20: Chapter 20: The many prodigies of the Hehuan Sect were all alarmed.

When the last candidate—the young girl in green who specialized in wind-type arts and attempted to suppress Xu Ruyu with speed—watched helplessly as her final wind blade grazed past the hair Xu Ruyu had tossed up while rolling, and the last wisp of blue smoke in the incense burner dissipated, the entire plaza fell into a vacuum-like silence.

Elder Li's voice was as dry as sandpaper, yet he clearly pronounced the final result: "Candidate No. 11, Grade Yi, Lin Qianqian, failed to defeat Xu Ruyu within half a stick of incense. Eliminated."

"With this, all twenty-six candidates who passed the first two rounds have failed to defeat Xu Ruyu within the allotted time."

"According to the Sect Master's new rule... all are eliminated, losing their qualification to enter the sect."

"Boom!"

This judgment was like a final funeral bell, shattering the last shred of hope in the remaining candidates' hearts.

All... eliminated?

Twenty-six people, taking turns to fight one, and yet... not a single one succeeded?!

Someone's legs went weak, and they collapsed to the ground, their eyes hollow.

Someone clenched their fists, nails piercing their palms, blood dripping, yet they felt nothing.

Someone looked up abruptly, staring at the youth on the arena who was holding his knees, gasping for breath, and looking as disheveled as a beggar. Their eyes were filled with absurdity, unwillingness, and a trace of... horror that they themselves were unwilling to admit.

Lei Xuan's face had long turned ashen, standing frozen in place, as if his soul had been sucked away.

Han Li's long sword hung low, the tip trembling slightly, and his usually cold face now held only numbness.

Other candidates either lowered their heads, looked around blankly, or sobbed in low voices.

They had carried dreams, traveled through great hardships to come to the Hehuan Sect, and passed two rounds, thinking their future was bright, only for all their efforts and expectations to vanish into thin air within a few short hours due to a sudden new rule and a "waste" they had initially looked down upon.

A massive sense of loss and resentment spread among the failed candidates like a silent plague.

Yet, this resentment could find no clear outlet.

Blame the Sect Master for being overbearing? The threat of the Hehuan Sect guards still rang in their ears. Resent Xu Ruyu? But the other party had only passively defended and dodged from start to finish, not even saying a single provocative word.

Was it to resent their own incompetence? That was even harder to accept.

The entire plaza was shrouded in an extremely oppressive and complex atmosphere.

The victorious Hehuan Sect Disciples did not cheer either; they were equally shocked by this unbelievable result, their gazes toward Xu Ruyu filled with inquiry and disbelief.

On the high platform, several Grand Elders exchanged glances; beyond their shock, their expressions became incomparably grave.

Eliminating all candidates who passed the first two rounds at once was unprecedented in the history of the Hehuan Sect!

The impact of this matter would likely far exceed expectations.

Xiao Nianyin remained seated, her expression calm, as if this earth-shattering result had been expected.

Only her fingers, slightly curled within her sleeves, revealed that she was not entirely without ripples inside.

Xu Ruyu's performance had indeed given her a huge "surprise."

This almost uncanny survival ability was even stronger than she had anticipated.

Just then—

"Whoosh! Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!"

In the distant sky, sharp piercing sounds suddenly arrived!

Dozens of streams of light in various colors and strengths were flying rapidly from various peaks deep within the Hehuan Sect, aimed directly at the plaza!

The powerful spiritual energy fluctuations swept over like a tide from afar, instantly dispersing the oppressive atmosphere on the plaza!

Everyone looked up in astonishment.

They saw those dozens of light streams arrive in an instant, landing on the edges of the plaza or nearby palaces, revealing their figures.

The arrivals were all young men and women, appearing to be between twenty and thirty years old, but each of them had a heavy aura, surging spiritual energy, sharp eyes, and carried an extraordinary bearing.

They were dressed differently, but their cuffs or collars all bore the insignia of Inner Sect Disciples of the Hehuan Sect, and most of their attire was exquisite, clearly indicating high status.

"Is that... Senior Sister Ning from the Inner Sect?!"

An Outer Sect Disciple of the Hehuan Sect exclaimed, pointing at a young woman wearing a goose-yellow martial outfit, carrying a long sword on her back, with a beautiful face but a fierce expression.

The girl stood alone on an eave, hugging her long sword, coldly overlooking the arena below, her gaze lingering especially on Xu Ruyu.

"Ning Caihe! The 'Green Frost Sword' in the top ten of the Inner Sect Disciple combat rankings!"

Someone whispered in awe.

"Not just that! Look over there! It's... it's Senior Brother Liu Rufeng!"

Another pointed in a different direction.

A youth dressed in moon-white robes, with a face so handsome it was almost demonic, and long hair like ink hanging over his shoulders, was lazily leaning against a white jade pillar. He was toying with a pink Hehuan flower condensed from spiritual energy, with a playful smile at the corner of his mouth, his gaze also locked onto Xu Ruyu.

"Liu Rufeng! One of the top three in charm and illusion arts among the current Hehuan Sect Disciples!"

"And over there! It's 'Fire Cloud Hand' Zhao Yan!"

"'Ghost Shadow Step' Mo Ling!"

"My god... why have so many Inner Sect Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters come? And all are famous powerhouses!"

The plaza became restless. Any one of these suddenly appearing elite Inner Sect Disciples had some fame among the younger generation in the Cultivation World, rarely seen on usual days, yet they appeared in a cluster!

And judging by their expressions, they were clearly alarmed by the commotion here.

The failed candidates also temporarily forgot their loss, looking in shock at these legendary Hehuan Sect Prodigies.

Compared to these people, they, the so-called "candidate geniuses," were simply like fireflies compared to the bright moon.

However, what happened next made them, and everyone in the plaza, almost suffocate.

An ice-blue stream of light, far faster than the others, as if traveling through space, landed silently on the high platform, in front of Xiao Nianyin's jade throne.

The brilliance dissipated, revealing a tall, slender figure.

It was a woman, appearing to be about twenty-four or twenty-five, wearing an ice-blue wide-sleeved Fairy dress, the hem of which moved without wind, as if surrounded by cold mist.

Her face was extremely beautiful, but beautiful without any warmth, as if carved from a ten-thousand-year glacier. Her pair of phoenix eyes were long and narrow, her gaze cold and sharp, as if it could see through a person's heart.

She stood there, and a chilling, inviolable coldness and the dignity of a superior naturally radiated from her, even faintly able to rival the seated Xiao Nianyin!

Her appearance made the previously arrived Inner Sect elite Disciples, including Ning Caihe, Liu Rufeng, and others, look a bit more respectful, subconsciously restraining their auras.

The entire plaza was deathly silent.

Everyone recognized her.

The chief of the current Hehuan Sect Disciples, the Inner Sect Senior Sister, the renowned "Ice Fairy" of the younger generation in the Cultivation World—Leng Ningshuang!

It is rumored that her cultivation has reached the Late Golden Core Stage, making her one of the candidates most likely to achieve a Breakthrough to the Nascent Soul, or even inherit the Sect Master's position!

The Mystic Ice Heavenly Maiden Art she Cultivates is peerlessly powerful, and her personality is even more cold and arrogant; ordinary Disciples do not even have the qualification to speak to her.

She had actually come too!

And she landed directly in front of the Sect Master!