CHAPTER 180: CONSECUTIVE VICTORIES

"Come back!" the Sakura Island delegation's master shouted with a dark expression.

His clearly dissatisfied disciple glared fiercely at Wang Sheng. Nevertheless, Wang Sheng simply sheathed his sword, nodded slightly, and smiled. He did not bow and cup his hands at him, which was the customary gesture of respect.

The young swordsman formally bowed to Wang Sheng. Though his fighting spirit had yet to dissipate, he turned and walked back the way he came.

"Pfft. With skills like that, he still dared challenge Brother Sheng? He even refused to admit defeat after losing," Shi Qianzhang sarcastically remarked from the sidelines. "How shameless. As cultivators of the Hua Republic's Daoist sects, I cannot help but feel utterly ashamed."

Huai Jing sighed softly. "Don't say that. That wasn't a refusal to admit defeat. It's a show of his unyielding spirit—his refusal to bow no matter the odds."

"You do make a fair point, but we'd best not follow that example, lest we get expelled from our sects."

Their back-and-forth sounded almost like a crosstalk performance.

Several interpreters hesitated for a moment, but they still dutifully relayed the remarks. The Sakura Island delegation turned gloomy, while the other two delegations found the situation quite amusing.

"Mind your manners," Qing Yanzi chided. He then cupped his hands politely toward the Sakura Island delegation. "I apologize for my young disciple's unruly behavior. I hope you don't take it to heart. As our guests, you all deserve nothing less than the great Hua Republic's fullest magnanimity. Now then, my disciple has won this bout by sheer luck. Shall we continue?"

Wang Sheng stood with his sword, calm and steady as ever.

Just then, a blonde girl crisply shouted out a few lines in a language that sounded lofty and foreign. Although Wang Sheng had passed College English Level 4 in his past life, he still couldn't understand a word.

Donning a light-colored set of chainmail that outlined her graceful figure perfectly, the young Gelan lady who had just stood up strode into the arena, carrying a knight's greatsword in her hand.

The lady wasn't that tall. Her golden hair was tied in a ponytail, and her fair complexion bore the natural advantage of her homeland. Standing a dozen meters away, she cupped her fists and made a decent show of Daoist etiquette.

When in Rome, do as the Romans do.

Wang Sheng returned the gesture and once again stepped back a few paces away from the center of the field.

An interpreter immediately approached. "Please allow me to face you. Your sublime swordsmanship is so different from our pursuit of raw power and speed. It's truly thrilling."

Wang Sheng replied, "Well then, shall we?"

He lightly flicked his sword and let his aura slowly rise, this time adding an extra twenty percent of power.

The girl before him looked quite young, and the cultivation path she followed was vastly different from the Daoist orthodox tradition. It seemed to emphasize physical training, leaning toward one of the more extreme external refinement approaches found in the cultivation world.

Nevertheless, at that moment, Wang Sheng sensed that her strength was roughly equivalent to those at the late-stage Seed Formation Realm.

Judging from the overall level of cultivators from the various countries, Gelan had clearly sent out some of their top-tier talents. Among them was even an older man whose cultivation Wang Sheng could not discern. Nevertheless, Wang Sheng's master had knocked that same man unconscious with a single slap.

"Siri Shelley," the female knight shouted.

That didn't require interpretation. Wang Sheng could at least recognize a name.

"Wang Sheng."

He had barely finished saying his name when the ponytailed knight girl suddenly yelled, "Ha!"

Golden light burst from her chainmail as she held her greatsword upright in front of her. The blade radiated a dazzling golden glow.

Wang Sheng remained composed the entire time. Though her aura looked impressive, she was merely channeling a unique force within her. He even found himself idly wondering where these foreign cultivation systems had originated from.

Seeing this, Huai Jing couldn't help but murmur under his breath, "That's quite the buff she's got going... Perhaps that's a combat-enhancing chainmail?"

Before he was done, the female knight had raised her greatsword high over her head. The golden light surged three meters into the air, forming a massive sword shape, as she charged at Wang Sheng.

She shouted a few words, and the interpreter on the sidelines quickly yelled in Mandarin, "Valoran's Sword of Justice, upholder of righteousness!"

Wang Sheng almost burst out laughing.

This overly dramatic blonde... Ahem, this valiant female knight can definitely run fast, but her footwork is unrefined at best.

If Wang Sheng had used the Seven-Star Footwork, she couldn't have even touched the hem of his robe with her greatsword. In this kind of setting and against this kind of opponent, he didn't want to rely on evasive movement to claim victory. He was confident that he could win against her head-on.

He shrouded his nameless treasured sword in true essence. With a light tap of his foot, Wang Sheng shot forward like an arrow released from a bow. Once again, he had chosen direct confrontation.

With fierce and thunderous momentum, the female knight swung her weapon down at him with all her might. Wang Sheng flicked his greatsword upward, its blade flashing with true essence that had a soft golden hue. The Pure Yang Immortal Mantra, which usually felt as warm and gentle as sunlight, now revealed overwhelming strength and dominance.

Clang!

A loud crash echoed through the arena. The blonde girl's greatsword flew from her hands as she stumbled backward, landing hard on the ground.

Astonishment filled the girl's delicate face as she looked up at the young Daoist priest from this mysterious country.

The greatsword that she had just lost flew high into the air, spinning as it descended toward the Sakura Island delegation. Wang Sheng raised his left hand and lightly grasped, making the sword instantly fly back to him.

Wang Sheng caught the knight's greatsword and held it out to her. The female knight blinked as her cheeks flushed. After quickly standing up and rushing over to retrieve her sword, she gave Wang Sheng a thumbs-up and said something in her native tongue.

An interpreter on the sidelines immediately relayed, "You have my respect. My strength is far below yours, but one day I will challenge you again, Wang Sheng of the Hua Republic."

Wang Sheng clasped his hands in return. "I'll be waiting."

The female knight looked at him a few more times before hugging her sword and jogging back to her delegation's side. The Gelan delegation welcomed her back with applause. The other three delegations offered sparse but polite clapping as well.

The third challenger—the monk from Jina—stepped into the arena. He had dark skin and was covered in tattoos. The moment he entered the field, a chill wind swept through the crowd. On his arm were two glowing tattoos of venomous black scorpions.

Wang Sheng raised an eyebrow. Though he chose not to comment on Jinta's cultivation methods, his expression grew serious.

The monk gave his name. Wang Sheng responded with his own once more. No matter the opponent, respect had to be shown.

Soon after, the monk slowly breathed in. As he did, the tattoos on his body seemed to come to life. The two scorpions on his back leaped into the air and rapidly expanded, transforming into massive beasts over two meters long and rushing toward Wang Sheng.

So this is Jinta's prowess?

Wang Sheng dared not be careless. He flicked his sword and sent out a few arcs of sword energy, but all they produced were two light clangs. The black scorpions were completely unharmed. Their sharp stingers arched threateningly, ready to strike at him with deadly force.

Something's wrong!

Wang Sheng closed his eyes. Within him, a sword cry rang out. When he opened his eyes again, starlight sparkled within them.

Behind him, nine radiant stars had seemingly appeared. Above them slowly rose a brilliant celestial body, triggering a cascade of stars lighting up around it.

The immense Heavenly Ziwei Sword Momentum overwhelmed the entire arena! Qing Yanzi smiled faintly, while several Daoist masters nearby looked shocked.

During the Immortal Dao Conference, Wang Sheng had only just begun to glimpse the threshold of understanding sword momentum. He couldn't reliably use it. Now, he could summon his own sword momentum at will.

The two black scorpions that had nearly reached him suddenly deflated like punctured balloons, shrinking rapidly until they vanished altogether.

At that moment, Wang Sheng let out a low shout that rang like thunder.

Seemingly struck by lightning, the monk jolted violently. His eyes reflected a starry sky as he trembled uncontrollably.

Wang Sheng took a single step forward, and the stars vanished. The Jinta monk, now drenched in sweat, breathed in deeply. It was as if a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders. With trembling hands, he saluted Wang Sheng.

Aside from the Jinta delegation and a few cultivators with deeper cultivation realms, most of the others in the audience looked utterly confused.

All they had seen was Wang Sheng swing his sword and kick up some dust. They had felt a sudden burst of pressure from him, but beyond that, they had no idea what had just happened.

Seeing Shi Qianzhang and Liu Yunzhi's blank expressions, Huai Jing whispered, "Jinta cultivators specialize in illusion arts. It was mentioned in the materials."

The two men could only smile in embarrassment.

Now standing in the middle of the arena, Wang Sheng looked at his master.

Qing Yanzi smiled. "Come back."

"Yes, Master," Wang Sheng responded respectfully. He summoned the scabbard that he had stuck in the ground and slowly sheathed his sword. Afterward, he walked over and stood behind the Daoist masters.

He had completed one full round, winning all three matches. While the third bout wasn't particularly exciting, the other two were considered beautiful victories.

Meeting his senior sister's gaze, Mu Wanxuan smiled in delight. She raised her thumb and wagged it playfully. Wang Sheng smiled gently in return and sat down beside her in one of the armchairs.

Heng Chu of Mount Lao asked, "Should we now have each of the three delegations send out one representative?"

"No need," Qing Yanzi replied. "Our guests have come from afar to exchange insights with our Hua Republic cultivators. How about this: the five young disciples behind me are open to challenges. Each delegation may choose any one of them to spar with. What do you think?"

The other Daoist masters nodded in agreement. The five young cultivators standing behind them immediately focused and prepared themselves. Seven or eight members from the foreign delegations stood up at once.

However, before any of them could speak, Shi Qianzhang suddenly shouted, "Wait! Daoist Master Bu Yan! Can I introduce myself first?"

Qing Yanzi chuckled. "Of course."

A Daoist master from Mount Gezao glared at Shi Qianzhang, clearly worried that he would start some kind of trouble again.

Unfortunately, even though they were from one of the three talisman sects, no one outside of the Longhu Mountains had quite mastered the art of controlling this particular troublemaker.