciples of Zhaixinglou to break through their cultivation realm, he would have preferred to have his sect lose the round rather than choose the story of the Way!

Zhu Wuyao, who was sitting in the audience, was also extremely surprised.

She looked up at Gu Yiguan, who remained unmoved. Was this something her senior sister had expected?

No wonder they made Senior Brother Zhang debate the scriptures...

Could you help her see when she'll have an opportunity to break through her current limitations?

Sitting next to Zhu Wuyao, Shen Anzhi's eyes flashed with worry.

Song Kezi shattered quietly.

He saw Zhang Zhihan on the platform withdraw his overflowing spiritual power, raise his hand in a salute towards the direction of the Xiaotian Sect, and say:

"Thanks to the topic you chose, I was able to break through this barrier."

Before he could even lower his hand, he seemed to come to his senses and realize he had thanked the wrong person. He immediately retracted the message and replied:

"Oh no, I should thank you for your wisdom."

Although Zhu Wuyao, sitting in the audience, didn't know what he had figured out, he still felt a sense of pride.

at this point--

Further discussion about who won and who lost seems pointless.

Even if Xiaotian Sect is eloquent and persuasive, Zhang Zhihan's breakthrough on the spot shows that he has comprehended the truth!

Since he's understood, it means his point of view is correct!

If Xiaotian Sect is not convinced, then let Xu Piao also achieve enlightenment and break through to a higher realm on the spot, and then we will acknowledge that you are right.

Xiaotianzong, of course, understood this as well. His face turned ashen, as if he had swallowed a fly. He immediately dodged the question, glossing over the question of who won and who lost, saying only:

"Haha... As the saying goes, there is no first place in literature. Our main goal is to exchange ideas, and winning or losing is secondary. Fellow Daoist Zhang's breakthrough is the greatest blessing of the day, and our Xiaotian Sect is also honored!"

Zhu Wuyao chuckled inwardly, thinking, "Your 'haha' seems a bit forced."

To everyone's surprise, Zhang Zhihan was an upright person. Just as he was about to step down, upon hearing this, he turned around and asked in confusion:

"This is a well-known story. I am a disciple of the Star-Picking Pavilion, so why is the Howling Sky Sect also honored? By the way, the battle hasn't been decided yet, has it?"

Shen Anzhi immediately pulled him down.

The debate was hastily concluded.

Fortunately, Zhang Zhihan was there in front, which not only attracted attention but also bought time by breaking through his cultivation level. After Xu Piao stepped down from the stage, he immediately snatched the book "Ten Days Without Sealing the Blade" from his fellow disciple.

She was so angry that her eyes turned red.

In the same debate, on the same topic, how come Zhang Zhihan was able to break through to the next level?!

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

night.

"Tomorrow, we from the Star-Picking Tower will set the challenge; the competition will be about breaking through enemy formations."

Gu Yiguan glanced at the people in the room and continued:

"I will take the opportunity to rescue He Yiqi. In the process, there may be a dispute."

"Therefore, after the Xiaotian Sect inspected the formation and you entered, we buried a cone in the formation to turn it into a trapping formation, so that the dozens of people from the Zhaixing Tower could hold back more than a hundred disciples of the Xiaotian Sect."

"In times of crisis, we can use the formation to kill all the disciples of the Xiaotian Sect and break the formation to help them."

"Of course, if the operation goes smoothly and there are no setbacks, and He Yiqi is successfully rescued, I will send a message to inform you, and you can remove that cone and treat it as a normal formation-breaking competition."

Zhu Wuyao and the others looked at each other in bewilderment.

This method... is a bit hasty and wild...

Seemingly sensing everyone's doubts, Gu Yiguan said:

"Overly meticulous plans often lead to complete failure with the slightest mistake, leaving no room for error in any aspect."

"With the disciples of the Xiaotian Sect in the formation as a threat, it won't come to the point of mutual destruction."

Zhu Wuyao was slightly puzzled and asked:

"Would the Xiaotian Sect really send more than a hundred disciples?"

Gu Yi nodded and said:

"Before we came, the Star-Picking Tower cast a divination. The Howling Sky Sect is rather shameless. In order to win this round, even if we don't say anything, they will take the initiative to fight for it and win with numbers."

Then, she turned to look at Hua Yingting, as if she remembered the precognitive dream.

To avoid responding to the divination, she proactively suggested:

"I will bring Song Kezi with me."

You can't bring that!

Before Zhu Wuyao could dissuade him, Zhang Zhihan stood up first and said:

"I am coming too!"

Shen Xun lowered his head and thought for a moment, then said, "Senior Sister Gu, I'll go with you."