Mortal: Starting with the Falling Cloud Sect, I proved my Dao through gacha pulls.

"The first group: Su Mu of Luoyun Sect versus Song Zhong of Baiqiao Academy!"

Su Mu's expression changed, not expecting that he would be the first to face off. Without thinking, he lightly touched the ground with his toes and leaped onto the platform, quietly observing his opponent.

The person opposite was young, carrying a strange, earthenware-like object on his back. His face was ashen, and his expression was extremely unpleasant.

This disciple of the Hundred Crafts Academy was speechless. He had only just reached the Qi Refining stage, yet he was unlucky enough to draw an opponent who was in the mid-Foundation Establishment stage!

If he weren't afraid that admitting defeat outright would anger the elders of the Hundred Crafts Academy, he would have liked to turn around and walk off the stage right then and there.

"Forget it, I'll just throw out a few talismans to get by. I don't think the elders will be too harsh on me."

He felt a wave of helplessness and inner turmoil, and finally simply lay down completely, ceasing all thought.

Su Mu hadn't expected such good luck at the start, managing to pick an easy opponent. However, seeing the other person's uncertain expression and the obvious inner turmoil, he didn't underestimate him.

After all, with the precedent of Han Laomo, no one can say for sure whether the person in front of them is a cunning old man pretending to be weak.

"The competition begins!" the Luo Yun Sect steward immediately shouted in a deep voice.

Upon hearing this, the disciple of the Hundred Crafts Academy immediately flung out seven or eight low-level talismans. Fireballs, ice spikes, and wind blades exploded in the air, creating a spectacular display, but in reality, their power was mediocre and merely meant to intimidate.

However, Su Mu suddenly became wary. A Qi Refining stage cultivator using talismans in battle—it was quite a strange sight. He almost thought the person in front of him was Han Li.

He dared not be careless in the slightest, and immediately made a hand seal. The flames in his palm surged, and seven or eight fireballs condensed in mid-air and slammed out.

At the same time, he activated the True Flame Binding Spirit Lock, and the chains formed by the flames instantly intertwined into a cage, trapping the disciple tightly in the center.

Before the opponent could react, Su Mu had already activated the Molten Fire Prison Seal and smashed it down with all his might!

The spells formed from the talismans in mid-air collided with the fireball and exploded into bursts of fireworks.

Before the disciple from Baiqiaoyuan could recover, he was already entangled by layers of raging fire chains, and his spiritual power was instantly suppressed and frozen.

His eyes glazed over, and he felt a massive magic seal bearing down on him with a raging heatwave. The next moment, he was violently blasted away.

The disciple from Baiqiao Academy crashed straight into the protective array at the edge of the arena, his body sticking out in a "smack" shape as he slowly slid down.

If Su Mu hadn't stopped at the last moment, his fate would have been even more tragic.

He was completely bewildered. He had only dealt with the matter casually, so what had he done to deserve such a fierce attack from the other party?

Could it be that this disciple of the Luoyun Sect has some old grudge against me?

A thousand thoughts churned in his mind, fragments of his life flashing through his thoughts, but he couldn't find an enemy named Su Mu.

Finally, everything went black, and he passed out.

The crowd below the stage gasped in astonishment at Su Mu's ruthless attack, showing no mercy even to lower-ranking disciples.

Su Mu: ...It seems I misunderstood.

[His talent shines in the Sword Trial Tournament; Fate +33]

Current Life Number: 230

In the viewing pavilion high above the arena, elders from various sects sat in rows, sipping tea and chatting while taking in the competition below.

Upon seeing Su Mu make his move, the elders in the Viewing Pavilion raised their eyebrows, their faces showing surprise.

"Ahem, Brother Duan, I never expected your sect to produce such an outstanding disciple. Not only is his supernatural power formidable in combat, but he is also so cautious in his actions. It's truly rare."

The old man surnamed Shi from Baiqiaoyuan looked at Su Mu's decisive move on the arena, and seeing that his supernatural powers and magical artifacts were all extraordinary, he couldn't help but show a hint of surprise on his face, and his tone carried a hint of amusement.

Duan Gu's expression remained unchanged upon hearing this; he merely stroked his beard lightly and said calmly:

"This is my newly accepted disciple. I hope you will forgive my poor performance. My disciple is naturally calm and cautious. His all-out effort during the duel was simply a sign of respect for your sect's disciples."

The old man surnamed Shi smiled faintly and said nothing more. He turned his gaze back to the competition among the other disciples in the arena.

By the time the first round of competitions came to a close, it was already dawn the next day.

Of the cultivators who successfully advanced to the second round, the majority were disciples of the Ancient Sword Sect, while only Su Mu and Song Yu remained from the Falling Cloud Sect. The fierce and domineering nature of sword cultivators fighting at the same level was indeed well-deserved.

Su Mu's first opponent in the second round was a sword cultivator from the Ancient Sword Sect who was in the early Foundation Establishment stage. This person's fighting techniques were extremely fierce, and he could even control two flying swords simultaneously.

However, Su Mu immediately unleashed the True Flame Binding Spirit Lock in conjunction with the Molten Fire Severing Prison Seal, launching a relentless offensive that quickly defeated the sword cultivator.

In the next few matches, his opponents couldn't even last a few breaths before the outcome was decided.

Thus far, Su Mu has swept through the land undefeated. The only one who has yet to fight him is the Mingxin Sword Body of the Ancient Sword Sect.

This outcome greatly shocked the elders and disciples of the other two sects.

The Luo Yun Sect's momentum is so strong this time, which is not surprising given that the female cultivator surnamed Song with the Heavenly Spirit Root is already well-known.

But this Su Mu, who was previously unknown, has now shocked three factions with one battle, and his fame has soared.

"The final match: Su Mu of the Falling Cloud Sect versus Lü Feng of the Ancient Sword Sect!"

As this voice resounded throughout the arena, the final battle for the championship of the Sword Trial Tournament finally began.

At this moment, everyone's eyes were fixed on the arena, and the air seemed to freeze.

Su Mu stood on one side of the arena, his demeanor calm and composed, his expression remaining undisturbed.

Meanwhile, Lu Feng of the Ancient Sword Sect had an extremely solemn expression, and a chilling sword intent quietly permeated his body.

He had been watching from below the stage and saw that Su Mu had only used one chain-like divine power and one top-tier seal magic weapon in several battles, without revealing any other techniques, making him seem very relaxed and at ease. He had no idea what trump cards his opponent was hiding.

This feeling of having everything under the opponent's control caused the usually arrogant genius of the Ancient Sword Sect to feel intense unease for the first time in his life.

"We can't wait any longer!"

With a sudden thought, Lü Feng made his move and immediately took the initiative to test the waters. His fingertips moved rapidly, forming hand seals, and seven sharp sword lights suddenly burst forth from his body, attacking Su Mu at lightning speed.

At the same time, he poured all his true energy into the longsword in his hand, and the longsword hummed, instantly empowering him with a powerful sword intent.

With a sudden tap of his toes, Lü Feng shot forward like an arrow, his sharp edge striking Su Mu directly.

Seeing the opponent's rapid attack, Su Mu first summoned the Molten Fire Prison Seal. The seal spun in the air and hovered above his head, transforming into a powerful fire shield that blocked all the sword light and firmly protected his body.

At the same time, Su Mu made a hand seal, and several chains of flame intertwined, instantly sealing off the surrounding airspace and wrapping around Lü Feng like a net.

Lu Feng was prepared. He activated the magical artifact in his boots, and a flash of light appeared under his feet. His figure moved like a ghost on the arena, dodging all the chains.

The next instant, he suddenly appeared behind Su Mu, a sharp blade shot through the air, and the long sword in his hand pierced straight into Su Mu's back!

But Su Mu seemed to have already seen through everything. He moved his figure several feet to the side and dodged the attack with ease.

The Molten Fire Prison Seal hanging above him also crashed down at this moment, bringing with it the power of suppression, and slammed down on Lü Feng.

Lu Feng quickly pulled out several talismans and slapped them onto his body, instantly condensing several layers of spiritual light shields. At the same time, he raised his longsword and clashed violently with the Molten Fire Prison Seal.

A tremendous force swept over him, and Lü Feng was instantly blasted back several meters. His protective shield shattered layer by layer, and his sword-wielding arm trembled violently.

Before he could catch his breath, a strange flame suddenly flickered at Su Mu's fingertips.

Lu Feng felt his mind suddenly disturbed, a thousand random thoughts surged up, and a strange fire rose from within him, as if it would ignite his true essence.

Lu Feng was shocked and desperately tried to calm himself and suppress the agitation within his body. Only when the jade pendant at his waist emitted bursts of clear light did he regain his composure.

"What bizarre flames! Even with my Bright Mind Sword Body, they can still disturb my mind. If this continues, I'm no match for them!"

His eyes hardened, and his hands moved rapidly, forming hand seals. A huge sword shadow, condensed from pure true essence, materialized in the sky and slashed down at Su Mu. It was the famous Greatsword Technique among sword cultivators.

Faced with the giant sword crashing down from mid-air, Su Mu did not activate his magical artifact to defend himself. He took a deep breath, suddenly pushed off the ground and leaped into the air, directly throwing a punch at the sword.

Before Lü Feng's horrified eyes, the giant sword formed from his proud Greatsword Technique was shattered from its tip, crumbling inch by inch, and finally turning into countless specks of light that vanished into nothingness.

Su Mu took a step in mid-air and instantly appeared in front of Lü Feng. He reached out with his right hand, grabbed Lü Feng's neck tightly, and lifted him up in mid-air with one hand.

The Fallen Heart Flame suddenly surged from the palm of his left hand, transforming into a ferocious fire python that coiled around the two of them.

The fiery python's vertical pupils were cold and empty, indifferently locking onto Lü Feng, whose face was deathly pale, as if it wanted to devour him.

"I...I give up..."

Lu Feng had never felt the scent of death so keenly. Despite being surrounded by fire pythons, he felt icy cold all over his body and pleaded for mercy in a trembling voice.

The next moment, Lü Feng felt the grip on his neck suddenly loosen, and he collapsed to the ground as if all his strength had been drained.

The terrifying fire python also lost its ferocity, transforming into a gentle flame that softly returned to Su Mu's palm.

He lay on the ground, panting heavily, and looked up in shock.

But all he saw was a gentle, bright, and kind smile, which left him momentarily dazed.

"Fellow Daoist Lü, you flatter me."