Rise of the Sword Son-in-Law

Chapter 502: The Shameless Heavenly Moon Sect

Entering the Daoist training ground, Xu Ping’an and his companions were led by the maids to the rest area of the ground.

This gathering would last for three days, so they needed to stay within the grounds for the duration.

Xu Ping’an and the others were assigned to a quiet and refined courtyard.

The courtyard had exactly four rooms, one for each of them, and each room was also equipped with two maids for service, which could be said to be quite luxurious.

Xu Ping’an was not interested in these amenities and, after settling in briefly, he went with Situ Xingfeng and Situ Qianqian to the martial arts field.

The martial arts field was also the venue for the sparring matches at this gathering.

As for Situ Lie, he had gone to meet with some of the empire’s strong cultivators.

"Good!"

Upon entering the martial arts field, Xu Ping’an immediately heard a series of shouts.

Quite a few people surrounded the martial arts field, and in the center, a sparring match was currently taking place.

"Has the sparring already begun?" Xu Ping’an asked curiously.

"The real sparring doesn’t start until tomorrow—today is just an opportunity for some disciples of various forces to compete against each other. These disciples themselves have no hope of contending for the top twenty spots, but they want to take this opportunity to increase their actual combat experience. So, they will spar with disciples from other forces in advance, usually putting up some stakes to attract participants," explained Situ Xingfeng.

Xu Ping’an understood.

In plain terms, it was a matter of young people, who had no hope for contending for the top twenty, exchanging pointers with each other.

One must admit, the atmosphere was quite good.

Such sparring not only allowed these geniuses to gain more real combat experience but also stimulated their desire to win.

For cultivators, sometimes they really do need to compete.

Xu Ping’an looked towards the platform. The ones fighting at the moment were two Seventh Rank cultivators.

Their cultivation was neither high nor low, one being at the Eighth Layer Realm and the other at the Ninth Layer Realm of Seventh Rank.

And both of them were around twenty years old.

From the way they attacked each other, they still seemed somewhat naive, lacking experience in life-and-death battles.

"The two of them, one is from Yunxi Sect and the other from Tianqing Sect. Both forces are second-tier, and though their sects have Ninth Rank cultivators, there is only one, and he is not particularly strong," Situ Xingfeng explained.

Xu Ping’an nodded.

The overall strength of the Great Flame Immortal Dynasty was still above that of the Great Qin Immortal Dynasty.

This could be seen in the division of power among the different sects.

Xu Ping’an looked around but did not see Li Qingyi.

However, he did notice a few young men and women wearing the uniforms of the Fire Divine Palace.

"Brother Xu, are you looking for Li Qingyi? She should have arrived already and will participate in the sparring tomorrow. You might as well wait a bit longer," said Situ Xingfeng, seemingly perceiving Xu Ping’an’s thoughts.

Xu Ping’an nodded again.

He wasn’t in a hurry for today; since he would see her tomorrow, waiting a bit longer didn’t matter.

"Brother, those are people from the Heavenly Moon Sect."

Just then, Situ Qianqian suddenly pointed towards three individuals dressed in moon-adorned attire approaching from the distance.

The leader was a handsome young man wearing a hair crown, around twenty-eight years old.

With a face as white as jade and a handsome appearance, he looked very suave and elegant, drawing admiring glances from many young women.

The young man held his head high, a faint sneer of contempt at his lips, his gaze aloof, exuding quite the air of arrogance.

Xu Ping’an glanced at him; this young man’s cultivation was not low, having reached the Ninth Rank First Layer Realm.

To reach such a cultivation level at twenty-eight was quite remarkable, marking him as an exceptional genius.

The young man and woman following him were younger, the man being around twenty-four, and the woman about twenty-two.

The man had an ordinary visage, while the woman was somewhat outstanding.

Though not extremely stunning, she was still quite a beautiful woman, attracting the attention of many male disciples.

And their cultivation was not low either, having reached the Eighth Rank Peak Level.

"The one leading is Ning Shaocong, the chief disciple of the Heavenly Moon Sect, followed by two well-known geniuses of the sect, Huo Yu and Wang Xiaxue," Situ Xingfeng transmitted to Xu Ping’an.

"What is the cultivation level of the master of the Heavenly Moon Sect, to dare provoke the Lieyang Royal Mansion like this?" Xu Ping’an transmitted back.

"The Sect Master of the Heavenly Moon Sect is also a Cultivator at the Ninth Rank Peak Level, and while his own strength isn’t equal to my father’s, the Heavenly Moon Sect has a Sect-defining treasure. With that treasure, even my father may not necessarily be able to deal with him. Moreover, it is said that behind the Heavenly Moon Sect, there is the backing of the Fire Divine Palace, so my father can’t do anything to the Sect either," Situ Xingfeng said through clenched teeth.

Xu Ping’an understood.

It was with the power of the Sect’s treasured artifact, and the influence of the Fire Divine Palace, that the Heavenly Moon Sect dared to be so arrogant.

Even if King Lie possessed combat power at the peak of the Ninth Rank, the other side was fearless.

It seemed as though they had sensed the gaze of Situ Qianqian and Situ Xingfeng, as the people from the Heavenly Moon Sect also approached.

"Look, it’s the young prince from King Lie Mansion. How about it, dare you have a little spar?" Ning Shaocong asked with a smile as he looked towards Situ Xingfeng.

"Ning Shaocong, you have already stepped into the Ninth Rank, challenging my brother who is at the Eighth Rank Peak. Have you no shame?" Situ Qianqian said angrily on the spot.

The other party’s suggestion of sparring was definitely not well-intentioned.

"What does being Ninth Rank mean? It’s Ning’s Brother’s ability that allowed him to reach the Ninth Rank. If Situ Xingfeng is too scared to accept the challenge, then he should just go ahead and be a coward," Huo Yu, a young man, said with a cold sneer.

Situ Xingfeng’s fist tightened in an instant, his eyes filled with anger.

Clearly, he knew that the other party was trying to force him to make a move.

"Situ Xingfeng, what do you say? Do you dare accept my challenge? If you think I’m bullying you by being too strong, I can let Huo Yu take my place in the spar. He’s also at the Eighth Rank Peak, and two years younger than you, so it wouldn’t be bullying. If that’s still unacceptable, then we can have Wang Xiaxue make a move," Ning Shaocong said with a light laugh.

Huo Yu and Wang Xiaxue exchanged glances, both smirking.

"What exactly do you want to do?" Situ Xingfeng asked angrily.

He didn’t immediately agree to the challenge. The other party was forcing him to make a move, obviously with the aim of obtaining their Situ Family’s Secret Technique.

Although he believed that he could beat Huo Yu and Wang Xiaxue, there might be a trap involved.

"It’s simple, if you lose, you must hand over your Situ Family’s Rift Sky Secret Technique. Of course, if we lose, we will present an Intermediate Grade Immortal Artifact. How about it, do you dare to spar?" Ning Shaocong said with a light smile.

Upon hearing this, many around them showed expressions of surprise.

Rift Sky Secret Technique, Intermediate Grade Immortal Artifact?

If Situ Xingfeng really agreed, this wager would likely be the biggest of the day.

A hint of hesitation flashed in Situ Xingfeng’s eyes, seemingly tempted.

Firstly, the Heavenly Moon Sect’s bullying was too much, and secondly, he had certain confidence in himself.

"Don’t agree to it. Both of them have an Indestructible Force sealed inside them by a Ninth Rank Expert; if you face them, you will be at a significant disadvantage," Xu Ping’an said in a transmitted message upon seeing Situ Xingfeng’s temptation.

Upon hearing this, Situ Xingfeng instantly sobered up.

This was a trap, a trap specifically set for them.

Once he agreed, he would probably end up losing the Rift Sky Secret Technique.

"Thanks for the reminder, Brother Xu," Situ Xingfeng replied after taking a deep breath and responding with a transmitted message.

Then, he turned to Ning Shaocong and said coldly, "I never imagined that the Heavenly Moon Sect would be so shameless. In order to obtain our Situ Family’s Secret Technique, you actually sealed an Indestructible Force within your disciples to bait me into sparring. Do you think I would fall for such a trick?"

As these words were spoken, Ning Shaocong’s face changed color.

Huo Yu and Wang Xiaxue were also shocked.

Obviously, they didn’t expect Situ Xingfeng to see through their scheme.

The people around were likewise stunned upon hearing this.

Sealing an Indestructible Force? Baiting into a spar?

Could the Heavenly Moon Sect really commit such a shameless act?

For a moment, everyone looked at the three from the Heavenly Moon Sect with scorn.

Seeing the situation turn sour, Ning Shaocong immediately snorted coldly, "Humph, Situ Xingfeng, you’re too afraid to fight and even slander others. Someone like you is beneath our Heavenly Moon Sect to even compete with. Let’s go."

After speaking, Ning Shaocong left the area swiftly with his group.

They naturally didn’t dare to stay long, as there was always the risk of a Ninth Rank Expert coming along who could easily see whether they had the Indestructible Force sealed within them or not. If that happened, the Heavenly Moon Sect would thoroughly lose face.

Seeing the three people depart hastily, everyone around understood the situation.

"Shameless," Situ Qianqian cursed angrily as she watched the three leaving.

However, Xu Ping’an was not concerned with those three. Instead, he turned his gaze to an old man in the distance.

Yes, it was the same elder he had encountered when leaving the Lieyang Royal Mansion last time, who was also one of his mentors from his previous life.

"Why has he come?" Xu Ping’an wondered to himself in astonishment.