"Greetings, Clan Leader!"
Everyone in the training field bowed deeply toward the figure on the platform—even the strongest members of the Retainer Faction were no exception.
A middle-aged man stood there in loose white robes. He had a handsome and refined appearance, and the faint smile on his lips made him seem warm and approachable.
He was none other than Yifeng Bai, the current head of the Bai family—and Zihua's father.
After the Bai family's patriarch passed away, Yifeng became the true pillar of the clan, their greatest source of strength and stability.
In his youth, Yifeng had been a peerless genius who made waves across the Maple Empire. Though he had since faded from the spotlight and adopted a much more low-key demeanor, those who truly knew him never dared to underestimate him.
"Father once told me," Wei mused silently, "that among the current Bai family powerhouses—not even Grand Elder Chuci, who has reached the Void Breaking Realm, truly worried him. But when it came to Yifeng, he was extremely cautious."
The Retainer Faction, led by Lei, had grown steadily stronger over the years. In many aspects, they had already overshadowed the Bai family's core bloodline. Yet even now, Lei still didn't dare go head-to-head with the family directly—largely because of this very man.
"You may all rise," Yifeng said gently, raising one hand.
The crowd straightened at once.
"This man beside me is Mr. Sun, the Supervisor of the Black Dragon Pavilion in Bright Moon City. Show him your respect," Yifeng continued.
"Greetings, Lord Sun," the crowd chorused, bowing again.
"Haha, I'm just here to watch for fun," Sun said with a cheerful smile.
"Sun, we had an agreement, didn't we?" Yifeng said lightly.
"Relax," Sun waved his hand casually.
"Someone, bring a seat for Mr. Sun," Yifeng ordered.
A servant quickly brought over a chair and placed it beside Yifeng's. The two powerful Void Breaking Realm cultivators sat side by side.
Meanwhile, whispers began to spread throughout the training field.
"Didn't expect the Clan Leader to invite Lord Sun from Black Dragon Pavilion to witness today's match."
"Well, this isn't just some ordinary family contest—it's the battle for the Sword Token. Of course, the family would take it seriously."
Zihua stood quietly in the crowd.
"Supervisor Sun of Black Dragon Pavilion?" Zihua frowned slightly. "This could be a problem."
He had once challenged the Black Dragon Pavilion under the alias "Storm," clearing fourteen floors in a single run. Sun had personally witnessed the entire thing.
If Zihua revealed any of his advanced sword techniques during the upcoming match, Sun would likely recognize him instantly.
Keeping his identity hidden now seemed nearly impossible.
"It's about time. Second Brother, let's begin," Yifeng said calmly.
"Okay." Qiang, seated beside him, nodded slightly. With a flicker of movement, he appeared at the center of the training field.
"All members who passed the family's examination, step forward," he called out, his voice echoing with power.
Immediately, dozens of young members from both factions—those who had passed the selection—stepped up.
There were about sixty to seventy people in total, though most were only at the eighth level of the True Martial Realm.
"This year's clan competition will have only one victor," Qiang announced, his voice low and commanding. "That person will take control of the Bai family's Sword Token and become the Young Clan Leader."
His gaze swept across the young members before him.
Excitement and anticipation were written all over their faces.
To hold the Bai Family's Sword Token—
To any Bai Family member, it was an honor beyond measure. But in the end, only one person could claim that glory.
"This year's clan competition will have two rounds! Get ready. The first round is about to begin," Qiang announced.
Immediately, the disciples participating in the competition grew tense.
After all, this wasn't an ordinary clan contest—it was about the Sword Token. It was completely different from the usual matches, and none of them knew exactly what the rules were this time.
Meanwhile, on the viewing platform—
"Sun, it's your turn," Yifeng said with a smile.
Sun shrugged and stood up.
Whoosh!
Without any warning, he vanished and reappeared above the training field, hovering directly over the group of young contestants.
"Alright, kids. Your first-round opponent... is me," Sun said with a light smile, his voice echoing throughout the field.
"What?!"
"Are you kidding me?!"
The young disciples' faces changed instantly.
Sun was a genuine Void Breaking Realm powerhouse.
A cultivator of that level going up against a bunch of kids still in the True Martial Realm? That was insane.
"Relax. It's not as hard as you think—but it's definitely not easy either," Sun continued. "I'll use one move, a large-scale attack that will rain down on all of you at once. All you need to do is withstand it. If you can take it, you pass the first round. If not—you're out."
He said it casually, but every face in the field grew serious with tension.
Even Wei and Huo looked grim.
After all, this was a Void Breaking Realm master.
Even if it was just one move, and even if it targeted everyone at once, taking a hit from someone like him was no easy task.
But Sun didn't explain further. He simply made his move.
Hovering above the field, he glanced down at the "little ones" below, then pointed a single finger.
Wummmm—
A vast wave of spiritual energy surged through the air. In the blink of an eye, it condensed into a massive glowing panel of energy—like a huge, flat mirror suspended in the sky.
And from that mirror—whoosh whoosh whoosh!!
Countless beams of light shot downward like a torrential storm.
There were too many to count. They moved at lightning speed.
To the young disciples below, it was as if the sky had suddenly opened up and started pouring rain—except these weren't raindrops.
Every beam of light was like a deadly spear, carrying a dangerous force that made their hearts race.
Faced with the onslaught, the young cultivators exploded with energy.
One after another, their auras surged. Each of them pushed their strength to the limit to block the "raindrops."
But these weren't ordinary drops of water.
They came too fast. They were too dense. And the power packed into each one was overwhelming.
Most of the disciples could barely block a few before they were knocked down.
Crash!!!
The spiritual rainstorm ended almost as quickly as it had begun—less than six seconds from start to finish.
Above, Sun calmly withdrew his hand.
Below, of the nearly seventy disciples who had originally stepped forward to compete, only ten were still standing.
Zihua was one of them.
"You were able to take that move from me—pretty impressive, all of you," Sun said with a faint smile before heading back to the viewing platform.
Qiang stepped forward at that moment.
"Anyone who's injured, get them off the field to rest. As for the rest of you still standing..." He glanced at the remaining ten, noticing that a few were still gasping for air. "You've got fifteen minutes to recover your strength. Once that's up, the second round of the competition will begin."
The disciples either left to rest or sat down to recover.
Meanwhile, the training grounds had erupted into a buzz of noise.
That was it?
No one expected the first round to end so quickly.
It went fast, sure—but the number of people eliminated was massive.
On the viewing platform.
"Yifeng, you saw what happened just now," Sun said, glancing at Yifeng.
"Yeah," Yifeng nodded slightly.
"When I used that technique, I did exactly what you asked—I gave Wei some 'special treatment.' The speed and density of the raindrops he faced were the same as the others, but the force behind them was three times stronger."
Sun's expression grew serious. "Under that kind of pressure, even most cultivators at the tenth level of the True Martial Realm would've taken some internal damage, enough to affect their performance in the next round. But Wei blocked every drop with ease. He didn't even use any real techniques. It's obvious now—his strength is way beyond what we expected."
"Yifeng... your Bai family's in trouble."
Yifeng stayed silent.
Wei was just too strong. Among the younger generation of the Bai family, no one could match him.
And to keep the Sword Token from falling into the hands of an outsider, the Bai family would have to resort to... less-than-honorable tactics.
That's why Yifeng had invited Sun here—to quietly sabotage Wei during the trial.
Of course, it had to be subtle. They couldn't just get Wei eliminated in the first round or have him seriously injured. That would've been way too obvious.
Besides, Wei was a recognized genius who had already cleared the eleventh floor of the True Martial Tower and held a Tier-Yellow Token in the Black Dragon Pavilion. Sun couldn't afford to offend someone like that head-on. He only agreed to help because of his personal friendship with Yifeng—adding some hidden pressure to make things a little harder for Wei, maybe wearing him down a bit before round two.
But clearly, even with that extra difficulty, Wei remained unaffected. Sun's plan didn't work at all.
"Wei did clear the eleventh floor of the True Martial Tower, so it's not surprising that he could block my 'raindrops' that easily. What's really surprising... is that kid." Sun's eyes shifted toward a young man standing silently on the field, sword in hand and eyes closed.
He recognized him.
Zihua—the young master of the Bai family. Once hailed as a prodigy.