Chapter 3: With Just You? You Aren’t Worthy!

Buzz!

Under the crushing pressure of the heavenly might, Liu Ruyan’s spiritual Qi reversed its flow, pouring entirely into her Supreme Bone!

A phantom image of a golden jade bone shot into the sky. Majestic spiritual Qi roared; its pressure rolled out in waves, striking directly at the heavenly lightning!

But in the next heartbeat, every ounce of resistance from the Supreme Bone was shattered like brittle glass under the thunder. Her body was sent flying backward. A trail of blood mist sprayed through the air as the great cultivation array beneath her was reduced to ruins!

The golden light of the Supreme Bone, once soaring, dimmed instantly before flying back into her body.

“Ah! What is happening! Why did the heavenly lightning suddenly explode in power!”

Liu Ruyan was shaken to her core. She forced herself to remain calm, frantically swallowing a medicinal pill to suppress the roiling blood within her chest. This time, she had truly failed to steal the chicken and lost the rice instead; she was heavily injured by the very lightning she tried to plunder!

The old woman’s voice was equally filled with shock.

“Who exactly is it that can trigger a Spirit Pearl Tribulation of this scale? Even the lightning of a low-level Jindan expert is nowhere near this overbearing!”

“You have been severely wounded by the tribulation. Return and heal at once! Remember: once you have recovered, you must seize the fortune of this person. This is a gift from the heavens!”

“Yes… I understand!”

Liu Ruyan suppressed the urge to vomit blood. She ground her teeth and flickered away, entering the Saintess Palace. If the Supreme Bone hadn’t helped her bear that blow, she would have been turned to ash on the spot!

“Disciple, what happened?”

Back inside the palace, Ji Yaoyue, the Peak Master of the Saintess Peak and Liu Ruyan’s Shifu, looked at her injured disciple with a face full of shock.

“Shifu! That tribulation was not mine, yet it wounded me! My current realm has dropped to the eighth stage of the Spirit Pearl Realm. I need to go into seclusion to heal!”

Liu Ruyan gritted her silver teeth, her eyes overflowing with hatred.

“It wasn’t yours?”

Ji Yaoyue’s expression became even more bewildered. “With a tribulation of that scale, there shouldn’t be a second disciple in the Ten Thousand Swords Sect capable of summoning it! Moreover, no elder is currently due for a breakthrough…”

She paused, looking at Liu Ruyan. “In one month, you must accept the evaluation from Elder Chi Yu of the Blood Moon Holy Land. This is the opportunity Yang Dianfeng recommended for you. If you miss it, your entry into the Holy Land will be delayed by three whole years!”

Liu Ruyan spoke urgently. “Shifu, help me!”

Ji Yaoyue narrowed her eyes. “To repair the wounds of a lightning tribulation in the short term, there is only the Marrow-Cleansing Pool. Tonight, when the moon is full, follow me there!”

“Yes!”

“As for today’s events, do not let a word of this spread!”

After speaking, Ji Yaoyue looked toward a nearby disciple, her voice turning icy. “Go at once and investigate. Find out who exactly is breaking through on Luxian Peak!”

“Whoever dares to wound my precious disciple… I will ensure they die!”

No one expected the thunderclouds to strike over Luxian Peak for three days and three nights.

By now, a crowd of disciples had gathered around the mountain. Even several elders were alerted, watching Luxian Peak with complicated gazes.

“What is going on? Is a great treasure being born?”

“It has finally stopped. I wonder what is hidden beneath that peak?”

“Luxian Peak has been an open cultivation ground for disciples these past few years. I guess that a spiritual meridian is hidden below. As for who could trigger such a tribulation while training there… it must be the Saintess!”

“That makes sense! The Saintess has peerless talent and awakened the Supreme Bone. It must be her breakthrough to the second grade of the Jindan Realm that caused such a phenomenon!”

“I’ve already checked. The Saintess is indeed not at the Saintess Peak!”

“Now that the tribulation is over, the Saintess should be emerging. I can’t wait!”

While the crowd unanimously believed it was the Saintess, the disciples sent by Ji Yaoyue to scout had very conflicted expressions. The Saintess was indeed not at her peak, but she was certainly not here. She had already gone to the Marrow-Cleansing Pool with their Shifu!

However, their Shifu had ordered that the news of the Saintess’s injury must not be leaked. They could only watch and wait.

Beyond the gates of the Ten Thousand Swords Sect, upon a peak that pierced the clouds, several figures watched from a distance.

“I didn’t expect another monster to appear in the Ten Thousand Swords Sect. Those three days of thunderclouds prove his talent is extremely high!”

“So what? It is merely a lightning tribulation. The geniuses of my Ziyang Sect are no fewer than those of the Ten Thousand Swords Sect!”

“The tribulation is over, but we should continue to observe in secret. After all, the Blood Moon Holy Land will be selecting disciples from the five sects and three clans in one month. If a peerless monster has truly appeared, we must prepare in advance.”

“Heh, your Ziyang Sect might be afraid, but my Mad Blade Sect is not. I guess that no one but Liu Ruyan has this kind of strength! My top disciple, Qin Zhan, has already fought her. Even if she advances another grade, she is nothing to fear!”

“Haha, when the time comes, experts from the Blood Moon Holy Land will be there in person. It will be exciting to see who comes out on top…”

Boom!

Suddenly, a massive roar echoed out. The earth trembled as the scorched earth of the mound exploded, sending dust and debris flying!

“He’s out!”

“The Saintess has finished her seclusion!”

“Such a grand entrance! She must have succeeded!”

The crowd cheered, their eyes full of admiration as they raised their arms in excitement. But when a figure finally emerged into view, everyone froze.

How was this the Saintess? Even with his long, disheveled hair, it was clear that this was a man!

“It’s not the Saintess???”

“Who is this person?”

“To trigger heavenly thunder for three days and nights… has another expert been born in our Ten Thousand Swords Sect?”

Everyone was stunned, rooted to the spot.

Lu Jin was also surprised. He brushed back the hair that had grown long over the past three years and scanned the area with a cold smile.

“I didn’t expect so many people to welcome me back.”

He scanned the crowd again, his brow furrowing. The person he was looking for was Liu Ruyan!

After these days of frantic cultivation and enduring the agony of the lightning forge, he had consumed a total of eight thousand Spirit Stones. His realm had finally broken through to the fifth stage of the Spirit Pearl Realm!

Although he had not returned to his former peak of the ninth stage, he was confident that his current combat power far surpassed his old self. Having survived a Spirit Pearl Tribulation, he was certain he could stand his ground even against a second-grade Jindan expert!

Three years ago, Liu Ruyan was only at the fourth stage of the Spirit Pearl Realm. Even if she stole his Supreme Bone, she wouldn’t have become invincible in just three years!

Unable to find her, Lu Jin’s frown deepened. But then, someone recognized him. A shouting voice rang through the valley.

“It’s Lu Jin! It’s that bastard who colluded with the demons and killed our fellow disciples!”

“What? It really is him! He isn’t dead!”

“It’s been three years. How is he still alive? And his aura… it seems very strong!”

“Has he been in seclusion on Luxian Peak for the last three years?”

“His Dantian was shattered long ago. He lost the right to cultivate!”

“Then what was that lightning tribulation about?”

The crowd began to murmur, their gazes turning icy cold. An elder stepped forward, his teeth gritted in anger.

“Lu Jin! So it is you, you wretched brat! You actually haven’t died yet!”

Hearing those words and seeing the murderous looks from the people around him, Lu Jin narrowed his eyes. It seemed the lies Liu Ruyan used to frame him were still poisoning their minds.

“Heh. Until I’ve killed the one who framed me, how could I die?”

Lu Jin suddenly looked up and roared. “Where is that bitch Liu Ruyan? Get out here!”

The crowd was shocked by his outburst. The elder barked a harsh rebuke. “Impudent! How dare you speak the Saintess’s name so casually!”

Lu Jin’s expression shifted. Saintess?

In the Ten Thousand Swords Sect, only those who reached the Jindan Realm were qualified for that title. In three years, Liu Ruyan had indeed made rapid progress.

But so what! Even if she were a Jindan, he would still kill her without mercy!

Seeing Lu Jin’s silence, the elder sneered. “Lu Jin, you didn’t expect this, did you? Today, Liu Ruyan is the honored Saintess of our Ten Thousand Swords Sect!”

“Furthermore, in one month, she will enter the Blood Moon Holy Land for Elder Chi Yu’s evaluation. Once she passes, she will be one of their own! The Blood Moon Holy Land will bestow blessings upon our sect because of her! As for you… You are nothing but a useless piece of trash. Hand over the treasures you are carrying, and perhaps this Elder can spare your life!”

The disciples joined in the clamor. “Elder Lu is right! His Dantian was shattered three years ago; he should never have been able to cultivate. That phenomenon must mean he has a hidden treasure!”

“His Shifu, Xuan Yunzi, was a true expert! He only had this one disciple. All the good things must have been left to this bastard!”

“Lu Jin, your crimes are monstrous! You killed dozens of brothers and sisters in the Demon Cave and nearly caused the Saintess to perish! We will execute you to avenge our fallen kin!”

“Surrender your treasures and kneel to commit suicide in atonement!”

Shouts and jeers came from every direction. Cold light swirled in Lu Jin’s eyes. He looked around and spoke with a voice like clashing steel.

“Three years ago, I was heavily injured and unable to fight back against the lies of Liu Ruyan and Yang Dianfeng!”

“Today, I will say it one more time. That trip to the Demon Cave was a trap set by Liu Ruyan and Yang Dianfeng to harm me! She crippled my Dantian, stole my Supreme Bone, and lured every disciple who knew the truth to their deaths!”

“If you choose to believe her one-sided story and continue to frame me, then do not blame me, Lu Jin, for showing no mercy!”

His words were met with a scoff. Elder Lu sneered. “Lu Jin, stop your nonsense!”

“Liu Ruyan is our Saintess. Yang Dianfeng was our Saint Son and is now a core disciple of Elder Chi Yu in the Blood Moon Holy Land! Both are peerless geniuses. How could someone like you ever hope to defile their names!”

“Since you’ve shown yourself today, there is only one path for you: kneel and pay for your sins with your life!”

Buzz!

As Elder Lu finished speaking, his spiritual Qi erupted. He was an expert at the seventh stage of the Spirit Pearl Realm.

Seeing this, Lu Jin knew they had no intention of letting him go. He understood that even if they knew the truth, they would never admit it! Liu Ruyan was a Saintess, and Yang Dianfeng was a member of a Holy Land; these were powers the sect could not afford to offend!

In this world where the strong eat the weak, being small is the ultimate sin. There is no such thing as fairness. They would always pick on the “softest” target.

Lu Jin let out a cold laugh. His gaze, dripping with killing intent, locked onto Elder Lu.

“A mere outer sect elder… With just you? You aren’t worthy!!”