Chapter 42

He Shaobing retreated in shock, but Lin Xuan's sword was even faster than his speed.

A brilliant red glow flashed by, as swift as lightning, leaving everyone stunned.

By the time everyone regained their senses, they found that Lin Xuan's red flame greatsword was pressing against He Shaobing's chest. With just a slight push, it would pierce his heart. He Shaobing didn't dare to move, his face pale and his eyes filled with fear.

What a fast sword!

What precise control!

There were also experts within the top hundred in the training ground. Seeing such a battle, they couldn't help but draw a sharp breath. Lin Xuan's strength exceeded their expectations. To dare to aim at such a vital point as the heart required immense confidence.

After all, killing was not allowed within the sect, especially for elites like He Shaobing, who had a high chance of becoming inner disciples. They were not to be killed without cause.

Yet, Lin Xuan dared to aim at his opponent's heart during a sparring match, indicating that he had the confidence to control it. At such speed and power, to suddenly withdraw and not make the slightest mistake was something these onlookers couldn't achieve.

"I, I lost..." He Shaobing said dejectedly.

Lin Xuan sheathed his red flame greatsword and stepped off the arena.

"Your sword technique is good, but your timing needs improvement. You need more practical combat practice."

"Huh?" He Shaobing was taken aback. Was Lin Xuan giving him advice?

He scratched his head. Lin Xuan was right; he rarely hunted fierce beasts and sparred with fellow disciples, spending most of his time training alone.

"Thank you," He Shaobing said earnestly. "Your strength is enough to enter the top 100. This time, I was too impulsive."

"Top 100?" Lin Xuan asked. "What's this about the top 100? I really don't know why you were fighting me."

"Because of this." The slightly chubby boy named Xiao Wei stepped forward and handed Lin Xuan a roster.

"Outer Sect Rankings." Lin Xuan took it curiously and quickly scanned through it. The first place was a disciple named Shangguan Liuyun, followed by Jiang Yulong, Duan Fei, and others.

Lin Xuan found his name at the 100th position, and He Shaobing's name at the 101st. He then understood the situation.

"The ranking is indeed sharp-eyed. I was indeed overestimating myself!" He Shaobing said with self-mockery.

"Don't worry about it. Believe in yourself, it's not a bad thing." Lin Xuan smiled. He didn't think he only had the strength of the 100th rank; his goal was the first place!

"What?" He Shaobing and Xiao Wei widened their eyes. It seemed Lin Xuan didn't fully trust the rankings. After hesitating for a while, they didn't say anything more.

"You can come and spar with me often." Lin Xuan patted He Shaobing's shoulder.

He Shaobing was stunned for a moment, then said happily, "Sure, I'll definitely improve next time!" With that, he pulled his friend Xiao Wei and left.

"Shaobing, this Lin Xuan seems different from others!" Xiao Wei said.

"Yeah, I have a feeling he's not just a 100th rank. I hope someone can break the curse of the rankings!" He Shaobing's eyes were filled with anticipation.

The young onlookers, seeing Lin Xuan's humility and his guidance to his opponent, began to look at him differently. Except for the disciples of the three major factions who sneered, those who hadn't joined any group felt a strange admiration for Lin Xuan.

"Lin Xuan, right? I'm Guan Yunfei. Can I spar with you?" Soon, a disciple came to challenge him. Lin Xuan readily accepted, believing that practical combat was more effective than closed-door training.

After Guan Yunfei, many more disciples came to spar with Lin Xuan for two reasons: one, his sword technique was indeed advanced, and they could learn a lot from fighting him; two, he was very precise in his strikes, so his opponents didn't have to worry about getting hurt.

Soon, the day passed. Lin Xuan fought with over a dozen young men and finally sat down to rest in the training ground.

The sun set, and the afterglow shone on the training ground, like a golden veil.

"Brother Xuan, are you even human? You're like a monster, fighting so many matches and not even feeling tired!" Guan Yunfei said enviously.

"Exactly, we're all exhausted, but you're as if nothing happened!"

Lin Xuan smiled. His Longevity Technique, as he was breaking through the fifth spiritual meridian, gradually showed its power. Although his cultivation was still at the fifth stage of the Condensing Meridian realm, his spiritual energy capacity was twice that of an ordinary fifth-stage Spirit Warrior, even surpassing a sixth-stage Spirit Warrior. This greatly increased his combat endurance.

"Brother Xuan, can we fight again tomorrow?" The young men asked with anticipation.

"Sure, no problem." Lin Xuan agreed readily, as he wanted to perfect his Instant Shadow Step.

Under the sunset, the young men ran quickly to the dormitory area.

...

As the Inner Sect Selection Contest drew near, fewer disciples went to the Task Hall to take on tasks. Chen Dazheng had a rare leisurely day.

"Ah, I really envy those who can enter the Inner Sect!" Chen Dazheng began organizing the documents.

"Excuse me, Senior, can I post a task?" A weak voice sounded.

"What?" The voice was too soft, and Chen Dazheng didn't hear clearly.

"Yes, yes, I want to post a task." The voice was a bit louder this time, but still like a mosquito's buzz.

Chen Dazheng turned around with a helpless look and found a girl standing in front of him. She had a head of black hair, eyes like gems, and a fair face blushing slightly from shyness, looking frail and helpless.

"Oh, sure, what task do you want to post?" Chen Dazheng, who had never seen such a delicate disciple, couldn't help but look at her a few more times.

The girl lowered her head shyly and murmured, "My sword is broken, and I want to repair it."

She then handed her sword to him.

Chen Dazheng glanced at it and said, "Why don't you leave it here? I'll post the task for you. I'll notify you when it's fixed, but there will be a handling fee and a task fee."

"Ah?" The girl seemed surprised by the complexity and said softly, "Then, then never mind."

The girl gently placed her sword and turned to leave.

"Hey, wait!" Chen Dazheng sighed, quickly wrote a few words on a piece of paper, and handed it to her.

"To fix your sword, find him. In the entire Outer Sect, he might be the only one who can repair your weapon."

The girl took the note, looked at it curiously, and found it was the address of an Outer Sect disciple. She thanked him and left with her head down.

At noon, the sun was bright.

Lin Xuan didn't go to the training ground today. He wanted to digest the gains from his recent training and test his progress. First, the Thunder Movement Sword Technique: the first level had reached the Great Perfection stage, and the second level was at the Minor Perfection stage, soon to reach Great Perfection.

The Lone Mountain Sword Technique had reached the Perfect stage, the Instant Shadow Step was at the Great Perfection stage, and the Golden Jade Body Tempering Technique was at the Perfect stage. He could now overpower a fifth-stage Spirit Warrior with his physical strength alone.

Good, he had almost mastered all his martial arts. The next step was to break through to the sixth stage of the Condensing Meridian realm. Lin Xuan's eyes were filled with confidence.

Knock, knock, knock!

A low knocking sound broke the tranquility of the small house.