LGHTNOVELBOOK Chapter 90
Chapter Ninety: Analyzing the Situation! Consecutive Eliminations! Who Is He?
Tongfu Inn
When Zhu Ning first revealed the latest news about the Xuantian Sword Sect, some in the inn dismissed it as attention-seeking. No one doubted him now. His information was too detailed—far too intricate to be fabricated. If they attempted to make up such an elaborate account, they wouldn’t even know where to start. Slowly, the crowd began to believe him.
At the same time, they realized that Zhu Ning’s background was not simple. His martial strength was weak—they could tell that he was merely at the Innate Realm. Yet, despite his low cultivation, he had access to such crucial information. That could only mean he had connections to a powerful authority—possibly the imperial court.
Even so, the people of the inn were unfazed. Seven Heroes Town had become the center of all five dynasties. Even encountering an emperor here would not be surprising. Soon after, Zhu Ning’s report spread from Seven Heroes Town across the entirety of the Ming Dynasty’s martial world. Not long after, the same news reached the other dynasties.
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Outside Xuantian Sword Sect
“Lu Xiaofeng!”
“When do you think that cold-blooded swordsman will come out?”
Sikong Zhaixing leaned against a tree, turning to Lu Xiaofeng with curiosity.
When they had entered the Xuantian Sword Sect, there had been four of them. Now, only Ximen Chuixue remained inside. The rest had already been eliminated. But rather than leaving, they chose to stay outside and wait for their friend. As the last of them to be eliminated, Lu Xiaofeng knew the most about Ximen Chuixue’s condition.
“Ximen is a natural-born sword god.”
“His cultivation is nowhere near Shi Feixuan’s.”
“But he’s only a dozen steps behind her.”
“When I left, Ximen was still chasing her.”
“If given more time, he will surpass her.”
“In fact, he will likely ascend even higher than her.”
“Only Bai Chen remains his greatest opponent.”
“Shi Feixuan isn’t out yet, nor is Wanwan or the others.”
“So we might as well wait patiently.”
Lu Xiaofeng shook his head as he wondered: How would I know when Ximen Chuixue would leave?
But as his friend, he understood Chuixue too well.
Other than Bai Chen, Ximen Chuixue would be the last to exit.
Even if Shi Feixuan had a higher cultivation level, in pure Sword Dao, she could never surpass Ximen Chuixue.
“I hope he doesn’t come out.”
Hua Manlou chuckled softly. If Ximen Chuixue remained inside, it would mean he was still in contention for the inheritance. Only if he left would it mean he had failed.
“Uh…”
“That’s unlikely.”
“Especially with that monster still there.”
Sikong Zhaixing scratched his head, looking conflicted. He also wished for Ximen Chuixue to claim the inheritance. But in his mind, the one most likely to succeed was Bai Chen. If Bai Chen didn’t obtain the Xuantian Sword Sect’s legacy, then no one in the five dynasties would.
The reason was simple.
Sikong Zhaixing had seen Bai Chen wield a sword before. Back when Bai Chen was only at the peak of Finger Mysticism Grandmaster, he could already match a Heavenly Phenomenon Grandmaster with sheer Sword Dao skill. Now, Bai Chen’s cultivation level was unknown. His talent in the Sword Dao had likely reached an unfathomable level. Even though Sikong Zhaixing was closer to Ximen Chuixue, he could not deny the reality— Bai Chen’s swordsmanship had long since surpassed Ximen Chuixue’s.
“Haah.”
“We’ll leave it to fate.”
Lu Xiaofeng sighed.
He understood Sikong Zhaixing’s reasoning: Nothing was certain until the very end. It was possible for Bai Chen to make a mistake at the last moment.
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Weng~!
Suddenly, the entrance to the sect’s barrier fluctuated.
“Someone else is coming out!”
“That means only eight remain inside!”
Hua Manlou smiled, shifting his gaze toward the entrance. Everyone’s curiosity piqued eager to see who it was this time. As they watched, a figure shot out from the sect and landed gracefully on the ground.
“Who is that?”
“I don’t recognize him. Do any of you?”
“That’s Xu Ziling from the Great Sui Dynasty!”
“…!”
The crowd murmured in confusion until they saw another figure rushing toward the man with excitement—Kou Zhong. Then, realization dawned. Neither Kou Zhong nor Xu Ziling had been famous before Xuantian Sword Sect appeared. Only when Xu Ziling climbed past 12,000 steps did people take notice. Even now, many in the crowd had never seen him before.
But everyone knew one thing— Xu Ziling and Kou Zhong were inseparable brothers.
Seeing how ecstatic Kou Zhong was, they could guess his identity.
“Ling Shao, are you alright?”
Kou Zhong hurried to Xu Ziling’s side, his face full of concern. When he had failed, the sword intent had wounded him. Xu Ziling had climbed even higher, facing even stronger sword intent. Naturally, Kou Zhong worried that he might be injured.
“Zhong Shao.”
“I’m fine.”
“But I didn’t expect to fail so soon.”
Xu Ziling forced a smile.
He had suffered minor injuries, but nothing too serious. He didn’t want Kou Zhong to worry.
“Oh right, Ling Shao!”
“How far did you get?”
Seeing that Xu Ziling was unharmed, Kou Zhong sighed in relief and asked curiously. The surrounding crowd also turned their attention to Xu Ziling. They all wanted to know how many steps had he climbed.
“12,993 steps.”
“I was just shy of reaching 13,000.”
Xu Ziling sighed, a hint of regret flashing in his eyes.
He had started cultivating too late. Even though he had given it his all, he had ultimately fallen short. If only he had started training earlier, perhaps he could have climbed even higher.
“12,993 steps?!”
“Ling Shao, you did amazing! That’s 2,000 more than me!”
Kou Zhong exclaimed in admiration. He had only reached 10,070 steps before failing. Lu Xiaofeng had previously mentioned that Xu Ziling had climbed past 12,000 steps. But hearing it directly from Xu Ziling still left him astonished. The crowd also regarded Xu Ziling with newfound respect.
Anyone who crossed the 10,000-step threshold would surely reach Qi Refining into Spirit Transformation. And Xu Ziling had been only a few steps away from 13,000. His sword talent was undeniable. More importantly, they wanted to know if Xu Ziling had broken through again and maybe reached the mid-stage Qi Refining into Spirit Transformation.
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Weng~!
Before they could ask, the entrance fluctuated once more.
Two figures—a man and a woman—were expelled from the sect.
“That’s Princess Shaomin!”
“The Yuan Dynasty’s Princess Shaomin!”
“But who is that man?”
“Does anyone recognize him?”