Chapter 531 529: Elder Yan, You Lost

A spray of blood burst from He Yunkong's neck as he plummeted from the sky.

Silence fell, broken only by a series of sharp gasps.

"Luo Tian won!"

The entire Ninth Peak was in an uproar.

Only then did the many disciples finally react!

Luo Tian had actually turned the tables and won!

"Yunkong!"

The smile on Yan Yufeng's face, who had been watching calmly, froze. He shot forward instantly!

He rushed to He Yunkong's side.

Thankfully, the wound wasn't deep.

Yan Yufeng immediately began treating He Yunkong, saving his life.

WHOOSH!

Luo Tian landed from mid-air.

His hair was a mess and his robes were tattered, but he exuded an air of domineering pride that left others in awe and feeling inadequate.

"Elder Yan, you've lost the five-year pact," Luo Tian said calmly.

Waves of fury crashed in Yan Yufeng's heart. His True Essence surged, and he was even tempted to strike out and cripple Luo Tian on the spot!

But he managed to control himself.

The duel had been fair and square. Moreover, Luo Tian had performed a great service for the Sect and demonstrated astonishing talent!

If he killed Luo Tian in front of the Three Sects, he would definitely face severe punishment from the Tai Yuan Sect!

"Luo Tian, how could you be so vicious? That sword strike was aimed right at Yunkong's throat! He was a hair's breadth away from death!"

Yan Yufeng roared, releasing a surging Celestial Level pressure!

"Sect duels forbid killing or harming fellow disciples!" Yan Yufeng continued to berate him.

According to the Sect's rules, Luo Tian would face severe punishment!

"Heh, Elder Yan, in a duel, swords have no eyes. Injuries can happen anywhere. Besides, He Yunkong isn't dead, is he?" Luo Tian's tone was placid.

'Since He Yunkong isn't dead, what do I have to be flustered about?'

"Hmph, but you intended to murder He Yunkong!" Yan Yufeng pressed on.

No matter what, he couldn't swallow this humiliation!

He had actually lost the five-year pact to Mu Yunshi!

Yan Yufeng was determined to punish Luo Tian.

"Oh? By that logic, didn't He Yunkong also intend to murder me earlier?" Luo Tian retorted.

Yan Yufeng's expression froze.

He Yunkong's previous killing moves had been terrifying, looking for all the world like he was trying to take Luo Tian's life.

According to Yan Yufeng's own line of reasoning, He Yunkong had indeed intended to murder Luo Tian!

"If we're counting, He Yunkong was the one who tried to murder me first. I was just defending myself," Luo Tian continued.

Yan Yufeng's chest tightened, and he nearly coughed up a mouthful of old blood in fury!

'This Luo Tian is far too sharp-tongued!'

"Alright, neither of them is in mortal danger. Let's drop the matter!"

The deep, authoritative voice of the Sect Master of the Tai Yuan Sect rang out.

In the eyes of the other sects' upper echelons, this was already a very good outcome.

Besides, when comparing Luo Tian and He Yunkong, they undoubtedly valued Luo Tian more.

After all, He Yunkong had forced his breakthrough to the Celestial Pool Realm, drastically reducing his future potential.

Luo Tian, on the other hand, had displayed extraordinary and astonishing talent in this battle, shocking all Three Major Sects present!

"Luo Tian, according to the Sect's rules, since you have defeated He Yunkong, you are now the Sect's eleventh True Disciple!" the Grand Elder announced with a smile.

'A True Disciple?'

Luo Tian had only been focused on completing the five-year pact; he hadn't expected this!

The hearts of all the nearby Tai Yuan Sect disciples jolted!

This was the Ninth Peak, and the battle had drawn a large crowd of Side Peak Disciples and Auditor Disciples.

The Grand Elder's words left them dazed and utterly shocked!

Luo Tian had entered the Tai Yuan Sect as a mere Auditor Disciple.

In less than two years, Luo Tian had placed first in the assessment and entered the Main Peak!

Then, he performed a great service in the Thief King's Treasure Land and became an Official Disciple!

And now, his status had leaped forward once again, making him a True Disciple!

To the many Side Peak Disciples and Auditor Disciples, Luo Tian's journey was a living, breathing inspirational story.

"To our guests from the Sea Demon Palace and the Barbarian King Hall, the viewing is over. It's time for you to return, isn't it?" the Sect Master of the Tai Yuan Sect said.

They were not particularly willing to let people from the other two Overlord Level forces stay in the Tai Yuan Sect for an extended period.

Even the accommodations they arranged were on the outermost Ninth Peak.

"Farewell!"

The tall Elder from the Barbarian King Hall led the members of the Barbarian Race away.

They had originally come to participate in the Three Sects' gambling battle, and the Barbarian King Hall had achieved pleasing results.

But after witnessing today's events, the tall Elder felt a sense of pressure. It seemed the disciples of his own Sect were somewhat lacking.

"When we get back, all of you will go train in the 'Thundercloud Pool' for half a year before you're allowed out," the tall Elder commanded.

Hearing this, the Sect Disciples all revealed expressions of panic and despair.

The people from the Sea Demon Palace also left quickly.

Luo Tian stepped down from the Martial Arts Arena.

The expressions on the faces of the many Tai Yuan Sect disciples were complicated.

"Master, you're amazing!"

"Brother Luo, I'm impressed!"

"Congratulations!"

Friends and acquaintances came forward.

Even some disciples who didn't know Luo Tian at all came up to strike a conversation.

Among them was He Yuan, the True Disciple who'd had a minor conflict with Luo Tian in the Thief King Secret Realm.

"Congratulations, Junior Luo, on becoming a True Disciple. When I first met you, I just knew you were no simple character and would achieve great things in the future. I was right about you."

He Yuan, a True Disciple, was quite skilled at flattery.

In truth, although Luo Tian had become a True Disciple and displayed astonishing potential, it wasn't enough to make another True Disciple stoop so low to curry favor.

He Yuan was mainly afraid that Luo Tian held a grudge.

Besides, He Yuan also wanted to trade for some treasures with Luo Tian.

He hadn't managed to get the last Purifying Moon Lotus in the lake back then and wanted to trade for one with Luo Tian.

"Junior Luo, how are your injuries?"

Yue Linfei came to Luo Tian's side and asked with concern.

Lying on the Martial Arts Arena, He Yunkong had just regained consciousness and opened his eyes, only to see his junior sister's anxious, concerned expression directed at Luo Tian.

He immediately spat out a mouthful of blood and collapsed back onto the ground.

He Yunkong knew he had lost completely!

He had risked everything to defeat Luo Tian, and in the end, he had lost it all!

Yue Linfei glanced at He Yunkong and sighed inwardly.

She had indeed held some favorable feelings for this senior brother at first, but the more she interacted with him, the more she disliked him.

With Luo Tian, however, she had felt nothing at first, but now she found herself constantly concerned about his well-being...

The crowd dispersed.

Luo Tian returned to his residence to rest and recuperate.

"Junior Luo, I have a top-grade Blood Essence Pill here that can heal your injuries and restore your Vitality."

A beautiful senior sister whom Luo Tian didn't recognize at all came to visit.

Luo Tian looked up.

He saw many people in the distance heading toward his residence.

Luo Tian was instantly reminded of the endless stream of visitors from all over the Sect after he returned from the Thief King's Treasure Land.

"Senior Sister, my injuries are too severe. I need to enter seclusion to recuperate. My apologies!"

With that, Luo Tian closed his courtyard gate and hung up a "Do Not Disturb" sign.

Inside the Practice Room.

Luo Tian consumed the last Three Elements Fruit to restore his Essence, Qi, and Spirit.

The battle with He Yunkong had been extremely perilous. What's more, He Yunkong was only in an incomplete Celestial Pool Realm; otherwise, Luo Tian would have had no hope!

In the end, he had been forced to reveal the Moon Shadow Escape Heaven and the Void Yin Sword Technique.

'Fortunately, the scene was chaotic at the time. From the Moon Shadow Escape Heaven, I only showed the Moon Shadow Step, combining it with the Wind Manipulation Technique. As for the Void Yin Sword Technique, the second form is a subtle assassination move. Because of that, none of the upper echelons noticed anything.'

'If the Moon Shadow Escape Heaven is exposed, the upper echelons will definitely question what I truly gained in the Thief King's Treasure Land. They might even guess that I collaborated with Lü Hongyi...'

This was why Luo Tian hadn't openly displayed this Body Technique.

'Thankfully, everything went smoothly, and I've dealt with the matter of Yan Yufeng and his disciple!'

Luo Tian breathed a sigh of relief, feeling a sense of ease wash over him.

He had fulfilled his master's request ahead of schedule.

He Yunkong was severely injured and his potential was greatly diminished. He was no longer a threat.

Now that Luo Tian had been promoted to a True Disciple and was receiving great attention from the Sect's upper echelons, Yan Yufeng wouldn't be able to move against him as long as he didn't make any major mistakes.

Luo Tian began his Cultivation with peace of mind.

...

「Half a year later.」

The True Martial Wall!

This was a forbidden area of the Tai Yuan Sect. Even for Main Peak Disciples, the opportunity to enter and practice Cultivation here was extremely rare.

Therefore, no more than ten people cultivated here each day.

"Junior Sister, let's comprehend this senior's Sword Intent together here."

A refined-looking man, accompanied by a delicate-looking woman, walked up to a thirty-meter-tall statue.

After sitting down, the two couldn't help but glance toward the statue of the founding patriarch.

The Sword Intent contained within the founding patriarch's statue was the most powerful. Some disciples with weaker Spiritual Wills even found it difficult to comprehend it at all!

"Senior Brother Wu... it's... it's him!" the delicate woman stammered.

The refined man looked over, and his pupils contracted.

He still remembered it well.

He had also come to the True Martial Wall with his junior sister to comprehend Sword Intent and had run into an Auditor Disciple.

At the time, the refined man had berated that Auditor Disciple, accusing him of sneaking in.

But later, that same Auditor Disciple had comprehended Sword Intent, leaving them dumbfounded.

"It's Luo Tian!"

The refined man's expression was excited, but it quickly turned complicated.

After all, he had been rude to Luo Tian back then, even slandering him and disturbing his practice!

And now, Luo Tian had soared to become a prominent figure on the Main Peak, one of the True Disciples.

"Senior Brother, hasn't Luo Tian already comprehended Sword Intent? At his current Cultivation level, it's difficult for him to make any further progress. He's still trying to comprehend it before the patriarch's statue. Isn't that a waste of time?" the delicate woman asked.

Indeed, Luo Tian should be focusing on raising his Cultivation, which would then give his Sword Intent room to grow.

Using this precious opportunity to comprehend Sword Intent now was a complete waste!

"Don't talk nonsense! Junior Luo is dedicated to the Sword Dao. He's strict with himself, always striving for perfection. He wants to be the very best!" the refined man admonished.

"Oh."

The delicate woman pursed her lips, speechless.

Suddenly!

RUMBLE! WHOOSH!

An astonishing Great Trend of the Sword Way surged into the heavens!

A cold, gloomy darkness fell, plunging the surroundings into shadow. A jet-black, grim Sword Light appeared, exuding a terrifying aura as it zipped through the void!

This scene startled everyone in front of the True Martial Wall.

Witnessing the phantom of that formless, black Sword Light, everyone felt a chill of unease and dread in their hearts!

The refined man and the delicate woman were shocked, feeling a strange sense of familiarity with the scene.

It seemed just like this when they first met Luo Tian!

This phenomenon was the sign of comprehending Sword Intent!

But Luo Tian had already comprehended Sword Intent!

So what was happening right now?

The two disciples' minds were in turmoil. Their understanding of the world couldn't explain this problem.