Chapter 40 - The Arrival of the Elder
All the disciples’ gazes turned arrogant, along with a hint of anticipation.
This Qin Nan is incredibly audacious—he even has the guts to publicly challenge Senior Brother Mo in the sect. Now that he had been called trash by Huang Long, what kind of reaction would he have?
Qin Nan wore no expression after hearing what was said, as he indifferently replied, “Trash? It has only been a short twenty days since my Martial Spirit awakened. Even you, Huang Long, are not qualified to call me trash, right?”
As Qin Nan said this, a sharp stream of Saber Intent rose from his body, dashed towards the sky, and swept over the entire area.
At this moment, all of the disciples froze. All of the mockery and mischievous glints in their eyes were replaced by ghastly astonishment.
“Twenty days? Has his cultivation reached the fifth-layer Body Tempering Realm in this time? Furthermore, is that Saber Intent?”
“As expected, this Qin Nan should not be underestimated at all. Being able to cultivate to the fifth-layer Body Tempering stage in such a short period of time, his Martial Spirit must be at least of the eighth-grade Huang rank. Furthermore, you need at least Greater Success in One with the Saber before you can release this Saber Intent….
“Tsk, no wonder he is accompanied by Senior Sister Xiao Qingxue in person.”
“Now I finally understand why—with his potential, no wonder Qin Nan dares to challenge Mo Li!”
“……”
All the disciples who were mute in astonishment earlier gradually recovered and analyzed the situation carefully.
After all, they were all geniuses brought by the Mystic Spirit Sect from the realms’ cities with abundant knowledge and rich experiences. A hint of amazement flashed in Huang Long’s eyes. He studied Qin Nan from head to toe again, and with a lopsided smile, he said: “Not bad. This level of talent far surpasses other geniuses of the eighth-grade Huang rank. I take back what I said earlier; indeed, you are not trash—you do have some capabilities.”
Qin Nan nodded indifferently, while the hostility that lingered in his heart also disappeared.
Although Huang Long was used by Lin Zixiao to try and suppress him, when things were done, responsibility had to be taken.
As Huang Long backed off first, Qin Nan’s impression of him improved.
At least this Huang Long wasn’t someone who took advantages of others by abusing the authority he held.
As Lin Zixiao understood the situation, knowing his plan had failed. He scorned: “So what if he achieved the fifth-layer Body Tempering stage with Saber Intent? He is still trash. Against this trash, I would only need one move to destroy him.”
The new disciples all nodded hesitantly in acknowledgment after hearing his words.
Although Lin Zixiao was not as good as Huang Long, his cultivation has also reached eighth-layer Body Tempering stage. Not to mention the existence of his ninth-grade Huang rank Martial Spirit.
By the conversation earlier, they could roughly confirm that Qin Nan’s Martial Spirit was eighth-grade Huang ranked.
If Qin Nan was going to battle Lin Zixiao, it was possible that Qin Nan wouldn’t even withstand a single move of his.
“Lin Zixiao, this is the White Jade Dojo, not a place for you to insult others.” Xiao Qingxue spoke incisively: “As you said, so what if you have a ninth-grade Huang rank Martial Spirit? In my eyes, you are a trash that I can defeat in a single move.”
As soon as Xiao Qingxue finished speaking, a killing intent floated around her body, and the atmosphere in the training ground abruptly became frigid.
At this moment, all the disciples widened their eyes, as they never thought that a beauty like Xiao Qingxue would have had such a vicious side.
Lin Zixiao’s facial expressions froze; he never thought that for the sake of Qin Nan, Xiao Qingxue would turn against him.
However, he was unable to confute what Xiao Qingxue had said, as was the absolute truth. Even though his Martial Spirit had reached the ninth-rank Huang rank, wanting to surpass Xiao Qingxue within a year or two was impossible.
“Hmm.” Lin Zixiao ignored Xiao Qingxue’s threat and spoke to Qin Nan: “Just wait ‘til the Trial of Versatility.”
Lin Zixiao left after finishing his words. He blended into the new disciples, speaking freely and laughing, as if he was never threatened by Xiao Qingxue.
Huang Long sat down cross-legged by himself. He began to cultivate from this position and within ten meters around him, no one dared to disturb him.
Xiao Qingxue sighed in relief and gradually withdrew her aura, before speaking to Qin Nan in a low voice: “Don’t be concerned by Lin Zixiao’s threat. This happened because of me. If he dares to pick on you again, tell me, and I will take care of it for you.”
Xiao Qingxue said this purely out of consideration for Qin Nan.
Whether with his Martial Spirit or cultivation now, Qin Nan was not on par with Lin Zixiao at all.
Considering their backgrounds, how could Qin Nan—who recently joined the Mystic Spirit Sect—compete against Mo Li?
Naturally, Qin Nan understood what Xiao Qingxue meant. He felt warmth creep into his heart, as he said with a light smile: “Qingxue, don’t worry about me. There is nothing I, Qin Nan, fear in the world. Additionally, I’m not someone that can be pushed around that easily, so you needn’t worry.”
As Qin Nan said this, his tone was cold: “When the times comes, Lin Zixiao will be the one to regret this.”
Xiao Qingxue’s eyes widened in astonishment and she stared at Qin Nan in disbelief.
This guy, where does he get his confidence from to make even Lin Zixiao regretful?
However, without knowing why, Xiao Qingxue believed him.
Following this, the entire White Jade Dojo’s atmosphere heated up as all the new disciples talked and made friends.
Perhaps because Qin Nan had offended Mo Li and Lin Zixiao, it caused him to be isolated with no one wanting to approach him. However, that was fine for Qin Nan as it allowed more space for him to question Xiao Qingxue.
On account of this, Qin Nan’s understanding of the Mystic Spirit Sect grew a bit deeper.
After the time it took approximately three incenses to burn, a stream of extremely boundless air suddenly shot from far away and—like a burst of fierce wind—filled the entire White Jade Dojo.
All the new disciples’ expression changed slightly, as they raised their heads as one.
Qin Nan’s breath also slowed for a second as the sense of pressure was even greater than the pressure which the Martial King realm had.
At this moment, Xiao Qingxue murmured in a low voice: “The elder has arrived…”
Qin Nan’s body tensed as he raised his head. A white-haired elder in a black robe floated in mid-air, before stepping toward them casually as if he was taking a stroll.
This elder scanned the training ground, immediately noticing Huang Long and Lin Zixiao. He immediately nodded slightly, as he spoke in a loud and clear voice: “Not bad, ninth-grade Huang rank Martial Spirits. You two, remember to try your best—I will be watching your growth closely.”
As the elder spoke, Huang Long’s expression did not change, but a ghost of pride crept into Lin Zixiao’s face.
The other disciples present displayed their sense of jealousy and envy, but inside their heart, none of them felt it was unfair.
After the elder spoke, he did not pay any attention to any other disciples, nor did he say anything unnecessary: “I presume everyone present knows about the Trial of Versatility. It will commence in ten days—at dawn all of you will gather here in the White Jade Dojo, waiting for orders.”
The elder continues: “Within these ten days before the commencement of the competition, all of the new disciples are allowed to advance to the Martial Hall to receive their single opportunity to select a martial skill. Huang Long and Lin Zixiao will have two chances each. After selecting the skills, there will be designated disciples to greet and organize your accommodations to begin your cultivations.”
As the elder finished his sentence—without waiting for them to recover from the information given—a stream of killing intent surged. In a cold voice, he said: “Apart from this, everyone must remember that if anyone dares to battle, or challenge each other to a duel, it will be treated as violating the rules and they will be exiled from the sect.
As soon as he finished talking, the elder floated away without staying an extra second, as if nobody other than Lin Zixiao and Huang Long was worthy of his attention.