Some time passed.
Under the explanation of Yu Lin, Yu Liangping finally realized that Yun Jin wasn't cheating at all.
She had clearly cleared each trial step by step.
A flash of disbelief passed through Yu Liangping's mind. This was the same woman who took forever just to clear the first trial. Yet the further she went, the faster she progressed?
What kind of nonsense was this?
Yu Liangping clenched his jaw.
He understood now. That woman had done it on purpose.
She deliberately lagged behind just to humiliate him.
What a vicious woman!
Yu Liangping's eyes grew darker, filled with seething resentment.
Just wait.
Once she left the Sword Domain, neither she nor Yu Songnian would be allowed to walk away. He would tear her to pieces before his rage would be satisfied.
By the time Yun Jin successfully passed the fifth trial, twelve full hours had passed.
The first day was over.
She was just about to head into the sixth trial.
Suddenly, a list appeared in the sky above the Sword Tomb.
"End of Day One. One hundred ninety-five people have entered the Sword Tomb. Sixty-three have been eliminated. One hundred thirty-two remain. Please keep up the good work."
On the list, names of the participants were arranged from top to bottom, showing how many trials each had completed.
First place was still Ma Yuanwu.
He remained stuck at the sixth trial, but among all the challengers, he was still the fastest.
Yu Songnian held second place.
Third was Feng Linglong.
The two of them had cleared the fifth trial just before Yun Jin did.
Yun Jin had caught up in the latter half and now ranked fourth, also having cleared the fifth trial. Some were still attempting the fifth, but most were stuck on the third or fourth trials.
Elsewhere on the path,
Yu Songnian and Feng Linglong glanced at the list.
Feng Linglong looked at Yu Songnian and said, "Not bad talent."
Yu Songnian nodded slightly. "Acceptable."
If it weren't for this strange illness, he would have already outshone everyone by now.
But reality was often cruel.
Neither Yu Songnian nor Feng Linglong were fond of socializing. In the beginning, they had merely tackled their trials silently, not exchanging a word.
But over time, as they kept passing trials one after another, side by side, they naturally started speaking a bit more.
Still, their conversations were far simpler than those of ordinary people.
Feng Linglong glanced at Yun Jin's name. "Your junior sister's talent is still a little below ours."
Yu Songnian gave her a half-smile, looking at her without saying anything.
What's the problem with that?
Feng Linglong was puzzled by his reaction.
Yu Songnian turned his gaze forward again, replying casually, "If she can't surpass me, in two days, you'll be eliminated."
Feng Linglong froze.
In three days, only the top three would remain.
Ma Yuanwu, Yu Songnian, and her—just enough for the final round.
But Yu Songnian's words...
Feng Linglong's expression shifted as realization struck. She abruptly looked at Yun Jin's name again.
Yu Songnian had a great deal of confidence in his junior sister's talent. He believed she could catch up.
Feng Linglong's competitive streak was instantly ignited. She too had grown up being hailed as a genius. So far, Ma Yuanwu was ahead, Yu Songnian was slightly faster than her, but as long as she held onto the top three, she could tolerate it.
But if she were to fall out of the top three…
That would be utterly humiliating.
The pressure surged over her like a wave. Saying nothing more, Feng Linglong turned and strode toward the sixth trial.
Ironically, as the second day began,
all of the frontrunners had gathered at the sixth trial.
From here on, each trial would be more difficult than the last, and each would consume far more time. Although they were all technically at the same trial, Ma Yuanwu was clearly far ahead in progress. He might pass at any moment.
Yun Jin glanced at Ma Yuanwu, who sat cross-legged before the sixth sword, and raised a brow, feeling a bit resentful.
Lately, the swords had all gotten stingy. Most didn't give her a chance to exploit any loopholes before kicking her out.
Otherwise, she could have kept training for a while longer in the previous stages.
Yun Jin looked at the gravestone.
"Vast Sea Sword."
"Vast Sea Sword, don't be stingy now, alright?" Yun Jin muttered. "We're not in a hurry. Can't we take our time?"
She tried negotiating, but the Vast Sea Sword gave no response.
Yun Jin sighed. "Looks like another stingy one."
Without delay, she entered the sword dao space. If nothing went wrong, she would earn another fragment here. She still didn't know what the fragments were for, but once she completed all nine trials, she should have three of them. Maybe the fragments combined would produce something strange or extraordinary?
She had no idea.
But as long as she kept pushing forward, she would eventually discover what secrets lay hidden within the Sword Tomb.
A sea of mist and waves stretched endlessly before her.
The Vast Sea Sword's dao space was an endless ocean. This was the second time she had encountered a sword dao space aligned with the water element.
Without a word, Yun Jin drew Tai'a.
The sea rolled with waves upon waves.
Yun Jin used the Azure Lotus Sword Art to counter, doing so with ease.
But this was just the surface-level challenge.
What was the true core of the trial?
Yun Jin constantly released her spiritual sense, searching for the deeper test hidden within the space.
Then—
She felt something.
When the next surge of waves arrived, Yun Jin didn't resist. She leapt directly into the vortex.
The sea was freezing cold, the whirlpool spinning violently.
In an instant, Yun Jin was swept deep into the ocean.
There, a stone gate appeared before her.
She gave it a gentle push, and it opened.
Behind it lay a single sword technique.
It was incredibly intricate, likely from a mid-tier Earth-rank water-element sword art.
Yun Jin experimented with several methods. In the end, she understood.
This trial wanted her to dismantle that move.
Dispel the sword technique?
Yun Jin stood in front of the wall, deep in thought.
The five elements restrained one another. To counter water, earth or wood attributes should work best. Using either earth- or wood-aligned sword moves might give her an advantage here.
But Yun Jin had a feeling.
What if she used water to overcome water?
At present, she knew two water-aligned sword arts: the Lotus Bloom Sword Art and the Azure Lotus Sword Art.
Entering a state of enlightenment, Yun Jin recalled every detail of those techniques.
However—
Neither the Lotus Bloom nor the Azure Lotus techniques could fully dismantle this sword move. Something was missing.
Yun Jin raised her brows.
So that's what it was asking of her.
It wanted her to truly internalize and transcend, to carve out a water-aligned sword dao of her own. Only by grasping her own dao could she respond to all changes and dismantle any technique in existence.
It was difficult.
But wasn't that exciting?
Outside, the water screen obscured the exact contents of the challenge. The spectators could only see Yun Jin and Ma Yuanwu sitting motionless, and tension filled their expressions.
The current situation was this:
In the left corridor, only Yun Jin and Ma Yuanwu had reached the sixth trial.
In the right corridor, it was Yu Songnian and Feng Linglong.
If nothing unexpected happened, three of these four would enter the final contest.
Who would it be?
As for Ma Yuanwu—
He had been in the lead from the start, but the further they progressed, the more difficult the trials became, and even his pace was slowing.
Meanwhile, Yun Jin was moving faster and faster.
Would Ma Yuanwu be overtaken by Yun Jin?
The atmosphere grew inexplicably tense.
Even Mu Lan focused her gaze, though she remained skeptical.
They might all be at the sixth trial, but Ma Yuanwu was still well ahead.
There was no way Yun Jin could surpass him.