The Nine Heavens Sect’s training grounds held an unusually tense atmosphere today.
In previous years, the outer disciple examinations were a life-or-death struggle for the bottom-tier disciples, something the inner sect elders had always looked down upon.
But today, the white-robed woman seated in the main viewing platform had single-handedly elevated the event’s prestige to a level it had no business reaching.
Chu Wanning.
She sat there like a humanoid block of ten-thousand-year profound ice, the chill emanating from her threatening to freeze the air within a thirty-foot radius.
The frosty longsword resting on her knees occasionally let out a clear, crisp ring, as if voicing its master’s grievance over yesterday’s unprecedented humiliation.
“Brother Yue, I feel like Senior Sister Chu is looking at you like you’re a plate of sashimi ready for the pot,” Wang Pangzi whispered from behind Lin Yue, his voice trembling like a phone on vibrate.
“Should we run? Selling sweet potatoes down the mountain sounds pretty good. At least sweet potatoes don’t draw swords to cut people down.”
Lin Yue kept his head down, trying to make himself as small as possible.
He rolled his eyes at the suggestion.
“Run? Can you outrun a Sword Cultivator at the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage? If I dare take even one step toward the gate right now, I guarantee her sword will pin me to the main sect pillar.”
In his consciousness, that accursed ledger of karmic debts began its daily routine of cold mockery.
‘Coward. In your previous life, when you barged into her master’s forbidden grounds and abducted her right in front of her teacher, you were so bold and heroic. The current you is dragging down the average IQ associated with the title “Peerless Demon Emperor.”‘
‘Shut up,’ Lin Yue retorted mentally. ‘
Back then I had cultivation.
What do I have now?
A body of freshly washed, stinky sweat!’
‘You have debt,’ the ledger flipped over. ‘
And that creditor has been staring at you for forty-five minutes now.
Listen to me.
When you get on stage later, fight beautifully.
The more outstanding you are, the more inexplicable emotions will mix into her killing intent.
That’s how debts get repaid faster.’
The examination officially began.
The rules were simple: draw lots for duels.
Winners advance, losers pack up and leave.
Lin Yue drew number thirty-seven.
His opponent was a burly youth named Zhou Kai, with cultivation at the third layer of Qi Refining.
“Lin Yue, come up here and accept your death!”
Zhou Kai leaped onto the stage in a single bound, a heavy iron mace in his hand that made the platform tremble slightly.
He had originally looked down on a “waste” like Lin Yue, but yesterday’s incident of Lin Yue harassing Chu Wanning had spread throughout the entire sect, infuriating die-hard fans like him to the point of exploding.
“Senior Brother Lin, I’d also like to see just what it is about you that caught Senior Sister’s attention!” Zhou Kai sneered, his spiritual energy erupting around him.
Lin Yue sighed and slowly walked onto the stage.
He was still holding that chipped wooden sword, looking utterly pathetic.
A wave of mocking laughter rose from the audience below.
Only Chu Wanning on the viewing platform, who had been resting with her eyes slightly closed, slowly opened them, her gaze locking onto Lin Yue with deadly intensity.
‘That sword… is interesting,’ Chu Wanning thought to herself.
Others couldn’t see it, but as a top-tier sword cultivator, she keenly sensed a change in Lin Yue’s posture when holding the sword.
Gone was the lifeless stiffness of before, replaced by a kind of… relaxed readiness, like an old hunter lying in wait for his prey.
“Hah!”
Zhou Kai roared, bringing his iron mace down with a violent, howling gust of wind.
At the third layer of Qi Refining, this strike carried at least several hundred pounds of force.
Lin Yue didn’t retreat.
Amidst everyone’s gasps, he merely shifted his body slightly.
His steps were as light as a falling leaf, precisely avoiding the most ferocious point of the mace’s attack.
Clang!
The wooden sword tapped the side of the mace.
Just a tap, without much force.
Yet Zhou Kai felt as if his mace had smashed into a swirling vortex.
The force was instantly dissipated by more than half, and his own momentum sent him stumbling forward.
“Using an opponent’s force against them?”
A supervising elder on the viewing platform murmured in surprise.
“This kid’s footwork… is a bit strange.”
Zhou Kai’s face flushed red with embarrassment.
He turned and launched another sweeping attack.
Lin Yue still didn’t counterattack.
He simply dodged and weaved within the confines of the small stage.
His movements weren’t fast, even somewhat lazy, but each time he avoided the attacks by a hair’s breadth.
He was adapting.
Adapting to the newly awakened power within his body, and also to that faint wisp of sword intent in his consciousness.
‘Stop playing around. Can’t you see the iceberg on the viewing platform is about to crush the armrest?’ the ledger urged impatiently.
‘Fight more violently. She likes toughness.’
Lin Yue’s mouth twitched.
You damn ledger, what do you know?
But he really didn’t want to drag this out any longer.
When Zhou Kai swung his mace for the third time, the look in Lin Yue’s eyes suddenly changed.
In that instant, the spiritual energy within his body surged madly through specific meridians into the wooden sword.
That ordinary wooden sword actually emitted a faint tremor at this moment, a subtle layer of pale cyan light flickering at its tip.
“It’s over.”
Lin Yue whispered.
He no longer dodged. Instead, he took a step forward, meeting Zhou Kai’s mace head-on.
The wooden sword rose diagonally from below.
This sword strike had no flashy technique, not even much spiritual pressure fluctuation.
But in Chu Wanning’s eyes, this strike seemed to cleave through the obstruction of space, directly targeting the weakest point of Zhou Kai’s defense—under his arm.
Crack!
That was the sound of the wooden sword striking an acupoint on Zhou Kai’s body.
Zhou Kai felt half his body instantly go numb.
He could no longer hold the mace, and it clattered to the ground.
Lin Yue followed up with a kick, planting it lightly on Zhou Kai’s chest.
Thud!
This burly third-layer Qi Refining youth was kicked off the stage like a ball.
The entire arena fell silent.
If yesterday’s sword-snatching could be written off as a sneak attack, today’s match was a genuine, overwhelming victory.
Lin Yue sheathed his sword and stood still.
Unlike other victors who would swagger, he instinctively looked up at the viewing platform.
Their eyes met.
Chu Wanning’s gaze was still icy cold, but Lin Yue could sense that within the nearly shredding killing intent, there was an added trace of… suspicion and scrutiny.
She remembered this feeling from a sword.
Impossible.
That man was a Demon Emperor who dominated an era.
He died long ago.
The examination continued.
Lin Yue advanced with unstoppable momentum.
Third-layer Qi Refining, fourth-layer Qi Refining…
No matter who his opponent was, Lin Yue always used only one sword.
His movements grew steadier.
The combat instincts deeply engraved in his soul were being slowly awakened.
He even began to enjoy this feeling, as if each sword thrust could wash away a wisp of the gloomy haze from the heavy karmic debt of his past life.
Until he met Zhao Hu in the quarterfinals.
The same Zhao Hu who had been scared witless by a single finger yesterday, but who today came decked out in divine equipment.
“Lin Yue, don’t get too cocky!”
Zhao Hu stood on the stage, holding a talisman sword that emitted a red glow, wearing a silver-threaded inner armor.
“My father specially obtained Explosive Spirit Talismans and Silver Scale Armor for me. If I don’t cripple you today, I won’t be a Zhao!”
Looking at Zhao Hu, armed to the teeth, Lin Yue sighed helplessly.
“Senior Brother Zhao, whether you’re a Zhao or not isn’t really important. What’s important is… don’t you think all that gear is a bit heavy?”
“You’re asking for death!”
Zhao Hu frantically activated the talisman sword.
A sky full of fiery light descended upon Lin Yue.
This was the power of spending money, already exceeding the scope of an ordinary outer disciple.
Down below, Wang Pangzi stamped his feet anxiously, even wanting to rush up and take the blow for Lin Yue.
Yet, Lin Yue stood in place, slowly closing his eyes.
He was sensing.
Sensing the opponent’s chaotic spiritual energy fluctuations, sensing the dry heat of the fire spiritual energy in the air.
‘The opportunity has come,’ the ledger’s voice carried a hint of a mischievous laugh.
‘This Zhao Hu’s fire energy is very strong. Perfect for repaying your second debt to Chu Wanning.’
‘What do you mean?’
A sense of foreboding rose in Lin Yue’s heart.
‘Chu Wanning cultivates the Emotionless Sword of the ice element. Fire is her greatest taboo. If you can use these flames to draw a heart for her in mid-air, I guarantee she’ll never succeed in cultivating the Emotionless Path in this lifetime.’
‘…Get lost!’
Lin Yue, of course, wouldn’t actually draw a heart.
That was suicide.
But he did move.
Swift as lightning, Lin Yue actually charged headfirst into the flames filled the sky flames.
“Is he crazy?” someone exclaimed.
Just as the flames were about to engulf Lin Yue, the wooden sword in his hand suddenly lit up with an intense white light.
That wisp of foundational sword intent was fully ignited by him at this moment.
No flashy techniques, only pure speed and power.
Lin Yue’s figure flickered within the flames.
He was like a flying fish navigating raging waves.
Each sword thrust precisely shattered the activation node of an Explosive Spirit Talisman.
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
A continuous series of explosions rang out on the stage.
Finally, Lin Yue’s figure appeared behind Zhao Hu.
The wooden sword didn’t injure Zhao Hu.
Instead, it deftly flicked the talisman sword out of Zhao Hu’s hand.
Zhao Hu stood dumbfounded.
The Silver Scale Armor on his body actually shattered into pieces at this moment—the connecting points had been instantly severed by Lin Yue’s sword energy.
Lin Yue stood with his back to him, sheathing his sword, his tone flat.
“Senior Brother Zhao, I concede.”
Whoosh—!
The entire arena erupted in cheers.
The fight was too beautiful, showcasing not only strength but also that effortless grace.
However, before Lin Yue could even step down from the stage, an icy cold voice suddenly came from the high platform: “Halt.”
Everyone instantly fell silent, looking toward the speaker.
Chu Wanning slowly stood up.
She walked down from the viewing platform step by step.
With each step, a pure white ice lotus bloomed beneath her feet.
The pressure belonging to the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage pressed down, making almost every disciple present want to kneel.
She walked straight to the edge of the stage.
Through the railing, her star-like, frigid eyes stared directly at Lin Yue.
“Where did you learn your swordsmanship?”
Her voice wasn’t loud, but it carried an undeniable sense of judgment.
Lin Yue inwardly cursed his bad luck.
This elder sister still isn’t planning to let me go.
“Self-taught. Do you believe me, Senior Sister?”
Lin Yue braced himself and spouted nonsense.
“Self-taught?” A self-mocking, icy curve appeared at the corner of Chu Wanning’s mouth.
Chu Wanning stared at him for a full ten seconds.
In that moment, Lin Yue felt like he was running naked through a blizzard in the far north.
Suddenly, Chu Wanning moved.
She didn’t draw her sword.
She merely extended a slender, jade-like finger and lightly tapped the tip of Lin Yue’s wooden sword.
An extreme chill instantly surged along the wooden sword.
Lin Yue felt his entire arm was about to freeze into an icicle.
He gritted his teeth, the sword intent within his body circulating madly, desperately resisting this cold current.
Chu Wanning’s voice sounded in his ear, audible only to the two of them.
“Lin Yue, you’d better not let me see you in the inner sect selection. Otherwise…”
She paused, a flicker of extremely complex emotion passing through her eyes—shame, anger, confusion, and a trace of something even she hadn’t noticed… anticipation.
“Otherwise, I will personally peel off that hypocritical skin of yours.”
Having said that, she withdrew her finger, leaving a trail of fragrant breeze as she turned into a streak of blue light and left without looking back.
She left Lin Yue standing alone on the stage, looking at the wooden sword that had already been frozen into powder, wanting to cry but having no tears.
‘Tsk tsk tsk, this killing intent is so thick it could turn into honey,’ the ledger remarked in its infuriatingly smug tone.
‘Kid, congratulations. You’ve successfully evolved her desire from wanting to kill you to wanting to slice you up for research. You’re one step closer to the wedding night.’
‘Damn you!’
Lin Yue cursed through gritted teeth in his heart.
At that moment, Wang Pangzi excitedly rushed up and threw an arm around his neck.
“Brother Yue! You’re famous! You’re really famous! What did Senior Sister Chu say to you just now? Was she asking to meet you behind the mountain tonight?”
Lin Yue looked at the powdered wooden sword, then at the envious and jealous gazes around him, and suddenly felt… that the debts in this cultivation world might be even harder to repay than he had imagined.
Nighttime, in a small grove within the outer disciple dormitory area.
Lin Yue sat cross-legged on a large rock, racking his brains for a strategy for tomorrow.
Chu Wanning’s warning was no joke.
She had clearly recognized some trace from his past life, but didn’t dare be certain.
If he continued to perform outstandingly, this woman might just kidnap him back to her cave abode.
‘I need to think of a way to keep a low profile,’ Lin Yue muttered.