"Has Lin Yun been scared stiff?"
"I've never seen Ye Qian look this angry before!"
Countless outer-sect disciples were terrified by Ye Qian's attack. Just when everyone thought Lin Yun was done for, he finally moved.
He didn't dodge, but simply walked straight toward Ye Qian. His movements were slow, but they exuded an immense sense of pressure.
As Ye Qian's sword stabbed forward, another sword suddenly appeared in Lin Yun's right hand. It was the Cold Flame Sword.
The corners of his mouth curled up slightly as he flicked the Cold Flame Sword upward. Ye Qian felt the sword in her hand become unbearably hot and subconsciously let go of the hilt. By then, her palm was already completely red from the heat.
At that exact moment, Lin Yun sent out a wave of sword qi. This was a full-power strike, delivered in a fit of rage.
Ye Qian looked at Lin Yun and felt as if the man before her had suddenly become incomparably tall, a giant looming over her. That sharp sword intent was like a vast, endless ocean.
What in the world is this?
Ye Qian failed to block this strike. Although the Heart-Protecting Bell on her body intercepted the attack, the force still sent her flying off the fighting ring.
The entire arena fell silent. The referee's mouth was hanging so wide open you could fit an egg in it.
Were my eyes playing tricks on me just now? Did Lin Yun really take out Ye Qian with a single strike?
"Gulp."
Down in the crowd, Zhao Yuhu watched this scene, swallowed hard, and felt tears welling up.
Against small fry, Lin Yun doesn't draw his sword and wins with one punch.
Against the genius of the outer sect, Ye Qian at the fourth level of the Yuan Sea Realm, he draws his sword and wins with one strike!
Was this something a human was capable of? Ye Qian had been in the outer sect for months. His buddy Lin Yun had only been in the outer sect for a week! Did his cultivation level ride a freaking rocket up?
Zhao Yuhu was already starting to feel sorry for his cousin. The rewards for this Inner Sect Grand Competition were generous, and after hearing Zhao Yuhu's story, Zhao Yulong also felt it was highly likely Lin Yun would participate. So, he had proactively applied to fight.
Looking at Lin Yun's current combat power, Zhao Yulong wasn't just asking for a beating; he was actively seeking death!
"Cousin, I've let you down."
"This guy is a monster."
Ye Qian spat out a mouthful of clotted blood, her hands trembling. She still couldn't forget that terrifying sword intent. Unlike hers, Lin Yun's sword intent was sharp, unyielding, and truly tempered. As for her, even with some talent, without real combat experience, it was impossible to master sword intent of that level. Not to mention cultivation level, in terms of sword dao attainment alone, Lin Yun was eighteen streets ahead of her.
"No... impossible! I won't lose!" Ye Qian roared, still in disbelief. But who had time to care about her now?
Gu Xiande sat in the stands with a troubled expression. Such a fine talent... if the Ancestor took him up to Green霞 Peak, they would be short one trump card in the next Spirit Realm Grand Competition!!! As he thought this, he glanced at the woman beside him. The woman had a smile in her eyes. The way she looked at Lin Yun was filled with satisfaction.
On the other side, Xu Ruoqing and Qiu Zhiping had also won their respective matches. After drawing lots, Lin Yun's next opponent was Qiu Zhiping.
The two of them stood on the stage. Qiu Zhiping raised his hand.
"Qiu Zhiping, is there a problem?"
Qiu Zhiping gave a simple-minded smile and scratched his head. "Referee, I forfeit."
Lin Yun was speechless. "..."
"Didn't you yourself say that I should hold on until the end so we could compare our strength?" He hadn't expected Qiu Zhiping to forfeit so readily.
"Compare my ass," Qiu Zhiping said. "Brother, this little brother here was blind to your greatness earlier and offended you. Please don't take it to heart. They all say I'm a brute, but actually, I'm super smart! The moment you beat Ye Qian, I knew I was no match for you."
As he said this, he broke into a proud grin. This guy was quite an interesting character. Lin Yun couldn't help but laugh as well.
The referee's face darkened. "Qiu Zhiping, are you sure you don't want to fight?"
"Nope, not fighting. The rankings in the top ten don't make much of a difference anyway."
Xu Ruoqing watched Qiu Zhiping walk off the stage and shook his head. That guy.
The next match, naturally, was Lin Yun versus Xu Ruoqing.
Xu Ruoqing walked onto the stage, dressed in a long robe, with a scholarly and refined temperament. He cupped his fist in a salute.
"Brother Lin's duel with Miss Ye was magnificent."
Lin Yun wasn't subtle at all. "Heh, you're too kind. That young miss of the Ye family just needs a bit more work on her sword dao."
The corner of Xu Ruoqing's mouth twitched, and he glanced in Ye Qian's direction. Better not say too much.
"I know I am no match for Brother Lin, but since this is a duel, I cannot bring myself to forfeit like Qiu Zhiping. Please enlighten me, Brother Lin!"
Lin Yun nodded. "Brother Xu is too polite."
Xu Ruoqing was a proper gentleman, so Lin Yun didn't bully him with his power. The two of them went all out and exchanged more than a dozen rounds. Xu Ruoqing knew he was outmatched; he had only avoided defeat several times because Lin Yun had let him off the hook. In the end, he took the initiative and forfeited.
Just like that, Lin Yun became the undisputed number one of the outer sect.
On the other side, the ten inner-sect disciples had also been selected. The order of the matches was determined by the ten inner-sect disciples choosing their opponents. Of course, they had no idea about the strengths and weaknesses of the ten advancing outer-sect disciples; it was all based on preference.
A flamboyantly dressed Zhao Yulong swaggered onto the martial arts field. He quickly found Zhao Yuhu in the crowd, who was frantically making faces at him. Their eyes met, and they each understood.
"Cousin, run! You're no match for Lin Yun!"
"Don't worry, little Hu. Today, I will definitely make this Lin Yun pay the price!"
Zhao Yulong looked at Lin Yun, his eyes filled with determination.
Zhao Yuhu's heart sank. Crap. Eye contact communication failure.
The selection of opponents began. Zhao Yulong was first.
He saw Lin Yun's smiling face, snorted coldly, and then pointed at him, saying to the referee, "I choose to fight him."
The referee turned his head and looked at Zhao Yulong with an expression full of pity. Xu Ruoqing and the others also had strange looks on their faces.
Although Zhao Yulong felt the atmosphere was a bit off, he didn't think too much of it. He just looked at Lin Yun. "You brat, you were the one who attacked my little brother back then, right? I specifically requested a spot from the elders to participate in this Inner Sect Grand Competition today, just to prevent a kid like you from having a chance to enter the inner sect! I didn't expect my gamble to pay off."
Lin Yun smiled. "As expected of Zhao Yuhu's older brother. So damn wise!"
Hearing Zhao Yulong's opening speech, the crowd felt even more sympathy for the guy. Your name shouldn't be Zhao Yulong; it should be Zhao Yuhu. Because you really are a hǔ—a real tiger, a real reckless fool.
This guy was the number one of the outer-sect competition, a ruthless man who had one-shotted a fourth-level Yuan Sea Realm expert! You're only at the third level of Yuan Sea, what are you being so arrogant for?
And so, Zhao Yulong chose the opponent he thought was suitable.
The first match was Qiu Zhiping against a second-level Yuan Sea inner-sect disciple. Naturally, there was no contest. Qiu Zhiping only had to get slightly serious to defeat his opponent. It was hard for surprises to happen when there was a realm suppression, after all, not everyone had the heaven-defying luck of someone like Lin Yun.