They Were All One-Shotted—What Was There to Say?

With just one punch, without the slightest effort, she one-shotted an opponent.

The elders of the three sects appeared calm on the surface, but inwardly, they had become even more wary.

They had thought that at Xiao Ling'er's age, her foundation ought to be unstable. Yet not only did Xiao Ling'er show no signs of an unstable foundation, she even seemed capable of fighting above her level.

How were they supposed to fight this?

But things had come to this. Refusing to fight was no longer an option.

They could only brace themselves and continue.

"Gan Wu, you go!"

Elder Zhou of the Peach Blossom Sect spoke.

"Ah?!"

Gan Wu's face turned green.

He was a disciple of the Gan Family, an affiliated force of the Peach Blossom Sect. It was one of the smallest cultivation factions. He had begun cultivating as a child, only joining the higher sect after reaching adulthood to continue his studies.

But even so, he was only at the Open Profound Eighth Level. He had yet to reach the ninth level.

How was he supposed to fight?

"What are you 'ah'-ing for?"

Elder Wu spoke, and Gan Wu immediately shuddered. "Yes, Elder."

He stepped forward and took a deep breath. "Gan Wu of the Peach Blossom Sect. Please instruct me."

"Ha!"

Under immense pressure, he actually showed considerable courage. With an angry roar, he took the initiative to attack. In fact, beneath such pressure, he broke through on the spot and opened his ninth Mystic Gate!

"What?!"

The disciples of the three sects were all shocked.

Elder Wu revealed a slight smile as well. "This Gan Wu has decent talent. He is a dependable prospect."

Elder Zhou also smiled. "The pressure has brought out his potential. Once we return, we should nurture him properly. He could become a pillar of our Peach Blossom Sect."

Gan Wu himself was even more thrilled.

Open Profound Ninth Level!

He had actually broken through just like that. What a joyous occasion!

Yet before his excitement could last even a second, he followed in the footsteps of that Golden Eagle Sect disciple.

He was one-shotted outright, with a single punch.

The faces of the three sect elders twitched.

"At this rate, how can we possibly exhaust her True Origin?"

The Eight Swords Sect elder sighed helplessly. "We can only do all we can and leave the rest to fate. One of my sect's disciples possesses an ultimate technique. It is not as though we have no chance of victory."

"Oh?!"

Upon hearing this, the elders of the Peach Blossom Sect and Golden Eagle Sect could not help but feel jealous.

A Core Condensation Realm First Level cultivator had a chance against someone at the fifth level???

The Eight Swords Sect had stumbled upon another treasure.

Damn it, their luck was absurdly good!

The following six matches likewise held no surprises.

They were new disciples who had only entered their sects a month ago. Their limitations were simply too great; the gap in cultivation could not be bridged at all.

Lin Fan was overjoyed within.

Sure enough, the Protagonist Template is anything but ordinary.

I chose the right path!

As long as this continues, the future is bright!!!

As for not killing them, that was naturally his decision as well.

If she wanted to kill them, Xiao Ling'er could do so easily. But as he had said before, unless they had the ability to uproot them completely, they should not rashly escalate the enmity.

Otherwise...

While any one of those three sects would have to pay an enormous price to destroy the Moon Embracing Sect, what if they joined forces?

Defeating them and driving them away was enough.

Since it was not a life-and-death feud, even if they wanted revenge, they generally would not act too quickly. They would prepare slowly.

And what Lin Fan and the Moon Embracing Sect needed most right now was time.

Given enough time, Xiao Ling'er would grow rapidly, and he himself could soar alongside her. Perhaps they could even recruit several more disciples who met the admission requirements...

Why should they fear these mere three sects?

"Wen Jian of the Eight Swords Sect."

The final contestant from the Eight Swords Sect stepped forward. A long sword rested on his back, and his face was cold and stern.

"Hm?" In Xiao Ling'er's mind, her teacher's voice sounded. "This person carries a familiar aura."

"Please."

Xiao Ling'er remained calm.

Core Condensation Realm First Level?

Among these "newcomers," he was already quite strong, but he was not her opponent.

"I have only one sword strike. If you take it, I concede defeat."

Wen Jian spoke as he gripped the hilt of his sword. "I originally intended to nurture this strike for more than a hundred years. But you are strong, and you are worthy of drawing my sword."

"So that is it."

Her teacher sighed softly. "It is the Sword Nurturing Art. No wonder it felt familiar."

"Sword Nurturing Art?" Xiao Ling'er was puzzled.

"Indeed. Sword Cultivators never part with their swords. Through a special secret art, they use their own essence, energy, spirit, and True Origin to nurture a single sword strike. The longer it is nurtured, the more astonishing it becomes when the sword leaves its sheath."

"Especially the first strike. If a Great Cultivator nurtures it for centuries or millennia, that strike may even slaughter immortals!"

"That powerful?"

Xiao Ling'er narrowed her eyes. "I cannot take it?"

"The feeling is extremely faint. He has not nurtured his sword for long, his cultivation is shallow, and his sword itself is quite ordinary. Naturally, you can take it, but doing so would expose some of your trump cards."

"Then this disciple understands."

Xiao Ling'er smiled. "You should take one of my punches instead."

She moved.

Weaving and darting, her feet tracing an unusual pattern, she arrived at Wen Jian's side in an instant. He was shocked and hurried to draw his sword, but Xiao Ling'er got there first, pressing down on the hilt and leaving him utterly unable to unsheathe it. At the same time, she drove a punch into his chest.

Bang!

A dull thud rang out.

Wen Jian's chest caved in. His eyes bulged outward, his face flushing crimson in an instant as he limply collapsed.

Only then did Xiao Ling'er release her hand.

Even after being knocked unconscious by that punch, Wen Jian had failed to draw his sword.

The elders of the three sects: "..."

The Eight Swords Sect elder flew into a rage. "You agreed to take his sword strike! Why did you not keep your word?!"

"Elder, could it be that you are advanced in years and hard of hearing?"

Xiao Ling'er looked utterly bewildered. "When did I agree to that?"

"He said he only had one sword strike, so I had to take it? What kind of logic is that? This was a fair fight, and I was fighting nine opponents in succession. Was I not even allowed to attack first?"

"If I told you to remove all your defenses, wash your neck clean, and let me chop you once, would you do it too?"

"If so, then I truly ought to apologize."

The Eight Swords Sect elder: "Argh!!!"

"You sharp-tongued little savage!"

Clang!

He drew his sword in an instant. Terrifying Sword Qi crisscrossed the air, and Xiao Ling'er's expression changed drastically.

At that moment, he had developed murderous intent.

Not only was Xiao Ling'er outstanding in cultivation, she was also so cautious and adaptable. If she were allowed to grow, she would surely become another enormous threat.

But almost at the same moment, Su Xinghai and the other four erupted. In the blink of an eye, they suppressed the terrifying Sword Qi.

"You old bastard, are you going to bully the young with your seniority?!"

The Eight Swords Sect elder's expression shifted repeatedly, but in the end, he could only snort coldly and return his sword to its sheath. "We're leaving!"

He departed in disgrace with his people.

The Golden Eagle Sect and Peach Blossom Sect naturally could not stay either. They hurriedly led their people away, bitter smiles and helplessness written across their faces.

They wanted to make a move too. Anyone could see that, given time, Xiao Ling'er would become a grave threat. But the timing was not right. Acting now would be no different from courting death...

The elders wore grim expressions.

As for the many new disciples, their Dao Hearts were on the verge of collapse.

Had they not come here to cause trouble and display the mighty prestige of their sects?

Why, after arriving, had they been suppressed at every turn, only to be effortlessly defeated nine in a row and forced to leave in disgrace?

Had they not said that the Moon Embracing Sect was suffering from a lack of successors, that its lineage was on the verge of extinction?

A lineage on the verge of extinction could still beat them this badly?

Then what did that make them?