Chapter 217: Chapter 217, White-Haired Sword Saintess

As Lin Yi disappeared from the spot he stood, a sharp burst of sound tore through the air around him.

It was the Boundless Step.

He materialized again, three meters above the forest path, leaning into a dive. The Thunder Surge Blade was already pulled back, forming a deadly arc, its surface crackling with blue lightning that snaked across it like awakened serpents.

Lei Bao’s voice, full of delight, echoed from within the blade.

"Good opening, little one. Hit first, ask questions later!"

Lin Yi didn’t hesitate, he was underestimating no one but fearing no one.

Then, he swung!

A crescent of Lightning Sword Qi ripped downwards, carrying a force that seemed capable of splitting boulders and wiping out any lesser creature in its path.

The white-haired woman, however, remained perfectly still.

She simply lifted two fingers.

Clang!

The formidable blade qi froze midair, as if it had slammed into an unseen barrier. Then, in the blink of an eye, the lightning fragmented into a myriad of blue sparks, scattering harmlessly among the trees.

Lin Yi’s eyes narrowed.

She had diffused the entire attack with her bare fingers.

Not blocked, he realized. Dispersed.

That small difference alone hinted at an unnerving level of control.

The woman’s face held no change, still perfectly cold.

"A level 230 junior dares attack before speaking?" she remarked calmly, a hint of something unreadable in her tone. "How interesting."

Before her last word had fully faded, her form blurred out of existence.

Lin Yi’s instincts screamed a warning.

He twisted his body sideways while still in the air.

A pale, slender finger whisked through the space where his throat had been a mere instant before. The sheer lingering force from that movement gouged a trench dozens of meters long through the forest behind him.

Lin Yi landed, sliding several steps backward.

What incredible speed, he thought.

This woman was clearly far beyond what any ordinary Level 230 expert could achieve.

Lei Bao’s voice crackled with urgency.

"Little one, she’s dangerous," it hissed. "Extremely dangerous. And very beautiful. But focus on the first part."

Lin Yi decided to ignore the second part of that comment.

The white-haired woman now stood exactly where he had just landed, her hands clasped behind her back, posture completely unruffled.

"You carry an Abyssal-grade blade," she stated. "And your movement technique isn’t something from Tianyuan Star. Your sword intent, while unrefined, speaks of a strong foundation. Who sent you here?"

"No one," Lin Yi answered.

Her eyes narrowed just a fraction.

"A liar," she murmured.

Then, a wave of spiritual pressure descended once more.

This time, it felt ten times heavier than her initial display.

The ground beneath Lin Yi’s feet instantly splintered. Trees around them bowed outwards, as if crushed by the weight of a mountain. Even drawing air into his lungs became a struggle.

Still, Lin Yi only straightened his posture.

His body had already withstood the crushing pressure from Cang Yutian.

Compared to that monstrous figure, this was still manageable.

Seeing him still standing, the woman’s gaze shifted for the first time.

A hint of surprise flickered in her eyes.

"You endured?" she asked at last, and for the first time since her arrival, there was a faint trace of genuine surprise beneath her cold composure. Her eyes swept over him once more, as though reassessing everything she had judged in those first moments.

"A mere Level 230 junior from an unknown background, yet you remain standing beneath pressure that would have forced most at your Level to their knees. Interesting."

Lin Yi slowly straightened his back, rolling his shoulders as the last remnants of the spiritual weight dispersed from around him. He drew in a steady breath, then looked directly at her without the slightest hint of retreat.

A faint smile touched his lips.

"I’ve faced worse," he said calmly. "Aura like this can crush the untested, but once someone has been forced to kneel beneath mountains far heavier than your own, they learn something valuable."

The oppressive pressure abruptly lifted.

The woman watched him for a few silent breaths, then spoke once more.

"Tell me your true reason for coming to Ninefold Heaven Gate Mountain."

Lin Yi considered his options.

Trying to lie any further to someone like her would be futile.

"To ascend," he replied. "Just as any other would desire after coming to the Ascendant Mountain."

A strange silence fell over the forest.

Then, the woman let out a soft laugh.

It wasn’t derisive laughter, but the kind one might offer upon hearing something utterly impossible.

"Ascend?" she echoed, her voice still quiet. "With only Level 230 cultivation?"

Lei Bao grumbled from within the blade.

"Why does everyone react like that?" it questioned. "Twenty levels isn’t that much. These people are quite rude."

The woman took another step closer.

"Do you have any idea how many brilliant cultivators from the Xiao Family and the Zhao Family have tried to ascend that mountain over the past three hundred years?"

"Not one of them succeeded," she continued plainly.

Her voice remained utterly flat.

"Many were at Level 250. Several even surpassed that. Two of them had already reached the cusp of half-step Ascendant."

She looked straight into Lin Yi’s eyes.

"They still failed," she concluded.

"Them failing doesn’t mean I will," Lin Yi responded, quickly recalling a proverb he knew before he transmigrated. "The waves behind drive the waves ahead, and each generation surpasses the last."

Then, for the second time, a flicker of surprise crossed the woman’s eyes.

Then, quite unexpectedly, the corners of her lips lifted into a slight curve.

"Good response," she said.

She then raised one hand.

A sword simply appeared in it.

There was no flash of a storage token, no ripple of spatial distortion.

It just materialized in her palm, as though reality itself had presented it to her.

The blade was narrow, pristine white, and so impossibly sharp that merely gazing at it seemed to prick the eyes.

Lei Bao’s tone shifted, becoming serious.

"A sword spirit weapon," it informed him. "High grade. Very high grade. And she’s enjoying this."

The woman pointed the sword’s tip towards Lin Yi.

"Xu Mu," she began. "If you truly intend to walk towards that mountain, you’ll need to prove you’re not worthless."

"Take three moves from me," she challenged.

Lin Yi tightened his grip on the Thunder Surge Blade.

Only three moves?

It implied she believed one would be sufficient.

Arrogant, he thought.

But she had the right to be.

"Fine," he agreed.

The woman vanished instantly.

Lin Yi exploded backward, utilizing Boundless Step.

A gleaming white line sliced through the exact spot he had just occupied. Half of the path silently split into two perfectly clean halves.

That was the first move.

No wasted motion. No elaborate display.

Just pure, deadly efficiency.

Lin Yi had barely managed to stabilize himself when she reappeared directly overhead.

The second move.

Her sword descended like a sliver of falling moonlight. But Lin Yi let out a roar, meeting the strike head-on.

The Thunder Surge Blade clashed with the pristine white sword.

BOOM!

The resulting shockwave flattened the surrounding forest.

Lin Yi’s arms went instantly numb. His bones groaned under the impact, and he was flung backward, tearing through three giant trees before he could force himself to a halt.

A trickle of blood escaped the corner of his mouth. Yet his eyes only seemed to glow brighter.

Strong.

Too strong.

But not unbeatable forever, he decided.

The white-haired woman landed lightly, her gaze resting on the Thunder Surge Blade.

"You didn’t unleash your full lightning power," she observed.

"I still have one move to go," Lin Yi responded.

For the first time, she allowed herself a genuine smile.

"Good," she simply said.

She raised her sword, readying for the third strike.

Just then, a voice echoed from deeper within the distant mountain range.

"Yuexin," the voice called. "Stop bullying juniors again."

The voice sounded ancient, almost lazy, yet it carried effortlessly for dozens of li.

The white-haired woman clicked her tongue, a clear sign of annoyance.

"Nosy old man," she muttered.

She lowered her sword.

The terrifying killing intent that had permeated the air instantly dissipated.

Lin Yi let out a slow breath.

He had no doubt at all.

That third strike would have been the true attack.

The woman looked at him again.

"My name is Zhao Yuexin," she announced. "I’m a core elder of the Zhao Family, and currently the temporary guardian of the outer approach to Ninefold Heaven Gate Mountain."

Her gaze sharpened.

"You possess courage, a solid foundation, and a rather reckless mouth. Barely adequate," she judged.

She turned, starting to walk towards the mountain path.

"If you truly seek ascension," she said without looking back, "then follow."

With that, she vanished among the trees.

Lei Bao burst into delighted laughter.

"Little one Xu Mu!" it chortled. "We arrived just five minutes ago and already managed to offend an elder, fight a beauty, and earn an invitation inside! What an excellent beginning!"

Lin Yi wiped the blood from his mouth and then looked towards the distant mountain peaks.

The journey into Tianyuan Star had truly begun.

And already, it felt far more perilous than anything Blue Star had ever offered.