Chapter 252 - 158: The Notorious Beardless Sect, Battle to Assert Dominance

Chapter 252: Chapter 158: The Notorious Beardless Sect, Battle to Assert Dominance

"Time is tight. Mastering a Sword Technique isn’t a one-day effort, but this fist technique is much faster to cultivate, and its power is terrifying."

More importantly, Jiang Hao felt he needed a close-combat martial art to rely on. If he were ever locked in close-quarters combat with an equally matched Cultivator, this martial art could serve as an unexpected, lethal finishing move.

After securing *Flame Prison Space* and *Heaven Shattering Fist*, Jiang Hao still added a Celestial Tier Ten Sword Technique, the *Heaven Traversal Sword Technique*, to slowly cultivate. Just because it couldn’t be mastered in a single day didn’t mean he should abandon it.

Having finalized his three new Secret Techniques and martial arts, the Senior Brother of the Beardless Sect holed himself up in his bedchambers to study how to cultivate them.

As for Qi Daoling, although he was eager to summon Jiang Hao for a meeting, he was delayed by a batch of pills he was refining and had to put the matter aside for the time being.

Time flew by, and a day passed in the blink of an eye.

The next morning.

Even before noon arrived, the entire Beardless Sect was already seething with unprecedented excitement.

Within the dojo situated beneath the Beardless Sect’s nine mountain peaks—though called a dojo, it was actually the Holy Sect’s arena for the grand sect competition. At this moment, the surrounding area was already packed to the brim. Hundreds of thousands of Beardless Sect disciples had gathered together, their voices creating a deafening hubbub.

"To think the news was actually true! Did Senior Sister Yun Shang and the others really challenge the Senior Brother?"

"What Senior Brother? Until the investiture ceremony is held, I absolutely refuse to acknowledge him as our Senior Brother."

"How could it be so easy to become the Senior Brother of the Beardless Sect?"

"It’s strange. Senior Brother Yichen and the others challenged Qin Fan, yet the Sect Leader and the two Supreme Elders actually didn’t object?"

"Could it be tacit approval? Could it really be as those senior brothers and sisters said—that this person was forced upon us by those top-tier sects above, pressuring the Sect Leader and the elders into cultivating a prodigy for someone else?"

"It’s highly likely. The Sect Leader didn’t step forward to stop it, which most likely means he’s harboring a grudge in his heart as well."

"Rumor has it that a thousand years ago, the Cyan Mist Sect did the exact same thing. When they didn’t have enough slots to enter the Thousand Sects Secret Mirror, they forcibly transferred a prodigy to our Beardless Sect. However, that prodigy later perished in the Thousand Sects Secret Mirror."

"Even if they didn’t perish, once they came out, they would just return to the Cyan Mist Sect. Did you really think they’d remain a member of our Beardless Sect?"

Inside the Beardless Saint Hall.

While the entire Beardless Sect was in an uproar, Master Beardless and the other two were discussing the investiture ceremony scheduled for the next day.

Master Wuchen furrowed his brows slightly as he looked at the guest list in his hands. "Sect Leader Senior Brother, are you sure this is a good idea? No matter what, we currently rely on Cyan Mist. Isn’t it a bit inappropriate to not invite anyone from the Cyan Mist Sect to observe the Senior Brother’s investiture ceremony?"

The moment Master Wuchen finished speaking, Master Beardless rolled his eyes at him. "It’s just the investiture of a Senior Brother. There’s no need to trouble the people of the Cyan Mist Sect."

"Sect Leader Senior Brother, you’re afraid that if the Cyan Mist Sect’s Elders come, they might notice Junior Brother Qin’s extraordinary talent and recruit him back, aren’t you?" Master Wugou pointed out sharply.

Master Beardless raised an eyebrow at his words, the previously lonely look in his eyes seeming to fade away a fraction. "Junior Brother Qin is destined to have no ties with Qin Lan. In the future, we’ll just treat it as a grand gift to the Cyan Mist Sect. I’ve had enough of those hypocrites and their thousands of years of suppression."

"Sect Leader Senior Brother, your personal biases are just too heavy."

Master Wuchen shook his head and grumbled at Master Beardless’s words, but the pen in his hand was exceptionally firm as he crossed out the words "Cyan Mist Sect" from the list with a single stroke. He then handed it to an Elder beside him.

"Send out the invitations according to this list. Those who wish to come may come, and we won’t force those who don’t. After all, our Beardless Sect is no longer the Beardless Sect of ten thousand years ago."

Having settled everything, the three of them slowly turned their gazes toward the dojo, a ripple of anticipation rising in their aged eyes. It was obvious that all three wanted to see exactly what level the young man’s cultivation had reached, and how much of a gap there was between him and Mu Yunshang and the others.

This was also one of the reasons why Master Beardless wanted Jiang Hao to establish his dominance. The mere thought of the young man’s limits gradually being exposed right under their noses made Master Beardless grin from ear to ear.

Little did they know, the three of them would find it hard to smile shortly after.