Chapter 14: A Sword

On the way back to the inn, Lin Che's mood was somewhat heavy. 

Although he did not feel threatened by Murong Yan's words, he sensed that there was an unspoken implication. Her excessive confidence gave Lin Che a dangerous premonition, but he couldn't pinpoint what exactly was wrong.

"It seems I need to be more cautious..." 

With this thought, Lin Che returned to the inn and immediately took out a spatial ring. A flash of light revealed seventy spiritual herbs in front of him. These were the spoils obtained after killing the fifth elder of the Lin family. It was estimated that they would be enough to advance his realm further. However, with the sect selection battle approaching at that time, there was no time for refinement.

"The delay of the competition by one day is actually good for me. Now, it's time to refine these martial resources..."

"Devour them!"

Lin Che sat cross-legged. As he moved his hands, his internal qi sea began to boil, causing his meridians to vibrate. Meanwhile, the pile of spiritual herbs in front of him transformed into a torrent of spiritual energy that surged into his body. To the naked eye, Lin Che seemed to be enveloped in a divine glow.

With the passage of time, Lin Che's aura rapidly surged. After one night, as the morning light shone through the window, a thunderous roar suddenly came from within Lin Che's body.

"Boom!"

At that moment, Lin Che opened his eyes. 

"Ninth level of Qi Gathering!"

Feeling his qi sea expand once more, Lin Che clenched his fists with surprise and joy. "Breaking through a level in one night. This speed of cultivation is... too exhilarating."

Calming his excitement, Lin Che got up to stretch his muscles. Feeling his body gradually adapting to the new power, he then opened the door and left the inn, heading towards the central street of Canglan City.

Central Square.

Compared to yesterday, the crowd today was just as dense. Today not only revealed the champion of the trial competition but also determined the final allocation of the Dao Cang Academy disciples' slots. Becoming a member of the Dao Cang Academy, a dominant force in Yangzhou, could change one's destiny for a lifetime.

Although this battle was irrelevant to most people, it did not affect their enthusiasm, anticipation, curiosity, and longing for the grand event.

"He's here, Lin Che is finally here!"

Moments later, as Lin Che's figure appeared, the crowd erupted in a commotion.

"I didn't expect him to dare come and compete after seeing Miss Murong enter the Spiritual Martial Realm yesterday!"

"Of course, having come this far, I don't think anyone would easily give up. After all, it's Dao Cang Academy. Joining it could change one's destiny."

Hearing these discussions, Lin Che frowned slightly and then looked into the distance. He saw Murong Yan already standing on the battle stage, her hands behind her back, her eyes still radiating confidence.

Without hesitation, Lin Che walked directly toward the battle stage.

"I thought you wouldn't come..."

"It seems you didn't take my warning to heart yesterday." Murong Yan said as she watched Lin Che step onto the battle stage, shaking her head slightly.

"What do you think?" Lin Che replied with a question.

As he reached the final step, Lin Che stomped his foot on the ground, and with a whoosh, his body shot toward Murong Yan like an arrow from a bow.

This move stunned everyone; they hadn't expected Lin Che to act so decisively.

Lin Che closed in on Murong Yan, launching a powerful punch that seemed as if it would devour her.

"Is that all? Do you think you can threaten someone in the Spiritual Martial Realm with this?"

Murong Yan gave a cold smile and waved her sleeve. Instantly, her True Qi surged and formed a fierce storm of True Qi that pressed toward Lin Che.

"Bang!"

The True Qi of the Spiritual Martial Realm was incredibly domineering. At the moment of collision, it completely shattered Lin Che's punch.

Not only that, the residual force continued forward relentlessly.

Lin Che's expression changed, and he retreated quickly. While in mid-air, he drew his longsword and slashed with all his might.

Boom!

With a deafening sound, the entire battle stage trembled violently.

"What fierce swordsmanship!"

"A blow from the Spiritual Martial Realm was actually blocked like this?"

After the lightning-fast exchange, the crowd erupted in astonished exclamations. Murong Yan's attack was as overwhelming as the one that crushed Shen Tu Yuan yesterday. However, unlike Shen Tu Yuan, Lin Che managed to withstand the attack head-on.

It should be noted that the difference between the Qi Gathering Realm and the Spiritual Martial Realm was like heaven and earth. Even a peak Qi Gathering Realm practitioner would find it difficult to withstand a casual strike from someone in the Spiritual Martial Realm. How did Lin Che manage it?

"Ninth level of Qi Gathering? Lin Che, did you hide your realm yesterday?"

Murong Yan furrowed her brow. She had clearly sensed Lin Che's realm as the eighth level of Qi Gathering during the wooden dummy trial yesterday, but now she could feel that Lin Che's cultivation was solidly at the ninth level of Qi Gathering. She naturally didn't believe that Lin Che could break through a level overnight and suspected that he had deliberately concealed his cultivation level yesterday.

"Does it matter?" Lin Che asked.

"Heh, it indeed doesn't matter..." 

Murong Yan smiled faintly. "As long as you're still in the Qi Gathering Realm, it doesn't make a difference whether you are at the first or the peak level of Qi Gathering. To me, it's all the same."

"Sometimes, too much confidence is not a good thing, especially when it's not just confidence but arrogance. Losing later will be quite humiliating," Lin Che taunted.

"Mm?"

Murong Yan became unsettled. She found that no matter how calm she tried to be, Lin Che's words could always ignite her inner anger.

"Then watch carefully how I defeat you."

With this extremely confident statement, Murong Yan moved. 

Swish!

Her figure was graceful, but her speed was terrifying. In the blink of an eye, she appeared in front of Lin Che, and a cold light flickered in her hand.

It was a dagger, which appeared mysteriously in Murong Yan's hand and was thrust out at an exceptionally tricky angle. The tip of the dagger burst with the aura of the Spiritual Martial Realm.

Lin Che's gaze narrowed, and he swung his sword.

Clang!!

A harsh metallic clang echoed throughout the venue, with sparks flying. The attack missed its mark, and Murong Yan's brows involuntarily furrowed. 

But with her reflexes, she did not hesitate. She spun the dagger in her hand, transforming the stab into a slash, and attacked Lin Che again.

At this moment, Murong Yan suddenly sensed a trace of dangerous aura. It turned out that as she attacked, Lin Che's sword had also oddly aimed at her eyes.

Clearly, the dagger was much shorter than the longsword. So Murong Yan's face slightly changed, and she withdrew the dagger to block.

Buzz!

However, at that moment, Lin Che's sword also changed direction, sweeping toward Murong Yan's slender neck.

"You..."

Murong Yan's eyes rarely showed a hint of panic. She quickly moved back several meters to narrowly avoid the strike. 

Once she steadied herself, she was quite surprised.

"What kind of sword technique is this?"

"Would you believe me if I said it's just random attacks?" Lin Che replied with a light laugh.

Although Murong Yan's movements were terrifying and her attacks were tricky, they were still not a threat to Lin Che. Having encountered many stealthy, ambushing, and assassinating beasts in the Shenfeng Mountains, Lin Che developed combat instincts beyond ordinary martial artists. Moreover, under the guidance of the mysterious woman, Lin Che was taught that if facing a beast of the same realm, a second strike was considered a mistake.

Thus, Lin Che focused on delivering a single, fatal strike.

Murong Yan noticed this. She realized that Lin Che was more like an assassin than a swordsman.

For such a person, close combat was clearly not wise.

With this thought, Murong Yan's lips curled into a faint smile. "It seems I really underestimated you."

"But... it ends here."

Her smile faded, and as her hair flew, Murong Yan's hands moved, revealing a mysterious thunder mark in front of her.

"This is a low-grade spiritual technique, Thousand Shadows Purple Thunder!"

"Really? Miss Murong actually mastered this technique and intends to use it against Lin Che!" 

The crowd below the stage was shocked as they felt the immense aura emanating from Murong Yan. The Thousand Shadows Purple Thunder was the Murong family's ancestral technique and the only spiritual technique in Canglan City, aside from the mysterious City Lord's Manor.

Crackle—

As Murong Yan's thunder mark solidified, the entire stage was illuminated with purple-red arcs, as if a thunderstorm was brewing.

"Lin Che, before this, I didn't expect you could force me to this extent. But I must tell you, although the process was somewhat unexpected, the result will not change..."

"Today, you will certainly lose!"

Murong Yan declared fiercely and launched the thunder mark toward Lin Che.

Whoosh—

The thunder mark approached Lin Che at an extremely terrifying speed. Anyone could see how violent the power contained within it was.

"A low-grade spiritual technique, huh?"

At this moment, Lin Che's face showed no signs of panic. Instead, he was extremely calm. He took a step forward, and his robes flapped in the wind as his True Qi surged, creating a powerful 'momentum' that radiated in all directions.

Reverse Chaos Nine Styles!

As Lin Che's aura reached its peak, he drew his sword and swung it!

Boom!

With this overwhelmingly powerful sword force, the surrounding thunderstorm was completely annihilated. 

In the realm of heaven and earth, only the imposing figure of Lin Che and his sword remained!

Crack, crack, crack...

Under the astonished gazes of many, the thunder mark Murong Yan had gathered shattered and was engulfed by the massive sword force.

After the dazzling light faded, Lin Che's longsword hovered at Murong Yan's forehead, just a few inches away from being fatal.

The outcome was clear!

"Heaven! What... what did I just see?"

"Is... is Lin Che the winner!!"

"How is that possible! Murong Yan is in the Spiritual Martial Realm. How could she lose to Lin Che from the Qi Gathering Realm?"

Below the stage, no one could stay calm upon seeing this result. They had initially thought the battle was a sure thing, but the result was so shocking that it left everyone dumbfounded.

Looking at the young figure standing on the stage, everyone felt an intense shock from the bottom of their hearts.

At this moment, on the stage, Lin Che looked at the woman in front of him and said calmly, "Murong Yan, you lost..."