Chapter 0521 Increasing the Bounty

Chapter 0521: Increasing the Bounty

The spectators outside the barrier arena were completely dumbfounded!

"What kind of armor do they have on? How is it so powerful that it can withstand the powerful thrusts of royal grade spiritual artifacts?" a golden-robed elder exclaimed in shock.

"Could it be mystical armor?"

A blue-robed middle-aged man wore a skeptical expression.

Those in blue robes were from the Miraculous Patterns Hall and were knowledgeable about artifact crafting.

A blue-robed elder shook his head. "If they had mystical weapons, the power of the mystic runes would surely be released, and the barrier would detect it!"

"Then what is it? It looks like some kind of incredibly strong soft armor—the sword tips can pierce the surface but not penetrate!" a green-robed elder from the Alchemy Hall said in amazement.

"No idea. They didn’t have this soft armor during the morning session!" remarked another golden-robed elder who had also watched earlier.

This quickly became a mystery, fueling rampant speculation among the onlookers.

The instructor from the Sharp Edge Sword Academy glared at Dao Fan with a dark expression and angrily demanded, "Dao Fan, what devilry are they using?"

This instructor was a tall and lean elder. Though he stood at the same height as Dao Fan, their physiques were night and day.

"How should I know? As long as it doesn’t violate the rules, it’s fine!" Dao Fan said with a casual laugh. "Isn’t this modified Sword-Saber Defense Battle all about competing with equipment now?"

Originally, the Sword-Saber Defense Battle allowed counterattacks, giving even the lesser-equipped side a chance to win.

By launching relentless counterattacks, the defending side could potentially drive back the attackers.

But now, with only defense allowed and no counterattacks, victory naturally depended on equipment!

Many suddenly recalled that Qin Yun was known to possess multiple Dao Artifacts and mystical weapons.

So it was highly possible he also had incredibly powerful royal grade spiritual artifacts!

The beautiful sabers wielded by Yue Wulan and Tian Ruoleng were already formidable royal grade spiritual artifacts.

"That Qin Yun is basically a walking armory—he’s got so many good things!"

"Seems like he came across a storage treasure left by a Mystic Rune Master."

"His bounty using mystical weapons on the youths of the Long and Yang families has also thrown those two great clans into panic, fearing they’ll be crippled!"

It almost seemed as if everyone could foresee Qin Yun and the two demonesses wreaking havoc a month later!

Soon, the incense stick had burned down!

Yue Wulan was in an excellent mood. Though her body had been jabbed by sword points many times, she treated it like a massage.

Tian Ruoleng sneered, "Sharp Edge Sword Academy, didn’t you just say you’d finish us off today?"

Yue Wulan giggled as she walked over to Tian Ruoleng. "These guys are already middle-aged and still haven’t stepped into the Spirit Martial Realm. Clearly, they’re just a bunch of incompetents—why take their words seriously?"

"Seems like all they’ve done since entering the Sword and Saber Villa is brag!" Qin Yun laughed heartily. "Let's be honest, these losers are a bunch of idiots. They spent over ten million purple crystal coins to attack us, only to come up empty-handed!"

The members of the Sharp Edge Sword Academy were boiling with fury at being mocked like this by two women and a young man. Their faces flushed crimson, forehead veins throbbing.

"Fandao Hall has successfully defended against an upper-grade hall, earning eight points! Total score: sixteen points—now holding first place!"

Xiong Dao saw the incense burn out and shouted loudly.

The Blade and Sword Tournament had never seen a team score sixteen points on the very first day!

No team had ever scored sixteen points before!

The second-place sword academy only managed six points!

It was the sword academy where Jian Mang, Long Wuchen, and Yang Mutian trained. In the morning, they broke through a mid-tier hall’s defenses, earning four points, and then quickly breached a low-tier hall, gaining another two points.

But compared to the three-person Fandao Hall, they still fell far behind!

"If this continues, this low-tier Fandao Hall could actually win first place!"

"Winning first place would promote them to a mid-tier hall! Plus, they’d get rewards from the Five Great Halls and other incentives!"

A blue-robed elder exclaimed in surprise.

"Impossible! They’ve still got a whole month of defense left!"

"Exactly! They’ve only been in the Sword and Blade Villa for such a short time. If they get such generous rewards, it would be too unfair!"

"The Sword Hall will crush them!"

Many were envious of Fandao Hall and didn’t want to see them take first place.

The teacher from Sharp Edge Sword Academy suddenly roared in anger, "We won’t stand for this! Those three had mystical armor protecting them, while our weapons were only royal grade spiritual artifacts!"

"We weren’t wearing any mystical armor!" Qin Yun said coldly.

"Your word means nothing!" the Sharp Edge Sword Academy teacher snapped. "Call the Runes Masters from Miraculous Patterns Hall to inspect them!"

An elder from Miraculous Patterns Hall stepped forward, holding a mirror, and said, "I’ll scan you with this mirror. If you have mystical armor, the mirror’s surface will emit a white glow!"

"Then hurry up and check!"

The Sharp Edge Sword Academy teacher was furious at their loss—they had spent millions of purple crystals just to secure the right to choose their opponents.

The blue-robed elder from Miraculous Patterns Hall passed the mirror over Qin Yun, Tian Ruoleng, and Yue Wulan repeatedly...

The crowd watched the mirror intently, but there wasn’t a single flicker!

"They don’t have any mystical armor on them!" the blue-robed elder declared firmly after thorough inspection.

"Now check their swords! Those three swords look incredibly powerful!" The Sharp Edge Sword Academy teacher still refused to back down.

Tian Ruoleng, Yue Wulan, and Qin Yun all unsheathed their swords.

The blue-robed elder examined them with the mirror while carefully studying the runes on the blades, his face filled with shock.

"Did you find something?" the teacher asked eagerly upon seeing the elder’s expression.

The blue-robed elder, being a Runes Master, was astonished to discover star runes etched into the blades.

"These... are extremely powerful royal grade spiritual artifacts, inscribed with ancient star runes. The workmanship is masterful, precise beyond belief!"

The blue-robed elder leaned closer to the Frostcloud Blade, his voice trembling slightly.

Ancient star runes were priceless to any faction. "Where’d you steal these?" the Sharp Edge Sword Academy teacher demanded, his face twisted with greed.

"What’s it to you?!"

Tian Ruoleng snapped, her voice sharp with fury.

Her striking eyes flashed coldly as she unleashed a killing intent so cold it prickled the air, enveloping the teacher in its grip. The Frostcloud Blade in her tightly clenched hand oozed a bone-chilling mist.

Tian Ruoleng now understood why Qin Yun had concealed his identity as a Runes Master—because he possessed ancient star runes!

Now, those ancient star runes had been exposed.

Worried Qin Yun would panic because of this, Tian Ruoleng was furious, itching to cut that teacher down right then!

"If you’re done spewing crap, scram!" Dao Fan also spoke bluntly, his face dark with anger as he gripped a mystical blade wreathed in black mist.

"C’mon, Xiao Yun, inside—now." Yue Wulan quickly pulled Qin Yun toward the house, with Tian Ruoleng following closely behind.

Qin Yun was their little brother, and naturally, they would protect him.

Sharp Edge Sword Academy had earned two points in the morning but lost eight in the afternoon, leaving them in the negative.

Two elite academies back-to-back had failed to breach the defenses of the low-tier Fandao Hall!

And Fandao Hall had just three fighters!

...

In the eastern district of the Sword and Blade Villa, where all the sword academies under the Sword Hall were located,

Inside a newly built courtyard, Long Wuchen and Yang Mutian were present, watching Jian Blind take slow, deliberate sips of tea.

"Should we bid for first pick tomorrow and attack Fandao Hall?" Long Wuchen asked coldly.

"You’re strong enough to crack their guard! As long as we cripple those three, each of us will earn twenty million purple crystal coins!"

Yang Mutian’s face contorted with rage as he recalled kneeling before Qin Yun, wanting to rip them apart limb from limb.

"Then I might as well kill you and Long Wuchen, take your two mystical weapons, and sell them—that’d bag me a few hundred mil!" Jian Blind chuckled.

"Jian Blind, I’ll give you this—you’re good. But thinking you can kill us—isn’t that too arrogant?" Long Wuchen retorted indignantly.

"I’m not afraid of offending your Long and Yang families!" Jian Blind smiled calmly. "You’re seriously out of the loop. Didn’t you know that the heads of your Long and Yang families have been placed under a Dao Artifact bounty by Qin Yun?"

The others gasped!

A Dao Artifact bounty on the heads of two family leaders—such a reward was insane!

"You…that’s impossible! Who’d back his bounty?" Yang Mutian shouted.

"Demonmoon Island issued it! Bet it’s only a matter of time before Qin Yun places a mystical weapon bounty on the heads of your family’s disciples. Then, heh heh..." Jian Blind took a sip, smirk plastered on his face.

The color drained from their faces.

They finally felt the threat looming over them!

The disciples of Sword and Blade Villa dared not act against them only because their elders were present within the villa.

But outside? That was a different story!

The Spirit Wasteland stretched forever, and there would certainly be death-wishers lining up to hunt them down for a mystical weapon!

"Do you feel fear now? Hahaha..." Sword Blind roared with laughter.

"Tomorrow, we will attack Fandao Hall!" Long Wuchen said coldly.

"Do as you please. I won't lift a finger!" Sword Blind crossed his legs. "I'd rather offend you than Qin Yun! Although I'm blind, my heart isn't. Qin Yun is a good man—and a terrifying one at that!"

Though Long Wuchen and Yang Mutian refused to admit it, they knew deep down that Sword Blind was a formidable sword cultivator. With his Lifebound Sword alone, he could slay a Spirit Martial realm expert!

Without Sword Blind in their team, they wouldn’t be able to break through Qin Yun’s defenses.

Long Wuchen and Yang Mutian quickly left the courtyard to seek out the elders their families had stationed here.

By evening, earth-shattering news rocked the Sword and Blade Villa!

The Long and Yang families had increased the bounty—any member of the Sword Hall who crippled Qin Yun, Tian Ruoleng, or Yue Wulan would receive 100 million purple crystal coins!

Originally set at 20 million, it had now quintupled to 100 million!

Word also spread that Qin Yun had placed a bounty on the heads of the Long and Yang family heads using a Dao Artifact!

This enraged the two great clans, who vowed to cripple Qin Yun in the Blade and Sword Offensive-Defensive Battles.