Chapter 9: The Battle Begins

eal!It feels like a phantom, yet it's incredibly real.Gliding softly through the void.Northern Azure Swordsmanship Mirage Scroll, Second Form, Illusion Manipulation!!"No good!"The eerie figure, about..."Hey friend, this is the top-grade Gathering Spirit Pill you wanted.

Yuan Qing presented Su Xin with an exquisite jade box. Su Xin opened it for a glance and then put the box away.

After thanking Su Xindao, he bid farewell.

Before the Zhenwu Pavilion, a large number of martial artists gathered closely, all filled with astonishment and awe, seeing Su Xin leave.

"Chief, should we send someone to follow him and find out his identity" the black-robed attendant asked.

“No need to shake your head, Yuan Qing. Since he used an alias, it means he doesn't want people to know his identity. The mission of our Chi Long Lou is to befriend such top-tier talents like him, making them grateful to us and more likely to serve the imperial court in the future. If we blindly delve into his background or even secretly send people to track him down, once he finds out, it will backfire.”

And, being able to pass the fourteenth level of the Zhenwu Pavilion at the eighth stage of Zhenwu Realm, this kind of super genius with extraordinary skills, it's impossible to remain unknown forever. Sooner or later, there will be a day when his name will shake the heavens and earth. We just need to watch.

……

Su Xin carefully walked the entire way, spending a considerable amount of time making sure he wasn't being followed before returning to the Su residence.

Inside the room, Su Xin gazed at the twenty milky white pills radiating a rich aroma within the jade box. His heart was filled with joy.

“This top-grade聚靈丹 is dozens of times more effective than an ordinary聚靈丹. There are fifteen days left until the Sword Order Competition. I can take one every day, plus my inherited martial arts cultivation speed... It's definitely no problem for me to break through to the ninth level of True Martial Arts in half a month, and even reaching the tenth level of True Martial Arts is not impossible.” Su Xin laughed.

From that day on, he spent most of his time cultivating.

With the assistance of a top-grade Spirit Gathering Pill and his own inherited cultivation techniques, his cultivation level was steadily increasing at a terrifying rate.

Time passes day by day.

While Su Xin was secluded in training, the Su family wasn't peaceful.

First, several outstanding members of the younger generation of the Su family, such as Su Qinghong and Su Yuning, returned to the clan. They had been training abroad for a long time, striving to improve their strength in preparation for the Sword Order competition and the battle against Zhao Lingyi. During this period of training, they have all made progress.

especially Su Qinghong.

There is a rumor in the Su family that Su Qinghong's cultivation has reached the peak of the tenth level of Zhenwu, not inferior to Zhao Ling.

This immediately gave the Su family a surge of hope, with many believing he could truly defeat Zhao Ling in the Sword Order competition.

In just a few days, Zhao Ling also returned.

And on the day he returned, he went straight to Chi Long Lou and broke through the eleventh floor of Zhenwu Pavilion!

As soon as the news broke, the entire Su family was shaken to its core.

You have to know, being able to pass the tenth floor of the Zhenwu Pavilion already counts as a first-rate genius. Such geniuses are rare throughout the entire Yongning County. To pass the eleventh floor is even more extraordinary.

Although there were recent rumors of a powerful warrior named "Jian Yi" who had reached the fourteenth floor of Zhenwu Pavilion, an impressive feat for someone at the Eighth Heaven realm, Jian Yi wasn't from the Su family. So, the news didn't cause much of a stir within their ranks. Zhao Ling, however, was different. Being a member of the Su family, his achievement caused a far greater commotion.

All members of the Su family were shocked.

Of course, the disciples of the Mengke School were overjoyed and cheered. The core members of the Su family, however, were very restrained. Especially those who had high hopes for Su Qinghong and thought he could defeat Zhao Ling, they all fell silent after hearing this news.

Although their cultivation levels were comparable, Su Qinghong had only reached the ninth floor of Zhenwuge, while Zhao Ling had cleared the eleventh floor. This alone created a significant gap in their skills.

This led to the younger generation of the Su family feeling very down, and many had already given up hope.

No matter what, the inevitable will come. The day of the Su family sword order contest has arrived!

……

"Creak!"

Su Xin opened the door and walked out.

Master Hongshan has been waiting outside all this time.

The contest for the Sword Order begins today. Su Xin looked up toward a distant direction.

"Judging by the young master's expression, his cultivation must have advanced quite a bit" Hong Shan asked.

"Improvement I guess so. While it's not quite up to my expectations, it's not bad," Su Xin smiled faintly.

In half a month's time, his cultivation level had been steadily increasing. Originally, he wanted to raise his cultivation level to the tenth level of Zhenwu within this half month. Unfortunately, in the end, he still remained at the peak of the ninth level of Zhenwu, only half a step away from the tenth level of Zhenwu.

If he could be given another two or three days, he would be confident in directly breaking through to the tenth level. Unfortunately, the Sword Order Competition is about to begin.

Of course, even if it wasn't perfect, for Su Xin, having the cultivation of a peak Ninth Heavenly Layer was already enough.

Although I'm only at the peak of the Ninth Heaven, the cultivation technique I practice allows my power to explode with greater strength, not much weaker than an average True Martial Tenth Heaven realm expert. Moreover, I have bloodline power. Once guided and fully unleashed, it surpasses even the peak of the Tenth Heaven realm!

Su Xin clenched his hands, his eyes brimming with absolute confidence.

"Zhao Ling... an outsider, also dares to covet my Su family's sword order!"

"He should be killed!"

"I have been delayed for three years, the Su family has already lost the respect a young master like me deserves. Today, I will use him to establish my authority!"

……

Su's Family, Martial Arts Garden.

This is a vast garden, with a schoolyard in the center. In the past, it was deserted, but today it is teeming with people.

The Su family holds a martial arts competition for their children at the Martial Arts Garden every year, but this time the competition is of paramount importance because it concerns the ownership of the Sword Order.

The core members of the Su family, as well as numerous disciples of powerful individuals from their entourage, were all present. There were also a large number of maidservants and servants; at a glance, there seemed to be over a thousand people gathered here.

Above the schoolyard, on the bleachers, there were three seats. The two on either side were already occupied by two people, who were elders of the Su family.

The Su family, under the head of the family, has three elders.

Elder Su Subing, besides the head of the family, was the only one in the core lineage of the Su family who had reached the Void Breaking Realm. He is currently stationed outside the family and does not reside within it.

And now present here are Elder Two, Su Tie Tong, and Elder Three, Su Bai Hu, both peak-stage cultivators of the Sea Transformation Realm. Among them, Elder Three, Su Bai Hu, is the younger brother of the head of the Su family, making him Su Xin's second uncle.

In front of the two elders, four young members of the Su family still stood.

These four people are the most powerful members of the Su family's younger generation, all of whom have reached the tenth level of the Zhenwu Realm. Su Qinghong and Su Yuning are among them.

"For an outsider to participate in the Su family's sword order competition is a disgrace!"

“If that outsider were to win in this battle for the sword decree, my Su family would become a laughingstock!”

Elder Su Tie Tong, tall and sturdy, had eyes that bulged like copper bells, radiating fury. He roared, "You four, are the last hope of the Su family! Can you defeat Zhao Ling and restore our honor It all depends on you! Remember, do whatever it takes to bring Zhao Ling down! Even if it means sacrificing your lives, I demand you succeed!"

"Yes!"

Su Qinghong and his three companions stared intently, each understanding the gravity of this battle.

The Su family, as a family and once a prominent household of the Heavenly Flame Imperial Dynasty, has an ingrained pride and dignity that cannot be trampled upon by anyone.

If an outsider were to wield the Sword Order, the pride and dignity of the Su family would be utterly destroyed. For many members of the Su family, this would be more unbearable than death.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the training ground, a large number of powerful disciples from the Menke School had gathered together. Among them, a defiant young man bearing a battle sword stood at the front, standing out like a crane amongst chickens.

He is Zhao Ling.

Xiao Xiu had already reached the pinnacle of the True Martial Tenth Layer, and his skills had directly broken through to the eleventh floor of the True Martial Pavilion. He was a top-tier expert who alone put immense pressure on the younger generation of the Su family.

"Big brother, look, everyone around here is staring at you. Especially those young lads surnamed Su, the way they look at you, each one seems like they want to swallow you whole."

Su Qing stood beside Su Ling, noticing the fiery gazes directed at them from all around. She couldn't help but scoff, "Hmph, these fools. Even if they're unwilling, what can they do After today's battle, big brother, you will be the master of the Su family's Sword Order. From now on, the younger generation of the Su family will look up to you, and even the position of the Su family head in the future, it is very likely to belong to you, big brother."

Hearing this, Su Ling also smiled. “Unfortunately, my father’s struggle with Elder Su Boyong in Tianshui City has reached the most critical point. He can’t come back in person. If my father could see me crush the younger generation of the Su family later, he would be very happy.”

His father, Zhao Tianlei, as the leader of the Menke Pai, had gone to Tianshui City before and hadn't returned.

"By the way, Big Brother, about that Su Xin I mentioned to you before…" Su Qing suddenly said.

"Xia Qing Zhao Ling frowned, a hint of displeasure in her voice: “I told you before, to broaden your horizons. That Su Xin, three years ago was quite the person, but now, he's no longer worth paying attention to. You don't need to bother with such a low-level individual.”

"Su Qing lowered her head."

Zhao Ling glanced at Su Qing, then said again: "But Su Xin did hit your face after all, and he also said such arrogant words. I naturally won't let him go. In the upcoming competition, if there is a chance, I will take action."

Thank you, Brother Su Qingyi, for the joy you have brought.

He knew, he knew his older brother still spoiled him.

Just then…

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Two figures suddenly dropped from the void onto the bleachers in the schoolyard.

All eyes were instantly drawn to the two figures.

"He is the master of the house!"

The master has arrived!

All the Su family members were excited.

"Father"

Su Xin, standing in a corner of the crowd, also raised his head and looked towards the stands.

……."I was just worried I couldn't find any opponents, and you four showed up.""Today, I'll use the four of you to test the might of my formation!"Su Xin flipped his left hand over, taking out a blood-re...