Steadily becoming a saint, the immortal officials hired me to tend the horses

On the Combat Arena,

Li Ya, dressed in black, slowly took out the North Sea Heavy Sword from his back. His expression was cold and stern, his gaze set on the figure more than a hundred zhang away, his eyes brimming with the desire to fight.

His opponent was none other than An Hao.

An Hao stood tall and straight, dressed in luxurious blue clothes with a gold-threaded, purple-based belt, his long hair coiled under a silver crown inlaid with a Golden Phoenix. He fiddled with his wrist guard, equally exquisite. A gentle breeze tousled the black hair on the sides of his cheeks, his smile radiantly confident.

He slightly raised his chin, looking down at Li Ya with a laugh, "In the past, you've relied solely on the weight of your sword to defeat your enemies. This time, your opponent is me; don't even think about holding back any strength."

Li Ya asked, "An Hao, how old are you this year?"

An Hao answered, "Forty, what of it?"

A forty-year-old at the Elixir Formation Realm's ninth layer...

Li Ya fell silent, feeling envious just from hearing it.

He took a deep breath, lifted the North Sea Heavy Sword, and declared, "Then let me see the might of the Supreme Sect's number one genius!"

As his words fell, he took a step forward, closing in on An Hao in three steps, and swung his sword, the hefty North Sea Heavy Sword stirring up a strong gust.

An Hao used two fingers of his right hand as a sword, sending out Sword Qi from his fingertips to deflect and parry Li Ya's sword moves.

The flash of swords and the overflow of Sword Qi intertwined as their figures crossed — a fierce and swift battle unfolding, eliciting waves of cheers from the Outer City below.

Gu An stood on the roof, looking up at the battle.

Wu Jue suddenly joined him, gazing together at the light screen in the sky, commenting with a sense of admiration, "These two are quite impressive."

"Of course, they are celebrated talents of the Supreme Sect, after all," Gu An responded.

Both An Hao and Li Ya were at the Elixir Formation Realm, but the battle they showed far surpassed that of other talents at the same realm.

Li Ya wielded tremendous power, his moves carrying a wild momentum as if he could split mountains and sever rivers.

An Hao was light and graceful, facing Li Ya's sword techniques with ease.

They moved rapidly, so fast that the majority of the disciples within the Outer Sect couldn't keep up with their speed, only catching glimpses of their whereabouts through the flashes of their swords.

Clang!

An Hao flipped over, wielding his arm, his Sword Qi forcing Li Ya's legs to bend and the North Sea Heavy Sword atop his head to tremble — a testament to An Hao's significant strength.

Li Ya hadn't anticipated that An Hao would match the force of someone who had taken the Dragon Image Divine Primordial, leaving him feeling immense pressure.

Boom!

A terrifying Sword Intent erupted, sending An Hao flying. An Hao somersaulted in the air and landed steadily a hundred zhang away.

An Hao looked at Li Ya in surprise but then his face broke into a wild smile.

The watching light screen was capable of transmitting part of the combat's oppressive force, enabling the audience to realize the battle was genuine. Therefore, as Li Ya's Sword Intent was unleashed, the whole Supreme Sect was electrified.

"That's Sword Venerable Fudao's Sword Intent!"

"Li Ya actually received the inheritance of Sword Venerable Fudao?"

"I've spent several days at the Heavenly Repair Platform; that's definitely Sword Venerable Fudao's Sword Intent!"

"Li Ya is so impressive, I never thought he'd be the strongest among the royal offspring!"

"He's even more formidable than his sister Li Xuanyu!"

Gu An's city was also caught in a chorus of shock, as Li Ya's use of the Taicang Divine-Shocking Sword amazed countless people.

Wu Jue, feeling the force of the Sword Intent expressed his admiration, "That's incredibly powerful. I feel like it won't be easy to defeat him."

Gu An glanced at him.

Just not that easy?

Li Ya, surrounded by Sword Intent, stood up straight. He raised his sword pointing it from afar at An Hao, his black hair whipping wildly, his black robe fluttering noisily, his aura drastically changing, his face so stern.

"The battle is just beginning now."

Li Ya stated coldly, not having expected to be forced to use the Taicang Divine-Shocking Sword so early on. He could only blame his bad luck for facing An Hao ahead of time.

Now that the Taicang Divine-Shocking Sword had been employed, he felt the battle could end.

Even if An Hao had not yet used his powerful spells, no spell could compare to the Taicang Divine-Shocking Sword.

An Hao had comprehended Sword Intent before, but the news had been sealed. Li Ya, who had been away for many years, was oblivious to An Hao's combat methods.

However, seeing An Hao laughing left Li Ya quite puzzled.

Has this guy gone mad?

An Hao patted his clothes, his mouth curving upward.

Boom!

An overwhelming Sword Intent, far surpassing Li Ya's, exploded, causing the entire valley to shake. The fierce Sword Qi above An Hao's head condensed into a colossal face, looking down at Li Ya.

Before this giant face of Sword Qi, Li Ya seemed so insignificant, his own Sword Qi practically inconsequential.

"How is this possible! How do you also know the Taicang Divine-Shocking Sword?"

Li Ya exclaimed, his face showing disbelief.

The Inner Sect was also filled with countless exclamations; An Hao had also received the inheritance of Sword Venerable Fudao!

Ghost Mother of Ephemera stood on the Heavenly Repair Platform, her eyes fixed on the screen above, her brows tightly knitted, revealing a look of shock.

The Taicang Divine-Shocking Sword, hidden from the Mortal World for thousands of years, had re-emerged, and suddenly three inheritors appeared?

The Ghost Mother of Ephemera, well aware of the Taicang Divine-Shocking Sword's origins, was startled and her reverence for Sword Venerable Fudao deepened.

She could tell that these two were able to wield the Taicang Divine-Shocking Sword surely because of their connection with Sword Venerable Fudao.

Within the light screen,

An Hao soared, gazing down at Li Ya from on high, with a laugh saying, "Since we're both students of the same mentor, let's see whose Sword Intent is stronger!"

He raised his right hand, with the palm facing Li Ya, and the smile on his face disappeared.

When Li Ya executed the Taicang Divine-Shocking Sword, he felt a kinship with Li Ya and identified him as a fellow disciple of their master.

But even between brothers, he would not show mercy.

He, An Hao, was born to be the strongest!

All his opponents must submit at his feet!

An Hao's gaze intensified, the giant sword qi visage widened its eyes, and countless shadows of swords swept out like a galaxy, with an overwhelming momentum that was unstoppable.

Li Ya's hands clutched his sword as he lifted it to strike, showcasing the strongest sword move he knew.

He clenched his teeth, his face contorted, roaring in his heart, "I cannot lose!"

The two waves of sword intent collided, with sword light enveloping the entire city.

Wu Jue's face was illuminated by the sword light, and he was momentarily spellbound.

"An Hao is so strong, I'm no match for him..." Wu Jue muttered to himself.

If his opponent were Li Ya, he would still have some confidence, but An Hao's strength left him utterly disheartened.

Gu An watched the battle expressionlessly.

He was pleased with the progress of An Hao and Li Ya, but the imminent serious injury to Li Ya made it hard for him to feel happy.

He even suspected that Lv Baitian had arranged this on purpose. Lv Baitian had always been displeased with Li Xuandao, so did he arrange for An Hao to target Li Xuandao's most beloved son?

No matter what, Li Ya's journey ended here, unable to even break into the top five hundred.

A few moments later, the sword's might dissipated.

The ground shattered, and Li Ya, covered in blood, lay on the ground, his black clothes torn and no longer having the strength to stand up.

"The winner is An Hao from the Supreme Sect of the Taicang Dynasty!"

When the Elder announced the result, the entire city was exhilarated, marveling at An Hao's strength.

Previously, An Hao had never used such a powerful sword move but always easily defeated his enemies. This time, everyone saw just how astonishing An Hao's sword qi and Spiritual Power were; he seemed not just an Elixir Formation Realm cultivator but could easily pass for someone in the Nascent Soul Realm.

Gu An looked towards Wu Jue and said, "If you encounter An Hao, don't try to take him head-on."

Within their realm, whoever faced An Hao was bound to be eliminated.

Even Wu Jue, who had experienced Path Enlightenment multiple times, was no exception.

Looking at all the cultivators present, probably only Gu An could defeat An Hao, but he had no intention to do so, and Lv Baitian would not allow him to face An Hao either.

"You too," Wu Jue said, his voice low.

Gu An smiled; this kid was quite interesting.

...

The news of An Hao's inheritance from Sword Venerable Fudao spread like a whirlwind across the Immortal Cultivation World. As for the defeated Li Ya, many believed he had gained Sword Intent on the Heavenly Repair Platform rather than being the true inheritor of Sword Venerable Fudao. His Sword Intent was far inferior to An Hao's even though both used the Taicang Divine-Shocking Sword.

An Hao's fame skyrocketed while Li Ya was quickly forgotten.

After his defeat, Li Ya did not seek out Gu An, probably recovering from his injuries in seclusion within his cave.

Ten days later.

Inside Tianya Valley, Gu An met Li Xuandao.

Li Xuandao waved at him from a distance, and he immediately went over.

Lv Xian, Yi Liuyun, and Luo Hun were also seated around a table. Seeing Gu An coming over, Luo Hun considerately got up to offer his seat.

"How is Li Ya doing?" Li Xuandao asked with a chuckle, seemingly not distressed by Li Ya's defeat.

Gu An noticed that his Cultivation Level had risen again, already at the third layer of the Void Crossing Realm.

To be honest, Gu An was quite curious to see Li Xuandao competing in the Golden List; he felt that Li Xuandao could make it into the top ten.

Li Xuandao was not yet three hundred years old and eligible to compete in the Golden List. Being at the third layer of the Void Crossing Realm before three hundred, he was definitely one of the top geniuses in the world.

"I'm not sure, he hasn't come to me," Gu An replied.

Li Xuandao mused, "Losing to An Hao is not a disgrace; An Hao's reputation has spread to the other eight dynasties, and everyone acknowledges his talent."

Not to mention his strength, An Hao's rapid breakthroughs alone left him unparalleled.

Jiang Qiong reached Core Formation at forty and considered herself extraordinarily gifted. At forty, An Hao was already at the threshold of Nascent Soul Formation. He delayed only because of the Golden List.

An Hao at Nascent Soul Realm level one, facing a Nascent Soul Realm level nine genius, would likely have a huge expenditure even if he could win. But if the opponent were brought down to his level, Core Formation Realm level nine, there would be no doubt about the outcome.

Gu An nodded and said, "An Hao is indeed powerful, Senior Brother Li just had bad luck."

Lv Xian snorted, "No matter, I will avenge Li Ya."

He had participated in three Combat events, and no one had lasted more than ten moves against him.

Li Xuandao looked at Gu An and said, "I have sent your disciple Ye Yan to the Three Pure Ones Mountain of the Chentang Dynasty for training. When he comes back, he will surely be transformed."

Ye Yan?

Gu An remembered that disciple who always held a spear and was surprised he had such a fortune.

Of course, he also understood that Li Xuandao was hinting at something; without his arrangements, Ye Yan would certainly not have had this opportunity.

"Thank you, Uncle," Gu An immediately said.

Li Xuandao then said, "Tell me, if I can win over Sword Venerable Fudao, could I firmly secure my throne?"

Gu An replied, "Even without him, you could hold it firmly."

Hearing this, Li Xuandao laughed out loud.

Yi Liuyun and Lv Xian didn't laugh; they shared the same opinion.

Li Xuandao's expression turned serious and said, "I already know who Sword Venerable Fudao is."