A Change in Reputation

"Holy shit, did I just see that right? Xiao Chen's sword strike actually contained five-tenths Sword Intent!"

"You saw it right, but hadn't Xiao Chen already become a cripple? Can someone tell me what just happened?"

Xiao Chen paid no attention to the crowd's discussion. He walked straight through the crowd and found a quiet corner to rest in, muttering to himself:

"I'm still not strong enough. I actually failed to hold back my Sword Intent just now. Three-tenths Sword Intent would have been enough to deal with that kid."

As soon as he finished speaking, he sensed someone approaching. He turned and saw that it was Liu Yue'er.

"Congratulations, Eldest Senior Brother."

After learning the number Xiao Chen had drawn, Liu Yue'er had come here early to wait.

She was eager to know how Eldest Senior Brother would make his return.

As it turned out, his very first match had shocked everyone at Dao-Seeking Academy.

Eldest Senior Brother really was the best.

"You flatter me, Junior Sister. I only happened to get through the first round."

Xiao Chen looked at the young woman before him. Though he had been all business earlier, the corners of his mouth lifted slightly of their own accord:

"By the way, Junior Sister, which arena are you in? I'll come cheer you on in a little while."

The Sword Dao Institute's outer court had several thousand disciples, and nearly all of them participated in the outer sect competition. Even with ten arenas, the first round would not be over anytime soon.

A delighted smile instantly appeared on Liu Yue'er's face when she heard this. "I'm at arena ten, right next door, but it'll be a while before my match. Eldest Senior Brother, aren't you going back to cultivate?"

As she remembered it, Eldest Senior Brother was a cultivation fanatic who would never waste a moment he could spend cultivating.

Xiao Chen smiled. "There's no rush. I can take this opportunity to see if you've been keeping up with your cultivation."

Liu Yue'er hadn't expected her senior brother to be like a different person after cultivating at the Miscellaneous Dao Institute for a little over three months.

She nodded slightly. "Eldest Senior Brother, I won't disappoint you."

Xiao Chen said, "Then I'll be watching."

Not far from the two of them, a figure was staring at Xiao Chen with a murderous gaze.

It was none other than Tang Feng. Like Liu Yue'er, he had come to arena nine early.

He had been waiting to see Xiao Chen defeated, so he could bring people over to humiliate him.

He had never expected Xiao Chen to defeat his opponent with a single sword strike, leaving the spectators astonished.

Seeing this, the lackey beside him hurriedly said, "Senior Brother, that fellow Xiao Chen was just a little lucky. Once he runs into a strong opponent, he'll definitely be defeated."

The people around them chimed in.

"Yeah, that kid just got a lucky draw. He definitely won't last more than a few rounds, let alone make it into the top hundred."

"Hmph!"

Tang Feng snorted coldly. "Go find out who Xiao Chen will be facing next. If there are any ruthless ones, have them cripple him again."

"Yes."

His lackey answered, then turned and left.

On the raised platform.

When Chu Feng saw his disciple defeat his opponent with a single sword strike, he showed no surprise at all, as though everything was under his control.

The Profound Fire Pill King smiled and said from beside him, "Little Feng, I didn't expect this disciple of yours to have a bit of strength. But he can't take first place with just Dao Foundation Second Layer cultivation and the five-tenths Sword Intent he's mastered."

Chu Feng replied politely, "You're right, Senior. If that's all Xiao Chen has, he definitely won't take first place."

??

The Profound Fire Pill King was stunned for a moment, but being old and shrewd, he quickly realized that Chu Feng was saying his disciple had other killing moves.

It seemed this competition was getting more and more interesting.

He instinctively turned his gaze toward the Sword Martial King beside him.

The Sword Martial King's expression was shifting, and there was a trace of confusion in his eyes.

As head of the Sword Dao Institute, the Sword Martial King naturally knew Xiao Chen's circumstances. When Xiao Chen had left the Sword Dao Institute, he had only comprehended three-tenths Sword Intent.

Why had he comprehended five-tenths Sword Intent in just a few short months? If this continued...

Within a year, Xiao Chen would be able to reach the initial stage of Sword Intent and master his own exclusive Sword Intent.

Of course, what surprised the Sword Martial King most was how Xiao Chen could still have second-layer Dao Foundation cultivation.

His dantian had been destroyed. Only by keeping himself going with spirit medicine could he prevent his cultivation from declining.

But the Miscellaneous Dao Institute was so poor-could it have enough spirit stones to buy spirit medicine?

Could it be that Chu Feng had brought out everything he owned to gamble on this?

He immediately sent a voice transmission to his disciple behind him. "Disciple, take my written order to the External Affairs Institute and investigate whether Chu Feng has recently bought spirit medicine through them."

The External Affairs Institute, together with the nine institutes of Heavenly Spirit, Sword Dao, Dharma Cultivation, Body Cultivation, Formation Dao, Beast Taming, Pill Dao, Artifact Refining, and Miscellaneous Dao, were collectively known as the ten institutes of Dao-Seeking Academy.

However, the External Affairs Institute did not take in or train disciples. It was responsible only for all of Dao-Seeking Academy's external affairs, so its head was not present at the competition.

"Yes, Master."

The disciple immediately answered.

He didn't know why his master wanted him to investigate such a small matter, but he couldn't go wrong by following his master's orders.

The expressions of the other institute heads did not change much.

After all, Xiao Chen had nothing to do with them, and they hadn't made a bet with Chu Feng. No matter what result Xiao Chen achieved in the end, it had nothing to do with them.

Over the next few days.

Xiao Chen defeated several opponents in succession, and every time, he defeated his opponent with just one sword strike.

For a time, Xiao Chen's reputation changed as well.

The people who had originally seen Xiao Chen as a soft persimmon now avoided him whenever they could. No one knew how strong he was.

But the fighting strength he had displayed so far was more than enough to get him into the top hundred. He might even secure a good position among the top hundred and obtain better resources.

Everyone in the top hundred of the outer sect competition would receive rewards, and the resources would grow more plentiful with each additional round they advanced.

The people who had initially bet on Xiao Chen to lose also changed their tune and began betting on him to win instead.

This frightened Cao Youqian into hurriedly changing the odds for each of Xiao Chen's matches.

He looked at the odds on Xiao Chen winning the championship, then recalled the look in Xiao Chen's eyes when he had placed his bet that day. He thought, Could this guy really be capable of taking first place?

Wouldn't I lose a fortune then?

At the thought, Cao Youqian couldn't help shuddering.

In the Miscellaneous Dao Institute.

Xiao Chen was chopping firewood with his sword. The reason he wasn't chopping vegetables was that his master had said he still couldn't perfectly control his Sword Intent and wasn't qualified to chop vegetables.

Half an hour later.

Fragrant dishes were brought to the table.

Chu Feng sat at the dining table, smiling as he looked at his eldest disciple.

"Disciple, tomorrow is the final round of the preliminaries. Win tomorrow's match and you'll make it into the top hundred. Here, eat more."

"Thank you, Master."

Xiao Chen happily ate his meal. He felt no pressure about tomorrow's match; reaching the top hundred would be as easy as grabbing something within reach.

But someone simply didn't want Xiao Chen to make it into the top hundred.

After nightfall, two dark figures appeared on the mountain behind the Sword Dao Institute...