Within Cloud Firmament City.
Several streaks of purple light landed before the gates of Cloud Firmament City, and a group of men and women soon emerged.
Leading them was Lin Qingfeng, the Supreme Sword Sect's second senior brother. Dressed in white robes, he looked refined and genteel, while the blue sword in his hand lent him even more of a swordsman's bearing.
Yet all of that came to nothing the moment his junior sister Xuan Ziyi approached.
Xuan Ziyi was still young, but she was exceptionally gifted. Despite her tender age, her strength already ranked among the very best in the entire Supreme Sword Sect. Only her baby face made her look utterly adorable.
Dressed in purple, with her hair tied into two charming ponytails, she ran toward Lin Qingfeng as soon as she landed. "Senior Brother Qingfeng, I'm so hungry. Let's find somewhere to eat."
The others from the Supreme Sword Sect looked helpless when they heard her. With such an adorable face and that pleading voice, who could bear to refuse?
Besides, their eldest senior brother was absent, so their second senior brother Wu Qingfeng was in charge of everything. Without another word, they could already predict how things would turn out.
Sure enough, Wu Qingfeng nodded helplessly.
Having achieved her goal, Xuan Ziyi laughed. "I knew Second Senior Brother was the best!" She turned and ran toward the largest restaurant in High Firmament City.
The remaining Supreme Sword Sect disciples were left exchanging looks for a moment. Seeing the helplessness in one another's eyes, they all couldn't help laughing. Aside from their eldest senior brother, there really weren't many people who could keep their junior sister in line!
Led by Xuan Ziyi, the Supreme Sword Sect group soon arrived at the largest and most famous restaurant in High Firmament City. They had just finished ordering when Xuan Ziyi heard the cultivators beside them talking with great interest.
"The young city lord set up another fighting platform?"
"Of course!"
"I heard he's challenging the people on the Eastern Wasteland Heaven's Chosen Ranking this time!"
At those words, quite a few cultivators present couldn't help laughing aloud.
The young city lord they were discussing was Ling Yunxiao. He was something of a prominent figure in Cloud Firmament City and loved sparring with others.
If that were all, Ling Yunxiao wouldn't have been so famous. Another reason for his reputation was his lavish spending.
As the son of Cloud Firmament City's lord, Ling Yunxiao naturally had no shortage of spending money. In his usual platform matches, he gave his opponent ten taels of silver regardless of who won or lost. He was truly extravagant beyond measure.
That was why the cultivators of Cloud Firmament City were all willing to fight Ling Yunxiao-not for anything else, but mainly for those ten taels of silver.
Moreover, those ten taels were paid regardless of victory or defeat. At first, some cultivators couldn't swallow their pride and fought Ling Yunxiao honestly. But as the platform matches continued, their nature gradually changed, and fewer and fewer people were willing to put in the effort to beat him.
They were there for the money anyway. Once they had it in hand, nothing else was really a problem.
Thus, in time, Ling Yunxiao remained undefeated on his platform, becoming exceedingly confident in his own strength.
"Young Master Ling has put down a hundred taels of silver outright this time!"
"But he specifically said he'd only fight people on the Eastern Wasteland Heaven's Chosen Ranking. What a shame!"
Some cultivators sighed, clearly regretting that they couldn't "fleece the sheep" this time.
Seated nearby, Xuan Ziyi had almost finished eating. Hearing such an interesting conversation, she couldn't resist coming over.
"Big brothers, what were you just talking about?"
When the cultivators saw such an adorable little girl as Xuan Ziyi, their smiles immediately grew considerably more lecherous.
But when they saw the whole line of senior brothers and sisters behind Xuan Ziyi, every one of them a sword expert from the Supreme Sword Sect, those cultivators naturally didn't dare act any further out of line.
"Our city's young master has set up a fighting platform in the city. Anyone who participates gets a hundred taels of silver, but they have to be on the Eastern Wasteland Heaven's Chosen Ranking."
"Thanks for telling me." Xuan Ziyi laughed, then turned to look at Lin Qingfeng.
Seeing Xuan Ziyi's smile, Lin Qingfeng had a bad feeling. But before he could say anything, she spoke first.
"Second Senior Brother, let's go take a look at that fighting platform."
After Xuan Ziyi pleaded a couple of times, Lin Qingfeng and the other Supreme Sword Sect cultivators could no longer hold out. They all agreed to go have a look at the platform matches.
"They aren't really geniuses on the Eastern Wasteland Heaven's Chosen Ranking, are they?"
Watching Xuan Ziyi's group leave in a grand procession, the cultivators who had been chatting about everything under the sun finally seemed to realize something.
"They all had swords. They looked a bit like disciples of the Supreme Sword Sect!"
"Could that little girl just now have been Xuan Ziyi?"
Xuan Ziyi had already put whatever discussions were taking place in the tavern behind her. She was leading a group of cultivators toward the center of Cloud Firmament City.
Meanwhile, Ling Yunxiao sat in a reclining chair, lounging like a lord.
"How annoying. It's been so long, and nobody's come to accept my challenge. Could everyone on that Eastern Wasteland Heaven's Chosen Ranking be a fraud?"
"What a bunch of attention-seeking rubbish. Do the people on it even exist?"
Ling Yunxiao swung his feet impatiently. Several beautiful maids stood beside him. One fanned him and shaded him from the sun, another fed him pastries, and two more massaged His Lordship's legs, one on each side.
There was hardly anyone on the platform, but quite a few people had gathered outside it to watch the show.
In fact, the caliber of the beauties surrounding Ling Yunxiao alone was already enough to make the onlookers green with envy.
But however envious they were, it was useless. None of them dared step onto the platform and accept his challenge, no matter what.
Ling Yunxiao had already given the order: anyone who dared deceive him would be sent straight to jail!
"Interesting." Ten thousand li away, Lin Yu also noticed the scene. He found Ling Yunxiao's attitude very interesting.
At that moment, a white cloud floated directly above Lin Yu, broadcasting the situation at the fighting platform in the center of Cloud Firmament City in real time.
"Could this Heaven's Chosen Ranking be something the Primordial Hall just made up?" Ling Yunxiao still hadn't noticed anything.
Hearing Ling Yunxiao thoroughly curse both his Primordial Hall and the Eastern Wasteland Heaven's Chosen Ranking, even the good-tempered Lin Yu could barely restrain himself. Whatever happened, he had to give this Ling Yunxiao a "proper" lesson.
Otherwise, people would only think the Primordial Hall was a shabby sect as insignificant as could be.
Lin Yu intended to turn the Primordial Hall into a major sect, mainly to increase his reputation points. The larger a sect was, the more carefully it had to cherish its feathers. If just anyone could provoke it with their words, it would have none of a major sect's dignity!
Lin Yu was just about to act when the scene before his eyes made him pause.
A black-haired young man appeared on Ling Yunxiao's fighting platform.
"Good. Looks like I won't have to do it myself." Lin Yu clapped happily and spoke with a smile.