81: Reputation, Apprenticeship

"Bang! Clang! Boom!"

On the summit of Zijin Mountain, the battle continued.

Sword light flickered like shadows, cutting through the autumn frost.

Fists and claws raged, and fierce winds tore through the snow.

The onlookers were utterly dazzled.

The slight power revealed by the two cleared the summit of rocks and debris.

The martial artists who were originally close to the peak were gradually forced down to the mountainside.

Even so, the massive gullies left by each punch and sword strike were incredibly terrifying.

If they were like this, one could only imagine the participants in the battle.

At first, due to the gap in raw strength, Qin Chuan was almost completely suppressed by Yang Shengong.

But as he adapted to the opponent's attack rhythm, he displayed astonishing resilience.

Not only did he not collapse under high pressure, but he fought with increasing ferocity.

To Yang Shengong's shock, he was fighting him blow for blow.

The result of this fight not only shocked the surrounding people, but also made Yang Shengong inwardly miserable.

He regretted more than once accepting this challenge.

Unfortunately, there was no regret medicine for him to take in this world.

He secretly hardened his resolve again—

Heavenly Peng Soaring!

In an instant, a gigantic phantom appeared on the summit, the divine bird's gaze disdainful, overlooking the entire Zijin Mountain.

The people on the mountain felt a chill down their necks, as if they would be pierced through by this great peng in the next second.

At the same time, Qin Chuan's spirit also tensed up.

He knew—this was the final wave!

If he could block it, everything else would be fine; if not...

Just then, Yang Shengong suddenly spoke in a clear voice.

"Young friend is indeed extraordinary, no one among the younger generation in the world can surpass him. Let's stop here today. If you still wish to spar with me, you can come to the Mountain and River Alliance to find me."

With that said, with the cries of eagles and falcons, his figure was no longer on the summit.

The onlookers from the martial world: ???

Qin Chuan: ???

He stood stunned on the summit for a moment before realizing—

This person, he ran away?

Damn it!

Have some shame!

You are a top Human Martial Saint in the world, how can you just leave a harsh remark and run away? What kind of behavior is that?

Helplessly glancing at the empty platform around him, he finally understood what it meant to truly draw his sword and feel lost.

Although the initial goal was achieved, still...

To end it so anticlimactically?

He was unwilling.

He immediately did not rush to retract his frost sword, but stood holding his sword in place.

Just as everyone wondered what he was going to do, they heard Qin Chuan say in a clear voice.

"Today's battle with Senior Yang has been very fruitful. As a parting gift, I'll give everyone a sword strike."

With that said, the frost sword instantly vanished from everyone's sight.

An inexplicable extreme cold permeated everyone's bones.

The air across the entire summit became empty, and specks of hoarfrost fell from mid-air.

As the sword shadow flickered and appeared, finally—

A giant ice orchid flower, occupying the entire summit platform, appeared.

"This is... A Single Thought Blooms!"

With that said, the person disappeared.

Only those martial artists remained, staring dumbfounded at the scene before them.

From then on, the name 'Wang Shaosheng' spread like wildfire.

Chen Manor.

Qin Chuan once again immersed the 'Wang Xuan' persona into the bamboo forest stream, allowing him to slowly recover.

He himself was deep in thought, recalling the battle just now.

Undoubtedly, he had achieved his goal in this battle.

After the public opinion selection, coupled with the battle against Yang Shengong.

The 'Wang Xuan' brand was completely established!

It was just that this process—

He never expected Yang Shengong to value his reputation to such an extent.

Seeing that the situation was unfavorable, he immediately ran away.

If it had continued, who knows who would have won.

Through this, he could roughly estimate the strength of the Five Sages.

Judging by Yang Shengong's demeanor, even if he was the weakest among the Five Sages, his three-dimensional attributes should all exceed the 50 mark.

In this battle, Wang Xuan was at a disadvantage against Yang Shengong, let alone those other people.

However, this also indicated a problem—

The Five Sages are not invincible.

They can be replaced!

The only thing to be concerned about was whether the final show he put on before leaving would be useful.

That ice lotus should also cause some heated discussion.

As for why it was called 'A Single Thought Blooms'?

Well, it was purely because it sounded good.

In the following days, it was exactly as Qin Chuan expected.

The events of the battle on Zijin Mountain spread throughout the entire Great Zhou martial world at the fastest speed.

Everyone marveled at the name of Wang Xuan and praised Chen Chuan's foresight.

Even the officials in the imperial court had heard about it.

In the martial world, many even clamored for the Five Sages to be changed to Six Sages.

Among them, the disciples of the Mountain and River Alliance were the most vocal.

This was not difficult to understand.

Only by hyping Wang Xuan's strength would their Alliance Leader not seem so disgraced.

As for whether Yang Shengong had instructed this, it was unknown.

However, Qin Chuan had pushed all these things to the back of his mind.

Seeing that the 'Human Martial Saint' life goal was about to completely complete one stage.

The second stage of 'Sage Teacher' had already been completed, and the third stage was not something to consider for now.

Both of these reincarnation characters needed to enter a long period of growth.

Chen Chuan needed to enter the Hanlin Academy to cultivate his reputation... or to accumulate seniority.

—There was no other way, this was a common practice everywhere, let alone in the Great Zhou, a world where the hierarchy of heaven, earth, sovereign, parent, and teacher was prevalent.

Wang Xuan's rapid growth period had passed, and having realized the gap between himself and the Five Sages, he now needed a long time to grow.

Coupled with his concern for the situation in the Main World, it was time to go back.

—But before leaving, there was one important matter.

Apprenticeship!

This day, early in the morning, the entire Wang Manor was decorated with lanterns and streamers.

All sorts of rare and precious items were brought out to make a grand display.

—In the past, these things were always kept tightly hidden by Wang Zhongshu, for fear of being taken by his unreliable disciple.

Today, he had truly gone all out.

"Duke of Lu arrives!"

"Secretary Li arrives!"

"Patron Cui arrives!"

Guests arrived in full, taking their seats inside.

Today, they were all here to witness the ceremony.

Regardless of their usual relations in the imperial court, Wang Zhongshu had naturally invited them, and they had to give him this face no matter what.

Thus, the first half consisted of imperial court officials.

Each person, upon entering the Wang Manor, offered a gift, said a few auspicious words, and was then ushered in.

Before long, most of the guests had arrived, and the truly important figures began to appear one by one.

"Crazy Chu arrives!"

"Inspector arrives!"

These individuals were personally welcomed in by Wang Zhongshu.

Even the Empress had sent someone with a congratulatory gift.

Following this, it was time for today's main character to appear.

'Chen Chuan', dressed in scholarly robes, familiarly arrived at the entrance of the Wang Manor.

Wang Zhongshu watched him with a smile from inside.

But soon, his smile vanished.

He clearly saw that beside his disciple was a familiar young man carrying a sword.

That was—Wang Xuan.

The two faced each other!

Silence!