A Qi Refining Tenth Layer disciple of the Wind Ling Sect was battling a Wolf Demon manifested by a mid-level energy body.
The fight was nearing its end, and he was on the verge of victory.
But just then,
A pale yellow long sword flew out and pierced the body of the Wolf Demon.
As the mid-level energy body dissipated, the fruits of his imminent victory were stolen.
"Who?"
The Qi Refining Tenth Layer disciple from the Wind Ling Sect roared.
He was furious.
Anyone would be upset after having something they were about to obtain snatched away from them.
In the distance, he saw a person dressed in the robes of a Celestial Cloud Sect Inner Sect Disciple.
He got a clear look.
"Fang Yun!"
The Wind Ling Sect discipleâs eyes flashed with recognition. The next moment, he turned and fled.
He ran as far away from Fang Yun as he could.
The Elders had instructed them that Fang Yun of the Celestial Cloud Sect, much like Senior Sister Lin, possessed a special, combat-oriented constitution. Even at the Eighth Layer of Qi Refining, he had defeated a Half-Step Foundation Establishment opponent to claim the top spot on the Celestial Cloud Sectâs Inner Sect Ranking. And now, Fang Yun was already at the Ninth Layer of Qi Refining.
His strength must have become even more terrifying.
If they ran into Fang Yun, they were to flee if at all possible. They absolutely could not allow him to defeat and eliminate them from the Trial Secret Realm.
He currently had a full twenty-two points. If he were defeated by Fang Yun, the points Fang Yun would gain would be worth even more than defeating a high-level energy body.
âRun! Quick!â
âDonât look back!â
Fang Yun watched as the Wind Ling Sect disciple let out a cry and bolted.
He had initially intended to give chase. He would never turn down points, even if his opponent wasnât an energy body and couldnât provide pure Spiritual Qi.
But before he could even start the pursuit, he paused where he stood, slightly stunned.
His combat state had vanished...
âDoes fleeing cause my combat state to disappear?â
âNo, that shouldnât be it... Fleeing without any malicious intent towards me, thatâs the likely reason my combat state disengaged...â
Having discovered a principle related to his combat state, Fang Yun mentally took note.
If an opponent posed no threat and didnât actively seek him out for things like sparring or Magical Combat, he would be unable to enter his combat state.
â...As for a situation with malicious intent, the disciples of the Evil Sects would be excellent test subjects.â
Fang Yun made a mental note of it. He would definitely have to test it when he got the chance.
Right now, he was ninety-five percent certain that the principle he had deduced was correct. To be absolutely sure, he would need some control experiments.
The energy bodies in the Trial Secret Realm were also interesting.
As soon as one entered a certain range, they would be locked onto. The higher the level of the energy body, the larger the lock-on range.
These energy bodies maintained their lock-on effect even when fighting other Cultivators.
He had only recently discovered this last point.
However, these principles only applied to the energy bodies inside the Secret Realm, so they werenât of great significance. They would be useless after he left.
The Wind Ling Sect disciple was already far away, and Fang Yun had no intention of pursuing him further.
He first sat down cross-legged and began to refine and absorb the pure Spiritual Power from the mid-level energy body.
His Cultivation saw another increase.
After getting far away,
the Qi Refining Tenth Layer disciple from the Wind Ling Sect breathed a sigh of relief.
"Thank goodness he didnât follow."
He decided not to linger in the hilly area, lest he run into Fang Yun again.
...
ăOutside the Secret Realm.ă
It was now the final day of the four-sect trial.
All four sects had disciples who had emerged early because they were no match for the energy bodies.
All seven who had come out were at the Ninth Layer of Qi Refining.
An eighth Sect Disciple emerged.
He wore the attire of a Wind Ling Sect disciple.
Seeing this, the Wind Ling Sect Elder, Li Mingyi, appeared rather calm. This was the third disciple from his sect to have come out.
Wen Zhongyun smiled faintly. Aside from the very first disciple to emerge, who was from their Star Moon Valley, the subsequent six were two each from the other three sects.
Now, the Wind Ling Sect had already had three disciples emerge early, while Star Moon Valley still only had one.
"Eliminated by an energy body?" Li Mingyi asked.
"No, Elder."
Hearing this, Li Mingyiâs heart tightened, wondering if it was Fang Yun of the Celestial Cloud Sect who had eliminated him.
"Who was it?"
"A senior brother from the Vast Sea Sect."
"Alright, you may go."
"Yes."
When Luo Yiyang heard it was a disciple from his Vast Sea Sect, he remained outwardly impassive, but he was inwardly delighted.
âHis grandson must have made his move.â
Over the next several hours,
three more disciples emerged. None were from the Vast Sea Sect; rather, they were all Qi Refining Ninth Layer disciples from the other three sects.
They all said they had been eliminated by a senior brother from the Vast Sea Sect.
"Fellow Daoist Luo, what is the meaning of this?" Wen Zhongyun couldnât help but ask.
Feng Tianrui also looked at Luo Yiyang.
"This is just normal competition," Luo Yiyang said matter-of-factly. "Itâs not unheard of for disciples to be defeated and forced out early on the final day of the trial."
His grandsonâs actions were all within the bounds of the rules.
The other Sect Disciples who came out didnât complain, either.
"My grandson is vying for the first-place prize, after all," Luo Yiyang stated directly.
Although the emerging disciples only said it was a "senior brother from the Vast Sea Sect" without giving a name, the Elders present could easily deduce the answer. There was no longer any need for him to be secretive.
"Fellow Daoist Luo, youâve equipped your grandson well. Heâs certainly efficient," Wen Zhongyun remarked, clearly enjoying the spectacle.
The disciples of his Star Moon Valley had practically no chance of competing for first place.
Wen Zhongyun had long since relaxed his expectations and was simply watching the competition between the other three sects.
"You flatter me, Fellow Daoist Wen."
"Fellow Daoist Feng, do you still have confidence in your Celestial Cloud Sectâs Fang Yun now?" Li Mingyi turned his head to look at Feng Tianrui.
"I do," Feng Tianrui replied, though he felt no confidence at all.
But he couldnât very well say no, could he?
"Fellow Daoist Luo has his methods, but I believe first and second place will still come from among the disciples of your sect and mine," Li Mingyi said with a nod.
Luo Yiyang couldnât stand to hear that.
"The results arenât out yet. Fellow Daoist Li seems a bit too confident in his sectâs disciples."
Li Mingyi and Luo Yiyang began to trade barbs.
After listening for a bit,
Wen Zhongyun interjected.
"Alright, you two, thatâs enough," he said, though a cheerful smile remained on his face.
Just then, another disciple emerged from the entrance of the Secret Realm.
This time, it was someone from Star Moon Valley.
"Eliminated by a senior brother from the Vast Sea Sect?" Wen Zhongyun asked.
"Elder, how did you know..."
The Qi Refining Ninth Layer disciple from Star Moon Valley was stunned for a moment, but then it quickly dawned on him. There must have been many among the previously eliminated disciples who shared his fate.
Seeing the disciple understood, Wen Zhongyun didnât explain further and simply continued his questioning.
"Do you know what methods he used?"
"I donât. The senior brother from the Vast Sea Sect is at the peak of the Qi Refining Tenth Layer. I was no match for him, so I surrendered."
"...You mean to say, you surrendered voluntarily?"
"It was the Vast Sea Sect senior brotherâs suggestion."
"..."
âHow embarrassing,â Wen Zhongyun thought. âI should have known better than to ask.â
âHe gives you a suggestion, and you just surrender?â
âEven if you couldnât win, you could have at least put up a token resistance!â