649 The Coronation Ceremony

"Who am I?"

The man was hopping mad and said in a towering rage, "How can you ask me who I am? Aren't we the three romantic swordsmen? I, Xun Hualiu, have been deceived by you, Lin Yue! Now that you are famous, you've completely forgotten the brotherly ties between you, me, and Fat Mu."

Zhang Ruochen glanced at this man called Xun Hualiu and concluded that he must be one of Lin Yue's rotten friends. He quietly memorized his name.

Zhang Ruochen said, "I didn't forget you. Of course not."

Xun Hualiu became even more flustered, and his eyes were bloodshot. He clenched his teeth. "Since you say you didn't forget me, why didn't you look me up at Demon Seal Yard all this time? Have you forgotten our romantic dalliances together?"

Zhang Ruochen immediately felt nauseated. He frowned deeply and said, "Our romantic... dalliances together... ?"

He had not thought that Lin Yue indulged in such things.

Xun Hualiu obviously realized he had spoken too fast. He quickly clarified. "Of course, not between the two of us. The romantic dalliances between three of us and our junior sisters. Have you forgotten them?"

"I haven't forgotten. Of course not."

Zhang Ruochen took a deep breath and tried to keep calm.

Xun Hualiu slapped his palm on Zhang Ruochen's shoulder again. His lips turned outward, revealing white teeth as he smiled a sinister and vulgar smile. "I know you won't ever forget. How can you forget those charming nights? Now all three romantic swordsmen have become Saint's disciples. Our days ahead will be even more lovely!"

Zhang Ruochen nodded and chimed in. "That goes without saying. Now, what did you mean by the 'fierce contest' today?"

Xun Hualiu's expression turned solemn at once. He asked, "You really don't know?"

Zhang Ruochen shook his head.

"Three days ago, you gave Pang Long a sound thrashing and news of it spread throughout the Yin and Yang Sect. Pang Long was utterly humiliated. They say he begged his Great Grandfather Master, Half-saint Yuanlong, to give him a Fish-dragon Pill. He has managed to reach the Fish-Dragon Realm. Yesterday, he told everyone he will challenge you to a death match on the day of the coronation ceremony," said Xun Hualiu.

Zhang Ruochen smiled and said, "I see."

Xun Hualiu saw that "Lin Yue" was not the least bit flustered, so he quickly reminded him. "Pang Long was once ranked among the top 100 warriors on the Heaven Board. Now that he has reached the Fish-Dragon Realm, his strength wouldn't be insignificant. Yue, if Pang Long challenges you to a death match, you mustn't accept the challenge. Wise guys like us know when to retreat. You should ignore him."

Pang Long's cultivation had just broken into the First Change in the Fish-Dragon Realm. Even if he had reached the Ninth Change in the Fish-dragon Realm, Zhang Ruochen would not fear him at all.

Zhang Ruochen simply wanted the coronation ceremony to end soon so that he could go back and continue practicing.

Soon, Han Qiu arrived at the ashram of Supreme Pure Palace.

Suddenly, all the indoor and outdoor disciples around Supreme Pure Palace went wild with excitement. They yelled the name "Han Qiu" loudly.

Even Xun Hualiu's eyes lit up and he became very excited, tugging at Zhang Ruochen's sleeve. He said, "Did you see that? Did you see that? One of the four great beauties of Yin and Yang Sect, Han Qiu! Hey, you saw your dream lover, why aren't you excited? Didn't you once say you would sacrifice twenty years of your life to spend one night with Junior Sister Han Qiu?"

Zhang Ruochen lifted his eyes slightly and glanced in Han Qiu's direction.

Compared to three days ago, Han Qiu was even more delicate and pretty today.

Although she was wearing several layers of Taoist robes, one could still make out her slender curves underneath. She was simply ravishing.

A cold voice roared from far away. "Lin Yue, you didn't expect we would meet again so soon, did you?"

Pang Long's whole body exuded a powerful aura as he strolled into the wide ashram. He raced toward Zhang Ruochen and stopped right in front of him.

"No, I didn't," said Zhang Ruochen.

Pang Long saw Zhang Ruochen was totally devoid of fear. An icy light shone from his eyes. "Do you dare to fight me to death after the coronation ceremony?"

"Fight me to death." These words were loudly enunciated and reverberated around the entire Supreme Pure Palace.

Instantly, the disciples outside the ashram boiled with excitement.

"Senior Brother was capable enough to be our best indoor disciple in the past, and he has reached the First Change in the Fish-Dragon Realm so quickly. I'm afraid that even a Monk of the Third Change in the Fish-Dragon Realm won't be his match."

"Three days ago, Lin Yue defeated Senior Brother Pang Long with his Fish-Dragon Realm cultivation. Now they are in the same realm. I'm sure Senior Brother Pang Long will teach Lin Yue a harsh lesson and recover his lost face."

…

Zhang Ruochen stared at Pang Long and said, "Why should I fight you to the death? It's not just a waste of my energy, it's also a waste of my time."

Zhang Ruochen turned and left. He climbed up the stone steps and stood under the Worshiping Bronze Stove to begin preparations.

Pang Long did not dare fight Zhang Ruochen during the coronation ceremony. He supressed the rage in his heart and made a decision. He would resort to any means to force Lin Yue to fight after the ceremony.

A total of 17 newly promoted Fish-Dragon Realm disciples were taking part in the coronation ceremony this month.

Zhang Ruochen, Han Qiu, Pang Long, Xun Hualiu, and 13 other young Monks had all reached the First Change in the Fish-Dragon Realm. They were all under 60 years old.

The coronation ceremony was presided over by a Half-Saint. He had to offer a sacrifice to past Saints of the Yin and Yang Sect and recite a sacrificial oration.

Above them, the Half-Saint Patriarch finished reciting the sacrificial oration. He said, "The Yin and Yang Sect is one of the three main branches of the Taiji Sect. We specialize in the sword. Our legacy is in the Tao of the sword under the Taiji Sect.

"The past Patriarchs of the Yin and Yang Sect wanted to pass our Sect's glorious legacy through the generations. Whenever they reached a milestone—the Half-Saint realm, the Saint realm, the Saint Prince realm, and the Great Saint realm—they left a Sword Comprehension mark on the inside of the Worshiping Bronze Tripod.

"All 17 of you have reached the Fish-Dragon Realm before the age of 60. It means you all have outstanding talent.

"Therefore, each of you will have one chance to practice within the Worshiping Bronze Tripod. You must seize this opportunity. If you show outstanding potential, you will enjoy the benefits throughout your life."

The coronation ceremony was not a simple matter of changing into a Taoist robe or donning a cap.

This was a real coronation ceremony.

"Let me go first."

Xun Hualiu was brimming with confidence. He climbed up the Worshiping Bronze Tripod before anyone else and leaped into it.

Xun Hualiu had reached the Fish-Dragon Realm at the age of 56. Had he taken a few years more, he would have missed the distinction of being a Saint's disciple.

"SWOOSH!"

A white light column soared nearly 100 meters from the bronze tripod.

A figure slowly flew up from the center of the light beam—it was Xun Hualiu who had just leaped into the bronze tripod.

Thousands of light spots streamed from the tripod, looking like a scintillating river gushing to the top of the clouds.

After that, the scintillating river flowed back into the Worshiping Bronze Tripod.

Each light spot represented a Sword Comprehension from a Yin and Yang Sect Patriarch.

The stronger the Sword Comprehension, the brighter the light spot.

The more gifted a Monk was in his Tao of the sword, the more likely a Patriarch would favor him. His integrated Sword Comprehension would be stronger as well.

Throughout the process, Xun Hualiu did not integrate even a single spot of light. He emerged from the Worshiping Bronze Tripod crestfallen and looking very dejected.

Zhang Ruochen glanced at him and consoled him. "You can still practice the Tao of the sword without any Patriarch's Sword Comprehension. Cheer up!"

Xun Hualiu raised his head and gave a smile more gruesome than a teary face. "If I have not earned any Patriarch's Sword Comprehension, it means I don't have any talent in the Tao of the sword. It would be nearly impossible for me to become a sword practitioner."

Zhang Ruochen shook his head and said no more. He continued watching the bronze tripod on the altar, trying to figure out how best to earn a Sword Comprehension from the Patriarchs.

Obviously, the Sword Comprehension of the Patriarchs represented a remarkable opportunity. If one could seize it, it was very likely one's Tao of the sword would improve by leaps and bounds.

Another newly promoted Saint's disciple entered the Worshiping Bronze Tripod.

After some time, his quest too ended in failure. He did not win any Patriarch's Sword Comprehension either.

Pang Long was the third person to go up the Worshiping Bronze Tripod.

"Let me give it a try."

Pang Long knew very well how important a Sword Comprehension from the Patriarchs was. His Great Grandfather Master had told him: Anyone with even one Sword Comprehension from a Patriarch would be specially nurtured by the Sect. He would easily become a sword practitioner even at the Fish-Dragon Realm.

He was thus very agitated at this moment. His whole body was tense as he leaped into the bronze tripod.

Everyone had great expectations of Pang Long. They widened their eyes, watching closely.

After all, Pang Long was really gifted in the Tao of the sword. If even he could not earn a Sword Comprehension from the Patriarchs, it was unlikely anyone could.

"SWOOSH... "

After some time...

Pang Long and a light column soared up together, both suspended in mid-air.

"He is... practicing the sword... "

Zhang Ruochen could see Pang Long's fingers were clearly pinched into a "jianjue." He was displaying his sword skills.

Suddenly, a white light spot flew up from the bottom, focused between Pang Long's eyebrows, and then merged into his body.

In the Supreme Pure Palace, Half-saint Yuanlong's face looked very ruddy. He guffawed loudly. "Pang Long has integrated the Sword Comprehension of Nine Changes Saint. That mark was left when the Saint achieved Half-Saint status 30,000 years ago. Wonderful! I'm sure Pang Long is gifted enough to become a great sword practitioner."

Pang Long was descended from Half-saint Yuanlong's lineage. Half-saint Yuanlong was naturally very pleased to see him integrate a Sword Comprehension.

At the same time, the Half-Saint wanted to show off. After all, Pang Long had earned the Sword Comprehension of an ancient Saint. It meant Pang Long's talent in the Tao of the sword was astonishingly high.

The Sword Comprehensions within the Worshiping Bronze Tripod were classified into a few categories.

First Class—the Sword Comprehension left behind by a Half-Saint.

Second Class—the Sword Comprehension left behind by a Saint.

Third Class—the Sword Comprehension left behind by a Saint Prince.

Fourth Class—the Sword Comprehension left behind by a Great Saint.

Pang Long had integrated a Second-Class Sword Comprehension left behind by a Saint, but the Nine Changes Saint had left that Sword Comprehension when he was only a Half-Saint.

If Pang Long was able to integrate the Sword Comprehension wholly into his body, he would get another chance to enter the Worshiping Bronze Tripod. He could then try integrating the Sword Comprehension that Nine Changes Saint left behind during his Saint period.

Simply put, earning a Sword Comprehension meant empowerment from a Patriarch. The disciple could then more easily comprehend the Tao of the sword.

In the Supreme Pure Palace, Saint Lady sat at the same table as the Half-Saints.

When she witnessed Pang Long's outstanding performance, she was visibly affected, and she smiled. "It's just an ordinary monthly coronation ceremony, yet we have witnessed the birth of a divinely talented son in the Tao of the sword. My trip to the Yin and Yang Sect has indeed opened my eyes."

These words made Half-saint Yuanlong even more complacent. He glanced at Half-saint Zixia and said, "Half-saint Zixia, I hear a young genius has emerged from Zixia Sacred Mountain. He is said to have killed Serene Blue Emissary when he was still at the First Change in the Fish-Dragon Realm. Is the rumor true?"

No one would believe a young Monk of the First Change in the Fish-Dragon Realm could kill the famous Serene Blue Emissary.

Half-saint Yuanlong had deliberately said this to mock Half-saint Zixia and his young disciple from Zixia Sacred Mountain.