"Here I come!" Yun Jin deliberately announced, lazily thrusting her sword forward.
Chen Hao didn't even bother dodging.
He was too busy thinking.
What kind of pose would look the most impressive?
After all, defeating Yun Jin was easy. The real challenge was doing it with flair.
A faint, effortless smile tugged at the corner of his lips. With a dramatic sweep of his sleeve, he struck a gallant pose, already envisioning how Yun Jin would be sent flying in embarrassment. The smug satisfaction in his heart was barely concealed by the calm he forced onto his face.
But the next instant—
Crack.
A faint shattering sound echoed.
The flimsy spiritual barrier he had casually conjured shattered instantly.
Chen Hao's pupils constricted sharply.
Instinctively, he stepped back.
But it was already too late.
Yun Jin's sword was right in front of him. Just as he moved, lotus petals burst into view, dancing across his vision. In that brief moment of distraction, blades of sword light slashed through the air.
BAM!
Chen Hao was struck squarely, sent flying and crashing into the corner of the dueling platform.
"Senior Brother Chen, are you alright? That was my first time using a sword. Maybe I overdid it?" Yun Jin blinked, her expression guileless.
The entire dueling ground fell into an eerie silence.
Everyone stared blankly at the platform, stunned into speechlessness.
Everyone except Yue Zhao.
He quickly turned and barked an order at Yu Songnian. "Third Brother, notify the betting stalls. Shut down all wagers immediately."
Yu Songnian nodded with a calm face and disappeared without delay.
After a brief silence, the training grounds erupted into chaos. Some of the sneakier disciples tried to place last-minute bets on Yun Jin. Unfortunately for them, Yue Zhao was faster. They'd already missed their chance. Those who had staked heavy sums on Chen Hao began to panic.
No way… no way!
A veteran Qi Refining peak disciple, actually about to lose to a newbie?
Wasn't Ye Danxia, with her Heavenly Spiritual Root, supposed to be the most talented in this batch?
Even she couldn't pull this off!
"She's... already at the eighth layer of Qi Refining," someone whispered in disbelief.
Yun Jin had infused spiritual energy into her sword strike, and those with keen senses had immediately detected it.
Three days since joining the sect.
From mortal to the eighth layer of Qi Refining?
Was this a joke?!
Either she was insane, or they were!
"Junior Sister, what's going on with Yun Jin?" Several disciples turned to Ye Danxia, assuming she'd know since she seemed close to Yun Jin.
Ye Danxia looked just as lost. "I… I don't know either!"
"Wait, don't panic! Senior Brother Chen is still standing. He hasn't lost yet!"
Everyone's gaze snapped back to the stage.
True enough, Chen Hao, battered but unbroken, struggled to his feet. "Yun Jin!" His voice was low and cold. "I admit, I underestimated you. But now I'm serious. This is the end for you!"
With a flick of his hand, a disc-shaped spiritual artifact floated before him.
Chen Hao sneered. "Go!"
The disc shot straight toward Yun Jin's dantian!
A vicious grin twisted his face.
This artifact had cost him a fortune.
Yun Jin reaching the eighth layer of Qi Refining had been unexpected, but so what? At that level, this artifact was absolutely dominant. He didn't know how she cultivated so quickly, and frankly, he didn't care.
Today, he would cripple her on this stage.
Destroy her dantian, and no matter what tricks she had, she'd never cultivate again!
He wasn't holding anything back. From the first move, he poured all his power into the attack.
"That bastard wants to cripple her!" Yue Zhao's expression shifted. A talisman appeared in his hand. Even if it meant breaking the rules, if Yun Jin couldn't fend for herself, he was prepared to intervene.
"That artifact is strong, but it may not work on Junior Sister," Si Wanning murmured, hesitation in her tone.
She wasn't sure if she had imagined it, but in that split-second exchange—
"Had Yun Jin just used the Lotus Bloom Sword Art?"
And not just the beginner's form. It had looked… shockingly practiced. Like someone who had trained for years. The only time Yun Jin could have seen the Lotus Bloom Sword Art was when she watched her practice.
Did she just… learn it by observation?
Was that even possible?!
Si Wanning couldn't believe it, even though she had seen it with her own eyes.
"What a fine artifact," Yun Jin remarked with a faint smile as the artifact zoomed toward her. A glint of frost flashed in her eyes.
She raised her sword.
Another flash of sword light.
Chen Hao scoffed. "You think my artifact is that easy to deal with? It's—"
His words died in his throat.
Clang!
The charging artifact was struck mid-flight—then clattered to the ground, motionless.
Chen Hao's eyes bulged.
What the hell?!
Was this some kind of joke?!
No—
Her sword technique was the problem!
It looked casual, but every movement hid lethal precision. That wasn't ordinary swordplay. It was real sword scripture, the kind passed down in serious lineages.
Three days since joining.
She was already eighth layer Qi Refining and had mastered an advanced sword technique?
That wasn't possible!
Yun Jin smiled as she slowly approached him. "Senior Brother Chen, earlier… were you trying to cripple my dantian?"
Chen Hao stared at her, a deep terror creeping into his heart.
"I—" His voice trembled.
Yun Jin chuckled. "A real man should own up to his actions."
Fear flashed in Chen Hao's eyes. As Yun Jin raised her sword, he could no longer endure the pressure.
"I surren—"
But before he could finish—
STAB!
Excruciating pain tore through his dantian.
Chen Hao looked down in horror.
A sword beam had pierced straight through his lower abdomen.
"—render…" He barely choked out the last syllable before collapsing onto the stage.
Yun Jin tilted her head with a smile. "Oh? Surrender? Sorry, I just heard you now."
Chen Hao's lips trembled, but he couldn't say another word.
His face turned deathly pale.
He had lost.
Not just the match, but everything.
His dantian was destroyed. His path to immortality had ended.
"Senior Brother, don't forget the Foundation Establishment Pill," Yun Jin said, stepping closer and gazing down at him with a sunny smile.
But in Chen Hao's eyes, she looked like a demon from the abyss.
Shaking, he fumbled out a porcelain bottle and passed it to her.
Yun Jin took it, beaming. "We're even now."
Just as she turned to leave the stage, a clear voice called out behind her.
"Xiao Jin! When did you become like this?!"
Yun Jin paused, then turned with amused interest.
This match had drawn a massive crowd—
And thanks to that, she had harvested [+5,000 Emotional Value.] in one go.
A few of the larger contributions (100-200 points each) were clearly from Ye Danxia.
Since Ye Danxia had been so generous, Yun Jin was happy to indulge her in some nonsense.
After all—
The more she talked, the more Emotional Value she might provide.
"Yun Jin! How could you be so cruel? I can't just stand by and watch you go down this path! Apologize to Senior Brother Chen and return his pill!" Ye Danxia declared righteously.
===
[+2,000 Emotional Value from Chen Hao.]
[+1,500 Emotional Value from Audience.]
[+200 Emotional Value from Ye Danxia.]