Chapter 1392 - What Has It Got To Do With You?
Lin Yun could no longer maintain his composure. There might be a possibility that the Radiant Sword Saint had no intention to take him in as a disciple because Feng Jue or Jian Jingtian didn’t give him a confirmation about it.
The reason he chose to partic.i.p.ate in the test was to prove himself. But if he was wrong from the start, it would be awkward. If the Radiant Sword Saint had no intention of taking him as a disciple, why did he send Feng Jue to protect him on the Heavenly Path?
He saw his relations.h.i.+p with others significantly. If Feng Jue saved his life under the Radiant Sword Saint’s order, the Radiant Sword Saint had helped him. After all, the Radiant Sword Saint had chosen to save him when he was at the Heavenly Soul Realm. But what if he had guessed wrong?
“Lin Yun, what are you thinking?” Just when everyone was exclaiming at the Saint Clans" foundation, Ye Ziling sensed the changes in Lin Yun’s gaze. Lin Yun had always been composed, and it was rare for his emotions to fluctuate.
“I’m fine.” Lin Yun squeezed out a smile.
Seeing Lin Yun wasn’t willing to tell her, Ye Ziling didn’t ask and only noted it in her heart. Right then, Lin Yun sensed two familiar auras examining him from not too far away. When Lin Yun turned around, he smiled when he saw Zhao Yan and Gongsun Yan.
He didn’t expect these two to take part in the test, especially Gongsun Yan, who had always claimed to be from the Sword Emperor’s lineage.
“Lin Yun, it has been a long time.” Zhao Yan greeted him with a smile. He was happy to see Lin Yun. Or rather, he came to the test because of Lin Yun.
“Why are you two here?” Ye Ziling asked.
“Why not? The test is held once every four years. I heard that saints would take in disciples this time, which is the perfect opportunity for us to spread our name. As swordsmen, how can we not show up?” Gongsun Yan laughed. He was still as aloof as ever.
“Then, let us go together. After we pa.s.s the test, we’ll become fellow martial disciples,” said Ye Ziling.
“Easy peasy. Let’s aim to become a disciple of a saint, or it’ll be too embarra.s.sing,” said Gongsun Yan. Ever since he received an opportunity from the Sword Emperor, this significantly boosted his confidence. So he wanted to forge a name for himself at the Elysium Core Realm, and the test held once every four years was the best opportunity.
Half an incense stick of time later, they came to the foot of the mountain where the first stage was held. There were 999 steps of stairs to the Sword Sect, and there was an ordinary rock on a platform that gave off an ancient and majestic aura.
At the top of the 999 steps of stairs, they could faintly see the Sword Sect’s signboard with an ancient sword rune. The rune was like a blazing sun that gave off a majestic and boundless aura. Just looking at it could make anyone’s scalps go numb.
The stairs were ordinary, but the rune on the signboard and the sword on the gate would make climbing the stairs even more difficult. They would have to bear immense pressure with every single step, and one would make it through the first stage if one could climb up the stairs.
A few hundred people were climbing the stairs before them, and people would constantly fall from them. When they fell, they would be covered with injuries. The sword aura contained in the stairs was terrifying. So those who suffered the backlash of it would end up in a terrible state.
They would be quickly taken away, and their injuries surprised many people because those injuries were too severe. But they weren’t afraid and continued to climb the stairs. Some even continued after going through the 999 stairsteps, as if they wanted to prove themselves.
“Many people have already pa.s.sed the test. But there’s something they’re trying to prove to themselves by continuing to climb the stairs,” Ye Ziling asked.
“Does that sword have an origin?” Gongsun Yan was curious.
“I heard that it was the sword that belonged to the Radiant Sword Saint before he became a saint!” Zhao Yan replied.
“I see. If I can touch or even pull that sword out, I bet that’ll shock the entire Ancient Barren Domain, right? This is a great opportunity for me to spread my name. So I won’t let it go!” Gongsun Yan said with his eyes lit up.
“What are you guys standing here for? Are you guys afraid?” While observing the gate, Jiang Tao’s cold voice resounded as the Flowing Cloud Sect’s party came. He took a deep breath and stepped on the stairs before he shot up and ended on the hundredth step when he landed.
“Holy s.h.i.+t, who’s that?”
“That’s Jiang Tao, isn’t it? The chief disciple of the Flowing Cloud Sect. I heard that he’s a member of the Jiang Saint Clan.”
“It no wonder why he’s so strong.” Jiang Tao’s performance sparked an uproar that made Jiang Tao inwardly rejoice. He first threw a glance at Lin Yun before he continued to climb the stairs. As he released his sword intent, he swiftly climbed the stairs and caught up with many people before him.
“Not bad.” Lin Yun squinted his eyes. Jiang Tao might have lost to him ten days ago, but Jiang Tao was still a cultivator at the Greater Elysium Core Realm with a st.u.r.dy foundation. If nothing went wrong, he should be able to join the Sword Sect.
After Jiang Tao crossed the three hundredth stairstep, he slowed down and looked at Lin Yun with a disdainful smirk.
“This fellow is even more arrogant than before.” Feng Zhang and Liu Qingyan gritted their teeth. When they had just arrived in Azureblack City, Jiang Tao provoked them, wanting to ‘visit’ Ye Ziling. Even after Lin Yun taught him a lesson, he still mocked them for being frogs in a well and said they couldn"t join the Sword Sect. Even when taking the test, he didn’t forget to provoke them.
“He’s courting death!” Ye Ziling instantly became furious. She had been putting up with Jiang Tao for a long time. So she finally lost it when she saw Jiang Tao’s provocating gaze after he reached the three hundredth step.
As snow flowers bloomed in Ye Ziling’s pupils, she turned into a purple streak and shot forth, leaving behind crackling lightning in her path. She crossed more than two hundred steps in the blink of an eye and was about to catch up with Jiang Tao.
“Senior Sister has to change that foul temper of hers…” Lin Yun helplessly said, and his words instantly made everyone’s lips twitch.
Jiang Tao, who was climbing the stairs, was startled when he suddenly sensed a boundless sword aura exploding behind him. When he turned around and saw Ye Ziling, his expression loosened up, and he smiled, “Lady Ye, you want to climb the stairs together with me? I will surely welcome you. Lin Yun is too arrogant, and he’ll die sooner or later. If you’re together with me, I can introduce my cousin, Jiang Tian, to you. When he looked at you from afar earlier, he was pretty interested in you!”
It was still alright if he didn’t speak. But his words instantly made Ye Ziling even more furious and a dragon roar echoed from her body. As she activated the Divine Dragon Saint Physique, she reached her hand out and made a grab for Jiang Tao. As lightning and snow bloomed in her palm, a dragon coiled around her and a dragon claw flew towards Jiang Tao.
“W-What are you trying to do?” Jiang Tao’s face changed. But his cultivation was at the Greater Elysium Core Realm, so his reaction was swift when facing danger, and he ducked to the side.
“Shadowless Dragon!” Ye Ziling’s eyes flashed with a cold light, and using her fingers as like a sword, she thrust them at Jiang Tao, instantly destroying the astral energy enveloping him. Before Jiang Tao could react, Ye Ziling grabbed onto Jiang Tao’s shoulder and threw him back, “Get lost!”
Ye Ziling had used the Dragon Blood Sword Sutra taught to her by Su Ziyao and emitted a terrifying pressure. This caught Jiang Tao by surprise since Ye Ziling immediately threw him out. Just like that, he rolled down the stairs and was injured because of it, causing him to throw out blood. Just like that, Jiang Tao, who was still provoking Lin Yun’s party just a moment ago, was lying before them.
“Brother, aren’t you a little too fast? The test has just started, and you’ve already ended it.” Gongsun Yan couldn’t help smiling when he looked at Jiang Tao’s pathetic state.
Jiang Tao was dizzy and wanted to say something. But he immediately fainted because of his severe injuries, and this scene instantly left everyone dumbfounded. This was the first stage of the test, and fights weren’t forbidden. So it was fine for partic.i.p.ants to fight as long as they didn’t unleash their constellation.
But they never expected that the first person to make a move would be a woman, not to mention that her strength was terrifying. Jiang Tao, who was s.h.i.+ning brightly just a moment ago, was utterly humiliated and left in such a pathetic state.
This scene shocked many people, including those geniuses who were already climbing the stairs as they turned around. Jiang Tian, who had climbed the four hundredth step, also turned back. But when he saw this scene, rage flashed through his pupils.
Although Jiang Tao was a branch member of the Jiang Saint Clan, Ye Ziling’s act of publicly humiliating him was the same as not placing the Jiang Saint Clan in her eyes.
“Lady, aren’t you a little too ruthless?” Jiang Tian ultimately spoke up, which instantly caused the surroundings to fall into silence. No one had expected that Jiang Tian would pay attention to this matter.
“This is my affair, so what has it got to do with you?” But what shocked them even further was Ye Ziling immediately rebuking Jiang Tian.