Ding—
Boom—!
On the sword-trial platform, a surge of qi swept through as a woman in plain clothes was forcefully struck in the chest by a male disciple of Profound Star Sect. She was sent flying off the platform.
“Unstable foundation, lacking fundamentals.”
The man walked to the edge of the platform, coldly commenting to the female cultivator he had just knocked off the stage. Then, he returned to the center of the platform, gesturing for a disciple beside him to call up the next person.
“Next, Yang Guo, Sky Cloud Peak’s sword-trial platform! Step up.”
Hearing his name being called for the sword-trial platform, Yang Guo’s pupils constricted, his face turned pale as if he had seen a ghost.
The other candidates around him patted his shoulder one after another to offer comfort, saying, “Brother, don’t worry, we’ll help carry you to the medical hall later.”
Meanwhile, another voice came from a different testing platform: “Next, Yun Ling, Lunar Spring Peak’s sword-trial platform! Step up.”
The candidate named Yun Ling seemed to breathe a sigh of relief and was even overjoyed. She practically jumped for joy and hurried toward the sword-trial platform on the other side.
In the resting area, Pei Lengxue noticed the stark contrast in reactions and couldn’t help but ask Xiao Yunluo in a hushed voice, “Senior Sister Xiao, why are they responding so differently to being called up? One seems happy, and the other looks distressed.”
Xiao Yunluo looked at her and explained, “The scores are determined by the time one lasts during the test. Sky Cloud Peak’s disciples are sword cultivators at the Foundation Establishment stage, while Lunar Spring Peak’s disciples are alchemists cultivators at the Foundation Building stage. So, who do you think they would prefer to face, sword cultivators or alchemists?”
“I see…” Pei Lengxue nodded in understanding. “No wonder. Everyone probably wants to be on Lunar Spring Peak’s platform.”
“Of course, of the twelve sword-trial platforms, no one wants to end up on Sky Cloud Peak’s platform.” Xiao Yunluo clenched the sword in her embrace tightly, hesitated for a moment, and then asked, “Which platform would you like to be on?”
“As for me…”
Just then, Yang Guo was thrown off the Sky Cloud Peak’s sword-trial platform, vomiting a mouthful of blood. He looked like he might have broken a few ribs.
Seeing this, Pei Lengxue cringed and quickly said, “I definitely don’t want to be on Sky Cloud Peak’s platform.”
Xiao Yunluo glanced at Yang Guo and coldly snorted, “Hmph! The platform of Sky Cloud Peak is the one the Elders are most concerned about.”
Pei Lengxue weakly added, “But it’s better than getting injured. My senior brother taught me that it’s better to save face than to suffer.”
“… …” Xiao Yunluo cast a disdainful look at her but didn’t say much more.
Noticing Xiao Yunluo’s disdainful gaze, Pei Lengxue weakly nodded in agreement and fell silent.
Xiao Yunluo furrowed her brows slightly. She had initially thought that Pei Lengxue was quite formidable when she was dancing with the sword. However, now she seemed spineless. Xiao Yunluo distanced herself slightly, as if she couldn’t be bothered to associate with Pei Lengxue.
“Hmph!”
At this moment, her name was called from the sword-trial platform.
“Next, Xiao Yunluo, Sky Cloud Peak’s sword-trial platform.”
Upon hearing that she was assigned to Sky Cloud Peak’s platform, Xiao Yunluo’s eyes lit up. It was as if she silently exclaimed, “Yes!” She immediately drew her sword from its scabbard and handed the scabbard to Pei Lengxue.
“Hold onto the scabbard for me, I’ll take it back later.”
Pei Lengxue hurriedly took the scabbard, nodding. “Ah… okay.”
Then, Xiao Yunluo stepped onto the three-foot-high platform, walked to the center, and surveyed her opponent, a senior sister from Sky Cloud Peak.
She remembered that this senior sister was named Bai Yuelin, an above-average Foundation Establishment disciple from Sky Cloud Peak. Xiao Yunluo smiled contentedly, cupping her hands in a polite greeting, “Senior Sister Bai, please enlighten me.”
During the greeting, she also glanced at the highest seats above the platform, where the five Nascent Soul Elders of Profound Star Sect were observing the sword-trial. If they found someone with excellent potential, they might even accept them as a direct disciple on the spot.
However, Xiao Yunluo’s attention wasn’t on those five Elders. Instead, it was on the silly-looking golden-crowned parrot standing on the railing behind them.
Others might not know, but she was well aware that the silly golden-crowned parrot was her mother’s pet.
Her mother was a Void Return cultivator and couldn’t attend this event to watch. Otherwise, the mere presence of her Immortal-level aura would cause many to faint before the sword-trial even began. So, the parrot was her mother’s eyes.
Xiao Yunluo never expected her mother to come and watch the sword-trial. Seeing the parrot, she suddenly became nervous. However, after a moment of thought, she mustered up the courage and said to Bai Yuelin:
“Sister Bai, you don’t have to use a wooden sword. Feel free to use your own.”
Bai Yuelin had just picked up a wooden sword from the side and was slightly taken aback when she heard this. She looked over to the disciple keeping records nearby, inquiring with her eyes.
The disciple shook his head slightly, indicating that it was not allowed.
Bai Yuelin sighed helplessly and advised, “Young Miss, it’s the rule to use wooden swords, but don’t worry, I won’t go easy on you.”
Xiao Yunluo’s disappointment showed on her face, but she didn’t say anything. Instead, she raised the sword in her hand.
“Please enlighten me, Senior Sister Bai.”
“Sure!”
On the sword-trial platform of Sky Cloud Peak, cold radiance flickered.
The five Nascent Soul Elders above were watching Xiao Yunluo on the platform with satisfaction. They nodded in unison and praised, “Indeed, she is truly the Young Miss. Hasn’t she lasted at least five moves against that disciple from Sky Cloud Peak?”
“Indeed, she’s remarkable. The Young Miss is only fifteen this year. She’s bound to become a peerless genius in the future.”
…
Since Xiao Yunluo stepped onto the platform, the five Nascent Soul Elders had been offering continuous praise.
However, the golden-crowned parrot behind them didn’t seem pleased at all. It suddenly opened its beak and squawked, “Shut up, shut up!! Noisy, noisy!!”
Upon hearing this, the five Nascent Soul Elders promptly closed their mouths obediently.
Meanwhile, on the platform, Xiao Yunluo was starting to struggle. A misstep was seized by Bai Yuelin. Her right shoulder was struck by Bai Yuelin’s wooden sword, causing her to fly off the platform and crash heavily onto the ground.
However, unlike the previous candidates who had cried out in pain, Xiao Yunluo didn’t lie on the ground wailing. She used her sword as a crutch and stood up, gritting her teeth as she said, “Thank you, Senior Sister Bai.”
Afterward, she even bowed to Bai Yuelin on the platform before making her way back to the rest area. Several inner disciples had intended to go help her, but she glared at them and pushed them away.
“No need, I can manage on my own.”
Upon returning to the rest area, she immediately sat back down beside Pei Lengxue and asked, “How long did I last?”
“Half a quarter of an hour?” Pei Lengxue weakly replied.
“Then that should be a full score.” Xiao Yunluo grinned in satisfaction, murmuring to herself, “I wonder if Mother saw it. Hmph.”
“Mother?”
“Ah…” Realizing she had spoken her inner thoughts aloud, Xiao Yunluo’s face turned red in an instant. She quickly furrowed her brows and said, “Hmph! None of your business. You better hope you get assigned to a sword-trial platform on Lunar Spring Peak.”
With that, she took back the sword scabbard she had handed to Pei Lengxue and crossed her arms, turning her head away.
Pei Lengxue, who didn’t understand when she had annoyed Xiao Yunluo, was completely confused. She glanced at the wound on Xiao Yunluo’s shoulder and said with concern, “You should bandage that soon. It’s swelling.”
“It’s none of your business! It’s just a minor injury!”
“Ah…”
At this moment, the Sky Cloud Peak’s sword-trial platform called the next person’s name.
“Next, Feng Yudie, Sky Cloud Peak’s sword-trial platform! Step up.”
After waiting for a while without anyone stepping forward, the voice came again from above.
“Feng Yudie!! Is Feng Yudie present?!”
It was only during the second call that Pei Lengxue realized. She hurriedly turned her gaze to the left, where Feng Yudie was.
Ever since they arrived here, Pei Lengxue had no idea what Feng Yudie had been doing last night. However, Feng Yudie had rested her head on Pei Lengxue’s shoulder and sniveled non-stop.
Pei Lengxue gave her a disgusted look and directly wiped away the mucus with her index finger.
“Ah?!” Feng Yudie woke up in an instant, looking around in confusion. “What happened? What happened?!”
“It’s your turn, the platform of Sky Cloud Peak.”
“Oh, right…” Feng Yudie chuckled and then looked at Xiao Yunluo nearby. Seeing her seemingly injured, she also showed concern. “You’re injured?”
Xiao Yunluo turned her head away disdainfully, completely ignoring her.
At this moment, Feng Yudie was called to the sword-trial platform again. “Feng Yudie! Last call, or you’ll be marked absent!”
“Ah! I’m coming!” Feng Yudie quickly stood up, waved her hand, and then looked at Pei Lengxue with shyness, asking in a hesitant manner, “Junior Sister Pei, if I get a full score later, will there be a reward? Like… a hug or something…”
Pei Lengxue looked at her with a disdainful expression, sighed, stood up, grabbed her collar, and threw her towards the Sky Cloud Peak’s sword-trial platform.
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