A top-tier sect disciple, a rising star!

Ye Qing's expression remained calm.

Standing in the air, his Divine Sense swept across the area, sensing the concentration of Spiritual Qi in the surroundings.

"The Spiritual Veins here are decent. Although they are far inferior to the Taiyi Sect, they are much better than Black Wind Ridge."

Ye Qing nodded in satisfaction.

He believed that this was a fine place for secluded cultivation!

Ye Qing planned to enter seclusion here for a period of time to refine the remaining two Tier 4 Spirit Pills, striving to raise his cultivation to the Ninth Layer of Golden Core before the Sect Grand Competition.

However...

Ye Qing looked at Lin Xueer and Su Chan, pondering for a moment.

While he was in seclusion, those two could not remain idle either.

Their experiential training had to continue.

After all, the day of the Sect Grand Competition would be a test of the strength of each peak's Disciples.

After thinking it over, Ye Qing had an idea.

"Your Revered Master intends to cultivate here in seclusion. You two shall continue your training. Go and find a prosperous city, set up a challenge arena, and accept challenges from fellow Cultivators of your generation," Ye Qing instructed. "Challenge more experts of the younger generation to hone your sword techniques and increase your strength."

"Yes, Revered Master!"

Lin Xueer and Su Chan exchanged a glance and then cupped their fists in response.

Their eyes held a hint of excitement.

Setting up a challenge arena was indeed a good opportunity to validate what they had learned!

Ye Qing nodded and was about to enter seclusion.

But then his body paused, and his brow furrowed slightly. He had suddenly remembered the incident where Su Chan was captured by Han Wuji, the Elder of the Beicang Sect.

One had to guard against such unexpected situations.

After thinking for a moment, a thought occurred to Ye Qing.

He felt that it would be better to do this—

Buzz!

Ye Qing extended his finger. At his fingertip, two wisps of Sword Intent, refined to the extreme, slowly emerged, emitting a sharp aura that caused one's heart to tremble.

"During your Revered Master's seclusion, there may be petty people who see your youth and try to bully you with their superior age."

"Therefore, I will leave these Sword Intent Imprints within your bodies for protection."

As soon as he finished speaking, he flicked his finger.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

The two Sword Intent Imprints turned into streaks of light, instantly sinking into the foreheads of Lin Xueer and Su Chan.

The two women only felt a coolness at their brows, followed by the sensation of a vast and majestic Sword Intent hidden within their bodies.

Then it vanished from sight.

In truth, these Sword Intent Imprints contained fifty percent of Ye Qing's strength.

If Lin Xueer or Su Chan encountered a life-or-death crisis, the Sword Intent Imprint would automatically activate. At the same time, Ye Qing would sense it immediately and break out of his seclusion.

"Alright, that is all. You may go!"

Having done all this, Ye Qing nodded in satisfaction.

He waved his hand at the two women, letting them go off to train on their own.

Then, his figure flashed.

Ye Qing landed in the place with the most abundant Spiritual Qi in the Beicang Sect.

He looked around, then flicked his finger to create an Immortal Cave. After setting up several concealment and defensive Formations, he began his secluded cultivation.

A few days later, in a prosperous city—Kongming City.

In the busiest square in the center of the city, two challenge arenas built of bluestone were particularly eye-catching.

A stunning young woman stood on each arena.

The girl on the left wore a light blue dress and had an ethereal temperament; she was Lin Xueer. The girl on the right was dressed in white and brimmed with heroic spirit; she was Su Chan.

In front of both arenas stood a stone tablet, upon which several lines of large characters were carved in a bold, flowing style:

"A challenge arena is set here today. Any Foundation Establishment Cultivator of the younger generation under thirty years of age may come up to challenge."

"Are there any prodigies or talents who dare to come up for a battle?"

Such a display, combined with the two girls' world-toppling beauty, immediately attracted countless surrounding Cultivators to stop and watch.

"Hiss, what beautiful women! Which Sect's Fairies are these?"

"A challenge arena? This is interesting..."

"Hehe, I see these two little beauties have delicate skin and tender flesh, and their cultivation is only at the sixth or seventh layer of Foundation Establishment. I consider myself to have some strength; let me go up and meet them. Perhaps, hehe, I might even get to win their favor!"

An oily-faced Foundation Establishment Sixth Layer Cultivator fanned himself with a folding fan.

Striking a pose he thought was elegant and romantic, he pushed through the crowd and was the first to leap onto Lin Xueer's arena.

"Fairy, I am..."

Before he could finish his sentence, Lin Xueer had already drawn her sword.

A cold flash of sword light flickered.

Bang!

The Cultivator didn't even see how Lin Xueer made her move before he was struck in the chest by a massive force.

He flew backward, crashing miserably onto the ground, and it took him a long time to crawl back up.

Lin Xueer stood with her sword sheathed, expressionless.

The crowd below burst into laughter!

On the other side, a similar scene was playing out on Su Chan's arena.

Whether the Cultivators who went up were at the fifth, sixth, or seventh layer of Foundation Establishment, none could last a single move against Su Chan's sword.

Her sword style was sharp and decisive; every strike was clean, efficient, and without the slightest hesitation.

Bang!

Bang!

Bang!

Those who wanted to take the opportunity to get close with impure intentions and lacked sufficient strength were all blasted away!

Amidst the laughter of the crowd, their faces turned beet red with shame.

Bowing their heads and covering their faces, they ducked into the crowd and ran away.

By this point, everyone could see that Lin Xueer and Su Chan were indeed extraordinarily powerful!

Consequently, some Cultivators who were genuinely curious or felt an itch to test their skills began to leap onto the arenas!

However, without exception, they were also quickly defeated after going up.

The crowd was horrified to discover that these two young women's sword techniques were exquisite beyond their understanding, and their grasp of combat opportunities was precise to the extreme.

Thus, within Kongming City, more and more people gathered to watch in front of the arenas every day, and more and more people came to challenge them.

And as time passed, the number of people who failed the challenge also increased.

The reputations of Lin Xueer and Su Chan gradually spread throughout Kongming City.

They struck extremely fast, almost always defeating their opponents with a single strike, and both possessed peerless grace. Therefore, people began to call them the "Sword Fairies."

The names of the Greater and Lesser "Sword Fairies" spread like wildfire, quickly becoming famous throughout the city!

On this day, on the streets of Kongming City.

A young Cultivator of extraordinary bearing was walking slowly.

He was about twenty-four or twenty-five years old, wearing a brocade robe. His cultivation had already reached the Eighth Layer of Foundation Establishment, and his aura was steady and refined, far beyond what an ordinary Cultivator of the same level could compare to.

Behind him, following closely, was a seemingly ordinary Gray-Robed Elder. The Elder's eyes were slightly closed, and his aura was restrained, as if he were a common old servant. But in reality, the Elder was powerful, a formidable Cultivator at the Golden Core Fifth Layer!

The young Cultivator was named Zhou Yi.

In fact, he was a True Disciple of the "Wandao Sect," one of the top Sects in the Eastern Region.

Furthermore, he was a Prodigy ranked eighty-sixth on the Eastern Region's hidden dragon ranking list!

This Elder was his Dao Protector!

The so-called hidden dragon ranking list recorded the top one hundred geniuses under the age of thirty in the entire Eastern Region.

Those who could make the list were all favored children of heaven, each possessing terrifying strength that could be considered invincible among their peers or even allow them to fight those at higher levels.

It could be said that as long as these people did not perish, they were destined to achieve Golden Core or even Nascent Soul in the future.

"Elder Shi, the square ahead is quite lively. It seems someone has set up a challenge arena for a martial contest?"

Zhou Yi walked near the square.

Looking at the bustling activity ahead, he raised an eyebrow, a look of interest appearing on his face.

"Why don't we go over and take a look?"

Zhou Yi was passing through Kongming City.

Regarding this so-called challenge arena contest, he was actually just watching for fun and didn't take it to heart.

In his eyes, all this was nothing more than Disciples from small Sects playing house.

He just happened to come across it, so he would watch the excitement!

However, when he squeezed into the crowd and his gaze fell upon the arena, the casual look on his face instantly vanished.

At this moment, a Foundation Establishment Seventh Layer Cultivator was challenging Su Chan.

This person's sword techniques were exquisite and his spiritual power was robust; he was considered somewhat famous among the younger generation near Kongming City.

However, compared to Su Chan, the offensive methods he was originally proud of actually seemed somewhat clumsy.

Su Chan held her longsword, her movements elegant.

With just simple steps and sword swings, she possessed a mysterious Dao charm.

When she struck, the sword light flowed, faintly resembling a shining great river filled with starlight.

"This is... a sword technique I have never seen before! And its grade is extremely high!"

Zhou Yi knew his stuff.

His breath hitched suddenly, and a burning light erupted in his eyes!

He was, after all, from the Wandao Sect and had broad horizons.

He recognized the extraordinary nature of the sword technique Su Chan was currently performing at a glance!

He couldn't be certain of the grade of this sword technique, but it was definitely extremely miraculous!

Bang!

At this moment, on the arena.

Su Chan tapped her sword against the spine of her opponent's blade. A majestic force was transmitted through the sword. The man groaned, the longsword flew from his hand, and he was shaken back seven or eight steps. His blood surged, and his face turned pale.

"I lost." He squeezed out those three words with difficulty, stood dazed for a moment, and then walked off the arena.

Shaking his head, his eyes were full of wonder.

The people around also let out cries of surprise, many shouting for the Sword Fairy.

And Zhou Yi's heart pounded wildly as a thought grew within him: if possible, he wanted to... observe this sword technique!