Volume 1: The True Dragon of Purple Void, Chapter 21: The First Battle to Disperse the Clouds

“What? Did someone really say that? Lingxu, you didn’t hear wrong, did you?” Inside the Heavenly Dao Temple, outside the secret chamber in the rear hall, several elderly Taoists sat there, acting as guardians for someone.
These were the only remaining senior figures in the Heavenly Dao Temple: Qingxiao, Qingyu, Qingchong, Qingtan, Qingmiao, and Qingshan. It was Qingxiao, the leader among them, who spoke.
After hearing Lingxu’s report and what had just happened, everyone present was deeply moved.
“Did he really say, ‘An old friend from a hundred years ago, a bond forged through ten battles’?” Qingchong, dressed in all-black robes and seated slightly behind, asked again to confirm.
Lingxu bowed slightly and answered with certainty. The Taoists in the hall were stunned, their shock evident in their eyes.
After a long while, Qingxiao, the leader, spoke first. He ordered Lingxu and the others to leave and lifted the previous security measures. Only after Lingxu left did he slowly say, “It seems to be that madman from a hundred years ago. As time passed, we were all just novices in the Heavenly Dao Temple, holding positions similar to Lingxu’s now. Who would have thought that in just a blink, only a few of us remain from that group…”
Qingyu took over the conversation. “Sigh, indeed. Time spares no one. But elder brother, if it really is that person from back then, he must be over a hundred years old by now. When our master fought him, at first we thought he was already a famous figure. During the battle, when things turned critical and it seemed he would be hurt by our master, his own master suddenly appeared to save him. From that, we deduced he couldn’t be very old and had no ill intentions. Perhaps he was from some sect or a hermit who brought his disciple here for training—a pure challenge!”
“I still remember those ten battles vividly! That challenger was truly a genius of unparalleled talent. He went from defeat to victory, showing us that there are always those better than us. His master could easily counter our master’s ultimate move with just a swirl of his sleeve, leaving our master in despair. As a result, the Heavenly Dao Temple spent decades refining itself, achieving its current success. Countless young disciples have also achieved greatness—everything seems fate-driven!” said Qingmiao with emotion.
“Yes, who would have thought that person from back then would return this time with his disciple? We get to see his former prowess again. Our Lingji Six-Spin Formation has just reached perfection—we must definitely test it. What do you think, elder brother?” Qingchong asked eagerly.
Qingchong’s words clearly received approval from the others, and eager expressions appeared on their faces.

“If it truly is someone from back then leading his disciple on a training journey, this is a great opportunity for our Tian Dao Temple. Once Yu Ji emerges from seclusion tomorrow, it will be perfect to test him against his successor. As for that person from long ago, we’ll follow your advice…”

Late that night, the mountain top was already filled with people from Tian Dao Temple. The leader wore a black-and-white robe, appeared to be in his sixties, with an air of elegance and spirituality. He carried a green sword on his back and a dust brush in his hand. Standing beside him were the six elders from the temple. It seemed this must be the current head of Tian Dao Temple, Elder Yu Ji.

“Yu Ji, you may go all out in today’s battle. I’m sure you understand the ten battles fought by your master back then. Now that you’ve emerged from seclusion, this is a perfect chance. I hope you’ll seize it to elevate your martial arts to a higher level,” Qing Xiao said.

“Yes, Second Uncle. Yu Ji will take your advice…”

Before he could finish speaking, he was interrupted by clear voices approaching from afar: “Hehe, we hope our friends from Tian Dao Temple can forgive us for making you wait so long, master and disciple…” As the voices spoke, two figures appeared before everyone. Their ability to fly by controlling qi immediately impressed everyone present. Aside from the temple head and elders, only a few experts at the Yu level possessed such skills. But none could reach the level of communicating through voice at the same time.

The confidence of the six elders from Tian Dao Temple began to waver.

TheThe Mad Scholar brought Chu Tianyu to the scene. Given his personality, he didn’t want to waste time on pleasantries nor give the other party a chance to speak. So right after those words, he said, “Among those here, there must be people from a hundred years ago. No need for further talk. I’ve come here with my disciple purely for practice and competition. As for who the temple head is, if my disciple dares to challenge him directly as his disciple, it’s surely out of disrespect. Disciple!”

“Yes, Master!”

“In the first match, you’re allowed to use a sword, but not sword energy. You can use other internal forces, but not Purple…”

His decisive words left Yu Ji, the current head of Tian Dao Temple, speechless. When his name was mentioned, he instinctively stepped forward slightly.

Chu Tianyu also understood his master’s words. He knew exactly what was meant—he was not allowed to use Purple Void Dragon Qi. So before his master finished speaking, he showed the unsharpened sword he had used since following Second Master Xian Yun, holding the hilt upside down, and said loudly with a bow, “I beg the temple head to teach me!”

Yu Ji truly felt as if he were being forced into action. Seeing that the opponent was ready to strike, unwilling to waste words, he realized that the other person truly came to compete, not to catch up. No matter how well-behaved he was, he felt displeased, but he dared not be careless. He handed the dust brush to his left hand, drew the sword from behind his back with his right hand, immediately formed a sword pattern, took a fighting stance, and replied, “I dare not ask for your guidance; instead, it’s Yu Ji who will show off his skills. Please!”
Seeing that the opponent was ready, Chu Tianyu acted swiftly, coordinating with Xuanji’s steps as his long sword shot forward like lightning. Yu Ji did not dare delay and shouted, “Heavenly Sword Shadow!” At the same time, his sword also created multiple sword shadows, adopting a standard defensive posture.
TheThe Mad Scholar watching beside him nodded slightly, thinking that this was indeed a reputable and upright faction. With Chu Tianyu’s first experience in battle, choosing such an opponent should prevent him from suffering any disadvantages.
The two fighters on the field were already exchanging their masterful techniques. The spectators were all highly skilled and experienced, clearly observing the duel. Although the energy was intense and sword shadows filled the air, aside from a few initial moves that forced Yu Ji back a few steps, once Yu Ji stabilized himself and began to counterattack, Chu Tianyu no longer had any advantage. The two were basically evenly matched. Chu Tianyu wasn’t overly worried; aside from initial nervousness, he had already entered his fighting state.
Yu Ji, however, was different. Despite having practiced hard for sixty years, according to the elders, the challenger should normally fight as a disciple of another school. But now, in the fierce battle, he deeply realized that the opponent’s powerful energy constantly surrounded him, along with those astonishing sword moves that seemed like antlers on an antelope—so unique that it was impossible to tell which school they belonged to, or even if they had ever seen such moves before. Fortunately, perhaps because the opponent had less experience, though skilled with his sword, he seemed lacking in combat experience, rarely fighting others, giving off a somewhat awkward impression.
However, as the battle progressed, this awkwardness became less noticeable. Although Yu Ji could still handle the situation calmly, it wasn’t as effortless as at the beginning.
After some time of back-and-forth fighting, Chu Tianyu clearly began to grow impatient. He felt as if the opponent was like the ocean—no matter how fierce the storms he created, the opponent remained unshaken, dissolving his attacks into nothingness.

Gradually, he increased the use of the Great Master’s Shaolin internal energy in the sword, raising the intensity of the collisions, aiming to exert pressure on his opponent with his powerful and sustained energy. Yu Ji also channeled his own energy to counteract it. Just as the two were exchanging tactics in a fierce battle, suddenly there were sounds of “thud,” “clang,” and “whoosh,” along with several broken blades falling to the ground and the sound of clothes being torn…

The two fighters in the arena had separated, and another person had appeared— it was the mad scholar standing beside Tian Yu, who had just parted the two fighting men. At that moment, Chu Tian Yu’s sleeves were flared open, revealing a faint blood mark on his arm.

It turned out that Chu Tian Yu had been continuously channeling energy into his sword. How could an ordinary sword withstand such internal vibrations and external impacts? When Chu Tian Yu used the move “Bright Snow on a Sunny Day” again, his sword finally couldn’t bear the immense force and shattered instantly. Yu Ji’s sword then pierced through, cutting Chu Tian Yu’s arm. If not for the mad scholar, who had noticed in time and intervened to push Yu Ji’s sword away, Chu Tian Yu’s arm would have been ruined…

The mad scholar, after pushing the two apart, didn’t make any further moves. He simply took Chu Tian Yu away, vanished in a flash of light, leaving behind the words, “Three days from now, here at the same place—let’s fight again!” before disappearing into the distance.

The bewildered onlookers were still stunned for a long time.

Qing Xiao gazed at the vast darkness in the distance, at the mountain peak where the mad scholar and his disciple had vanished, and shook his head, sighing softly, “The same arrogance, the same incredible strength. What kind of sect is this that requires its disciples to undergo such trials? Judging from the disciple’s voice, he’s still very young, at most a teenager. How could he possess such strength? And from his master’s tone, there seem to be many restrictions—he isn’t allowed to use his full power, as if only meeting certain trial standards is enough…”

Yu Ji, having calmed down, continued, “Yes, Uncle really has keen insight. If not for his lack of combat experience and his own sword breaking, it would have been hard to predict the outcome between me and him in terms of swordsmanship.”

Qing Tan suddenly interjected, “Yu Ji, based on your experience fighting him just now, do you think he and Yu Peng could go all out?”

Hearing his uncle’s question, Yu Ji quickly replied, “Uncle, my younger brother is a natural talent. His skills have already reached a high level at such a young age, so he can definitely fight him. But once he completes his trials, it’s hard to say. Besides, he’s preoccupied with worldly matters and won’t be able to make much progress. The difference between them will become clear then.”

Qing Tan shook his head and said regretfully, “There’s nothing we can do about it. Yu Peng is also trapped—he has the country and his family backing him! Oh, speaking of which, it reminds me. Yu Ji, get in touch with Yu Peng when the time comes. With his influence, he can investigate those two who issued the challenge thoroughly. They come and go as they please, treating our Tiandao Temple as if it doesn’t exist. My uncle wants to see who these people really are, with such extraordinary powers…”
“Yes, uncle. Yu Ji will follow your orders…”
…