Three swords interwove, forming an impenetrable net of blades, their auras linked.
Lin Chen was like prey caught in that sword net. Even as he struggled with all his might, he remained hard-pressed on every side.
After holding out for a while and desperately beheading one opponent, a streak of sword qi swept in from behind and pierced his chest. Lin Chen dissolved into light and shadow.
Lin Chen had been defeated!
Outside, in the small courtyard, the Nine-Layer Battle Tower stood on the ground, several dozen feet tall, radiance flowing over its entire surface.
Lin Chen sat cross-legged beside it, his eyes nearly closed as he underwent trials within the tower.
Suddenly, Lin Chen's eyes snapped open. Instinctively, he lowered his head and looked down. His chest was completely unharmed.
"Defeated so quickly."
The old man spoke with a smile.
"It was one against three, and all three were at the first level of the earth martial realm. That was a decent showing."
Lin Chen said this without any sign of frustration.
The old man nodded. "True. Every additional opponent sends the pressure soaring in battle, let alone facing three at once. If your foundations weren't so deep, and you hadn't cultivated a Body-Tempering Martial Art, you probably wouldn't even have made it past the two working together."
The old man found it quite remarkable, too.
He had seen many sword cultivators. Some wielded light, nimble sword techniques and moved with graceful ease; others laid their sharpness bare, cutting through everything in their path. But one with a body as exceptional as Lin Chen's was truly rare.
After exchanging a few words with the old man, Lin Chen closed his eyes and recalled the earlier battles, reviewing them step by step and working through them again.
A short while