The three of them argued until they were blue in the face, doing everything they could and wishing they could heap all of their sects' best resources onto her just to sway Ye Ling even a little.
But as they bickered, the three elders suddenly paused, keenly sensing that something was amiss.
The elder of the Qinglan Sword Sect, who usually cherished talent the most, valued sword path prospects above all else, and had recognized Ye Ling's talent early on, was not participating in the scramble at all.
Not only did she stop arguing, but she had also quietly stepped back. With her hands clasped behind her back, she stood there with a calm expression, a faint, knowing smile playing in her eyes.
She watched silently as the other three argued until they were red in the face, looking for all the world as if she were watching an inconsequential farce.
Doubts cropped up in the hearts of the three elders, and their bickering ground to a subconscious halt.
Just moments ago, the Qinglan Sword Sect elder had been speaking up to suppress them, highlighting Ye Ling's talent in the sword path and desperately trying to seize the initiative. Why had she suddenly backed off and left them to fight over her?
If she were just an ordinary genius, it would be one thing. But this was a heaven-defying monster who, at just fifteen years old, was already at the Houtian Eleventh Layer and had scaled nine thousand steps. She was the finest unpolished gem in the eyes of any sword cultivator.
The Qinglan Sword Sect was founded on the sword path; there was no way they would allow such a genius to slip through their fingers.
The more they thought about it, the more panicked the three became, faintly sensing that something was wrong.
The eyes of the Jingshui Yaotai elder darkened as she wondered silently if the other was so certain that Ye Ling would choose the Qinglan Sword Sect.
The elder of Xuanling Valley frowned deeply. Given the Qinglan elder's personality, she would never act so detached. She clearly had something to fall back on.
The elder of the Burning Heaven Martial Academy looked grim, dialing back his eagerness slightly.
Having spent many years among the upper echelons of their respective sects, these elders were all shrewd and calculating. They immediately realized that she must have an ace up her sleeve.
For a moment, the three elders lost their confidence to fight. Filled with suspicion, they fell silent, and the scene quieted down.
Just then, a faint, imperceptible ripple of spiritual energy vibrated at the fingertip of the Qinglan Sword Sect elder as she received another transmission.
The sect master had already entered the Heishui Commandery and would arrive in an instant. The final trace of worry in her heart vanished completely; she no longer needed to bide her time or delay.
She stepped forward, bypassing the three elders, and stood firmly at the very front, closest to Ye Ling.
Her eyes burned with intensity as she stared at Ye Ling, speaking slowly and deliberately.
“There is no need for everyone to waste your breath. You only know that Ye Ling scaled nine thousand steps and that her talent is unmatched in the Qingyun Kingdom, but you do not know her true, heaven-defying nature.”
“This young girl is only fifteen, yet she has already touched the threshold of the Sword Force. Our sect master has personally arrived in the Heishui Commandery.”
The moment those words were spoken, the entire plaza fell into a dead silence.
The pupils of the elders from Xuanling Valley, Jingshui Yaotai, and the Burning Heaven Martial Academy shrunk. Their smiles froze on their faces, their eyes filled with utter shock.
At the Houtian Realm, fifteen years old, and touching the threshold of the Sword Force?
That was a Dao rhyme that countless Xiantian Realm experts might not even glimpse after decades of bitter cultivation. It was the first insurmountable chasm to becoming a top-tier sword cultivator.
Houtian Realm cultivators could barely temper their bodies with spiritual energy, yet someone had managed to touch the true meaning of the sword path ahead of time?
The shock of the Sword Force was so immense that it even made everyone forget that the Qinglan Sect Master had personally arrived.
The three elders shuddered, instantly realizing how laughable their bickering had been.
A genius like this could not be nurtured through resources alone; she was a heaven-sent sword seed.
The composure on the face of the Heishui Commandery Lord vanished entirely. His mouth hung slightly open as he stood frozen in place.
He had ruled the Heishui Commandery for decades and seen countless geniuses, yet he had never heard of anything so mind-boggling.
Fifteen years old, in the Houtian Realm, and touching the true meaning of the sword path. This completely exceeded his understanding.
Behind them, all the participating disciples froze, their faces turning pale. Those who had previously competed against Ye Ling and secretly vied with her now felt their mentalities completely shatter.
Top geniuses like Su Qinghan and Xiao Zhan had considered themselves exceptionally talented, but before such heaven-defying aptitude, they were simply not worth mentioning.
Su Qinghan bit her lip, her eyes filled with complex emotions. She had been the number one genius of the commandery capital since childhood and had never bowed her head to anyone. Yet at this moment, she had to admit that the gap between herself and Ye Ling was not something that could be closed through hard work.
Amidst the uproar and clamor of the crowd, only the Qinglan Sword Sect elder remained composed, her heart overflowing with wild joy.
She had only discovered that Ye Ling had touched the true meaning of the sword path, but she did not know that the young girl before her had already completely mastered a half-step Sword Force.
Everyone present was still underestimating Ye Ling's terrifying potential.
High up in the sky, completely unnoticed by anyone, a figure quietly materialized.
A young woman dressed in luxurious palace attire stood suspended in mid-air.
There was not a single trace of spiritual energy leaking from her body. She possessed no aura or pressure, and her breath was as light as drifting clouds in the mountains. She was so ordinary that she almost blended into the world, unable to attract anyone's attention.
Only her deep, tranquil eyes looked down from above, quietly resting on Ye Ling among the crowd. She observed her closely, her expression unreadable.
She mused to herself, wondering if this was the genius Little Yue'er had specially messaged her about, urging her to put aside the sect's important affairs and make a special trip to recruit.
She had actually climbed to the nine-thousandth step. Such aptitude was indeed worthy of her personal journey.
But upon closer inspection, she shook her head inwardly, thinking that Little Yue'er had misjudged this time.
To say she had only touched the threshold of the Sword Force... How could it be that simple? This girl had clearly mastered a genuine half-step Sword Force.
Stormy waves surged in her heart as she marveled silently. This girl's talent was even more formidable than that of Su Qingyue, who had led the sect to its peak three hundred years ago.
Once this junior rose, the sect would surely reach new heights under her leadership.
At this thought, a hint of joy played at the corners of the woman's lips, and a trace of anticipation flashed in her eyes.
Down in the crowd, Ye Ling felt a sudden shiver run down her spine. A powerful sense of warning erupted from the depths of her soul, as if some unfathomably powerful figure were secretly scrutinizing her.
She frowned and, following that invisible gaze, suddenly looked up into the high sky.
The woman in palace attire suspended among the clouds was also taken aback. She had never expected that even though she had concealed her entire presence and leaked not a shred of spiritual energy, the other party could precisely pinpoint her hiding spot based purely on intuition.
Such sharp perception was extremely rare even among Xiantian Realm cultivators, let alone a junior in the Houtian Realm.
A flicker of admiration passed through her eyes. This girl was even more outstanding than she had anticipated.
Seeing that Ye Ling was looking directly at her, the woman in palace attire decided to stop hiding her figure.
Leng Zhiwei, the Sect Master of the Qinglan Sword Sect, was one of the most powerful figures at the absolute pinnacle of the Qingyun Kingdom's power pyramid, second only to the Ningfu Realm experts who remained in seclusion year-round and rarely showed themselves.
Her cultivation had reached the Tongxuan Realm Great Perfection, firmly establishing her as the number one powerhouse in the Qingyun Kingdom.
She did not unleash her full cultivation, releasing only a tiny, imperceptible wisp of a powerhouse's aura.
Yet as soon as this trace of aura descended, the air across the entire trial plaza suddenly froze, and the ambient spiritual energy trembled slightly.
The invisible pressure felt like the sky itself collapsing, weighing heavily on everyone's heart.
The expressions of the three elders from the Burning Heaven Martial Academy, Xuanling Valley, and Jingshui Yaotai changed dramatically. The lingering thoughts of competing for her vanished completely.
With Leng Zhiwei arriving in person, there was no longer any suspense in this recruitment battle.
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