At the Xuantian Sect, before the Water Mirror.
Perfected One Dao Yan and the five elders had already risen to their feet. The expressions on every one of their faces could only be described as if they had seen a ghost.
“O-One sword strike to kill an Innate great demon?”
Elder Li Changqing’s voice trembled.
“What realm is she actually in? During the preliminary selection, she was clearly only at the peak of the True Essence Realm!”
Dao Yan, the Perfected One, remained silent for a long while before slowly saying, “This girl has hidden her true strength even more deeply than I imagined.”
His eyes blazed with excitement.
“Regardless of her true cultivation… a genius like this must join our Xuantian Sect!”
Ding!
Mission: Turn the Tide—completed!
Reward issued: Ten-Thousandfold Critical-Return Guarantee Talisman ×1 (single-use). Stored in the system inventory.
Usage: Use when snatching an opportunity. Can be activated manually to guarantee a ten-thousandfold critical return.
Ye Wushuang looked at the system notifications in her mind and nodded with satisfaction.
This was a profitable haul.
She sheathed her sword and glanced at the battered group. In a flat tone, she said, “Anyone who’s still alive can tend to their own wounds. Don’t count on me.”
With that, she turned and left the valley.
A group of stunned prodigies remained behind, along with the faint scent of blood lingering in the air.
The three-day trial in the secret realm came to an abrupt end.
More accurately, after Ye Wushuang slew the Black Demon Ape, the elders of the Xuantian Sect immediately repaired the teleportation formation and withdrew all the disciples.
On the White Jade Square, more than eight hundred disciples stood or sat scattered about. Quite a few of them were still injured.
Yet everyone was talking about the same person: Ye Wushuang.
“Did you hear? One sword strike! She killed an Innate great demon with just one sword strike!”
“I saw it with my own eyes! She sliced that Black Demon Ape in half with a single slash, as easily as cutting tofu!”
“What realm is she in, exactly? Didn’t they say she was at the peak of the True Essence Realm during the preliminary selection?”
“You actually believe that? How could someone at the peak of the True Essence Realm kill an Innate great demon with one sword? She must be at least in the Grotto-Heaven Realm!”
Ye Wushuang leaned against a stone pillar with her arms folded, resting with her eyes closed as though she heard nothing.
The Xuantian Sect’s Grand Elder flew down from a spirit vessel and landed in the center of the square.
“The secret-realm trial is over! All disciples who passed the assessment will be personally selected by the peak masters and assigned to their respective peaks.”
He paused, sweeping his gaze across the entire square.
“But before the assignments are made, the sect master has an important announcement.”
As soon as his voice fell, a vast, ocean-like pressure poured down from Celestial Balance Peak, the foremost of the nine main peaks.
Dao Yan, the Perfected One, came striding through the air.
Today, he had changed into a purple robe trimmed with gold. He looked every inch the immortal, his bearing dignified and majestic.
Behind him followed six or seven peak masters, each possessing at least Violet Palace Realm cultivation. They stood in a neat line, creating an exceedingly grand spectacle.
“Greetings, Sect Master!”
All the disciples on the square bowed in unison.
Dao Yan waved a hand. “Rise.”
His gaze passed over the crowd and landed precisely on Ye Wushuang.
“Ye Wushuang, step forward.”
Everyone’s eyes instantly converged on her.
At his words, Ye Wushuang walked forward at an unhurried pace and stopped in the center of the square.
“Does the sect master need something from me?”
Dao Yan looked at her. His tone was gentle, yet carried a hint of scrutiny.
“I witnessed your performance in the Myriad Beasts Secret Realm. Your strength far surpasses that of your peers.”
“I wish to accept you as my personal disciple. What say you?”
The moment those words were spoken, the square erupted.
“A personal disciple?! The sect master’s personal disciple?!”
“My heavens! That’s the highest status a disciple can have in the entire Xuantian Sect!”
“The sect master hasn’t taken a personal disciple in thirty years, has he?”
The expressions of several peak masters changed at once.
They had all intended to compete for Ye Wushuang, and each had prepared a pile of enticing conditions. Yet the sect master had cut them off before they could even make a move.
“Sect Master! Isn’t this too hasty?”
The Peak Master of Sword Formation Peak could not help speaking up. “That girl Ye’s talent is indeed excellent, but entering the sect requires layer upon layer of assessment…”
“Assessment?”
Dao Yan gave him a faint glance. “After killing an Innate great demon with one sword, what further assessment does she need?”
The Peak Master of Sword Formation Peak immediately fell silent.
Ye Wushuang stood where she was, but did not answer at once.
Just now, she had caught sight of Lin Langtian among the crowd and casually checked his status panel.
Name: Lin Langtian
Realm: Peak True Essence Realm
Fate: Absolutely overpowered
Upcoming Opportunity: Three days from now, Lin Langtian will draw Dao Yan’s attention through the prestige of his past life as the Demon Emperor and his performance directing the others in the Myriad Beasts Secret Realm. Dao Yan will make an exception and accept him as his eighth personal disciple, bestowing upon him a gift—the ancient cultivation technique Heavensteel Earth-Escaping Art, a high-grade Earth-rank technique. With the experience of his past life, Lin Langtian will quickly cultivate it to the major accomplishment stage, greatly increasing his strength.
Ye Wushuang pondered in secret. Very quickly, she came up with a plan.
“Sect Master.”
Ye Wushuang slowly spoke.
“I have a request that may be a little unreasonable.”
“Let’s hear it.” Dao Yan looked at her with interest.
“I wish to become your disciple, Sect Master, but I don’t want to be an ordinary personal disciple.”
Ye Wushuang raised one finger.
“I want to be your final, closed-door disciple.”
The entire square erupted in an uproar.
A closed-door disciple meant the final disciple accepted by a master—the one who would receive the greatest favor.
It was more than just a title. It represented the fact that the sect master would impart his lifelong knowledge without reservation and pass down his legacy.
“What nerve!”
“Her final disciple? What makes her think she deserves that?”
“The sect master already has seven personal disciples, all of them exceptionally talented. She’s merely a newcomer—where does she get the confidence?”
The discussions rose and fell. Quite a few people cast unfriendly looks in her direction.
Dao Yan, however, did not grow angry. Instead, he threw back his head and laughed.
“Good! Good! What an ambitious request! You certainly aren’t shy!”
He looked Ye Wushuang up and down, and the more he looked, the more satisfied he became.
A tenth-grade talent, an ancient supreme physique, three breaths to break through the Heart-Questioning Illusion, and a single sword strike to kill an Innate great demon.
With a disciple like this, making her his closed-door disciple was hardly excessive. Even directly passing the sect master’s position to her would not be a loss.
“Good, good, good. I agree.”
Dao Yan swept out his sleeve, sending a violet-gold token flying toward Ye Wushuang.
“From this day forth, Ye Wushuang is my closed-door disciple. I bestow upon her the Sect Master’s Token. She shall enjoy the highest privileges afforded to a core disciple.”
Immediately afterward, he took a yellowed, ancient scroll from his sleeve.
“This is the high-grade Earth-rank Heavensteel Earth-Escaping Art, which I obtained years ago in an ancient ruin. It was created by an ancient great expert and is a technique focused on speed. Unfortunately, it is somewhat incomplete. Despite years of study, I have been unable to restore it in its entirety.”
Dao Yan handed the scroll to Ye Wushuang.
“Since you are now my closed-door disciple, I shall give this to you as a gift for accepting me as your master. With your talent, perhaps you can comprehend and complete it.”
Ye Wushuang accepted the scroll with both hands.
The instant her fingertips touched it, the system notification rang in her mind right on schedule.
Ding!
The host has intercepted the key opportunity of the favored son of destiny, Lin Langtian. Ten-thousandfold critical return activated!
Congratulations, host! The incomplete high-grade Earth-rank Heavensteel Earth-Escaping Art has been upgraded into the complete supreme Heaven-rank technique, Heavensteel Divine Evasion!
Technique Description: An ultimate speed technique created by an ancient great expert. Once cultivated to the major accomplishment stage, one can travel a thousand miles in an instant. Once cultivated to perfection, one can perform short-distance spatial teleportation.
Opportunity Points +10
Ye Wushuang kept her expression unchanged, but inwardly she was already dancing with joy.
A supreme Heaven-rank speed technique!
This was countless times stronger than the incomplete Earth-grade junk from the original version.
Combined with her cultivation at the peak of the Grotto-Heaven Realm and the physical strength of her Nine-Phoenix Flame Phoenix physique, she could simply make a run for it whenever she encountered an enemy she couldn’t defeat in the future.
Her sense of security was maxed out~!
