Chapter 646: Successful Entry to the Ranking? How Can It Be?
I cannot retreat. Once I retreat, even if that sword light does not kill me, it will put me at a severe disadvantage.
Xiao Chen had already forgotten that he only needed to endure twenty moves to pass the foundation test. He had now become wholly engrossed in the battle, thinking about every single move.
Covering his body in Quintessence, he took on the sea of fire directly. He extended his Spiritual Sense and quickly observed that sword light.
“Boom!”
Even though Xiao Chen had covered himself with Quintessence, he felt a burning sensation over every bit of his skin when the blazing fire spewed over him. However, he ignored the pain and focused on searching for that hidden sword light.
“I found it!” Xiao Chen’s face lit up with joy. He did not give his opponent a chance to complete the move, sending out his sharp saber intent, instead. Electricity arced around the sea of fire and crashed into the sword light that had not reached its peak yet.
“Bang!”
The sword light clashed with the saber intent, and a loud ‘clang’ rang out. A shock wave spread out, and the sea of fire instantly scattered. Countless sparks flew in all directions.
The white-haired old man went flying backwards, moving a hundred meters in the blink of an eye. He stood up straight with his sword in his hand, appearing entirely unscathed.
On the other hand, although Xiao Chen had pushed back the old man, his hair and eyebrows were singed and smoking; he looked very weird.
Smiling, the white-haired old man said, “Little fellow, are you taking advantage of the fact that I lowered my cultivation? To think you dare to be so reckless!”
Xiao Chen felt somewhat embarrassed. The old man was right. If the old man were at the same cultivation as him, that sea of flames and the sword images would have given him severe burns. He would not have had the opportunity to find the hidden sword light.
“However, both your comprehension and discernment are quite decent. Again!”
The white-haired old man laughed loudly and sent out another set of sword lights and sea of fire at Xiao Chen. However, this time, he raised his cultivation to be the same as Xiao Chen’s, breaking the rules he established.
Like before, Xiao Chen used the example from the old man and executed the saber lights and the sea of lightning with his Lunar Shadow Saber.
“Bang!”
This time, the sea of lightning that Xiao Chen sent out managed to last for three breaths before scattering. However, the sea of fire directly knocked him back.
Another sharp, graceful, and dense sword light hid within the sea of fire. The sword light arrived before Xiao Chen in a flash. However, when it approached his forehead, it moved to the side slightly, cutting off some of his hair.
“Ha ha! Not bad. Again!”
The white-haired old man got quite worked up when he saw Xiao Chen’s sea of lightning last for three breaths. He laughed loudly and attacked once more after Xiao Chen stood up.
Seeing the hair fall from his head, Xiao Chen knew that the old man had held back. Now, he became even more excited about this move.
Twenty moves passed very fast. However, Xiao Chen’s lantern remained afloat, not showing any signs of coming down.
“What is wrong with this fellow? He’s already taken this long, but there are no results yet,” the surrounding crowd said in doubt. They felt that something was wrong.
However, Bai Yu laughed loudly, “What is so strange about that? He’s probably just running around, trying to drag things out.”
The crowd thought about it and felt that Bai Yu’s explanation was the only possibility. Twenty moves would not take very long. The only explanation was that Xiao Chen knew that he was not up to par and was using his Movement Technique to keep fleeing, not daring to receive the moves.
Bai He said in disdain, “If he is not capable, then he is not capable. To think he’s purposely dragging things out, refusing to admit defeat! It turns out that the cultivators of the Sky Dome Realm are so inconsiderate.”
Bai He’s words immediately upset many of the Sky Dome cultivators. However, as they were not strong enough, they could only rage in their hearts and swallow their words here.
When the two saw this, they could not help but feel even more pleased with themselves. They looked at the Sky Dome Realm’s crowd with extreme disdain.
Yue Chenxi said through gritted teeth, “Just a vile person being proud of themselves. They are only a few years older than us.”
Bai Yu laughed, “With your talent, even if you trained for another ten years, I will be able to defeat you in ten moves. I will be at Beiming Palace. You can come and challenge me anytime, but you probably won’t have the guts.”
“Junior Brother, you still overestimate her. I believe at that time, she would not even be able to receive a single move from you. She will never have to guts to come to Beiming Palace,” Bai He mocked.
After they finished speaking, Bai Yu and Bai He laughed, infuriating Yue Chenxi.
“Shut up!”
The blue-robed youth behind Bai Xi suddenly shouted, his voice distinctly cold and emotionless. Recalling the blue-robed youth’s method of doing things, Bai Yu and Bai He were frightened into silence.
“That is Bai Jian, on the Proud Son of Heaven Ranking, he is second to the seven giants. Unexpectedly, he is here bringing the Beiming Palace’s people to attempt to break into the Proud Son of Heaven Ranking.”
Even though that blue-robed youth gave off an extraordinary air, he had done something so that people would not notice him easily while he was standing there earlier.
Only when the blue-robed youth spoke did the crowd realize that he had been standing there for a while now. He nodded slightly to Old Feng to indicate his apologies; then he pulled Bai Yu and Bai He behind him.
“Are you two idiots? The old men behind them are all inner sect elders of Rank 9 sects. They would be able to squish you to death with one hand. I don’t care if you are unrestrained with your words, but don’t drag Beiming Palace into this.”
When Bai Yu and Bai He heard Bai Jian scolding them, they lowered their heads and did not say anything.
---
Xiao Chen’s lantern still floated before everyone’s eyes, showing no signs of coming down. Soon, some of the people waiting grew impatient and started to criticize Xiao Chen.
Bai Yu and Bai He, who were next up after Xiao Chen, were even more impatient. They uttered curses at Xiao Chen’s lantern.
“Sea of Lightning Saber Light Chop!”
Meanwhile, in the lantern, Xiao Chen shouted ferociously and sent out twenty-one attacks. Each attack materialized dazzling lightning. When combined, they formed a surging, howling sea of lightning.
Looking carefully, one would discover that the sea of lightning closely resembled the white-haired old man’s Sea of Fire Sword Light Chop. It only lacked the same charm as the sea of fire. Over time, with more proficiency, it would be almost the same.
“Bang!”
The sea of lightning and the sea of fire clashed, giving off surging shock waves. The hidden saber light and sword light launched the instant the seas scattered.
Two flashes clashed in midair, the collision between saber light and sword light creating a long trail of sparks, which turned into ripples fluctuating greatly in this space.
“Ha ha! Not bad. You finally gained a superficial understanding of my Sea of Fire Sword Light Chop. When this move is truly executed, it can send out ninety-nine thousand sword images. The state of fire will spread for hundreds of kilometers. The sword within the sea of fire can even cut open the sky.
“Today, I have exchanged a hundred moves with you. I probably will not be able to test the newcomers for the next hundred years. However, it is worth it to be able to pass down this move. In the future, when you become strong, remember to come back to this Sage Wall and leave your will behind.”
After the white-haired old man finished speaking, he turned into a beam of light and scattered. The image of this old man on the Sage Wall covered with drawings of Sages turned dimmer.
However, no one noticed that. Everyone’s gazes were focused on Xiao Chen’s lantern because it finally stopped floating and slowly descended.
Bai Yu immediately cursed, “Damn it. I already said this earlier. If you do not have the capability, don’t bother dragging things out. No matter how long you drag it out, you will not be able to change the outcome. It is my turn…”
“Xiu!”
However, before Bai Yu finished speaking, that lantern slowly went to the lowest row of the Proud Son of Heaven Ranking, and then it suddenly sped towards the last lantern.
Bai Yu’s expression immediately changed. He was in a daze for a moment before he said, “That is impossible. How did that fellow pass the foundation test? Wasn’t he just running around?”
The other people were all astonished as well. They could not think of an explanation. However, no matter the reason, Xiao Chen had passed the foundation test and was going to challenge the last rank.
All this happened before everybody’s eyes; no one could change that. The morale of the Sky Dome Realm’s youths could not help but rise, their eyes lighting up.
Patting Bai Yu’s shoulder, Bai He said, “It’s fine. Even if he miraculously passed the foundation test, he won’t be able to succeed in his challenge. We have already passed the Sage’s test easily many years ago.”
Bai Yu recovered his wits and said, “That’s right. This fellow comes from the last-ranked Sky Dome Realm. How could he succeed in breaking into the Proud Son of Heaven Ranking on his first try?”
Xiao Chen’s lantern finally knocked into the last lantern on the Proud Son of Heaven Ranking, producing a crisp sound. Xiao Chen’s flame figure gently leaped into the last lantern.
The world inside that lantern was a vast desolate land. A black-clad man sat crossed-legged in the center with his eyes closed. A sword stuck out of the ground beside him.
When that black-clad person felt Xiao Chen arrive, he suddenly opened his eyes. He stared at Xiao Chen with cold eyes and a strong killing intent.
Without saying anything, that person soared into the air, holding his sword. Then, he thrust his sword towards Xiao Chen. His sword light was dazzling and dense, not leaking out any Quintessence.
The flame figure left in the lantern was like the real body; it was no different from the cultivator himself. It was intelligent and could think; the only thing it could not do was leave.
Earlier, this person had quickly defeated Bai Qi and Xuanyuan Zhantian. Xiao Chen did not dare to be careless, so he did not take this attack head-on.
He pushed off the ground, and an Azure Dragon image appeared. The dragon roared as its figure flashed, avoiding this attack.
“Xiu! Xiu! Xiu!”
As Xiao Chen continued to dodge, the black-clad man’s moves became increasingly vicious like a venomous snake chasing closely after Xiao Chen.
After a hundred moves, Xiao Chen became more confident. This person was about as strong as Wan Feng, perhaps just slightly stronger.
Xiao Chen stopped and placed his right hand on his saber’s hilt. He muttered to himself, “In that case, there is no need to waste more time.”
Seeing that Xiao Chen stopped dodging, the black-clad man revealed a cruel smile. He thought that Xiao Chen had finally run out of energy and was only waiting to die.
“Sea of Lightning Saber Light Chop!”
Contrary to the black-clad man’s expectation, Xiao Chen suddenly made a move. He swung around his saber light and attacked seven times. Then, each attack split into three saber images, becoming a total of twenty-one realistic saber images.
“Insignificant bug!”
The black-clad man smiled coldly, and his sword light flickered as he received all twenty-one realistic saber images.
“Boom!”
Just at this moment, the electricity of the twenty-one saber images merged, forming a sea of lightning. It exploded, and the might of lightning surged out.
Caught off-guard, the black-clad man could not repel the blast from the sea of lightning, sustaining countless injuries.
Before the black-clad man could find his footing and check his injuries, he saw a flash in the sea of lightning. A strand of saber light came out of nowhere.
This saber light moved as fast as lightning with as much momentum as a meteor. Blood spurted out from the black-clad man’s neck, and his head fell off.
“Ka ca!” The lantern of the last-ranked person shattered, leaving only a flame figure standing quietly in midair. Then, Xiao Chen’s lantern flew over and took its place.
Xiao Chen successfully climbed to the last rank of the Proud Son of Heaven Ranking!
When Xiao Chen’s flame figure entered his lantern again, the faint light it gave off lingered for a long time without fading away.