Chapter 3
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Chapter 3 – You? Worthy?!
Buzz!
Under the crushing weight of heavenly might, all of Liu Ruyan’s spiritual power reversed in her meridians, surging madly into her Supreme Bone.
A golden, jade-like phantom bone erupted from her body, roaring into the sky. Torrents of spiritual energy howled forth, the oppressive aura so heavy it shook even the heavenly thunder above.
But in the very next instant, the Supreme Bone’s resistance was shattered under the rampaging tribulation lightning, crushed like rotten wood. Liu Ruyan’s body was flung backward, blood spraying wildly along her path, the cultivation array beneath her obliterated into a wasteland.
The golden Supreme Bone that had soared skyward dimmed in an instant and sank back into her body.
“Ah! What’s going on?! Why did the heavenly thunder suddenly grow so much stronger?!”
Shaken to the core, Liu Ruyan forced herself to steady her mind, hastily swallowing a pill to suppress the churning blood in her chest.
She had tried to take advantage of an opportunity, only to suffer heavy injury from the lightning instead.
Even the old crone’s voice was laced with astonishment:
“Who is this person who can trigger such a terrifying Spirit Pearl-stage tribulation? Even the thunder of a primary Golden Core cultivator is nowhere near so overbearing!”
“You’ve been badly injured. Return at once and heal! Remember this—when your wounds are mended, you must seize whatever fortune this person carries. This is a heaven-sent chance!”
“I understand!”
Liu Ruyan swallowed the urge to vomit more blood, ground her teeth, and flashed into the Saintess Hall.
If her Supreme Bone hadn’t borne the brunt of that strike, she would have been reduced to dust.
“Disciple, what happened?”
Inside the hall, her master—Ji Yaoyue, Peak Lord of Saintess Peak of the Myriad Sword Sect—looked stunned at the sight of Liu Ruyan’s battered state.
“Master! That lightning wasn’t mine, yet it injured me! My realm has fallen to eighth-grade Spirit Pearl. I must enter seclusion to recover!”
Her silver teeth clenched, hatred glinting in her eyes.
“Not yours?”
Ji Yaoyue’s gaze grew even sharper.
“A tribulation like that—besides you, no disciple of the Myriad Sword Sect could summon it! And no elder is on the verge of a breakthrough…”
She paused, then continued, “In one month, you’ll undergo Elder Chiyu’s trial for the Blood Moon Holy Land. This is an opportunity personally recommended by Yang Dianfeng. If you miss it, your entry will be delayed by three full years.”
“Master, please help me!”
Ji Yaoyue narrowed her eyes.
“To heal lightning tribulation wounds quickly, there’s only the Marrow-Cleansing Pool. Tonight is the full moon—you’ll enter the pool with me.”
“Yes!”
“And speak not a word of today’s events to anyone.”
She turned to a nearby disciple, voice turning cold.
“Go. Find out who is undergoing a breakthrough on Slaughter Immortal Peak.”
“Whoever dares hurt my disciple—I’ll have them dead.”
No one expected that the thunderclouds over Slaughter Immortal Peak would rage for three days and nights without pause.
By now, disciples had gathered in droves around the mountain; even some elders had come, gazes complex as they stared up at the peak.
“What in the world is going on? Could a great treasure be about to emerge?”
“It’s finally stopped. I wonder what’s hidden down there…”
“In recent years, Slaughter Immortal Peak has been opened as a cultivation ground for disciples. I suspect there’s a spiritual vein below. Anyone cultivating within it and drawing such lightning must be none other than the Saintess herself.”
“Indeed! The Saintess has peerless talent, and with the Supreme Bone awakened, she must have been attempting a second-grade Golden Core breakthrough to cause such a phenomenon.”
“I’ve already checked—she’s not at Saintess Peak!”
“Then the tribulation’s over, and she’s about to emerge! I can’t wait to see!”
The crowd was unanimous—it had to be the Saintess.
Among them, however, were a few disciples sent by Ji Yaoyue to investigate, their expressions far more conflicted.
The Saintess indeed wasn’t at her peak, but she certainly wasn’t here either. She was already in the Marrow-Cleansing Pool with her master. And since her master had ordered them to keep her injuries secret, they could only play along for now.
Outside the Myriad Sword Sect, atop towering mountains piercing the clouds, several distant figures observed in silence.
“To think the Myriad Sword Sect has birthed another monster. Three days of tribulation clouds—his talent must be extraordinary.”
“So what? It’s only a tribulation. We of the Ziyang Sect have no fewer prodigies than they.”
“Still, with the Blood Moon Holy Land’s selection in a month, if the Myriad Sword Sect has a peerless genius, we’d best be prepared.”
“Heh. Ziyang Sect might worry, but my Mad Blade Sect does not. Aside from Liu Ruyan, there’s no one in their sect capable of this. My sect’s top disciple, Qin Zhan, has already fought her. Even if she advances, she’s no threat.”
“Hmph… with the Blood Moon Holy Land’s experts overseeing the trials, we’ll see who claims victory.”
Boom!
Suddenly, a deafening roar shook the ground. The charred mound of earth struck by lightning split apart, smoke billowing skyward.
“He’s coming out!”
“The Saintess is emerging!”
“She’s succeeded—what an entrance!”
Cheers erupted, eyes brimming with adoration.
But when the figure finally stepped into view, every voice faltered into stunned silence.
This was no Saintess.
Even with his hair wild and unkempt, it was clear—this was a man.
“It’s not the Saintess?!”
“Then who is he?”
“Three days and nights of tribulation… could our sect have birthed another powerhouse?”
Lu Jin was just as taken aback by the crowd.
Pushing aside the long hair that had grown over three years, he scanned the onlookers, a cold smile tugging at his lips.
“I didn’t expect such a crowd to welcome me out of seclusion.”
His gaze swept over them again, a frown settling in.
He was looking for Liu Ruyan.
After days of relentless cultivation—lightning and fire forging his body, burning through eight thousand spirit stones—his realm had finally broken through to the fifth-stage Spirit Pearl.
Though still short of his former ninth-stage peak, he knew his current strength far surpassed his past self. After weathering the Spirit Pearl Tribulation, he believed even a second-stage Golden Core expert would struggle to defeat him.
Three years ago, Liu Ruyan had only been at the fourth-stage Spirit Pearl. Even with his Supreme Bone stolen, there was no way she had become invincible.
But she was nowhere to be seen.
Then someone in the crowd cried out, voice echoing across the valley.
“That’s Lu Jin! The traitor who colluded with demons to kill his fellow disciples!”
“What? It is him! He’s still alive?!”
“Three years… and he survived? How? And his aura—it’s strong!”
“Has he been in seclusion on Slaughter Immortal Peak all this time?”
“Impossible! His Dan Tian was shattered—he should have lost the ability to cultivate.”
“Then how do you explain that tribulation?”
Murmurs grew darker, eyes turning cold.
An elder shot forward, teeth clenched.
“Lu Jin! You wretch—you’re still alive?!”
The murderous glares told Lu Jin enough—Liu Ruyan’s lies still held sway over their hearts.
So… she’s still poisoning minds with her falsehoods.
A sharp laugh tore from his throat.
“If I hadn’t yet slain the one who framed me, how could I die?”
He raised his voice, shouting for all to hear:
“Liu Ruyan, you treacherous wench—come out and face me!”
Gasps rippled through the crowd.
“Bold! The Saintess’s name is not for you to speak!”
Lu Jin’s eyes narrowed.
Saintess?
In the Myriad Sword Sect, only a Golden Core cultivator could hold that title. So, in three years, Liu Ruyan had indeed leapt to the Golden Core realm.
But so what? Golden Core or not, she would die by his hand.
Seeing his silence, the elder sneered.
“Surprised? Liu Ruyan is now our sect’s Saintess. In one month, she will enter the Blood Moon Holy Land to be tested by Elder Chiyu himself. Once she passes, she will belong to the Holy Land—and our sect will enjoy endless blessings.”
“You, on the other hand, are a worthless cripple. Hand over whatever treasure you used to cause that heavenly phenomenon, and perhaps I’ll spare your life.”
The disciples muttered in agreement:
“Elder Lu speaks the truth! His Dan Tian was shattered three years ago—if he can still stir the heavens, it must be due to some secret treasure.”
“His master, Xuan Yunzi, was a true expert. With only one disciple, he surely left him something valuable.”
“Lu Jin, you vile traitor—you killed dozens of our senior brothers and sisters in the Demon Caverns, nearly killing the Saintess as well. Even after thirty years, we would seek your death to avenge them!”
“Kneel and kill yourself to atone!”
The shouts came from all sides, their hatred a tangible weight.
Lu Jin’s gaze turned to ice.
He swept his eyes over them and spoke, each word ringing like steel.
“Three years ago, I was gravely wounded—too weak to resist Liu Ruyan and Yang Dianfeng’s lies. Today, I will say it again: in the Demon Caverns, Liu Ruyan and Yang Dianfeng plotted to ruin me, shatter my Dan Tian, steal my Supreme Bone, and murder every disciple who knew the truth.”
“If you still choose to believe only their side and brand me a traitor… then do not blame me for what happens next.”
A derisive snort cut through his words. Elder Lu’s eyes blazed.
“Enough nonsense! Liu Ruyan is our Saintess, Yang Dianfeng was our Holy Son, now a direct disciple of Elder Chiyue of the Blood Moon Holy Land. They are beyond reproach!”
“You have only one path left—kneel and die!”
Buzz!
Spiritual power surged from Elder Lu’s body—seventh-stage Spirit Pearl.
Lu Jin knew then they would never acknowledge the truth. Not when the ones who wronged him were now untouchable pillars of power.
In this world, the weak had no right to justice. The strong crushed the soft—always.
And they all thought he was still soft.
A cold, razor-edged smile curved his lips as his killing intent locked onto Elder Lu.
“A mere outer-sect elder…” His voice was like a drawn blade.
“You? Worthy?!”
