Chapter 21: Ghostly Shadow Slash

Hearing that Lin Hai was going to spar with the newly joined inner disciple Shen Chen, many inner disciples who had been hiding in their rooms to cultivate came out one after another, full of anticipation, and walked to the square in front of the lecture hall.

Ever since Lin Hai defeated Li Xuan, who was ranked fifth among the inner disciples with his "Thirteen Thunder Swords" a few years ago, he had not shown his skills for a long time.

Back then, Li Xuan, the "Wind-Chasing Sword," was a top expert among the young generation of the Flowing Cloud Sect, known for his swift sword techniques and being a direct disciple of the Bloodthirsty Lion Chen Fanghao.

However, after Lin Hai's sudden rise and his defeat of Li Xuan in front of all the inner disciples, Li Xuan chose to leave the mountain for training and has not been heard from for years.

It was from that moment on that Lin Hai, a common inner disciple who rose to prominence, firmly established himself as the fifth-ranked inner disciple and became a role model for many inner disciples, and a hero in the hearts of the lower-ranking inner disciples.

Lin Hai's face was filled with a faint smile, making people feel as if they were basking in a warm spring breeze, giving a very friendly impression. However, in Shen Chen's eyes, Lin Hai's gaze towards him was like that of an elder looking at a junior, with a hint of condescension.

Shen Chen frowned inwardly, feeling secretly annoyed, but did not show it on his face.

"Damn! Pretending to be noble and righteous? I've seen too much of this in my past life! You're still too young! If you want to act, I'll play along!" Shen Chen thought to himself, forcing a smile on his face.

"Thank you, Senior Brother Lin Hai, for guiding me. I am truly honored!" Shen Chen said, pretending to be very flustered as he clasped his hands together.

"Hmm, very good, it's worth all my efforts! Come on!" Lin Hai nodded with a smile, looking very kind, but a fleeting glint of coldness flashed in his eyes.

Shen Chen, who had been staring at Lin Hai, easily noticed the coldness in his eyes but was not the least bit afraid.

So what if Lin Hai is at the Sixth Level of the Blood Fusion Realm? So what if he has the Thirteen Thunder Swords? Whether in his past life or this one, Shen Chen has never been afraid of anyone!

Whether you are a wealthy tycoon or a powerful official, once you choose to oppose Shen Chen, it's a matter of life and death. At worst, it's a one-for-one trade!

When a commoner is enraged, blood will spatter five paces. Even if I can't kill you, I'll make you bleed!

Moreover, the reason Shen Chen chose to hide his identity in the Flowing Cloud Sect was because he had offended an extremely powerful force, one that even his large family dared not provoke.

Compared to that extremely powerful force, Lin Hai was just a minor player. No matter how many fleas there are, they can't bite you to death. How could Shen Chen take him seriously?

Shen Chen originally only wanted to quickly improve his strength and find a way to resolve his family's hidden illness, without any other intentions. But since Lin Hai came looking for trouble, Shen Chen was not one to back down!

With a "swish," Shen Chen drew the iron sword from his waist and pointed it at Lin Hai.

"Please, Senior Brother Lin Hai, guide me!" Shen Chen said, and with that, he swung his sword and charged at Lin Hai.

Shen Chen had previously practiced fist techniques and was not proficient in swordsmanship. However, because he chose the incomplete "Nine Ghostly Slashes," he had been practicing sword techniques more often in the past half month.

Thanks to Shen Chen's occasional insights, although he had not perfected the first move of the "Nine Ghostly Slashes," he had made significant progress, at least reaching a minor level of mastery, close to perfection.

Now, when Shen Chen wielded ordinary sword techniques, he exuded a fierce and powerful aura.

Even as Shen Chen's sword was about to strike Lin Hai, Lin Hai remained calm and composed, showing no concern for Shen Chen, displaying the demeanor of a true expert.

Lin Hai was famous for his sword skills in the Flowing Cloud Sect. Playing with swords in front of Lin Hai was like showing off one's axe in front of Lu Ban!

With a "swish," Lin Hai did not move his body, but his hand trembled slightly, and the precious sword in the scabbard suddenly flew out, blocking Shen Chen's iron sword just in time.

Then, Lin Hai's shoulder lightly shook, colliding with the hilt of the precious sword. A green glow instantly propelled the sword to fly horizontally, drawing a strange and dazzling arc, bypassing Shen Chen's iron sword, and fiercely stabbing towards Shen Chen's chest!

This move was extremely fast and bizarre, with no discernible pattern, yet it seemed natural and effortless, demonstrating Lin Hai's profound mastery of sword techniques!

The precious sword glowed with a green light, clearly infused with a lot of blood essence by Lin Hai. This sword was extremely fast, reaching Shen Chen in the blink of an eye. Shen Chen wanted to retreat to avoid it, but it was too late!

Shen Chen could only activate his steps and turn to the right. Unfortunately, Lin Hai's move was incredibly fast and cunning. Although he avoided the fatal blow to his chest, the sword still slashed through his long robe, leaving a wound about half a foot long on his chest.

The gushing blood instantly dyed Shen Chen's long robe red.

One move!

In just one move, Shen Chen was injured by Lin Hai!

"Senior Brother Lin Hai's sword skills have improved a lot! He might even have a good chance against Fourth-Ranked Senior Sister Zhong Ling!"

"How easy do you think it is? This newly joined inner disciple is too weak! Senior Sister Zhong Ling is at the Seventh Level of the Blood Fusion Realm!"

"Such an arrogant kid, he should be more humble now, right?"

...

The surrounding inner disciples whispered to each other, with those supporting Lin Hai loudly mocking.

"Boss!" Wang Yue was instantly nervous, but facing the fifth-ranked Lin Hai, Shen Chen had no way to deal with him, let alone Wang Yue.

"Senior Brother Lin Hai's sword skills are indeed excellent!" Shen Chen took a step back, sheathed his sword, and his face showed no sign of disappointment, but rather a strong fighting spirit.

In his past life, Shen Chen had experienced many life-and-death battles, facing many powerful opponents, including high-level underground market boxers and top-notch assassins, but he always managed to survive.

The stronger the opponent, the stronger he became!

Shen Chen was never one to fear death. No matter how powerful the opponent, he would fight to the death and take a bite out of them!

Originally, Shen Chen did not want to use the "Nine Ghostly Slashes," which he had not yet perfected, but facing Lin Hai's powerful and exquisite sword skills, he could no longer hold back.

With a "swish," Shen Chen took a step back, the tip of his sword pointing downward, his body turned sideways to Lin Hai, as if he and the sword had become one. A stream of green blood essence slowly flowed along the iron sword, gathering.

"Ghostly Shadow Slash!" Shen Chen suddenly swung his sword forward, but instead of directly charging at Lin Hai, his body spun like a top, turning into a dark blur.

In the blur, a point of silver light, like a venomous snake's fang, emitted a terrifying cold glow!