235: Chapter 235 Wind Sword, Heavenly Dust

At the edge of the crowd, beside the arena platform.

Liu Ruyan stood quietly, clad in a form-fitting water-blue martial outfit, her posture as straight as a snow-capped pine on a frigid peak.

The morning light outlined the cool contours of her delicate face.

Her eyes, usually as calm as a frozen lake, now clearly reflected the figure standing spear in hand on the arena platform.

Just the night before, she had spent several hours tempering herself.

Finally breaking through that resilient barrier, her lifeblood surged and boiled throughout her body, officially stepping into the late-stage of the third rank.

She had originally felt she could shorten the gap between her and Qin Yan by a tiny bit.

Never did she expect that the other party had actually stepped into the peak of the third rank.

A sense of frustration quietly spread from the depths of her heart, but in an instant, it was covered by an even more rigid obsession.

"Phoenix Essence Blood..."

In her mind, the words of that bewitching female voice, which coexisted with her, acting as teacher, friend, and gu, echoed.

"Only the Phoenix Essence Blood, which contains the transformative power of nirvana, can completely balance your increasingly potent Ice Phoenix Origin and stimulate its divine wonders..."

"Deep within the Canglin Ancient Mountain Range... at any cost..."

Liu Ruyan slowly raised her gaze, a trace of icy blue light swirling in her eyes.

All subtle emotional fluctuations vanished from her cool face, leaving only a kind of nearly transparent icy coldness and resolve.

"This time in the Canglin Ancient Mountain Range... I must obtain the Phoenix Essence Blood."

A low whisper, audible only to herself, yet more resolute than any vow.

Not far away, Su Liuli still maintained her lazy posture leaning against a pillar. Her simple, moon-white everyday clothes made her skin look like jade.

She didn't seem overly concerned with the outcome on the arena platform.

Her gaze swept over casually, more like she was appreciating a scenic play unrelated to herself.

However, when Qin Yan's lifeblood erupted without reservation, a trace of surprise flashed deep within her eyes.

On the arena platform, Qin Yan soon welcomed his second challenger of the day, another elf with a solid late-stage third-rank aura.

The battle process held little suspense, ending once again with a single move defeating the enemy.

Just as Qin Yan defeated his opponent and prepared to welcome the next possible challenger...

A considerable commotion suddenly arose from the entrance of the Martial Practice Courtyard.

Many elves, the proud talents, turned their heads to look, their faces revealing excitement, awe, or anticipation.

"Look! 'Wind Sword' is here!"

"Hiss... such a powerful aura! The energy on him... he broke through too?!"

"That's right, it's the Blood Aura fluctuation! Wind Sword has also stepped into the peak of the third rank!"

"Truly worthy of being the once-in-a-century cultivation prodigy of the 'Qinglan Great Territory'!"

The crowd automatically parted, creating a path. A young elf man dressed in a dark green martial outfit, carrying a simple sheathed longsword on his back, was seen walking slowly forward.

Wind Sword, the number one proud talent from one of the twenty great territories under Anya's command—the "Qinglan Great Territory," famous for his masterful "Qinglan Gale-Splitting Sword."

His talent was outstanding, having received the true teachings from a Grandmaster within the territory.

His appearance immediately ignited the atmosphere on the scene, especially among the elves from the Qinglan Great Territory, whose faces overflowed with pride.

They looked eagerly at Wind Sword, then glanced at Qin Yan on the arena platform, their eyes filled with anticipation.

"Senior Brother Wind Sword! Please take the stage, let that human witness the glory of our Qinglan Great Territory!"

"Wind Sword! Defeat him! Uphold the prestige of our territory!"

"Peak third rank versus peak third rank! This is what you call a true clash of titans!"

Low discussions and encouragement circulated among the elves of the Qinglan Great Territory.

They expected to see the pride of their territory crush with overwhelming force,

and unseat that human martial artist who had been in the limelight too much recently, bringing them supreme glory.

However, what soon made these supporters feel disappointed and even puzzled was...

Wind Sword walked near the arena platforms, and his gaze did indeed linger on Qin Yan's platform for a few moments.

But in the end, he did not leap onto Qin Yan's platform as everyone had hoped.

Instead, he turned his steps and walked directly towards another platform nearby, where a recently victorious and quite famous late-stage third-rank platform holder stood.

"Qinglan Territory, Wind Sword. I seek your guidance."

Wind Sword's voice was calm, yet carried the penetrating sharpness of a sword's edge.

His goal was clear—he had come today also to obtain the grandmaster true blood reward, in other words, to "claim the spoils."

He was not a fool, nor a hot-blooded brute driven by impulse.

Qin Yan's previous battles, especially that impressive scene of forty-eight Spear Auras erupting simultaneously, crushing everything in their path,

he had not witnessed personally, but he had learned quite detailed accounts through other channels.

Before Qin Yan had broken through to the peak of the third rank, Wind Sword had believed that with his swordsmanship cultivation and realm advantage, he could defeat him.

But now, the other party had also broken through.

Both being at the peak of the third rank, Wind Sword understood clearly that the scales of victory would tilt heavily towards the depth of Body Tempering martial skill cultivation and the power of killing moves.

His "Qinglan Sword" was certainly extraordinary, but he admitted to himself that he had not yet cultivated it to the point of deriving a powerful killing move comparable to that terrifying Spear Aura barrage of the other party.

He was currently far from being a match for his opponent.

Wind Sword was a man who valued face, and he also bore the title of the number one proud talent of the Qinglan Great Territory.

He did not want his moment of just having broken through, a time that should be filled with praise and glory, to instantly turn into a stepping stone for Qin Yan's illustrious reputation.

Just think of the possible rumors—"Wind Sword of the Qinglan Great Territory breaks through to the peak of the third rank, a peerless proud talent!"

Followed closely by—"The very next day, defeated in a single move by the human Qin Yan, becoming a laughingstock!"

This kind of scenario was simply unbearable for him to even imagine.

Wind Sword tightened his grip on the longsword in his hand and launched an attack towards that platform holder.

On his platform, Qin Yan watched Wind Sword's back, and a faint trace of disappointment couldn't help but pass through his heart.

He truly desired a suitable opponent to test the full power of his post-breakthrough strength, especially the combined might of Blood Aura and Spear Auras.

Unfortunately, the other party was clearly extremely rational and did not give him this opportunity.

"So be it." Qin Yan reined in his thoughts. Today's harvest was already sufficient.

He then effortlessly defeated another late-stage third-rank elf who couldn't resist coming up to challenge, completing today's "quota."

After collecting two drops of grandmaster true blood, he left the bustling Martial Practice Courtyard.

...

Deep within the Dawnlight Royal Palace, in an even more secluded and exquisitely beautiful courtyard.

Pavilions and towers were nestled among rare flowers and ancient trees, with spirit springs murmuring and mist swirling.

This was not an ordinary residence for proud talents, but a place for quiet cultivation specially prepared by Her Highness Anya for a few of her most core talents.

In an open pavilion overlooking the water, three young elves with profound, mountain-like auras were sitting around a stone table carved from warm jade.

On the table were arranged several plates of exquisite spirit fruits and a pot of clear, translucent green wine emitting a refreshing aroma and rich spiritual energy—"Greenwood Condensed Dew Wine."

Sitting in the host's seat was an elf dressed in a moon-white robe.

His silver hair cascaded like a waterfall, his face was handsome almost to the point of flawlessness, especially his eyes, azure like the purest lake, deep and serene.