Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
This was a handsome face. The man had a pretty appearance and a bright smile. But, behind such a face hid an apparent pride.
âI heard that you are Shuangyueâs lover,â the man mocked.
âThat isnât the case. Make way,â Jiang Chen replied.
Lin Xuan didnât get angry. Instead, he became more interested. He said, âYou wouldnât dare admit it, would you?â
Jiang Chen, who was about to leave, glanced at him, and said, âThere isnât anything I wouldnât dare to do.â
If his main body were here, he would have left directly, but he was now âLu Ping,â and he must act differently.
âYou probably know what your end will be if the Lin Family finds out about your relationship with Shuangyue, donât you?â Lin Xuan assumed that Jiang Chen was just putting on a strong front, and he spoke bluntly.
âIâm just stating the truth. Moreover, if I wanted to date young miss Lin, your Lin Family wonât be able to stop me.â
Hearing this reply, a pompous expression appeared on Lin Xuanâs face. He said, âDo you know what you are saying? Or did you already forget how you risked your life in the martial arts club just because the great master is now supporting you?â
Lin Xuanâs words became sharp, but he still wore the same smile as before. âThe great master may have already forgotten you. The financial aid he gave you isnât even a drop in the ocean compared to the wealth of someone with his prominent status,â he said. Then, he took several steps forward, faced Jiang Chen, and said in a low voice, âLet me tell you this clearly: if you get kicked out of the sword pavilion, you will pay a grave price for the rumors about you and Shuangyue.â
âEven if itâs all untrue?â Jiang Chen shot back.
Lin Xuan was taken aback, and he replied in a resolute tone, âThatâs right.â
âThen, youâll be disappointed,â Jiang Chen said.
âIf you knew what was on the sword pavilionâs test, you wouldnât utter such a statement,â Lin Xuan said, revealing a meaningful smile. Then, he walked away.
It was only then that Jiang Chen realized that he didnât have a clue about the test. But he didnât really care, so he strode forward and walked into the hall.
âItâs really sad!â
Lin Xuan shook his head and laughed bitterly, looking at Jiang Chenâs back before he followed him inside. The palace interior was rather expansive, tantamount to an indoor plaza. All of the sword pavilionâs students had gathered; around two hundred people were present. Regardless of whether they belonged to the primary or special-grade, all of them were geniuses.
At that moment, all of the disciples lined up according to their grades. The test would start with the special-grade students. If the special-grade students passed successfully, they would graduate. Not only would they earn great glory, but they would also receive the sword pavilionâs Supreme Sword Doctrine.
A sword hung in the center of the hall. After Jiang Chen got a clear look at it, he understood how the test would be carried out. He didnât need someone to explain it to him. That was a Doctrine Sword with a sword spirit. Doctrine Artifacts werenât rare, but the sword pavilionâs Doctrine Sword was quite renowned, even before the appearance of multiple clans. Its name was âTianyu Sword,â and the test would start with this sword.
âAnyone who can persist for fifteen minutes in the face of the Tianyu Sword will pass the test.â
âThe Tianyu Swordâs power will be adjusted according to each studentâs grade.â
Two lines of characters appeared in the sky. They seemed bold and forceful, branding the air. Jiang Chen could clearly discern that the characters had been stamped there by a sword. A person who could achieve such a feat was one who had already learned the Sword Lore. There were only a handful of special-grade students, around ten, who had reached that level. Lin Xuan was among them.
All of the special-grade students stepped on stage, one after another, in front of the rest of the school. Even though they couldnât use their cultivation powers here, if a special-grade student revealed his power, everyone could discern the disparity between them by observing his sword moves.
Jiang Chen was amazed by this. He didnât know the name of the person in front of him; he had not met him before. Yet, the level of his sword technique had almost caught up with his main body. Moreover, this wasnât the most surprising matter. What was really shocking was that even a person like that couldnât manage to pass the test. When he faced the Tianyu Sword, he was defeated. Dispirited and dismayed, his teacher immediately went over to comfort him, leading him into a corner. The second person to step forward was even more nervous, and his outcome was the same as the last one.
Lin Shuangyue came to Jiang Chenâs side once again and said to him, âThe possibility of graduating from the sword pavilion is just one percent. Only one special-grade student can graduate out of a hundred.â
It was apparent that she treated Jiang Chen as a friend because he had comforted her last time. Jiang Chen was surprised.
âWhy so few?â he asked. There were only ten special-grade students. Didnât this mean that they would all fail?
âItâs only a matter of course; if they graduate, they get a chance to obtain a Supreme Sword Doctrine. Even more important, they get a chance to join the Sword Tower.â
Lin Shuangyue took a deep breath, and said solemnly, âI didnât go to the Sword God Palace just to get into that place.â
âThe Sword Tower?â Jiang Chen furrowed his brows. He felt like heâd heard other students mention that name.
âThatâs right, the inheritance of the Four Great Sword Doctrines are there,â Lin Shuangyue answered.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Chen recalled that his master had once said that he wanted to let the Immortal Sword Doctrine rival the Four Great Sword Doctrines. Everything started to make sense. After a short while, it was Lin Xuanâs turn, and Jiang Chen paid attention to him because of what had just happened.
âDid he try to cause trouble for you a moment ago?â Lin Shuangyue asked.
âI wouldnât consider it âtrouble,ââ Jiang Chen replied.
âYou arenât willing to admit it.â Lin Shuangyue looked at the man in front of her. He really had an enormous ego.
On the other side, Lin Xuan was fighting the Tianyu Sword. Several minutes had passed since the start of the fight, and everyone looked forward to the outcome. Their breathing became rough.
In the sword pavilion, all of the special-grade students were going to fail, and people considered such failure a sort of graduation. Moreover, there were still some who felt like the sword pavilion didnât want its students to receive their Sword Doctrine, and that they were making the test difficult on purpose. Now, it seemed like the difficulty was really excessive, which became even more obvious as Lin Xuan fought.
âWind Sword Realm?â Jiang Chen paid attention to Lin Xuan.
Lin Xuanâs Wind Sword Realm had reached the seventh-level, while his Wind Lore had already reached the high-mastery level. Lin Xuan was really qualified to act arrogantly in front of him. Jiang Chen observed Lin Xuanâs movements carefully, and the previous nightâs enlightenment emerged once again in his mind. Ten minutes passed, and it became obvious that Lin Xuan was in a tight spot. Still, he persisted bitterly.
âWind God Sword Realm!â
Lin Xuan was already bleeding. He gave the fight his all and used a Sword Domain, which caused a commotion in the hall because it was exceptional for someone to comprehend a Sword Domain at such a young age. Delight appeared on Lin Xuanâs teacherâs face, which was usually the ice-cold visage of a middle-aged woman.
In the last five minutes, Lin Xuan depended upon the Sword Domain to pass the Tianyu Swordâs test and graduate successfully. All of the sword pavilionâs students were aware of what this meant, and an uproar arose in the hall. The middle-aged woman was congratulated by the others because her student had managed to graduate, which she should make her proud.
âLin Xuan, go tend to your injuries,â she instructed.
âTheyâre just small scratches, and they arenât a hindrance.â Lin Xuan revealed a bright smile and looked at Jiang Chen and Lin Shuangyue.
âMoreover, he still wants to see the outcome of a certain confident person.â
Everyone was aware that Lin Xuan was Lin Shuangyueâs big brother and clearly knew what those words implied. Many gleeful faces looked toward Jiang Chen. They all took joy in his misfortune, especially Shi Hu. Lin Shuangyue was infuriated. Inwardly, she cursed those bored people.
As for Jiang Chen, he didnât care. Those people were obviously bored and were just looking for a way to kill time.