"Hmm..."
Lan Qinghe glanced at the stubborn Star Sword Feng and smiled in his heart.
If...
The siblings Star Sword Feng and Star Sword Yu, him and his sister, Lan Qinghe and Lan Qingyun, were so similar.
If "Lan Qinghe" hadn't become the Lan Qinghe now, he might have ended up just like Star Sword Feng, taking advantage of Lan Qingyun's influence at the Third Peak.
"No need to detour, just call me senior brother."
"Senior brother..."
Star Sword Feng looked at Lan Qinghe, who was younger than him, with a slightly grim expression.
However, he simply didn't believe that Lan Qingyun, who had just recently achieved the eighth level of refinement, could fully master a superior sword technique.
You see, Lan Qingyun was only sixteen years old when she reached the eighth level of refinement, which was already remarkable. And if she could also achieve mastery in a superior sword technique at such a young age...
This level of talent could no longer be described as genius, but as monstrous.
Therefore, he simply did not believe that such a thing could happen.
"Good!"
Star Sword Feng agreed, coldly adding, "If you lose, my demand isn't high. If you can catch the eye of Han Yayi, it's evident that you do have good talent. I want you to follow me in the future."
Is he trying to recruit a younger brother?
Lan Qinghe was somewhat surprised.
But he still nodded with a faint smile, "Alright."
"Where is Lan Qingyun?"
"Right now, she is in the Destiny Palace. When she leaves there, you will understand the truth of my words."
Seeing Lan Qinghe's resolute words, Star Sword Feng couldn't help but feel a slight tremor in his heart.
Could it be that Lan Qingyun's swordsmanship is truly extraordinary?
As far as he knew, Lan Qingyun practiced the Shadow Dividing Sword Technique, a superior sword technique that was easy to grasp but extremely difficult to master, let alone reach perfection.
Up to now, the only one who had achieved mastery in this superior sword technique was the second-ranked Lonely God Xu.
Lonely God Xu practiced only ordinary techniques, but relying on this sword technique, he stood second among the 488 inner disciples of the Third Peak, which was a testament to the ferocity of the Shadow Dividing Sword Technique.
If one could truly master this sword technique to perfection...
Shaking his head, Star Sword Feng quickly expelled this unrealistic thought from his mind.
"Bang!"
At that moment, a burst of gas, accompanied by the sound of metal and gold, erupted in the arena.
The combatants, Yue Lin and Nangong Yue, both flew back, retreating.
At first glance, it appeared that Yue Lin had won, as the collar of Nangong Yue's shoulder was torn, creating a gap.
However, before Yue Lin could declare victory, Nangong Yue's sword shook, and a strand of hair floated down from the tip of the sword.
This scene immediately darkened Yue Lin's expression.
"It's just so-so. This level of cultivation is not worthy of being called an inner disciple of the sect's elite," Nangong Yue said as she sheathed her sword.
Both of them were evenly matched in cultivation, but Nangong Yue's combat experience clearly exceeded that of Yue Lin. While it was unclear who would win in a life or death struggle, the recent exchange had already revealed the clear victor.
"Sister Yue Lin..."
Long Yu and another male disciple came forward with concern on their faces.
"Hmph!"
Yue Lin ignored Long Yu and the other male disciple.
The Destiny Palace was bustling with disciples coming and going, and the recent bout had attracted a lot of onlookers. As an inner disciple, losing to an outer disciple was a loss of face, so she couldn't stay at the Destiny Palace any longer.
After snorting, she turned and left directly.
Seeing this, Long Yu and the other male disciple quickly followed suit.
"Clang."
The sword returned to its sheath.
Nangong Yue turned gracefully, exuding a powerful self-confidence aura. By officially defeating an inner disciple, her whole being had undergone a significant uplift, and maintaining this state, closing up for a while, her swordsmanship would undoubtedly advance further, perhaps even reaching the eighth level of refinement. Becoming an inner disciple was not out of the question.
Glancing at Lu Qinghe, Nangong Yue seemed to have stopped putting him in her heart, and directly said to Han Yayi, "Just now, I had some insights from the battle. I need to practice for a bit. I can't be bothered to attend this afternoon's gathering, so I'll leave first. Brother Xingjianfeng, do you want to leave together?"
This kind of high-profile attitude had exceeded the previous level.
Clearly, she was very confident that after seclusion, she would become an inner disciple, and would no longer be on the same level as Han Yayi.
With this mindset, her tone towards Han Yayi inadvertently carried a bit of the aloofness of an inner disciple.
"No rush."
Xing Jianfeng glanced at Lu Qinghe. "This junior brother Lu Qinghe has a very high vision and looks down on your swordsmanship, even calling his sister Lu Qingyun, who has cultivated a superior sword art to perfection. I have my doubts about this and would like to see the power of a perfected superior sword art!"
"Hmm?!"
Nangong Yue's gaze turned sharp and fell on Lu Qinghe in an instant, with a piercing coldness in her eyes. "He looks down on my sword art? Coming from him? What does he think he is!"
"So there's no hurry, Ah Yue. We can just wait quietly."
Nangong Yue glanced at the handsome Xing Jianfeng and restrained the icy aura all over her body. Although her eyes remained sharp, her tone carried a hint of playfulness. "Alright, I want to see if this Lu Qingyun truly has such ability, a sixteen-year-old master at the eighth level of Refining Qi? Hmph! If I disregarded my swordsmanship basics and concentrated on refining my true Qi, breaking through my cultivation, I might not necessarily be weaker than her now."
"I definitely believe in this."
Xing Jianfeng said with a faint smile.
Han Yayi glanced at Xing Jianfeng and Nangong Yue, and looked at Lu Qinghe with a slightly apologetic look. "Sorry, Lu Qinghe, for causing you trouble."
"No worries."
Lu Qinghe didn't mind.
Neither Nangong Yue nor Xing Jianfeng were of any concern to him.
Although Nangong Yue could bring out twenty percent of the power of the Countless Gale Swordsmanship, there was still a difference between superior sword arts. Among the many superior sword arts, the Light-splitting Shadow Sword Technique undoubtedly stood at the top, followed by the Flowing Light Thirteen Swords. The Countless Gale Swordsmanship was just an ordinary superior sword art with no special features.
The wait didn’t last too long.
In less than half an hour, the door of the second side hall of the Temple of Fate opened with a loud bang, and a somewhat disheveled figure hastily emerged from it, still carrying an expression of unsuppressed shock.
"How... is this possible…"
"Hmm?!"
Sensing the commotion in the Temple of Fate, the gazes of Nangong Yue, Han Yayi, Xing Jianfeng, and Lu Qinghe, including other disciples awaiting news, all turned towards the Temple of Fate.
"Di Tianguang, he is the thirty-ninth ranked senior disciple of the inner sect."
Nangong Yue's expression slightly condensed.
The ninth level of Refining Qi, standing at the pinnacle of the Refining Qi stage. Moving on, it would be the opening of the Elemental Realm, taking a step further and becoming a true top-notch powerhouse.
Even Nangong Yue, Han Yayi, Xing Jianfeng, and others did not dare to underestimate such a disciple.
"The expression of Senior Brother Di Tianguang seems not too good. Could there have been some changes in the test?"
"Several months ago, Brother Tianguang was ranked thirty-nine in the test. By now, several months have passed, and he should have fully mastered the power of the ninth level of Refining Qi. It's no big deal to improve by one or two rankings. However, from his expression, it seems otherwise."
Han Yayi, Nangong Yue, and Xing Jianfeng concentrated their focus, staring at Di Tianguang, and secretly measuring up the True Fate Elder who would deliver the final result.
"This result, hmm..."
The True Fate Elder, who had been relaxed and resting with his eyes closed, opened his eyes, and looked at Di Tianguang with a smile that wasn’t a smile. Disregarding his extremely ugly expression, he directly threw a jade card in front of him. "Di Tianguang, final test result ranking, two hundred and thirty-sixth."
"Two hundred and thirty-sixth..."
Upon hearing this result, Di Tianguang's expression instantly became extremely unsightly.
And Han Yayi, Nangong Yue, and Xing Jianfeng were equally stunned, their expressions filled with incredulity.
"Two hundred and thirty-sixth... did I hear that right? Even if there had been a mistake in his performance, it shouldn't have fallen so drastically…"
"From thirty-nine to two hundred and thirty-sixth, a drop of nearly two hundred places. What could be the reason for this?"
"Could it be that Senior Brother Di Tianguang has always been a fake? Has he been exposed today?"
These speculations, doubts, and discussions not only revolved around Han Yayi, Nangong Yue, and Xing Jianfeng, but also among the external-disciple waiting for news, and the attendants, all of whom were similarly engaged.
For the top one hundred inner disciples, any change was related to resource allocation. Every time there was a change, someone would be the first to inform the top one hundred disciples.
The entrance of Di Tianguang, the thirty-ninth ranked expert, into the Temple of Fate had attracted a lot of attention beforehand, but no one had expected that he would test with such a result!
"At this time."
At this moment, a new set of footsteps emanated from the Temple of Fate.
A girl who looked sunny and beautiful emerged from the hall.
This girl, with long hair cascading down to her slim waist, had a lovely face that was pure and attractive. Even with the cold look on her face, she still exuded a unique charm. Especially when she strode forward with a sword in hand, her youthful and vibrant aura was accentuated.
"Liu Qingyun!"
Among the crowd, many recognized this girl.
And naturally, Han Yayi, Xing Jianfeng, and Nangong Yue did as well.
Ranked outside the top one hundred of the third peak of the inner sect, they might not all know her. But Liu Qingyun, who was ranked eighty-ninth on the third peak and was only sixteen years old, had astonishing talent. Her reputation stood shoulder to shoulder with the top thirty ranked experts.
"Lù Qīngyún, she's also in the Temple of Fate?"
"Wait, the side hall Lù Qīngyún just stepped out of seems to be... the same side hall as Dì Tiānguāng's..."
"Rumor has it that when Lù Qīngyún was promoted to the inner disciple, she killed Dì Tiānguāng's brother Dì Dàqiān. The two of them have a grudge, and now, they're in the same side hall..."
Some perceptive people had already vaguely connected these two events in their minds.
"Good, well done!"
At this time, Lù Qīngyún had already arrived in front of the True Fate Elder.
Looking at the girl in front of him, the True Fate Elder, who clearly understood what had happened in the second side hall, immediately smiled and gave his approval.
Lù Qīngyún gave a cold glance at the pale-faced Dì Tiānguāng, slightly bowed to the True Fate Elder, and asked, "Elder of True Fate, may I ask how I rank in the end?"
...