The twilight hung heavy, as howling winds swept through the empty twelve Peerless Floating Thrones.
Shi Qingqian stepped closer to A’Ling, who was trapped in the center of the Ten Fiends Subduing Demonic Array. Wind blades swirled furiously, her white robes sweeping the ground. Black flames erupted from her palm, violently tearing open the coiling lightning that caged A’Ling.
Stepping on the spell light of the array’s core, she walked step by step to the center of the formation, gazing at A’Ling, who was prostrate on the ground, her entire body seemingly drenched in a pool of blood.
The figure in the pool of blood seemed to sense her presence, and with difficulty, raised her head, into which seven Soul-Locking Demon-Subduing Nails had been driven. She blinked hard to clear the blood from her eyes, looked at the approaching figure, and her lips twitched.
Shi Qingqian couldn’t hear what she was saying, only seeing the drops of fresh blood falling as she trembled, a shocking, burning crimson.
The swirling wind carried bloody grit.
Shi Qingqian’s eyes seemed to split, and crimson marks, like demonic patterns, seeped from the corners of her eyes, spreading from the red mole at her temple across half her face. She swept her bloodshot gaze over the people around them.
The magic artifacts in their hands were all stained with fresh blood – A’Ling’s.
They seemed to be shouting something, rushing forward to stop Shi Qingqian.
But before they could even get close, massive flames, like True Phoenix Fire, instantly incinerated them to ash.
Shi Qingqian walked step by step to A’Ling, then with her bare hands, she broke all the restraints on her body and pulled out the demon-subduing nails embedded within her.
She saw the person in her arms mumbling, but Shi Qingqian couldn’t hear a single word.
Around them, the pitch-black sealed demonic caves flickered with electric light like the descent of Nine Heavens Divine Lightning. Shi Qingqian lowered her head to look at the person in her arms, her robe sleeve fluttering to reveal a slender arm, as she embraced the other who could no longer stand upright.
Slowly, she bent down, pressing her lips against those bloodless, parched ones.
In that instant, within the gloomy gale, countless demons from the darkness seemed to surge from all directions.
Under the sweeping surge of power, Shi Qingqian’s white robes seemed stained with ink, spreading from the hem touching the ground to engulf her entire body. The crimson marks on her face slowly seeped into the sinister dark mist.
Swirling demonic energy enveloped the entire Immortal Rainbow Platform. Shi Qingqian watched her fingers, wrapped around A’Ling’s neck, as her nails slowly elongated, as if growing into sharp talons.
Just as those sharp talons were about to pierce A’Ling’s neck, Shi Qingqian suddenly released her hold.
In the dense black mist, she saw a glistening tear slide from the corner of A’Ling’s eye.
She cried?
That single tear was like a key unlocking her from the dream. For three consecutive days, Shi Qingqian awoke to this very scene.
Shi Qingqian gazed at A’Ling, separated by a sea of people. A’Ling was clearly smiling, yet Shi Qingqian felt as if she was seeing that tear again.
Why would she cry…
Was that truly a dream? What had A’Ling endured in that dream, to be so disheveled and miserable? And why did she keep having the same dream for three days straight?
On the Immortal Rainbow Platform, swords hummed and transformed spells fluttered like butterflies, weaving through the air. The triennial selection of disciples for the twelve Cave Abodes officially began.
A’Ling’s smile vanished completely when she noticed Shi Qingqian inexplicably staring at her. Hearing the commotion on the Immortal Rainbow Platform, she glared at Shi Qingqian before withdrawing her gaze.
Just then, a voice from the high platform invited the Peak Masters to take their seats.
A’Ling craned her neck, looking up towards the sky above the center of the twelve Peerless Floating Thrones. Three floating clouds, bathed in warm, soft light, transformed into Lotus Thrones.
The three Peak Masters leisurely took their seats under the gaze of tens of thousands.
Floating clouds are inherently formless, yet now they could serve as seats for people. For cultivators to control natural elements like wind, frost, rain, and snow, they required cultivation powerful enough to command the elements.
Yet these three on the clouds effortlessly and casually transformed the floating clouds into seats.
These three Peak Masters truly lived up to their reputation as top experts of the Soul Transformation realm, peak existences capable of commanding the elements.
A’Ling felt a surge of admiration; she hoped that one day, she too could be this powerful.
After A’Ling withdrew her gaze, Shi Qingqian also turned her head to look at the three figures on the high platform.
Just now, when the twelve Abode Masters appeared, Shi Qingqian had already noticed something was amiss.
And upon seeing the first to arrive, Peak Master Summer Shadow — Venerable Minci Shan Xinci — she realized what was wrong.
These people had all been in her dream, surrounding the pool of blood where A’Ling fell. Venerable Minci had been the first to try and stop her.
Looking at that ‘compassionate’ face on the cloud, identical to the one in her dream, Shi Qingqian’s heart gave a violent lurch.
She had never seen this Venerable Minci before, nor any of the Abode Masters on the Immortal Rainbow Platform.
Why would people she had never seen before appear in her dream? If it were just one person, she could dismiss it as coincidence.
Shi Qingqian swept her gaze over the faces on the high platform. One person could be a coincidence, but an entire group? What kind of coincidence could be this coincidental?
The clamor from the high platform reached her ears, but Shi Qingqian felt as if a barrier separated her from it. Her brow furrowed. What was going on? Was that truly a dream?
If not a dream, then what was it? Why was A’Ling covered in blood, fallen within the Ten Fiends Subduing Demonic Array?
Shi Qingqian involuntarily shifted her gaze, looking towards A’Ling on the other side.
A’Ling excitedly watched the tests that had already begun on the high platform. The first to select disciples were the four medical cultivation Cave Abodes: East Firmament, South Firmament, West Firmament, and North Firmament. In her previous life, A’Ling had entered the North Firmament Cave Abode, studying under Elder Qi Yu.
This time, Elder Qi Yu was nowhere to be seen; instead, the North Firmament Abode Master, Ming Yunying, was present.
A’Ling wasn’t sure if it was her imagination, but she felt as if Ming Yunying had just glanced their way.
A’Ling glanced at Lan Fushang beside her, guessing that perhaps the other person was looking at Lan Fushang.
“What’s wrong, A’Ling?” Lan Fushang noticed A’Ling watching her, and tilted her head, asking in confusion.
A’Ling shook her head. “Nothing. What about you? Are you alright? You couldn’t participate this time, but you definitely will next time.”
A’Ling said, comforting Lan Fushang, who she worried was upset.
Lan Fushang shook her head. “I know my current level isn’t enough to enter a Cave Abode for cultivation. I’ll keep working hard. But A’Ling, have you decided which sect you want to join?”
A’Ling shook her head. “I can only be certain that I want to become a spiritual arts cultivator. As for which Cave Abode’s elder will take me, that’s out of my control.”
It’s also possible that no Cave Abode will accept me, she added silently in her heart.
Gu Jingyang, hearing A’Ling’s words from beside her, winked at her with a smile. “A’Ling, just do your best. Don’t worry about the rest.”
A’Ling raised an eyebrow, not understanding what she meant.
But the presiding cultivator on the high platform had already announced the start of the medical cultivation assessment.
Lan Fushang watched intently as cultivators who wished to enter a medical cultivation Cave Abode and had already passed the Soaring Rainbow Tower assessment stepped onto the Immortal Rainbow Platform.
After confirming that no one else wished to participate in the selection, the presiding cultivator announced the start of the new disciple selection for the medical cultivation Cave Abodes.
The East Firmament, South Firmament, West Firmament, and North Firmament Cave Abodes conducted a unified assessment, and an elder from the East Firmament Cave Abode announced the test topic.
“This medical cultivation assessment will test healing spells. Seven days ago, a spiritual beast mutation was discovered on He Cang Mountain. The sword cultivation Cave Abodes arrived in time to stop the mutation, and countless spiritual beasts were injured during the process. The four Cave Abodes under Summer Shadow Peak’s jurisdiction dispatched multiple elders to treat the spiritual beasts, and now none are in life-threatening danger.”
“Coincidentally, with this Cave Abode disciple selection underway, the four Cave Abodes have decided, after deliberation, to use healing spells to assess all new disciples.”
As soon as the words fell, a spiritual beast appeared before each new disciple participating in the medical cultivation Cave Abode selection.
The spiritual beasts before each person were not entirely alike, and their injuries varied in severity.
A’Ling knew this didn’t matter much. The medical cultivation selection wasn’t judged solely on the final outcome, nor was it simply about whose spiritual beast looked the best. In fact, there was no concrete standard for judgment.
After all, it was the elders or Abode Masters selecting disciples; they would always choose someone they favored.
Some might have slightly weaker cultivation, but if they caught an elder’s eye, they would still be accepted. For example, in her previous life, A’Ling didn’t even know how she had managed to catch Elder Qi Yu’s eye.
Of course, where there are people, there are social connections and unspoken rules. This was even more prevalent in selections without clear standards; otherwise, Gu Jiangxue wouldn’t have bothered to make a special trip.
Since Lan Fushang wasn’t qualified to participate and there were no important people among the ones being assessed, A’Ling and the others watched with light hearts.
One by one, the spiritual beasts stood up under the medical cultivators’ healing spells, prompting applause and cheers from the audience below the stage.
A’Ling felt that the greatest sense of accomplishment for medical cultivators perhaps stemmed from this: their ability to help other lives. The harder they cultivated, the greater their capacity to help others.
A’Ling glanced at Lan Fushang, who was looking on with a yearning expression, and smiled, feeling herself to be inferior.
Ever since the assessment began on the Immortal Rainbow Platform, Shi Qingqian hadn’t glanced at the stage once. She gazed at A’Ling’s profile, deep in thought. She felt that her dream was far from simple; the scenes within it were terrifyingly real.
Because of this, she dared not dismiss it as merely an ordinary dream. If that dream were true, and such a day truly came, how could she protect A’Ling? Shi Qingqian pondered this in her heart.
Perhaps her gaze was too direct and anxious. After the medical cultivation assessment concluded, it was the turn of the spiritual arts cultivation disciple selection. Before A’Ling stepped onto the Immortal Rainbow Platform, she glanced back at Shi Qingqian.
Seeing that Shi Qingqian was indeed still staring at her, A’Ling’s brows furrowed tightly. What was this person doing? Was there something so interesting on her face? She was truly annoying people first thing in the morning.
“What’s wrong?” Gu Jingyang saw A’Ling rise but suddenly stop, and followed her gaze to Shi Qingqian on the other side. Misunderstanding A’Ling’s intent, she said, “Qingqian will definitely choose sword cultivation. Let’s go.”
How could A’Ling not know that? Shi Qingqian had been a Soul Transformation realm sword cultivator in her previous life. She withdrew her gaze and followed Gu Jingyang towards the Immortal Rainbow Platform.
From afar, Gu Jingyang saw Heng Qingyi on the Axe of Recklessness Floating Throne give her a slight smile, and returned a grateful one.
“A’Ling, just do your best later.”
A’Ling nodded. She could only do her best, hoping that a spiritual arts cultivation elder would take a liking to her and accept her into their Cave Abode.
The spiritual arts cultivation Cave Abodes’ test this time was also very simple: transform into a beast using spells. Anything was fine, as long as it was done freely.
Though that was the requirement, the disciples participating in the selection dared not be casual.
A’Ling watched as fierce spiritual beasts appeared one after another around her. Gu Jingyang even directly transformed into a dragon, shocking everyone.
A’Ling swallowed hard. She had also learned the spell to transform into a beast, but compared to those present, hers were either smaller in size or weaker in presence.
As for those like Gu Jingyang who directly manifested divine beasts, she felt completely overshadowed.
Just as she was agonizing over what to manifest, beneath Qiongdian Peak, someone among the three on the floating cloud Lotus Thrones actually began to discuss her.
Winter Snow Peak Master Ye Bingfeng, whose face was usually cold and aloof, now held a hint of inquiry. “Is that the new disciple about whom the crystal ball hesitated and couldn’t give an answer during the Flying Crane Clear Platform new disciple test? I didn’t expect this person to choose spiritual arts cultivation.”
Jiang Qiuchun, whose satisfied gaze had just withdrawn from Gu Jingyang, who had transformed into a dragon with spells, also looked towards A’Ling, who was idly standing in the center of the Immortal Rainbow Platform.
She hadn’t expected this person to choose their spiritual arts cultivation path; she didn’t seem particularly talented.
“It is her. I heard her name is A’Ling. She got into a conflict with an inner disciple as soon as she entered Mystic Crane Mountain, and it was even with a sword cultivator from your Tian An Cave Abode. It’s likely she knew sword cultivators wouldn’t accept her.”
Ye Bingfeng didn’t mind Jiang Qiuchun’s jab, implying that their sword cultivators were narrow-minded and couldn’t tolerate others. She merely harbored doubts about the crystal ball incident; in tens of thousands of years, this was the first time such a thing had occurred.
Beside the two, Shan Xinci’s gentle, round face broke into a harmonious smile. “That person doesn’t seem to have anything wrong with her. Perhaps the crystal ball was just slow to react for a moment.”
Each of the three harbored their own thoughts, watching the person on the Immortal Rainbow Platform in the distance.
A’Ling thought for a long time, then finally, her intent moving with her heart, she formed a spell-seal, urging a talisman into the air. Silver light gathered in her palm and shot towards the blank talisman.
The silver light burst, startling the surrounding people who abruptly took a step back.
But when they saw what A’Ling had manifested, the people who had just been startled burst into laughter.
“What? It’s actually a spider.”
“I’m dying of laughter! I thought she was going to manifest some divine beast with such a huge commotion.”
The person, after speaking, felt a bit embarrassed saying this directly in front of A’Ling, especially since the one who had transformed into a dragon with spells nearby seemed to be this spider’s friend. She quickly covered her mouth, trying to laugh as quietly as possible.
A’Ling thought it would have been better for them to just laugh to their heart’s content instead of trying to hold it in.
“A’Ling, do you want to try a different one?”
Gu Jingyang actually found the spider a bit too ordinary. Although she had pulled some strings for A’Ling beforehand, if A’Ling appeared too unimpressive, it would still be difficult.
A’Ling continued with her spell. “Just wait and see.”
She didn’t explain further, but the silver light in her hand pulsed towards the spider that had appeared in the void.
“There’s something to it.”
Jiang Qiuchun gazed at the Spirit Mountain Tiger-Headed Spider above the Immortal Rainbow Platform, a hint of admiration in her eyes.
Ye Bingfeng and Shan Xinci also nodded slightly in unison. Although they weren’t spiritual arts cultivators, they were proficient in spell arts.
The spider A’Ling manifested was truly interesting. She was actually simulating a spider’s entire life, from small to large, even fully depicting its shedding of limbs and weaving of webs.
The ever-growing spider wove a giant web that encompassed the entire sky above the Immortal Rainbow Platform, seemingly ensnaring all the manifested beasts within it.
And Gu Jingyang’s flying dragon, it roamed along the spider web, looking like a trapped beast unable to escape.
Jiang Qiuchun watched Gu Jingyang on the Immortal Rainbow Platform, who was deliberately helping A’Ling. Speaking of which, Gu Jingyang’s mother, Gu Jiangxue, had some connections with her former family in the mortal realm.
She’s a good child, Jiang Qiuchun thought. And she’s talented in spell arts. To be able to transform into a dragon with spells at this age and cultivation level, there should be no new disciple stronger than her in spell arts.
A’Ling was already the last one to take her time, and once she finished manifesting her spell, all the new disciples on the stage had completed their demonstrations.
The presiding cultivator announced the end of the assessment and ordered everyone to retract their spells.
Below the Immortal Rainbow Platform, Shi Qingqian watched the Spirit Mountain Tiger-Headed Spider slowly dissipate. Her brow twitched violently, and she instinctively glanced up at the sky.
Although they were already atop Tian Teng Mountain, seeing Qiongdian Peak, said to be only a short distance from the Immortal Realm, was still as difficult as ascending to heaven.
They couldn’t see Qiongdian Peak, but could Qiongdian Peak see them?
Shi Qingqian gazed at the sky, lost in thought.
On the other side, on the Immortal Rainbow Platform, the selection of Cave Abode disciples had already begun.
After the assessment concluded, the Abode Masters made their selections first, followed by the elders from each mansion. A’Ling had never expected a Abode Master to choose her; being selected by an elder would be good enough.
To her utter surprise, no sooner had this thought crossed her mind than the presiding cultivator announced that Warm Tower Abode Master Heng Qingyi had personally selected her and Gu Jingyang as inner disciples.
After bowing, A’Ling looked at Gu Jingyang in surprise, only to see her smiling and winking, as if unsurprised. A’Ling understood then: no wonder Gu Jingyang had told her to just do her best before the selection began.
This girl must have pulled some strings behind the scenes for her.
“Thank you.” A’Ling thanked Gu Jingyang seriously as they walked down from the stage.
“You’re welcome! From now on, we’ll be fellow sect sisters. Call me Senior Sister, let me hear it!” Gu Jingyang grinned, showing all her teeth.
A’Ling stumbled. How could she have forgotten this? If she and Gu Jingyang were inducted into the same sect, and Gu Jingyang was older, wouldn’t that make her A’Ling’s Senior Sister?
Her lips twitched. Looking at the happily smiling Gu Jingyang, she just couldn’t bring herself to call her ‘Senior Sister’.
Lan Fushang waved vigorously, happily welcoming the two back. “That’s wonderful, A’Ling, Gu Jingyang! You’ve both been accepted by the same Abode Master. You’ll be able to look out for each other from now on!”
There was a hint of envy in her tone. She had always been alone, and she greatly admired A’Ling and Gu Jingyang, who had not only entered Mystic Crane Mountain together but now also entered the Warm Tower Cave Abode together.
Gu Jingyang beamed brightly. “Of course, I’ll take good care of my Junior Sister, won’t I, Junior Sister~”
A’Ling managed a strained smile. Was there any way to reverse their roles? Or perhaps she should just tell Gu Jingyang that she was over a hundred years old and tell her to learn some respect for her elders.
While A’Ling pondered how she could raise her seniority, the final sword cultivation Cave Abode’s disciple selection immediately began.
A’Ling unconsciously glanced at Shi Qingqian not far away, and their gazes met in the air.
In the play of light and shadow, A’Ling felt the other’s gaze was like a flowing light vine wrapped around thousand-year profound iron—twisted, conflicted, and coldly fierce.
A’Ling: ?
What was going on? What was wrong with Shi Qingqian today? Why did she keep looking at her?
What was with that obscure gaze? Just because she passed the disciple assessment and entered the inner sect, was she so jealous that she lost her mind?
A’Ling felt it shouldn’t be like that.
But before she could figure out why, the person who was as cold as a pine branch on a frozen iceberg was the first to withdraw her gaze and suddenly stood up.
She really is going to the sword cultivation Cave Abode, A’Ling thought. With her strength, it’s likely the four Abode Masters will be fighting over her.
“A’Ling, does Shi Qingqian dislike me?” Lan Fushang watched Shi Qingqian ascend to the Immortal Rainbow Platform, and finally decided to voice the thought that had troubled her for the past two days.
A’Ling and Gu Jingyang both raised their eyebrows in unison, asking together, “Why do you say that?”
Lan Fushang, seeing both of them ask the same question at once, awkwardly pursed her lips. “Just a feeling.”
A’Ling had thought Shi Qingqian had done something specific. Hearing this, she patted Lan Fushang’s shoulder. “You’re overthinking it. No, you’re not wrong either. That person, she probably doesn’t like anyone except herself. She always has a cold expression, as if someone dug up her ancestral grave. Don’t mind her; that’s just how she is.”
“Huh?”
Lan Fushang widened her eyes, deeply skeptical of A’Ling’s words. She felt that Shi Qingqian quite liked A’Ling; the way she spoke to her was different from how she spoke to others.
She looked at Gu Jingyang in confusion, her eyes seeming to ask, Is that really true?
Gu Jingyang subtly waved her hand in the space between their seats, where only the two of them could see, denying A’Ling’s statement.
Only after A’Ling looked towards the stage did Gu Jingyang lean close to Lan Fushang and softly ask, “Did Qingqian say something to you?”
Lan Fushang saw A’Ling intently watching the Immortal Rainbow Platform. Mimicking Gu Jingyang’s action, she leaned her head closer to Gu Jingyang and, in a low voice, recounted how she had gone to thank Shi Qingqian but was told that her thanks weren’t needed.
“I just feel like she doesn’t really like me,” Lan Fushang concluded after finishing her story.
So that’s what it was, Gu Jingyang thought, looking sympathetically at Lan Fushang. This is just ‘dislike.’ If Shi Qingqian knew A’Ling wanted Lan Fushang as a dao companion, what kind of reaction would she have then?
“Don’t worry, it has nothing to do with you,” Gu Jingyang could only comfort Lan Fushang.
Lan Fushang looked at Gu Jingyang in confusion. Another ‘it has nothing to do with you’? Shi Qingqian said that too. If it has nothing to do with her, then who does it have to do with?
She looked in confusion towards the distant Immortal Rainbow Platform. Amidst the shifting figures, Shi Qingqian stood in white robes, her sleeves fluttering, her very hair, swaying in the wind, exuding an extraordinary aura.
The new disciples participating in the sword cultivation Cave Abode selection were more numerous than the spiritual arts cultivators and medical cultivators combined.
The numerous new disciples, the Abode Masters on the twelve Peerless Floating Thrones, and the three Peak Masters on the floating cloud Lotus Thrones—everyone’s gaze was fixed on the white figure in the very center of the Immortal Rainbow Platform.
Jiang Qiuchun glanced at Ye Bingfeng and Shan Xinci beside her. “The two of you are usually hard to move. It’s unusual for you to come to the Cave Abode disciple selection today. You’re here to see this one, aren’t you?”
She spoke with certainty; in truth, she too had come today specifically for Shi Qingqian.
They had received news of what happened at the Soaring Rainbow Tower three days ago, not long after it occurred: there was a new disciple who could tear through a barrier set up by a Nascent Soul stage cultivator with bare hands.
Such a talented new disciple, they naturally had to come see. Who’s to say that wouldn’t be the next Peak Master?
Normally, for a Peak Master to change positions, if it wasn’t a voluntary abdication, it meant a Challenge Order had been issued, and the position was transferred after a loss.
She didn’t mind if the capable took the position; being an elder meant enjoying peace and leisure. But the other two beside her…
Jiang Qiuchun glanced at Ye Bingfeng with disdain. This person cultivated the sword dao, and her abilities surpassed both Jiang Qiuchun and Shan Xinci. Thus, while the three peaks appeared to be on equal footing, in reality, sword cultivators were revered as supreme. However, despite her strong cultivation, this person was narrow-minded, and so were the sword cultivation Cave Abodes under her.
Out of ten private duels in Mystic Crane Mountain, nine were instigated by sword cultivators.
Their spiritual arts cultivators were fine, but the medical cultivators were usually the ones bullied by sword cultivators.
Jiang Qiuchun glanced at Shan Xinci, who always seemed to be the peacemaker. This person’s face was compassionate, her name was compassionate, and even her venerable title was Venerable Minci. Jiang Qiuchun chuckled inwardly, thinking that usually, what one emphasized the most was what one lacked the most.
Although she had never suffered any losses at Shan Xinci’s hands, Jiang Qiuchun had always vaguely felt that she shouldn’t get too close to this person.
“I haven’t left Summer Shadow Peak for too long, so I just came to watch the excitement. Such a supremely talented new disciple wouldn’t choose our medical cultivation Cave Abode anyway,” Shan Xinci said, seeing Ye Bingfeng remain silent, and answered Jiang Qiuchun’s question herself.
Ye Bingfeng’s gaze remained fixed on Shi Qingqian. She used her inner power to probe twice and finally confirmed that the report from three days ago had been an understatement.
This new disciple was not merely at the Nascent Soul stage; she had already broken through to the Golden Core-Nascent Soul stage!
At the Golden Core-Nascent Soul stage, one’s Nascent Soul could not only seize other bodies but also leave the body to harm others. One could say that upon reaching the Golden Core-Nascent Soul stage, she was no longer a mere mortal!
On the Immortal Rainbow Platform, the presiding cultivator had already announced the assessment content: One Sword, Many Arrays.
It was a very simple topic: sword cultivators were to wield their swords, manifest clones of their swords, and set up a sword array.
This was a very basic ability for sword cultivators. If one couldn’t form an array with a single sword, they would be greatly restrained when facing numerous enemies.
Xing Yanchu hadn’t expected the sword cultivation disciple selection to be so simple. Just now, seeing A’Ling accepted by a Abode Master, he had worried he wouldn’t measure up to her. Now, hearing this competition item, he relaxed.
He summoned his Sky-Rending Sword from the void. With a flash of shifting forms, he swiftly manifested thousands of sword clones, setting up the Swallows Skimming Waves Array.
Seeing that someone had already set up their array, the new disciples on the Immortal Rainbow Platform quickly wielded their swords and manifested their illusions, each displaying their abilities.
Shi Qingqian was not like the others, who brought out excellent treasured swords. The iron sword in her hand, A’Ling recognized, was the ordinary iron sword she had used during her competition with Gu Jingyang.
Yet, with that very ordinary iron sword, which had defeated Gu Jingyang’s Moonfall Sword back then, Shi Qingqian once again astonished everyone, relying solely on it.
With a single sword, she activated the Dust-Untroubled Array, and sword hums resounded throughout the air.
The three Peak Masters on the floating cloud Lotus Thrones, the twelve Abode Masters on the twelve Peerless Floating Thrones, the elders from each Cave Abode on the Immortal Rainbow Platform, and the new cultivators on the white jade steps below the Immortal Rainbow Platform.
Every single person, at this moment, fell silent in unison.
The entire Tian Teng Mountain was utterly silent, save for the sound of the wind, and the humming of swords within the wind.
Generally, the higher a cultivator’s cultivation, the more realistic the swords manifested within their sword array would be. However, upon closer inspection, one could always discern which was the true sword.
But Shi Qingqian’s was different. Even experts like the twelve Abode Masters, using their inner power and examining closely for a long time, could only identify a few potential true swords among the countless iron swords filling the sky.
At such a cultivation level, Ye Bingfeng inwardly admitted that even she, at Shi Qingqian’s age, would have been utterly incomparable.
Gu Jingyang gazed at the Dust-Untroubled Array, tightly clutching the corner of her robes. Now she finally understood just how much face Shi Qingqian had given her back then. With such formidable strength, the academy staff had actually thought they were on par with each other.
It wasn’t just a difference of heaven and earth; it was at least a mountain peak and a mountain bottom.
“What’s wrong?” Lan Fushang noticed Gu Jingyang’s abnormality and asked with concern.
Gu Jingyang smiled and shook her head. “Nothing. I just realized that Qingqian is actually quite a good person.”
Lan Fushang didn’t quite understand why she said that, but seeing her skirt on the verge of tearing a hole, she hesitated, wondering whether to remind Gu Jingyang that she was clutching the wrong part of her dress.
Before she could speak, she felt the skirt on her other leg also being clutched.
Lan Fushang turned to look. A’Ling was staring at the Immortal Rainbow Platform with a look of astonishment. Lan Fushang followed A’Ling’s gaze, and the surprise on her face was even more exaggerated than A’Ling’s.
On the Immortal Rainbow Platform, the sword cultivation Cave Abodes had completed their selections. Surprisingly, not a single person chose Shi Qingqian.
None of the four Abode Masters selected her, nor did any of the many sword cultivation elders.
“A tree standing out in the forest,” Ye Bingfeng murmured, watching the scene on the Immortal Rainbow Platform below, a faint smile playing on her lips, laced with a hint of sarcasm.
Jiang Qiuchun snorted coldly to herself. Today’s sword cultivators truly had no tolerance for others. She raised her eyes to Shi Qingqian, standing motionless in the center of the Immortal Rainbow Platform, and thought, What a pity. Her brilliance is too exposed; her path will likely be difficult from now on.
Only…
Jiang Qiuchun felt that the person below seemed completely unsurprised, even seemingly indifferent.
Her gaze was not even directed at the four sword cultivation Abode Masters on the high platform.
A’Ling raised her slightly trembling eyebrows high. She truly didn’t understand. If the sword cultivation Abode Masters hadn’t chosen Shi Qingqian, why was Shi Qingqian looking at her?
What ability did she have that would make them choose her to enter a Cave Abode?
However, this was truly abnormal. With Shi Qingqian’s strength, how could no one want her? She couldn’t help but recall the conflict they had with Zhao Shan three days ago; Zhao Shan was from the Tian An Cave Abode.
But surely, they wouldn’t all reject Shi Qingqian just because of that one incident?
Yet a faint unease stirred in her heart. If it truly was for that reason, then it would be her fault.
Shi Qingqian looked at A’Ling, sitting safely in the crowd not far away. The scene in her dream was too horrifying; whether it was a premonition or not, she was determined not to let that scene come to pass.
She withdrew her gaze and looked up at the four sword cultivation Abode Masters sitting upright in the center of the Peerless Floating Thrones. In her dream, they had also stood like this, side by side, watching A’Ling struggle in the pool of blood on the ground.
Shi Qingqian closed her eyes, dispersing the horrifying image from her mind. When she opened them again, the expression in her eyes was obscure and dark, yet beneath a golden light, it appeared exceptionally resolute and sharp.
“It’s a Challenge Order!”
Gu Jingyang cried out in alarm, and A’Ling abruptly looked up at the sky.
A golden light talisman flared from one corner. After it burned to ash, a massive character for ‘Battle’ hovered in the sky, shooting towards the central position of the twelve Peerless Floating Thrones.
Nice chapter
AYO WHAT WAIT