Chapter 7: Innate Sword Body

"Alright, since everyone has arrived, I won't say much more. The Three Sect Competition begins now."

Suddenly, dozens of arenas rose in the center of the plaza.

The Disciples from each Sect drew their respective opponents. Those who made it into the top thirty would receive rewards provided by the Profound Heaven Sect, with more generous prizes for higher rankings.

With the conclusion of the opponent drawing phase, the competition officially began.

As for those who drew opponents with some reputation, there was a chorus of wails, though there were also quite a few who laughed happily.

At this moment, the various Disciples ascended the stages, and the competition commenced simultaneously across dozens of arenas.

Just then, Wu Xiaofeng of the Profound Heaven Sect also took the stage, causing an immediate commotion below.

The gazes of every Sect converged, and whispers of discussion continuously arose from the crowd.

"Look, Wu Xiaofeng of the Profound Heaven Sect is on stage! He is a Genius with a Heavenly Spiritual Root. It is said that he broke through to the Qi Refining Stage 3 shortly before the competition."

"His opponent is from the Myriad Swords Sect and is only at the Qi Refining First Layer. There is no suspense here at all; that Myriad Swords Sect Disciple is truly unlucky."

Wu Xiaofeng stepped onto the arena and looked at his opponent before him.

"I am Wu Xiaofeng of the Profound Heaven Sect. Fellow Daoist, please."

"I am Wang Gang. Although I know I am not your match, I still want to see just how great the gap between us is."

"Then let us begin."

Wang Gang stepped back with one foot and charged instantly. Watching the oncoming Wang Gang, Wu Xiaofeng struck out with a palm, and a figure was sent flying off the arena.

Wang Gang slowly stood up, looked at Wu Xiaofeng, and said, "I admire you; I had no power to fight back at all."

Wu Xiaofeng cupped his hands toward him. "Wu Xiaofeng of Arena No. 3 is the winner."

The other arenas also saw continuous shifts in combatants.

At this time, Ye Lin also took the stage. His opponent was also a Disciple at the Qi Refining Second Layer. Su Yu and Han Shi noticed Ye Lin's appearance.

"Go for it, Brother Ye!" Su Yu also shouted encouragement.

Su Yu looked at Ye Lin's opponent; it appeared he had only recently broken through to the second layer. Ye Lin, however, had broken through some time ago, so this shouldn't pose too much of a threat.

On the arena, Ye Lin looked at his opponent. Judging by his aura, he hadn't broken through long ago, so this was a perfect chance to test the waters.

"I am Ye Lin of the Profound Heaven Sect."

"I am Chen Wen of the Myriad Swords Sect. Please advise."

Ye Lin took his stance. Chen Wen rushed forward, brandishing his longsword, and Ye Lin drew the Azure Cloud Sword.

Chen Wen instantly arrived before Ye Lin and thrust his sword out. Just as Ye Lin prepared to parry, he noticed something amiss.

Sure enough, just as the strike was about to hit Ye Lin, Chen Wen took two steps and instantly circled behind him, but Ye Lin had long since been on guard.

He swung his longsword to parry behind him. Seeing the situation, Chen Wen said, "Fellow Daoist has great skills." "I don't deserve the praise," Ye Lin replied.

Ye Lin's eyes darkened; it was coming.

Ye Lin then retracted his longsword and swung it forward. Chen Wen hurriedly parried. At first, he was able to block, but Ye Lin swung faster and faster, leaving several afterimages in the air.

In the end, Chen Wen could not parry any longer, and Ye Lin's longsword rested against his chest.

"Thank you, Fellow Daoist, for showing mercy."

Watching the scene, Han Shi shouted happily, "That was amazing!"

The matches continued, and Disciples were constantly eliminated. Soon, only 20 contestants remained.

Ye Lin was among them. During the process, he encountered opponents who were evenly matched provided he didn't use Clear Wind Swordplay. Fortunately, he hadn't encountered anyone at the Qi Refining Stage 3, otherwise, it would have been difficult to defend.

Ye Lin understood that everyone who made it into the top twenty was no simple matter. The Water Spirit Body from the Celestial Maiden Sect defeated her opponents in basically less than three moves, drawing screams from the crowd below.

The two Heavenly Spiritual Root Disciples of the Profound Heaven Sect also ended their battles quickly. Most shocking of all was a Disciple from the Myriad Swords Sect, whose opponents could basically not block a single move from him.

They didn't even have the qualifications to make him draw his sword, which attracted the attention of quite a few Elders on the stage.

Soon, the battle for the top ten began. Ye Lin looked at the opponent he had drawn.

"It seems I have reached the end."

He was facing the Water Spirit Body from the Celestial Maiden Sect. Ye Lin knew he had no chance of winning, but he prepared to give it his all to have a match without regrets.

Ye Lin walked onto the stage.

"Ye Lin of the Profound Heaven Sect."

"Yun Ruyan of the Celestial Maiden Sect. Please."

Ye Lin no longer needed to hide anything and directly used Clear Wind Swordplay. The Profound Heaven Sect Elder on the stage watched Ye Lin execute Clear Wind Swordplay and nodded, saying, "Not bad, he is a good seedling."

Yun Ruyan looked at the erratic swordplay before her. Daring not to be careless, she hurriedly parried. Suddenly, dozens of afterimages appeared in the air, moving at an extremely high speed.

Just as Ye Lin watched Yun Ruyan parrying before him, he prepared to unleash the essence of Clear Wind Swordplay to catch her off guard.

Ye Lin spotted a gap in Yun Ruyan's defense and swung his sword.

Watching the incoming longsword, Yun Ruyan prepared to block, but then she realized, "Oh no, I've been tricked."

This was an afterimage illusion created by Ye Lin; his real longsword was already striking toward her. Seeing the situation, Yun Ruyan had no choice but to bring out some of her true skills.

Yun Ruyan raised her palm and channeled her palm technique. Suddenly, streams of water appeared, circling her—Water Spirit Palm—and several palm imprints struck out.

Ye Lin hurriedly parried, but in the end, he was still knocked off the arena.

Ye Lin slowly stood up. "I have lost."

"If you were also at the Qi Refining Stage 3, you might have had a chance of winning, but in the end, you are only at the Qi Refining Second Layer."

Ye Lin was convinced of his defeat. He could be considered to have entered the top twenty; although he didn't make it into the top ten, it was still acceptable. Next time they met, he wouldn't necessarily lose, Ye Lin firmly believed.

This match also allowed Ye Lin to see the gap between himself and others.

Soon, the finals arrived. At this time, only Yun Ruyan of the Celestial Maiden Sect, Li Yi of the Myriad Swords Sect, Wu Xiaofeng of the Profound Heaven Sect, and another Heavenly Spiritual Root, Liu Qinghe, remained on the stage.

They were all existences at the Qi Refining Stage 3 and were the focal points of everyone's attention. The entire venue was cheering for these four, and then the matches began.

Liu Qinghe fought against Yun Ruyan, and Wu Xiaofeng fought against Li Yi. The matches started simultaneously.

Looking at Yun Ruyan, Liu Qinghe knew this would be a bitter battle. The audience below was basically attracted to these two; after all, who doesn't love watching beautiful women fight?

Liu Qinghe also knew from when she fought Ye Lin that she knew a palm technique called the Water Spirit Palm, but she didn't know what kind of power it had when used at full strength.

Liu Qinghe didn't bother testing her anymore and directly used the Ethereal Swordplay she knew. It was as if she were amidst clouds and mist, and sword shadows and palm shadows constantly clashed beside the two people on the arena.

This drew gasps from the crowd below, and the two were locked in an evenly matched battle for a time.

Looking at the continuously attacking Yun Ruyan, Liu Qinghe understood in her heart that if they kept fighting like this, it would only depend on who had more abundant spiritual energy, but there was nothing else to be done.

Yun Ruyan looked at the scene before her and understood as well. Thinking that there was another match afterward, she stopped holding back and brought out her full strength.

She unleashed the Minor Achievement level Water Spirit Palm. The streams of water circling her instantly expanded several times over, and the situation was immediately reversed.

Liu Qinghe shifted from a balanced offense and defense to being able to only defend. For a time, she could only barely block with her swordplay, and she was constantly forced to retreat.

Looking at the situation, Liu Qinghe knew she had no chance of winning. Her Ethereal Sword Art was still just a little bit away from entering the Minor Achievement Realm.

As Yun Ruyan continued to attack, Liu Qinghe was forced to the edge of the arena and eventually fell off.

Liu Qinghe stood up. "I lost, but next time, it might not be the same."

"Then I will wait for you."

Ling Wanqing on the Spirit Boat watched the scene on the arena and nodded.

She then looked toward the match between Wu Xiaofeng and Li Yi.

Unexpectedly, the Myriad Swords Sect has found a true peerless Prodigy this time; they actually found someone with an Innate Sword Body.

This is an existence that truly stands above many Physiques, especially on the path of the Dao of the Sword.

This type of Physique is naturally a peerless sword embryo; their comprehension of swordplay far exceeds that of ordinary people. As long as they do not perish halfway, they will surely reach the Peak of this Realm.