The old man's smile was warm and approachable. Lin Yun took the "Seven Mystic Sword Art" and pulled up his own panel.
[Name]: Lin Yun
[Realm]: Nascent Yuan Eighth Level (Translator's note: Original text has a typo here, listing Nascent Yuan First Level, but previous chapters established him at eighth level. Translating based on established progression.)
[Destiny]: Lone Star of Calamity (Black)
[Fate]: Imminent Disaster (Black), Smooth Sailing (Purple)
[Smooth Sailing]: You have the help of a benefactor, and things will go your way in the near future. [Outcome]: After a difficult and frustrating life, you finally start to see some success, only to be betrayed and pushed off a cliff, shattering your body into pieces.
[Recent Turning Point]: In one month, you will be killed by an enemy, with no place for burial!
An added purple fate?
Unfortunately, it seemed destiny was hard to defy. Even with the help of a benefactor, was death still unavoidable?
Lin Yun sighed and looked at the old man before him.
Could the so-called benefactor be this man?
[Name]: Deng Pengzu
[Realm]: Eighth Level of the Myriad Laws Realm
[Destiny]: Righteous Aura (Purple)
[Fate]: Single Noble (Green), Wine Sword Immortal (Blue), Divine Telekinesis (Purple)
[Righteous Aura]: You possess an upright aura, making it difficult for evil to approach you.
[Single Noble]: A natural-born, steel-straight man with terrible luck with the opposite sex. Your cultivation speed increases when you are single. A woman will only slow the speed at which I draw my sword!!!
[Wine Sword Immortal]: Your comprehension becomes extremely high while drunk, and your combat power increases.
[Divine Telekinesis]: You have shown great talent for controlling objects since childhood and have now reached a state of perfection.
[Outcome]: A hundred years ago, you were seriously injured in a battle in the Boundless Sea, and your cultivation plummeted. You eventually retired to the Flowing Cloud Sect under a new name, living out a carefree life.
[Recent Turning Point]: Goes down the mountain to buy wine but gets a fake bottle. In a rage, he smashes the wine shop.
Staring at Deng Pengzu's roguish appearance, Lin Yun found it hard to believe.
This could be his benefactor? Had the system made a mistake somewhere?
"Rest assured, Senior. If I have the time, I will come to visit you." Lin Yun generously accepted the sword manual, then patted the dust off his pants and left.
Deng Pengzu watched him go and couldn't help but rub his nose awkwardly. "This kid... he's got some personality."
"There are still a few days left. That should be enough time for you to learn this sword art, right?"
...
Returning to his Cave Abode, Lin Yun immediately began to study the "Seven Mystic Sword Art." The most significant difference with mortal sword arts was that they didn't require yuan energy to be used. This was precisely what Lin Yun needed right now. If he wanted to participate in the Inner Sect Grand Competition, he would have to show some real skills, but all of Lin Yun's current techniques couldn't see the light of day.
For the next few days, Lin Yun stayed in his Cave Abode, practicing the "Seven Mystic Sword Art." Every night, he would practice the "Primordial Chaos Sword Embryo," and the Mysterious Yuan Embryo grew more transparent with each passing day. Lin Yun could vaguely see a creature moving inside it. As for the "Strange Records of Mountains and Seas," the first half described many rare and strange beasts, but the latter half was filled with dense text that Lin Yun couldn't understand.
Just like that, the day of the Inner Sect Grand Competition arrived. This was one of the liveliest events in the Flowing Cloud Sect.
A position as an inner-sect disciple of the Flowing Cloud Sect was not set in stone. Every year at this time, the sect would select some underperforming disciples from the inner sect to compete against the outer-sect disciples. If they won, they would remain in the inner sect. But if they lost, they would naturally be demoted to outer-sect disciples.
However, it was very difficult for an outer-sect disciple to defeat an inner-sect disciple with their limited resources. Although the competition was held every year, not even one in ten outer-sect disciples could succeed.
On this day, Lin Yun had also prepared early. He changed his clothes and brought along a wooden sword he had recently carved. He wrapped the wooden sword in cloth and carried it on his back.
When Lin Yun arrived at the Martial Arts Hall, there were already many outer-sect disciples present. Most of these people were in the Nascent Yuan Realm. Lin Yun scanned the crowd and was surprised to find that there were even a few outer-sect disciples at the Yuan Sea Realm this time. To be able to cultivate to the Yuan Sea Realm in a place like the outer sect, every one of these individuals was exceptionally talented. Lin Yun took a look and saw that all three of them had successfully advanced.
"Wow, this year's Inner Sect Grand Competition is really lively!"
"You're not wrong! I heard this year is different from before. The sect has put up a lot of good stuff for this competition!" a few outer-sect disciples whispered nearby.
This year's competition would first have the outer-sect disciples battle it out. The top ten would all receive different rewards, with the prizes for the top three being particularly generous. Most importantly, the first-place prize was an extremely rare Tribulation-Crossing Divine Pill and the choice of any one manual.
If you could defeat the inner-sect disciple in the assessment, you would successfully enter the inner sect. If you performed well, you might even have a chance to become a personal disciple. A personal disciple was a guaranteed position for life!
"I heard that a reclusive elder of the Flowing Cloud Sect is here to observe this time."
"Although he hasn't taken a disciple in many years, for some reason he wants to choose a personal disciple from among these outer-sect disciples. This is really a rare event."
Over a hundred outer-sect disciples were participating this time, currently lining up to register their names. Lin Yun was naturally among them.
Just as it was almost Lin Yun's turn, he was pulled aside.
"Kid, get lost."
Lin Yun looked at the two-meter-tall giant behind him. This guy had just cut directly into the line, and the disciples behind him were angry but dared not speak out. The giant tried to push Lin Yun away, but Lin Yun just stepped back into his spot. And no matter how hard he pushed, he couldn't make Lin Yun budge.
"Kid, what's your problem?"
Lin Yun pointed at the crowd behind him. "I'm telling you to get in line."
"You don't know who I am?" The giant seemed genuinely surprised. Did this kid really have no idea who he was?
"I don't give a damn who you are. Get in line," Lin Yun said impatiently.
At the same time, he pulled up the man's panel. He wanted to see just what this kid's identity was. Did he have a reason to be this arrogant?
[Name]: He Shouqi
[Realm]: Second Level of the Yuan Sea Realm
[Destiny]: Unrestrained Rampage (Blue)
[Fate]: Arrogant and Domineering (Green), Traitorous (White)
[Outcome]: Dissatisfied with his inability to become stronger, he falls to a demonic path and is hunted down and killed by thousands of cultivators.
[Recent Turning Point]: After the assessment, he successfully enters the inner sect of the Flowing Cloud Sect.
This guy can enter the inner sect? Lin Yun sneered.
Just then, Lin Yun heard someone nearby whisper, "Isn't that He Shouqi?"
"He's the guy who's been making a name for himself among the outer-sect disciples recently. I hear he has a very high chance of entering the inner sect this time."
He Shouqi heard their discussion and grinned. "Did you hear that?"
"I am the disciple most likely to enter the inner sect this time!"
"Kid, aren't you going to get out of my way?"
Lin Yun shook his head. "No. You have no chance."
His tone was certain, and his eyes grew cold.