Lin Bai and Ye Guxing battled fiercely in the forest, trading blows back and forth.
Yet Lin Bai had been unable to defeat Ye Guxing even after a thousand exchanges.
After a thousand exchanges.
The two sides stopped and retreated, taking a brief rest.
Lin Bai looked at Ye Guxing with slight astonishment. Apart from Lin Zier, he was the first expert Lin Bai had encountered.
"What a pity that someone with skills like yours is being used like a dog."
Lin Bai said regretfully to Ye Guxing.
From the very beginning, Lin Bai had thought that Ye Guxing was an expert sent by Xu Shangjie.
After all, everyone who had appeared before Lin Bai along the way had generally come to kill him.
"Hm?" Ye Guxing frowned.
"I don't understand what you're talking about."
Ye Guxing spoke with a puzzled frown.
Ye Guxing's voice was extremely hoarse, carrying a chill that made him sound like an aloof swordsman.
"You weren't coming to kill me?" Lin Bai asked curiously.
"I was merely passing by. I only attacked because I saw you draw your sword." Ye Guxing shook his head.
"Uh..."
Lin Bai was instantly embarrassed.
The two had fought a thousand exchanges, each move pressing the other hard, only to discover at the very end that it had all been a misunderstanding.
"Heh heh, a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding. I thought you had come to kill me."
"I am Lin Bai. May I ask your honored name?"
Lin Bai regarded Ye Guxing with great importance.
After entering the martial world, this was the first opponent Lin Bai had encountered, apart from Lin Zier, whose strength was so formidable.
"Ye Guxing," he said quietly.
"Your swordsmanship is powerful. I hope we'll have another chance to cross swords." Lin Bai smiled faintly.
"You too." Ye Guxing was not good with words and merely replied blandly.
"If there's nothing else, I'll be going first."
Ye Guxing sheathed his sword and left.
He and Lin Bai had no life-and-death grudge to begin with. They had merely fought because of a misunderstanding.
Now that the misunderstanding had been cleared up, Ye Guxing had no reason to risk his life against him.
Ye Guxing turned and left, while Lin Bai watched him go.
"You've seen enough, haven't you? If you have, come out."
After Ye Guxing had left, Lin Bai spoke coldly toward the rear.
"Hahaha, I was planning to wait until Ye Guxing and you were both battered and exhausted, then come out and kill you both."
"But who would have thought that Ye Guxing would fight you for over a thousand exchanges without either of you gaining the upper hand?"
A sinister-looking man slowly emerged from the jungle behind Lin Bai.
Lin Bai turned to look. He had seen this man before. He was none other than Mo Yi, one of the ten New Talent Kings who had appeared before the examination.
Mo Yi was a new disciple. After arriving at the Spirit Sword Sect, he had fought eighteen new disciples alone in a bloody battle, becoming famous in a single fight.
His prestige among the new disciples was extremely high.
"Since Ye Guxing couldn't kill you, it seems I'll have to do it myself."
"I happen to be going to meet Xu Shangjie and Miss Ye Suxin. Taking your head with me will make a fine opening gift."
Mo Yi smiled smugly. The way he looked at Lin Bai was as though he were looking at a dead man.
"Where is Xu Shangjie?" Lin Bai asked coldly.
"There's no harm in telling you. You're about to die anyway. Miss Ye Suxin has summoned all the New Talent Kings to gather at 'Ten Mile Slope' and jointly kill a True Martial Realm demon beast."
"I was on my way to join them."
Mo Yi spoke indifferently.
"Who is Ye Suxin?" Lin Bai asked.
"You don't even know Ye Suxin? She is number one among the New Talent Kings and publicly acknowledged as the strongest new disciple of this cohort."
"She fought a hundred people alone without losing. Her strength is unrivaled among the outer sect."
When Mo Yi mentioned Ye Suxin, his face was filled with admiration and excitement.
"I don't know her." Lin Bai shook his head.
"Forget it. I can't be bothered wasting words with you. Surrender and await death."
With that, Mo Yi leaped through the air and viciously struck at Lin Bai with one palm.
The might of his palm shook the four directions, roaring toward Lin Bai like it would shatter the heavens.
"Since you've given me so much information, I can grant you a quick death!"
Lin Bai abruptly drew his sword and sent it flying forward.
Mo Yi had opened with a killing move. Naturally, he wanted to obtain the ten thousand spirit stones Xu Shangjie had offered as a bounty.
No, twenty thousand spirit stones.
Ever since his defeat in the canyon, Xu Shangjie had raised the bounty to twenty thousand spirit stones.
His desire to kill Lin Bai had become impossible to suppress.
"I'm not some piece of trash like Xu Shangjie. If you want to kill me, you'll have to cultivate for a few more years!"
"Cloud Dispelling Palm!"
Mo Yi let out an angry roar.
"Is that so?"
Lin Bai let out a disdainful sneer.
"Ten Steps, One Kill!"
Lin Bai's feet shifted with incredible speed, taking ten consecutive steps at a strange angle.
After ten steps, ten blood-red figures remained on the ground.
After the ten steps, the ten figures fused into one. A sword thrust out, piercing through Mo Yi's throat in a straight line as if it would split the heavens.
"How is this possible!"
Mo Yi clutched his throat and stared at Lin Bai in terror.
He staggered back two steps before collapsing to the ground, every trace of life gone from his body.
After picking up Mo Yi's storage space, Lin Bai turned his head toward the southeast and said, "Ten Mile Slope."
With a burst of movement, Lin Bai sped straight toward Ten Mile Slope.
Ten Mile Slope.
Ye Suxin had summoned the New Talent Kings to gather and jointly slay a True Martial Realm demon beast. As a result, several hundred martial artists had actually come.
"Everyone, follow me inside. Beneath Ten Mile Slope is a Swallowing Heaven Demon Python at the first level of the True Martial Realm."
"Be careful!"
"But remember this: don't kill the demon python. I intend to use a secret technique to enrage it!"
Ye Suxin spoke to the other New Talent King martial artists and the ordinary martial artists gathered there.
"Xu Shangjie, Long Yao, take people outside and guard the perimeter. No one is allowed to approach."
Ye Suxin issued her arrangements.
"Don't worry, Miss Ye. With me here, not even a fly will be able to get in."
Xu Shangjie obeyed Ye Suxin's words without question.
It was not only Xu Shangjie. The other New Talent King martial artists were usually arrogant to the extreme, but before Ye Suxin, they were all exceptionally obedient and docile.
Ye Suxin's background was probably extraordinary.
"You few, follow me."
Xu Shangjie led more than twenty martial artists out of Ten Mile Slope and watched the area ahead like a tiger eyeing its prey.
"Swallowing Heaven Demon Python, come out and meet your death!"
Seeing that everything had been arranged, Ye Suxin shouted with her delicate face flushed.
At once, the entire Ten Mile Slope shook violently. Terrifying cracks rapidly spread across the ground.
A black demon python revealed its enormous body from beneath the earth.
The Swallowing Heaven Demon Python was gigantic. Before it, Ye Suxin and the more than two hundred martial artists looked like a few ants.
The Swallowing Heaven Demon Python had been suddenly startled awake and was enraged beyond measure.
Its steel-like tail lashed out heavily, instantly smashing more than a dozen martial artists into meat patties.
"Roar—"
The Swallowing Heaven Demon Python roared furiously at Ye Suxin.
This Swallowing Heaven Demon Python was at least twice as powerful as the Hellfire Lizard King from before!
"Everyone, attack! Remember, don't kill it!"
Ye Suxin reminded them again.
"We understand. We definitely won't kill this Swallowing Heaven Demon Python."
The martial artists surged forward as one, surrounding and attacking the Swallowing Heaven Demon Python!