Chapter 24: What gave you the illusion that you were the only one not showing your true strength?

As he spoke these words, Xiao Lin kept a smile on his face, yet the "presence" he exuded did not weaken in the slightest. Every elder present was well-versed in discerning truth from falsehood, and they could sense that there was not a hint of deceit in Xiao Lin’s tone. Just as he had said, this was no mere impulse; he truly believed it.

The chat stream exploded instantly.

"No, I can't take it anymore. He’s too good at acting cool."
"So handsome, Brother Lin!"
"The 'Qualification Guy' has arrived."
"Stealing this. I’m going to say this the next time I play games with my friends."
"'Your rank is only your qualification to play with me,' is that it? That’s so true to life."
"Kill them, Xiao Lin! Crush this master and her disciple along with her!"

[Popularity +1...]
[Popularity +1...]

Yue Suxian gazed deeply at Xiao Lin and suddenly smiled. She was undeniably beautiful—or perhaps the production team’s character modeling was superb, for her smile was breathtakingly stunning.

"Very well, I shall summon my disciple."

Before long, a figure drifted into the Sword Palace. It was a young woman dressed in cyan robes, her long hair tied into a high ponytail. Her attire was practical and martial, giving her a heroic and spirited appearance. She bowed to the elders with grace and poise. "Qu Ziyao of Kongtian Peak, greets the elders."

"Brother Lin, I take back what I said earlier. Go a bit easier on her, okay?"
"666, changing sides faster than a coin flip."
"Heh, you think you're joking with Brother Lin? He’d even strike his own master and senior brother; do you think he knows how to cherish a fair maiden?"

The elders nodded slightly in acknowledgment. Qu Ziyao then turned to Yue Suxian. "Master, please give your orders."

Yue Suxian said calmly, "Have a spar with this junior brother. He is the Sect Leader's personal disciple; do not underestimate him."

Qu Ziyao looked at Xiao Lin, surprised. "Qi Refining stage?" She hesitated, then decided to send a voice transmission: "Master, are we to stop at a point?" Even if other elders could intercept her message, she didn't care as long as Xiao Lin couldn't hear it.

"Naturally."

"But I am in the Foundation Establishment stage... even if he is the Sect Leader's personal disciple, shouldn't he be a bit more humble?"

Yue Suxian suddenly stopped using voice transmission and smiled faintly. "Because you were in seclusion breaking through, you missed the Sect Grand Tournament. You don't know that your junior brother here reached the top eight. Just moments ago, he claimed that Foundation Establishment... is merely the qualification to stand before him."

At these words, a cold glint appeared in Qu Ziyao’s eyes. She finally understood her master’s intent: she was to teach Xiao Lin a lesson. Even without her master's directive, she was already finding him insufferable.

"So, Foundation Establishment is just a qualification to stand before a Qi Refining cultivator like you? I hope you can remain this arrogant later on..." Qu Ziyao thought to herself, though she said aloud, "Since Junior Brother is so confident, then Senior Sister will give it her all."

"Hmm."

"This..." The other elders found it hard to intervene now, resolving to step in immediately if Xiao Lin proved unable to handle it. Only Yue Rongshan glanced at Li Changhe and chuckled. "I fear that when you step in to save someone, it will be the other way around."

In the hall, Qu Ziyao bowed to Xiao Lin. "Qu Ziyao of Kongtian Peak, please enlighten me."
Xiao Lin, holding his sword, Xianmie, replied, "Xiao Lin of Yijian Peak, please enlighten me."

The next moment, a chill ran through Xiao Lin’s entire body. The moment the words left his lips, Qu Ziyao had already struck. The sword intent did not come from the front; Xiao Lin felt a bone-chilling sharpness only from behind.

The Way of Space.

Xiao Lin quickly shifted his stance to dodge. That brief moment was all Qu Ziyao needed to strike again. Another slash! This time, it didn't come from behind, but descended from the heavens! She could command her sword intent to strike from any direction she pleased.

The white-haired elder’s eyes widened in shock. "Has Elder Yue integrated the Way of Space into the Sword Mountain techniques?"

Yue Suxian shook her head gently. "It is merely a talent Ziyao possesses. Integrating it fully into the Sword Mountain techniques is only a matter of time. When that happens, every disciple of Sword Mountain will be able to master the Spatial Sword Path."

"Excellent," the white-haired elder stroked his beard. The Way of Space was notoriously difficult to master. Yue Suxian not only possessed this talent but had the ability to pass it on. And now, it seemed, a second Yue Suxian had emerged.

On the floor, cold light flickered in Qu Ziyao’s eyes. *If he can only dodge, how dare he spout such nonsense?*

Noticing the faint disdain in her eyes, Xiao Lin remained as calm as water. To withstand Yue Suxian’s pressure earlier, he had poured his spirit, his momentum, and his righteous intent into a single sword strike. Accumulating that power was not easy and required time to build up again. Since he was of Yijian Peak, what Shen Wuyai had taught him was the principle of: "No matter the myriad techniques, I rely only on this one sword."

"How long do you intend to hide!" Qu Ziyao shouted. It was a display of frustration, and a way to build her own momentum! Capitalizing on that, she unleashed five blindingly fast slashes in an instant. The sword energy converged from all sides, sealing off every path of retreat, the sharp aura even slicing through his clothes.

Xiao Lin stood his ground, unmoving, as if there was nowhere left to run. He replied with a calm expression, "Do you think I was hiding?"

*Bang!*

Xiao Lin blocked the five strikes in rapid succession, yet there was only one crisp sound. The almost imperceptible momentum he had been holding onto was, through those five blocks, raised to a startling degree.

"I have received five strikes from Senior Sister, so please, Senior Sister, receive my..."
"One sword—"

*Hum!*

Qu Ziyao’s pupils contracted, and her figure instantly vanished from where she stood.

*Boom!*

A thunderous roar echoed. The spot where Qu Ziyao had just been standing was utterly shattered, and a stone wall dozens of meters behind her was cleaved open, revealing a sliver of light.

Qu Ziyao regained her focus, her voice low. "I am going to get serious now." Until now, she had used no spiritual energy, relying purely on the clash of sword intent. She felt that with her Foundation Establishment cultivation, using spiritual energy would be an unfair crushing. But now she realized Xiao Lin had some real skill, so she stopped holding back.

Xiao Lin raised an eyebrow. "Didn't Senior Sister say she would give it her all from the start?"

Qu Ziyao snorted coldly. "Now, I mean it."

With that, a surge of spiritual energy erupted from her, her pupils turning silver. Foundation Establishment cultivation, combined with the Spatial Sword Path.

"Take my sword!"

Before she even raised her hand, Xiao Lin leaped away, relying almost entirely on instinct.

*Boom!*

The impact was even more deafening than the one from before. Everyone turned to look; half of the Sword Palace had been cleaved open by Qu Ziyao’s single strike! It was clear to everyone that she had used spatial power to accelerate her strike. If she had projected that sword energy to appear suddenly from any direction, Xiao Lin would never have been able to react. She was retaliating for the strike that had made her look slightly disheveled earlier.

"Give up," Qu Ziyao said calmly. She had lost interest in continuing the spar. He only knew how to dodge.

Suddenly, Qu Ziyao felt an inexplicable aura that made the hairs on her fair skin stand on end. Xiao Lin stood there, his eyes stripped of their earlier ease and indifference, replaced by an unprecedented firmness, as if behind him lay not an empty hall, but the lights of a thousand homes.

"Senior Sister, what exactly gave you the illusion that only you were not taking this seriously?"

"I said: those whose righteous intent is inferior to mine, be suppressed."

As the words fell, Qu Ziyao was horrified to discover that her freely flowing spiritual energy had been abruptly and completely cut off!