[Light-Splitting Sword Qi]

The moment he stepped into the Jade Blood Hall, Qi Yun felt himself plummeting at tremendous speed, having fallen into a vast, boundless space.

Beneath his feet, a labyrinth of heart-stopping proportions rapidly grew larger.

Countless immense crystal walls, a hundred zhang tall, smooth as mirrors and refracting shimmering mirage Qi, crisscrossed to form a boundless, dazzling world of crystal.

Over a thousand Outer Mansion disciples scattered as they fell from high above like dumplings dropped into a pot, randomly flung toward every corner of the labyrinth.

The instant Qi Yun fell into the enormous labyrinth, a thick bank of pale mist suddenly rose beneath his feet, gently supporting him, canceling his downward momentum, and setting him steadily on the ground.

"Quite considerate..."

Qi Yun, who had already been preparing to form a Method Formula and turn into a clear breeze to avoid the fall, raised his brows slightly.

It seemed the Holy Sect still had a little conscience.

There had been at least a thousand meters between where they had begun falling and this labyrinth. With Qi Refining Stage cultivation, even someone proficient in escape techniques could not land unscathed from such a height.

Without that mist supporting them, at least eighty or ninety percent of the disciples would have fallen to their deaths in this [Mirage Thousand-Faced Realm] before the assessment even began.

"But this labyrinth is ridiculously large."

Recalling the labyrinth that had stretched beyond his sight during his descent, Qi Yun formed a sword seal and raised his hand, blasting out a streak of Sword Qi.

He wanted to test the hardness of these crystal walls and see whether he could punch through them.

Clang-

A piercing metallic crash erupted! A shower of dazzling sparks burst from where the Sword Qi struck the crystal wall!

Not even a faint white mark remained on the mirror-smooth crystal wall.

Clearly, its hardness far surpassed ordinary steel, making it difficult to damage through ordinary means.

"A spiritual object?" A thought stirred in Qi Yun's mind, and he tentatively pressed his palm against the cold crystal wall.

Unfortunately, the Law Technique Panel in his sea of consciousness showed no response.

With his plan to score a freebie foiled, Qi Yun was about to use the Clear Breeze Technique to first probe the [Mirage Thousand-Faced Realm] when he heard wind roaring overhead.

Looking up, he saw a burly figure plummeting straight down at an even greater speed.

Just before touching the ground, the man's leg muscles bunched, and he kicked hard against the crystal walls on either side like a spring!

Boom!

The crystal walls trembled slightly.

Using that tremendous recoil, the figure performed a neat hawk's flip in midair and landed firmly, his movements clean and crisp, completely unscathed.

"Whew... the Holy Sect is ruthless. Trying to drop us to our deaths right at the start."

Twisting his neck with a series of sharp cracks, the man who had landed through the sheer strength of his physique let out a long breath. Even as he complained about the Holy Sect, he fixed a burning gaze on Qi Yun before him.

A martial cultivator?

Qi Yun narrowed his eyes slightly as he studied that towering, burly body, which radiated a blazing presence from head to toe.

All three thousand Great Daos could lead to immortality.

Although the Holy Sect was a Devil Dao Sect, aside from the sect master's lineage, the rest let a hundred flowers bloom, with people practicing all kinds of cultivation.

There were spell cultivators like himself, sword cultivators like the master of the Flower Moon Hall, and martial cultivators like the aggressive man before him, whose Qi and Blood surged throughout his body.

"Oh, what a coincidence. I'm Pang Xiao. How should I address you, fellow Daoist?"

An enthusiastic smile instantly spread across Pang Xiao's face, and he cupped his fist toward Qi Yun, his tone hearty.

"Lu Renjia." Expressionless, Qi Yun made something up on the spot, his practiced acting prompting Pang Xiao to nod.

"So it's Brother Lu. A pleasure, a pleasure."

Boom-

Before the last word had even faded, Pang Xiao, who had been all smiles just a second earlier, unleashed tremendous power from his leg muscles. His entire body became a blur, reaching Qi Yun in an instant. His right fist, faintly wreathed in threads of scorching heat, hurtled like a battering ram fired from a barrel, carrying a suffocating gale straight toward Qi Yun's face!

He had put his full strength into that punch.

He clearly intended to smash Qi Yun's head apart in a single blow!

Bang!

A muffled impact reverberated.

A white skull wreathed in billowing, icy corpse Qi abruptly flew out from behind Qi Yun, squarely blocking Pang Xiao's head-crushing punch.

Qi Yun stood where he was, his robes snapping in the wind from the punch. Yet there was not a trace of panic on his face. Instead, he chuckled.

"Worthy of a disciple of our Holy Sect. Hiding a blade behind your smile and turning hostile faster than flipping a page."

"Heh heh, likewise." After his failed strike, Pang Xiao's smile only widened, though the viciousness deep in his eyes multiplied several times over.

He gave a low shout, and the Qi and Blood within him erupted like magma!

A scorching wave of air suddenly spread out from him, forcibly driving the white skull blocking his path back several feet.

Without the slightest pause, Pang Xiao unleashed a barrage of punches, layers of fist shadows instantly enveloping the vital points all over Qi Yun's body. Every strike carried the tremendous force to shatter stone tablets and split rocks, along with the scorching power of his Qi and Blood!

"You think you can push your luck?!" Qi Yun's gaze turned cold, killing intent abruptly rising. His right hand formed a sword seal with lightning speed, True Qi flickering at his fingertips!

Hiss! Hiss!

Two blue-white streaks of Sword Qi, condensed as though solid and sharp enough to pierce the heavens, suddenly burst from his fingertips!

Rather than shooting straight ahead, the Sword Qi traced two cunning, uncanny arcs. As though alive, they came from the left and right with piercing shrieks, scissoring toward Pang Xiao's temples.

Their angles were vicious, their speed astonishing!

"Light-Splitting Sword Qi?"

Pang Xiao's expression changed drastically at the sight of the Sword Qi scissoring toward him from both sides.

Among the Outer Mansion's offensive Law Techniques, [Light-Splitting Sword Qi] had a fearsome reputation!

Rumor had it that it was an inferior version of the wondrous Foundation Establishment technique [Taiyi Light-Splitting Sword]. Though its power fell far short of the original, its unique ability to "unleash multiple swords at once" secured its place among the Outer Mansion's top ten offensive techniques!

Cultivated to its peak, it could unleash six swords at once, difficult for anyone of the same cultivation level to withstand!

There's actually a sword cultivator like this among this intake of Outer Mansion disciples? Is he a descendant of that True Person in the inner court?

Pang Xiao pondered inwardly, but his expression soon turned strange again.

Wait, he's a sword cultivator. Why has he also practiced the [Skull Incantation]? That's what those spell cultivators like doing.

Don't orthodox sword cultivators all practice the [Round Light Sword Formation] to protect themselves?

"Gasp! It's a Law Artifact!"

Recalling how Qi Yun had summoned a white skull to block his punch without casting a technique, Pang Xiao suddenly understood!

He had only just joined the sect, yet already had a Law Artifact for protection and had mastered the extremely difficult [Light-Splitting Sword Qi]. With such talent, his bloodline had to be extraordinary.

He definitely has someone backing him!

And certainly no ordinary person.

Most likely... a True Person!

At that thought, fine beads of cold sweat instantly seeped from Pang Xiao's forehead, and a chill ran down his back. He had kicked an iron plate!

He was a martial cultivator, but he had not trained his brain into muscle.

If he offended the descendant of a suspected Foundation Establishment True Person, did he still want to get by in the Holy Sect? Did he still want to advance?

Even if he was not completely certain, he could not take the risk.

Hastily rousing his Qi and Blood, he dodged the two streaks of Sword Qi scissoring toward him, then quickly cupped his fist toward Qi Yun.

"Wait, fellow Daoist! I didn't know your identity and rashly offended you. Please forgive me.

"Please accept these [Golden Light Sword Talismans] as an apology."

Looking in puzzlement at the talismans on the ground and Pang Xiao, whose attitude had taken a complete reversal, Qi Yun scratched his cheek, a mischievous smile slowly spreading across his face.

Tsk... this kid seems to have misunderstood something.