Chapter 18: Genius!

Mount Jiuxian, the Flowing Immortal Peak of the Wenxian Sect.

"Reporting to the Sect Master, that Ling Feng from the Little Bamboo Peak lineage indeed holds the Sect Master's Jade Command of our Wenxian Sect!" The Pavilion Guard Elder's face remained pale, and the wound where his palm had been pierced was still swirling with lingering sword intent, revealing just how domineering the sword qi of Duanmu Qingshan truly was.

At the front of the great hall, seated upon the Sect Master's throne, was a middle-aged man in blue robes with piercing, spirited eyes.

This man was none other than the current Sect Master of the Wenxian Sect, Lin Canglang.

Lin Canglang narrowed his eyes slightly and looked toward Li Liang, the elder responsible for the distribution of inner sect disciples, asking in a heavy voice, "Elder Li, did I not instruct you to assign one disciple with extremely poor aptitude to Little Bamboo Peak every year? Why did you send Ling Feng there?"

"This..." Li Liang trembled all over. The news of Ling Feng defeating Shi Tailong in a direct confrontation had already spread; naturally, it could not escape the Sect Master's ears.

Shi Tailong was no ordinary disciple who had just entered the inner sect; his cultivation had reached the fifth level of the Qi Condensation Realm, which was the mid-stage of Qi Condensation.

If a disciple who had been in the inner sect for less than a month possessed the strength to defeat Shi Tailong, then such a disciple could absolutely be called a genius!

And yet, Li Liang had actually handed such a genius over to the hands of Duanmu Qingshan!

"Sect Master, when Ling Feng first joined the inner sect, I tested him. His aptitude and bone structure were both of the lowest grade, and at the age of eighteen, he was only at the first level of Qi Condensation..." Li Liang explained.

How could Li Liang know that while Ling Feng's natural aptitude was indeed mediocre, all of his talent was concentrated within the "Eyes of the Son of Heaven"? Activating the Human Path Eye allowed his cultivation speed to explode; activating the Heavenly Path Eye allowed him to master anything upon a single glance.

And as the Eyes of the Son of Heaven continued to condense more divine runes, he would become even more monstrous.

"Enough." Lin Canglang raised his hand slightly, signaling Li Liang to shut up. "Elder Li, you have always been resourceful. I presume you must have already devised a countermeasure."

"Yes." Seeing that the Sect Master had no intention of pursuing the matter, Li Liang finally breathed a sigh of relief. "Actually, Sect Master, since Ling Feng is so outstanding and has gained the favor of Duanmu Qingshan, it might not necessarily be a bad thing."

A slight curve appeared at the corner of Lin Canglang's mouth. To be able to sit in the position of Sect Master, Lin Canglang was naturally far more wise than Yang Wei. Between intelligent people, there was no need to speak everything plainly; a single hint was enough to understand.

"Indeed, it might not necessarily be a bad thing." Lin Canglang smiled faintly. "Since it hasn't been long since Ling Feng joined Duanmu Qingshan's lineage, send someone to summon him. Tell him that I wish to meet him. Remember, this matter must be handled discreetly. Do not go to Little Bamboo Peak and alert the enemy."

"Rest assured, Sect Master Senior Brother, I know what to do." Li Liang chuckled. "A wise man adapts to the times; I expect that kid knows this principle as well."

...

Sunset Slope was the mandatory path to Little Bamboo Peak.

As soon as Ling Feng appeared, many people immediately surrounded him, pointing fingers and whispering amongst themselves.

"Is he that guy who was assigned to Little Bamboo Peak by the elders?"

"The disciples of that lineage were beaten black and blue within a few days and fled to the outer sect because they couldn't take it. This guy is an exception!"

"It's more than just being strong; you probably don't even know that he crippled Senior Brother Shi Tailong!"

A burst of exclamations erupted from the crowd. Who was Shi Tailong?

He wasn't some rookie who had just joined; he was an old hand who had been in the inner sect for several years. Even if his talent wasn't exceptionally high, he was someone ordinary inner sect disciples wouldn't dare provoke.

And this Ling Feng, who had only been in the sect for a few days, could actually defeat Shi Tailong!

"Forget Shi Tailong, why does it seem like even Senior Brother Xiao Qingfeng is waiting here for this guy?"

Many female disciples looked toward Xiao Qingfeng with infatuated expressions, their eyes sparkling.

Upon seeing Ling Feng appear, Xiao Qingfeng walked up to him quite rudely and said coldly, "The fist manual. Hand it over!"

"What fist manual? Who are you?"

Ling Feng rolled his eyes. He knew that leaving Little Bamboo Peak would never be peaceful, but he hadn't expected the troubles to come one after another.

"Idiot, you don't even recognize Senior Brother Xiao Qingfeng!" Someone who supported Xiao Qingfeng immediately spoke up bluntly.

"I don't care if you're Xiao Seventh Peak or Xiao Eighth Peak. Don't you know the golden rule: a good dog doesn't block the path?"

Ling Feng's gaze turned cold as he stared at the youth in green, speaking with indifference.

"Arrogant!"

A sharp whistle rang out, and a chilling aura pressed down. A streak of snow-white light, like a dying sun in a silver galaxy or a meteor from beyond the heavens, pierced toward Ling Feng at an incredible speed.

Even before the sword arrived, its sharp intent made one's skin sting faintly.

Ling Feng stepped forward with his Cloud-Chasing Steps, hurriedly drew his sword, parried, and slashed horizontally.

*Clang! Clang! Clang!*

The two swords collided three times in rapid succession. The sound of clashing metal resonated outward, sending sparks flying.

As the sword shadows crossed, the two exchanged positions and landed steadily on the ground. On Ling Feng's steel sword, three distinct notches had appeared!

Ling Feng's eyelid twitched slightly. This person was not simple!