Just like that, the beginning of the month quickly arrived.
The martial arena at the main peak had already been completely prepared in advance. Around the arena stages, spectator stands were arranged in neat layers, packed densely with people. Not only were the inner and outer sect disciples and elite disciples present, even the elders who normally remained in secluded cultivation all year round had rarely appeared.
Today was precisely the day of Lingyun Sect's minor competition.
At this moment, I stood upon the high platform beside the main arena stage. As the chief coordinator of this competition, I practically had to constantly observe the entire arena grounds, ensuring that every match proceeded fairly and orderly. At the same time, I had to promptly handle every unexpected situation.
The moment the judges took their positions, Elder Su's powerful voice echoed throughout the entire plaza. "The minor competition begins."
In that instant, spiritual light simultaneously erupted from dozens of arena stages. Sword chi swept across the air while spells collided fiercely. Cheers and explosions of spiritual energy rang out endlessly, one after another. Every disciple was going all out to test the results of their cultivation and compete for rankings on the elite leaderboard.
My gaze quickly locked onto arena stage number three. On the stage, Chu Qinglin was defeating her opponent in an almost overwhelming manner. She still carried her familiar cold expression, standing in the center of the stage like eternal ice that would never melt. Merely the aura surrounding her made the area within three meters feel as though it had been covered in invisible frost. Even the air itself seemed to become several degrees colder.
"Chu Qinglin wins," the judge loudly announced.
Her opponent's face was pale as he clutched his chest and admitted defeat. Then he subconsciously raised his head toward the high platform. His gaze happened to meet mine.
I smiled encouragingly and lightly nodded toward Chu Qinglin. In that instant, the face as cold as ice seemed briefly brushed by the spring breeze. A trace of dazzling light suddenly appeared within the depths of her eyes before quickly disappearing. She turned around and walked down the arena stage. Yet her straight back and noticeably lighter footsteps betrayed her current mood.
Watching her departing figure, I secretly let out a sigh of relief. This girl truly had not held back today. Fortunately, her control over sword qi had already become far more refined than before. Otherwise, that opponent earlier probably would have been carried away on a stretcher. The cold core pearl indeed seemed to have produced tremendous effects.
Upon the high platform, the peak masters and elders were also quietly discussing among themselves.
The cold-tempered peak master of Ten Thousand Blades Peak lowered his voice and spoke. "I heard this girl was brought back by Mo Yuan three years ago from a sect extermination incident."
Elder Su stroked his beard and nodded. "A strong mentality and heavy killing intent are only natural."
Another elder suddenly spoke, a faint golden light flickering within his eyes. "Have you all noticed? When she draws her sword, sword qi naturally gathers around her body. It already vaguely possesses the form of sword intent. Although it has not completely taken shape yet, it is clearly a sign of an innate sword bone."
The moment those words fell, the gazes of several elders immediately turned toward Chu Qinglin.
The peak master of Ten Thousand Blades Peak slowly nodded. His expression rarely became serious. As a sword cultivator, his perception toward the sword path was extremely sharp. "That's right. Her sword bone was probably damaged by the tragedy years ago, so it has not fully revealed itself yet. But her natural compatibility with the sword is something that cannot be faked. If she is properly nurtured, her future will be immeasurable."
The elder of Hundred Herbs Peak inhaled a sharp breath. "First, there was Shen Xinghan reaching the Golden Core realm in three years. And now there is also an innate sword bone. Could it be that Mo Yuan did not take disciples for so many years, not because he was lazy, but because he was waiting for peerless geniuses to come to his doorstep on their own?"
The representative of Tianyi Peak let out a bitter sigh. "Why can't I pick up disciples like this?"
Several elders exchanged bitter smiles. Their hearts were filled with both envy and helplessness. The judgment of that sect master who always looked half asleep every day truly could not be understood by anyone.
Meanwhile, after only a brief rest, Chu Qinglin once again stepped onto the arena stage. She seemed completely tireless, consecutively claiming victory in an overwhelming fashion.
Finally, she slowly opened her mouth. "Disciple Chu Qinglin challenges rank two hundred and seventy-three of the elite rankings. Opponent, defensive division senior brother Shi Dazhuang."
The moment those words fell, the area around arena stage number three instantly erupted into commotion.
"A challenge across cultivation levels? That's Senior Brother Shi. His Earth Core technique has already reached the third layer."
Shi Dazhuang was famous for his extremely powerful defense. Even late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators would not find it easy to break through his defenses. In the eyes of many people, although Chu Qinglin's swordsmanship was sharp, the cultivation gap was still too great.
Very quickly, Shi Dazhuang stepped onto the arena stage. He possessed a tall and sturdy body with an honest-looking face. Yet his expression at this moment was extremely serious. The moment he stepped onto the stage, he cupped his hands in greeting. "Junior Sister Chu, please instruct me."
He absolutely did not dare underestimate his opponent. The previous matches had already been enough for him to understand just how terrifying Chu Qinglin's swordsmanship was.
The moment the judge announced the start, Chu Qinglin immediately drew her sword. Frost chi erupted violently. She made absolutely no attempt at probing. The cold sword light directly pierced toward her opponent.
Shi Dazhuang's expression changed as he hurriedly shifted aside to dodge. The two clashed almost instantly.
Chu Qinglin's swordsmanship was fast to the extreme, precise to the extreme, and cold to the extreme. Every strike carried bone-piercing frost intent, pressing down so heavily that one could barely breathe.
The more Shi Dazhuang fought, the more alarmed he became. The defensive layer he had always been proud of suddenly felt sluggish and clumsy beneath that all-penetrating sword qi. It was like a massive boulder frozen solid in the middle of a snowstorm.
Suddenly, a cold glint flashed through Chu Qinglin's eyes. She charged directly into her opponent's fist momentum. The sword in her hand erupted with dazzling light. All of the sword qi condensed into a single point in an instant. Body and sword seemed to merge as one, transforming into an extremely refined streak of icy blue light that pierced straight forward.
On the high platform, all the peak masters immediately straightened in their seats. Brilliant light burst into each of their eyes.
Boom!
The explosion echoed throughout the stands. Shi Dazhuang let out a muffled groan. His body staggered backward seven or eight steps in succession. Meanwhile, at the spot where he had just stood, Chu Qinglin's figure slowly appeared. Her complexion had turned somewhat pale. Even the hand gripping her sword trembled slightly. Yet her body still stood as straight as a blade, the sword tip slanted toward the ground.
For a brief moment, the entire arena fell completely silent.