Lin Xuan left the Ten Thousand Treasures Tower and returned to the Lin Family. Upon his return, he immediately began his sword training.
First, he asked the big black dog to help remove the seal on the sword.
The big black dog said, "I'll help you remove the first layer of the seal."
After it spoke, its claw waved. Mysterious runes flew out and landed on the longsword. The sword trembled violently as one pattern after another appeared on its surface, and then one of the layers shattered.
Then, a powerful force erupted from the blade. The shock forced Lin Xuan to back away continuously.
Such powerful force!
Lin Xuan was incredibly shocked. Once the power from the sword stabilized, he walked over and grasped it again. Lin Xuan discovered the sword was different. Although it still appeared ancient and unadorned, it was now much heavier and sharper than before.
With a gentle wave, the air boomed.
It truly is a good sword! Lin Xuan was overjoyed.
Next, Lin Xuan began cultivating the Nine-Layer Sword Technique.
While Lin Xuan was training, Liu Ruyue of the Liu Family was also cultivating. She wore a long white dress and held a longsword. As she danced, wisps of a cool breeze swirled around her. She was performing the Breeze Sword Technique, a high-level Yellow Rank sword technique.
This wasn't a sword technique from the Liu Family, but rather from the Lin Family; it was the one Lin Xuan had previously taught her. Otherwise, given the Liu Family's strength, they would have never possessed such a high-level sword technique.
While she was practicing, a scream suddenly came from outside the courtyard.
"Sister, you must avenge me!" a voice cried out, and a figure came running inside.
"Brother, what happened to you?" Liu Ruyue stopped her practice, turning around with a sudden change in expression.
The person who entered was her younger brother, Liu Ruhu. At this moment, his face was covered in wounds, his arms and legs were broken, and he hobbled inside.
Liu Ruyue was instantly furious. "Who? Who did this to you?"
This is outrageous! She was Young Master Sun's woman now. Who would dare to touch her brother? That would be a slap in Young Master Sun's face! Was there anyone in Cloud Sea City who dared to disrespect Young Master Sun?
"Sister, it was Lin Xuan, that waste, who injured me," Liu Ruhu roared wildly. "You must avenge me!"
Lin Xuan? Liu Ruyue's expression changed. She frowned and asked, "What happened?"
Liu Ruhu recounted what had happened. Of course, he refused to admit it was his fault, claiming that Lin Xuan held a grudge and attacked him without provocation.
Liu Ruyue was infuriated after listening. She clenched her longsword and gritted her teeth, saying, "Lin Xuan, I know you are angry, but this is between the two of us. You can't involve my family."
"This time, I absolutely won't let you off!" she seethed. "Brother, don't worry. I will get revenge for you. During the second assessment, I will personally defeat him!"
After saying this, Liu Ruyue left. She went to the Sun Family, found Sun Tian, and told him she wanted revenge on Lin Xuan.
Young Master Sun squinted. After a moment, he slammed the table and said, "I will arrange it."
He had long disliked Lin Xuan and wanted to teach him a lesson. If Liu Ruyue made the move, that would be even better. Wouldn't it be even more disgraceful for Lin Xuan to be defeated by his ex-girlfriend?
Liu Ruyue, however, was worried. "What are the rules for the second assessment? We don't know them yet. I might not get a chance to fight him."
"Don't worry about that. My older brother also trains at the Heavenly Dao Institute. According to a message from him, one of his friends is among the people sent here this time. I can ask my brother's friend to help arrange the fighting order. A small matter like this shouldn't be a problem."
Really? That's great! Liu Ruyue was delighted.
Sun Tian said, "You must not only defeat him, but do so in public and crush him under your heel. You have to tell everyone that Lin Xuan is still a waste. Here is a bottle of elixir. Take it and strive to advance your cultivation before the second assessment."
After that, Liu Ruyue left.
Sun Tian also began to cultivate.
「In the blink of an eye, a month had passed.」
Over the past month, Sun Tian had trained frantically. With the aid of elixirs, his cultivation broke through once again, reaching the Eighth Grade. He was now an Eighth Grade Martial Artist, stronger than ever before. Not only that, but he had also mastered the top-tier Yellow Rank fist technique, the Mountain-Opening Fist. A single punch seemed powerful enough to split mountains. Its power was immense.
Sun Tian laughed, tilting his head to the sky. Hahaha! With strength like this, who can possibly be my rival? That Lin Xuan is simply no match for me! Just watch. In this second assessment, I will certainly take first place!
「On the other hand.」
「The Liu Family.」
Liu Ruyue was equally delighted. With the assistance of elixirs, she had also broken through, reaching the Seventh Grade realm. Moreover, she had mastered the Breeze Sword Technique. Her current strength was formidable.
So what if Lin Xuan has recovered his Seventh Grade cultivation? She was confident she could defeat him.
"Lin Xuan, just you wait! I will crush you under my heel!"
「The Lin Family.」
Lin Xuan opened his eyes and exhaled a long breath. After a month of cultivation, he had reached the Eighth Grade realm. Moreover, he had also mastered the Nine-Layer Sword Technique. When performed, it possessed immense power.
He was now no weaker than a Ninth Grade Martial Artist. An ordinary Eighth Grade Martial Artist was no match for him.
He had finally mastered the sword technique before the assessment. Now, he intended to fully display his skills in the second round. He had taken first place in the first round of the assessment. Now, he was determined to take first in the second round as well. If he did, he would be ranked first overall. Upon entering the Heavenly Dao Institute, he would be able to gain tremendous benefits.
「The next day.」
Cloud Sea City was bustling with excitement. It was the day of the Heavenly Dao Institute's second assessment. This second assessment would be focused on combat, promising to be even more intense and exciting.
At dawn, the streets and alleys were already packed with people, all heading toward the city center. Several arenas had been set up there, serving as the location for the second assessment. The area around the arenas was crammed with people, all excitedly discussing who would take first place in this assessment.
"It must be Young Master Lin Xuan! His talent has been restored. Who can possibly compete with him?"
"He's the number one genius of our Cloud Sea City."
As these words were spoken, many people nodded in agreement.
But there were also those who shook their heads, saying, "I don't think so. I believe Sun Tian has a better chance of winning first place."
"You have to remember, Sun Tian's talent wasn't bad to begin with, and he's the young master of an Alchemy Master family. He's able to take elixirs whenever he wants, so he cultivates much faster than we do."
"That's right! I heard from a friend that Sun Tian has already broken through to the Eighth Grade!"
"What? He broke through?"
The surrounding crowd cried out in shock, their faces filled with disbelief.
"Impossible! He broke through in just one month?" someone said. "Isn't that cultivation speed a bit too fast?"
"There's nothing to be done about it. He's from an Alchemy Master family; the one thing they don't lack is elixirs."
"If Sun Tian has really broken through to the Eighth Grade, then there's no suspense left in this assessment."
"First place is definitely his."