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After a while, the group discussed the matter and settled on a general strategy. Tuoba Buer personally took two Guardians and headed to the Nanyue Sect's mountain gate.
The others sent off Tuoba Buer but did not disperse. Instead, they returned to their seats and began discussing the person from the Heavenly Shadow Sect. Xunuo listened intently and soon understood the background of the situation.
It turned out that the person currently residing at the Nanyue Sect was named Yang Xinpeng, a Guardian of the Heavenly Shadow Sect. This Guardian did not come to the Nanyue Sect for no reason; he had been searching for the White-Clad Beautiful Youth, Tuoba Buer's only son, tracking down the whereabouts of both master and disciple.
The two had secretly descended the mountain to seek revenge, unbeknownst to the Heavenly Shadow Sect. However, as time passed, it drew the attention of the sect, especially since the White-Clad Beautiful Youth was a martial arts prodigy and a key target for cultivation by the Heavenly Shadow Sect. After several attempts to gather information without success, the Heavenly Shadow Sect finally became enraged and dispatched one of its two major Guardians, Yang Xinpeng, to find them—alive or dead.
Yang Xinpeng, known in the Jianghu as Heartpiercer, was renowned for his exceptional swordsmanship, ranking among the top three in the Heavenly Shadow Sect. He followed leads until he reached Qifang Ancient City, where he lost track of them.
Naturally, Yang Xinpeng did not believe that the master and disciple had met with foul play; he thought it more likely that the young man missed home and returned for a visit. Thus, he arrived at Nanyue Sect to inquire about their whereabouts.
To his surprise, not only did he find no news of them, but it also provoked Tuoba Buer's displeasure. His only son had been missing for nearly two years, and now someone came to report this—it nearly sent Tuoba Buer into a rage.
At this moment, Yang Xinpeng began to sense that things were not going well. He hurriedly sent word back to the Heavenly Shadow Sect while remaining at Nanyue Sect to cast a wide net in search of their whereabouts. However, he unexpectedly became embroiled in the Three Factions Sword Debate incident at Nanyue Sect.
Yang Xinpeng's swordsmanship had surpassed ordinary techniques like Pan Li. The standard technique known as One Sword, Seven Flowers was already at its limit; it was akin to One Flower, Five Points in principle. To advance further required a qualitative leap through mastering both Ren and Du Meridians. Only a genius with profound comprehension of sword intent could achieve this.
Yang Xinpeng had indeed broken through the limits of One Sword, Seven Flowers and could now execute Seven Flowers, Two Points. In terms of swordsmanship, he was on par with Jiao Nantian, the current leader of Heavenly Shadow Sect. Ten years ago, Jiao Nantian had already demonstrated Seven Flowers and a Half in his techniques; now his swordsmanship had reached an unfathomable level.
However, these elders and Hall Masters of Nanyue Sect could only speculate; none could accurately analyze how advanced Jiao Nantian's swordsmanship had become.
Knowing Heartpiercer Yang Xinpeng's background did not overly concern Xunuo. Although he could not unleash Seven Flowers, Two Points himself, he still possessed numerous means to counter it. The simplest method would be to use One Sword, Seven Flowers in conjunction with One Flower Six Points—this alone would be sufficient to suppress an opponent using Seven Flowers, Two Points. Not to mention that he had techniques beyond One Flower Six Points paired with Seven Star Soul Locking Sword Technique; defeating him would not be difficult.
However, when facing Yang Xinpeng directly, Xunuo needed to be cautious about how to proceed. If he encountered Tuoba Buer and others from Nanyue Sect instead, Xunuo could strike decisively due to his disdain for them.
If he were to kill Yang Xinpeng, it would involve much greater complications. Xunuo would need to reveal even stronger sword techniques in order to do so. This would not only thrust him into the forefront of martial arts conflicts but also position Wuhua Sect against Heavenly Shadow Sect. He would be unable to cultivate in peace and might even struggle to hide his identity—such an outcome would be counterproductive.
The best course of action would be to appear as though he barely managed to win. This way, while it would enhance his reputation significantly, it would prevent him from becoming an enemy of Heavenly Shadow Sect or a target for everyone’s ire.
Having thought this through clearly, Xunuo slowly retracted his Divine Sense and settled down to meditate peacefully.
The next morning, Xunuo and Liu Yunfei arrived at the Arena hand in hand. According to tradition, the sect that had the youngest disciple win the first match would take the stage first, while the other two sects would draw lots to determine their order.
Liu Yunfei was well aware of these rules. After exchanging a nod with Xunuo, he leaped onto the Arena, standing with his sword in hand, waiting for the other two sects to draw lots and establish their order for the challenge.
Moments later, the results of the drawing were announced. Then, a Hall Master from the Pool Water Sect jumped onto the Arena and nodded at Liu Yunfei.
Seeing that it was an elder from the Pool Water Sect, Liu Yunfei quickly cupped his hands in salute and said, "On this Arena, swords and blades have no eyes. I hope you will not hold it against me if I am disrespectful."
The Hall Master of the Pool Water Sect smiled and replied, "If you do not give it your all, that would be disrespectful. No need for formality; I have long heard of Wuhua Sect's rising talent, Liu Yunfei. Today, I shall witness your prowess."
With that, he drew his treasured sword and pointed it at Liu Yunfei from a distance, signaling the start of their duel.
This gesture allowed Liu Yunfei to abandon any hesitation about being the first to strike against an elder and avoid any accusations of disrespecting his superior.
Seeing this, Liu Yunfei drew his sword and executed a swift thrust. The Elder of the Pool Water Sect responded with a flurry of Sword Flowers to meet his attack. Both were practitioners of the One Sword, Five Flowers technique, each showcasing their unique strengths in a balanced contest.
Liu Yunfei sensed that his opponent's strength was not merely superficial; their Inner Strength was profound. If they continued to spar without decisive action, he would not hold an advantage. Thus, he decisively changed tactics and unleashed six bursts of Sword Flowers. The Elder of the Pool Water Sect hurriedly defended but could only muster five and a half bursts in response. This half-flower left him at a disadvantage, forcing him to retreat while defending himself. In no time, he found himself at the edge of the Arena before lightly laughing as he leaped down. He declared loudly, "Indeed, Wuhua Sect's rising star lives up to its reputation; this old man does not feel wronged by this defeat."
With that, he turned and walked away with several Hall Masters from the Pool Water Sect. The members of Nanyue Sect watched this unfold and inwardly cursed the Pool Water Sect for their cunning.
Although everyone knew Liu Yunfei would undoubtedly win this match, the Pool Water Sect's lack of resistance allowed Liu Yunfei to conserve his energy for tomorrow's battle against Nanyue Sect.
The final Three Factions Sword Debate consisted of one match each day in rotation. With nothing else on their agenda for today, Xunuo and Liu Yunfei exchanged farewells and left.
After returning to report today's events to their elders in their sects, Xunuo and Liu Yunfei went their separate ways to rest.
A night passed without incident. The next day, when Liu Yunfei arrived at the Arena, he was taken aback to find himself facing none other than Tuoba Buer, the leader of Nanyue Sect.
Liu Yunfei couldn't believe that Nanyue Sect had sent out Tuoba Buer—one of Nanyue's Three Swords—right from the start. Traditionally, Nanyue Sect would not send their leader into battle first; they often sent Elder Gu as their front-line fighter instead.
Now that Elder Gu was rumored to have fallen in the Great Ten Thousand Mountains, it seemed unlikely that Tuoba Buer would be placed in such a prominent position unless Elder Gu had somehow survived or if Nanyue Sect had produced an even more formidable figure.
Liu Yunfei pondered for a moment before shaking off his thoughts.
Facing Tuoba Buer, although victory was difficult, the pride ingrained in Liu Yunfei's bones left no room for fear or thoughts of surrender.
With a cupped fist salute, Liu Yunfei drew his sword and struck at Tuoba Buer, unleashing the One Sword Six Flowers technique. He cast aside any restraint or subtlety from the previous day.
Tuoba Buer let out a cold shout, "Illegitimate child, how rude."
He met Liu Yunfei's attack head-on, engaging in fierce combat.
Though Tuoba Buer ranked last among the Three Swords of Nanyue, he believed he could easily defeat Liu Yunfei. However, this time, Tuoba Buer sought more than just victory; he aimed to eliminate this thorn in the side of the Nanyue Sect. He intended to slay him on the Arena.
The difference in their swordsmanship was not vast; winning was not difficult, but taking a life required some cunning. Thus, Tuoba Buer held back his sharpness and unleashed a flurry of Liuhua Sword Flowers to keep up with Liu Yunfei.
As a rare swordsmanship genius of Wuhua Sect, despite his youth, Liu Yunfei possessed enough cunning and insight. Noticing Tuoba Buer's ease in handling the situation, he refrained from rushing into an attack. With a cold smirk inwardly, he decided to change tactics first. With a flick of his wrist, the light of his sword transformed as he executed a single point of Liuhua. This thrust forced Tuoba Buer to take a step back.
Unexpectedly, Liu Yunfei pressed on relentlessly with successive strikes of Liuhua's single point technique. In no time, he had pushed Tuoba Buer to one side of the Arena.
Tuoba Buer did not wish to engage in life-and-death combat so soon. His strategy was to first exhaust Liu Yunfei's Inner Strength before delivering a lethal blow. After all, his greatest reliance lay in his deep Inner Strength; he lacked any guaranteed killing techniques in swordsmanship.
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