"Very good." A flicker of appreciation passed through Elder Li's eyes.
"Since that's the case, step onto the arena. As long as you can take three moves from this old man, you'll have passed."
Lin Ye nodded and leaped onto the arena.
His appearance did not draw much attention. After all, disciples came for assessments every day.
Only a handful of disciples cast gloating looks his way.
Elder Li stepped onto the arena, held two fingers together like a sword, and pointed at Lin Ye from afar.
"Hiss—!"
A streak of azure Sword Qi tore through the air, shooting straight for Lin Ye's chest.
An ordinary True Qi Realm cultivator would likely have been unable to react before being pierced through by the Sword Qi.
Lin Ye spread the fingers of his right hand, and an invisible force field silently spread outward.
"Pop."
The azure Sword Qi entered the force field, its speed dropping sharply. By the time it reached Lin Ye's palm, its power had greatly diminished. With a light clench of his hand, it scattered into flecks of azure light.
"Hm?"
Though he had not used his full strength, that strike was by no means something an ordinary third-stage True Qi Realm cultivator could withstand.
"Interesting."
Elder Li made a grasping motion with his right hand, and a pale azure longsword appeared out of thin air. With a flick of his wrist, the blade became a blur of sword shadows, striking at Lin Ye's upper, middle, and lower body simultaneously.
Lin Ye's gaze sharpened slightly. He employed the Flowing Cloud Steps, his figure shifting unpredictably as he narrowly evaded two sword shadows.
At the same time, he held two fingers together and tapped at the side of a sword shadow with his fingertips.
"Clang!"
A crisp ring of