As soon as they entered the mountain gate, the scene before them suddenly opened up.
Before their eyes was an enormous flat area, upon which rows of tables were placed, and on these tables, some top-grade Yao Beast meat was laid out.
These Yao Beasts, at their lowest, must have been Nascent Soul Stage Great Yaos when alive; this was Divine Sword City's lavish display to entertain the Disciples of various major forces.
Beside them stood Li Youwei and Li Youran.
Upon seeing Ye Lin enter the mountain gate, a look of surprise flashed in Li Youran's eyes.
She knew most of the Disciples from the major forces in Tianhe County, but Ye Lin was unfamiliar to her, which was why she specifically tested him.
This was to prevent Ye Lin from being some wild kid intentionally trying to get close to her younger sister.
Her younger sister had grown up within the mountain sect and was entering the world for the first time; she was incredibly naive, and Li Youran couldn't let her be deceived by some wild kid.
Now, seeing this, she felt relieved.
Anyone who could enter here was from a major force, and merely being from a major force wasn't enough; you needed to hold a significant position within that force to be allowed in.
She didn't believe that any successor from a major force would intentionally approach her younger sister; they wouldn't stoop to that.
"Young Master Ye, please come this way; here are some rare delicacies that are hard to come by on a normal day."
At this moment, Li Youran approached Ye Lin with Li Youwei, saying with a smile.
Li Youwei looked at Ye Lin, then at her own sister, secretly comparing them in her mind.
The previous actions made her feel that her sister might not be worthy of Ye Lin.
She also felt a bit delayed by her sister, not expecting her sister to be such a person.
Her desire for gain was too strong, making her unsuitable for aspiring to the Great Dao.
"Alright."
Ye Lin smiled and nodded; out of consideration for Li Youwei, he didn't take the previous incident to heart at all.
"Benefactor, we meet again."
Just then, Wu Xin, with a smile on his Face, clasped his hands together and bowed before Ye Lin.
"Buddha Son of Fo Shan, Wu Xin."
Li Youran, standing beside them, looked at Wu Xin with a solemn expression.
The Wu Xin before her was precisely the Buddha Son of Fo Shan, a reclusive force in Tianhe County.
Tianhe County had several major reclusive forces, whose strength was unknown; no one knew how powerful they truly were.
However, if you offended one of them, even the most prominent force on the surface of Tianhe County couldn't protect you.
This was why she felt as if she had received a great pardon.
And seeing Wu Xin and Ye Lin acting so familiar with each other made Li Youran ponder.
What kind of person had her younger sister befriended?
Someone who knew the Buddha Son of Fo Shan?
"Monk, we meet again. What? Are your matters finished?"
"Minor matters, just some trivial things."
Wu Xin smiled slightly at Ye Lin.
"Sister, it's this big monk! He bullied me earlier! Sister, Ye Lin wouldn't help me hit him, you quickly help me hit him, hit him dead!"
Unexpectedly, Li Youwei, standing next to Ye Lin, tugged at Li Youran's skirt and pointed at Wu Xin, saying loudly.
"Li Youran greets the Buddha Son."
"Wu Xin greets the Benefactor."
Wu Xin smiled faintly.
Meanwhile, Li Youran pulled her sister aside.
The person before them was the Buddha Son of Fo Shan; truthfully, she was not Wu Xin's opponent.
"gentlemen, please come this way."
Wu Xin extended his left hand, and Ye Lin walked side by side with him towards the front.
"Benefactor, do you have confidence in winning the first prize of Divine Sword City?"
Wu Xin looked at Ye Lin beside him, asking with a smile.
"One cannot underestimate the people of the world. Whether I have confidence or not, we'll only know after fighting; words are useless."
Ye Lin shook his head.
If it was just talk, of course, he could say anything.
Everything would only be known after a confrontation.
"However, Divine Sword City's release of the Sword Book as a reward this time is just to attract people. In truth, it's still an internal matter."
Hearing Wu Xin's words, Ye Lin's heart stirred.
"Monk, what do you mean by that?"
"Benefactor, you may not know, but Jian Wushuang, the biological son of Divine Sword City's City Lord, awakened a High Grade Spiritual Root at eighteen and began to Cultivate. At nineteen, he entered the Foundation Establishment Stage, condensing a three-grade Dao Platform."
"And at twenty, he entered the Golden Core Stage, condensing a Nine-Colored Golden Core. At twenty-one, he Broke through to Golden Core Peak."
"Furthermore, he comprehended Heaven and Earth Sword Intent three years ago. Now, three years have passed, and Jian Wushuang is still at Golden Core Peak, but no one knows how strong he truly is now."
"It is said that Jian Wushuang can already contend with Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators."
"And once he enters the Nascent Soul Stage, he will be supreme within the Nascent Soul Stage."
"As for his current strength, some say that within the same Realm, no matter what Prodigy, he can defeat them with a single sword strike."
"Benefactor, after Little Monk has said all this, do you still have confidence?"
After Wu Xin finished speaking, Ye Lin was inwardly surprised.
Jian Wushuang, true to his name, was indeed unparalleled.
If it was truly as Wu Xin said, then Jian Wushuang's current combat power was too terrifying.
He had already comprehended Heaven and Earth Sword Intent three years ago, and his cultivation had remained at Golden Core Peak for three years.
With his unparalleled cultivation speed, how profound must his foundation be now?
However, Ye Lin felt no fear within. Although Jian Wushuang was strong, he himself was not bad either.
He had only been Cultivating for a little over four years now.
five-grade dao platform, Nine-Colored Golden Core; within each Realm, he was the strongest.
Moreover, he had also comprehended Destruction Sword Intent.
In terms of foundation, he was inferior to Jian Wushuang, but in terms of unparalleled talent, he far surpassed Jian Wushuang.
"Even you, Monk, are not his opponent?"
Ye Lin turned to look at Wu Xin.
From their first meeting until now, he couldn't see through this monk. In their previous encounter, this monk didn't use his full strength.
It was as if this monk had some concealing treasure on him; in his eyes, this monk was a mist, completely unfathomable.
Hearing this, Wu Xin gently shook his head.
Three years ago, Jian Wushuang could make Nascent Soul Stage Yao Beasts temporarily avoid his edge with a single sword strike.
This was something he couldn't do even now.
It was a well-known fact in the Cultivation world that one couldn't fight across major Realms.
Because of this, Heavenly Dao did not permit it.
No matter how much of a Prodigy you were, you couldn't fight across major Realms.
And now, three years had passed; how terrifying Jian Wushuang's foundation was, he didn't know.
"What about Benefactor?"
Wu Xin turned to look at Ye Lin.
Wu Xin was born with pure senses and an enlightened mind, with innate wisdom.
He could see through ordinary people with just a glance.
But Ye Lin, he couldn't see through.
This made him interested; Ye Lin was the second person of his same Realm whom he couldn't see through.
The first was Jian Wushuang.
"Can't see through" meant truly couldn't see through the person themselves; some concealing treasures didn't count.
"Still the same words: whether it works or not, we'll only know after fighting."
"Hahaha, Benefactor is very interesting. Little Monk is even more interested in Benefactor."
Hearing this, Ye Lin suddenly turned to look at Wu Xin, staring into his eyes, his heart tightened.
This monk looked so handsome and refined; could it be...
Unconsciously, Ye Lin quietly distanced himself from the monk.
Wu Xin, however, was full of confusion, taking a few steps to come beside Ye Lin.
"Why is Benefactor intentionally keeping distance from Little Monk?"
"Nothing, just a bit hot. It's a bit hot standing together, so being farther apart allows for ventilation and is cooler."
Ye Lin pulled at the collar of his shirt, shaking it to air it out.
"Hot?"
Wu Xin tilted his head in confusion, pondering.
Since embarking on Cultivation, he hadn't heard that word in a long time.
Do Golden Core Stage Cultivators also feel hot?
