"Cyan Forest County?" Hearing the Fourth Hall Master mention this county, the Second and Third Hall Masters chuckled. After they finished laughing, the Second Hall Master said, "Fourth, your Three Western Counties have never produced any geniuses. Cyan Forest County is a place that doesn’t even have a single Martial Arts Ninth-Layer Expert. How could a genius possibly come from a place like that?"

The Third Hall Master also chuckled and said, "That’s right. Fourth, it’s been decades since anyone from your Three Western Counties made it into the Inner Hall. It’s impossible for a genius to suddenly appear out of nowhere. The way I see it, the genius who just passed through the Golden Light Beehive Nest must be one of the Great Hall Master’s talents from the Five Eastern Counties."

The Fourth Hall Master snorted and said, "My fifth disciple, Zhao Zifeng, told me a few days ago that among this batch of youths, there’s a talented young man from Cyan Forest County. He reached the Martial Arts Fourth Layer Late Stage at the age of fourteen, and his Saber Technique contains Rotating Power. I believe this young man who turned into a Tornado is definitely that genius from Cyan Forest County."

The Second Hall Master’s expression shifted slightly. "Reaching the Martial Arts Fourth Layer Late Stage at fourteen... that’s quite impressive. Even Situ Houtu was probably at that same level of Cultivation at fourteen."

The Third Hall Master nodded as well. "Reaching the Martial Arts Fourth Layer Late Stage at fourteen is extremely rare. However, the feat of using Rotating Power to become a Tornado is absolutely impossible for someone at the Martial Arts Fourth Layer. Heh, Fourth, I’m sure that genius isn’t from your Cyan Forest County."

The Fourth Hall Master laughed heartily. "Do you two dare to make a bet with me? I know you each have two Spirit Fruits. How about you each wager one? If I win, you each give me a Spirit Fruit. If I lose, I’ll give you both of my Spirit Fruits."

"Oh?" At the mention of Spirit Fruits, the eyes of both the Second and Third Hall Masters lit up.

Spirit Fruits were treasures. Even though they were Daoist Masters, they didn’t have many. If they could easily win one, their materials for Alchemy would become much more abundant. At this thought, the two Hall Masters said in unison, "You’re on! Fourth, don’t you dare back out later!"

The Fourth Hall Master chuckled slyly and said, "The Great Hall Master can be our witness. I won’t back out."

The Great Hall Master had remained silent until now. Hearing the Fourth Hall Master drag him into it, he shook his head and said, "Fourth, those two Spirit Fruits of yours were hard-won. You should just drop it..."

The Fourth Hall Master said, full of confidence, "Great Hall Master, don’t you worry. This win is in the bag. Just be a witness for me, so they don’t try to weasel out of it later."

"Heh, Fourth, you’re worried we’ll back out? I’m more worried you’ll be the one to back out," the Third Hall Master chuckled, then turned to the Great Hall Master. "Great Hall Master, please be our witness."

The Second Hall Master, who was standing nearby, also chuckled. "Yes, yes, Great Hall Master, please be our witness. We’ll have a result soon enough."

The Great Hall Master shook his head and said with resignation, "Fine, fine, I’ll be your witness. The three of you... in a little while, one or two of you will be kicking yourselves in regret..."

The Second, Third, and Fourth Hall Masters all chuckled slyly, each one looking completely confident of victory.

「Deep within the canyon.」

In the form of a Tornado, Zhaang Ye swept along at high speed, even faster than Feng Tongming and Jiang Ailiang. In the blink of an eye, he shot past them, leaving both Feng Tongming and Jiang Ailiang completely stunned.

Normally, with Feng Tongming and Jiang Ailiang’s Body Techniques, matching Zhaang Ye’s speed would have been a simple matter. The problem was that they were in the midst of the strange bees and had to circulate their Cultivation Techniques at full power to avoid being stung. As a result, both of them had slowed down considerably.

Although they had slowed down considerably, they were still as fast as galloping horses. But they never imagined that among this batch of youths, aside from Situ Houtu, there was someone else who could pass through the strange beehive nest so effortlessly—and even faster than them!

’This person is definitely a formidable rival! I just don’t know if it’s He Daiji or Fu Caiwu. He Daiji has a Martial Arts Fifth Layer Late Stage Cultivation and an exceptionally skilled Body Technique; the person who became a Tornado is very likely her. Fu Caiwu also has a Martial Arts Fifth Layer Cultivation, and his twin sabers strike like lightning; it wouldn’t be impossible for him to create a tornado. Which of the two could it be?’ Feng Tongming thought, her gaze fixed on the distant Tornado.

Just as Feng Tongming was wondering who it was, the Tornado finally subsided, revealing a figure in cyan.

Seeing this figure in cyan, Feng Tongming’s eyes widened in shock. Not far from her, Jiang Ailiang’s eyes also widened, his face filled with disbelief.

"That kid... he’s so fast!" Feng Tongming exclaimed under her breath.

Hearing his fiancée’s exclamation, a flicker of jealousy arose in Jiang Ailiang’s heart. He sneered and said, "He just has a slightly better Body Technique, that’s all! His Cultivation is low, so no matter how good his Body Technique is, he can’t be that fast! Just you watch. It won’t be long before I catch up to him."

Sensing the jealousy in Jiang Ailiang’s words, Feng Tongming furrowed her brow slightly.

Jiang Ailiang was in no mood to say more. A hint of killing intent flickered in his eyes as he abruptly executed his Body Technique, chasing after Zhaang Ye in the distance.

They were now far from the strange beehive nest, so Jiang Ailiang no longer had to worry about attacks from the bees and could use his Body Technique at full power. With his Body Technique fully unleashed, Jiang Ailiang became like an illusory shadow, his speed a notch faster than Zhaang Ye’s. Just as Zhaang Ye entered the dense forest, Jiang Ailiang immediately caught up.

"Hm?"

The moment Jiang Ailiang caught up, Zhaang Ye sensed him. He could clearly feel the thick killing intent emanating from Jiang Ailiang.

’Does this guy Jiang Ailiang actually plan to kill me here in this forest?’ Zhaang Ye instantly understood his opponent’s intentions. He sneered inwardly and unleashed his Cloud Stepping Technique to its fullest. Within the dense forest, his body moved like a drifting cloud. Every leaf, every branch, every stone could be used by Zhaang Ye for Borrowing Power to propel himself forward. After entering the forest, it was as if he were a fish in water; his speed actually grew faster and faster.

Seeing that Zhaang Ye could still move at such a speed within the dense forest, a hint of surprise showed in Jiang Ailiang’s eyes. He quickly executed his own Body Technique and followed closely behind.

Jiang Ailiang’s Body Technique was called the Floating Light and Shadow Step. It was a simplified version derived from an Advanced Body Technique. Although it was a Mid-Level Body Technique, its profundity far surpassed that of an ordinary Mid-Level Body Technique. As Jiang Ailiang executed it at full power, his figure became like a gust of wind, silently flitting through the dense trees, staying hot on Zhaang Ye’s heels.

Both harbored murderous intent in their hearts, but neither spoke a word, simply hurtling headlong through the dense forest.

The more Jiang Ailiang pursued, the more shocked he became. His Body Technique was so marvelous, and his Cultivation was a full layer higher than Zhaang Ye’s. Under these circumstances, he still couldn’t catch up to Zhaang Ye. He found it utterly unbelievable.

The more outstanding Zhaang Ye’s performance, the thicker Jiang Ailiang’s killing intent became. Killing intent burned fiercely in his eyes; he wished he could catch up to Zhaang Ye that very instant, unleash his Linghan Ice Sealing Technique, and freeze him into a block of ice with a single palm strike.

After racing for dozens of miles, Zhaang Ye suddenly heard the roars of several beasts in the distance. He couldn’t help but feel a surge of delight, thinking, ’There are Fierce Beasts nearby. After I kill Jiang Ailiang, his body will be quickly devoured by them. Even if that Feng Tongming is suspicious, she won’t be able to find any evidence...’

Having made up his mind, Zhaang Ye immediately stopped and drew the Heavy Saber from his back.

Seeing Zhaang Ye’s stance, Jiang Ailiang gave a sinister smile. "Kid, can’t run anymore? Heh, there are Fierce Beasts nearby. After I slaughter you, your corpse will be devoured whole by them, without leaving even a drop of blood. Now do you know fear? HA HA..."

Zhaang Ye sneered. Without saying a word, he advanced on Jiang Ailiang step by step.

Zhaang Ye held the saber in one hand, while his other hand rested lightly on his waist. An expert like Jiang Ailiang not only had a Cultivation at the Martial Arts Fifth Layer Late Stage, but his Linghan Ice Sealing Technique was also terrifyingly powerful. With just his Saber Technique, Zhaang Ye was confident he wouldn’t lose, but he had no certainty he could actually kill the man.

Since he wasn’t confident in his Saber Technique alone, Zhaang Ye’s first thought was of the Long Whip at his waist.

This Long Whip was a genuine True Artifact; even a Martial Arts Sixth Layer expert would be killed by a single lash. Jiang Ailiang’s Cultivation was only at the Martial Arts Fifth Layer Late Stage. With one crack of the whip, Zhaang Ye was certain he could reduce him to a pile of mangled flesh.

Strictly speaking, Zhaang Ye had no great enmity with Jiang Ailiang. But since Jiang Ailiang already had killing intent toward him, Zhaang Ye couldn’t be bothered with such considerations. He would kill him first and deal with the consequences later.

As the two drew closer, their auras collided. Leaves instantly swirled into the air throughout the dense forest. The small trees near them trembled violently from the impact of the formless pressures, their leaves showering down like rain.

Zhaang Ye’s killing intent flared. Just as he was about to draw his Long Whip, he suddenly heard the sound of clothes cutting through the wind in the distance. Someone was clearly rushing toward them at full speed.

Zhaang Ye furrowed his brow slightly and thought, ’It seems Feng Tongming has arrived. With her here, I can’t kill Jiang Ailiang now. So be it. I’ll let him off the hook for now. First, I need to figure out how to get through this canyon and secure a spot as an Inner Hall Disciple!’

At this thought, Zhaang Ye’s aura suddenly surged. "Take this!" he roared, his Heavy Saber chopping down toward Jiang Ailiang, unleashing a jet-black Sword Qi.

Jiang Ailiang had clashed head-on with Zhaang Ye once before and knew his strength was immense. Seeing this strike coming, his body flickered slightly, dodging outside the range of Zhaang Ye’s Sword Force.

After forcing Jiang Ailiang to dodge with a single strike, Zhaang Ye didn’t linger. He abruptly retreated dozens of yards, executed his Cloud Stepping Technique, and instantly vanished into the depths of the dense forest. (To be continued. If you enjoy this novel, please show your support by voting with Recommendation Tickets and monthly tickets on Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation.)