“You must be the Blood Calamity Bringer, Lin Yun. I’ve heard about you. If we meet in the Ten Thousand Flowers Grand Competition, I will defeat you!” The young man’s sharp, piercing eyes locked onto Lin Yun, exuding an aggressive aura.
Lin Yun was caught off guard by the young man’s sudden challenge.
“My apologies. This is my closed-door disciple, Jiang Cheng. He is also a genius from the Three Thousand Lower Realms and was偶然 (accidentally) taken under my wing for training. He has a competitive nature,” the disheveled old man explained.
Lin Yun was slightly surprised to hear that Jiang Cheng was from the Three Thousand Lower Realms.
“It’s normal for young people to be full of vigor and competitiveness,” the sect leader said with a smile.
Lin Yun smiled and looked at Jiang Cheng. “You flatter me, fellow cultivator. There will surely be many among the younger generation stronger than me in the Ten Thousand Flowers Grand Competition. There’s no need to target me.”
“That’s fine. It doesn’t stop me from defeating you, the Blood Calamity Bringer,” Jiang Cheng said with a playful tone.
“Alright, if the opportunity arises, we can give it a try,” Lin Yun replied with a smile.
“Sect Leader Xiao, I have other matters to attend to, so I’ll take my leave now,” the disheveled old man said before leaving with his disciple.
After the two left, Zhi Jin muttered unhappily, “That guy is so rude. He just came up and said he would defeat Senior Brother Lin Yun.”
“Lin Yun’s reputation as the Blood Calamity Bringer is quite significant. Naturally, there will be many who want to step on Lin Yun to make a name for themselves. Lin Yun, you should be extra cautious during the Ten Thousand Flowers Grand Competition. I suspect there will be quite a few people with such intentions,” the sect leader advised.
“I understand,” Lin Yun replied.
“By the way, Sect Leader, how strong is Elder Hui Jue? And what is your relationship with him?” Lin Yun asked curiously.
If he were to encounter the disheveled old man’s disciple during the competition, Lin Yun wanted to gauge how heavily he should act based on the sect leader’s relationship with the old man.
“When I was very young, I teamed up with him to explore a ruin. At that time, I was stronger than him. During our exploration, we encountered danger, and I ended up saving him. However, he must have had some fortuitous encounters afterward, as his strength eventually surpassed mine.”
“We haven’t been in contact much. He dislikes constraints. He once joined a renowned sect but later left. After becoming a powerhouse, many factions invited him, but he never joined any of them, pursuing freedom and逍遥 (carefree living). His current strength should be between the 7th to 9th Tribulation Transcendence Realm,” the sect leader explained.
“Sect Leader, look!” Elder Mei Gu’s voice suddenly rang out.
The sect leader and Lin Yun both looked up and saw the disheveled old man leading his disciple to the Gu Family group. They were chatting and laughing happily with the Gu Family.
Seeing this, the sect leader frowned.
Elder Mei Gu said, “Sect Leader, since he knows about Lin Yun’s reputation as the Blood Calamity Bringer, he should also know about the deep enmity between the Gu Family and our Heavenly Sword Sect. Yet, he doesn’t seem to care and is happily chatting with them.”
“Perhaps that’s just his personality. He dislikes constraints and doesn’t care too much about such matters,” the sect leader said.
“They’re entering the city together,” Lin Yun observed, watching as the disheveled old man and his disciple walked into the city with the Gu Family, laughing and chatting.
The sect leader’s expression darkened slightly, but he still led Lin Yun and the others into the city.
Once inside, the city was as bustling as ever, even more so than during Lin Yun’s previous visits to Star Martial City. Walking through the streets, many people were discussing the Ten Thousand Flowers Banquet, highlighting its influence.
Lin Yun and his group checked into the same inn as last time.
On the second-floor corridor of the inn, Zhi Jin asked, “Senior Brother Lin Yun, do you want to go out and explore the city together?”
“You all go ahead. I won’t join. I’ll use this time to cultivate a bit more,” Lin Yun replied.
The Ten Thousand Flowers Banquet would begin the day after tomorrow. Before it started, Lin Yun had one plan: to cultivate!
He would quietly await the arrival of the banquet while cultivating.
“You all go ahead. Don’t disturb Lin Yun,” the sect leader said.
…
After entering his room, Lin Yun immediately entered the One Thought Clear Mind Tower and began cultivating.
Just a few hours into his cultivation inside the tower, Lin Yun heard some noise outside. He quickly left the tower and returned to his room.
Then, he pushed open the door and stepped out into the corridor.
Zhi Jin, Daniel, and the other Heavenly Sword Sect disciples were gathered in the corridor, chatting happily.
Lin Yun’s eyes fell on a familiar, graceful figure among the disciples.
It was Mo Qing.
“Mo… Mo Qing, Senior Sister?” Lin Yun couldn’t help but exclaim in surprise when he saw Mo Qing.
Since Mo Qing had left to go on her training journey, there had been no news of her.
Lin Yun never expected Mo Qing to suddenly appear here.
“Lin Yun!”
Mo Qing looked at Lin Yun, her beautiful face breaking into a radiant smile.
It was clear that she was also happy to see Lin Yun.
“Senior Sister Mo Qing, I really didn’t expect you to suddenly appear in Star Martial City,” Lin Yun said with a smile as he quickly walked over.
Seeing Mo Qing’s sudden appearance naturally brought Lin Yun joy.
Such surprises were always the most delightful.
“Lin Yun, I came this time to participate in the Ten Thousand Flowers Grand Competition. I knew that the Heavenly Sword Sect usually stays here when they come to Star Martial City, so I rushed over,” Mo Qing said with a charming smile.
“You’re also participating in the Ten Thousand Flowers Grand Competition?” Lin Yun was slightly surprised.
The gap between Mo Qing’s strength and Lin Yun’s was still quite large.
Not just compared to Lin Yun, but even compared to Daniel and Zhi Jin, her strength was significantly weaker.
After all, she was about the same age as Lin Yun, still very young, and had a shorter cultivation time.
Mo Qing covered her mouth with a laugh, then pouted. “Lin Yun, are you underestimating me? Can’t your senior sister participate in the Ten Thousand Flowers Grand Competition?”
Lin Yun scratched his nose and stammered awkwardly, “Senior Sister, I… I didn’t mean it that way. It’s just that the Ten Thousand Flowers Grand Competition is filled with experts, and it’s much more difficult than the Thousand Sects War. If you participate, you might face significant danger.”
“I’m now at the third-level Void Refining Realm, just like you,” Mo Qing said with a smile.
“You’ve reached the third-level Void Refining Realm?” Lin Yun was utterly shocked.
Mo Qing had previously been at the third-level Unity Realm, stuck at a bottleneck with no way forward. How had she reached the third-level Void Refining Realm in such a short time? Even Lin Yun found this speed astonishing!
“Although I nearly died during this journey, I also had a fortuitous encounter,” Mo Qing explained.
After saying this, Mo Qing immediately released her aura, revealing her third-level Void Refining Realm cultivation.
“Mo Qing has truly reached the third-level Void Refining Realm!” The Heavenly Sword Sect disciples present were both shocked and delighted upon sensing Mo Qing’s aura.
“Even Mo Qing has reached the third-level Void Refining Realm. Daniel and I are truly ashamed of ourselves,” Zhi Jin sighed.
