Revealing Talent

This was Gao Qiuxia’s only opportunity to become a Direct Disciple.

Therefore, she had to suppress Bai Lan and completely destroy her reputation.

Once Bai Lan’s reputation was ruined, Gao Qiuxia could formally petition the sect according to the rules and request that Bai Lan’s status as a Direct Disciple be revoked.

However, such attempts rarely succeeded.

After all, those personally chosen by a faction master as Direct Disciples were almost always prodigies of their generation.

In truth, it was not only Gao Qiuxia who believed Bai Lan would lose instantly.

Most of the inner sect disciples also had little confidence in Bai Lan.

Her cultivation realm was simply too low.

Yet just as everyone expected Bai Lan to be defeated in a single move, something completely unexpected happened.

A sharp metallic sound rang out.

At the same moment, Zhang Jia’s attack was stopped nearly a meter away from Bai Lan.

Bai Lan calmly held the Cold Soul Sword (Hanpo) in her hand.

With a simple swing, she had already deflected Zhang Jia’s attack.

Zhang Jia staggered backward slightly, completely caught off guard.

“What?”

“It was blocked?”

“How is that possible?”

“Zhang Jia can already send sword wind a meter away to injure people.”

“How did Bai Lan stop it?” Gao Qiuxia stared in disbelief.

She had not even had time to enjoy Bai Lan’s humiliation before witnessing Zhang Jia make a fool of herself instead.

Zhang Jia herself was equally stunned.

It was true that her sword wind could injure opponents from a distance of about one meter.

But just as her sword wind was about to strike Bai Lan, Bai Lan’s own swing had deflected it.

The rebounding force had even pushed Zhang Jia slightly backward.

At first the surrounding disciples were confused.

But they quickly understood what had happened.

The two swords had never touched.

Yet a clear sound of collision had been heard.

This meant only one thing.

Bai Lan had also mastered Sword Wind.

She had used her own sword wind to shatter Zhang Jia’s attack.

“No way!”

“It’s only been half a year!”

“In just six months Senior Sister Bai Lan has already mastered Sword Wind?”

“That’s unbelievable!”

“It took me decades to reach that stage!” Zhang Jia thought in shock.

However, a single exchange did not determine the outcome of the battle.

Zhang Jia had not yet lost.

She took a deep breath and steadied herself.

Perhaps the previous clash had only been luck.

With that thought, she attacked again.

This time she once more used Sword Wind.

But her attack was blocked again.

Then again.

And again.

Now it was obvious that Bai Lan had not succeeded by accident.

She had truly mastered Sword Wind.

Even more astonishing was that Bai Lan had not launched a single offensive strike.

She was merely defending.

It was as though she were simply testing her own progress.

Yet even while defending, Bai Lan continuously disrupted Zhang Jia’s rhythm.

Every time Zhang Jia attacked, Bai Lan’s counter forced her to pause and reset her tempo.

Zhang Jia gradually became frustrated.

Once a fighter established a rhythm in battle, constant interruptions could be extremely irritating.

Although Bai Lan’s raw strength was not strong enough for direct confrontation, her sword was clearly faster.

Moreover, Bai Lan was not consuming any spiritual energy.

Zhang Jia, on the other hand, relied on spiritual energy to support her physical exertion.

Even though her sword speed was fast, her spiritual energy consumption was far greater.

Sword cultivators were essentially a branch of body cultivators.

They primarily relied on physical strength.

Sword Qi itself was the result of countless sword swings that transformed physical force into a higher form of power.

The surrounding disciples soon noticed the difference.

Zhang Jia’s breathing had already grown uneven.

Meanwhile, Bai Lan’s breathing and rhythm remained completely stable.

“What is going on?”

“Why is Zhang Jia getting tired first?” several disciples whispered in confusion.

“You still don’t understand?”

“Senior Sister Bai Lan is truly extraordinary!”

“I always said that Master would never choose an ordinary person as a Direct Disciple.”

“Her talent is terrifying!”

“In only half a year she cultivated Sword Wind purely through physical training!” Chen Wenting exclaimed in shock.

The surrounding disciples were completely stunned when they heard this.

They stared at Bai Lan in disbelief.

To cultivate Sword Wind purely through physical strength required unimaginable willpower.

They themselves had tried it before.

But they simply could not afford to spend hours every day swinging a sword.

That time could instead be used for meditation and improving their cultivation realm.

More importantly, the early stages of sword cultivation were not efficient.

For most disciples, using spiritual energy to enhance physical strength was far more practical.

At the beginning the difference was almost nonexistent.

Only after reaching the stage of Sword Qi Manifestation would the gap between a true sword cultivator and a pseudo sword cultivator truly appear.

“Are you serious?”

“Junior Sister actually cultivated Sword Wind using only physical strength?”

“What am I supposed to think about that?” Luo Yuyan said helplessly.

“And you still dare to complain?”

“You are a Direct Disciple of the Immortal’s Abode, yet you gave up the chance to become a true Sword Cultivator.”

“If Master had known your willpower was so weak back then, she would never have accepted you as a Direct Disciple,” Ximen Xue said coldly.

Luo Yuyan immediately gave an awkward smile.

It was not that she had never tried.

She simply could not endure such a cultivation method.

Most sword cultivators had cold and resolute personalities.

This temperament allowed them to endure extreme loneliness.

Cultivation itself was already a tedious process.

A single day could easily pass while meditating.

However, meditation dulled one’s perception of time.

Hours could pass without one even noticing.

But repeatedly swinging a sword every day and practicing the same basic techniques was an entirely different experience.

It was a severe test of both mental and physical endurance.

It was similar to studying.

Some people simply could not sit still.

Others could read quietly for an entire day.

This difference was a matter of temperament.

If a method did not suit someone, forcing it would accomplish nothing.

The battle between Zhang Jia and Bai Lan continued.

Because this was a sword sparring match, Zhang Jia had suppressed her cultivation.

Now that Bai Lan also possessed Sword Wind, Zhang Jia could not gain any advantage.

If the fight continued, her stamina would eventually fail.

Zhang Jia was repeatedly pushed back by Bai Lan’s counters.

Cultivators had their own pride.

If she lost to someone at the ninth level of Qi Refining, how could she maintain any dignity afterward?

An intense impulse began to rise within her.

She wanted to unleash the full power of her Foundation Establishment cultivation.

But just then, Bai Lan suddenly stepped back.

At the same time she withdrew her sword.

“That’s enough, Junior Sister Zhang.”

“Let’s end the spar here.”

“I only wanted to test the results of my six months of cultivation.”

“There is no need to determine a winner,” Bai Lan said calmly.

Zhang Jia froze.

She had been just about to become serious.

Bai Lan’s decision surprised everyone.

Bai Yiren nodded slightly in approval.

She had also seen that if the battle continued, Zhang Jia would certainly lose.

Unless she used her Foundation Establishment cultivation.

But doing so would already mean defeat in a sparring match like this.

Ending the fight now allowed Zhang Jia to preserve her dignity.

As for Bai Lan herself, she simply felt that continuing the battle would be meaningless.

Zhang Jia relied entirely on spiritual energy to sustain her Sword Wind.

Since she had already suppressed her cultivation, even if Bai Lan won it would not be a true victory.

It would only mean the other side had deliberately held back.

Bai Lan had no interest in such a hollow victory.

Zhang Jia sighed with relief when she heard Bai Lan’s words.

A faint sense of gratitude appeared in her heart.

She believed Bai Lan had deliberately saved her face.

In truth, she was overthinking the matter.

“Thank you for your guidance, Senior Sister Bai Lan,” Zhang Jia said.

Then she returned to her seat, looking somewhat discouraged.

“Useless,” Gao Qiuxia said coldly as Zhang Jia returned.

Zhang Jia’s expression stiffened.

She lowered her head and sat down without saying anything.

Bai Yiren was extremely satisfied with Bai Lan’s performance.

Next, it was time for her to comment on the battle that had just taken place.