Mortal: Junior Sister Song Yu

Three days later, at the main peak plaza of Luoyun Sect.

The sect will select thirty disciples to participate in the once-every-sixty-years Sword Trial Tournament.

This is a grand event jointly organized by the three major sects of Yunmeng—Luoyun Sect, Gujian Sect, and Baiqiao Academy—aiming to exchange skills, select geniuses, and also serving as a stage for the three sects to secretly compete.

"Participating in the Sword Trial Tournament will not only bring you fame and fortune, but also reward you with generous prizes from your sect!"

The selection process was overseen by Elder Feng, the peak master of Tianquan Peak, a late-stage Core Formation cultivator. His voice boomed across the plaza, "The top ten overall scorers will receive 'Sacred Tree Elixir,' which will help you refine your eyesight, see through illusions, and significantly enhance your divine sense!"

Sacred Tree Extract!

Li Xiao's eyes lit up instantly.

That is the Heavenly Sacred Tree at the core of the Yunmeng Mountains, jointly protected by the three major sects. It can only condense a few dozen drops of supreme spiritual material every two hundred years! Each drop contains extremely pure wood-attribute spiritual power, which has miraculous effects on Core Formation cultivators, let alone disciples in the Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment stages. If they obtain a drop, it is enough to raise their spiritual sense cultivation to a new level out of thin air!

"This selection will be divided into two rounds," Elder Feng continued. "The first round is a test of magical power. The second round is a practical combat contest."

With a wave of his hand, a magical stele crashed to the ground. The stele was over ten zhang tall, its entire surface as black as ink, with runes flowing across it, exuding an ancient and weathered aura.

"Unleash your full power to attack this stele! Foundation Establishment stage disciples who can leave a mark of more than three inches will pass! This stele tests the purity and refinement of your magical power, not brute force, so do not hold back! As for Qi Refining stage disciples, leaving even an inch mark will be considered passing!"

On the plaza, more than two hundred Foundation Establishment stage disciples and three hundred Qi Refining stage disciples immediately rubbed their hands together, eager to try their skills.

Li Xiao stood in the crowd, his gaze slightly narrowed, and he instantly saw through the true nature of the magic power tablet.

"This magic power tablet is strange," Li Xiao transmitted his voice to Song Yu beside him. "It has a neutralizing formation inside that absorbs the weak and ineffective parts of an attack, leaving only the most core and condensed traces of magic power. Simply put, it tests the 'quality' of magic power, not its 'quantity'."

"Wouldn't that be very disadvantageous for disciples like us who are not at a high level?" Song Yu frowned slightly.

"No, quite the opposite." Li Xiao's lips curled slightly. "This is a way for us to weed out the mediocre and highlight the true geniuses. Your Water Moon Heavenly Heart Sutra has the purest power, and my Golden Flame Blade Qi has been tempered and refined countless times. Those cultivators who forcibly pile up their cultivation with pills are going to make a fool of themselves today."

Test begins.

The first to step forward was the renowned "Greatsword" senior brother of Hidden Sword Peak. He was burly and wielded a massive sword as wide as a door panel, known for his strength among the inner disciples. With a roar, his muscles bulged, and he unleashed his powerful mid-Foundation Establishment spiritual energy, slashing down with tremendous force!

"clang!"

Sparks flew everywhere, leaving a two-and-a-half-inch mark on the magic stone. The edges of the sword mark were rough and the spiritual light was dim, indicating that its magic power was mixed and impure.

"Unqualified." Elder Feng shook his head expressionlessly.

The giant swordsman's face instantly turned a deep purplish-red. He had thought that even if he wasn't the strongest, he certainly wouldn't fail to pass the first round. Now, under the watchful eyes of everyone, he had no choice but to slink away in disgrace.

Immediately afterwards, a weapon refiner from Fire Cloud Peak summoned his beloved mechanical beast and unleashed a full-force attack, leaving a mark of two inches and nine centimeters, still just short of the mark.

More than ten people took turns, but none of them could reach the three-inch standard!

The atmosphere in the square gradually changed from enthusiastic to solemn. Many disciples who were originally full of confidence began to sweat, and their whispers were filled with doubt and unease. They finally realized that the difficulty of this selection was far beyond their imagination.

Just then, it was Song Yu's turn to take the stage.

She stepped forward gracefully in a light blue dress, her exquisite beauty instantly captivating everyone's attention, like a blue lotus blooming in the mortal world.

"It's Senior Sister Song!"

"Senior Sister Song is the Supreme Elder's designated true disciple, she'll definitely be fine!"

Under everyone's watchful eyes, Song Yuyu lightly raised her hand, and the Azure Wave Sword was drawn from its sheath. She did not use her full strength, but only used seventy percent of her magic power, seemingly slashing the sword lightly.

laugh--

A thin, azure sword beam landed on the magic power monument, silently slicing into it. Everyone stared intently, gasping in astonishment! The mark was a full four inches deep! And the cut was smooth as a mirror, radiating spiritual light, demonstrating the profound and refined nature of the magic power used!

"Excellent!" Elder Feng, who had remained impassive throughout, finally clapped his hands in praise. "Truly worthy of being the future pillar of the sect, Junior Nephew Song lives up to his reputation!"

Everyone turned to look, exclamations of amazement and envy filling the air. Song Yu's abilities were once again proven.

Next up is Li Xiao.

As soon as he stepped forward, a few discordant voices arose from the crowd.

"It's him? Li Xiao, who just recently reached the Foundation Establishment stage?"

"Senior Sister Song is exceptionally talented. He's only at the early Foundation Establishment stage. How refined can his magic power be? He might not even be able to retain an inch of it, embarrassing Senior Sister Song."

Li Xiao ignored all the noise. Holding the ancient Tang sword passed down from his ancestors, he did not unleash any fancy moves, but simply poured the golden-red Foundation Establishment spiritual power within his body into the blade and slashed down with a seemingly ordinary stroke.

In reality, this strike condensed his compressed magical power to the extreme, the blade's light was concealed, and its sharpness was hidden.

"clang!!"

A sound far clearer than any before, like the resonance of metal and stone, rang out, and the magic tablet visibly trembled violently!

All eyes were fixed on the monument.

A deep, sharp knife mark was branded on it, its edges smooth and gleaming with a faint, dark golden light, indicating that the level of its magical power had reached its peak!

Measure it with a ruler—four and a half inches!

It is even half an inch deeper than Song Yu's!

"hiss--"

A moment of deathly silence fell over the entire arena, followed by a deafening roar of cheers!

"This...how is this possible!" Elder Feng could no longer sit still. He stood up in astonishment, his eyes flashing with a sharp light as he stared intently at Li Xiao. "Junior Nephew Li, you're only at the early Foundation Establishment stage, yet your mana condensation...is already approaching that of the late Foundation Establishment stage!"

Those disciples who were just discussing the matter were now speechless, like ducks with their necks being choked, their faces burning with embarrassment, wishing they could disappear into the ground.

Li Xiao sheathed his sword and stood there calmly: "It was just a fluke. In my daily cultivation, I focus more on honing my foundation."

He knew in his heart that his magical power, having undergone the ultimate condensation during the Qi Refining stage, was of a quality far superior to others of the same level. This magical power test was exactly what he wanted.

"What a fine emphasis on foundation! What a stroke of luck!" Elder Feng laughed instead of getting angry, his eyes full of admiration. "Junior Nephew Li, you are too modest. This magic power stele cannot be faked! I'll put it this way today: if you can achieve a top-three finish in the Three Sects Sword Trial Tournament, my Tianquan Peak is willing to guarantee you a true disciple of our sect!"

These words caused an uproar in the room once again!

True disciples! That's the pinnacle of status and resources in the sect! Countless disciples' eyes shone with jealousy, envy, and even awe, engraving the name "Li Xiao" firmly in their hearts.

After the first round, only fifty-three Foundation Establishment stage disciples and a dozen or so Qi Refining stage disciples passed, a shockingly high elimination rate.

The second round of practical competition will be a draw.

Li Xiao's opponent was Wang Yan, an inner sect senior brother in the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, who was quite skilled in fire magic.

"Junior Brother Li, although your magic power is strong, the difference in realm is no joke!" Wang Yan was full of confidence. As soon as the battle started, he used his signature move, "Fire Rain Technique," and countless fireballs roared down, covering the entire arena.

Li Xiao neither dodged nor evaded; his golden flame blade aura suddenly unsheathed and swept out, extinguishing the countless fireballs as easily as fragile fireworks.

He moved swiftly, using the Wild Goose Technique in conjunction with the Instant Step, and stealthily approached Wang Yan.

Wang Yan was shocked and was about to retreat when he felt a numbness in his chest. Li Xiao had used the back of his knife to strike an acupoint on his chest with perfect precision, and with a skillful force, he was sent off the stage unharmed.

"Senior Brother Wang, you flatter me."

Clean and efficient, three moves to win!

The audience fell silent once again; the challenge against someone of a higher level was so effortless!

On the other side, Song Yu's opponent was Lin Wan, a female cultivator who was proficient in formations.

Lin Wan set up a "maze," creating a series of illusions.

Song Yu simply closed her eyes, and quietly activated her Tongming Lingxi, making all the spiritual energy trajectories of the formation crystal clear to her.

With a casual flick of her sword, the azure light of her blade precisely pierced the eye of the formation.

Under the backlash of the formation, Lin Wan'er's consciousness became chaotic, and she had no choice but to admit defeat.

"The 'Insightful Understanding' is truly remarkable," Li Xiao praised.

Song Yu smiled and transmitted his voice: "Not only that, I could also clearly sense her panic and flaws when setting up the formation, making the victory easier than I imagined."

After two rounds of competition, the list of thirty disciples was officially released.

Li Xiao and Song Yu were both selected to become elites representing the Luoyun Sect in the expedition.

"Gather at the mountain gate in five days and proceed to the Ancient Sword Sect!" Elder Feng announced loudly. "In this Sword Trial Tournament, I hope you will all uphold the prestige of my Falling Cloud Sect!"

Five days later, a huge dragon-shaped cloud boat hovered above the sect square.

The cloud boat was thirty feet long, and its hull was engraved with three layers of magic arrays for gathering spirit, defense, and acceleration, making it magnificent.

Li Xiao stood on the deck, gazing into the distance.

This sword-testing tournament is a crucial step for him to obtain the Sacred Tree Elixir and become a true disciple!

He felt Song Yu's gentle gaze, and when he turned to look at her, the girl was smiling at him, her clear eyes full of trust and affection.

"Senior brother, you will definitely shine in this sword-testing competition," Song Yu said softly, his tone extremely firm.

Li Xiao smiled slightly, reached out and firmly grasped her hand, his eyes shining with an unprecedented light: "Of course. Once I win the championship and obtain the status of a true disciple, I will propose marriage to my master. At that time, she surely won't refuse!"

The cloud boat suddenly accelerated, soaring through the air, carrying thirty spirited elites of the Falling Cloud Sect, speeding towards the ancient Sword Sect where the winds of change were about to meet!