322: Chapter 322 Losing Face

On the Sword Testing Platform, the atmosphere instantly tightened to the extreme!

Two auras of the True Martial Tenth Level violently collided; the battle was on the verge of breaking out!

A battle of this level instantly ignited everyone's emotions.

"Junior Brother Ye truly has extraordinary courage." The feminine smile on Han Li's face vanished completely, and purple electricity flickered in his eyes. "I hope your lightning techniques are as tough as your mouth."

Before his voice could fade, he spread his five fingers. Several purple Lightning Snakes, as thick as bowls, shot out from the ground around Ye Tian, weaving into a shrinking Purple Electric Cage!

Ye Tian did not move. The jingji sword hummed softly, and silver-white lightning rippled out, forming a protective shield.

The purple Lightning Snakes crashed into it with a piercing sizzle but were quickly annihilated, unable to penetrate even a fraction.

"Senior Brother Han's lightning seems... not pure enough." Ye Tian stood with his sword, silver-white lightning flowing around him, making him look like a god of thunder descended to the world. His tone was disdainful. "Why don't you try mine?"

With a slight flick of his wrist, he pointed the jingji sword diagonally toward the sky. The silver-white lightning at the sword's tip suddenly brightened. In the next instant, a Lightning Sword-Gang, as fast as a stream of light, tore through the air and shot straight at Han Li!

Han Li's expression changed. He quickly formed hand seals, and a light shield composed of purple lightning talismans instantly coalesced.

Squelch!

The Thunder Gang struck the center of the light shield, making a penetrating sound!

The light shield was actually pierced three inches deep, fine cracks appearing on its surface as the lightning talismans flickered wildly!

Han Li let out a muffled groan, his body swaying slightly and the ground beneath his feet cracking. He hurriedly poured in more True Yuan to barely offset the Thunder Gang, but the light shield had already dimmed by nearly half.

"What powerful piercing force!" an Elder whispered.

"Han Li's Lightning Talisman Shield was almost pierced through?"

"It seems Ye Tian's lightning is of a higher grade."

The Disciples were dumbfounded; they hadn't expected that in their first exchange, Ye Tian would be the one to take the upper hand!

"Interesting." Han Li's gaze turned completely gloomy, his jealousy burning like fire. "Lightning techniques are but a minor path. Let me show you the True Intent of Zixiao!"

His hand seals changed abruptly. Violent purple electricity raged around him, and his hair moved without wind. An aura that stirred negative emotions began to permeate the air.

He thrust out both palms, and a Sinister Lightning Pillar, filled with the howls of vengeful spirits, erupted. It distorted the light and devoured vitality as it charged straight at Ye Tian!

"Han Li is going all out!"

"Why does this lightning technique have such a wicked air?!"

Exclamations rose from below the platform.

Ye Tian finally turned serious. Using the Taixu Star-Shift Steps, he left behind trails of afterimages. A blazing white Lightning Star condensed at the tip of the jingji sword, and he thrust it out against the roaring, Sinister Lightning Pillar!

Then, under the unbelievable gazes of everyone, that dark purple lightning pillar carrying a wicked air was split in two right down the middle the moment it touched the blazing white Lightning Star!

The Lightning Star pierced through the dark purple pillar and shot in front of Han Li in an instant!

"Impossible!" Han Li was both shocked and furious. In his haste, he condensed all his purple electricity into a rotating lightning ball and summoned a Purple Bone Shield to block his front.

Puff!

The Lightning Star struck the bone shield. The cracks on the shield suddenly expanded. The Lightning Star pierced through—though mostly weakened—and collided with the purple lightning ball.

Boom!

The explosive shockwave sent Han Li flying! His clothes were shredded, revealing his now-dimmed inner armor.

He spat out a mouthful of blood, his chest charred black. He crashed dozens of feet away and struggled to get up, only to spit out several more mouthfuls of blood. His aura was withered, and his eyes held nothing but terror.

He, a True Disciple of Kaiyang Peak and a True Martial Tenth Level lightning expert, had actually lost to a kid who had joined the Sect just over a year ago!

In the face of the other's domineering lightning power, the Zixiao Lightning Techniques he had painstakingly cultivated were like child's play!

The entire venue was pin-drop silent.

This match was a sheer, naked crushing! The fierce battle they had imagined simply didn't happen.

Ye Tian sheathed his sword, his lightning light retracting and his aura steadying. He looked at the fallen Han Li and shook his head.

"Senior Brother Han, your lightning is wicked rather than righteous, mixed rather than pure. It has the form but lacks the true essence of lightning—the vast power to cleanse the world and break through evil and delusions. You have strayed onto the wrong path in your cultivation."

"Puff!" Hearing this, Han Li was overcome by rage and spat out another mouthful of blood. His vision went black, and he fainted from anger. These words negated his entire path, which felt worse than being killed.

"Li'er!" A gloomy old man from Kaiyang Peak stood up abruptly, his gaze unfriendly, yet he could not lash out.

After the dead silence came a thunderous eruption of exclamations and uproar!

"He won?! With one strike!"

"Senior Brother Han Li's Evil Lightning Burst was broken just like that?!"

"Just what grade is Senior Brother Ye's lightning? It's too terrifying!"

"Vast and majestic, breaking evil and delusions! This is the true lightning technique!"

"That was a True Disciple! Ye Tian actually defeated a True Disciple?!"

Below the stage, a thick sense of admiration erupted in the eyes of countless Disciples.

Ye Tian's performance today had completely conquered everyone! First defeating Xiao Chen, then crushing Gao Ling, and finally defeating a True Disciple with one strike! This was the beginning of a legend!

On the high platform, Perfected Qingxu and the Grand Elder exchanged looks of shock and deep thought.

Whether it was this boy's Heart-Nature, talent, or that terrifying combat instinct, in their knowledge, he was top-tier.

Elder Tianshu let out a long sigh of relief, feeling gratified and proud.

In the guest seats, Ling Juexiao's face looked worse than if he had eaten dirt.

He stared wide-eyed at Ye Tian, his fingers nearly snapping the armrest of his seat.

Everything he had meticulously calculated—the Heart-Questioning Arena, the three challenges, the murder by a borrowed blade—had all become a joke before Ye Tian's absolute strength!

Not only did he fail to cripple Ye Tian, but he had instead become the stepping stone for his fame!

Han Li's crushing defeat was even more of a public slap to his face!

His chest heaved violently, and his monstrous killing intent almost burst out. A sliver of pressure from the Sea Transformation Realm Middle Stage leaked out uncontrollably, causing the faces of the representatives of several nearby small factions to turn pale and tremble.

Xing Tiexin took a deep breath, suppressing his shock, and waved for people to carry Han Li away. He looked at Ye Tian with a complex gaze, his cold voice carrying a hint of emotion:

"The third challenge, Ye Tian, wins."

"Heart-Questioning Arena, three challenges, Ye Tian, total victory."

As the words fell, a brief silence was followed by even more enthusiastic cheering.

From today on, the name Ye Tian would once again resound through the Liuli Xuan Sect and spread throughout the Northern Region!

Ye Tian sheathed his sword, not looking at the cheering crowd or the iron-faced Ling Juexiao. He turned and bowed to Perfected Qingxu on the high platform. "Sect Head, the three challenges are finished. Has this Disciple proven himself?"

Perfected Qingxu gave him a deep look and slowly stood up.

"The result of the Heart-Questioning Arena is clear. Ye Tian has been investigated by the mind-clearing mirror and won all three challenges, showing a solid Foundation of strength; his words are not false."

"Regarding the accusations of 'falling into the Demonic Path' and 'cultivating evil techniques' made by Pavilion Master Ling of the Wanren Sword Pavilion, there is no evidence. The matter of Elder Yin Li was an act of self-defense and is excusable. This seat rules that Ye Tian is innocent."

His voice, like a legal decree, spread through the seven peaks.

"As for the losses of the Wanren Sword Pavilion and several Fellow Daoists of the Northern Region," his gaze turned toward Ling Juexiao, carrying the majesty of a Sect Master and a protective nature, "if there are still objections, you may provide new, conclusive evidence."

"Otherwise, this matter is concluded. The Disciples of my Liuli Xuan Sect will not be slandered or framed by outsiders at will!"

The muscles on Ling Juexiao's face twitched violently. His face turned from red to purple, and the veins on his forehead bulged. He wished he could grind his teeth to dust.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, he had come with great fanfare, carrying an official letter of 'ironclad evidence' and setting up the Heart-Questioning Arena. He thought he could easily nail this little thief and reclaim the treasure, washing away his previous humiliation.

But he never expected the opponent to win battle after battle. Finally, right in front of him, the boy had defeated Han Li—whom he had secretly supported and placed high hopes in—with a single sword strike, leaving him spitting blood and unconscious, his Dao Heart damaged!

And he, the dignified Master of the Wanren Sword Pavilion and a Sea Transformation Realm Middle Stage powerhouse, could only watch helplessly. Under the warning words of the other party's Sect Head, he couldn't even let out a single fart!

It was simply an unprecedented, supreme humiliation in his life!

He felt as if he could hear the suppressed snickers of the surrounding Liuli Xuan Sect Disciples and see the mockery of his 'wretched state' in their eyes.

This grievance, anger, and killing intent almost set him on fire and made him explode!

"Good... what a 'no evidence'! What an 'excusable'! What a Liuli Xuan Sect!"

Ling Juexiao squeezed out a few words, his voice carrying an unmaskable coldness. "Sect Head Qingxu, today's matter... this Pavilion Master has noted it down!"

He violently flicked his sleeve, bringing a sharp wind that shattered the teacup on the side table with a bang! Tea splashed everywhere, but no one dared to make a sound.

He no longer looked at anyone. He turned abruptly, not even bothering to say any parting words. His body turned into a streak of sword light and soared into the sky, instantly tearing through the air and disappearing into the distant horizon!

He actually even ignored the representatives of the small factions who had come with him. It was clear that his heart was filled with extreme rage and hatred, reaching the brink of losing his composure.

The representatives of the small factions looked at each other with pale faces. Amidst countless mocking gazes, they left dejectedly, not daring to stay for even a moment longer.