However, the Ten Thousand Swords Grand Ceremony was, after all, a grand event of the Inner Sect.
Lin Yue’s hammer blow that had knocked Senior Brother Lu to his knees was stunning, but it also thoroughly enraged the other inner sect disciples.
“Lu Chuan was careless. That kid’s unusual weapon caught him off guard!”
“What kind of swordsmanship is that? It’s just brute force!”
Above the arena, a youth in a blue-gold robe drifted down.
Nineteenth on the Inner Sect Hundred-Strength Ranking, Ling Feng.
“You’re Lin Yue, right?”
The longsword in Ling Feng’s hand gleamed with cold light, his tone icy.
“A menial is still a menial. These underhanded tricks are worthless in the face of true swordsmanship.”
“Let’s say that was your moment of enlightenment. Now, on behalf of the Inner Sect, I’ll formally ‘guide’ you.”
Ling Feng angled his longsword, and a sharp sword intent locked onto Lin Yue.
He wasn’t Lu Chuan.
He was a true genius who had killed demon beasts and seen blood.
Lin Yue sighed and glanced at Chu Wanning on the stage.
Chu Wanning was propping her chin up, looking thoroughly entertained.
“Senior Brother Ling, right?”
Lin Yue hoisted the heavy sword back onto his shoulder, his tone turning lazy again.
“Actually, I wasn’t finished earlier. Enlightenment is all about ‘artistic conception.'”
“Your sword is too fast—so fast that even your own soul can’t keep up.”
Lin Yue smiled.
“That kind of sword can kill a pig, but it can’t kill a heart.”
“You’re asking for it!”
Ling Feng’s figure flickered, and he transformed into a blue afterimage, arriving at Lin Yue’s brow in an instant.
The longsword was like lightning, carrying a peal of thunder.
Lin Yue didn’t meet it head-on.
His body still hadn’t fully recovered; that earlier hammer blow had been purely for intimidation.
Going all-out against a genius in the top twenty of the Inner Sect would be something only a fool would do.
Facing Ling Feng’s thunderous strike, Lin Yue did something that made everyone want to vomit blood.
He sat straight down on the ground.
Because he sat so fast and so abruptly, Ling Feng’s sure-kill sword grazed right over Lin Yue’s scalp.
“Ouch, my leg fell asleep.”
Lin Yue sat on the ground, casually grabbing the half-eaten fruit he hadn’t finished earlier and stuffing it into his mouth.
Ling Feng’s sword strike missed, and he somersaulted in midair before landing, shaking with rage.
“You scoundrel! Get up and fight!”
“What’s there to fight?”
Lin Yue looked innocent.
“Senior Brother Lu just knelt to me. That shows my enlightenment was profound. The elder didn’t say anything, so why are you in such a hurry?”
“Enough, Ling Feng, withdraw.”
From the high platform, Chu Wanning finally spoke.
Her voice was cold and clear, carrying an unquestionable authority.
“The ceremony is for Inner Sect competition. As a menial, it’s already impressive for Lin Yue to have achieved such enlightenment.”
Chu Wanning stood up, her robes fluttering.
“Today’s first phase ends here. Tomorrow, the Inner Sect top ten battle. Lin Yue, you will attend and observe on time.”
Chu Wanning looked at Lin Yue, her tone carrying a threat only he could understand: “If you don’t gain any new insights… I will teach you personally.”
Lin Yue shuddered.
‘Personally teach?’
‘That would probably cost me my life.’
Lin Yue fled from the arena.
An Xiaoxiao immediately pounced on him, hanging onto his arm like a koala.
“Senior Brother was so cool just now! That sit-down really sat right into Xiaoxiao’s heart.”
Lin Yue ignored her fangirling and quickly dragged her back.
“Let’s go, let’s go. Hurry back. I drew too much attention—who knows what traps are waiting for me tomorrow.”
He could feel countless eyes on his back.
Some envious, some curious, some murderous.
And from the high platform, that most troubling shade of purple.
Back at the rundown thatched hut.
Lin Yue’s first move was to pull out the green jade token.
The bow on it was gone, but the sword aura inside the token seemed to have stirred, faintly connecting with his Demon Emperor’s Hell Suppression Art.
“Fortune and misfortune depend on each other.”
Lin Yue lay on the creaky wooden bed, staring at the leaky roof.
He knew that with this Ten Thousand Swords Grand Ceremony, his plan to “lay low” had completely collapsed.
An Xiaoxiao’s love, Chu Wanning’s attention, the Inner Sect’s hostility.
All these things wove a net more complex than the “Thousand Threads Entanglement.”
‘Damn it, is this even cultivation?’
….
Late at night in the Nine Heavens Sect, it was eerily quiet.
In the thatched hut, Lin Yue lay spread-eagled on the groaning wooden bed.
He was pondering a philosophical question: ‘Why is being a salted fish more exhausting than being a flipping fish?’
Crunch.
The sound of a dry branch being stepped on.
Lin Yue instinctively grabbed the heavy sword at the head of the bed.
“Xiaoxiao, I told you, no meat soup tonight, no bone soup, and definitely no ‘Invigorate the Dragon and Tiger Vitality Tonic’!”
“It’s me.”
A voice, cold as broken jade, tinged with a chill, came from outside the door.
It wasn’t sweet, but it was commanding.
Very distinctive.
Lin Yue froze.
This voice was all too familiar—Inner Sect Chief, the high and mighty flower, Chu Wanning.
He turned his head to look at the corner of the room.
An Xiaoxiao, who was supposed to be squatting there weaving red strings, was nowhere to be seen.
Half an hour ago, Lin Yue had used a “delaying tactic” to send her away.
He’d told her he craved a sweet soup made from “Seven-Colored Moonlight Mushrooms,” which only grew on the cliff face of the neighboring mountain peak and had to be picked when the moonlight was at its strongest.
An Xiaoxiao’s eyes had gleamed red at the time, and without a word, she’d grabbed a small shovel and climbed out the window.
Before leaving, she’d left a lingering message: “Wait for me, Senior Brother. If I can’t pick enough, I’ll level that whole mountain.”
“Senior Sister Chu?”
Sure that An Xiaoxiao wouldn’t be back anytime soon, Lin Yue quickly rolled off the bed and straightened his rag-like clothes.
The door opened.
Moonlight spilled onto the threshold.
Chu Wanning stood in the clear light, her purple robe pressed against her graceful figure by the night wind.
Her beautiful face was still expressionless, but when she saw Lin Yue’s disheveled state, a flicker of disdain sped through her eyes.
“You live in a place like this?”
Lin Yue touched his nose and chuckled.
“A menial has to be one with nature. When it leaks, I can bathe; when the wind blows, I can dry my hair. It’s fine.”
Chu Wanning ignored his flippancy and walked straight into the hut.
Her presence immediately filled the cramped space with a faint, cold plum blossom scent.
It overpowered the smell of old rust, making Lin Yue feel like he’d suddenly been upgraded to a luxury dorm.
“The token.”
She extended a hand as white as ivory.
Lin Yue quickly pulled out the green jade token from his chest and handed it over respectfully.
Because it had been pressed against his body, the token still carried a trace of Lin Yue’s warmth.
When Chu Wanning took it, her fingertips accidentally brushed against Lin Yue’s palm.
She flinched as if shocked, her fingers trembling slightly before quickly regaining composure.
“The… knot on it?”
She examined the crystal-clear token, her voice carrying a hint of curiosity.
“Those curse-silk threads—you actually managed to clean them off?”
“That’s right. I don’t have many skills, but when it comes to untying packages… oh, I mean, untying knots, I’m a professional.”
Lin Yue spouted nonsense with a straight face.
“I used my heavy sword and chanted the Heart Sutra three thousand times to it. It achieved Buddhist enlightenment and passed away on its own.”
Chu Wanning snorted coldly, clearly not believing him.
But she didn’t dwell on the matter.
She had come today for something else.
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