You call this the way of the sword?

Yang Qingfeng had no interest in paying attention to Song Yuanshan and Sha Yinzhen.

After capturing Qiao Lie, he asked bluntly, "How can we save the master?"

Qiao Lie's stamina was clearly much better than Song Yuanshan's, and his victory on the jade steps had boosted his spirits. He immediately said, "Hey, I was just trying to trick you by yelling a couple of times because I saw you hiding in the back and not putting up any effort."

Qiao Lie was quite pleased with himself when he said this, as if it were a rare and precious thing to trick Yang Qingfeng out of his hiding place.

However, he still knew his limits.

Yang Qingfeng frowned, his expression instantly turning serious, and he quickly changed his tune: "I'm not joking, I really do have a plan."

Yang Qingfeng relaxed his brow and gestured for him to speak quickly.

Qiao Lie glanced at the other candidates, paused for a moment, and said in a low voice, "Think about it, the teacher is from Wendao Caotang, and we are students of Wendao Caotang. If we want to help the teacher, we have to win all the way, and win in a high-profile way."

"Ideally, either you or I would become the top scholar in the country, and then Mr. [Name] would become the top scholar, which would naturally improve his situation. Also, you and I would have more influence, although we still wouldn't be high enough for the cabinet, but it's better than nothing, isn't it?"

Yang Qingfeng frowned again: "That's it?"

Yang Qingfeng never even considered the so-called top scholar.

It's not that I lack confidence, but it's that if something is a sure thing, thinking about it more is a waste of time.

However, Qiao Lie used this matter to trick him, and under the guise of a teacher, he made him expose his abilities without hesitation, which would cause him a lot of trouble later.

Yang Qingfeng now looks at Qiao Lie as if he were a beast.

Qiao Lie instantly understood Yang Qingfeng's look and glared at him, saying, "You have this intention... if you have this intention, why are you hiding in the back?"

Yang Qingfeng shook his head, too lazy to waste any more words with him.

At this moment, Sha Yinzhen suddenly poked his head over with a sinister look: "I have a question for you. Who is that beast who owns the sword spirit?"

Sha Yinzhen would never forget the sword spirit, even in death.

Back in the Secret Realm of Talent, he ultimately died at the hands of Yu Junjian, but Yu Junjian pinned him down the moment he appeared, and he couldn't see it clearly.

Yang Qingfeng never showed up, and the only clue he was left with was the sword soul.

During these few days of his new growth period, Sha Yinzhen missed the sword spirit every day.

Because of the Sword Soul, he was unable to awaken his talent in the Talent Realm. Now, their paths have crossed again, and he has already drawn his poisoned dagger.

"livestock…"

Qiao Lie raised his left eyebrow, forcefully stopping Yang Qingfeng's neck from turning towards him, and asked curiously, "Do you have a grudge against that beast?"

He emphasized the pronunciation of the word "beast".

Sha Yinzhen was clearly pleased. He stared intently at the examinees surrounding Jian Hun, a cruel glint in his venomous eyes: "It's more than just a grudge; I owed that beast a debt from my past life! Tell me who it is, and I'll catch him and pay him back, slice by slice!"

As he spoke, he stabbed out with his knife, the blade flashing before Qiao Lie and Yang Qingfeng's eyes.

Qiao Lie's smile vanished. He shook his head thoughtfully, "I arrived late and didn't see it."

Sha Yinzhen then turned to look at Yang Qingfeng.

Yang Qingfeng said calmly, "We'll know who has a summoning-type Dao Body. Don't draw your sword before we find them; if they discover us, they'll be on guard."

"Hmm..." Sha Yinzhen narrowed his eyes and thought for a moment, then obediently put away the dagger and patted Yang Qingfeng with great appreciation, "You're not bad. If you can help me take revenge, I'll cover all your expenses at the academy from now on."

Yang Qingfeng gave him an approving look, "You're not bad either, we get along very well."

Qiao Lie's eyes twitched violently. Why did something feel so wrong?

He interjected, "Is there any for me?"

Sha Yinzhen glanced at Qiao Lie, recalling the fierce battle on the jade steps just now, but he quickly made a decision, nodding and reconciling, "As long as you help me avenge, we'll be brothers from now on. I'll share the good times and the bad."

Sha Yinzhen had thought it through very clearly.

Although Qiao Lie and Song Yuanshan were disgusting, they didn't cause me any harm.

However, the attributes of those sword spirits were ridiculously high, and there were two of them, plus a sword master hiding behind the scenes. It was unknown what their strength was.

This life-or-death feud is so close, yet revenge is not so easy.

Therefore, he decided to use Yang Qingfeng and Qiao Lie to bring Song Yuanshan along as well.

After making his promise, Sha Yinzhen thought of Song Yuanshan. He immediately showed a disgusted expression, but still went over and kicked him, leaving Yang Qingfeng and Qiao Lie speechless.

After a long silence, Qiao Lie asked with a serious expression, "Is he serious?"

Yang Qingfeng said calmly, "Of course."

Qiao Lie was genuinely curious now. "Did you steal his wife?"

Yang Qingfeng shook his head: "We stole his talent and even killed him. Later we found out that what entered the secret realm was just a wisp of our soul, so he wasn't completely dead and came back to life."

Qiao Lie slapped his thigh, suddenly realizing, "That must have been something I owed you in my past life. My promising path of cultivation was ruined before I even took the first step."

Yang Qingfeng explained somewhat awkwardly, "He tried to kill me first."

As he spoke, he commanded the two sword spirits to wander around, letting them circle around each examinee.

As soon as the sword spirit moved, Sha Yinzhen seemed to be activated, instantly turning his head and staring intently at the sword spirit's movement.

With the sword spirit no longer blocking her way, Jiang Yuan ran over with immense joy: "Senior Brother!"

Jiang Yuan wore a long red and white dress, which was both gorgeous and elegant, and at the same time highlighted her perfect figure with slender branches bearing abundant fruit. She belonged to the kind of person who matured early.

At this moment, she gave Yang Qingfeng a slight curtsy, her graceful figure a feast for the eyes, while also leaving the young masters from the capital who had come with her speechless with astonishment.

"Greetings, Senior Brother! Do you still remember Jiang Yuan?"

Yang Qingfeng had some recollection of her and nodded, but he was wary of Sha Yinzhen. He casually told Jiang Yuan, "Don't let anyone else come over. We have someone adjusting their breathing."

As soon as she recognized Yang Qingfeng, Jiang Yuan recognized everyone around him and could also tell that Song Yuanshan was not in good condition.

Now that Yang Qingfeng had spoken, Jiang Yuan immediately turned around, frowning as she said, "Didn't you all hear me say not to follow? Get lost!"

Those sycophantic local candidates immediately fell silent, while the young masters from the capital were caught in a dilemma, their faces showing some embarrassment.

One of them stood out; he knew Jiang Yuan's temperament, yet he turned his gaze to Yang Qingfeng and said unkindly, "Yuan'er, don't be ridiculous. No matter how capable this wild boy is, how can he deserve to be called your senior brother?"

"ha!"

Qiao Lie, who had also come from the capital, wasn't intimidated by these people in terms of style. He immediately retorted with a cold laugh: "Your father Yang is level 17, the highest in the entire arena, and he doesn't even deserve to be called a senior brother. What are you? What are you doing here, a level 15 bastard?"

The young master was shocked that someone would dare to speak to him like that, and his eyes widened in surprise.

Qiao Lie thought he was going to talk back, so he immediately interrupted and cursed again: "Hey, you little bastard, open your dog eyes and see clearly. Now it's your master who told you to get lost. Don't bite people here. If you're not happy, go home and bite your master. Stop making a fool of yourself here!"

Jiang Yuan frowned, feeling as if she had been implicated in the insult. She quickly explained to Yang Qingfeng, "Senior brother, I am not their master. I have no relation to them whatsoever."

"Back then in the Talent Secret Realm, thanks to my senior brother's help with his sword, I was able to awaken my talent and even enhance my skills. I will never forget the great kindness my senior brother has shown me."

Qiao Lie was cursing in front of him, but his ears were listening to Jiang Yuan's words. After learning the reason, he was immediately filled with anger and couldn't help but burst into wild laughter.

Then came another barrage of insults, leaving those young masters of the capital red-faced with rage. He single-handedly overpowered a group of people and forced them back.

At this point, Sha Yinzhen, having finished making empty promises to Song Yuanshan, also took action.

He began to sneakily follow the Sword Soul. Whenever the Sword Soul followed a candidate, he would lean close to their ear and whisper something in a sinister tone.

Some timid girls were so frightened on the spot that they let out terrifying screams.

In the blink of an eye, the entire city wall was thrown into chaos, all because of the arrival of Tiannan.

Yang Qingfeng, who was partly the instigator, was somewhat confused at the moment, because he, as the person involved, was completely unaware of the favors Jiang Yuan mentioned.

Jiang Yuan didn't care; she chatted on and on as if meeting an old friend.

Behind them, Song Yuanshan had opened his eyes at some point.

Sha Yinzhen entered the game himself, while he became Sha Yinzhen's third eye, secretly observing who was manipulating the sword soul.

With a thousand jade steps in front of them, not many candidates can make it to the third round.

In each area, there are as few as one person and as many as five or six people. There are only two or three hundred candidates in total.

Sha Yinzhen's move is risky, but it will definitely have a miraculous effect once it's found.

Song Yuanshan never expected that Yang Qingfeng was right in front of him, listening to Jiang Yuan's words in deep thought while absentmindedly flicking his sword fingers.

Finally, the examiner who had been observing from the shadows couldn't stand it anymore.

With a deafening roar, the array covering the city began to vibrate, drawing everyone's attention.

"Now we announce the rules for the third round of assessment."