Mortal: Fairy Song Yu has issued you a task.

Chapter 61 For the Falling Cloud Sect

"Bai Haozhi!" "Bai Haozhi!"...

The thousands of disciples of the Ancient Sword Sect present erupted in thunderous cheers, the tsunami-like roar overwhelming the few dozen disciples from the Luoyun Sect and Baiqiao Academy who were participating in the competition.

On the high platform, Old Man Jiang bowed slightly to Fu Tiancheng and the others from Baiqiaoyuan, looking quite pleased with himself: "I'm sorry, it seems that this year's champion will be from my Ancient Sword Sect again." As for Luoyun Sect, he didn't even glance at them out of the corner of his eye.

Fu Tiancheng said with envy, "Congratulations to your sect on gaining such a talented individual." He then turned to Elder Feng beside him, "However, the Luoyun Sect seems to be quite formidable this year as well. I noticed that your sect's Song family disciple with the Heavenly Spiritual Root is also on the list. Alas, it seems our sect is in for a tough year!"

Elder Feng replied calmly, "That disciple has only recently established his foundation and his cultivation level is not yet stable. He has come here primarily for exchange and training."

On the cliffside plaza, Meng Yao rode her flying sword back to the group.

Song Yu hurried forward and asked with concern, "How are you? Are you hurt?"

Meng Yao looked dejected: "It's nothing. That person knew how to control himself; he only pushed me away in the end. It's just that my cultivation is lacking, and I was defeated in just two moves."

"The opponent is far too strong. Even if Senior Sister Song and I were to fight, we might not be able to gain the upper hand," Lin Jingchu said, trying to comfort them. Since they were both from the same sect, they decided to put aside their previous minor conflicts for the time being.

He turned to look at the white-clad swordsman who calmly stepped down from the stage, seemingly oblivious to the surrounding commotion.

Bai Haozhi was already at the peak of the Core Formation stage when Han Laomo returned from his studies abroad, truly a prodigy. Unfortunately, as a spy, he was not in control of his own destiny; otherwise, he might have been able to break through to the Nascent Soul stage.

As his thoughts raced, the referee from the Ancient Sword Sect announced once again in a loud voice.

"Second match: Tian Yi of Baiqiaoyuan versus Lin Jingchu of Luoyun Sect!"

Lin Jingchu withdrew his gaze and looked at his fellow disciples beside him. Their eyes were filled with shock, and their morale was low.

Song Yu warned, "This person is a direct descendant of the Tian family, a prominent clan in Baiqiaoyuan. There are Nascent Soul elders in the clan, so you must be careful."

Lin Jingchu's gaze was calm yet sharp. "Don't worry, I'll win beautifully."

After saying that, he shot up like an arrow and landed on the arena.

At the same time, a gray shadow flashed by on the opposite side, and a burly man appeared on stage.

This person is also in the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment; if not exceptionally talented, then he must have had some extraordinary encounter.

"Senior Brother Tian, ​​crush the enemy! Don't lose to the Ancient Sword Sect!" Several disciples from the Hundred Crafts Academy shouted wildly.

Lin Jingchu's eyes darkened slightly. Are they all using Luoyun Sect as a testing ground?

Once both sides were in position, the referee waved to signal the start.

Lin Jingchu moved! His figure blurred instantly, leaving several afterimages as he rushed forward. At the same time, a flash of cold light appeared in his hand as the Embroidered Spring Blade materialized.

The man surnamed Tian reacted extremely quickly. He pushed off with his feet and his body suddenly retreated. The moment he raised his hands, several fireballs the size of human heads flew towards him one after another.

Boom! Boom!

Fireballs exploded one after another, flames surged, but they only burned the tail of Lin Jingchu's afterimage.

In the blink of an eye, Lin Jingchu had closed in on his opponent by more than ten feet. He slashed fiercely with his sword, and a cold, moon-like blade of light whistled out.

A glint flashed in the eyes of the man surnamed Tian. He neither dodged nor flinched, and reached for his storage bag at his waist with his right hand.

A tiger-headed shield, the size of a door panel, landed with a thud and stood upright in front of him. Faint, spiritual runes faintly appeared on the shield's surface.

The sharp, cold moonlight was instantly swallowed by the runic light. Immediately afterward, the shield surface erupted with a blinding red light.

Roar--!

A wave of scorching fire swept out in a fan shape, covering the entire arena.

As the fire wave passed, the air currents twisted and vibrated, and the jade-white tabletop instantly turned charred black.

"Junior Brother Lin!"

"Uncle Lin!"

The disciples of the Falling Cloud Sect exclaimed in surprise.

Meanwhile, people at Baiqiaoyuan cheered loudly.

But the cheers stopped abruptly the next second, like a duck being choked.

Because, without anyone noticing, Lin Jingchu had appeared beside the man surnamed Tian like a ghost, with a long knife in his hand held to his neck and shoulder.

The cold blade pressed against the flesh, and even under the scorching midday sun, it still stirred a subtle shiver in the other person.

The man surnamed Tian froze, his pupils contracting sharply. Above his head, a string of iron beads, nearly ten feet in diameter, could only spin helplessly in place.

The entire room erupted in uproar, with murmurs and discussions rising and falling.

"How is this possible? How did he suddenly appear?"

"Did they use an invisibility talisman?"

"Are you stupid? The Tiger Shield's counterattack flames can be unleashed in an instant. What's the use of being invisible?"

Even the usually carefree disciples of the Ancient Sword Sect abandoned their nonchalant attitude and showed solemn expressions.

Everyone secretly thought that if they were in their shoes, they would also have no choice but to raise their shields and withstand the sudden change.

A disciple of the Ancient Sword Sect turned to ask, "Junior Brother Bai, have you figured out the trick?"

Bai Haozhi slowly shook his head. "No. But I met this person a few years ago. I didn't expect him to not only have successfully established his foundation, but also to have improved so much in strength." The corners of his lips curled up slightly, and interest appeared in his eyes. "It seems that this year's Sword Trial Competition will not be boring."

On the high platform, Fu Tiancheng slapped his forehead and sighed repeatedly, "Oh dear! Your Luoyun Sect has been hiding its strength well! That Tian family brat didn't even have a chance to take out his top-grade magic weapons before he was captured. He's probably furious!"

Old Man Jiang's face was extremely ugly. The limelight his disciple had just earned had been overshadowed in the blink of an eye. One was a mid-stage player fighting an early-stage player, and the other was an early-stage player fighting a mid-stage player; the difference in skill was immediately apparent.

Elder Feng saw his expression and felt as happy as if he had drunk three cups of spirit wine, all his pent-up anger vanished.

He stroked his beard, a smile on his face, his tone calm: "Fellow Daoist Fu, you flatter me. To my shame, this child is my own unworthy disciple, also only recently at the Foundation Establishment stage. I brought him out to broaden his horizons, but I never expected..."

Old Jiang snorted coldly and bluntly remarked, "The competition is still a long way off!"

Lin Jingchu leaped back into the Luoyun Sect's ranks, immediately greeted by cheers.

Even Meng Yao, who had always disliked him, murmured her congratulations, "Congratulations, Junior Brother Lin, on your resounding victory." But her voice was instantly drowned out by the surrounding noise.

Song Yu walked up to him, full of curiosity: "How did you manage that just now?"

"I used 'Mirror Flower, Water Moon' during the sprint. My main body blended into the afterimage, and the moment my clone slashed to attract attention, I instantly cut in with Flying Step. I told you I'd win beautifully, didn't I!"

Some were happy while others were sad. The people of Baiqiaoyuan had gloomy faces. Their general, who had won the championship, was killed as soon as he appeared on the field, and their morale plummeted to rock bottom.

The competition continued, with the Ancient Sword Sect and the Hundred Crafts Academy facing off again. After several intense battles, the Hundred Crafts Academy suffered another defeat.

Then it was the turn of Luoyun Sect to face off against Gujian Sect...

As the competition progressed, Lin Jingchu clearly felt that the Falling Cloud Sect was indeed no match for the other two sects. Ordinary disciples had a slight chance of winning against the Hundred Crafts Academy, but once they encountered the Ancient Sword Sect, they were all defeated.

After several rounds of competition, dusk enveloped the mountains, and the final showdown of the day officially began.

"Tao Xiuxiu of the Ancient Sword Sect faces off against Song Yu of the Falling Cloud Sect!"

Lin Jingchu turned around, gave Song Yu an encouraging look, and gently clenched his fist.

Song Yu smiled faintly and gracefully glided onto the arena.

On the high platform, Fu Tiancheng's gaze lingered, and he couldn't help but clap his hands in praise: "As expected of the Luoyun Sect, a place blessed with outstanding talents, to be able to cultivate such..."

Elder Feng glanced at the lecherous old man beside him and said, "It's fortunate that my junior sister Song from the sect didn't come. Otherwise, with her temper, you wouldn't be able to watch the competition in peace."

Fu Guangtou chuckled awkwardly, but before he could reply, Old Jiang beside him spoke up sourly:

"So this is the pride of your sect, the Song family's esteemed daughter with the Heavenly Spiritual Root. However, no matter how beautiful a flower carefully nurtured in a greenhouse may bloom, it can never compare to the one honed through trials and tribulations in real combat by our Ancient Sword Sect..."

The words suddenly caught in his throat; he stared in disbelief, swallowing the rest of his sentence.

On the arena below, a foot-long flying needle, shimmering with a blue light, was pressed against the vital spot of Tao Xing's throat.

"Song Yusheng of the Luoyun Sect!"