Let it end there

Bai Lan, witnessing this scene, immediately understood Long Lingyu’s technique.

It unearthed the deepest fears within a person’s heart, causing the afflicted to crumble and lose their will to fight.

Unfortunately for Long Lingyu, this particular move held little sway over Bai Lan.

While she might empathize, she was, after all, not the original Xue Yue.

Moreover, her Moon Goddess Physique inherently repelled negative energies.

Her only reason for not dispelling it sooner was a desire to observe the true nature of Long Lingyu’s ability.

“Is this your ability? Alas, it is useless against me,” Bai Lan declared, her eyes closing as she spoke.

In the next instant, an incomparably pure radiance emanated from her body.

As the light spread, the illusion began to dissipate, and Bai Lan swiftly found herself back in the martial arena.

Long Lingyu, his technique forcibly broken, suffered an immediate backlash.

He stumbled back several steps before regaining his balance, a look of surprise etched across his face.

He had clearly not anticipated his ability being countered.

However, his moment of bewilderment was fleeting; he quickly returned to his usual composure.

“Impressive. You actually broke my Mental Impact. As you shattered my technique, I felt an incredibly pure power. That must be the force that dispelled my ability. So, you intentionally allowed yourself to be struck by my move just now.”

Long Lingyu had grasped the truth.

“Indeed,” Bai Lan replied. “How could I understand your ability without experiencing it firsthand? So, your technique is called ‘Mental Storm.’ It truly is a strange and insidious power, designed to attack the heart.”

With that, Bai Lan launched another assault towards Long Lingyu.

The spectators outside the arena watched, seeing Bai Lan, who had been motionless moments before, suddenly awaken.

She hadn’t collapsed like Song Que, which told them Bai Lan had successfully broken Long Lingyu’s technique.

“She broke Long Lingyu’s technique, didn’t she? How formidable! As expected, those who succeed in the trials are never ordinary individuals,” the cultivators exclaimed with admiration.

Seeing Bai Lan charge at him once more, Long Lingyu immediately blew into his flute, releasing waves of sound to impede her advance.

These sound waves resembled gusts of wind, yet they carried an unsettling cacophony as they struck.

However, this sonic assault lacked significant destructive power.

Bai Lan instantly raised her sword, cleaving the sound wave in two.

With his defense shattered, her sword shot straight towards Long Lingyu’s throat.

Long Lingyu, witnessing his defense crumble, hastily parried Bai Lan’s strike with his flute.

He retreated several steps, clearly aware that his close-quarters combat skills were inferior to Bai Lan’s, and thus sought to maintain a distance.

As he fell back, he continued to play his flute, this time a different melody.

This new tune resembled thunder, with explosive sounds hurtling towards Bai Lan.

Bai Lan attempted to pierce through the incoming sound waves, but the moment her sword touched them, they suddenly burst open.

Unprepared, Bai Lan was sent flying by the explosive sonic energy.

Bai Lan quickly stabilized herself, readying another attack.

But the flute’s melody shifted once more, becoming frantic and intense.

Simultaneously, immense pressure descended from above, pinning Bai Lan to the spot.

She felt her body instantly become incredibly heavy, making it impossible to move an inch.

‘How annoying,’ Bai Lan thought, a flicker of irritation crossing her face.

These sonic attacks were genuinely troublesome, especially the jarring noise.

Bai Lan took a deep breath, then glanced at the sun in the sky.

The effect of “Sun and Moon Conjunction” began to manifest, boosting Bai Lan’s combat strength by thirty percent.

Then, drawing upon her power, she unleashed a sword strike.

A crescent-shaped ray of frigid light sliced through the sound waves, heavily impacting Long Lingyu’s defense.

The strike was immensely powerful, shattering Long Lingyu’s defense and forcing his technique to cease.

He staggered back a few steps.

“Fortunately, we returned here, Miss Bai, and have already discovered quite a bit. I fear one of us might be injured.”

Long Lingyu spoke, halting Bai Lan’s attack.

Upon hearing his words, Bai Lan ceased her assault, instead regarding Long Lingyu with a complex gaze.

She felt that Long Lingyu hadn’t used his full strength, just as she hadn’t.

She had only intended to probe him, but it seemed she hadn’t received the answers she sought.

“Very well, let’s end it here. Young Master Long, you are indeed formidable. If it were any other trial participant, they would likely have suffered the same fate as Song Que,” Bai Lan stated.

As the two ceased fighting, the Void Heaven Realm’s consciousness declared the battle over.

It was merely a sparring match, so it could naturally be stopped at any time.

However, the onlookers outside were somewhat disappointed.

“Ah? It’s over just like that? No clear winner?” Some trial participants, eager to see the outcome, grumbled with frustration.

“Calm down. It was just a spar, not a death match. Neither of them wanted to reveal their true capabilities here. Both of them were clearly holding back their actual power,” someone astute observed.

Bai Lan and Long Lingyu left the arena and ascended to the viewing platform.

Kong Xiu, meanwhile, had already learned that Bai Lan was also on the Heaven Rankings, and even ranked one spot higher than Long Lingyu.

“Haha, splendid! I hadn’t expected Brother Long to be a sonic cultivator. And Miss Bai, it seems you are a sword cultivator, aren’t you? Though it’s only at the level of ‘sword as swift as wind,’ neither of you clearly used your full power!” Kong Xiu remarked.

“It was merely a spar. Oh, by the way, Miss Bai, aren’t you looking for allies? This Brother Kong should be a good helper,” Long Lingyu suddenly interjected.

Kong Xiu was momentarily stunned, unsure of Long Lingyu’s meaning.

“Allies? What do you mean?” Kong Xiu asked, a puzzled expression on his face.

Bai Lan chose not to speak, so Long Lingyu explained on her behalf.

Kong Xiu learned that in addition to the blue marker, there was a large treasure map, and he immediately became interested.

This was the most exciting thing in the Void Heaven Realm.

Most importantly, the treasures found through such maps often held unexpected items.

These could include rare materials, powerful cultivation techniques, and various other valuable things, so trial participants rarely missed such opportunities.

“Is that so? This is good news! If Miss Bai doesn’t mind, I am willing to help,” Kong Xiu offered.

Bai Lan knew Kong Xiu was very strong and would be an excellent ally, so she nodded in agreement.

“Now we are three. We still need three more people. Young Master Kong, do you have any acquaintances?” Bai Lan inquired.

Kong Xiu understood Bai Lan’s implication; he certainly had many acquaintances.

“I understand your meaning, Miss Bai. I will go find three powerful allies right away,” Kong Xiu replied.

Kong Xiu immediately took out an object resembling a communication token and began contacting someone.

After a few words, he hung up and then addressed Bai Lan and Long Lingyu.

“All right, I’ve found them. They will arrive in Yellow Sand City in at most one day. They are all formidable individuals.”

A day was not a long wait, and Bai Lan also needed to sell some items.

“Okay, then I’ll see you tomorrow. I’m heading back first,” Bai Lan said, leaving immediately.

However, no sooner had she left than Long Lingyu quickly bid farewell to Kong Xiu and chased after her.

It seemed he still intended to pester Bai Lan.

Bai Lan said nothing more.

Bai Lan first went to the alchemy market in Yellow Sand City and purchased some pills to restore her strength.

They were quite expensive; the basic pills there started at a minimum of one hundred spirit stones, with nothing costing less.