Chapter 27 – Chapter 27: The Grand Competition Begins_1 “I’ve endured quite a bit of hardship indeed… Old man, what is this Heaven Bridge and Earth Bridge that you mentioned?”

“It’s something that will open up your mind, allowing you to better comprehend the Great Dao of the universe,” Mo Jiuzhou tapped Qin Changqing’s head and said.

Qin Changqing suddenly realized, “No wonder my Great River Sword Skill has actually broken through to the minor success stage, even forming the Great River Sword Intent.”

“You’ve only touched the surface, do you think achieving the Heavenly Foundation Establishment is as easy as getting a cabbage?” Mo Jiuzhou continued, “Heavenly Foundation Establishment can only be achieved by comprehending the natural Dao of the universe. No matter how talented or well-supported one is, it cannot be achieved without a great opportunity. In ordinary people’s words, it’s like having one’s fate bestowed by the heavens.”

“Throughout the ages, there hasn’t been a single person in the North Region who has achieved the Heavenly Foundation Establishment. If this news gets out, it will shock countless great sects… Sigh, I don’t know whether you are fortunate or unfortunate.”

Qin Changqing was puzzled, “But according to what you said, isn’t this a great thing?”

Mo Jiuzhou shook his head, “Don’t even think about it. Everything in the world has its advantages and disadvantages, and the Heavenly Foundation Establishment is no exception. If you had a top-grade Spiritual Root or even a third-grade one, I would think it’s a great thing. But your Spiritual Root is only a Tier 9, and your Qi Sea after the Heavenly Foundation is far beyond ordinary people. That means the amount of spiritual qi you need to break through each time is far more than others.”

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“You know what that means, right?”

“Yes.” Qin Changqing understood.

It meant that his breakthroughs would be even more difficult in the future.

But what of it?

He could just continue to develop his territory and his people, pouring all resources and fortune into it.

Qin Changqing was not afraid of an endless ceiling, but a low one that rendered all efforts useless.

Looking at Mo Jiuzhou, who was frowning and stroking his beard, Qin Changqing laughed, “Why think so much? Isn’t my cultivation now thousands of times better than before?”

Mo Jiuzhou was stunned for a moment and then laughed heartily, “Haha! That’s true, it seems that your decision to leave the mountain to cultivate was guided by destiny!”

Both of them were open-minded people with big hearts. They didn’t care about anything. As long as the sky didn’t fall, they would continue to enjoy life!

Qin Changqing stayed with Mo Jiuzhou for a day before preparing to return to his courtyard, intending to thoroughly study the Great River Sword Skill while waiting for the competition to begin.

But as soon as he arrived at his residence, he saw Qin Lingshuang standing outside, craning her neck to look inside.

“Sister Lingshuang, are you looking for me?”

Qin Lingshuang was startled and quickly turned around, hiding her panic, “It’s nothing, I was just passing by and thought I’d check on my senior brother.”

Qin Changqing smiled, “Are you nervous about the competition?”

Not at all… Qin Lingshuang hummed, “A little.”

“Come in and sit for a while. I haven’t been back for a long time either.”

Qin Changqing pushed open the door to the courtyard.

Inside, everything was as it had been.

The fruits, vegetables, and herbs in the spiritual field were growing well and there were still quite a few fish in the pool. It seemed that even though he wasn’t around, disciples from the mountain still came to maintain the place regularly.

Qin Lingshuang hadn’t returned to the mountain for seven or eight years, so stepping into the courtyard felt incredibly familiar and comforting, like returning to her own home.

Qin Changqing boiled some water and made two cups of green tea.

“Thank you, Senior Brother.” Qin Lingshuang picked up the tea cup, took a small sip, and said, “I haven’t congratulated you on your successful Foundation Establishment yet.”

“It’s not worth mentioning. I’m just happy to see you return safely,” Qin Changqing smiled.

Qin Changqing had been worried about Qin Lingshuang during her years at Mang Mountain, given the large number of ferocious beasts there.

She was also very happy to see her senior brother… Qin Lingshuang’s face remained calm, “It’s not a big deal, as cultivators, we’re going against the current. If we always stay in our comfort zone, how can we make progress? Only by going through numerous trials can we truly understand and apply what we have learned… Senior Brother, although you have reached the Foundation Establishment, this is just the beginning. Don’t slack off.”

“Haha, Sister, you’re right,” Qin Changqing laughed, not minding Qin Lingshuang’s attitude and having known her for over twenty years, he was quite familiar with her personality.

Qin Lingshuang was born into a wealthy family that prioritized men over women, so she was not valued since she was young.

The unique environment fostered her unyielding and hardworking spirit.

When Mo Jiuzhou discovered her and brought her up the mountain, she had been practicing and challenging others relentlessly, deliberately targeting strong opponents. She fought even after she lost multiple times.

Eventually, other disciples were scared of her and would shout from afar when they saw her, “Sister Lingshuang is coming with her sword!”

Unable to find opponents, Qin Lingshuang came to challenge her senior brother, only to be defeated by a chicken in the end.

“Senior Brother, good luck in the competition.”

After chatting for a bit, Qin Lingshuang prepared to leave.

As she left, she took out a jade slip from her storage bag.

“Senior Brother, this is for you.”

“What is it?”

“When I was at Mang Mountain, I stumbled upon a cave and found this inside. It should be a sword array. I remember that you were quite interested in sword arrays when you were on the mountain.”

“A sword array, huh…”

Qin Changqing was indeed quite interested in it back then.

When he first joined the Lingxiao Sect, he had the opportunity to see the Sect Leader activate the Twelve Heavenly Slaughter Great Array, which was the sect’s protective array. One hundred thousand flying swords emitted a chilling murderous aura, hovering above the Lingxiao Sect, leaving a deep impression on him.

However, after studying it for two years, he gave up when he realized that he had no talent for array formations.

Moreover, to use a sword to kill enemies, one had to be at least in the Establishing Foundation Stage. His cultivation was too low to be useful.

“Sister, don’t you need it?”

“I don’t want to learn it.”

Qin Lingshuang said as she handed the jade slip to Qin Changqing and left.

Qin Changqing looked at the jade slip in his hand.

“The old man said that I had opened both the Heaven Bridge and Earth Bridge, allowing me to better comprehend the Dao of Heaven and Earth and improve my perception. I wonder if it’s true.”

He projected his divine sense into the jade slip, and a huge amount of information flooded into his mind. In a trance, he saw three cold glimmers flashing in the darkness, transforming into three incredibly fast sword lights.

Three sword lights echoed each other, forming a mysterious power cycle.

“Heaven and Earth Trinity Sword Array… The grade of this array should be quite high. If I can refine it, it should help me defeat Foundation Establishment cultivators. About a quarter of an hour later, Qin Changqing opened his eyes, seemingly enlightened.

The Trinity Sword Formation was quite powerful and difficult to break for those with the same level of cultivation. Even refining it to the Golden Elixir Stage would be useful.

If this item were in the secular world, it would be worth a fortune, and yet Sister Lingshuang gave it to him so easily.

Moreover, the jade slip used a one-time seal. Once opened and read by someone, the information inside would dissipate. It wasn’t like the techniques in the sect’s inheritance hall, which could be read multiple times.

“I’ll take a good look at it after the competition,” Qin Changqing thought as he found it easier to understand than expected.

It seemed he had indeed become smarter.

Shaking his head, Qin Changqing began to comprehend the Great River Sword Skill.

Three days passed in a flash.

On the third day since Qin Changqing returned to Xuanyi Peak, the bell rang at dawn, and all the disciples in the sect hurried to the square in front of the main hall upon hearing it.

“Senior Brother, the competition has begun.”

Qin Lingshuang came early and called Qin Changqing to ride their flying swords to the square.

Swish, swish, swish–!

Countless flying swords descended from the sky.