Alarm bells rang in Ye Ling's heart. The light of the Qinglan Sword beneath her feet flared dramatically, and her flying speed doubled once again.
Sensing Ye Ling's sudden burst of speed, the little green snake tailing her realized it had accidentally given itself away by making a sound. It quickly shut its mouth.
It followed quietly behind, no longer daring to make the slightest sound.
With her increased speed, Ye Ling soon reached the exit of the secret realm. Tapping her toes lightly, she rushed out of the Bailing Secret Realm in an instant.
Seeing this, the two inner sect disciples guarding the entrance of the secret realm quickly jogged forward and bowed in greeting.
“True Disciple Ye Ling!”
One of the disciples spoke up, “Your seclusion in the secret realm this time lasted for a total of three months.”
“You have two months of free access. The remaining month of excess time must be paid with sect contribution points.”
“You exceeded the limit by thirty days in total. At a rate of one hundred contribution points per day, a total of three thousand contribution points will be deducted.”
Ye Ling nodded slightly upon hearing this. She reached out to take out her True Disciple token and swept a trace of spiritual energy across it with her fingertip.
The token flashed with spiritual light, and the balance on its surface shifted instantly as the three thousand contribution points were fully deducted.
The other guarding disciple immediately cupped his hands and said, “True Disciple Ye Ling, the Sect Master has ordered that once you emerge from the secret realm, you must report to the sect's discussion hall immediately.”
“Understood.”
She had already planned to report to the Sect Master in person and tell her everything about her encounter with that bizarre green snake demon.
She had to uncover the demon beast's origins to avoid any hidden dangers in the future.
Lingering no longer, she sped toward the discussion hall of the Qinglan Sword Sect.
Left behind at the entrance, the two guarding disciples straightened up and watched Ye Ling's departing sword light with amazement.
One disciple could not help but sigh in admiration. “True Disciple Ye Ling's aura has become increasingly profound and dense. It is clear that during her three months of bitter cultivation in the secret realm, her cultivation has improved significantly.”
The other disciple nodded in agreement repeatedly. “She truly is the top True Disciple of our sect. Such cultivation speed far surpasses all disciples of her generation. It is truly terrifying.”
Neither of them noticed that a tiny, faint green figure was hiding within the spatial rifts. It silently followed the direction of Ye Ling's departure and sneaked into the Qinglan Sword Sect right behind her.
Concealed within the shadows of the air, the green snake shadow followed Ye Ling from a moderate distance. Its vertical pupils curiously observed the passing sect disciples as it wondered to itself.
“There are way too many humans out here. Why are there human cultivators everywhere?”
In the next instant, a warning from its inherited bloodline memories suddenly flashed through its mind. Its expression froze, filled with panic and alarm.
Oh no! In its bloodline memories, its parents had repeatedly warned it that it must absolutely never leave the secret realm before breaking through to the Wangzuo Realm.
Yet, driven by its greed for the alluring fragrance of spiritual energy on Ye Ling, it had impulsively torn open space and followed her out of the secret realm.
Should it turn back to the secret realm right now?
The green snake hesitated for a moment, then gently shook its head, dismissing the thought.
No, the scent on Ye Ling was simply too tempting. Since it had already followed her out, it could not give up halfway. No matter what, it had to convince her to be its human pet.
Before long, Ye Ling rode the Qinglan Sword and arrived before the gates of the sect's main hall in the blink of an eye.
To her surprise, Sect Master Leng Zhiwei was not inside the hall. Instead, she stood alone before the steps of the main hall, quietly waiting for her return.
Ye Ling quickly recalled her sword, landed, and stepped forward to bow. “Sect Master.”
Leng Zhiwei stepped forward, a soft and gratified look appearing in her cool eyes. “Lingling, I knew you wouldn't miss the return date.”
A trace of confusion appeared on Ye Ling's face, and she looked up at Leng Zhiwei.
Leng Zhiwei then detailed how the Peak Masters had gathered in the discussion hall to consult and how everyone had been worried she might miss the Qingyun Grand Tournament.
Hearing this, Ye Ling felt a pang of guilt. She lowered her head and apologized, “This disciple was too immersed in cultivation and almost delayed the sect's important matters. I am truly sorry for causing you and the Peak Masters to worry and wait.”
Leng Zhiwei waved her hand gently, patted her shoulder warmly, and comforted her in a soft voice.
“It is fine. Immersing oneself in cultivation is a good thing.”
“Just remember that three days from now, you must gather here again.”
“At that time, the ten True Disciples of our sect, along with the ten inner sect disciples who won the inner sect arena selection, will depart together for the capital of the Qingyun Kingdom to participate in the grand tournament.”
Halfway through her words, Leng Zhiwei seemed to suddenly remember something. She paused for a moment and said,
“By the way, you are usually in solitary seclusion, so you probably haven't met many of the other True Disciples of the sect. When we gather in three days, I will introduce them to you one by one.”
Ye Ling nodded gently in response. “Understood, Sect Master. I indeed have not met many of the other True Disciples.”
She pondered in her heart as a few figures flashed through her mind. When she had first entered the Qinglan Sword Sect, she had encountered a woman in a red ceremonial robe on the fifth floor of the Library. She was likely one of the ten True Disciples, though she did not know her rank.
There was also Senior Sister Fang, the Ninth True Disciple, whom she had met in Yun'an Commandery in the past.
While Ye Ling was lost in thought, Leng Zhiwei's gaze sharpened. Suddenly sensing the dense, full aura surrounding her, her voice rose slightly, filled with unbelievable surprise.
“Lingling... your cultivation has actually reached the Xiantian Realm Great Perfection?”
Ye Ling lowered her head and answered honestly, “This disciple broke through to the Xiantian Realm Great Perfection in the Bailing Secret Realm and spent quite some time stabilizing the realm.”
“That is why I delayed my return to the sect, causing the elders to worry.”
Leng Zhiwei nodded with gratification as she quickly walked in a circle around Ye Ling.
Carefully sensing the majestic, condensed river of spiritual energy within her body, the joy in her eyes could not be concealed.
“Earlier, the Peak Masters in the hall were still discussing, saying that it would already be a rare feat if you could rank in the upper-middle tier in this Qingyun Grand Tournament.”
“After all, you are only seventeen years old.”
“But who could have expected that after emerging from the Bailing Secret Realm, your cultivation would directly reach the Xiantian Realm Great Perfection!”
“It seems that in this Qingyun Grand Tournament, you will definitely secure one of the top ten spots!”
Leng Zhiwei was deeply shaken in her heart.
After ordinary cultivators set foot in the Xiantian Realm, each minor breakthrough required at least three to five years of bitter cultivation, if not decades of time.
Yet, barely a year had passed since Ye Ling stepped into the Xiantian Realm, and she had already crossed the early, mid, and late stages in succession, reaching the Xiantian Realm Great Perfection.
Such cultivation speed was unprecedented in the entire Qingyun Kingdom.
However, she knew that every cultivator had their own opportunities and fortune. Since Ye Ling did not proactively mention it, she would not ask a single question. Suppressing her amazement, she looked warmly at the young girl before her.
“Very well. You should return to your residence to rest and adjust first.”
“You have just emerged from the secret realm, so there must be many minor matters for you to attend to. The Qingyun Grand Tournament is just around the corner, and I also have many sect affairs to handle.”
“Understood, Sect Master. Then Ye Ling shall take her leave first.”
Ye Ling nodded slightly in greeting, turned, and stepped onto the Qinglan Sword, flying straight toward her quiet bamboo courtyard halfway up the Sect Master Peak.
Leng Zhiwei stood alone before the steps of the main hall, her gaze following the green sword light into the distance as she let out a quiet sigh.
Ye Ling's cultivation progress was simply too shocking. With such dazzling talent, once she showed her brilliance in the Qingyun Grand Tournament, it would likely attract many malicious individuals plotting against her in the shadows.
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