Hearing the crowd's discussion about Bai Zhuqing, Lin Yun couldn't help his curiosity and pulled up his opponent's panel. When he saw it, he almost burst into tears.
He had finally met another unlucky soul who was almost as miserable as he was.
[Name]: Bai Zhuqing
[Realm]: First Level of the Yuan Sea Realm
[Destiny]: Covered in Misfortune (Gray)
[Fate]: A Millennium of Decline (Green), Everything Goes Wrong (White), Stubborn Donkey (Blue) [Covered in Misfortune]: You are the reincarnation of the god of bad luck. Anyone who stays near you for too long will be afflicted by misfortune.
[A Millennium of Decline]: You will become a god of decline for a thousand years, plagued by constant bad luck!
[Everything Goes Wrong]: Nothing you wish for will ever come true.
[Stubborn Donkey]: You are stubborn, single-minded, and inflexible.
[Outcome]: Despite a thousand years of bad luck, you accumulate great strength and finally achieve great things.
[Recent Turning Point]: Goes to Green xia Peak and picks up a jade pendant.
If Lin Yun had to be unlucky for a thousand years, he would rather just die. However, he was still very skeptical about Bai Zhuqing's recent turning point. This guy was already so unlucky, how could he possibly get a fortuitous opportunity?
"Bai Zhuqing, you may begin." The referee glanced at Bai Zhuqing. He was all too familiar with this routine. Bai Zhuqing wasn't weak in terms of cultivation, but he was just absurdly unlucky. In every Inner Sect Grand Competition, he would always run into a monster in the top twelve. Before this round even began, many contestants were hoping to be matched against Bai Zhuqing. If you drew him, it was a guaranteed ticket to the top six!
On the stage, Bai Zhuqing cupped his fist in a salute. "Junior Brother Lin, I am beginning."
Lin Yun nodded, not daring to be complacent. Just because this guy was unlucky didn't mean he was weak.
Sure enough, the moment Bai Zhuqing's voice fell, he casually tossed out his dice. The dice, originally the size of fingertips, instantly expanded, becoming as large as iron weights. The six dice flew toward Lin Yun in unison at incredible speed.
Lin Yun took a deep breath and stabilized his stance. He threw a heavy punch.
BOOM!
His punch slammed into one of the dice, instantly shattering it.
"Damn, Lin Yun is still so fierce! Another one-punch!"
"This guy is the real dark horse of the outer sect!"
Amidst the cheers of praise, Lin Yun repeated the process. In the same manner, he easily smashed all of Bai Zhuqing's dice. Then, he turned his attention to Bai Zhuqing himself.
Unexpectedly, Bai Zhuqing was so focused on controlling his artifacts that he failed to watch his step. His left foot tripped over his right, and just like that, he fell off the stage.
The referee was speechless. "..."
"Lin Yun wins!"
Although his opponent was Bai Zhuqing, Lin Yun's performance was still incredibly impressive.
In the viewing stands, Gu Xiande smiled as he gazed at Ye Qian in the distance. Beside him sat a young and beautiful woman.
"This year's Inner Sect Grand Competition is much more interesting than in previous years. So many talented youths have emerged!"
"What do you think of this girl?"
The woman merely glanced over. "Her ambition is high, but unfortunately, her talent doesn't match her temperament."
Such a sharp eye, Gu Xiande thought. He then pointed to Xu Ruoqing. "Then what do you think of him?"
"Too righteous. The path of cultivation cannot be so rigidly upright."
Gu Xiande didn't bother asking about Qiu Zhiping. However, both of them turned their gazes to Lin Yun at the same time.
"This little fellow, on the other hand, is not bad..."
...
After successfully advancing to the top six, the competition for the top three began. As expected, Qiu Zhiping and the others all advanced. This time, in the drawing of lots, Lin Yun unexpectedly drew Ye Qian.
Originally, everyone had been ready to watch Lin Yun's performance. But now, they all sighed.
"What a pity, the biggest dark horse!"
"If he had drawn Xu Ruoqing or Qiu Zhiping, he would have had a fighting chance."
"But unfortunately, he drew the current strongest in the outer sect, Ye Qian!"
A wave of sighs swept through the crowd. Even Lin Yun was a little unsure who was stronger between himself and Ye Qian. Fourth level of the Yuan Sea Realm—without a doubt, the strongest existence in the outer sect.
The dark horse versus the strongest. One could imagine how exciting this match would be.
When Lin Yun stepped onto the stage, Ye Qian stood with her arms crossed, staring at him coldly.
"You have some skill to have made it this far. Your luck is pretty good too."
"However, you've used up all your good luck, which is why you're meeting me in the finals."
Lin Yun didn't say a word, instead silently taking out his wooden sword.
Ye Qian snorted in disdain. "Hey, are you deaf? I'm telling you to admit defeat to save yourself the embarrassment. Didn't you understand?"
Lin Yun gripped his sword and looked at Ye Qian. "Who is stronger and who is weaker will only be known after we fight!"
Ye Qian stared at Lin Yun coldly, exasperated. "This young lady was being considerate of you, yet you are so ungrateful. Since you want to fight for first place so badly, then I'll teach you a lesson today, so you'll know that everything up to now has just been your good luck!"
The moment her voice fell, Ye Qian summoned a sword and charged straight at Lin Yun. Outer-sect disciples rarely studied swordsmanship because the techniques they had access to were mostly weak. But Ye Qian was clearly an exception.
The moment she made her move, Lin Yun recognized it. It was the Mystic-grade, Mid-rank "Yue Maiden Sword Art." As expected, this woman's background was not simple.
Ye Qian attacked with thunderous force from the start. Thousands of sword shadows descended like a torrential downpour, forcing Lin Yun to retreat step by step.
So this is the fourth level of the Yuan Sea Realm?
Lin Yun gripped his wooden sword tightly, a thin film of yuan energy covering it. The "Yue Maiden Sword Art" emphasized speed and precision. Even with his minor accomplishment in his own techniques, dealing with Ye Qian's sword was putting him under considerable pressure. After just a few moves, he could already feel a burning pain in the web of his hand.
"Interesting. So this is the strongest disciple of the outer sect?" Lin Yun muttered to himself. Far from being flustered by the pressure, he actually had a smile on his face.
"Smelly brat, you're already at your limit and still talking tough! Watch this!"
Ye Qian swung her sword from a distance, and dozens of sword qis attacked Lin Yun from all directions. It was like a dozen green-robed maidens dancing. The crowd below watched, mesmerized.
Only Lin Yun knew that he was surrounded by lethal killing intent.
However, he seized this opportunity to use the "Seven Mystic Sword Art." He had been suppressed before and couldn't find the rhythm to execute it. Now was the perfect moment.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Under the watchful eyes of everyone present, Lin Yun actually managed to block Ye Qian's fatal blow! Of course, he also sustained quite a few cuts, revealing his flawless, jade-like skin beneath.
"As expected of Ye Qian. Even the strongest dark horse is now completely suppressed."
"A dark horse is just a dark horse. Ye Qian is a true genius!"
"But what was that sword technique Lin Yun just used? It was so strong! How could it block Ye Qian's attack?"
Although everyone knew Lin Yun would lose, just from the moment he had used the "Seven Mystic Sword Art," they had become much more interested in this dark horse.
In contrast, after Lin Yun broke Ye Qian's attack with the "Seven Mystic Sword Art," he was now more shocked than anything. When he used the technique to block her move, he instantly felt a searing heat in his dantian, like a boiling river. It felt as if some kind of power was reawakening, making him feel unbearably hot!