Chapter 11: A Grueling Sparring Match and a Mysterious Find

“Sect Master Su, I believe we can begin now, can’t we? Perhaps a disciple from our Spirit Sword Mountain could step forward to accept challenges. What do you think?” Ning Chong suggested.

Su Muxue nodded, indicating her agreement.

Upon receiving Su Muxue’s assent, Ning Chong immediately cast a glance at one of his sect’s disciples, a cultivator at the fifth stage of Qi Refinement.

Receiving Ning Chong’s implicit instruction, the disciple promptly soared towards the Moonview Platform.

“Spirit Sword Mountain’s Ding Xuanzhi greets the esteemed elders and fellow daoists of Moonfall Sect,” Ding Xuanzhi announced, drawing the sword from his back as he landed. “Might I inquire who is willing to step forward and offer guidance?”

A mere fifth-stage Qi Refinement cultivator, however, would hardly deter the disciples of Moonfall Sect.

“I shall gladly experience Daoist Ding’s profound techniques.” Soon after, a Moonfall Sect disciple of comparable cultivation realm ascended the Moonview Platform, landing directly before Ding Xuanzhi.

Ding Xuanzhi raised a hand, his gaze sharp as he spoke.

“Please, enlighten me.”

The Moonfall Sect disciple nodded in response.

Seeing both combatants ready, the referee declared.

“Then, let the match begin!”

The moment the referee’s words fell, Ding Xuanzhi moved with incredible speed, his figure swift as a phantom. Before he even reached his opponent, his sword light had already arrived, his blade flashing like a streak of light as it thrust towards the Moonfall Sect disciple.

Witnessing the astonishing speed of the attack, the Moonfall Sect disciple swiftly twisted their body, the sword grazing so close it practically kissed their neck.

That single strike was practically aimed at killing.

“This…” After narrowly evading the attack, the Moonfall Sect disciple hastily retreated several steps, simultaneously touching their own neck.

They had been so convinced their throat was slashed that they believed themselves struck.

Yet, as the Moonfall Sect disciple remained momentarily stunned, Ding Xuanzhi showed no mercy. He spun, delivering a forceful kick to their chest, sending them flying backward.

The Moonfall Sect disciple crashed heavily onto the arena floor.

In a sparring match, defeat was declared upon falling to the ground or being knocked off the platform.

“You’ve lost.” Just as the Moonfall Sect disciple attempted to rise, Ding Xuanzhi’s sword point was already inches from their face, preventing any further movement.

The Moonfall Sect’s high-ranking members felt utterly humiliated at the sight, defeated in a single move.

Below the stage, the disciples erupted in an uproar. The Moonfall Sect disciple who had ascended was not weak; they were certainly no less capable than Ding Xuanzhi. However, their courage had faltered.

Mainly, they had been terrified by Ding Xuanzhi’s strike, which seemed intent on killing.

“No, this doesn’t count! Let’s start over!” The Moonfall Sect disciple felt the loss was incredibly unfair, having been defeated without even showcasing a tenth of their skill.

However, Ding Xuanzhi’s next words instantly froze the young man.

“Start over? If this weren’t a sparring match, you would already be dead. Do you truly believe your enemies would grant you a second chance?” Ding Xuanzhi countered.

One of Moonfall Sect’s elders could no longer sit still.

“Get down! Don’t make a spectacle of yourself. A loss is a loss,” the Grand Elder of Moonfall Sect coldly snorted.

With an elder having spoken, there was no point for the young man to persist.

However, the Sixth Elder, Han Heng, voiced his displeasure, for the defeated disciple was a member of his Han family.

“Attacking with the intent to kill from the very first move—is this truly sparring? This is clearly intimidation,” Han Heng scoffed.

These words reached Ning Chong’s ears, prompting him to respond with a mocking tone.

“So, Junior Brother Han, you believe that when facing an enemy, one should not aim to kill them? We are a Martial Sect, not a Daoist Sect, nor a Buddhist Sect.”

“You?!” Han Heng, choked with indignation, abruptly rose to his feet.

In the cultivation world, sects were broadly divided into three major factions: Martial Sects, Daoist Sects, and Buddhist Sects.

Each of these three pursued their own unique cultivation paths: Martial Sects entered the Dao through martial arts, Daoist Sects through the heart, and Buddhist Sects through enlightenment.

While there were differences, they were fundamentally similar, merely emphasizing distinct directions in their cultivation.

“Sixth Elder, sit down.” It was then that Su Muxue spoke.

However, Han Heng did not heed her, instead appearing ready to say more.

“Sit down.” Su Muxue suddenly unleashed the full force of her Golden Core Completion aura, fixing it upon Han Heng. It seemed that if he continued to disobey, she was prepared to enforce her command.

Su Muxue’s sudden display of dominance bewildered everyone. Up until this point, she had always presented a gentle and somewhat fragile demeanor.

This change stemmed from Su Muxue’s heart, which had finally settled, leaving her with fewer reservations.

Moreover, Han Heng had repeatedly bullied her son. Su Muxue had long endured enough; she had simply been waiting for an opportune moment to act. And now, that chance had arrived.

“Junior Brother,” the Fifth Elder hastily reminded Han Heng.

Only then did Han Heng let out a cold snort and reluctantly take his seat.

Once he was seated, Su Muxue’s gentle, ethereal aura returned.

“Let us continue,” Su Muxue said once more. “Disciples, there is no need to fear losing. What truly matters is that you do not fear fighting. Rest assured, as long as you give your utmost, you will not be blamed for a defeat.”

Su Muxue’s soothing voice was truly refreshing. Those disciples who had previously harbored anxieties about losing immediately stepped forward to challenge again.

However, Moonfall Sect suffered a crushing defeat.

Ding Xuanzhi, after consecutively defeating three opponents, finally succumbed to his fourth challenger.

Out of the ten disciples sent by the opposing side, only two failed to secure a victory against a Moonfall Sect disciple in their initial challenge.

Half an hour later, only two disciples from Spirit Sword Mountain remained uncalled: Lin Shuang and Lin Xue.

Meanwhile, the faces of Moonfall Sect’s elders had grown utterly grim. Their crushing defeat unequivocally demonstrated that the quality of their current generation of disciples was far inferior to that of Spirit Sword Mountain.

This particular batch of disciples had been recruited under Han Heng’s supervision. The man had shamelessly abused his authority, bringing in a large number of recruits from his mundane Han family, almost all of whom were scions of secular noble houses.

While one couldn’t claim that noble scions were inherently bad, the issue lay in their general lack of tempering. Their lives had been smooth sailing, and despite often possessing decent innate talent, their mental fortitude was consistently lacking.

“It’s my turn.” Just then, Lin Shuang rose. She soared gracefully, landing on the Moonview Platform like a celestial maiden in white.

The disciples of Moonfall Sect watched the scene, utterly captivated.

‘She’s so beautiful! Why doesn’t our Moonfall Sect have such lovely female disciples?’ This thought echoed in the minds of many Moonfall Sect disciples.

But then, something unexpected occurred. The moment Lin Shuang landed, she seemed to have stepped on something akin to a banana peel, stumbling forward and nearly falling.

“Huh? What was that?” After regaining her balance, Lin Shuang quickly glanced down at her feet. What she saw confused her. She bent down and picked up a cylindrical metal object from the ground.

She brought the object closer to her eyes for a look. Upon seeing it, her expression froze in surprise.

“This… is a bullet casing?” Lin Shuang’s eyes widened, and the words escaped her lips involuntarily.

If Su Yun were present at that moment, she would undoubtedly have been startled, for, theoretically, no one in this world should know the term “bullet casing.”

This casing was a remnant from when Su Yun had shot through Han Yu’s calf a short while ago, and it had unluckily been stepped on by Lin Shuang.

Simultaneously, Lin Xue, who was seated, abruptly stood. Because she and Lin Shuang shared a spiritual connection, Lin Xue could perceive what Lin Shuang saw through their shared minds.

“Lin Xue, what’s wrong? Why such a strong reaction?” Ning Chong questioned.

“Ah? Oh, nothing much,” Lin Xue chuckled dryly, then sat back down. “I just saw my sister slip a bit when she went on stage, and it startled me.”

Meanwhile, Lin Shuang’s gaze swept across the area below the stage. She seemed to be searching for someone, her eyes reflecting an inexplicable urgency.

Unable to find the person she sought, Lin Shuang simply raised her hand, holding up the bullet casing, and asked, “Does anyone know whose this is?”

Lin Shuang’s sudden action caused everyone to pause. They peered closely at the metallic object she held between her fingers.

‘Isn’t that just an ordinary metal shell? What’s so special about it? It’s not some magic treasure,’ the cultivators wondered.

Yet, surprisingly, some did indeed know its origin. After all, Su Yun had publicly shot Han Yu, leaving behind both a bullet and a casing.

If Lin Shuang were to search carefully, she would likely find the bullet itself on the Moonview Platform.

“That looks like an hidden weapon left by Su Yun,” a meticulous disciple remarked. “I recall a metal object falling to the ground when he used a hidden weapon.”

Unfortunately, despite some knowing, no one dared to inform Lin Shuang publicly.

Seeing no response, Lin Shuang could only tuck the bullet casing away for the time being.

However, she was now deeply troubled, her mind completely devoid of any thoughts of sparring.

For what others did not know was that she and Lin Xue, like Su Yun, were also reincarnators who had been reborn into this world with their memories intact.