An assault of intent, erupting like a volcano, crashed into Ye Chu. The starry sky protecting him in front began to fracture and shatter. Ye Chu resisted with his own intent, but he could not hold back this terrifying impact.
“Damn it!” Ye Chu cursed under his breath. He thought his intent was strong enough, yet under such turbulent impacts, it was still fracturing. If this continued, he feared he would not last much longer.
“Attack to defend!”
Unable to withstand these intent assaults, Ye Chu let out a roar. His sword intent was formidable. He unleashed a violent surge using the profound principle of seizure, synchronising with the trembling of his nine stars and a blossoming of ten thousand flowers, charging straight ahead. His attack was terrifying. He transformed his intent into a Breathless Sword and drove it forward, clashing directly against the surging intent of his opponent.
Ye Chu’s offensive was terrifying. He forcibly carved a path through the bloody waves and strode quickly forward.
The Breathless Sword was driven to its limit. The sword intent was awe inspiring, its patterns flashing with overwhelming power.
The disciples outside could not help but click their tongues in amazement. One of them murmured, “This is the Fiend Spirit Art. He actually possesses it, but simply has not used it until now.”
“However, his Fiend Spirit Art is very one dimensional,” another disciple observed.
“He already counts as half a Fiend Spirit Practitioner. However, attempting to cross the fifth layer tunnel with only a single Fiend Spirit Art will likely prove difficult.”
“This man is already incredibly formidable. He relied on his Primordial Spirit to brute force his way through four layers, and now he is using attack as defence. His comprehension is far superior to ours.”
As they spoke, their gazes inevitably turned towards the elder. They found him staring fixedly at Ye Chu, his expression deeply complicated.
The elder’s complexity was understandable. He had originally believed that opening the fifth layer would easily defeat Ye Chu. He never expected the young man to still hold his ground. Witnessing the terrifying momentum radiating from Ye Chu’s intent, the elder was inwardly astonished. Even when he himself was at Ye Chu’s realm in his youth, he could not compare to Ye Chu at this moment. Ye Chu was only half a Fiend Spirit Practitioner. For him to become a true one, this trial would likely pose no difficulty at all.
Ye Chu surged through the bloody waves, unleashing terrifying attacks. The Breathless Sword slashed forward. The starry sky flickered and fractured, yet Ye Chu’s figure continued to leap and advance relentlessly.
Waves of power continuously burst forth. The terrifying sword intent, carrying Ye Chu’s own Dao, grew even sharper and more formidable as it was tempered by the blood wave like intent.
Ye Chu, who had previously been troubled by a headache, now felt delight at the tempering of his intent. Enduring the assaults of the bloody waves and forcing himself to resist, he continuously honed his own intent.
Seeing Ye Chu actually using the tunnel as a means to temper himself, the elder frowned and called out to the disciple beside him, “Open the sixth layer!”
“Elder! I am afraid the sixth layer cannot be opened yet.”
“Why?” The elder, somewhat displeased, reprimanded him, “I told you to open it, so hurry up and do it!”
“Um… it seems his intent is about to carry him out,” the disciple reminded the elder timidly.
The elder then noticed it. Ye Chu had carved a path with his terrifying sword intent, charging straight out and flashing his body to land outside the tunnel. With his formidable Primordial Spirit, Ye Chu had brute forced his way out under the pressure of the fifth layer.
The numerous disciples fell silent at this result. It was not that they had never seen exceptionally gifted disciples. On the contrary, they had seen many. Everyone in the Fiend Spirit Pavilion possessed formidable talent. Those at the very top were practically monstrous prodigies. Yet, they had never seen anyone break through so dominantly on their very first attempt at the tunnel.
He had actually brute forced his way through the first four layers using only his Primordial Spirit. This was simply inconceivable. In their memory, it seemed no one had ever done such a thing.
“This fellow might just become another powerhouse in the Fiend Spirit Pavilion. However, his cultivation is already so formidable. Why has he switched to cultivating the Fiend Spirit Art? Although its destructive power is immense, if he pursues this path, he might very well fail to master either discipline properly. With his Primordial Spirit, if he focused purely on cultivation, he could achieve great success just the same.”
Ye Chu sat cross legged outside the tunnel, comprehending what he had gained. Sitting there, his entire being resembled an unsheathed sword, utterly peerless.
The elder watched him, his expression equally unsettled. This young man was indeed worthy of the attention paid to him by the core figures of the pavilion. His sheer power was truly difficult to comprehend. With such sword intent, he was on the verge of breaking through that very realm.
Watching Ye Chu open his eyes, the elder slowly approached him and said, “If you can walk through the tunnel, then you are a member of the Fiend Spirit Pavilion. This spirit jade represents your status. Keep it safe.”
The crowd watched as the elder handed the spirit jade to Ye Chu, and they were equally astonished. The jade was blue, signifying the status of an outstanding disciple.
“As expected, the elder did not intend to make things difficult for him. Otherwise, he would never grant him the status of an outstanding disciple. With this spirit jade, his standing will be above us senior disciples,” a group of disciples muttered.
Ye Chu was unaware of the jade’s true value. He accepted it and bowed slightly, saying, “Thank you, elder!”
“The spirit jade represents your privileges. What you can learn depends on your contributions to the Fiend Spirit Pavilion and your personal status. As for the rest, the other disciples will instruct you.” The elder did not elaborate further. He waved his hand and said, “That is all I have to say. If you have questions, ask your fellow disciples. From now on, unless it is important, do not disturb me.”
Having spoken, the elder completely ignored Ye Chu and walked away.
This left Ye Chu, who had been watching the elder’s back, momentarily stunned. He turned his gaze to the group of disciples, only to see them bow to him and greet him, “Greetings, senior brother!”
Ye Chu was even more bewildered. He stared blankly at the group and asked, “Um, which one of you is the senior brother?”
“You received the blue jade, so your status is above ours. The pavilion has a rule. A disciple’s seniority is not determined by when they joined, but by their strength. The blue jade signifies the status of a senior brother.”
“Wait! Are you saying the blue jade holds a very high status?” Ye Chu asked curiously.
“Aside from a few rare types of spirit jade, the blue jade holds the highest status,” the disciple replied. “Possessing it grants you your own cave mansion. Furthermore, you may recruit servant disciples to attend to you.”
This deepened Ye Chu’s confusion. He had originally expected to face petty obstruction upon arriving here. He never expected to be granted such favourable treatment instead.
“What game are these people playing?” Ye Chu muttered to himself. He then looked at the disciple and said, “Take me to the cave mansion!”
“You will need to carve out your own cave mansion, senior brother. However, I can guide you to the mountains where they may be established,” the disciple replied. “But I must remind you that certain mountains are the private property of the senior disciples. You must not enter them without permission.”
Ye Chu nodded. Despite his lingering doubts, he asked no further questions. He knew the Fiend Spirit Pavilion ran deep, and navigating it required caution. Otherwise, trouble was almost guaranteed.
Mo Qi’s warning was still fresh in his memory.