"Ah! Ah! Ah!"
Amidst the chaos, two clever children grabbed hold of Lin Xiaolu's short legs with all their might, attempting to trip him. But Lin Xiaolu's aura sank, and he immediately became as stable as Mount Tai. With his body rooted in a seemingly immovable horse stance, no matter how much force the two children exerted, they couldn't make him budge an inch. Instead, he knocked them down with two direct punches.
Shaking off the two little rascals, Lin Xiaolu roared again and chased after the children, howling.
The entire White Jade Platform instantly turned into a one-sided bullying scene!
Jabs, hooks, uppercuts, elbow strikes, knee strikes, side kicks, leg sweeps—under the skillful coordination of various techniques, the children were knocked down in droves like dolls.
"Brother Deer, I'm sorry, Brother Deer, I'm sorry~" One child burst into tears, running around the stage with his short legs, tears streaming down his face. Lin Xiaolu caught up with him in a swift step, grabbed the back of his collar, and raised his hand to pat the child's head. The child instantly collapsed to the ground, clutching his head and crying.
At this point, only a few remaining children, led by Dongfang Dan, were left on the stage.
"Brother Deer, Brother Deer, please go easy on me!" Dongfang Dan looked at the extraordinarily brave Lin Xiaolu in front of him, wearing a mournful expression. "I dare not disobey the Elder's orders. When you beat me later, please be gentle."
"Brother Deer, Brother Deer, please don't hit me. I'll give you a refined elixir every day in the future, the kind that prevents hemorrhoids," Tangyuan blinked his eyes and said in a serious tone.
By now, the entire White Jade Platform was filled with beaten and bruised children, crying and wailing, leaving the onlookers on the high platform dumbfounded.
One person defeating fifty others—this little guy really did it...
The elders on the high platform wore somewhat unpleasant expressions, but Ye Qingluan spoke up with great interest. "This little guy indeed has some skills. Li Mingru, you've actually taught a formidable martial artist."
Li Mingru smiled and remained silent, while Fang Wuxiu, on the side of the platform, looked at the remaining few children on the stage and spoke slowly:
"All of you step down, Chen Nianyun!"
"Disciple is here!"
On the high platform, Chen Nianyun, who hadn't made a move all this time, respectfully saluted.
Fang Wuxiu, looking down from a high vantage point, gave the order: "You come and spar with this little kid."
As he finished speaking, he raised his hand and a flash of green light appeared, diving into the field and transforming into a silver-white spiritual sword in front of Chen Nianyun.
"Use this low-grade spiritual sword to show this little kid the difference between immortals and mortals!"
Upon seeing this, the elders on the high platform exchanged surprised glances.
Zhang Mobai of the Yang Shen lineage, with a disdainful look at Fang Wuxiu, said, "Senior Brother Fang, are you afraid that Chen Nianyun will lose to this Lin Xiaolu, so you purposely let him use a spiritual sword for practice?"
"Where did Zhang Junior Sister get such an idea?" Fang Wuxiu responded coldly. "My spiritual sword lineage is inherently focused on sword cultivation, so using a sword for practice is only natural."
The elders fell silent for a moment at his words.
There was no chance for a fight. Lin Xiaolu was eight years old, while Chen Nianyun was eleven.
Chen Nianyun was currently at the third level of Qi Condensation and had a spiritual sword as a weapon, while Lin Xiaolu was empty-handed, with only his so-called martial arts skills.
However, they understood the reason why Fang Wuxiu did this.
If Lin Xiaolu were to defeat all the children present today, it would be an insult to them!
It would even make their disciples doubt themselves, doubting whether cultivating immortality was truly stronger than martial arts. This would shake their Dao hearts.
Of course, the elders would never think this way. In their eyes, the reason why Lin Xiaolu could defeat their disciples was simply because their disciples lacked real combat experience.
Martial arts were something practiced by ordinary people, destined to have limitations and a limited scope for growth. It was an inferior means!
Therefore, they could not agree to let Lin Xiaolu defeat Chen Nianyun.
And so, in today's competition, Lin Xiaolu had to lose!
Ye Qingluan looked at Chen Nianyun holding the spiritual sword and then at Lin Xiaolu, who was empty-handed. She smiled at Li Mingru and said, "Mingru, how about finding a weapon for Lin Xiaolu too?"
Upon hearing this, Zhao Xuanyi, who was nearby, immediately wore a mocking smile and said, "Forget it, Sect Master. Lin Xiaolu has no spiritual power in his body. Even if you give him a magic weapon, he won't be able to activate it. Even if you give him a top-grade spiritual sword, it would be no different from a stick in his hands."
Ye Qingluan thought for a moment and realized Zhao Xuanyi was right. She didn't say anything more and casually discarded the banana peel in her hand, leisurely peeling a banana.
On the high platform, the children gradually left the stage. Dongfang Dan, Tangyuan, Liu Shuai, and others also stepped down from the stage. They stayed at the back, not engaging with Lin Xiaolu. Before each of them left the stage, they cheered him on:
"Brother Lu, beat Chen Nianyun! I believe in you!"
"Brother Lu, don't back down. You've beaten him so many times before, you can do it again!"
"Brother Lu, I have some medicine for hemorrhoids. Why not try tricking him into taking it? He definitely won't be able to beat you then."
Lin Xiaolu rolled his eyes at these unreliable little followers and then looked at the last person in the arena—Chen Nianyun!
Chen Nianyun also looked at the boy in front of him, with whom he had long-standing grudges. He silently gripped the spiritual sword in his hand without speaking. Despite his young age, he already exuded a faint aura of a swordsman standing in the center of the stage.
Lin Xiaolu smiled and teased him, "Long time no see, Chen Nianyun. Today, I'm going to beat you again."
Chen Nianyun pursed his lips and then looked at the boy in front of him as he spoke, "Lin Xiaolu, I am currently at the third level of Qi Condensation and have already mastered the Twilight Sword Scripture of my spiritual sword lineage. You are no match for me, and I have no desire to bully the weak. You should admit defeat."
Lin Xiaolu tilted his head in confusion upon hearing this and looked at Chen Nianyun with a hint of curiosity. "You weren't like this before. In the past, you would have rushed at me and fought without hesitation. Now you're talking like an adult."
"I've grown up," Chen Nianyun exhaled and said, "I was confined by my master for over half a year. Now I'm eleven years old, so naturally I won't have the same knowledge as you little kids who are eight or nine years old."
Lin Xiaolu nodded in confusion and then began to stretch his wrists, ankles, and other body joints. Smiling, he said, "You, big idiot, are indeed not as annoying as before. Alright, when Grandpa beats you later, I'll go easy on you!"
Chen Nianyun smiled helplessly and replied, "You're still the same, always running your mouth."
After saying that, he held his sword, standing proudly and motionless, silently waiting for Lin Xiaolu to recover. His graceful posture earned nods of approval from the elders on the high platform.
"This Chen Nianyun is indeed impressive. I already see a hint of sword intent in him, Senior Fang," Elder Sun Tangliang turned to Fang Wuxiu and asked, "How far has your disciple progressed in the Twilight Sword Scripture?"
Fang Wuxiu looked down at his disciple and responded expressionlessly, "He has mastered the Twilight Snow Dusting technique."
These words stunned the elders, even Li Mingru paused his drinking and looked up at Fang Wuxiu.
Ye Qingluan's eyes brightened as she said, "This little guy has even mastered the Twilight Snow Dusting technique?"
Fang Wuxiu nodded in confirmation.
"Nianyun's talent in cultivation may not be as extraordinary as Lin Xiaoyu, who is under Mingru's tutelage, but he is a natural sword cultivator. His talent in learning sword-based spiritual arts is undoubtedly the first-rate!"
After speaking, he seemed to feel it wasn't enough and added a sentence that shocked everyone present:
"In less than a hundred years, Nianyun will surpass me and become the number one sword cultivator of Mount Emei!"
This statement caused the elders to gasp in astonishment, each one utterly amazed.
They never expected Fang Wuxiu to hold this little disciple in such high regard and give such a lofty evaluation.
After the initial shock, Zhao Xuanyi's face lit up with joy, and he said, "Truly worthy of being Senior Fang's outstanding disciple. It seems the outcome of this contest has already been determined!"
After saying that, he looked at Li Mingru again, his eyes filled with provocation, and lightly said, "Mingru, your useless disciple is going to lose. How are you going to handle it?"