In the blink of an eye, a month flew by.
Deep in the quiet and serene bamboo forest, light and shadows danced, and the wind rustled through the bamboo.
A slender figure moved and leaped continuously through the woods, sword light flowing and her movement technique elegant. It was none other than Ye Ling, who had been cultivating bitterly day and night.
In this final month, she cast aside all distracting thoughts and devoted all her mind and spirit to charging toward the Great Perfection of the 《Qinglan Sword Canon》.
After cultivating for an unknown number of days and nights, at a certain moment, the spiritual energy throughout her body suddenly flowed in perfect harmony, and the sword charm within her underwent a complete transformation.
Her eyes suddenly snapped open, her cherry lips parted slightly, and an extremely condensed, pure white sword qi suddenly shot out from her mouth.
The sword qi was incomparably sharp and extremely fast, shooting through the air like a silver flash of lightning, piercing straight through the dense bamboo forest ahead.
The green bamboo along the way had no time to resist and was cut cleanly in half, the cuts smooth and flat as it swept all the way through.
It forcefully carved out a straight, clear, narrow path through the bamboo forest.
As a strong wind swept past, the severed bamboo fell with a rustle, a highly shocking scene.
Ye Ling stood quietly in place, a bright gleam flashing in her eyes.
So this was the mouth-expelled sword qi; it was incredibly stunning and powerful.
Ordinary Houtian martial artists had all their spiritual energy locked inside their bodies and could not even release it externally.
Yet, with only her cultivation at the Houtian Twelfth Layer, she could perform the technique of releasing spiritual energy externally, comparable to the Xiantian Realm.
Condensing the mouth-expelled sword qi allowed her to subdue enemies at close range, catching them completely off guard.
This trump card was concealed and domineering, possessing immense destructive power, giving her another powerful reliance.
By now, Ye Ling's cultivation had stabilized at the Houtian Twelfth Layer, and her cultivation methods and martial arts had all reached Great Perfection.
...
As a strong wind blew over the severed bamboo covering the ground, Ye Ling stood in the forest, her expression calm and composed.
As early as a month ago, Leng Zhiwei had personally come to this bamboo forest courtyard to inform her of the news that the five Xiantian Realm geniuses insisted on making an exception to participate in the tournament.
When asked about her wishes upon hearing this, Ye Ling felt no fear or hesitation at all and agreed directly.
She had cultivated diligently for half a year, polishing all her cultivation methods and martial arts to Great Perfection.
Bearing half-step Sword Force and now having mastered the mouth-expelled sword qi, her overall strength had long since undergone a complete transformation.
The previous Qingyun City selection trial was nothing more than child's play in her eyes.
Her opponents' strength had been far too weak, never once forcing her to use her true strength from beginning to end.
Now, with five Xiantian geniuses under twenty years of age actively challenging her, she actually felt a bit of interest.
The chasm between the Xiantian and Houtian Realms, combined with the five's top-tier cultivation methods and foundations, could finally serve as a barely acceptable test for her sword.
Ye Ling's eyes were bright, a faint trace of anticipation rising in her heart.
She hoped these five peerless geniuses, carefully nurtured by the Qingyun Kingdom and famous throughout the city, could show their true strength and not disappoint her.
This new disciple tournament was the perfect opportunity to thoroughly test her current true combat strength and have a hearty, satisfying battle.
...
With only three days left before the official start of the new disciple tournament, the official announcement was dispatched throughout the entire Qinglan Sword Sect.
The content of the announcement was simple and direct, breaking the sect's thousand-year-old tradition.
For this new disciple tournament, an exception was made to allow five Xiantian Realm geniuses to participate.
As soon as the news came out, it swept through the entire sect instantly. All the new and old disciples were in an uproar, utterly shocked.
By the martial arts arena, groups of disciples gathered to discuss, the noise of voices boiling over, filled with disbelief.
An old disciple widened his eyes, his face filled with astonishment.
“What's going on? This term's new disciple tournament is actually allowing Xiantian Realm geniuses to participate?”
“How are we supposed to fight then? There is a world of difference between the Xiantian and Houtian Realms. With these five participating, the champion's spot is basically predetermined!”
Beside him, a more experienced senior disciple shook his head to explain.
“You only know half of the story. These five weren't forced to participate by the sect.”
“They actively signed a joint petition, insisting on participating in the new disciple tournament, and in the end, the Sect Master personally approved it.”
“They actively requested to participate?” The surrounding disciples were full of confusion.
“What's the point of that? They are already Xiantian Realm powerhouses. Coming to play in a Houtian new disciple match is pure bullying!”
While everyone was discussing, a young female disciple with an ordinary appearance but clever, cunning eyes slowly squeezed into the crowd.
She spoke up, “Senior brothers and sisters, I know the hidden truth behind this. If you want to hear the inside story, it will cost five sect contribution points per person.”
Five contribution points were not many. The curiosity of the disciples was piqued, and they agreed without hesitation.
She smiled slightly, lowering her voice as she slowly explained.
“These five Xiantian geniuses insisted on making an exception to participate not for the so-called new disciple rankings at all, but solely for a certain Houtian Realm disciple.”
“A Houtian Realm disciple?”
Everyone was stunned, and then someone suddenly realized.
“Are you talking about Ye Ling?”
Everyone instantly recalled the sect selection half a year ago, the peerless genius who had ascended nine thousand steps of the Heavenly Spirit Stairs in one go, stunning the entire sect.
However, over the past half a year, Ye Ling had never participated in the sect's trivial affairs, secluding herself to cultivate and never showing her face in public.
As time passed, many disciples had gradually forgotten about this shocking genius.
Seeing everyone realize, the female disciple continued.
“Indeed. The reason why the five of them insisted on participating is solely to fight Ye Ling head-on on the tournament stage.”
A disciple frowned deeply.
“But the boundary gap between the Xiantian and Houtian Realms is right there. No matter how defying her talent is, she is ultimately still in the Houtian Realm. Can she really win?”
A trace of mystery flashed in the female disciple's eyes, and she smiled faintly.
“Regarding this, I have even more precise inside information. If you want to hear it, it will be another ten contribution points per person.”
Without another word, everyone paid the extra contribution points. The female disciple lowered her voice to a whisper, but every word was clear.
“You have all underestimated Ye Ling. Half a year ago, a True Disciple saw with their own eyes that Ye Ling walked out from the sixth floor of the Library.”
The crowd instantly fell into an uproar upon hearing this. Someone cried out in a low voice.
“The sixth floor? Isn't the sixth floor of the Library a forbidden ground of the sect?”
“Historically, only the Sect Master and the Peak Masters have the right to step foot there.”
“How could a newly joined disciple like her enter the sixth floor?”
“Could the rumors be true...”
Someone's pupils contracted sharply.
“Ye Ling gained the Sect Master's favor and cultivated our Qinglan Sword Sect's sect-guarding cultivation method, the 《Qinglan Sword Canon》?”
The entire area fell dead silent instantly, everyone's expressions shifting drastically.
A moment later, a male disciple curled his lip, still harboring doubts.
“Even if she really cultivated the 《Qinglan Sword Canon》, so what?”
“She has only been in the sect for half a year. How far could she possibly have cultivated it?”
“Senior Su Qingyue's talent was peerless in her generation, yet it still took her a whole year to cultivate the Sword Canon to Great Perfection.”
“In my opinion, at most she has reached the Mastery realm, and that's pushing it.”
The surrounding crowd nodded in agreement.
The sect-guarding Sword Canon was obscure and profound, its cultivation difficulty the highest in the entire sect, far from comparable to ordinary cultivation methods.
To be able to cultivate it to the Mastery realm in half a year was already a once-in-a-lifetime talent.
Hearing everyone's discussion, the female disciple only smiled mysteriously, offering no further explanation.
She spoke softly, “The information I know has already been fully shared with you.”
After speaking, her gaze swept across the startled and uncertain disciples, and she added seriously.
“You only need to remember that for a peerless genius like Ye Ling, her foundation is always beyond imagination.”
“Never use common sense to underestimate her true combat strength.”
With that, she stopped lingering, turned, and walked straight away.
Leaving behind a crowd of Qinglan disciples whose minds were in turmoil as they continued their endless discussions.
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