Volume 1, Chapter 22: The Arrival of Lin Hongye

Lin Yang let out a scoff. This so-called Zhao Feng might look decent, but compared to his own disciple, he was worlds apart.

...

Soon, the tournament proceeded with several more matches. As more participants were eliminated, the seats reserved for the disciples of each major peak began to thin out.

Following the conclusion of another match, the presiding elder signaled for the two combatants to leave the stage, then announced in a loud voice:

"Next, contestant number 8 will face the holder of token number 61."

Lin Hongye picked up her token and saw that she was indeed number 8.

Beside her, Lu Chen caught a glimpse of her token and teased with a smile, "Senior Sister, it’s finally your turn."

Lin Hongye’s expression remained calm, devoid of any nervousness. She picked up her Red Sun Immortal Sword and leaped onto the arena stage.

Seeing that it was Lin Hongye who had stepped up, the crowd began to murmur:

"It’s Lin Hongye! She’s arguably the second strongest in our sect, right after the Senior Brother, isn't she?"

"Indeed. I still remember the scene of her returning to the sect after slaying a Nascent Soul stage demon as if it were yesterday."

"To think she reached the Golden Core stage and slew a Nascent Soul beast so soon after joining the sect—she truly is a prodigy among prodigies."

As the crowd sighed in admiration, a disciple from the Pill Peak with an ordinary appearance flew onto the stage.

Seeing that his opponent was Lin Hongye, he couldn't help but offer a wry smile. After all, as the name implied, disciples of the Pill Peak were almost exclusively skilled in alchemy; while they were not entirely ignorant of combat, they were certainly not masters of it. Furthermore, facing a prodigy like Lin Hongye left him with almost no hope of victory.

Nevertheless, he cupped his hands and bowed, saying, "Junior Sister Lin, please go easy on me."

Lin Hongye looked at him coldly and replied, "Step down now, or I will not hold back later."

The Pill Peak disciple felt awkward. He knew well enough that he was no match for her. However, walking off without even putting up a fight would be a great loss of face—he was, after all, a senior to her. Gritting his teeth, he said, "I know I am no match for you, Junior Sister, but I would still like to try."

Lin Hongye gave a slight nod. "If that is the case, then as you wish."

Without further persuasion, she waited for the referee elder to signal the start. Her demeanor on the Red Sun Peak was vastly different from her usual self; in the eyes of many, she remained the cold, untouchable prodigy.

The referee elder, hovering in mid-air, saw that both were ready and struck the copper bell in his hand.

"The match begins."

"Whoosh!" The Pill Peak disciple drew his longsword and unleashed a sword aura, charging toward Lin Hongye behind the strike.

Lin Hongye watched the incoming attack with a cold gaze. Her thumb gently pressed against the guard of the Red Sun Immortal Sword.

The sword was unsheathed.

"Boom!"

As Lin Hongye drew the blade, the power of the hateful karmic fire spread across the steel, warping the very air of the arena. But that was not all; she invoked the Great Path of Immortal Fire, causing the karmic fire on the sword to merge with the immortal flames, intensifying the heat beyond anything seen before.

She swung her blade, releasing a massive crimson sword aura that spanned the entire arena, cleaving vertically toward the Pill Peak disciple.

Wherever the aura passed, the air twisted and the stone tiles of the arena were pulverized into dust.

The Pill Peak disciple was stunned, staring at the sword aura that towered over him like a mountain. His own meager sword energy felt like a firefly before the moon—there was no comparison.

"What on earth... I’m only at the Foundation Establishment stage, was such a massive display really necessary?"

He was completely dumbfounded. He had only planned to exchange a few blows and make a show of it before conceding. Who could have guessed that Lin Hongye would ignore all convention and unleash an ultimate technique right from the start?

Fortunately, the presiding elder realized the danger and rushed to block the path of the sword aura, waving his robes in an attempt to disperse it.

To his horror, the surge of spiritual power from his robes failed to scatter the attack at all.

"How is this possible!?" The elder was shocked. He was a Nascent Soul stage cultivator, yet his strike had no effect on the sword aura whatsoever.

Just as the two were on the verge of disaster, Zhang Xianfeng, who was seated at the Sect Master’s dais, moved.

He appeared instantly before the crimson sword aura and reached out to grasp it with his palm.

"Boom!"

As Zhang Xianfeng exerted force, the crimson aura was crushed into nothingness. With a loud explosion, it dissipated into flickers of red starlight.

The crowd erupted in awe:

"As expected of the Sect Master, crushing that sword aura with a single hand."

"Indeed, the Sect Master is at the peak of the Ascension realm; he is only a single step away from the Immortal Ascension stage."

"But wait... isn't Lin Hongye's strength too terrifying? A Golden Core stage sword aura that even a Nascent Soul elder couldn't deflect?"

Listening to the reverence of the disciples, Zhang Xianfeng maintained a calm expression, yet the hand he had used to grasp the aura was trembling slightly. He felt a sense of apprehension—the power of Lin Hongye’s strike had far exceeded what a Golden Core cultivator should be capable of. It was so strong that even a peak Nascent Soul cultivator might struggle to block it. He had been careless, using only twenty percent of his power, and had been shaken by the impact.

*Has Hongye’s talent for the sword and fire become this terrifying? In time, she might even be able to slay an Ascension realm expert while still in the realm of Enlightenment.*

Zhang Xianfeng suddenly felt that his own peak Ascension realm cultivation was not so impressive after all. If Lin Hongye continued to cultivate for a few more days, he feared he might not be her match either.

Meanwhile, the various peak masters on the dais were also stunned.

"This... is this a peerless prodigy that hasn't appeared in ten thousand years? To have such power while only at the Golden Core stage?"

"Terrifying, truly terrifying... Lin Hongye is so young, yet so powerful. Where does that leave us old folks?"

"A true prodigy indeed. It seems we have lived our lives in vain."

The peak masters could clearly sense the power behind the strike; even they could not guarantee they would have been able to block it.

The Master of the Weapon Peak turned to Lin Yang, full of confusion, and asked, "Peak Master Lin, is the weapon in Hongye's hand the Red Sun Immortal Sword of your Red Sun Peak?"