Donglan Dynasty, Pinghai State, Dingqu City, was crowded and bustling with people at this moment.
This place had become a recruiting assessment point for the Feixian Sect, and many cultivators nearby had rushed to come in the past two days.
Among them was the 15-year-old Duan River.
He couldn’t fly, so he could only lower his head and move forward little by little with the crowded crowd, looking very inconspicuous.
Only after squeezing to the registration office outside a large hall did the order gradually become orderly.
The Great Array could accommodate 1,000 people at a time, seeming very fast.
However, compared to this massive crowd, it was still too few.
Even after Jiang Cheng had hastily prepared tens of thousands of array discs, many people still had to wait several days for their turn.
Duan River’s assessment time was three days later, but unlike others, he didn’t leave first.
Instead, he looked at a group of high-spirited young people in front, talking and laughing, especially that figure dressed in white.
That was Bai Yuyang, once the top genius of Dingqu City, now an inner sect disciple of the Earth Element Sect.
He was also Duan River’s real target for today.
A few years ago, both were still studying at the Supreme Mysterious Martial Academy in Dingqu City.
In the entire Thousand Spirit Domain, martial academies named after Supreme Mysterious were as numerous as a thousand, if not eight hundred. These academies were generally for enlightenment purposes.
The students were still young, mostly only at the third to fifth layers of Body Tempering.
After three years of study, those with talent would each join a sect, while those without much talent would choose other livelihoods.
At the age of 12, Bai Yuyang had already reached the Condensing Vein Ninth Layer, and Duan River had also reached the Condensing Vein Eighth Layer, being recognized as the twin stars of the academy.
What was especially commendable was that the two did not become enemies because of this competitive relationship; instead, they called each other brothers, living and eating together closely.
They had both planned to go to the nearby Chixia Sect for the assessment and continue as senior and junior brothers in the same sect after graduation.
However, that plan was eventually disrupted by the Earth Element Sect.
One day, two Soul Splitting Realm immortal masters from the Earth Element Sect came to the vicinity on business and stayed at the Supreme Mysterious Martial Academy.
Learning of the names of these two young talents, the two Elders became interested and examined their roots and bones, being quite pleased.
They immediately offered a slot to join the Earth Element Sect directly without entry-level assessments.
The Earth Element Sect, guarded by Spirit Platform cultivators, was much more formidable than the Chixia Sect.
The two had never thought they could join such a sect, and naturally were ecstatic beyond measure.
But the two immortal masters then added a twist, stating that there was only one slot available.
The event ultimately descended into the cliched duel segment.
The two were to fight a match, with the winner directly becoming a sect member of the Earth Element Sect, while the loser had to find another opportunity.
"Since you’re interested in both, why not take both if it’s so difficult to choose?"
"Why insist on setting just one slot, forcing us into a fight?"
"I think they’re just looking for fun, treating us like monkeys!"
"It’s not worth joining such a place!"
While preparing, Duan River once piercingly expressed his thoughts to Bai Yuyang.
"Since the Earth Element Sect can value us, then other sects might also have opportunities."
But Bai Yuyang persuaded him.
"Even if they’re treating us like monkeys, we can only perform our best act for them."
"If we disappoint them and anger them, who knows what might happen next."
Thus, the duel eventually took place.
To the surprise of everyone, Duan River, who was a layer lower in realm, easily defeated Bai Yuyang under the watchful eyes of the crowd.
When the long sword stopped a foot away from Bai Yuyang’s neck, the whole audience was shocked.
"Grandmaster Swordsman!"
"At such a young age, he’s already become a Grandmaster Swordsman; that’s exceptional!"
The two Elders were quite surprised, and the teachers at the martial academy were even more incredulous.
Whether it was swordsmanship or Sword Dao, it was all about realms.
Before mastering sword control, wielding weapons in melee combat was the norm.
Mastery of the basics meant being a swordsman; to wield weapons at will indicated being a sword master, and to manifest one’s will as sword momentum signified being a grandmaster swordsman.
A realm higher allowed challenges beyond one’s level effortlessly, like eating or drinking.
Bai Yuyang, with his overflowing talent, had become a sword master a year ago, already on par with the academy teachers.
Duan River’s grandmaster swordsman realm, however, had not even been reached by many Energy-Introducing Realm cultivators.
His talent in Sword Dao was exceptionally outstanding, only his natural tendency was to not show his prowess.
But just when he retracted his sword and turned away, a long sword pierced into his Sea of Qi from behind his waist, breaking it to shreds.
"You really hid it well, bottling it up just to trample me today, huh?"
As Bai Yuyang thrust the sword, his hate-twisted expression was unbelievably unfamiliar.
The resulting resolution was both surprising yet very realistic.
Duan River’s Sea of Qi was destroyed, his Condensing Vein cultivation dissipated, leaving only a body with power equivalent to the peak of Body Tempering, ending any hope of cultivation this life.
He was of no value anymore.
While Bai Yuyang remained intact and talented, even after committing such a deed, he was still recruited into the Earth Element Sect.
The nightmare did not end.
After the immortal master left with Bai Yuyang, the Bai Family sent people to attack the small mountain village where Duan River was living to erase any trouble.
He escaped with his life, spending the next three years in vendetta killings.
Though his power was only akin to a peak Body Cultivator, his swordsmanship realm remained.
Recently, he even assassinated an Energy-Introducing Realm elder from the Bai Family.
Meanwhile, over three years, Bai Yuyang became an inner sect disciple of the Earth Element Sect, his cultivation advancing to the Gathering Yuan Realm.
Body Tempering compared to Gathering Essence, the gap was like clouds and mud, unworthy of comparison.
Nonetheless, if the Gathering Yuan Realm was struck fatally, they would die just the same, right?
The premise being that the defense could be breached.
Duan River, whose swordsmanship had already surpassed the grandmaster swordsman realm, was confident in breaking defenses.
As a local pride, Bai Yuyang was not particularly eye-catching in this gathering today.
After all, for this assessment, even Spirit Platform Celestial Mandate cultivators were not uncommon.
At that moment, he was conversing with several fellow brothers, all disciples of the Earth Element Sect.
Being a sect disciple, one couldn’t easily cast aside their allegiance to another sect.
But with the opportunity from the Feixian Sect at hand, what was loyalty worth?
When sharp pain suddenly came from behind his neck, the overly ambitious Bai Yuyang was still unsure about what had happened.
Before the incident, there wasn’t even the slightest fluctuation of spiritual power.
The moment it touched his skin, he felt as if he had been thrown into an ice cellar.
He personally saw the bloody tip of the dagger protruding through, and all the strength in his body drained away irreparably like a deflating balloon.
Bai Yuyang laboriously turned his head to look, as Duan River had already broken through the crowd, sprinting wildly towards that registration point.
"Someone’s been killed..."
"He actually dared to kill someone here?"
It was not only Bai Yuyang’s fellow brothers but even the Dingqu City’s first major sect, Broken Sea Hall, responsible for maintaining order, that was alarmed.
This was a major event assigned by the Feixian Sect, and no mishaps were allowed.
Several Celestial Fate Elders unleashed their Divine Mansion, directly targeting Duan River in the crowd.
This was the moment to act, yet they found themselves compelled to stop.
Duan River, his right hand stained with blood, held up a number tag high.
"I’ve already registered."
"Even though I’m just a 15-year-old who just got my revenge, I had already thought of my escape route."
A few Elders from the Broken Sea Hall seemed rather annoyed.
Bai Yuyang, though still an Inner Sect disciple of the Earth Element Sect and talented, had just been killed under their watch. This was a slap to their face.
One of the Elders said coldly, "You’d better be ready to face the consequences." ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs, ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ ᴠɪsɪᴛ NoᴠᴇFɪre.nᴇt