Chapter 198

During her battle with Lin Tianyang, she had been feeling a stirring in her heart, something she couldn't quite explain, which made it difficult for her to calm down.

This matter could not be made public, so she could only investigate it secretly.

Above the Sky Patrol Mirror, two old men stood in the void.

One of them was none other than the Seventeen Water Spirit King who had previously guided Xiao Minghuang.

"Heh... This trial is a bit difficult; not a single genius from the Hundred Sacred States has made it into the top four."

The Seventeen Water Spirit King stroked his beard and laughed, "This is a good thing; it means the Holy Academy will soon be infused with fresh blood."

Another elder frowned and said, "The Heaven and Earth Divine Object awarded in this trial will mainly be provided by the Sword Tomb. We can overlook the others, but the disciples of the Thirteen Sword Saints must win first place, or we won't be able to explain ourselves."

"Yuan Ying Wang, you mustn't break the rules of the trial!"

The Seventeen Water Spirit King's eyelids twitched, and a bad premonition welled up in his heart.

"You're overthinking it. I know the rules of the Holy Academy perfectly well."

Yuan Ying Wang responded nonchalantly and turned to leave.

The Seventeen Water Spirit King sighed, his heart filled with worry.

Yuan Ying Wang was not a king from the Holy Academy, but a Rogue Cultivator who joined the Holy Academy two hundred years ago. He had been fighting and killing outside the academy and was used to doing things his own way. He had always been inconsistent with the rules of the Holy Academy.

The reason he was assigned to supervise the introductory trial this time was to help him calm down and purify his excess Sha Qi.

But judging from the current situation, it seems that this Yuan Ying Wang is not behaving himself and has secretly colluded with the Sword Tomb.

In order to maintain the Holy Academy's impartial and transcendent status, the Holy Academy has always strictly prohibited its members from having too close a relationship with the holy families of the Hundred Sacred States.

But Yuan Ying Wang didn't seem to take this rule to heart.

Yuan Ying Wang is not only slightly higher in cultivation level than him, but also has extensive combat experience due to his years of fighting against demons. If they really fought, he would definitely be no match for him.

Moreover, since Yuan Ying Wang has not actually violated any rules, he has no reason to ask a senior member of the academy for help.

All he could do was be extra careful to prevent Yuan Ying Wang from doing anything out of line.

After a seven-day break, the semi-finals began.

To ensure Jian Chen's victory, Yuan Ying Wang directly arranged the group assignments.

Two lines of golden characters appeared on the Sky Patrol Mirror.

Ru Lu versus Jian Chen!

Ye Ruoshui versus Lin Wanqiu!

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The announcement of the list caused an uproar in the audience.

"???"

"What does this tell us?"

"Ru Lu clearly far weaker than Jian Chen, so why are they in the same group? Ye Ruoshui and Lin Wanqiu haven't shown their full strength, so why are they in the same group?"

"Indeed, Jian Chen will definitely advance, but it's hard to say who will win in the second group."

"It can be confirmed that Ye Ruoshui has perfectly fused with the Innate Fire and has five spirit pets at the peak of the Spirit Seed Realm, but her own strength is unknown. Lin Wanqiu has some unknown Innate Physique and has comprehended the Great Perfection of Sword Intent. Both of them are extremely strong and have the potential to win the championship!"

"Ladies and gentlemen! You've focused on the wrong thing! The issue isn't who wins or loses, the key question is why we're grouping them this way?"

"Everyone can see that Jian Chen will definitely advance. With Ye Ruoshui and Lin Wanqiu vying for the same spot, one of them will inevitably be injured, and Jian Chen will ultimately benefit!"

"So you're questioning the fairness of the Holy Academy's group assignments?"

"Hmph! Get to the point, don't try to label me!"

"Fellow Daoists, let's value harmony. This is a trial ground; we mustn't resort to violence!"

Yuan Ying Wang was completely unaware of the discussions and discontent among the many cultivators in the trial grounds.

Even if he knew, he wouldn't change the group assignments, because he didn't care about the attitudes of the onlookers.

Amidst skeptical gazes, the two fighters of the first group stepped onto the ring.

Ru Lu wasn't very confident about this competition. She was able to reach the semi-finals not only because of her own strength, but also because of luck.

If they were to face Su Changge, Qi Mingdao, or even Han Li in the semifinals, they would likely have already lost.

Now, having encountered Jian Chen, he was predictably defeated.

However, after exchanging a single blow, and without going all out, her Buddhist seal was shattered by Jian Chen in one strike.

"I surrender."

Ru Lu bowed respectfully and then left the arena.

She could sense that Jian Chen's sword intent was even more refined than when he fought Qi Mingdao, seemingly approaching an even more profound realm. It could even faintly cause the surrounding void to tremble, a sign that it was about to condense into a domain.

"I wonder which of you, Fellow Daoists Ye or Lin, will advance. If you encounter Jian Chen, I'm afraid we'll be in trouble."

Ru Lu said to herself in secret.

On the second arena.

Ye Ruoshui and Lin Wanqiu each occupied one side.

Both women were stunningly beautiful, but their temperaments were quite different. Standing there, they were like a painting, pleasing to the eye.

"Ye Ruoshui and Lin Wanqiu are the strongest dark horses in this trial besides Xiao Minghuang. Now that they have finally met, it seems a fierce battle is about to take place!"

"Neither of them has shown their full strength yet, so I wonder who will emerge victorious. I'm really looking forward to it!"

"Both of them were qualified to win the championship, it's just a pity they didn't meet in the final."

"Hehehe... Let's fight! I ended up watching women fight, especially pretty women."

The cultivators watching from below the stage were buzzing with discussion.

Ye Ruoshui and Lin Wanqiu, however, remained calm, showing no sign of the impending urgency of fighting each other.

"It's a real shame we didn't get to meet in the finals."

Lin Wanqiu smiled faintly.

"Indeed, I really want to see just how capable Sister Lin really is!"

Ye Ruoshui curled her lips into a smile, her beautiful eyes sparkling with laughter.

"There will be plenty of opportunities in the future; I'll definitely let Ruoshui know how powerful her older sister is!"

"That's true. Sister Lin, don't go crying to His Highness after you lose!"

"Heh... you think I'm like you?"

Ye Ruoshui's pretty face flushed slightly. She was young and naive in the past, and it seemed... it appeared... she probably did cry a lot, and it seems that Lin Wanqiu remembered it all.

"Ahem... Sister Lin, are you confident in facing Jian Chen?"

Ye Ruoshui coughed a few times, then changed the subject.

When it came to serious matters, Lin Wanqiu also became serious.

The group assignments had just been announced when they were about to go to the ring, so they didn't have time to discuss things privately.

Right now, they need to decide quickly who will advance to fight Jian Chen.

If it were any other opponent, she would definitely go herself.

But Jian Chen, like her, had comprehended the Great Perfection of Sword Intent, and his swordsmanship was slightly stronger than hers.

For fellow sword cultivators, even a slight difference in sword realm is an irresistible advantage. Although it may seem like just a slight difference, in actual combat, this slight advantage will be magnified countless times. Even with the Taiyin Power, she cannot be certain of victory.

After all, she had the Taiyin Power as a backup plan, so it was hard to say that Jian Chen didn't have other trump cards.

After thinking it over, Lin Wanqiu shook her head slightly and said, "Ruoshui, I believe you can do this!"

Ye Ruoshui was stunned. She had thought that Lin Wanqiu would take action personally.

"I... I'm not sure."

Although she is quite strong on paper, she lacks combat experience. She can easily win against opponents who are much weaker than her, but it's hard to say how she will fare against powerful opponents.

"Ruoshui, don't be afraid. I will lend you a portion of the Taiyin Power. If Jian Chen really has any trump cards, they can help you!"

"Just like when we helped His Highness slay the True Demon in Xia Capital, do you remember? Yin and Yang in harmony, Yin and Yang intertwined."

Upon hearing this, Ye Ruoshui clenched her fist, and seeing Lin Wanqiu's encouraging gaze, she finally nodded.

"Good!"

She took a deep breath and responded.

Lin Wanqiu chuckled and said:

"I surrender."

The words had barely left his mouth.

Her figure disappeared from the arena.

This sudden turn of events stunned everyone present.

Everyone, from the spectators below the stage to the Seventeen Water Spirit King and Yuan Ying Wang on the Sky Patrol Mirror, was dumbfounded.

"What happened? Why did you suddenly admit defeat?"

"Has Lin Wanqiu gotten her head caught in a door?"

"They're both from the Southern Border, could they be very close friends?"

"Nonsense! No matter how good the relationship, with the chance of obtaining Heaven-grade pill, the inheritance of a sage, and direct entry into the inner academy, who could resist?"

"Then explain why Lin Wanqiu conceded defeat? Did she think she had no chance of winning against Ye Ruoshui?"

"This... this... there must be some other conspiracy behind this, we just don't know it yet!"

On the Sky Patrol Mirror.

Yuan Ying Wang's face turned ashen.

He had originally planned to let Ye Ruoshui and Lin Wanqiu fight to the death so that Jian Chen could reap the benefits, but he didn't expect that the two girls would not fight.

As Great Cultivator of the King Realm, he naturally had no interest in finding out if the two girls had any private relationship. So, like everyone else, he assumed that the two of them would fight to the very end for the championship.

Although the Seventeen Water Spirit King knew that Ye and Lin were Xiao Minghuang's Dao Companion, he did not expect them to be so united and unmoved by the championship title.

Seeing that Yuan Ying Wang's plan had failed, he couldn't help but say coldly, "Fellow Daoist Yuan, it's hard to say who will emerge victorious in this final match!"

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"Snort!"

Yuan Ying Wang snorted coldly, trying to remain calm. As Life and Death King and death who had been fighting for many years, he could naturally tell who was stronger between Ye Ruoshui and Jian Chen.

Although Jian Chen had comprehended the Great Perfection of Sword Intent and had faintly come into contact with the Sword Dao Domain, he was enough to dominate within the Spirit Seed Realm.

Even when facing opponents at the Primal Embryo Realm, they showed no fear whatsoever.

But Ye Ruoshui is no less capable, perhaps even stronger!

Even the most monstrous talents in the inner courtyard would find it difficult to achieve a perfect Innate Fire at the Spirit Seed Realm.

This means that no matter what kind of magical artifact, supernatural power, or other entity is lower in rank than the Innate Fire, it is impossible to contend with it for long.

Jian Chen only touched upon the Sword Dao Domain; he did not truly comprehend it.

Even if one truly comprehends the Sword Dao Domain, one wouldn't dare say they could go toe-to-toe with Innate Fire!

After all, if strictly classified, even the lowest-ranking form of Innate Fire is comparable to the Saint Realm!

He could only pray that Ye Ruoshui's combat experience was weak enough that Jian Chen would find an opening and defeat her with a single sword strike.