Chapter 548: Hidden Treasure Pavilion
Twelve of the Elders’ Assembly’s elite elders gathered on a high platform. They did not wish to miss this duel, either.
Now, Xiao Chen and Murong Chong seemed to be stronger than many of them. They were even stronger than some of the elders.
An elder with small eyes sighed softly and said, “I am really getting old. Perhaps only in this budding era of geniuses would genius cultivators grow this fast. Unfortunately, we are old already. We are destined to only be spectators.”
“Ha ha! We can only be spectators. A new era of geniuses might not be a bad thing. Life will be interesting at least.”
“Indeed. Now, two genius cultivators have emerged from our Heavenly Saber Pavilion. Considering the bigger picture, there should be many more genius cultivators. When they all grow up, the era of geniuses would truly be upon us. I wonder, what kind of glorious scene will we see?”
The First Elder, Jiang Chi, smiled faintly and said, “What is the point of saying all this? Anyway, these two great geniuses agreed to fight for our Heavenly Saber Pavilion. By then, our Luck will increase. Our Heavenly Saber Pavilion will only rise in this struggle.”
“Xiu! Xiu!”
Two vague figures flew over from the east and west of the drill grounds. They were very fast, arriving at the drill grounds in the blink of an eye.
“They are here! Murong Chong and Xiao Chen are here!”
When the two people that everyone in the spectator stands were waiting for arrived, the crowd immediately grew more excited.
When Murong Chong looked at the surroundings, he recalled the scene from two years ago. The scene then was exactly the same as today.
The spectator stands then had been completely filled and everyone excited. Originally, he had come in full glory, intending to take over Qingyun Peak in one fell swoop. Unfortunately, he had failed.
Two years later, when Murong Chong saw this scene again, he could not help but feel regret.
Murong Chong’s heart was filled with hope for victory. He stared at Xiao Chen with a sharp gaze and said in a clear voice, “Xiao Chen, we will decide victory with one move!”
“As you wish!”
The two placed their right hands on their saber’s hilt at the same time. Boundless aura, state, and saber intent started gathering quickly.
Murong Chong unleashed his state of wind and state of cloud. A strong wind blew behind him, kicking up a boundless cloud of dust. White clouds churned above him without end.
Winds blew and clouds churned. The sky changed colors.
Xiao Chen unleashed his state of massacre and state of thunder. Dark clouds covered the sky and thunder rumbled, resounding throughout the place. The crowd’s ears were stunned, causing them to hear buzzing sounds.
A scarlet light spread wildly behind Xiao Chen. That was the state of massacre fanning out.
Although the two’s powerful states caused heaven and earth to change drastically, they had not drawn their sabers yet. These auras they unleashed before the great battle caused everyone hold their breath; they did not even dare to breathe.
“Qiang! Qiang!”
Two resonant trembling sounds suddenly rang out. Murong Chong and Xiao Chen drew their weapons at the same time. The saber intents that they had been brewing up were suddenly unleashed.
Their sabers trembled as the saber intent spread quickly and endlessly. The sabers of the thousands of cultivators immediately trembled, as if they would come unsheathed at any moment.
“Xiu!”
The two of them moved as fast as lightning. The Lunar Shadow Saber and the scarlet saber in Murong Chong’s hand flew out of the two’s grips at the same time, the blades spinning as they headed for each other.
“Hu chi! Hu chi!”
The two sabers flared. As they moved, they both released a resplendent light, and cracks appeared in the ground.
The thousands of cultivators all cried out. When the two saber intents clashed, the sabers of the crowd could not longer be restrained; they all flew into the sky.
Thousands of sabers clashed in midair, controlled by Xiao Chen’s and Murong Chong’s weapons. The sabers clattered and clanged when they clashed; it was a spectacular sight to behold.
However, no one was looking above. They only stared at the two spinning sabers without blinking.
The sabers flew very fast. If the crowd raised their heads to look elsewhere, the victory might be decided in that instant.
“Dang!”
While thousands watched, the two sabers with vast auras finally clashed. The fissures on the ground also collided.
“Ka ca!”
The entire drill grounds instantly cracked in half, astonishing the crowd in the spectator stands. Even the elders on the platform could no longer sit still.
“They are too strong. The genius cultivators are more than we imagined.”
However, a huge smile filled Jiang Chi’s face. He did not mind that the two were stronger than him. He shouted, “Good! No matter who wins, with their strength, our Heavenly Saber Pavilion is destined to gain glory in the upcoming Five Nation Youth Competition!”
“Pu ci!” The proud Murong Chong paled and vomited a large mouthful of blood.
A crack appeared on the scarlet saber that belonged to Murong Chong when it clashed with the Lunar Shadow Saber.
“Wu! Wu!”
Only a pitch-black saber remained, slowly spinning in the air.
The thousands of sabers following the Lunar Shadow Saber in the air buzzed loudly, like they were declaring to the crowd who was the true king of sabers.
Whose saber could truly lead the thousands of sabers to become the king of all sabers!
Xiao Chen waved his hand and the spinning Lunar Shadow Saber turned into a beam of light as it returned to its scabbard. After losing the support of saber intent, the thousands of sabers buzzing in the sky fell like petals tossed out by an angel.
The vast drill grounds regained its calm. The strong winds stopped and the dust settled. Thunder stopped rumbling and the blazing sun shone once more.
Only the kilometer-long crack that split the drill grounds remained, telling the story of the earlier wild scene.
“Saber intent, two states at their limits, and an aura that comes close to that of a Martial Monarch—these two people are no ordinary half-step Martial Monarchs.”
Up on the platform, First Elder Jiang Chi said in a deep voice, “I have to reevaluate the strength of these two. Second Elder, lead some people to Murong Chong to communicate with him. Give him the best treatment of a genius. I will speak to Xiao Chen personally.”
The remaining elders exchanged looks. They saw shock in one another’s eyes. Give Murong Chong the best treatment of a genius? In that case, does that mean that Xiao Chen’s treatment is even better? Maybe the equivalent of the next Pavilion Master?
“Don’t just stand there. Quickly, go and do what I said. This involves the great matters of our Heavenly Saber Pavilion. If anyone makes a mistake, they can forget about keeping their position in the Elders’ Assembly.”
Jiang Chi snorted coldly and berated the elders with a harsh tone when he did not see them moving.
The Second Elder did not dare to tarry. He hurriedly said, “On my way! I’m on my way!”
Fifteen minutes later, Xiao Chen, who was prepared to fly off, received a message from a young disciple that the First Elder was waiting for him at the Hidden Treasure Pavilion.
The Hidden Treasure Pavilion was where the Heavenly Saber Pavilion stored the wealth it had accumulated over the many years. There were Cultivation Techniques, secret manuals, Spirit Weapons, Battle Armor, Spirit Stones and all sorts of natural treasures. Everything that was needed were all present.
With the Heavenly Saber Pavilion’s current strength, their savings would not be as much as the other great sects. It was no match for even the Great Jin Nation’s Heavenly Sword Gate where Ding Fengchou was from and the Great Xia Nation’s Thousand Sword Pavilion where Xia Xiyan came from, not to mention the Supreme Sky Sect and the other great sects of the Great Jin Nation.
Compared to them, the Heavenly Saber Pavilion was clearly inferior.
However, regardless of the situation, the savings of a sect would be something that Xiao Chen would sigh at when he saw them.
Since First Elder Jiang Chi was bringing Xiao Chen to the Hidden Treasure Pavilion, it was clear that the First Elder had a new understanding of Xiao Chen’s strength and was trying to rope him back in.
Xiao Chen understood this principle. However, he still felt it was strange. After all, the First Elder seemed to be putting in too much effort.
Xiao Chen had already agreed to fight for the Heavenly Saber Pavilion. He had also already received ten thousand Superior Grade Spirit Stones. What else did the First Elder have to worry about? There was no more need to give him any further benefits.
Carrying that suspicion in his heart, Xiao Chen followed that young disciple to the Hidden Treasure Pavilion.
The Hidden Treasure Pavilion of any sect was a very important place. Naturally, it would be heavily guarded.
Along the way, at the many turns Xiao Chen passed, there were elite disciples of the Divine Saber Camp. There were even warships patrolling in the sky.
When Xiao Chen reached the Hidden Treasure Pavilion, he could feel a powerful Martial Monarch’s aura. That should be one of the Heavenly Saber Pavilion’s Supreme Elders.
Such heavy protection showed how important this Hidden Treasure Pavilion was to the Heavenly Saber Pavilion.
The First Elder, Jiang Chi, had been waiting at the door for quite a long time. He waved his hand to dismiss the disciple that led Xiao Chen here. Then, he walked over to Xiao Chen with a big smile on his face. “Ha ha! Xiao Chen, you should know why I brought you here.”
Xiao Chen nodded to indicate he understood.
Smiling, Jiang Chi said, “The strength that you and Murong Chong displayed far surpassed my expectations. The two of you have comprehended saber intent and also two different states each. Furthermore, you two have comprehended your states to their limits. The next step would be will.
“However, I favor you more. Do you know why?”
Jiang Chi proceeded to answer his own question. “This is because you have climbed to the eighth floor of the Ancient Desolate Tower. That itself represents a type of Luck. By returning to the Heavenly Saber Pavilion, you have unknowingly influenced the Heavenly Saber Pavilion. Naturally, that was a good influence.
“Alright, enough nonsense. Come with me!”
Jiang Chi looked up at the top floor and had a simple communication with the Supreme Elder there. Then, the wooden doors with formations drawn on it unlocked and opened with a ‘click.’
On the first floor, a dazzling sight filled Xiao Chen’s eyes. The glitter dazed him and made him dizzy.
However, when Xiao Chen looked carefully, he realized that they were all items of the mundane world. There were gold, silver, pearls, jade, Night Pearls, and precious gems.
If a regular person picked up any item here, they would be able to live the rest of their life in luxury. However, none of these caught Xiao Chen’s and Jiang Chi’s attention. They did not bother giving these items a second look before heading to the second floor.
The items on the second floor started to look interesting. There were Spirit Weapons, secret manuals, and Inferior Grade Spirit Stones.
Like before, Jiang Chi did not even bother looking at these items. This was because he knew that Xiao Chen would not care for these items, either.
The two continued going up, passing the third floor, then the fourth floor. The items that Xiao Chen saw started to interest him.
However, Jiang Chi did not stop walking; he merely continued climbing up. They reached the seventh floor before they stopped. If they went up another floor, they would be at the top floor of the Hidden Treasure Pavilion.
“I can only bring you this far. Even I do not have the right to go up one more floor. As for Murong Chong, I can only bring him to the sixth floor, but you can come to the seventh,” Jiang Chi said softly as he smiled.