Mortal: I became invincible after becoming sworn brothers with Han Li.

Upon hearing this, the three members of Luoyun Sect all frowned, a hint of indignation flashing in their eyes.

However, no one spoke up, because their Luoyun Sect had indeed been at the bottom in the recent Sword Trials, and on one occasion, they didn't even have a single disciple break into the top ten, which made the elders lose face.

"As expected, it's Brother Jiang Yun who's leading the team this time!" Elder Zhao of Baiqiao Courtyard said with a cupped hand and a smile, as if he hadn't heard the short old man's words.

"I never expected Elder Zhao Huang to come personally to greet me. After the competition, I'll have to have a good chat with Elder Zhao. There's nothing I can do about it; the other disciples in the sect have long lost interest in the Sword Testing Competition, and I'm the one with the most free time, so naturally, I had to come!"

As Jiang Yun spoke, he glanced at the three from Luoyun Sect. Seeing that their expressions were not very good, he was overjoyed.

As the two were talking, the disciples of the Ancient Sword Sect who had arrived on their swords also landed on the plaza.

The other two Core Formation stage elders also landed beside Jiang Yun, smiling as they greeted Zhao Huang and Elder Li of the Luoyun Sect with clasped hands.

After that, Baiqiaoyuan began to host a welcome banquet for the two factions, and even set aside two large courtyards for the sixty disciples from both factions to rest.

The fierce competition between the three factions officially began early the next morning!

Because there were not many participants, the competition was held in the same venue in order of arrival, and the rules were not complicated.

First, killing is forbidden; second, no pills are allowed during the match. A victory is achieved if the opponent concedes, falls off the stage, or is unable to continue fighting.

Afterwards, ten disciples from each sect were divided into three groups, which were then joined by twenty disciples from the other two sects.

Each group of thirty people competes in pairs, and the top four are selected. Then, they compete against the eight people from the other two groups by drawing lots to determine the final winners and the top ten.

The referees for the competition are cultivators from sects who are not currently competing on the arena, ensuring fairness for both sides.

The arena was a large stage, more than ten feet in size, in the training ground. A protective array was activated around the stage to prevent the attacks from the two fighters on the stage from affecting the nearby spectators.

"First match: Zhou Tong of the Luoyun Sect versus Wang Hen of the Ancient Sword Sect!"

On the arena's stage, a burly man with a dark face from the Hundred Crafts Academy stood and announced in a deep voice.

As soon as he finished speaking, a disciple from each of the Luoyun Sect and the Ancient Sword Sect stepped onto the arena.

As the burly man with the dark face announced the start of the match, the two men on the stage moved almost simultaneously.

Zhou Tong, a disciple of the Luoyun Sect, raised his hand and took out a round crystal ball magic artifact. He made a hand seal and chanted an incantation. The crystal ball immediately emitted a dazzling white light, and at the same time, some complex spiritual patterns were constantly moving on its surface.

Meanwhile, Wang Hen, a disciple of the Ancient Sword Sect opposite him, took out a long sword engraved with golden stripes from his storage bag at the same time that Zhou Tong took out his magic weapon. He raised his hand and tossed it upwards, his hands quickly forming hand seals, preparing to drive the flying sword to attack the enemy.

However, Zhou Tong's spellcasting was faster than Wang Hen's. He activated the magic artifact first, and the small ball flew to the top of Wang Hen's head with a "whoosh." The white light spread downwards, instantly enveloping Wang Hen.

Immediately afterwards, a white mist suddenly rose up, completely engulfing the other party's figure.

Seeing his opponent trapped in the illusion, Zhou Tong couldn't help but smile with a triumphant expression, as if the battle was already over.

Just as he was secretly excited, several golden lights suddenly flashed in the white mist, followed by a crisp "crack" sound, and the white mist instantly dissipated, revealing Wang Hen's figure inside.

The spherical magical artifact hanging above his head shattered in two and fell from the sky, losing all its spiritual energy.

Zhou Tong's face turned pale; he had suffered considerable damage due to his mental connection with the magical artifact.

Seeing the opponent wielding a longsword-wielding magic weapon hurtling towards him, he hurriedly pulled out a defensive magic weapon, a shield, in an attempt to withstand the attack.

However, Zhou Tong could not withstand Wang Hen's powerful and heavy blow in his hasty response. He only lasted for less than a breath before being blasted off the stage.

Upon seeing this, the burly man with the dark face immediately declared Wang Hen of the Ancient Sword Sect the winner. After the opponent left the arena, he announced the name of the person to compete in the second match, and then turned and flew away from the arena.

Since the next match is between Baiqiaoyuan and Gujianmen, he naturally cannot stay to be the referee.

The one who took over from the black-faced giant was Song He from the Luoyun Sect. As soon as he flew onto the arena, he shouted loudly.

"The second match: Fu Cheng of Baiqiaoyuan versus Yan Zhensong of Gujianmen!"

After a relatively mild battle, Hyakkiwa Fusei conceded defeat, allowing the Ancient Sword Sect to win another victory.

After watching the two battles, Li Yunfan couldn't help but secretly admire the strength of the sword cultivators. At least below the Core Formation stage, the sword cultivators were definitely the strongest among their peers.

"The third match: Li Yunfan of Luoyun Sect versus Fu Jiaomei of Baiqiao Courtyard!"

Upon hearing his name called, Li Yunfan immediately stood up and walked towards the arena. From the crowd of Baiqiaoyuan, a woman with a graceful figure and beautiful appearance also stepped out.

The disciples of Baiqiao Academy who were watching from all around immediately erupted into a commotion and discussion after they saw Li Yunfan's cultivation level.

"Late Foundation Establishment stage! That person from the Falling Cloud Sect is actually at the late stage!"

"Senior Sister Fu is only in the early stage of Foundation Establishment; she'll definitely lose against someone in the late stage..."

"Isn't the Sword Testing Tournament a no-go zone for disciples over thirty? Could this person have reached the late Foundation Establishment stage before even turning thirty? How is that possible!"

……

While the disciples of Baiqiaoyuan were discussing among themselves, the disciples from Gujianmen and Baiqiaoyuan who were participating in the competition also began to whisper among themselves.

Meanwhile, in a small open area near the arena, the three sects of Core Formation cultivators gathered together were also somewhat surprised by Li Yunfan's cultivation level.

"So that's why Brother Li arrived so early this time. You were prepared all along!" Jiang Yun of the Ancient Sword Sect said with a somewhat gloomy expression.

Elder Li and Fairy Yun smiled inwardly upon hearing this. They felt extremely pleased to have made this sharp-tongued elder of the Ancient Sword Sect suffer a setback.

"Elder Jiang, you are mistaken! We arrived early simply because our sect is a little closer to the Hundred Crafts Academy. This disciple is just an ordinary disciple within our sect. What preparations could there be?" Elder Li said with a slight smile.

"Ordinary disciples?" Jiang Yun scoffed, genuinely looking down on the actions of the Luoyun Sect.

At this moment, Elder Zhao Huang of Baiqiao Academy suddenly let out a soft exclamation, and a look of surprise appeared in his eyes as he looked at Li Yunfan, as if he had discovered something.