Ancestor Chen tossed out, "I'll come pick you up in two days," then cursed and grumbled as he left. It seemed he didn't want to hear Lin Shuguang say anything about thanking him, so he deliberately put on a fierce, menacing act.
Instead, Lin Shuguang found the old man rather endearing.
He said nothing more and watched Ancestor Chen leave. Then Lin Shuguang sensed his own strength. So this was what the Ninth Heaven of the Core Realm felt like.
But just as Ancestor Chen had said, he had obtained too much energy all at once. His physical body, no matter how powerful, had already been pushed to its limit. If he couldn't refine the energy stored inside him soon, he would only be squandering the value of the Nine Revolutions Golden Core.
Thinking of the mysterious man trapped by the Chain of Karma, he thought, Perhaps he wasn't talking about the Baojian Sect...
He looked up at Clear Sword Peak, shrouded in darkness, then turned and went back inside to begin cultivating.
The fourth day of the first lunar month.
Although the Baojian Sect had lost some disciples after the State Selection, the sect's operations remained perfectly normal.
The Training Ground was bustling with activity.
To the newly arrived disciples, it was normal enough to see so many senior brothers and sisters gathered there, cultivating so hard that they forgot to eat or sleep, sweating buckets one after another. But seeing so many people gathered there, working themselves into a frenzy as though wasting even the slightest bit of time would let others surpass them, was another matter entirely.
The new disciples were dumbfounded.
"Senior brothers and sisters are working way too hard."
"No wonder the Baojian Sect can become a top-tier power in the Central Province..."
"It makes sense for the senior brothers in the Profound Connection Realm to work this hard, but even those in the Core Realm are fighting with everything they have..."
"Exactly. I just saw a senior sister in the Core Realm cultivating, flames surging into the sky. It was terrifying. Is that the power of the Core Realm?"
"I'm scared..."
Hearing the new disciples' discussion, the elder leading them couldn't help smiling. "You don't know this, but the reason they're working so hard is because there's a martial arts fanatic in the sect who works even harder than they do. Back then... Forget it. You've already entered the sect, so you'll naturally learn about these things later."
The elders swallowed the rest of their words halfway through.
The Sect Master had confirmed Lin Shuguang's status as the Holy Son, and even Fire Sword Peak, which had always opposed it most fiercely, had fallen strangely quiet. Rumors were spreading among the elders... Lin Shuguang seemed to have received the approval of the Ancestor in the forbidden grounds. This was a major signal.
Although no one could confirm whether it was true, since the Peak Master of Fire Sword Peak no longer opposed him, the others naturally became a few shades more "ambiguous" in their attitude toward Lin Shuguang.
The elder had only just cut off the rest of his words, but the new disciples felt as though cats were scratching at their hearts, desperate to know what had happened next.
The timid new disciples might not dare speak up, but some bold and honey-tongued ones had far fewer scruples. "Martial Uncle, please tell us! Who exactly is that martial arts fanatic?"
Seeing this, the other female disciples began acting coquettishly as well.
The cleverness of these new disciples made the elder laugh despite himself. "Fine, it won't hurt to tell you. That person didn't join much earlier than you did. If I remember correctly, you were taking the entrance examination at the time. He joined the sect right then as well.
"His cultivation wasn't very high—only the Profound Connection Realm..."
"Only..." Some Body Tempering Realm disciples exchanged glances. None of them dared make a sound, and they could only obediently listen as the elder continued.
"Although he didn't start out at a particularly high level, he spared no effort when it came to cultivation and worked extremely hard. Our Baojian Sect established a tournament platform in the Training Ground. Every time you participate, you can obtain a certain amount of cultivation resources. You'll be able to enter it in the future as well..."
The new disciples all looked toward the distant platform. The mention of cultivation resources clearly caught their attention.
The elder wasn't annoyed by their curiosity. He smiled and said, "You may not believe this, but on the second day after joining the sect, that boy resolutely entered the tournament. Although he wielded nothing more than an exceedingly simple wooden sword, he advanced with overwhelming momentum. Even your senior brothers in the early Core Realm were no match for him.
"Come to think of it, I've never seen him lose..."
"Wow, that senior brother is so strong..."
The many new disciples couldn't help exclaiming in astonishment.
To them, the Core Realm was an impassable chasm, yet that mysterious senior brother had been able to challenge someone above his level while only in the Profound Connection Realm—and had even won. It was simply miraculous!
The elder seemed to recall something and let out a long sigh. "Having good aptitude is a good thing, but it isn't necessarily a good thing either. During that period, he turned the entire Baojian Sect upside down. One disciple in the Third Heaven of the Core Realm was even expelled from the sect because of him. So, you newcomers, after entering the sect, you must memorize the sect rules properly. The sect's iron laws aren't just for show."
"Yes." The new disciples answered obediently one after another.
Soon, a new disciple asked curiously, "Martial Uncle, who is that senior brother?"
"Him..." The elder smiled. "Don't pry into his affairs. Just cultivate obediently. In the Baojian Sect, only if you work hard enough and are willing to cultivate seriously will you have a chance to become someone admired by all. See those senior brothers?
"They're afraid. They're afraid that person will appear again and knock them down once more. Being defeated in the Baojian Sect isn't shameful. Victory and defeat are commonplace in war. Losing is nothing, but if you admit defeat, then you've truly lost.
"A person lives by a single breath of pride. After entering my Baojian Sect, you must be unyielding despite repeated setbacks and possess a kind of tenacity..."
The elder lectured them at length. Just as they were about to pass the Training Ground, a commotion suddenly erupted from one side.
Everyone turned to look.
Xu Baiyang brought Lin Shuguang to the Training Ground and said quietly, "The main reason is that Master gave the order. You're the Holy Son of this sect. By convention, you have to come and take a look at the new disciples who joined my Clear Sword Peak this time.
"I know you don't like making a show of things, so I didn't announce this. Just take a look at these youngsters and give them a few words of guidance."
Lin Shuguang laughed helplessly and could only follow behind Xu Baiyang.
However, as they passed the Training Ground, Lin Shuguang's unusual presence inevitably drew everyone's attention.
Many senior brothers in the Core Realm who had been cultivating stopped one after another, every gaze turning toward Lin Shuguang.
Toward this Junior Brother Lin who had once defeated them, they both loved and hated him.
If not for Lin Shuguang, their strength would never have risen so rapidly in just two short months.
But ultimately, not many people truly enjoyed being defeated.
Some were already eager to fight Lin Shuguang again and reclaim the face they had lost that day.
But the events of the State Selection were still fresh in everyone's minds.
The fact that Lin Shuguang had returned alive showed that he truly had ability. There were even reports that he had once withstood a mid-stage Core Realm vicious beast during the State Selection.
Although there was only one word of difference between the mid stage and the early stage, the difference in strength was worlds apart.
This meant that even the Third Heaven probably no longer amounted to much in Lin Shuguang's eyes.
These senior brothers in the early Core Realm could only clench their fists resentfully, not daring to go up and challenge him.
Lin Shuguang ignored these "fiery gazes." With his cultivation already at the Ninth Heaven, he naturally had no interest in these early-stage Baojian Sect disciples, much less any fighting spirit.
He didn't want to deliberately display anything either. They had no grudge against each other, so why crush the confidence of these young disciples?
"Boom!"
Xu Baiyang was bringing Lin Shuguang past the Training Ground when a muffled sound suddenly rang out in front of them like a tiger blocking the road.
Looking at the person blocking their way, Xu Baiyang couldn't help frowning. "Ji Daohe, what are you trying to do?"
Compared to the refined and graceful Ji Daohe of two months ago, he now had grown a full beard and dressed without the slightest care. Although he seemed a little too frivolous, his entire aura was indeed much heavier than it had been two months before.
His strength had risen considerably.
Xu Baiyang knew about Ji Daohe's affairs, and he also knew that Ji Daohe was from Fire Sword Peak.
Back then, after Ji Daohe had been defeated by Lin Shuguang, Ji Daohe's younger brother, Ji Mingye, had challenged Lin Shuguang openly under the pretext that Lin Shuguang had cheated. In truth, he had coveted the Supreme Token in Lin Shuguang's hands, though it was unknown whether someone had been directing things from behind the scenes.
But the battle between the two that day had been mentioned by many Core Realm disciples.
Ji Mingye had been defeated by Lin Shuguang cleanly and decisively.
Seriously injured, he was expelled from the Baojian Sect. After all, coveting the Supreme Token was a grave offense... Later, while Ji Mingye was being escorted home by his clansmen, they encountered a beast tide. The entire group was buried in the mouths of vicious beasts.
Ji Daohe had also been confined because of his failure to investigate properly. After that, he had taken on this unkempt appearance.
"What happened that day has nothing to do with you. Don't meddle in other people's business." Ji Daohe cast Xu Baiyang a faint glance. He had originally been a disciple of the Third Heaven. In theory, since his cultivation was inferior to Xu Baiyang's, he should have respectfully addressed him as Senior Brother.
But his current state clearly told Xu Baiyang that he had confidence.
Xu Baiyang frowned. "Have you gone mad? The Baojian Sect forbids private fights. If you don't want to be expelled from the mountain gate, move aside immediately. Junior Brother Lin and I have important business to attend to. Don't delay us. Otherwise, when the elders hold you accountable, no one will help you!"
Ji Daohe's expression remained unchanged. His gaze passed directly over Xu Baiyang and landed on Lin Shuguang. "Does my brother's death have anything to do with you?"
Before Lin Shuguang could answer, Xu Baiyang had already begun angrily rebuking him. "Ji Daohe, what the hell are you raving about? Your younger brother, Ji Mingye, encountered the beast tide by accident. Even the elders personally went to inspect the site. You still want to pin this filthy accusation on Junior Brother Lin? Your intentions are utterly vile!"
Ji Daohe said numbly, "The beasts in Hunting Scale Ravine didn't appear earlier or later. They appeared precisely while my brother was seriously injured and on his way home. They even appeared on the very road he was traveling. I don't believe it was merely an accident.
"Lin Shuguang, perhaps you really weren't scheming behind the scenes in this matter, but you still can't escape your connection to my brother's death.
"If not for you—if you hadn't fought my brother privately—he couldn't have made that mistake, and he certainly wouldn't have been expelled from the mountain gate. If he hadn't been expelled, he wouldn't have encountered those damned vicious beasts. So, Lin Shuguang, if you have any conscience left, do you feel even the slightest bit guilty?"
Ji Daohe's eyes seemed to grow furious at the mention of these events. His bloodshot eyes looked as though he wanted to swallow Lin Shuguang alive.
Yet Lin Shuguang paid no heed to his accusations. "What the hell does that have to do with me?"
Facing Ji Daohe's furious expression, Lin Shuguang said calmly, "Your brother accused me of cheating and disregarded my reputation first. He even shamelessly tried to trick something out of my hands that did not belong to him. His death was caused by his greed.
"And you're even more self-righteous, distorting right and wrong while disregarding the truth.
"Since you're so unwilling to accept this, why don't we have a fight?"
"Shuguang, don't be impulsive." Xu Baiyang immediately grabbed Lin Shuguang.
The sect was in a troubled period, and he didn't want Lin Shuguang to be caught by people with ulterior motives because of a moment of impulse. That would hinder his future advancement within the sect.
"Sure. I couldn't ask for more." Ji Daohe revealed a cold smile and turned around, stepping onto the tournament platform first.
Lin Shuguang looked at Xu Baiyang. "Wait for me. I'll be quick."
Xu Baiyang still couldn't help grabbing him. "This boy's aura is strange. He already lost to you before, yet he deliberately provoked you now. He must be hiding some trump card. Don't be impulsive. I'll go report this to Master right now. If Fire Sword Peak doesn't give us an explanation this time, my Clear Sword Peak absolutely won't let the matter rest."
Before Xu Baiyang could finish, Lin Shuguang shook his head. "There's no need to make things so complicated. He and I are both in the Core Realm, so this naturally doesn't count as a private fight. Matters on the platform should be settled on the platform. Wait for me. I'll be quick."
With that, he ignored Xu Baiyang and walked over on his own.
The moment he moved, even the elder leading the new disciples frowned. "This is bad. What on earth is that Fire Sword Peak disciple thinking? Of all people, he had to provoke this ancestor..."
The new disciples before him all rose onto their tiptoes, curiously watching the two people step onto the platform.
They hadn't expected to have the good fortune to see a Core Realm senior brother initiate a platform match today. It ought to be thrilling, but they didn't know how much time this Martial Uncle would give them to watch the fight.
On the platform.
"Lin Shuguang, you probably don't know this, but while I was confined, my strength rose another level. I've now entered the mid stage, and my strength is worlds apart from before. But I won't defeat you directly. I'll humiliate you—humiliate you to my heart's content—and let you know what happens when you offend the Ji family!" Ji Daohe's voice was cold, carrying a hint of excitement.
He had truly waited a long time for this day.
Because of Lin Shuguang, he had missed the State Selection, but by a twist of fate, he had also avoided that disaster.
Lin Shuguang carried a large saber for disguising himself. He drew it directly. "Since we've stepped onto the platform, we'll decide life and death."
Ji Daohe narrowed his eyes at those words and said coldly, "Good. Then I'll grant your wish!"
In an instant.
A cold sword flashed from its sheath, like a bright full moon suddenly breaking free.
Ji Daohe had indeed entered the mid stage.
The instant his sword left its sheath, a chill aura spread out and enveloped the area.
But compared to the frigid yin coldness of the magma back then, this chill was merely a small witch standing beside a great one.
Lin Shuguang watched Ji Daohe charge toward him, his eyelids lifting slightly as he slowly uttered two words: "That's it?"
Clang!
The large saber left its sheath, shaking heaven and earth.
It was as though a primordial vicious beast had descended upon the mortal world!
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