Youthful Arrogance is Not a Crime, My Fate is My Own

The disciple's name was Chen Ke. He was at the peak of the Mystic Martial Realm and considered quite outstanding among the younger generation of disciples in the Azure Cloud Palace.

He wore pale green disciple robes, with sharp and handsome features, making him a man of talent and dashing demeanor.

It was a pity, however, that he had a terrible master.

That's right, Chen Ke was Lu Shenxing's only direct disciple.

In the original story, Xiao Rui's cultivation advanced too quickly, appearing like a meteor. His brilliant performance during the elimination rounds blinded everyone.

This sparked greed in Lu Shenxing, who was convinced that Xiao Rui must have encountered a great opportunity.

Therefore, he instructed Chen Ke to deal a heavy blow to Xiao Rui in the subsequent matches.

However, how could a Son of Destiny be so easily ambushed?

Not to mention that Xiao Rui had Elder Sword as a powerful backer, he himself possessed countless life-saving trump cards.

A mere petty ambush was easily neutralized.

Instead, Chen Ke was severely injured by Xiao Rui and subsequently fell into a slump.

Lu Shenxing was also confined to the back mountain by Fu Hanqiu, forbidden from leaving for ten years.

Chen Ke, while not entirely innocent, was primarily led astray by Lu Shenxing.

Of course, Xia Wantang wouldn't unnecessarily champion Chen Ke's cause.

After all, everyone chooses their own path. Since Chen Ke chose to accept Lu Shenxing's request, he had to bear the consequences of his choice.

Just like the original host, who, despite being forced to become the Saintess of the Azure Cloud Palace, was still killed by the Sect Master with a single sword strike.

Seeing Xia Wantang staring intently in one direction, Ye Xing couldn't help but ask:

"Junior Sister Xia, what are you looking at? Xiao Rui is standing over there."

Xia Wantang: ...You're really going head-to-head with Xiao Rui, aren't you?

She withdrew her gaze and shook her head:

"It's nothing. The selection matches are about to begin. Senior Brother, please focus on the competition."

Only twenty disciples remained on the field. Zhao Zhixuan, riding her sword in the air, announced:

"Congratulations to all the excellent disciples who have qualified. For those who haven't, don't be discouraged. Keep striving and work hard to qualify for the next inner sect competition."

"Next, we enter the second stage – the selection matches."

"The twenty disciples will draw lots for one-on-one duels. The remaining two will advance to the top four."

Disciples who entered the selection matches would receive many resource rewards. Only those who reached the final four would receive rewards personally prepared by the Palace Lord of the Azure Cloud Palace.

Therefore, as long as one qualified, regardless of ranking, there were rewards, making the effort worthwhile.

This brought relief to many disciples who had no intention of competing for the top four spots.

Their average cultivation was only at the late stage of the Mystic Martial Realm. How could they compete with the peak Mystic Martial Realm experts?

Receiving the qualification rewards was already a great outcome.

Of course, they wouldn't forfeit without a fight; that would be too disgraceful.

Even if they were just putting on a show, they had to struggle until the very end, lest they shame their master.

In the first round, Xiao Rui drew an ordinary inner disciple, not one of the direct disciples of the elders.

This disciple was named Qiao Wentao. His cultivation was at the late stage of the Mystic Martial Realm. He had qualified for the top twenty through his exquisite swordsmanship and a conservative, defensive fighting style.

His goal was merely to qualify. So, upon drawing Xiao Rui, he wasn't disheartened but instead looked pleasantly surprised:

Yes! I can be eliminated and go home early!

After exchanging just two moves, Qiao Wentao was knocked to the ground by Xiao Rui. He immediately called out to the referee:

"I surrender, I surrender! Senior Brother Xiao is too strong, I can't win!"

The crowd: ...

Seeing this, Xia Wantang couldn't help but chuckle:

"This Qiao Wentao is quite amusing."

Ye Xing also laughed:

"I doubt anyone will be able to stop Xiao Rui before the top four competition."

Although Qiao Wentao and Xiao Rui had only exchanged two moves, those simple moves revealed their depth.

Xiao Rui was using the Azure Cloud Sword Art, an outer sect cultivation method of Heaven Grade Ninth Tier.

Qiao Wentao was using the Azure Edge Sword Art, an inner sect technique of Immortal Grade First Tier.

Although only one tier apart, it was a significant grade difference. Both the strength of the sword energy and the power of the moves were superior in the latter.

However, Xiao Rui displayed an extraordinary power with the Azure Cloud Sword Art. His sword energy was more than twice as thick as that of Qiao Wentao's Azure Edge Sword Art.

The saying goes, "The greatest truths are the simplest." As long as one's strength is sufficient, even the most basic moves can unleash formidable power.

Seeing this, a sharp glint flashed in Lu Shenxing's eyes:

According to the draw, Xiao Rui would face Chen Ke in the next match.

For this type of spar, the goal was friendly competition, and for fairness, magic treasures like formations, pills, and spirit talismans were not allowed.

Just now, he had secretly slipped Chen Ke a Profound Heaven Sealing Spirit Talisman, which contained a burst of power from an early-stage Profound Heaven Realm cultivator.

In Lu Shenxing's opinion, no matter how strong Xiao Rui was, he was still only at the peak of the Mystic Martial Realm. The power of an early-stage Profound Heaven Realm cultivator would be more than enough to deal with him.

Moreover, if the difference in strength with Chen Ke was too great, it would be easier to see through.

It could be said that as long as Xiao Rui didn't notice anything unusual, Chen Ke could definitely get away with it.

According to Lu Shenxing's prediction, Xiao Rui would be severely injured and unconscious by then, making it impossible for him to discover the problem.

As he was thinking, the second round of duels began, with Xiao Rui facing Chen Ke.

Xia Wantang stared down below, unwilling to miss a single moment:

"Isn't the plot of the protagonist being ambushed and then counter-killing in a spar a classic?"

"Junior Brother Xiao, I've learned a lot!"

Chen Ke was older than Xiao Rui and also had a higher seniority. He was naturally proud and arrogant, so he naturally refused to call Xiao Rui "Senior Brother."

This opening remark was a show of dominance.

Xiao Rui didn't mind. He directly took out his sword, beckoned with his finger, and signaled Chen Ke to begin the match.

This dismissive gesture made Chen Ke even more displeased. He immediately activated his techniques and started the fight.

He possessed a single Gold Spirit Root. Gold was the sharpest attribute, capable of slicing through iron like mud. When he attacked, his sword wind was sharp and substantial.

The Martial God Peak lineage practiced the Martial God Heart Method as their internal cultivation technique. Combined with the Azure Edge Sword Art, it allowed their sword moves to be sharp and imposing, with sword energy like a rainbow, cutting through the sky.

Hundreds of thick golden sword winds instantly appeared in the void, surrounding Xiao Rui in a spherical formation and attacking him at extreme speed.

However, the scene Chen Ke had imagined did not materialize.

Xiao Rui unleashed his lightning techniques with the speed of lightning. A pillar of purple light rose from the top of his head.

As the lightning flashed, it directly dispersed the golden sword winds.

Then, he switched from defense to offense, his sword moves like the wind, swift as thunder.

Facing the pressure of the Mystic Martial Realm peak, Chen Ke retreated step by step, unable to control his body as he fell backward.

After finally stabilizing himself, his eyes were filled with gloom:

"Why is it that despite my steady progress and years of hard work, my cultivation remains stagnant? Seeing my junior brothers and sisters surpass me, I am filled with regret."

Especially Xiao Rui, who stood before him.

"He was clearly just the lowest-ranking utility disciple of the Azure Cloud Palace, yet he soared to the heavens through sheer luck, and his cultivation is even higher than mine."

He was truly unconvinced and unwilling.

The flower of malice sprouted in his heart, and Chen Ke stared intently at Xiao Rui:

"Since you insist on obstructing me and defeating me, don't blame me for being ruthless. If you have to blame someone, blame yourself for being too arrogant!"

With that thought, a spirit talisman appeared in his left hand, which he had placed behind his back.

Then, with a flick of his finger, the power within the spirit talisman secretly flowed into his palm, and the talisman turned to dust and disappeared.

At this moment, Xiao Rui happened to be approaching with his sword.

A sharp glint flashed in Chen Ke's eyes. He immediately brought his left hand forward, and a powerful golden spiritual power rapidly spread from his palm, transforming into a giant golden sword.

"Not good! This kid used the Profound Heaven Sealing Spirit Talisman, dodge quickly!"

Elder Sword's voice immediately rang out in Xiao Rui's mind.

Upon hearing this, his gaze turned cold. Instead of dodging, he charged forward:

"Elder Sword, I've long wanted to test my limits."

"So what if it's the Profound Heaven Sealing Spirit Talisman? Youth is meant to be reckless. My fate is mine to control, not heaven's!"

After speaking, a giant purple sword crackling with lightning also gathered in his palm.

Elder Sword: ...

"Fine, as long as you're happy."

At this moment, the two giant swords collided—