56: Playing the old man in the ring 5

Elder Qingxuan's eyes flashed with appreciation:

"Not bad, two people actually reached the top in this session."

"You may both directly become Inner Sect Disciples."

"Thank you, Elder."

Liu Yanran bowed.

Ye Huohuo also bowed slightly.

"However..."

Elder Qingxuan changed his tone,

"The rules cannot be discarded; you still need to participate in the final two rounds to determine your final ranking and treatment."

...On the square stood a massive Spirit Testing Stone. When a Cultivator placed their hand on it, the stone would light up, and the color and height of the light represented their Aptitude.

Red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, purple—red being the worst and purple being the best.

The height was divided into nine grades, with the first grade being the lowest and the ninth grade being the highest.

One Cultivator after another went forward to test; most lit up yellow or green light, with heights at the third or fourth grade.

When it was Liu Yanran's turn, she took a deep breath and pressed her hand against the Spirit Testing Stone.

"Buzz..."

A dazzling blue light soared into the sky, reaching the seventh grade!

"Blue light, seventh grade! A Genius!"

"Such Aptitude is top-tier even in the Qingyun Sword Sect!"

Elder Qingxuan smiled and nodded:

"Not bad, you can be a key-cultivated Disciple."

Liu Yanran glanced at Ye Huohuo triumphantly and stepped aside.

It was Ye Huohuo's turn.

He walked forward and pressed his hand against the Spirit Testing Stone.

One second, two seconds, three seconds... the Spirit Testing Stone had no reaction.

The crowd began to murmur.

"What's going on? No reaction?"

"Could it be that he has no Aptitude at all?"

A cold smile curled on Liu Yanran's lips,

Her Luck Stripping Talisman had taken effect!

However, in the next second,

"Boom!!!"

The Spirit Testing Stone suddenly erupted with a blinding purple light that shot straight into the clouds, reaching a height of... the ninth grade!

No, more than the ninth grade!

The light broke through the limits of the Spirit Testing Stone, forming a purple beam of light in the sky that did not dissipate for a long time!

The entire Qingyun Mountain shook!

"Pur... Purple ninth grade! No, it's beyond the ninth grade!"

Elder Qingxuan's voice trembled with excitement,

"This is... the legendary Saint Grade Aptitude!"

The entire field fell into a deathly silence.

Everyone stared dumbfounded at that purple beam of light and at Ye Huohuo, who stood calmly beneath it.

Liu Yanran's face turned pale as System prompts rang out frantically:

"[Warning! Warning! Target's Aptitude detected as Saint Grade, destiny has surged +50,000!]"

"[Warning! Target has obtained the favor of Heaven and Earth, System functions are being suppressed!]"

"[Suggestion: Withdraw immediately and plan for the long term!]"

No! Impossible! Liu Yanran roared in her heart, I am the daughter of destiny! I am the protagonist!

Ye Huohuo withdrew his hand, and the purple beam of light slowly dissipated.

He looked at Liu Yanran, smiled slightly, and said in a voice only the two of them could hear:

"Now, who is unworthy of whom?"

Liu Yanran's whole body trembled, and she almost coughed up blood on the spot.

But this was just the beginning.

The third round: the practical combat assessment.

Ye Huohuo stood on the arena and fought ten matches in a row, winning all ten, and each was a one-move defeat of the enemy!

In the final match, he faced a Genius at the Middle Stage of Foundation Establishment.

"Ye Huohuo, you are very powerful, but it ends here."

The opponent said proudly:

"I am..."

"Blazing Sun Palm, Sixth Style, Incinerating the Heavens and Boiling the Seas."

Ye Huohuo didn't bother listening to his nonsense and directly struck with a palm.

The scorching palm wind was like a volcanic eruption; before the opponent could even react, he was blasted off the arena!

The whole field erupted in cheers!

A sharp light burst from Elder Qingxuan's eyes:

"This boy, our Qingyun Sword Sect must have him!"

The ceremony ended, and Ye Huohuo won first place without any suspense,

Being personally taken as a Personal Disciple by Elder Qingxuan and granted a large amount of resources and privileges.

Although Liu Yanran also entered the inner Sect, her light was completely overshadowed by Ye Huohuo.

As they left, Ye Huohuo walked up to Liu Yanran and spoke indifferently:

"The three-year agreement, there are still two years and nine months left."

"Liu Yanran, Cultivate well, don't let me be too disappointed when the time comes."

Liu Yanran gritted her teeth, her nails digging deep into her palms.

She watched Ye Huohuo's departing back, a look of madness flashing in her eyes.

"System, activate the ultimate plan."

She roared in her heart,

"At any cost, I want him dead!"

"[Ultimate Plan: Sacrifice thirty years of lifespan to summon a Blood Hand Demon Lord Clone to descend for the duration of an incense stick]"

"[Warning: This plan carries huge risks and may cause the host's cultivation to regress]"

"Execute!"

Liu Yanran's eyes were full of resentment.

Ye Huohuo, for today's humiliation, I want you to pay back a hundredfold!

Night, fifty miles outside Qingyun Mountain, in a desolate valley.

Ye Huohuo sat cross-legged on a huge rock, consolidating the cultivation he had broken through today.

Suddenly, he opened his eyes.

"Senior, there's Killing Intent."

"Yes, and it's very strong."

Qin Jiuge said indifferently,

"A Nascent Soul-level aura, though it's only a Clone."

As soon as he finished speaking, a blood-colored shadow descended from the sky and landed in the valley.

It was a figure shrouded in a black robe, his face hidden in shadows, with only a pair of blood-red eyes exposed, emitting a terrifying pressure.

"Junior, is it you who made the Liu family girl sacrifice her lifespan to summon this seat?"

A raspy voice rang out.

Ye Huohuo stood up, his expression solemn:

"Blood Hand Demon Lord?"

"Oh? You know this seat's title?"

The Blood Hand Demon Lord was somewhat surprised,

"Then all the more reason I cannot let you live."

He raised his hand, and a giant blood-colored palm condensed out of thin air, striking toward Ye Huohuo!

This palm was enough to insta-kill any Foundation Establishment Cultivator!

At the critical moment,

"Scram."

A faint word came from Ye Huohuo's ring.

The giant blood-colored palm instantly collapsed!

The Blood Hand Demon Lord's Clone felt like it had been struck by a heavy blow, retreating three steps, his face under the black robe full of horror:

"Who?! Which Senior is here?!"

On Ye Huohuo's ring, a phantom slowly emerged.

Dressed in a black robe, with long hair like ink, and eyes that seemed to have stars swirling within them.

He was merely a phantom, yet the pressure he emitted made the Blood Hand Demon Lord's Clone tremble!

"Sen... Senior..."

The Blood Hand Demon Lord's voice trembled,

"This Junior did not know Senior was here, please forgive the offense..."

"Sever one of your arms and scram."

Qin Jiuge's phantom said indifferently.

The Blood Hand Demon Lord's Clone gritted its teeth and unhesitatingly tore off one of its own arms, turning into a blood-light to flee.

The phantom dissipated, and Ye Huohuo breathed a sigh of relief:

"Senior, you..."

"The consumption was a bit high; I need to sleep for a few days."

Qin Jiuge's voice pretended to be weak,

"But it was worth it. With that scare just now, that Clone lost at least thirty percent of its cultivation, and the main body will also suffer a backlash."

"In the short term, he won't dare to come looking for trouble with you again."

"Senior, thank you."

Ye Huohuo said solemnly.

"Cut that out."

Qin Jiuge chuckled,

"Hurry up and get stronger. I'm still waiting to see you slap that Liu Yanran's face."

"Definitely!"

Ye Huohuo looked toward Qingyun Mountain, Battle Intent burning in his eyes.

Liu Yanran, you think you can win against me just because you have a System and a Demonic Lord backing you?

Wrong.

I have a Master backing me.

You lost this game from the very beginning.

And the real counterattack has only just begun.

Qingyun Sword Sect, here I come.

The whole world, prepare to welcome the rise of Ye Huohuo!

...Qingyun Sword Sect, one of the three major Sects of the Zhao Kingdom, possessing nine peaks and seventy-two caves, with tens of thousands of Disciples.

After being taken as a Personal Disciple by Elder Qingxuan, Ye Huohuo moved directly into the Inner Sect area of Qingyun Peak.

The Spiritual Qi here was dense, more than ten times that of the outside world,

And there were specialized facilities such as Cultivation Rooms, Pill Refining Rooms, and a Library.

"Little guy, the Spiritual Qi concentration here is barely passable."

Qin Jiuge commented,

"But compared to a true immortal's blessed land, it's still far off."

Ye Huohuo smiled bitterly:

"Senior, this is already the best cultivation environment I've ever seen."

"You need to broaden your horizons."

Qin Jiuge said,

"Your current goal isn't to be a king in this small place, but to reach the top of the entire Tianxuan Continent."

Tianxuan Continent—this was the world Ye Huohuo was in, vast and boundless, with the Zhao Kingdom being just a small country in the southeastern corner of the continent.

"I understand."

Ye Huohuo nodded,

"Senior, what should I do next?"

"Step one, consolidate your Foundation Establishment cultivation."

Qin Jiuge said:

"Step two, learn the sword techniques of the Qingyun Sword Sect,"

"Although your Blazing Sun Palm is not bad, the Sword Sect is founded on the sword; it wouldn't make sense if you didn't know sword techniques."

"Step three, earn Contribution Points to exchange for the resources you need."

Within the Qingyun Sword Sect, everything requires Contribution Points.

Completing Sect missions, handing in Heaven And Earth Treasures, achieving rankings in Sect competitions, etc., can all earn Contribution Points.

As a Personal Disciple of Elder Qingxuan, Ye Huohuo has a fixed amount of Contribution Points issued every month, but to improve quickly, these are far from enough.

The next day, Ye Huohuo went to the Mission Hall.

The Mission Hall was crowded with people, with various mission plaques hanging on the walls,

Everything from simple herb gathering to hunting Yao Beasts to going out on escort missions was available.

Ye Huohuo's gaze swept across and finally landed on a purple mission plaque.

"Hunt the Crimson Flame Tiger, obtain its inner core and tiger bones."

"Mission reward: Five thousand Contribution Points."

"Difficulty: Middle Stage of Foundation Establishment."

The Crimson Flame Tiger is a third-rank Yao Beast, equivalent to a human Middle Stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator, but Yao Beasts have powerful physiques, and their true combat power is comparable to the Late Stage of Foundation Establishment.

"This mission is not bad."

Qin Jiuge said:

"The Crimson Flame Tiger's inner core is useful to you; it can be used to refine 'Crimson Sun Pills' to accelerate the release of the fourth Seal of the Nine Yang Battle Body."

Ye Huohuo accepted the mission, received the relevant maps and materials, and prepared to head to the Crimson Flame Mountain Range where the Crimson Flame Tiger was known to appear.

When leaving the Mission Hall, he encountered an acquaintance.

"Junior Brother Ye, you've come to take a mission too?"

A gentle female voice rang out.

Ye Huohuo turned and saw a woman in green,

It was exactly the Senior Sister Lin Waner he had seen yesterday at the Disciple recruitment ceremony,

A Late Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivator, and one of the top ten inner Disciples of the Qingyun Sword Sect.

"Senior Sister Lin."

Ye Huohuo bowed.

"No need for such formalities."

Lin Waner smiled,

"What mission did you take? If you need help, you can find me."

"Hunting the Crimson Flame Tiger."

Ye Huohuo spoke truthfully.

Lin Waner's expression changed slightly:

"Crimson Flame Tiger? That's a third-rank Yao Beast, and you've only just reached the Early Stage of Foundation Establishment; it's too dangerous."

"Don't worry, Senior Sister, I know what I'm doing."

Seeing Ye Huohuo's persistence, Lin Waner didn't try to persuade him further, only reminding him:

"The Crimson Flame Mountain Range has not been peaceful lately; I've heard there are Demonic Cultivators about, so be careful."

"Demonic Cultivators?"

Ye Huohuo's eyes narrowed.

"Yes, they might be after something deep within the Crimson Flame Mountain Range."

Lin Waner lowered her voice,

"In any case, be careful in all things."

Leaving the Qingyun Sword Sect, Ye Huohuo flew on his sword,

This is a basic ability for Foundation Establishment Cultivators,

Under Qin Jiuge's guidance, he quickly mastered it.

The Crimson Flame Mountain Range was three thousand miles away from Qingyun Mountain; at Ye Huohuo's speed, he could reach it in a day.

On the way, Qin Jiuge began to teach him true sword techniques.

"The core of the Qingyun Sword Sect's sword techniques is 'fast, accurate, and ruthless'."

Qin Jiuge said:

"But what I'm teaching you is the 'Demon King Sword Art'."

"Demon King Sword Art?"

Ye Huohuo was puzzled.

"Yes, a sword technique I created myself long ago, with nine styles in total, each containing the true meaning of the Great Dao,"

"When practiced to the extreme, a single sword strike can cleave stars."

A series of profound sword mantras entered Ye Huohuo's mind, and he immediately became immersed in them.

This sword technique was too profound; he could only barely understand the first style, 'Breaking Dawn'.

But just this one style made him feel the terrifying power contained within!

"Practice when we reach the Crimson Flame Mountain Range."

Qin Jiuge said:

"Now, travel at full speed."

By evening, Ye Huohuo arrived at the Crimson Flame Mountain Range.