This kind of up-close-and-personal slaughter was more like a fight between Mortal Martial Artists. It was rarely seen among Cultivators.

Bai Zichen suppressed the tension in his heart, forcing himself not to look up to see how many more Treasure Beads on the Red Cover Treasure Pearl Umbrella had been extinguished. He drew his Ink Bamboo Sword with his other hand.

Three Blood Wolves used their paws and maws, their bodies pierced to the bone by the Sword Light. Blood splattered everywhere as they firmly pinned down the Golden Sparrow Sword.

The Ink Bamboo Sword slashed toward the nearest Blood Wolf. A head flew into the air, but the wolf’s body remained latched onto the Golden Sparrow Sword, refusing to let go.

With Dual Swords in hand, he didn’t conjure Sword Light to kill from a distance. Instead, he engaged in close-quarters combat like a Mortal Martial Artist. His Magical Power was draining rapidly, but it was still within a manageable range.

’Twenty strikes. I can only manage another twenty strikes at most before I have to retreat. Otherwise, I’ll be drained dry and die here!’

Bai Zichen had already collected four Blood Wolf heads. Adding the one from before, he had fulfilled half of the trial’s requirement.

Unfortunately, while he had slain several Blood Wolves, there were simply too many Demon Beasts surrounding him. Before he could harvest their heads, their bodies were shoved aside by the wolves behind them. Their mangled flesh was trampled underfoot, and their heads were nowhere to be found.

As one Blood Wolf fell, fresh reinforcements immediately charged in to take its place.

He brought his Dual Swords together and cleaved the new Blood Wolf in two from top to bottom. Its blood sprayed all over the red mist, dyeing it an eerie, bloody crimson.

The Ink Bamboo Sword nimbly flicked downwards, knocking the two halves of the Blood Wolf’s head to his feet.

The next moment, the Golden Sparrow Sword shot forward, perfectly evading a Blood Wolf’s claws and piercing precisely through its eye socket. The Sword Light even burst out from the other side, skewering the eye of the Blood Wolf behind it.

The Ink Bamboo Sword showcased its agility to the fullest. The three-foot Ink Jade Sword Light coiled like a nimble snake within the space packed with Demon Beasts. It circled around the necks of the two skewered wolves, severing both heads and bringing them back.

’Ten strikes left!’

Bai Zichen forced himself to keep going, panting heavily. The two streams of Sword Light shrank until they were almost imperceptible. He was now relying more on the inherent sharpness of the Flying Swords themselves to fight.

His chest felt like a broken bellows, wheezing with every breath. The strength in his arms weakened further, and this time, it took him four strikes to kill a single Blood Wolf.

POP! POP! POP! 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

Without even looking up, Bai Zichen knew that three more Treasure Beads on the face of the Red Cover Treasure Pearl Umbrella had just sacrificed their Spiritual Qi to maintain the red mist.

From the moment he brought out the Treasure Umbrella until now, he hadn’t infused it with a single bit of Magical Power. It had been sustained entirely by the Magical Artifact’s own Treasure Beads. In a short time, all twelve Water-Repelling Beads, twelve Fire-Extinguishing Beads, and twelve Radiant Bright Pearls had been consumed.

The once resplendent and magnificent surface of the umbrella was now more than half dim and lusterless. The Treasure Umbrella’s rotation had even slowed.

"Got it!"

Bai Zichen let out a pent-up breath. The Golden Sparrow Sword struck five times, faster than lightning, turning the closest Blood Wolf into a bloody pulp. He successfully collected the tenth head and placed it in his storage bag.

After doing all this, Bai Zichen seemed to freeze on the spot, utterly exhausted and motionless. A moment later, the red mist shattered.

At the cost of nearly twenty of their own, the Blood Wolves had finally broken through the indestructible defense. The frenzied wolves didn’t pause for a second, pouncing on the man before them, ready to tear him to shreds.

Standing his ground, Bai Zichen didn’t dodge or evade. He was torn into countless pieces, but not a single drop of blood was seen. Instead, the pieces of his body dispersed into moonlight and merged with the air.

In the end, his entire person—including the Flying Swords in his hands and the Treasure Umbrella above his head—became an illusion and vanished completely.

With a flash of moonlight, Bai Zichen appeared in the air dozens of yards away. His Sword Light flared, and he departed without a backward glance.

He left behind a ground littered with Blood Wolf corpses and a pack of rabid wolves still crazily ramming themselves against the valley walls, even as their heads bled.

It wasn’t until the stick of Floating Pine Resin burned out that the Blood Wolves finally calmed down. By then, the corpses inside the valley were piled high.

’The Illusory Moon Spirit Pendant really is quite useful against dumb Demon Beasts that have lost their Spiritual Wisdom.’

The Golden Sword Light flew unsteadily, at only half its usual speed.

Bai Zichen touched the Illusory Moon Spirit Pendant on his chest. This Standard Magical Artifact, issued to Inner Sect Disciples, had played a crucial role at the final moment.

Not only could it create an illusion of a Cultivator, but it had also perfectly replicated the Magical Artifacts he was using. Of course, they were just empty copies, possessing no power of their own.

Meanwhile, his real body had been automatically cloaked by an Invisibility Technique, which bought Bai Zichen just enough time to escape the Nameless Valley.

After returning to the Sect, Bai Zichen first went to his Cave Mansion to freshen up. He changed into a clean Daoist Robe before heading to the Transmission Hall to submit his proof for the trial.

When ten bloody Blood Wolf heads—some of which had to be pieced together to be recognizable—were placed before Pei Dongyong, the lean old man was visibly surprised.

"You completed the trial in just three days. Very efficient... It seems I underestimated you. Besides your talent for Cultivation, your aptitude for Combat is also outstanding."

Pei Dongyong waved his large sleeve, and a giant hand made of Spiritual Qi grabbed all the Blood Wolf heads. The dripping, bloody Demon Beast heads were instantly air-dried.

This was precisely Pei Dongyong’s signature technique, the Innate Five Elements Capture.

"You’ve chosen the path of the Flying Sword? No wonder your combat prowess is impressive... When you become a True Disciple, if you have any questions about the Sword Dao, you can seek out Elder Luo Guangwu. Within the Sect, only Junior Brother Luo can be considered to be following the path of a Sword Cultivator. The rest of us are powerless to teach you about the Sword Dao, even if we wanted to."

With his vast experience and keen eye, Pei Dongyong could immediately tell that the wounds on the Blood Wolf heads were caused by a Flying Sword.

The tone of his words already implied he considered Bai Zichen’s position as a True Disciple a foregone conclusion, even introducing him to a senior in the Sword Dao.

"Thank you, Elder Pei."

Bai Zichen genuinely didn’t know there was a Sword Cultivator Elder in the Qingfeng Sect. He was only familiar with the few he had interacted with and the high-ranking, powerful figures.

"In five days, go to the Law Enforcement Hall for the second stage of the trial."

Pei Dongyong flicked his sleeve. The giant, solid-colored hand enveloped Bai Zichen and tossed him, depositing him outside the Transmission Hall.

...

Mindful of how his Magical Power had been insufficient during the battle with the Blood Wolves, Bai Zichen made a trip to the Alchemy Hall to purchase two bottles of Qi Recovery Powder to keep on hand.

A Qi Refining Cultivator who took one pill could triple their Magical Power recovery speed for one hour.

For the next few days, he stayed in his Cave Mansion, carefully contemplating the insights gained from the bloody battle in the Nameless Valley.

Meanwhile, Su Lie would compile and report several pieces of news regarding the True Inheritance Trial to him every day.

If the Sect competition was the most eye-catching event for the Outer Sect...

...then the True Inheritance Trial was something that everyone, from servant disciples and Firework Daoists to Sect Stewards and even Elders, was watching closely.

Bai Zichen’s exploits were summarized into a multi-page report by gossips, though it naturally contained a good deal of speculation.

This was mainly because he had always kept a low profile and rarely associated with others.

Originally, most people had seen him as just a participant running alongside the main contenders, overestimating his abilities by issuing the challenge. But after news spread from the Transmission Hall that he had passed the first stage of the trial, the tide of opinion immediately turned.

An image of Bai Zichen was now being crafted: a diligent cultivator who had been training in seclusion, waiting for the True Inheritance Trial to make a stunning debut.

On the other side of things, on the fifth day of the trial, Xiong Baishan and his Companion Bear Beast walked into the Sect, the beast carrying a Tier One Peak Black Python on its shoulder.

The body of this serpentine Demon Beast was as thick as an average man’s waist and a full fifty feet long.

If it took just one more step and activated its Dragon Blood, it could have successfully undergone Flood Dragon Transformation.