The blue stone slabs of the training ground were scorching under the fierce sun. Within half an hour, the news spread like wildfire across most of Qingyun Sect.
Disciples gathered in dense circles, three layers deep inside and out. Even Luo Changfeng from Beast-Taming Peak, Zhuo Lian of Wushu Peak, and the Sword Peak Master stood at the edges of the stands, evidently drawn by the commotion.
Senior Brother and Senior Sister Qiao had also chosen good seats early on, quietly waiting for Lin Nan’s arrival.
As expected, Huo Yuanyao, the Sword Peak Master’s direct disciple, was naturally present at the scene.
In an instant, the area outside the training ground buzzed with chatter, filled with the murmurs of disciples.
“Isn’t that Zhao Lei from Sword Peak? Why is he so worked up with a new disciple?”
“I heard it’s all for the reward tied to Changning Village. Zhao Lei thinks that white-haired girl doesn’t deserve the 500 points.”
“I think Junior Sister Lin deserves it! I, Zhang, believe pretty girls should get the full 500 points!”
“Pfft, you beauty-obsessed fool, you’re not allowed to judge!”
“Ahem, ahem, how about we just talk about who’s going to win?”
“Word is that Junior Sister Lin nearly crushed that Cao Xingzhi from Danxia Sect. Her combat power should be exceptional among peers, but now she’s facing seventh grade Zhao Lei. Although Zhao Lei promised to suppress his level to match hers, it’s still two realms apart…”
“I bet on Zhao Lei! He’s seventh grade. Even if he suppresses to ninth grade, no new disciple can compare!”
As Zhao Lei’s supporters grew louder, that Zhang suddenly spoke up, “I support Junior Sister Lin. Whether she’s strong or skilled with the sword, I can tell.”
“Pfft, you’re judging her strength before she even makes a move?”
Someone was about to flame him, but then Zhang stood on tiptoe, stretching his neck to look in a certain direction. Others followed his gaze.
Seeing it, many disciples were stunned, whispering, “She looks so fierce… no, I mean, she looks so powerful.”
When Lin Nan stepped onto the blue stone slabs of the training ground, the noisy crowd suddenly quieted a fraction.
The sunlight slanted down, casting a soft glow over her loose white hair. Her strands, pure as untarnished snow, flowed over her shoulders, the tips brushing the plain disciple robes, swaying gently with each step.
She hadn’t bothered with a complicated hairstyle, simply loosely tying half of her hair at the back. A few wisps hung by her cheeks, damp with fine sweat, which only highlighted her fair complexion—like warm jade soaked in clear spring water.
Most striking were her azure eyes.
The color of her irises was faint, like the early spring lake water, yet held a depth as serene as a hidden pool. When she looked around, there was no sharpness of sword-drawn tension, but a casual kindness, as if this duel were merely an afternoon stroll.
Yet when sunlight brushed past her pupils, a faint golden gleam rippled deep within, adding an elusive aloofness.
It inevitably brought to mind a verse:
“A garden of deep and light hues, reflecting in the green waves.”
The white-haired girl held Not-Seeing-Green, her fingers slender and long. Her skin was cold-white, as if shielded from the sun for years, contrasting sharply against the sword’s dark blue-black hilt.
As she moved, the jade ring on her wrist chimed softly. Golden flames flickered faintly in its cracks, but her gentle aura neutralized any sense of Monster Qi. Instead, it lent her an air of refined nobility.
Though she came for a sharp duel, her posture was as composed as attending a tea gathering. Even the folds of her robe exuded casual elegance.
Someone in the crowd whispered in awe, saying that the white hair and azure eyes didn’t seek to dazzle, yet no one could look away. It was as if her mere presence softened the training ground’s clamor.
Standing behind Lin Nan, Shen Yuer secretly tugged her sleeve. “How about not fighting? I’ll go speak to Master and ask her to suppress him.”
“It’s fine.”
Lin Nan checked the scabbard of Not-Seeing-Green, her fingertips brushing the cool metal. “If not Zhao Lei, there’s Qian Lei, Sun Lei, Li Lei—someone will always think we don’t deserve the 500 points. This is a good chance to show them the reward isn’t given lightly.”
Her gaze passed over the crowd, landing on the corner of the stands.
Huo Yuanyao stood there, her purple robes clinging to her body in the wind. Her sword rested against her shoulder, the tassels on its pommel trembling slightly toward Lin Nan’s direction.
“Huo Yuanyao’s here too?” Shen Yuer followed her line of sight and curled her lips. “She won’t be helping Zhao Lei, will she?”
Lin Nan said nothing.
She saw Huo Yuanyao’s fingertips lightly caressing the sword hilt. Her throat seemed to move as if to speak, but she said nothing.
“Junior Sister Lin, ready to lose?”
Zhao Lei’s voice cut through the crowd. He was already standing in the center of the training ground, his longsword angled toward the ground. Seventh grade True Qi condensed around him into faint azure-white lightning. As the lightning flickered, his seventh grade True Qi dropped steadily until it stabilized at ninth grade quality.
Clearly, he wasn’t taking this match seriously.
One can suppress their realm, but not the quality or quantity of True Qi. Seventh grade is seventh grade—no matter how much you suppress it, it’s not something ninth grade can handle.
Lin Nan drew Not-Seeing-Green. The sword gleamed coldly in the sunlight.
As she stepped onto the field, the cracks in the Soul-locking Ring were especially clear under the sun. The golden flames were tightly confined within the ring, only leaving a faint residual warmth.
She didn’t intend to answer Zhao Lei’s question. How could someone so full of scheming cultivate a good sword?
No wonder the Sword Peak Master didn’t teach him the Qingyun Heart Sutra. Even if he learned it, it’d just be a waste of effort.
“Begin.”
Zhao Lei’s sword suddenly moved, azure light flashing like lightning, stabbing toward Lin Nan’s shoulder—a basic Thunder Sword technique called “Instant Flash.” Though he only used ninth grade True Qi, it was fiercer than the usual eighth grade disciple’s sword move.
Gasps erupted from the spectators, and Shen Yuer clenched her fists until her knuckles whitened.
But Lin Nan’s figure blurred just before the sword light reached her.
“Boom—”
The next moment, a muted thunderclap echoed across the training ground.
Lin Nan’s expression remained calm. She was like a silver thread skimming the blue stone slabs. Not-Seeing-Green’s scabbard brushed Zhao Lei’s wrist as it passed, stirring the wind and tousling her temple hair.
“Is that all you’ve got? Just dodging?”
Zhao Lei roared and spun around. Lightning flashed fiercely as his sword technique morphed into “Heavy Thunder.” A thunderous boom rumbled through the air. Sword Qi slammed into the ground, cracking the blue stone slabs into a spiderweb pattern, sending shards flying.
Lin Nan’s toes tapped on the debris, her form rising sharply. Avoiding the sword Qi, she finally unsheathed Not-Seeing-Green. The sword’s spine clashed heavily against Zhao Lei’s blade.
“Clang!”
The harsh clash of metal rang out. Zhao Lei felt a fierce force surge up his arm, numbing his hand and nearly making him drop his sword.
He stared at Lin Nan in shock. A faint golden tiger pattern flickered across the back of her hand, so fast it seemed like an illusion.
“That’s… Demon Qi?” someone shouted from the stands.
Zhao Lei’s eyes instantly reddened. “So it really is Monster Qi! You Monster, you don’t deserve to cultivate the Qingyun Heart Sutra!”
He no longer held back. His True Qi suddenly surged, pushing hard against the ninth grade peak. A slight slip and it would erupt into eighth grade True Qi.
Zhao Lei’s Thunder Sword grew fiercer with every move, each strike aimed at Lin Nan’s vital points.
Lin Nan’s azure eyes darkened.
She originally wanted to hold back, but his sword attacks were already murderous.
“Enough.”
She said sharply. Though her upper body seemed relaxed, the secretly borrowed power exploded outward. Not-Seeing-Green’s sword light thickened suddenly, as if a ferocious tiger had merged with it.
Her technique hadn’t changed, but it carried an overwhelming force, forcibly bending Zhao Lei’s blade.
“Pfft!”
Zhao Lei staggered back three steps, blood seeping from the corner of his mouth, his sword nearly falling.
He looked at Lin Nan in disbelief. Her Soul-locking Ring was glowing hot, the golden flames nearly breaking through the jade, but she suppressed it with sheer will, leaving only a faint dark Demon Qi on the sword.
Silence fell over the crowd.
Lin Nan didn’t sheath her sword but slowly stepped in front of Zhao Lei. Her voice was as calm as deep water, “Now, do you still think 500 points are undeserved?”
Zhao Lei’s face drained of color. His lips trembled, unable to speak a single word.
It wasn’t from exhaustion—it was from anger.
Facing the doubts and ridicule pouring from all directions, an inexplicable fury burned within him.
He snapped upright, pointing at Lin Nan’s nose and shouting curses, “You Monster Woman! You’re cheating!”
The white-haired girl’s expression remained gentle. “I can tolerate being called a Monster Woman, but I can’t tolerate being called a cheat.”
“You’re clearly cheating! You asked me to suppress my realm to ninth grade, but you… but you’re clearly eighth grade!”
The girl frowned slightly, displeased. “I never said I was ninth grade. You were the one who requested a ninth grade realm match with me.”