A Calculated Challenge and a Mysterious Interruption

After three days of intense preliminary battles, the curtain finally fell. The air hung heavy with dense spiritual energy fluctuations, lingering remnants of spilled techniques, and a faint, mingled scent of blood and sweat. Over these three days, not only had every disciple participated in practice duels, but the victorious contenders had also fiercely vied for supremacy, ultimately determining the top ten cultivators for each domain.

On the colossal light screen, beneath the names of each domain, the names of the top ten powerhouses illuminated one by one, shimmering brilliantly.

The Jia-Domain held virtually no suspense, with Qiu Yue claiming the top spot.

The Yi-Domain’s victor was Ji Xue.

Strikingly, the name Lin Wan’er was prominently displayed as the head of the Bing-Domain.

This outcome, however, did not entirely dispel the prevailing “luck theory,” especially given Zhao Miaozhi’s dramatic defeat after unleashing the Berserk Fiend Battle Art. Consequently, many gazes directed towards Lin Mo’s position in the Bing-Domain viewing stand still harbored a mix of doubt and indignation.

Lin Mo, for his part, seemed utterly oblivious to this scrutiny.

Leaning back in his seat, his spirit remained exhilarated.

Over these three days, he had absorbed practical combat essence like a dry sponge, voraciously drawing from the life-and-death struggles of disciples across all domains, particularly those within the Bing-Domain.

The cunning angles, the meticulous rationing of spiritual energy, and the deceptive shifts between reality and illusion were all deeply imprinted upon his already keen senses and divine consciousness.

In his eyes, a silent fire burned, its target clear and fervent: Qiu Yue.

The rules of the challenge matches were brutally straightforward: the top ten from each domain were eligible to cross-domain challenge opponents from higher-ranked domains; victory meant replacing them!

Now was the opportune moment for him to make his move against Qiu Yue!

If he could defeat Qiu Yue this month, regardless of what transpired in the following two months, he would have nothing to fear.

He had already proven that his cultivation of the Bright Jade Profound Yin was flawless, leaving Qing You’s faction with no grounds to poach him.

Therefore, Lin Mo—

“Lin Wan’er of the Bing-Domain wishes to challenge Qiu Yue, the top contender of the Jia-Domain! I humbly request your guidance!”

Lin Mo drew a deep breath, and his voice, clear and resonant like clashing ice and jade, instantly pierced through the private box, echoing across the entire area.

“Are they insane?! A mere disciple from the Bing-Domain dares to challenge Senior Sister Qiu? Do they truly believe their strength is formidable simply because they defeated Zhao Miaozhi and won a few more rounds?”

“What a clown, utterly ignorant of their own limitations! How could Senior Sister Qiu be an opponent one could defeat by mere luck? Absurd! Laughable!”

A cacophony of chatter erupted, with most voices mocking Lin Mo’s audacious overestimation of his own capabilities.

However, just as the Host was about to inquire, according to the rules, whether Qiu Yue would accept the challenge, a colder, more unyielding voice, tinged with a hint of arrogance, preempted them:

“Wait!”

The speaker was another top ten powerhouse from the Yi-Domain, a female disciple with an arrogant demeanor and a long spear strapped to her back. She cast a fleeting glance at Lin Mo before turning to the Host, cupping her hands in a respectful salute:

“Reporting to the Host, Feng Shuang of the Yi-Domain also wishes to challenge Senior Sister Qiu Yue of the Jia-Domain!”

The fire in Lin Mo’s eyes abruptly solidified. ‘Someone else wants to challenge Qiu Yue?’ The Host of the Jia-Domain nodded impassively:

“Feng Shuang challenges Qiu Yue; granted. According to the rules of the Hall of Clarity, each person may only be challenged once. Qiu Yue, whom do you choose?”

The smile on Qiu Yue’s face deepened, and her eyes slowly swept over Lin Mo, a chilling hint of mockery in their depths, as she spoke softly:

“Junior Sister Lin, you are currently injured. Challenging me in your present state would be like a mantis trying to stop a chariot. Do not fault me for accepting Junior Sister Feng’s challenge instead.” She didn’t even spare Feng Shuang a second glance, as if accepting the challenge was merely a trivial matter.

Lin Mo’s heart plummeted; the first step of his plan had been abruptly derailed! His gaze sharpened slightly, and he swiftly turned to the several female disciples who constantly shadowed Qiu Yue, their aura chilling. These were Qiu Yue’s staunch supporters, all possessing considerable strength. If he could challenge one of them from the Yi-Domain’s top ten, it would still severely undermine Qiu Yue’s influence.

Before he could even speak again, as if by prearrangement, several shouts echoed almost simultaneously from the directions of the Bing and Ding-Domains:

“Li Rui of the Bing-Domain challenges Senior Sister Lu Ping’an of the Yi-Domain!”

“Sun Qi of the Ding-Domain challenges Senior Sister Li Xin of the Yi-Domain!”

“Zhou Ming of the Bing-Domain challenges the Yi-Domain—”

Lin Mo’s intended targets—Qiu Yue’s top ten disciples from the Yi-Domain—had their names called out for challenges by several other top ten disciples from various domains, as if they had been pre-auctioned.

‘A coincidence?’

‘There was no opening to challenge anyone he intended, neither the main target nor her subordinates!’

A suffocating sense of being toyed with surged through him, and Lin Mo’s eyes turned utterly cold.

‘Could this be a deliberate arrangement by Qiu Yue?’

‘If so, all of her subordinates would be able to advance to the final melee?’

Just then, a sharp voice, laced with a hint of acrimony, rang out across the area:

“Yan Lingyun, a top ten contender from the Ding-Domain! I challenge—Lin Wan’er, the head of the Bing-Domain!”

The speaker was a gaunt female disciple with a sharp, unkind face. She stared fixedly at Lin Mo, her eyes devoid of respect, filled only with eager greed and an indescribable malevolence.

The Host of the Bing-Domain’s eyes glinted sharply. Without waiting for Lin Mo’s reaction, she immediately spoke in a deep, unusually rapid voice:

“Yan Lingyun of the Ding-Domain challenges Lin Wan’er of the Bing-Domain; granted! Lin Wan’er, please ascend the stage at once! Do not delay the time of our esteemed elders!” Her voice carried an undeniable command, clearly intending to solidify this challenge as quickly as possible.

Lin Mo sensed something amiss, as if he had fallen into a trap.

‘Could this Host of the Bing-Domain be from Qing You’s faction?’

‘And that person from the Ding-Domain, could she be a hidden master arranged by Qiu Yue, intentionally sent to make him look bad?’

Lin Mo felt a strong unease, but at this point, he could only meet whatever came his way, adapting to each move as it appeared.

Just as Lin Mo was about to rise and prepare for battle, Ji Xue suddenly clutched his arm, her crimson-jade eyes brimming with worry:

“This person’s aura is strange; you must be careful.”

Liu Ruyan also stood up anxiously, her small face taut:

“Sister Wan’er, be careful! I’ve heard of that woman; many people don’t speak highly of her, saying she’s very venomous.”

Lin Mo subtly patted Ji Xue’s hand and offered Liu Ruyan a reassuring glance. When he met Ji Xue’s eyes, the worry in them had not yet dissipated, but Ji Xue still nodded gently, seemingly in response to Lin Mo.

“There’s no need to worry.”

Lin Mo offered a faint smile, gently took Ji Xue’s small hand, and then stepped forward, heading towards the arena.

Upon the arena stage.

The gaunt female disciple from the Ding-Domain, Yan Lingyun, wore a tight-fitting red combat suit that starkly accentuated her skeletal frame. Her face was heavily made up, and her eyes shimmered with a malevolent glint.

She stood silently on the stage, uttering no words, simply waiting for Lin Mo to approach.

Lin Mo’s bright eyes scanned the arena. He released Ji Xue’s hand, stepped forward, and channeled spiritual energy into his identification token. In the next second, Lin Mo’s figure had already appeared on the Bing-Domain arena, calmly facing the opposing disciple from the Ding-Domain, Yan Lingyun.

“Please.”

Yan Lingyun bared her teeth in a smile, the movement pulling at the fine wrinkles around her eyes, making her appear exceptionally sinister.

Without uttering a word, her body vanished from her spot like a phantom, reappearing an instant later at Lin Mo’s side!

Her speed far surpassed that of an ordinary Ding-Domain disciple!

Whoosh!

A jet-black finger-light, carrying bone-chilling cold and a thick, blood-like stench, shot straight for the vital acupoint at Lin Mo’s back! Before the finger-light even arrived, that malevolent and vicious gust of wind had already caused Lin Mo’s hair to stand on end.

“Such incredible speed! This isn’t the level of the Ding-Domain!” Someone in the viewing stands cried out in alarm.

Lin Mo’s pupils constricted slightly, leaving a phantom afterimage in his original spot as his true self drifted several feet away like willow catkins in the wind.

His movement technique was precisely the essence he had used against Zhao Miaozhi: precision, foresight, and deflection of force!

Boom!

The finger-light missed, corroding a wisp of black smoke into the hard arena floor!

Seeing her attack miss, Yan Lingyun’s face hardened with greater malice. Her figure flickered again, and her offensive unleashed like a torrential storm! Her palms flew, black spiritual energy darting like a venomous snake’s tongue, striking from cunning and ruthless angles, each move aimed at a vital point.

Even more alarming was that every one of her moves was imbued with dense and formidable spiritual energy, which she squandered freely, as if her dantian’s spiritual sea were bottomless!

‘This was certainly not the amount of spiritual energy a Qi Condensation stage cultivator should possess!’

Lin Mo moved like a phantom, weaving and dodging through the impenetrable black palm shadows. His Profound Yin cold energy solidified and dispersed intermittently, transforming into ice shields and silken threads, constantly blocking and deflecting his opponent’s attacks.

With every head-on clash, he felt a surge of numbness in his arm, the domineering and profound spiritual energy of his opponent far exceeding that of cultivators at the same stage.

‘Foundation Establishment stage?!’ An alarm blared in Lin Mo’s mind.