Today’s battle had offended everyone from Falling Cloud Peak, and perhaps it would even lead to a fallout with the Fang Clan of the Boundless Sea.
However, Yun Liu did not care.
The two trials were over.
A powerful dragon could not suppress a local snake; even the King of Heaven himself would have to get past Youyou first.
Once he rescued his Junior Sister, he could take Xiang’er and Tan’er back to Jueyun Peak to retire and live a happily scandalous life.
Yun Liu had already squeezed into the top sixteen.
He planned to just mess around in the next battle and surrender, preserving his spiritual energy to clear the map inside the Sword Furnace.
He was not the only one lost in a beautiful fantasy.
The Senior Sister of the Mingguang Sect was equally confident, refusing to believe anyone could turn her down.
With the Sword Sect Grand Competition reaching this stage, her observations were nearly complete, and she had begun forming her team.
If the number one person of the Shenhua Sect’s younger generation was the Falling Cloud Peak Chief—that certain Yin who had won three consecutive competitions and possessed refined cultivation capable of rivaling an Elder—then Ruan Yu was the undisputed future of the Mingguang Sect.
Her purpose for this trip was to scout for a few reliable helpers.
With every bit of extra strength, her chances of passing the assessment increased.
The selection for the inheritance was imminent.
Despite her prestigious status, the only reason she had personally visited the Sword Sect was that the next candidate for Sect Master would be chosen from the three young disciples possessing the “Dance Magic Spiritual Body.”
This was the tradition of the Mingguang Sect.
At that time, the three would travel to the Boundless Sea to open the Mystic Island secret realm.
Whoever could return with the token would become the next Sect Master and would undoubtedly receive the full support of the sect’s resources.
During this period, the sect would provide no assistance, and fellow disciples were strictly forbidden from intervening to prevent factionalism.
Everything depended on personal ability.
However, the Council of Elders did not forbid seeking outside help.
Connections were also an indispensable consideration, though the assistants were limited to those below the Nascent Soul realm.
Among the three, Ruan Yu had the highest cultivation.
The Earth-grade Golden Core created by her Jade Palace Spirit Foundation had already partially melted, and a nascent soul was gestating within, marking her entry into the False Nascent Soul realm.
The Senior Sister was undoubtedly the strongest competitor and the one with the most support among the disciples.
But the other two were not to be underestimated.
One was the ambitious nephew of the Sect Master, and the other was a genius female spell cultivator who had recently awakened her Dance Magic Spiritual Body.
The younger generation of the Mingguang Sect was full of talent, far surpassing that of the Shenhua Sect.
Those two were at the Golden Core Middle Stage and Golden Core Lower Stage, respectively.
Even though Ruan Yu held the advantage in personal strength, she did not dare to be careless.
She had originally intended to follow her peers’ example and recruit local powerhouses from the Boundless Sea, as she had met many young talents overseas.
By chance, she had heard about the rebellion from Junior Brother Bai, who had returned from Yudu, and was greatly surprised by the outstanding performance of the Shenhua Group.
Thus, before setting out, Ruan Yu decided to come and try her luck.
If she could form a good relationship with that legendary Heavenly Dao Alchemy Master, it would be for the best; at the very least, she could become a familiar face.
Although she could not currently afford the expensive Grade 4 Heavenly Path Soul-Nurturing Pill, and that little fellow was still only a Grade 3 Alchemist.
But that did not matter.
As long as she secured the token from Mystic Island, she would have plenty of time to wait for him to grow.
At first, Ruan Yu’s heart was full of doubt.
She looked down on the Sword Sect to some extent, clearly not believing that a group of young girls could defeat a Nili Magic Golem.
That was, until she personally saw the Qingxia Peak Chief whom Zhou Yan had praised incessantly—
‘Terrifying, absolutely terrifying!’
In a head-on confrontation, even as a confident dance magic cultivator, she felt her win rate was no more than 70%.
It was no wonder she could slay the Black Serpent of Canglang Gorge.
She was the top-tier “healer” that every major power dreamed of, especially since she was Qin Xiang, who practiced both the sword and alchemy.
Wood Spiritual Root cultivators were already scarce, let alone one who was a rare gem in the East Pole Province.
As for the Xizhao Chief and the Wuyin Chief, after watching their matches, Ruan Yu snorted in disdain.
They were the same as ever, showing no progress at all.
Though the Falling Cloud Peak Chief was strong, he was an old rival from the Heavenly Concord Alliance’s Hundred Schools Debate and was completely out of consideration.
Her biggest surprise was Xiao Ran.
With only a Foundation Establishment cultivation, she could pose a threat to those in the Golden Core realm.
With a little more experience, she would surely become a reliable combatant.
“Senior Sister, are you really sure you can convince them? Most of the students from Shenhua Academy don’t think much of us.”
Bai Yu spread his hands, not feeling very optimistic.
In the East Pole Province, Golden Core experts were all pillars of various Ling Tian Caves.
Words alone would not suffice; one had to show enough sincerity to invite them.
Moreover, the Senior Sister came from a common background with no powerful faction backing her, making her clearly less equipped than the other two candidates.
“If I step forward, it is only natural. Wait for my good news.”
Ruan Yu smiled slightly, removed her cloak, and deactivated her concealment spell, revealing a bright, striking face.
Her cheekbones were somewhat high, her lips were full, and her long hair was yellowish and wavy.
Her features alone might not have been stunning, but combined, they possessed an aura of intense confidence that was quite distinctive.
She already had several candidates in mind, and the first one she approached was Lin Shu, who had just finished her shift.
As mealtime approached, Lin Shu rubbed her shoulders, feeling quite hungry.
As a body cultivator, her ways of communicating with the spiritual energy of heaven and earth were very limited.
She was just about to leave when she saw a figure walk out from the bamboo forest.
“General Lin.”
“Hmm? Based on the voice, are you Miss Ruan?”
Lin Shu sized up this “stranger” who had suddenly appeared, giving her a few extra looks.
This mysterious guest had been here for so long without ever showing her true face.
They had gossiped about her quite a bit in private, thinking she might have some unsightly physical defect, but they never expected her to be such a beautiful woman.
“I don’t deserve the title of General,” Lin Shu said, shaking her head.
“I retired a long time ago. Now, I am merely a deacon of the Shanhai Pavilion stationed at the Sea of Clouds.”
She was hardworking, had a good appearance, and was well-liked by the visiting clients.
Having come from the military, loyalty was carved into her very bones.
She was a woman of few words but was extremely reliable.
Youyou was very satisfied with this newly recruited subordinate and had promoted Lin Shu to a two-star deacon two days ago, though her duties remained focused on front-desk service.
Calling her a deacon sounded nice, but in reality, a two-star rank was just a junior role.
Her monthly offering was not even as high as that of a small herb slave in Ji Shiyu’s herb garden.
However, she herself was quite satisfied—for a pole dancing Flower Queen who had escaped from Silver Sparrow Terrace, this place was simply paradise.
Lin Shu’s Spiritual Root was poor, but her martial intuition was incredibly strong.
Those two techniques she practiced day and night had already reached minor completion.
In Ruan Yu’s eyes, she was the ideal mercenary—a meat shield who could both take and deal hits.
“You’re here for the Young Master, right? He’s still in the office. Do you need me to announce you?”
“No, you are the one I’m looking for.”
After a brief exchange, Lin Shu decisively cupped her fists and refused.
“I apologize, but I owe Young Master Yun too much. Without his orders, I won’t go anywhere.”
“Is that so…”
Ruan Yu’s smile stiffened slightly.
She had thought the conditions she offered were enticing enough, but she did not know that someone had already gifted Lin Shu an Earth-grade technique on a whim.
Her bargaining chips simply could not move the other woman.
Left with no choice, she had to move on to her next candidate.
Jing Tan’er had arrived very early today, but finding no one around, she sat on a swing, swaying back and forth.
This Vermilion Saint Princess was at the peak of Foundation Establishment.
It was said that during her last breakthrough, the prospective Consort Princess had refined a Heavenly Path Foundation Building Pill to protect her path.
It would not be difficult for her to form a Heavenly Dao Golden Core in the future.
As a disciple of Wuyin Peak, she specialized in positional warfare.
Her potential was not inferior to that of Ji Shiyu or Xiao Ran.
However, Ruan Yu did not plan to invite her—asking a princess of a dynasty to go out to sea on an adventure was simply impossible.