Testing Swords and Rising to Fame, Fairies Vie for Disciples
Su Rui stepped down from the arena, his robes fluttering lightly as he met the countless stunned gazes from the crowd outside, his stride utterly composed.
“Old Su, you struck it rich! Laozi really struck it rich this time! Hahaha!”
Wang Dazhuang shoved his way through the throng with all his might, his rotund body wobbling up to Su Rui, his face beaming, eyes narrowed to slits from grinning so wide.
Su Rui arched a brow and shot him a sidelong glance. “What’d you win?”
“That match between you and Lin Hao—I bet a hundred low-grade spirit stones on you! Not a soul in the crowd thought you’d pull it off, odds were insane. Laozi cleaned up big time!”
As he spoke, he slapped his plump chest, mouth stretched in a grin that wouldn’t quit, looking every bit the dirt-poor bumpkin who’d hit the jackpot.
Su Rui then recalled the rumors of betting pools among the disciples. He hadn’t expected this fatty to jump in—and bet so boldly on him, no less.
“A hundred low-grade spirit stones—that’s your whole stash, right? You were that sure I’d win?”
“Of course! You’re my brother—who else would I bet on?”
Wang Dazhuang grinned ear to ear, then lowered his voice. “But real talk, I didn’t expect you to crush Lin Hao like that… You should’ve seen Liu Qingwan’s face—green as grass, haha, killed me!”
Su Rui’s divine sense stirred faintly, catching sight of Liu Qingwan’s bloodless face from afar. He merely shook his head coolly. “No need to mention her. I couldn’t care less.”
But if he truly didn’t care, why bother scanning her with his divine sense?
Wang Dazhuang chuckled slyly and clapped him on the shoulder. “Fine, no more about her! That average Jane doesn’t even deserve to polish Senior Sister Mu’s shoes. But damn, you’re something else. Senior Sister Mu just showed you the Jade Phoenix Sword Art once, and you shot up like a rocket? Guess getting hands-on from your dream girl makes all the difference!”
Su Rui put on a profound air. “What if I told you laozi was holding back all along? Got tired of playing possum, so naturally, I shocked the world!”
Wang Dazhuang rolled his eyes and burst out laughing. “Yeah, right! You think everyone’s as deep and mysterious as your big bro? Oh—called my name. Time for me to shine! Watch how I send my opponent packing!”
He thumped his chest and marched onto the arena with puffed-up bravado, his hefty frame actually carrying some swagger under the glow of spiritual light.
Yet mere minutes later, Wang Dazhuang tumbled down black-and-blue, his spirit sword snapped in two, looking utterly bedraggled.
Su Rui hauled him up, teasing, “Dead fatty, laozi bet a hundred low-grade spirit stones on you too. All gone now.”
Wang Dazhuang rubbed his swollen face with a sheepish grin. “Don’t sweat it, don’t sweat it! Half of those stones you won earlier go straight to big bro!”
He flashed a cheeky grin, cleverly switching to calling himself “little brother,” all his earlier bluster evaporated.
Su Rui snorted a laugh and patted his shoulder.
This dead fatty might be unreliable, but he always managed to crack Su Rui up. Hanging with him was pretty relaxing sometimes.
The Sword Testing Assembly pressed on steadily. Su Rui bulldozed through with the Jade Phoenix Sword Art, toppling foes left and right—even cutting down a late-Foundation Establishment cultivator!
His sword light flowed like water, supple yet fierce, every move laced with lethal intent. The disciples below watched in awe, marveling how a single lesson from Mu Xueyi had turned this nobody into a prodigy overnight!
In an instant, envy and jealousy rippled through the crowd, everyone fantasizing when they might get a personal pointer from Fairy Mu.
The Sword Testing Assembly heated up, finally reaching the peak battles to decide the top three.
Su Rui’s opponent was a False Core cultivator named Xiao Yunting, a standout from Sword Guard Peak’s Foundation Establishment disciples, just one Descending Dust Pill and a stroke of fortune shy of Core Formation.
That stroke might as well be a chasm for most Foundation Establishment cultivators, but Xiao Yunting’s power already outshone his peers—vast spiritual energy, razor-sharp sword intent.
Xiao Yunting gripped a high-grade spirit sword, eyes flashing like lightning as he locked onto Su Rui. “Su Rui, right? I’ll remember you. Getting this far on mid-Foundation Establishment… my junior brother Lin Hao didn’t lose unfairly. But your realm’s too low—I’ll take you down in three moves!”
Su Rui stayed silent, already plotting how to lose. The guy wanted three moves to show off? Fine—let him have it, then “accidentally” get knocked off on the third.
Su Rui knew full well that beating a False Core powerhouse at mid-Foundation Establishment would be too eye-catching, drawing unwanted scrutiny.
Top three was secure anyway—time to cash in and bow out.
Of course, making it look too easy would scream fake. He’d have to put up a “fight.”
The battle began. Su Rui’s sword tip quivered as he opened with the first form of the Jade Phoenix Sword Art—Phoenix Soars the Nine Skies.
A streak of crisp sword light tore through the air like a meteor, spiritual power surging wildly. In a flash, it traced a gorgeous phoenix phantom that threw its head back in a clear cry, wings unfurling as if to take flight—drawing gasps from the crowd.
Yet the same “Phoenix Soars the Nine Skies” varied wildly between wielders.
When Mu Xueyi unleashed it, her sword intent evoked a divine phoenix descending from the heavens, majestic and overwhelming, sword light blanketing the sky—a sight that had even shaken Su Rui.
Su Rui’s version captured a bit of its form and spirit—nimble and sharp—but it was like a fledgling’s chirp: the shape without the full essence.
It wasn’t that Su Rui hadn’t drilled deep into the art; Mu Xueyi’s Sword Heart Transparent gave her peerless sword dao insight, unmatched in the entire human realm—the pinnacle of the path.
Even with the Heavenly Extreme Demonic Flame Art’s heaven-defying comprehension boost, Su Rui’s pure sword dao was but firefly glow to her moon.
Xiao Yunting’s expression tightened at the aggressive strike. His spirit sword swept out a vast sword beam, effortlessly parrying. “Fine sword art! But it lacks tempering!”
He countered with a storm of sword qi like raging gales and rain, forcing Su Rui back step by step.
Su Rui feigned depleting spiritual power, his sword light flickering, steps labored—as if giving it everything.
The crowd held their breath, expecting a clash of titans.
But on Xiao Yunting’s third move—a mountain-crushing onslaught—Su Rui perfectly timed his “exhaustion,” sword jolted flying as he tumbled off the arena, landing lightly just beyond the boundary.
The referee bellowed, “Xiao Yunting wins!”
Yu Wan’ning lightly fanned herself with a sigh. “Such a pity. Mid-Foundation Establishment was just too weak. If realms were equal, Su Rui might’ve taken it.”
Mu Xueyi stood silently nearby, saying nothing.
Pity?
She sneered inwardly.
This was clearly deliberate!
With that pervert’s freakish demonic arts, even suppressed to mid-Foundation Establishment, a mere False Core like Xiao Yunting—or the whole field rushing him—wouldn’t withstand a casual flick!
She knew better than anyone: Su Rui had locked top three, so he “lost” on purpose.
“What a shame, Old Su! If you were late-Foundation Establishment, that Xiao Yunting might’ve been done for!”
Wang Dazhuang bulldozed through the crowd, his bulk shoving disciples aside as he slapped Su Rui’s shoulder, face full of regret.
Su Rui feigned bitterness with a soft sigh. “A loss is a loss. Nothing more to say.”
Wang Dazhuang perked up instantly, eyes squinting into slits as he grinned. “But hey, top three’s locked! Descending Dust Pills—priceless treasures! Plus, Core Formation cultivators taking disciples, entry to Heaven Sword Peak… Old Su, you’re about to shoot to the stars!”
Su Rui just smiled faintly, gesturing he wouldn’t forget his dead fatty bro amid the rise—prompting the latter to lunge for a hug, yelling “adoptive father” in jest.
Of course, it was just banter. Su Rui enjoyed the fatty’s company but wouldn’t actually help him—pimping out? No way.
In the following matches, Xiao Yunting clashed fiercely with another False Core cultivator, edging out a narrow victory to claim the Sword Testing Assembly championship.
Yu Heng Zhenren stroked his beard, his Nascent Soul pressure washing over the arena like a tide. He announced booming, “The Sword Testing Assembly concludes successfully! Top ten disciples, report to the Treasure Pavilion tomorrow for your Descending Dust Pill.”
“Top three: Open a cave abode on Heaven Sword Peak and formally join as disciples. You also qualify to apprentice under Core Formation cultivators. If already claimed, choose freely.”
Yu Heng Zhenren’s gaze lingered a beat on Su Rui—the sole top-three without a master—then casually flicked to Yu Wan’ning at the platform’s edge before continuing. “If no Core Formation cultivator claims you, this old man will make introductions.”
His words barely landed when Yu Wan’ning chuckled lightly, pointing her jade finger at Su Rui. “I’ll take him.”
The arena erupted!
Everyone knew Yu Wan’ning as Heaven Sword Peak’s master’s daughter—peerless beauty, prodigious talent, Core Formation mid-stage peak at just twenty-five, backed by endless resources. Peak “second-gen cultivator.”
Apprenticing under her? Skyrocketing career, boundless future.
Wang Dazhuang gawked beside Su Rui, green with envy.
Yu Wan’ning’s almond eyes sparkled as she smiled at him. “Are you willing to take me as your master?”
Su Rui didn’t care who—he was about to agree when a clear, icy voice rang from the floating cloud platform: “Su Rui, I can take you as my disciple too.”
The arena fell deathly silent!
Mu Xueyi!
The Cultivation World’s number one beauty, Mu Xueyi with her Sword Heart Transparent, wanted a disciple too? And she was poaching Yu Wan’ning’s pick!
Disciples below gaped, eyes burning with shock, envy, jealousy—all fixed on Su Rui.
What virtue did this kid have to make Sword Sect’s two fairest flowers fight over him?
Su Rui looked up to the platform. The ice-blue figure stood like an immortal, robes billowing in the wind. He wondered: This woman clearly didn’t want me—why the sudden change?
Not just Su Rui—Yu Heng Zhenren was stunned too.
His Nascent Soul divine sense had probed: average spiritual roots, decent sword talent maybe, but his foundation doomed major achievements. Breaking to early Core Formation would be lucky.
Why were the sect’s twin brightest stars vying for him?
Yu Wan’ning’s fan paused. She shot Mu Xueyi a half-smile, teasing, “Didn’t you say earlier you didn’t want him, little sister Xueyi? Changed your mind all of a sudden?”
Mu Xueyi’s expression remained frosty. “This boy shows some sword dao talent. With proper polishing, he could become uncut jade.”
Yu Wan’ning’s eyes narrowed playfully. “Oh? Which top-ten disciple couldn’t be polished into jade? Why fight me for this one?”
Mu Xueyi said nothing, her chill demeanor unchanged.
Yu Wan’ning huffed softly. She’d sparred with Mu Xueyi for years in the shadows, but never seen her snatch something so aggressively. Fine—if she wanted it, no yielding!
Yu Wan’ning turned to Su Rui, voice laced with allure. “Su Rui, join me and I’ll give you three bottles of Condensing Origin Pills to solidify your foundation—no bottlenecks before Core Formation. Plus a high-grade spirit artifact, the Flowing Light Sword—good till late Core Formation.”
The offer stunned the crowd breathless, eyes bloodshot with greed.
Yu Wan’ning arched a brow at Mu Xueyi, challenging, “What can you offer, little sister?”
Mu Xueyi stayed serene. “I’ll teach you sword arts personally.”
That’s it?
Disciples blinked in disbelief.
But from the Cultivation World’s top beauty with Sword Heart Transparent? Enough to drive anyone mad.
Yu Wan’ning eyed Su Rui. “Your choice, then.”
Su Rui didn’t hesitate, cupping his hands. “Disciple Su Rui wishes to apprentice under Senior Sister Mu.”
He didn’t know why Yu Wan’ning fixated on him, but her pills and treasures meant nothing.
Apprenticing under Mu Xueyi? Right up his twisted alley. Ravishing her while she cried “master”—pure bliss!
“What?”
Yu Wan’ning froze, eyes wide in shock.
Her lavish terms lost to Mu Xueyi’s casual line!
She glared daggers at Mu Xueyi, chest heaving with fury, then snorted coldly, flicked her sleeve, mounted her azure luan, and streaked away in crimson light.
Mu Xueyi ignored her departure, eyes sweeping Su Rui, voice crisp as ever. “Since you agree, come to the Merit Pavilion tomorrow morning for your Heaven Sword Peak disciple token. Then find me at Flowing Cloud Subpeak for the apprenticeship rite.”
Yet inwardly, a faint helplessness flickered.
Ultimately, she couldn’t bear Yu Wan’ning inviting a wolf inside. With Su Rui’s ways, she’d be devoured whole.
But blocking her… wasn’t that playing into the pervert’s hands?
Making him her disciple legitimately… so close from now on, who knew how many more humiliations?
Mu Xueyi sighed silently in her heart, said no more, and vanished into the horizon like a startled swan—leaving no trace.
With matters settled, Su Rui had no reason to linger. Ignoring the piercing stares of envy and hate, he took to the skies on his sword with Wang Dazhuang, streaking away as beams of light.