"Heh... Talking so frighteningly, but after all that, it's just a few low-level formations layered together to create a killing array! How dull!"
Feng Wuchen murmured to himself as he emerged from the second path. The formations along the mountain path might indeed mean certain death for an average person.
However, with his prior life's Supreme Lord-level experience, breaking through such a formation was almost laughably easy.
The constant tolling of the mountain's bell reached his ears as he observed the dust-free Feng Wuchen before him. The entire crowd fell silent.
"Impossible! How could you get through my Qingchen Sect's killing array? This is impossible! You must have cheated!"
Ling Song's eyes were bloodshot, his voice hoarse with hysteria.
Mu Qing, standing in awe of Feng Wuchen, had a dazed expression. At that moment, the young man's words echoed in her mind once more:
"If you think you're not as good as her, you'll only ever be her. But if you believe you're stronger, then you might just surpass her! You should never underestimate yourself, nor should you underestimate me!"
"You... really did it..."
As everyone stared in stunned silence, Yue Qingyin simply glanced at Feng Wuchen with an indescribably calm expression.
"You came out slower than I expected."
"Oh? You knew I could get out?"
Yue Qingyin replied softly, "If you couldn't, that would only mean I misjudged you."
Feng Wuchen glanced at the corpses on the ground and smirked, "Then why did you kill them?"
"To vent some anger on your behalf. Any issue with that?"
"Not at all! Thanks!"
The crowd: "..."
Hearing their conversation, the elders and disciples nearby were utterly dumbfounded.
Yue Qingyin had known all along that Feng Wuchen would break through the killing array. She killed those attendants, even nearly a Peak Golden Body Realm elder, all just to relieve Feng Wuchen's frustration?
For them, this was an insult.
Alas...
One was a swordsmanship master, the other an unparalleled genius who broke through a deadly formation! Truly, they had underestimated them.
Moments later, four figures approached the sect gate simultaneously from four directions.
"Hahaha! The tolling of the Enlightenment Bell—seems another supreme genius has emerged in our Qingchen Sect!" a black-robed elder exclaimed, laughing.
"I never thought such a hidden gem was among this year's disciples. We really miscalculated," added a scholar in green robes following closely behind.
"Hmph! What's there to be happy about? This kind of genius is surely meant to join my Chiyang Peak. The rest of you can forget about it!"
A red-robed elder, radiating intense fire energy, interrupted them and accelerated toward the gate.
At his words, the other three exchanged glances, all wearing expressions of displeasure.
The elderly woman in a black-embroidered coat sneered, "There's no agreement yet. Which peak this genius joins isn't decided!"
"Hahaha!"
The red-robed elder laughed aloud.
"Living in denial, are you? Currently, Chiyang Peak's strength is over twice that of any of your peaks. How will you compete with me?"
The three others fell silent, knowing that, despite his arrogance, he spoke the truth.
Soon, all four elders landed at the sect gate.
Seeing these four arrive, everyone at the gate, except for Yue Qingyin, immediately knelt down.
"Greetings, Peak Masters!"
The four elders furrowed their brows upon seeing Yue Qingyin. The red-robed elder spoke first.
"Yue, girl, you're not the one who passed the second path and rang the Enlightenment Bell, are you?"
The other three were equally tense. It would be quite disappointing if that were the case.
Yue Qingyin chuckled, "Of course not!"
The red-robed elder smiled with relief.
"Where is the person?"
Yue Qingyin smirked, "What? Hear of a genius and now eager to take a disciple? Maybe first ask what sort of foolishness your elders have been up to."
Hearing this, the red-robed elder glanced at the surrounding elders, his gaze settling precisely on Ling Song.
"Ling Song! What happened here?"
Ling Song's face went ashen, mouth twitching.
He hadn't expected Feng Wuchen to survive the ancient path and ring the Enlightenment Bell. Now the incident had blown up, and there was no easy way out.
"What's wrong? Afraid to speak? Let me explain for you!"
At that moment, Elder Shen Hongyi stepped forward, pointing to the bodies on the ground.
"These attendants abused their authority, using their position to deliberately make things difficult for a disciple who had passed the assessment. But they didn't expect him to be a sword cultivator, who, with only an Innate Realm cultivation, sliced off the arm of a Level Seven Astral Realm opponent!"
A sword cultivator, capable of such a feat!
The four Peak Masters' expressions shifted.
Elder Shen continued, her gaze shifting to Ling Song.
"And this Elder Ling Song went further. Seeing those four attendants unable to stop the disciple, he even abandoned his dignity, personally controlling the formation to trap the disciple. Driven into a corner, the disciple had no choice but to traverse the ancient path!"
With that, Shen Hongyi looked mockingly at the red-robed elder, "Old Chi Lian, do you still have the nerve to take a disciple?"
After hearing the story, everyone was stunned.
Chiyang Peak's Master, Chi Lian, was visibly shaking with anger.
An Innate Realm sword cultivator capable of wounding an Astral Realm opponent—what a rare genius!
And Ling Song not only turned him away but also tried to kill him.
Had things gone just a bit differently, this supreme talent would now be a corpse.
"Well done!"
Chi Lian roared, releasing a sea of blood aura that pressed down on Ling Song, causing him to cough up blood.
Ling Song's face went pale.
"Peak Master... Please... let me explain... this boy's spiritual vein is crippled! He's a worthless cripple who's offended countless forces in the capital. I turned him away for the good of our sect!"
"Silence! How dare you!"
Chi Lian waved his sleeve, a powerful force throwing Ling Song into the air.
The ancient path of Qingchen Sect tests not only talent and cultivation but also destiny.
Historically, everyone who walked through it unharmed became renowned powerhouses, without exception.
Thus, even if one is a mere "cripple," so long as they ring the ancient bell, everyone would fight to accept them as a disciple.
"Guards! Punish Ling Song with a hundred strikes and confine him to the Cliff of Reflection for repentance!"
After dealing with Ling Song, Chi Lian shamelessly approached Feng Wuchen.
"I am the Peak Master of Chiyang Peak. The one who wronged you has been punished. Would you accept my invitation to be a direct disciple?"
"Chiyang Peak?"
Feng Wuchen looked up, scrutinizing the elder.
"Is Lin Wan your disciple?"
Hearing Feng Wuchen mention Lin Wan, Chi Lian's eyes flashed with joy.
Could it be this kid admired Lin Wan? If so, then recruiting this talented bell-ringer was as good as done.
"Indeed! Lin Wan is my direct disciple. If you join us, she will be your senior sister, and I can have her guide your cultivation!"
"Guide my cultivation?"
Feng Wuchen couldn't help but laugh.
"That won't be necessary. I only seek her to settle a debt."
"What?"
Chi Lian's expression grew menacing.
Feng Wuchen remained calm.
"Since she's your disciple, you should know how she obtained her dual spiritual veins."
Chi Lian was momentarily stunned.
As Lin Wan's master, he knew exactly how she got her dual veins.
He had even helped orchestrate it.
Back then, he had secretly provided the Lin family with the forbidden method to extract spiritual veins.
Not everyone could perform it; only those with a unique physique like Lin Wan's could.
He had seized the chance to create a genius with both thunder and fire spiritual veins.
The fate of the one whose spiritual vein was taken was of no concern to him.
But now, hearing Feng Wuchen's words, he recalled Ling Song's earlier statement.
This boy had no spiritual vein!
In that instant, Feng Wuchen's identity became painfully clear.
"It's you!"