The young man's appearance was ordinary, but he was a master of swordsmanship!
The Swordsmanship-seeking Sect was indeed the largest sect in the thousand-mile radius. Its power was unfathomable.
The young man dressed ordinarily and did not seem to be someone important. However, his swordsmanship was stunning. Could it be that the Swordsmanship-seeking Sect disciples were all so talented?
Everyone was shocked.
Clang!
Just then, a cluster of sparks suddenly erupted in the battle.
This was the first time Ding Hao's rusted sword and Chen Wu's long sword met.
The two figures collided and parted immediately.
Ding Hao swayed, but his expression remained unchanged. He kept his sword and stood on the spot.
However, Chen Wu stumbled and took four or five steps back. His face flushed red and then, he gained his foothold.
Chen Wu breathed in rapidly and held his sword by its hilt with the sword pointing down. This was the standard etiquette when acknowledging defeat. He put his fists together and said, "Young friend, good sword skills. Chen Wu has learned his lesson." With that, he turned to return to the riders in the distance and did not say anything else.
Chen Wu had lost?!
The burly young man Xiao Chengxuan who had been watching by the side had an odd glint in his eyes. Li Canyang was also stunned speechless.
The two were about Ding Hao's age and had been well-educated since they were young. They thought that they were already outstanding amongst their peers. But compared to the young man wearing rough cloth clothing before them...they feared that they could not even hold against Ding Hao's lightning-fast sword.
The arrogant Li Yiruo also stared at him with wide eyes. She could not believe what she had just seen.
"You're young, and yet you're arrogant and unreasonable. You humiliate others casually just because of a minor incident just because you hold power. How can someone like you be qualified to enter the Swordsmanship-seeking Sect? Remember, just because you have a powerful family does not mean that they can protect your ludicrous and pathetic pride forever. If you don't fix your horrible habit, one day, your arrogance will cause the destruction of you and your family!"
Ding Hao stared at Li Yiruo coldly, scolding her unsparingly.
The ethereally beautiful young girl wilted under his rebuke. She was angry but did not dare to speak.
This was the first time Li Yiruo ever felt so scared.
The young man before her did not only have stunning swordsmanship. What was even more terrifying was that he had a noble and awe-inspiring aura. No matter how highly Li Yiruo thought of herself, she could not help but feel inferior right now. A sense of inferiority filled her heart and she lowered her head, not daring to say anything.
Ding Hao laughed loudly, feeling extremely satisfied.
Moments later, he turned around to help the mysterious girl and the little girl with goat-horn braids up and they walked into the distance.
It was not until she saw that Ding Hao had walked far away before Li Yiruo came back to her senses. She did not dare to believe that a man like that had taught her a lesson and she had not dared to retort. She gritted her teeth and scolded angrily, "Bastard, you'll regret it one day." However, she dare not say it loudly, afraid that Ding Hao would hear her, feeling extremely upset.
No changes happened after that.
Perhaps it was because of this unpleasant incident, everyone felt awkward.
As such, the parties from Xiyang town and Qingyang Town did not stay by the Sword-cleansing Pond for too long. After a hurried lunch, they quickly packed up their camp and left to climb up the mountain.
...
By the Sword-cleansing Pond.
Ding Hao started to sway when the two parties left. His face was pale white.
There were traces of blood on the five fingers of his right hand, and they flowed down his fingers.
He rolled up his sleeves gently to see green veins exploding beneath his right forearm. There were thin and dense wounds on it.
This was caused by the shock from the Qi of Chen Wu's long sword.
The true strength of the mustached rider was above that of a Three acupoint Martial Student. He was three major levels higher than Ding Hao, who was about to enter the Martial Student level.
If not for his miraculous encounter in the Great Abyss cliff cave, causing his body to become terrifyingly strong, Ding Hao's arm would have already been broken when the two swords met earlier.
"My physical strength is above that of the mustached rider, which is why I can make him back away on pure strength alone. However, in terms of Qi cultivation, the difference between us is too big. I will be injured as long as we meet...However, with such practical combat experience, I have learned a lot."
Ding Hao closed his eyes and sat cross-legged by the pond. He thought silently about his gains and losses in the battle earlier.
Meanwhile, he carefully moved the Qi in his diaphragm and nourished his arm, slowly healing it.
After a moment, his arm suddenly felt cold.
Ding Hao opened his eyes in shock.
He saw the tanned and thin mysterious young girl. Her head was lowered as she silently and gently used a clean rough cloth to wash the wound on his arm.
"Are you alright?"
When she saw Ding Hao opening his eyes, the mysterious young girl who had been silent all this while lowered her head slightly.
Her voice was crystal clear; it was a pleasing sound that was like pearls falling on to a jade plate. It was the sound of angels.
Ding Hao was stunned. He did not think that the slender girl would possess such a moving voice.
Speaking of which, she had not uttered a sound even when she had been whipped by the maidservant Qiu Shuang. Ding Hao thought that the girl was really mute.
"It's alright, it's just a small injury. I'll do it myself."
Ding Hao took the wet cloth from her. He went to the side of the pond and tried to clean the wound on his arm.
After his curious encounter in the cave, his body had grown terrifyingly strong. His also healed extremely fast and his wounds were already inconsequential.
"That...thank you for just now." The mysterious young girl said softly.
"You're welcome." Ding Hao stopped by the side of the pond and washed his face. He asked curiously, "Could it be...that you're here to join the Swordsmanship-seeking Sect's entrance exam?"
"Yup."
"You brought the little girl through the wilderness alone?"
"Yup."
Ding Hao took a deep breath of cold air.
After a pause, he smiled and said, "You're really lucky that you didn't encounter any beasts."
Otherwise, with the girl's weak strength, she definitely would not be able to escape. Even the weakest and smallest beast would be able to tear the sisters into shreds within seconds. However, looking at the girl's injuries and torn and tattered clothing, she must have endured plenty of hardship on the journey. Her palms and naked soles were torn and bleeding and filled with scabs.
Ding Hao thought for a moment and took out his small sack where he put his trinkets. He took out his clean robe made of rough cloth and handed it to her. He said, "There is a shallow pool behind the tree there. Wash the dirt off you and change into this set of clothing. Otherwise, you can't join the entrance exam looking like this."
The young girl hesitated for a moment and then thanked him softly. She did not act bashfully and accepted the clothing. She turned around and went behind the large tree nearby. Soon, the sounds of water splashing could be heard.
The little girl with the goat-horn braid had been hidden in the basket and was not dirty. Her clothes were also very clean.
The child blinked her black pearl-like watery eyes while eating Ding Hao's dried goods gustily. She said with familiarity, "Big brother, you're really awesome. Your sword skills are good and you're rather handsome. Why don't I introduce to you a super beautiful girl."
Ding Hao almost spat with a puff.
The little girl must be a talent. She was only two or three and already knew how to eat meat biscuits by herself and was so logical and clear when speaking. Could it be that all children of this world matured early?
"Hey, don't look at me like that. I'm serious. Hehe, what do you think of my sister? She's a super beautiful lady. If you're interested in her, I can help you." The little girl looked at the large tree in the distance and pouted. She finished one of Ding Hao's meat biscuits in a few bites and her mouth was covered with scraps. Her chubby hand reached out at a lightning-fast speed and snatched up a second biscuit. Ding Hao was speechless. The pony-tailed little girl was rather odd. Honestly speaking, Ding Hao had helped them out earlier was not just because he didn't like Li Yiruo's arrogance. The stubbornness and strength in the mysterious girl's beautiful eyes, as well as the weakness of the two girls depending on each other, had struck a chord in the deep part of his heart. Ding Hao was reminded of the hardship he and Ding Ke'er had endured as they depended on each other. And thus, helped them out under the risky guise of pretending to be a Swordsman
Some cheered in joy as they had passed the first round. While others wailed out loud and tried to commit suicide because they failed. Scenes of joys and tribulations of life played out in the wide square. Ding Hao arrived at the registration area at the edge of the square. This was the test center of the "Bone-age test" which was the first of the five major tests. One would pass the test as long as the results showed that they were truly less than 15. And only through passing the test, would the registrant be qualified to take the other tests so that they would not waste time. A white-haired elder wearing a silver long robe sat on an old bamboo rocking chair silently as he monitored the works at the registration counter. There were more than ten other third-generation disciples wore red robes with black trims who wore a sharp ring on their fingers. They would sweep it over each registrant's body and after a slight analysis, report
The third generation disciple opened his mouth wide in shock, stuttering in excitement after being stunned for a while, "Number 89, Xiao Chengxuan, Grade A+ for gold element." Even the few elders in silver robes who squinted their eyes over the distance rushed over upon hearing the news. The leading elder, who looked as brave and ferocious as a lion, nodded satisfyingly upon seeing the golden flames erupted out of the stone egg. He smiled and said, "Not bad, the first Grade A+ prodigy today is finally discovered. Looks like this would be another genius in our populous Swordsmanship-seeking Sect!" The other elder whispered a few words to the third generation disciple. The disciple then hastily recorded something on his document. It was apparent that Xiao Chengxuan, who came from Qingyang town, had become a major focus of the sect. All the guards from Qingyang Town cheered delightedly as they were happy for the talent of th
"Oh? It's you?" Chirped a woman below the stage. "Why are you taking this test? I guess you're not a Swordsmanship-seeking Sect disciple! Haha, I thought you were so powerful, but it turns out you're only a piece of trash that fails at all five elements. Get down here!" Ding Hao looked down. The genius girl who had just finished taking the test, Li Yiruo, was looking at him mockingly. "You know this piece of trash?" "Haha, did you hear her? Lady Li is telling you to go down." "You failed all five elements. Get lost." A group of young men who were trying to impress Li Yiruo saw that the lady had a grudge against the man on the stage, and they all immediately began heckling him to get her attention. Ding Hao chuckled coldly. For some reason, he actually felt stronger, and all his worries disappeared. He stepped out and pressed his hands on the sixth testing egg. Boom!
Ding Hao silently handed his badge over and calmly left the stage. There was no point in arguing with a lowlife like him. In the distant perimeter of the testing arena, two young men stood on top of an ancient tree. They did not seem to be hiding, but the crowds below them, including the first elder of the elder gate, Liu Wenkuang, could not see them or sense their auras. It was a very strange sight. "Senior Brother Leng, what do you see?" asked Shi Feizhou with a smile. He was wearing a yellow suit, and his long blonde hair was tied back with golden thread. "I believe there has only been a god-level genius once six years ago." The other replied. He wore a snow-white robe, with long black hair carelessly draping over his shoulder, and he gave off an icy aura. Swordsmanship-seeking Sect disciples were roughly divided into the five levels of name, outer gate, inner gate, successor, and core. These two were top
"Thank you, elder." Ding Hao accepted the badge and left in confusion. "Why did he just guess my ranking?" "What was going on? Could the elder really not test my meridian quality, or did he discover something?" Ding Hao could not figure it out. "Never mind. Second Tier meridians are still above average, and in addition to my God-Level element, I have a bright future in martial arts." Ding Hao's resolve was unshaken. When it was almost noon, Ding Hao finished his comprehension test in the fourth arena. Comprehension was his strength. He did not hide anything. Putting up airs would be the most foolish thing to do at this moment, because his performance would determine his status among future Swordsmanship-seeking Sect disciples, and consequently decide the resources and knowledge he received. Therefore, he had to display his value to the sect now. The comprehension test
He would be lying if he said he was not tempted. Nonetheless, Ding Hao still shook his head after some thought and said, "Many thanks for your kind intentions, Lecturer Li. I would still like to enter Swordsmanship-seeking Sect." Ding Hao had to remain at Swordsmanship-seeking Sect. First, he had yet to truly discover the secret behind the mountain cave at the bottom of the garbage cliff. After all, he could still transport the liquid found within the gravel pit upwards. Furthermore, the runes carved on the stone table in the mountain cave were extremely mysterious and he reckoned that was probably an incredible treasure. He planned to look further into this after he grew more powerful in the future. Ding Hao was certain that the mountain cave in that cliff in the Great Abyss was definitely worth exploring. Second, Ding Hao was still worried about his younger sister who had gone missing more than three years ago. However, should he
Swordsmanship-seeking Sect only took in around 2,000 disciples every year and this ranking list in front of him looked like it contained around 2,000 names as well. This meant that if no major upset occurred in the afternoon's test of physical quality and test of perseverance, this list would likely be the final name list of disciples that accepted into Swordsmanship-seeking Sect. How could anyone remain calm at the sight of this list? Ding Hao stood at the fringes of the crowd, from where he could clearly see the names on the list. For some reason, from right to left, the names of the top five candidates had been covered with red paper. The top five spots had indeed been taken but their names were not revealed to the public. Only the names of those who ranked sixth onwards could be clearly seen. Ding Hao found himself at tenth place. In other words, Ding Hao's qualifications ranked amongst the top ten of all the youths who had participated in the