35: First Test of Talent

At the entrance of the Sword Pool, the Restriction rippled like water again as Ye Chen stepped out slowly.

Three days of baptism had brought a complete transformation. His aura became increasingly restrained, yet the divine light in his eyes grew deeper. As he walked, he seemed to faintly harmonize with the surrounding heaven and earth, possessing a poised and stable bearing. The qingfeng sword hung at his waist, its dark gold patterns flowing subtly; though unreleased, it naturally exuded majesty.

The elder guarding the cave remained sitting cross-legged. His cloudy eyes swept over Ye Chen, a trace of imperceptible surprise flashing through them before returning to a state as calm as an ancient well. He spoke indifferently, "Out in just three days, Foundation undamaged, Sword Intent condensed... Not bad."

"Thank you for your protection, Senior." Ye Chen bowed respectfully. He could feel that if not for this elder standing guard, the area outside the Sword Pool would never have been so peaceful.

The elder waved his hand and closed his eyes again, saying no more.

Ye Chen turned and looked calmly toward the foot of the mountain. The cold killing intent that had locked onto him since he left seclusion did not withdraw in the slightest upon his appearance; instead, it became even more blatant, like a maggot on a bone.

A cold arc curled at the corner of his mouth. He did not choose to detour or hide, but instead walked straight toward the direction of the killing intent at an unhurried pace.

Below Myriad Sword Peak, there was a sparsely populated grove of ancient trees. At this moment, in a clearing within the woods, a gloomy young man dressed in the purple robes of the Inner Court stood with his hands behind his back. He was tall and thin, with eyes like a hawk—sharp with a hint of cruelty. The spiritual power fluctuations emanating from him were clearly at the Kaiyuan Realm Seventh Level! It was Lin Hong!

Behind Lin Hong stood two Inner Court Disciples with strong auras, both at the Kaiyuan Realm Fifth Level, clearly his lackeys.

Seeing Ye Chen actually approaching on his own initiative, a flash of surprise crossed Lin Hong's eyes, which then turned into deeper ridicule and killing intent: "This saves me some trouble. Ye Chen, do you know why I am waiting for you here?"

Ye Chen stopped ten zhang away from him, his expression indifferent: "To stand up for that old dog Lin Batian?"

"Impudent!" a Disciple behind Lin Hong shouted harshly. "How dare you insult Instructor Lin!"

Lin Hong raised a hand to stop his subordinate, his cold gaze winding around Ye Chen like a venomous snake: "A sharp tongue won't change your outcome today. You took all the spotlight during the Minor Competition and caused my uncle's plans to fail repeatedly. Today, I will cripple your cultivation and break your limbs to show you that some people are not to be provoked by an ant like you!"

Before his voice had even faded, his terrifying Spiritual Pressure of the Kaiyuan Realm Seventh Level erupted like an invisible mountain, pressing down toward Ye Chen! Simultaneously, he pointed his fingers like a sword, and a highly condensed crimson finger-beam, carrying a searing and bone-corroding aura, shot toward Ye Chen's Dantian like lightning! He actually intended to cripple his cultivation in a single move!

This finger strike was fast, ruthless, and poisonous! An ordinary Kaiyuan Realm Third Level would likely not even have time to react!

However, Ye Chen only looked up slightly. Under the Luminous Sword Heart, the trajectory, power, and even the fire-poison attribute within that seemingly swift finger-beam were clearly reflected in the lake of his heart.

He didn't even draw his sword.

Just as the finger-beam was about to hit his body, Ye Chen casually raised his right hand, pressing his index and middle fingers together. A wisp of pale gold sword light flickered at his fingertips as he lightly slashed at the crimson finger-beam.

"Chiss—"

A soft sound, like a hot knife cutting through butter.

That crimson finger-beam, which contained thirty percent of Lin Hong's power and was enough to pierce through metal, was precisely sliced in half by the pale gold sword light at Ye Chen's fingertips. The two halves grazed his clothes and shot into the ground behind him, leaving two charred holes that hissed.

As for Ye Chen, his figure hadn't moved an inch, and even his clothes weren't ruffled.

"What?!" Lin Hong's pupils constricted suddenly, and for the first time, a look of shock appeared on his face. The two Disciples behind him were even more dumbfounded, as if they had seen a ghost.

Barehanded! With just two fingers! He had so nonchalantly broken Senior Brother Lin Hong's "Blazing Flame Finger"?!

How was this possible?! He had only just broken through to the Kaiyuan Realm Third Level!

Lin Hong's face instantly turned as gloomy as water. He cast aside all contempt, replacing it with deep suspicion and killing intent: "It seems the Sword Pool baptism has improved you quite a bit. No wonder you're so arrogant! However, if you think you can contend with me with just this little bit of skill, you are gravely mistaken!"

He no longer held back. The crimson spiritual power around him blazed like fire, and his aura surged once again! He took a step forward, cracking the ground. His right hand curled into a claw, and in his palm, a highly condensed crimson fireball that seemed capable of melting anything instantly formed, emitting a heart-palpitating heat!

"Blazing Sky Palm!"

Lin Hong shouted harshly and struck out with his palm! The crimson fireball expanded with the wind, transforming into a giant flame palm several zhang in size. Carrying the terrifying power to incinerate everything, it pressed down toward Ye Chen's head! Wherever the palm wind passed, the air distorted, and plants instantly charred and ignited!

This strike used seventy to eighty percent of his strength, and its power far exceeded the previous finger strike! Even a Kaiyuan Realm Sixth Level Cultivator wouldn't dare to take it head-on!

Facing this sky-blotting giant flame palm, Ye Chen's gaze finally turned serious. He could feel that the fire-attribute spiritual power within this palm was extremely violent, and it even carried an intent that locked onto his aura, making it difficult to dodge completely.

"I'll use you to test what I've gained from the Sword Pool!"

With a thought from Ye Chen, the qingfeng sword at his waist let out a clear dragon-like cry and suddenly unsheathed!

The sword light was no longer the previous dark green, but carried a restrained dark gold luster! A Sword Intent far more condensed and heavy than before soared into the sky!

He didn't perform any fancy sword moves, but simply held the sword with both hands and executed an upward slash from below!

"Rock-Solid—Flame Breaker!"

The sword move was simple and unadorned, but the Sword Intent was as heavy as a mountain and as solid as steel! The qingfeng sword traced a profound arc. At the tip of the sword, space seemed to collapse slightly, and the sweeping hot palm wind was actually forced aside by this condensed Sword Intent!

"BOOM!!!!!"

The dark gold sword qi and the crimson flame palm collided violently!

The earth-shattering sound of the explosion echoed through the mountain forest! A violent energy shockwave spread like ripples, snapping all the ancient trees within dozens of zhang and leaving the ground in a mess!

Crimson flames and sword light intertwined and annihilated each other!

The stalemate lasted only an instant!

In the next moment, to Lin Hong's disbelief, his giant flame palm, which was capable of melting gold and iron, was forcefully torn apart by that highly condensed dark gold sword qi! The sword qi's momentum remained, and though it had dimmed considerably, it still carried an indomitable resolve as it slashed toward Lin Hong himself!

"Impossible!" Lin Hong turned pale with horror. In his haste, he thrust out both palms, crimson spiritual power pouring out frantically to set up layers of fire walls in front of him!

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The sword qi successively slashed through three fire walls, finally exhausting its power and dissipating a foot away from Lin Hong. However, the sharp Sword Intent still penetrated his body, causing Lin Hong's blood and Qi to churn, and he couldn't help but take half a step back!

He... had actually been forced back by a kid at the Kaiyuan Realm Third Level?!

Although it was only half a step, to him, it was a great humiliation!

As for the two Disciples behind him, they were already scared witless, looking at Ye Chen as if they were looking at a monster.

Ye Chen stood with his sword, his breathing slightly hurried and his face a bit pale. Clashing head-on with an angry blow from the Kaiyuan Realm Seventh Level was a huge drain on him. But his eyes remained bright, even carrying a hint of excitement.

The Sword Pool baptism was remarkably effective! With the Luminous Sword Heart and the transformation of the qingfeng sword, he now possessed the initial capital to contend with the geniuses of the Inner Court!

"Good! Very good!" Lin Hong steadied himself, his face so dark it could drip water, the killing intent in his eyes almost solidifying into substance. "I admit, I underestimated you! But next, I will show you that the gap in Realm is not something that can be made up for by a little bit of luck!"

The aura around him began to become dangerous and eerie. A power far more violent and hot than before was brewing within his body.

Ye Chen's gaze narrowed, and he held the qingfeng sword horizontally in front of him, not daring to be careless. He knew Lin Hong was about to use his true trump card.

However, just as tensions reached a breaking point and the battle was about to erupt—

"Stop!"

A cold and majestic voice, like ice from the Nine Heavens, suddenly rang out, instantly freezing all the killing intent and spiritual power fluctuations in the field.

A figure in plain white arrived gracefully like a startled swan, landing between Ye Chen and Lin Hong. Her robes fluttered, and her aura was cold—it was Ye Qingxue!

Her gaze first swept over Ye Chen. Seeing that he was unharmed, an imperceptible flash of relief crossed her eyes. She then turned to Lin Hong, her tone icy: "Lin Hong, as an Inner Court Disciple, you actually laid such a murderous hand on an Outer Court Junior Brother here? What do you take the academy rules for?"

Seeing Ye Qingxue, Lin Hong's expression changed slightly. He forcibly suppressed his churning killing intent and said coldly, "Junior Sister Qingxue, this brat is ruthless and has repeatedly opposed my Lin family, even harming fellow Disciples. I am merely cleaning house for the academy!"

"Cleaning house?" A mocking arc curled at the corner of Ye Qingxue's mouth. "Since when did the duties of the Law Enforcement Hall fall to you? Or are you saying your Lin family can already stand above the academy's rules?"

Her voice wasn't loud, but every word was piercing, carrying an unquestionable authority.

Lin Hong's eyes twitched. Facing Ye Qingxue, he ultimately didn't dare to be too presumptuous, especially since she had reason on her side. He took a deep breath, glared fiercely at Ye Chen, and said in a grim tone, "Ye Chen, consider yourself lucky today! After the Minor Competition, there will be Inner Court Senior Brothers to 'guide' you! Let's go!"

With that, he took his two subordinates and left dejectedly, their figures soon disappearing into the dense forest.

Only then did Ye Qingxue turn around and look at Ye Chen, her tone softening considerably: "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. Thank you for intervening, Cousin." Ye Chen sheathed his sword and spoke calmly. Even if Ye Qingxue hadn't come, he had ways to escape, but he noted this favor.

Ye Qingxue looked at him, her beautiful eyes shimmering with wonder: "In just three days, your strength has actually progressed so much... It seems your trip to the Sword Pool was quite fruitful."

She paused, her tone turning solemn: "Lin Hong is a man who seeks revenge for the smallest grievance. Although he retreated today, he will certainly not let this go. The Inner Court is not like the Outer Court; the factions are complex, and you must be careful in all things. Especially during the Inner Court Assessment in three months, he will definitely try to sabotage you."

"I understand." Ye Chen nodded, his gaze sharp. "When soldiers come, a general will block them; when water comes, earth will dam it."

Seeing his confident and calm manner, Ye Qingxue felt a slight stir in her heart. She said no more, only whispering, "Take care."

Then, she transformed into a white rainbow and drifted away.

Ye Chen stood where he was, looking in the direction where Lin Hong had left, then at the sky where Ye Qingxue had disappeared, his eyes deep.

The Inner Court... it seemed that was the place where the true winds and clouds gathered.

He clenched his fist, feeling the surging power within his body.

Whether it was Lin Hong or the Lin Batian behind him, neither could stop his progress.

His sword was destined to carve out a path to the heavens for himself in this Tianfeng Academy and even the wider world!