The arena for the outer sect assessment was set up on another side peak. Over a dozen stone platforms lined up in a row, each surrounded by throngs of people.
Lin Zhixue stepped onto one of them. Her opponent was likewise at the seventh level of Qi Refining, a short saber hanging at his waist.
The moment the deacon disciple swung down the flag, her opponent took the initiative to strike first, lunging forward with a short saber wrapped in spiritual power.
Xiaoyu darted out from the jade pendant, floating beside the platform. Cupping its tiny hands around its mouth, it yelled louder than anyone else, “Go Zhixue! Beat him!”
Lin Zhixue sidestepped the blade. Her longsword slid from its sheath, and within three strikes, she forced her opponent past the edge of the platform.
The deacon disciple raised the flag. “Number four hundred and seven, victorious.”
Xiaoyu flipped a somersault midair, triumphantly shaking its little fists at several spectators nearby who couldn't even see it.
In the second round, Lin Zhixue took the stage once more.
This time, her opponent was a rogue cultivator wielding twin swords, whose offensive was noticeably fiercer than the previous one.
Twin swords slashed down in alternating succession; for a time, intertwined sword shadows covered the stage.
Lin Zhixue did not panic. Her footwork was steady and deliberate, consistently keeping the distance right within reach of her blade.
After a dozen or so exchanges, an opening appeared as her opponent crossed both swords to parry. Slipping her blade right through the gap, the tip of her sword halted half an inch from his chest. The deacon disciple raised the flag once more.
Stepping down from the stage, she made her way through the crowd toward the resting area, only for her steps to pause abruptly.
Lin Yuanfan stood at the edge of the opposing resting area, wiping down a scabbard with a clean cloth.
His gaze drifted across the crowd, landing straight and true upon her.
The two locked eyes for a brief breath across a dozen paces, neither speaking a word.
Lin Yuanfan withdrew his gaze to continue wiping his sword, while Lin Zhixue also looked away and kept walking.
The surrounding clamor sounded muffled, as though separated by a sheet of water.
She watched Lin Yuanfan, who had already taken his stance upon the stage. He was unhurriedly adjusting his bracers, looking just as composed as usual, as if victory was already his.
Great Perfection of Qi Refining. Two minor realms higher than her.
Over the years in the Lin family, she had witnessed him spar with the clan's youth countless times; every victory was clean and decisive, without a single defeat.
His sword was swift, and his spiritual power was far deeper than hers.
In a clash of sheer brute force, she stood no chance.
Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath. Then, she opened them.
Yet, she was no longer the same either.
Xiaoyu drifted to her ear.
“Zhixue, go up there and beat him up!”
Lin Zhixue said nothing, only tightening her grip on the hilt as she climbed onto the arena platform, step by step.
The finals arena was situated on the largest stone platform at the very center. The surrounding crowd of spectators had multiplied several times over, and a few outer disciples looking to join in the excitement had even climbed the adjacent trees.
Jiang Yinglan stood at the side of the platform holding the roster scroll. Seeing Lin Zhixue and Lin Yuanfan step up from opposite sides, her brow twitched ever so slightly. Saying nothing, she merely rolled the roster shut and raised a hand to signal for silence.
“Finals, begin.”
Lin Yuanfan gave no room for hesitation.
Almost the exact moment Jiang Yinglan's voice fell, his sword arrived before Lin Zhixue. The spiritual power coating the edge was fiercer than any opponent she had faced before, unleashing the full might of his Great Perfection of Qi Refining without holding back in the slightest.
The first strike: Lin Zhixue parried.
The second strike followed immediately. She sidestepped to evade, the blade grazing past her sleeve and slicing off a small scrap of cloth.
Third strike, fourth strike... Lin Yuanfan's attacks crashed like relentless waves. An endless flurry of sword shadows drove her back repeatedly.
Murmurs below the platform grew louder.
Someone whispered, “It's already impressive that this cultivator at the seventh level of Qi Refining made it to the finals,” while others were already debating how many strikes Lin Yuanfan would need to wrap up the match.
Perched on the railing beside the platform, Xiaoyu stopped cheering and fixed its gaze on the flashing blades above. Hearing the whispers below made it even more indignant.
“Zhixue definitely won't lose!”
Jiang Yinglan stood beside the stage with her arms crossed, her gaze tracking Lin Zhixue's retreating footwork inch by inch.
Where others saw Lin Zhixue taking a beating, she saw Lin Zhixue's footing.
Every step anticipated the angle of Lin Yuanfan's strikes; every sidestep positioned her so the blade only grazed past without touching anything vital.
This wasn't frantic evasion—it was a remarkably coolheaded reading of her opponent.
Lin Zhixue was observing.
She noticed a subtle habit Lin Yuanfan possessed every time he struck.
Because his cultivation was two levels higher than hers, he was accustomed to applying that extra bit of force, seeking absolute suppression with every blow.
This left a fleeting gap between the expiration of old momentum and the generation of new force.
That gap was so brief that most opponents would never notice it—yet she did.
The opportunity presented itself right after Lin Yuanfan cleaved heavily into empty air.
Carried forward by the momentum of his strike, his wrist needed an instant to realign before stringing together his next move.
This single instant was what Lin Zhixue had spent most of the match waiting for.
She did not retreat. Instead, just when everyone thought she would keep dodging, she surged forward.
A sidestep, the blade's tip grazing past her shoulder.
Riding the momentum, her longsword thrust forward, slipping right through the gap as he pulled his blade back to defend, its tip pressing firmly against his chest.
An uproar rippled through the crowd below.
Lin Yuanfan glanced down at the sword tip at his chest, his expression unchanged. Spiritual power suddenly erupted outward, knocking Lin Zhixue's blade aside.
Seizing the momentum, he took half a step back to reestablish distance, a trace of chill creeping into his eyes.
That strike had caught him completely off guard.
He knew of Lin Zhixue's recent progress—so much faster than when she had been at the fourth level of Qi Refining a few months ago.
Yet progress was one thing; touching his chest in a head-on duel was another entirely.
He would not make the same mistake twice.
Over the next few exchanges, their moves grew increasingly fierce, the metallic ring of colliding blades echoing continuously across the platform.
Lin Yuanfan no longer applied pressure blindly, his strikes turning far more cautious.
Lin Zhixue no longer focused solely on defense; her strikes were alternately precise and fierce, each aimed at the trickiest angles.
The final clash unfolded in the blink of an eye.
Lin Yuanfan bore down with a strike as heavy as a mountain.
Rather than meeting it head-on, Lin Zhixue sidestepped the blade while twisting her wrist, the sword tip riding the momentum to thrust diagonally upward.
Lin Yuanfan was half a beat too slow to parry. The tip of her sword halted right before his throat.
The entire arena fell dead silent for two full breaths. Then, Jiang Yinglan raised her hand.
“Finals, Lin Zhixue is victorious.”
Xiaoyu let out a shriek and zipped around the edge of the platform three whole times before diving right beside Lin Zhixue's shoulder, chattering away about something that Lin Zhixue couldn't catch a word of.
She sheathed her sword, her hand still trembling slightly. The tension strung so tightly from her intense focus had suddenly snapped loose.
She looked across at Lin Yuanfan. He had already sheathed his sword, his face betraying no emotion. He simply gave her a slight nod before turning and walking down from the platform.
Jiang Yinglan announced the final results.
Lin Zhixue earned the status of outer disciple. Though Lin Yuanfan was defeated, his continuous win streak and Great Perfection of Qi Refining cultivation also earned him a passing result, placing him second.
The two stepped down from the platform one after the other. Lin Yuanfan was a few paces faster, leaving the assessment grounds first.
By the time Lin Zhixue walked out of the outer sect assessment grounds, the setting sun was sinking between the western peaks, bathing the entire square in warm gold.
The cultivators whose assessments had concluded gathered in groups of twos and threes—some excitedly patting their companions on the shoulder, others quietly putting away their artifacts and heading down the mountain.
In the center of the square, Gu Yanqing was already waiting by the exit of the inner sect assessment grounds.
He had changed into a clean robe. While a sword tear remained on his sleeve, yet to be mended, the expression on his face was thoroughly relaxed.
Seeing Lin Zhixue walk over, the corners of his lips curled slightly.
“Passed?”
Lin Zhixue looked up. The golden glow of sunset fell upon her face. The sweat on her forehead had yet to dry completely, a few stray strands of hair clinging to her temples.
She nodded gently.
“Mm.”
Together, the two turned and looked out at the Yunxiao Sect amidst the sea of clouds.
Twelve main peaks towered majestically in the sunset, the halls and pavilions atop their summits dyed a pale gold. Clouds and mist drifted gently across the mountainsides, while several immortal cranes took flight from the furthest peak, soaring across the sea of clouds toward the setting sun.
Watching the flock of cranes, Gu Yanqing suddenly spoke.
“Let's go.”
Lin Zhixue glanced sideways at him and followed behind him.
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