Chapter 22: The Will of War, the Sword's Small Heavenly Position!

  Rushing to the new person chart, urgently seeking recommendation votes and collection, hoping everyone will generously assist, let Ten Steps truly take ten steps to kill one person, a thousand miles without leaving a trail, killing all the way to the top ten!

  All the way to Chaoyang Hall, there were occasional outer door disciples passing by who glanced at Lu Qing and his party. Lu Qing noticed that there were no inner sect disciples outside, and along the way, the three of them exchanged only a few words, just roughly knowing each other's names and identities, which also shocked Lu Qing.

  Easy as rain, the main peak of the misty peak is under the moon seat, the big disciple of the Bi Shui Jian Ming, the ninth of the top ten young masters of the Purple Cloud Sect, practicing the ice heart and snow sword, the sword guest Tianwei. Except for the name, all other contents are recalled by Lu Qing himself. Before Duan Qingyun left, he often discussed with Lu Qing some famous young masters in the sect, not to mention the famous top ten masters. Duan Qingyun said that it was like a family treasure, and the listener had a heart, which was firmly remembered by Lu Qing. Another female disciple, Su Yun, although ordinary in appearance, is also a master, and is also one of the three disciples under Bi Shui Jian Zuo. Lu Qing has also heard Duan Qingyun mention that she has the cultivation of a sword guest Xiaotianwei.

  Yi Ruoyu was also curious about the young man in front of him, feeling that his breath was weak, and with the faint purple aura on his face, he was obviously still in the stage of nourishing his energy before building his foundation. He was wearing the uniform of an inner sect disciple, but it was well known that the Purple Mist Sect only accepted new disciples every 15 years, and it had already been 10 years since the last time. If someone hadn't built their foundation by now, they would likely have been demoted to an outer sect disciple long ago. Was he a newly accepted disciple? Yi Ruoyu wondered, and looking at Lu Qing's age again made him even more certain of his thoughts. At most 15 or 16 years old, it was impossible for someone with such ordinary talent to be taken in by the strict and demanding Master Chaoyang of the Azure Sun Peak. Yi Ruoyu had some confidence in his guess.

  When the three of them arrived at the main hall, the disciples left behind by Nei Zong were already waiting inside. Seeing Lu Qing accompany Yi Ruoyu and the others to enter, the eyes of the crowd of disciples revealed surprise, and some people even showed a hint of envy, probably because they had made some wild guesses.

  Without being affected by the gaze of the crowd, Lu Qing's expression remained calm and composed, which made Yi Ruoyu and others who were secretly observing him nod in secret. When he looked up, Lu Qing found that Ming Xue'er, who had disappeared earlier, was now standing beside her master, Xuanqing, with a well-behaved face, and the previous playful and mischievous temperament was gone. Perhaps seeing Lu Qing looking at her, her big black eyes blinked twice.

  Settling his mind, Lu Qing bowed to Xuan Qing and walked to the last position in the first row on the left, which was also a rule. The ranking went further back in various situations, although it was not explicitly stated in the Zixia Sect, including the Chongyang Peak, but it was recognized by everyone. Over the years, it had become a tradition.

  "Yi Ruoyu and her sister Su Yun went to ask Uncle Xuan for his well-being, wishing him a smooth journey with his sword, good fortune, longevity, and peace!" The two of them slightly bent their knees and bowed, speaking in unison.

  "Good, good——" Xuan Qing stroked his chin with a rather satisfied expression, "I suppose Master has already succeeded in leaving the pass now?"

  It is said that the master, Yi Ruoyu's face showed a clear expression of reverence, "Master broke through smoothly two days ago and was promoted to the middle heaven position of the Sword King stage."

  No surprise, Xuan Qing had an expression of "as expected", and sighed: "Master's sister is indeed talented, now only over forty years old to have such achievements, really makes us ashamed." After finishing speaking, the topic shifted, "Does Master have any message to convey?"

  Not daring to be slow, Su Yun took out a blue scroll from her sleeve pocket, tied with a white silk ribbon, and handed it over to one of the disciples on the side, saying: "This is Master's personal letter, please take a look at it, Master Xuanqing."

  After opening and reading for a moment, Xuan Qing's eyebrows furrowed slightly, but soon relaxed again. His right hand shook, and the letter suddenly burst into purple flames, disappearing in an instant as a wisp of blue smoke drifted away. After a brief pause, he finally spoke up: "Alright, I agree to this."

  Upon hearing Xuan Qing's response, both Yi Ruoyu and Xuan Qing felt a slight relief in their hearts. After a moment of thought, Yi Ruoyu's lips moved slightly, while Xuan Qing's eyes narrowed. No one else noticed, but Lu Qing's expression changed as he detected a faint, obscure spiritual fluctuation coming from Yi Ruoyu. This surprised Lu Qing, as in his understanding, projecting one's spirit was an ability exclusive to those at the Sword Guest level or higher. Similarly, being able to sense it required at least the same level of cultivation. Could it be due to Yi Ruoyu's practice of the Lianhun Jue? Lu Qing was somewhat perplexed, but he couldn't think of any other reason.

  After counting his breath, Xuan Qing's face revealed a hint of a playful smile as he turned to Ming Xue'er, whose eyes kept darting back and forth: "I heard that Little Snow has successfully built her foundation and become a swordswoman. At the age of thirteen, it's not easy."

  "That's definitely right!" Hearing Xuan Qing's praise, Ming Xue'er was not modest at all, her small chin raised high, and her bright eyes were full of smiles.

  Xuan Qing's words were not false. Although it was said that due to age issues, the meridians had not yet fully developed, and generally, children in the Zong domain would have to wait until they were eight or nine years old, or even eleven or twelve years old, to start cultivating. However, even though sword body cultivation was relatively fast, being able to reach the level of a swordsman by the age of fifteen already indicated that one had good innate talent and acquired wisdom, making them an exceptional individual among ordinary people. But someone like Ming Xue'er, who successfully built her foundation at the age of thirteen, might not be considered anything special in the entire vast population of ten million mountains and billions of people. However, within the Purple Mist Sect's domain, she was already a rare talent.

  Upon seeing Ming Xue's expression, Xuan Qing didn't think much of it and continued to say: "Alright then, I've heard that your sword skills are exceptional, Snow. You can choose anyone from the crowd below at random, and I guarantee they won't surpass your cultivation level. How about it?"

  Her eyes rolled around and then she nodded in agreement, her gaze swept over the two rows of people below, before locking onto the last person in the right row.

  At a glance from Ming Xue'er, Lu Qing secretly said "this is not good", "I'm compared to him..." Ming Xue'er pointed with her slender hand, drawing everyone's attention to Lu Qing.

  "Lu Qing," Xuan Qing was taken aback at first, then shook his head with a bitter smile and said, "You little girl, this won't do. Lu Qing has just started and hasn't even built his foundation yet. Choose someone else."

  "This is what Master Xuan said himself, I'm going to compete with him!" Mingxue'er grabbed Xuanqing's sleeve and shook it vigorously. The disciples below couldn't help but feel a chill run down their spines. Lu Qing didn't know, but the old folks of Chaoyang Peak weren't aware that Mingxue'er, the mischievous little princess of Zixia Sect and the daughter of Mingxiyue, the master of Xuanxiao Peak, had been targeted by the infamous Master Xuan. Congratulations, you're in for a world of trouble!

  Xuan Qing was not moved, apparently having already seen through such tactics. Seeing that it wouldn't work, Ming Xue's small red mouth pouted, but her eyes lit up immediately after, "Alright then, Snow guarantees to only use the swordsmanship of the Servant Stage, how about that?"

  After a moment of contemplation, Xuan Qing finally nodded and looked up at Lu Qing: "Lu Qing, you go to battle."

  Seeing the encouraging gaze hidden in Xu Qing's eyes, Lu Qing's heart gradually became hot. Yi Ruoyu and the others had already retreated to one side. Lu Qing walked step by step to the center of the main hall. With each step, his aura rose a notch. His eyes opened wide, and a strong fighting spirit burst out. His sleeves fluttered as his sword energy reached its peak, starting to fluctuate slightly. The Lian Xin Sword on his back seemed to sense its master's intense intent, emitting a faint humming noise.

  Feeling Lu Qing's infinite aura approaching that of a Sword Immortal, Xuan Qing's eyes revealed a hint of slight astonishment, but soon calmed down again.

  Her gaze fixed intently on Lu Qing as he walked out, Ming Xue'er's face was somewhat solemn. Although her cultivation told her that dealing with Lu Qing should be very simple, her intuition told her it might not be so easy.

  Hmph!

  She flicked her small mouth, and with a reverse grip, she drew out her beloved blue jade sword. The sword was over three feet long, its entire body a deep blue crystal that emitted waves of cold air. As soon as the words left her lips, Ming Xue also released her own aura, but it only went as far as Lu Qing before being retracted, because her foundation stage boundary was still unstable, and she was almost forced to reveal her newly advanced cultivation by Lu Qing's high and mighty battle intent. Of course, this was only noticed by a few people, including Xuan Qing and Yi Ruoyu.

  A faint annoyance on her mind, without even a greeting, the Qingyun Sword Art exclusive to the Jian Shi stage unfolded instantly. In everyone's eyes, Ming Xue'er's Blue Jade Sword was surrounded by a thin layer of pale blue crystal sword energy. Her figure floated in mid-air, as if she were a goddess from the ninth heaven, without any hint of smoke or fire. With a flick of her wrist, the Blue Jade Sword transformed into ten dazzling blue sword lights that enveloped Lu Qing's entire body.

  With elegant posture but extremely rapid movement, the distance of only a few meters between the two was almost crossed in the blink of an eye.

  Yi Ru's eyebrows furrowed slightly, and she began to worry about Lu Qing. Others might not recognize him, but she, along with Su Yun and Xuan Qing, knew him well. The misty peak's Zhen Yuan Gong had a set of exclusive footwork called the Misty Step. This footwork was only possessed by those above the ground level of Zhen Yuan Gong, except for self-created ones. Mei Xiue had taught this Misty Step to Ming Xue because it didn't involve the core heart method itself. The disciples of the misty peak also liked this little sister, so no one said much about it. However, now that Lu Qing was practicing the Rainfall Eight Styles, which was a combination of the misty peak's sword servant stage and the Misty Step, it was like adding frost to snow.

  Wū——

  Lu Qing's sword flashed out of its scabbard, and the slight tension caused by being watched by many people was suppressed by the Soul Refining Technique. In his eyes, which were full of fighting spirit, a hint of calmness was momentarily hidden beneath the surface.

  As the Heart Refining Sword was unsheathed, the people in the arena only heard a burst of intense air pressure, and their eyes seemed to rise with a purple mountain peak, piercing through the clouds and entering the ninth heaven!

  Facing Ming Xue's swift and unparalleled sword moves, Lu Qing seemed to be oblivious, his Heart-Refining Sword stirring up a massive purple torrent, as if it was about to split the air in front of him in two. The large sword danced, its tip piercing through the air with a whirring hum. (Whirr, 10 steps' recommendation votes!)