Chapter 17: Hey Brat, Come With Me to See That Old Fossil

With everyone watching in anticipation, Lin Xiao and Shen Gao stepped onto the dueling platform.

Shen Gao still carried himself with his usual air of elegance and self-confidence.

This energized the Outer Sect Disciples below, who began cheering loudly for him.

After all, he was the universally acknowledged top Outer Sect Disciple.

They still hoped that Senior Brother Shen could claim first place in the trial.

Lin Xiao studied his opponent's demeanor and felt a flicker of anticipation.

Now that his Sword Intent had grown stronger, he had been looking for someone to test its power against.

But he didn't think Shen Gao was worthy of that honor.

"Junior Brother Lin, might I discuss something with you?" Shen Gao said with a smile.

"Please go ahead, Senior Brother," Lin Xiao replied, puzzled.

He couldn't figure out what Shen Gao was trying to do.

"I know I'm no match for you, Junior Brother, so I concede this match," Shen Gao said with an easy, gracious smile.

"Huh??"

Lin Xiao was stunned.

The other Outer Sect Disciples were completely dumbfounded.

"Why??"

"How could Senior Brother Shen just concede outright?"

"Even if that Lin Xiao is strong, surrendering without even fighting is just too hard to swallow."

Not far away, Gu Shi glared at Shen Gao, his lips curling as he muttered, "This guy — always has to make a show of things!"

Shen Gao had long anticipated everyone's reaction.

After watching the match between Lin Xiao and Gu Shi, he already knew how his own fight would end.

He felt helpless about it.

Most importantly, he knew that Lin Xiao had comprehended Sword Intent.

That was the hallmark of a Revolving Pill Realm powerhouse.

Even though he was the top Outer Sect Disciple, he was still worlds apart from achieving something like Sword Intent.

He continued speaking to Lin Xiao: "But before I concede, would you allow me to experience the level of Junior Brother Lin's swordsmanship?"

Hearing this, Lin Xiao understood roughly what he meant.

It seemed this person was a sensible one.

"Of course. By the way, I'd like to ask — what sword art does Senior Brother practice?" Lin Xiao asked.

"Hmm? Me? The Rainbow Light Sword Art," Shen Gao replied.

The moment the words left his mouth —

The longsword behind Lin Xiao flew out of its scabbard and into his hand on its own.

In an instant.

A tremendous surge of Sword Qi erupted outward, like a river of stars hanging across the sky, rainbow light blazing against the sun.

Even the scorching sun overhead seemed to retreat three feet.

That blinding radiance and aura instantly stung the eyes of everyone present.

Brilliant and razor-sharp.

By the time they recovered their senses —

Shen Gao had already been sent flying dozens of meters off the dueling platform.

He appeared to have suffered minor injuries.

Meanwhile, Lin Xiao had already sheathed his sword and was calmly stepping down from the platform.

This… this…

That was unbelievably powerful!

Senior Brother Shen hadn't been able to mount even the slightest counterattack.

Not a single Outer Sect Disciple dared to say another word.

If that single sword strike had been aimed at any of them —

Forget blocking it; they would likely have been severely wounded or even killed outright.

At that moment, Shen Gao climbed back to his feet.

His eyes were filled with reverence and shock.

Then he bowed toward Lin Xiao and said, "Thank you for the guidance, Junior Brother!!"

There was not a trace of pretense in those words.

He meant every word sincerely.

The other disciples were stunned once again.

Goodness.

Had Senior Brother Shen been knocked senseless?

Getting defeated by someone and then thanking them for the guidance?

"Senior Brother Gu, why is Senior Brother Shen thanking that Lin Xiao??" a disciple beside Gu Shi asked.

"Why are you asking me? Go ask Shen Gao yourself," Gu Shi replied coldly and walked away.

This Lin Xiao was terrifying. What he had just displayed was the most essential move of the Rainbow Light Sword Art.

Without cultivating the Rainbow Light Sword Art to grand completion, it was simply impossible to execute.

Even Shen Gao himself couldn't pull it off to that degree.

Closed-door cultivation!

He needed to go into seclusion immediately.

He had always fancied himself a sword dao genius, but compared to Lin Xiao, he was nothing at all.

And just like that —

This year's Outer Sect Trial came to an end.

Lin Xiao placed first, Shen Gao second, and Gu Shi third.

The rewards were distributed accordingly.

Lin Xiao accepted the bottle of high-grade Origin Restoration Pills that Elder Chen handed him, feeling quite pleased.

The bottle contained ten high-grade Origin Restoration Pills in total.

Each one was worth 200 Low-Grade Spirit Stones on the open market, making the entire bottle worth 2,000 Low-Grade Spirit Stones.

For Lin Xiao, who had only a little over three hundred Spirit Stones left after buying his spirit sword, this was a considerable windfall.

Taking two a day and rationing carefully, he could keep cultivating for a while.

"Come on, kid, let's go — hurry up!" Old Mu with the white beard had already grown impatient waiting.

Now that the trial was over, he grabbed Lin Xiao by the shoulder, and the two of them vanished from the Outer Sect Plaza.

Meanwhile, the discussions about Lin Xiao continued on the plaza.

* * *

Elsewhere.

Sword Demon Sect. Crimson Flame Peak.

An Inner Sect Disciple with a weary expression made his way to the entrance of a main hall building.

"That's Senior Brother Wu. This is his last chance, isn't it?"

"It's so hard to become Master's Core Disciple."

"If he fails again this time, he'll lose his eligibility to become a Core Disciple entirely."

"He rushed it. If he had waited another year before taking Master's test, he definitely could have passed — but now there's no hope."

"Indeed, what a shame. Even the top Inner Sect Disciple couldn't pass Master's test. How could an ordinary person hope to?"

Listening to the whispers around him, Wu Zongcheng's expression remained unchanged.

He walked up to the entrance of the main hall, knelt on the ground, and declared in a clear voice, "Master, your disciple has come to take the test."

The nearby disciples of Crimson Flame Peak shook their heads slightly.

Sure enough.

Senior Brother Wu was using his last chance.

"Zongcheng, are you certain? This test measures your comprehension — and your state of mind as well," a stern voice rang out from within the hall.

"I am certain!" Wu Zongcheng declared firmly.

"Then begin in thirty minutes," the stern voice replied, sounding faintly resigned.

"Yes!" Wu Zongcheng answered.

The other disciples watching were puzzled.

Senior Brother Wu had no clue about the Raging Flame Sword Art just last month — how could he have made a breakthrough in just a few days?

Impossible, surely?

The Raging Flame Sword Art was easy to understand but hard to master.

Those who could comprehend it to the state of perfection were few and far between in all of Sword Demon Sect.

Senior Brother Wu's state of mind was still too unstable.

Word spread quickly, and many disciples from Crimson Flame Peak came rushing over to watch.

Wu Zongcheng closed his eyes and steadied his breathing.

In his mind, he replayed over and over the scenes from a few days ago — inside the private room at the Trading Plaza, where that mysterious junior brother had demonstrated the art for him, move by move.

Sword Demon Sect had nine main peaks, each housing three thousand Inner Sect Disciples.

Pass the Master's test, and one could become the Master's Core Disciple.

From there, with diligent cultivation over the years, it might not be long before one could challenge the Inner Sect Elite Rankings.

A sect's resources were always finite.

They could not be shared equally among all disciples.

Within Sword Demon Sect, the majority of premium resources, opportunities, and Fortuitous Encounters were allocated first to those ranked on the Inner Sect Elite Rankings.

And the Inner Sect Elite Rankings only had room for the top one hundred.

So every rank gained meant access to significantly more sect resources.

Competition drove out the best from the rest.

This wasn't cruelty — it was reality.

Wu Zongcheng tightened his grip on his sword hilt.

This last chance — he had to seize it.

To earn his Master's true Inheritance and favor.

He would give everything he had.

"Master, I am ready," Wu Zongcheng opened his eyes and said in a steady, low voice.