Astonishing Words

Shadow Binding Rope.

Last night, after joining forces with Elder Fu Qian to capture Zhang Xishun in the clearing outside the market, Chen Yan returned to his quarters.

Then he drew the reward Reincarnation had granted him from his Spiritual Sense.

The item Reincarnation had rewarded him with did not exist in the real world, nor was it kept in some kind of wondrous storage space.

Instead, it was bound completely to Chen Yan's Spiritual Sense.

The Shadow Binding Rope was a cord about as thick as a pinkie, a little over five feet long, and black and gold.

Chen Yan held the Shadow Binding Rope upright, then let go and watched it melt into his shadow.

He looked up at a bird flying across the sky, and at the shadow it cast on the ground.

"Bind!"

Chen Yan silently commanded it in his mind.

In the next instant, a rope swiftly coiled around and bound the flying bird's shadow on the ground.

The bird then plummeted from the sky.

Chen Yan was quite pleased with this Reincarnation Reward.

That was because controlling the Shadow Binding Rope required nothing more than a thought.

And attacks aimed at someone's shadow could easily catch them off guard.

It was easy to spring a surprise attack.

There was no doubt about it: the Shadow Binding Rope was a trump card worthy of Chen Yan's current arsenal.

His last Reincarnation had received a B- rating.

That was the highest rating Chen Yan had achieved in Reincarnation so far, and the reward had been a mid-grade magical artifact.

What kind of reward would he get if he earned an even higher rating?

And what, exactly, influenced a Reincarnation rating?

Chen Yan had several guesses.

Was it the cultivation progress he made during a Reincarnation?

Probably not.

In his first Reincarnation, Chen Yan had started from scratch and cultivated to the mid-stage of the Qi Condensation Realm over the course of a hundred years.

Yet Reincarnation had still rated him D.

He must have done something to raise his Reincarnation rating.

Chen Yan thought back to the time he had earned a C, as well as this latest Reincarnation, which had earned him a B-.

The Reincarnation Record Point had been updated both times.

Forget it.

This wasn't something he could figure out right away.

There was still plenty he needed to do.

Time turned back from last night to the present.

The Body Tempering Realm competition in the Outer Court had finally reached its last match.

The two opponents were Chen Yan, the Personal Disciple of Outer Court Elder Lin Qifeng, and Zhang Hao, the apprentice of a Law Enforcement Hall officer.

It was still a match with no suspense. Zhang Hao had performed even worse in this Outer Court Grand Competition than Li Fu, whom Chen Yan had defeated in a single move.

But since it was the final match, Chen Yan held back, defeating Zhang Hao only in the thirteenth round.

"Thank you for your guidance, Senior Brother Chen. I'm deeply grateful!"

After losing, Zhang Hao cupped his hands toward Chen Yan and said this.

He could naturally tell that Chen Yan had gone easy on him. At this point, all Zhang Hao felt toward Chen Yan was admiration.

It could even be said that after this Outer Court Grand Competition, Chen Yan had become the idol of every Body Tempering Realm disciple in the Outer Court of the Empty Mountain Sect.

Even the Qi Condensation Realm disciples felt the pressure of being caught up to.

But no one in the Outer Court would resent Chen Yan.

The human heart was a complicated thing.

When the gap between people still seemed bridgeable, many would feel the urge to catch up or become jealous.

But when the difference between them was like that between a firefly and the bright moon, they often felt nothing of the sort. All that remained was admiration and respect.

That was how the Outer Court disciples viewed Chen Yan now.

But the cultivators of the Inner Sect saw things differently.

Especially the cultivators of Kongyuan Mountain seated in the viewing stands, their robes embroidered with golden Cloud Crane patterns.

Elder Song sat on the platform, staring at Chen Yan as he accepted the crowd's congratulations. His brows darkened until they seemed ready to drip with gloom.

Then he stood, circulated his true qi to his throat, and called out in a loud, clear voice:

"Marvelous! Truly marvelous!"

His powerful true qi amplified Elder Song's voice more than a hundredfold, allowing anyone anywhere in the martial arena to hear every word clearly.

Elder Song's full name was Song Wencheng. He was an elder of Kongyuan Mountain's Law Enforcement Hall, and his cultivation had reached the Spirit Passage Realm.

"Just what you'd expect from Lin the Personal Disciple's apprentice. In the Outer Court, he really is invincible!"

Song Wencheng continued loudly, putting on a hearty, generous air.

But his words were anything but generous. In fact, they were a thinly veiled jab at Lin Qifeng.

Chen Yan, up on the arena, naturally caught the meaning.

"Thank you, Elder Song. I'm sure your apprentice might have a chance or two of his own to claim the championship at the Outer Court Grand Competition."

Chen Yan retorted.

"Heh."

Song Wencheng's gaze turned cold.

Chen Yan's words had been an outright affront and insult to him.

The young Kongyuan Mountain disciple beside him also paled at Chen Yan's remark.

That young man was Song Wencheng's apprentice, and Kongyuan Mountain's gatekeeper for this competition: Qi Yadong.

Song Wencheng had made his beloved apprentice the gatekeeper of this year's Outer Court Grand Competition so he could make an impression on the elders and disciples of the various peaks, paving the way for Qi Yadong's future.

"Since the Body Tempering Realm champion of this year's Outer Court Grand Competition put it that way, how about you have a spar with Yadong?"

Song Wencheng said to Chen Yan.

"Surely that wouldn't be appropriate, Elder Song."

The Elder of Yuanhua Mountain, who had apparently caught a whiff of the gunpowder in the air, tried to smooth things over.

"Yadong is in the Qi Condensation Realm, and he's one of the best among Qi Condensation Realm cultivators in the entire Empty Mountain Sect. Having Chen Yan, a Body Tempering Realm cultivator, spar with him might not be very appropriate."

"It's fine. I'll have Yadong suppress his cultivation to the Body Tempering Realm. And to make up for the unavoidable gap between the Body Tempering and Qi Condensation Realms, Chen Yan may use any magical treasures or weapons he likes in this match!"

Song Wencheng called out:

"After all, Lin the Personal Disciple is one of us at Kongyuan Mountain, and Chen Yan is his apprentice. But he's also an Outer Court disciple.

"Since that's the case, Chen Yan can be considered half a disciple of Kongyuan Mountain. As an elder of Kongyuan Mountain's Law Enforcement Hall, it's only natural that I put him to the test and see whether he's worthy of being one of our disciples!"

The crowd erupted in an uproar.

It seemed Elder Song of Kongyuan Mountain was determined to knock the wind out of Chen Yan's sails today.

Or perhaps he wanted to knock the wind out of Outer Court Elder Lin Qifeng's sails.

Chen Yan said nothing. He merely turned slightly and bowed toward Lin Qifeng on the viewing platform.

"Master, what do you think?"

Lin Qifeng sat at the very top of the viewing platform, his expression neither sorrowful nor joyful, as if none of this had anything to do with him.

"Fight."

That was all he said.

"This disciple obeys."

Chen Yan smiled, then turned toward Song Wencheng.

"Elder Song, I accept the spar."

Chen Yan said:

"But I don't need to use any magical treasures or weapons. Let's just follow the normal rules of the competition."

"Hmph, you're certainly a cocky young—"

Before Song Wencheng could finish speaking, Chen Yan held up a finger from atop the arena.

"One move."

The martial arena fell silent.

"I'll defeat him within one move."

Chen Yan said calmly.