Chapter 0298: The Arrogant Saint

Chapter 0298: The Arrogant Saint

Zhuo Chuan smiled faintly, not telling Lan Huayu that Qin Yun was also participating in the Runes competition.

In the following days, Qin Yun stayed in Lan Huayu's small forest, mainly reviewing the martial arts he had mastered.

A few days passed, and Zhuo Chuan came to inform him to go to the Spirit Martial Hall because the martial competition had already begun!

In the Spirit Martial Hall, a large area was cleared in the middle, as big as a square, and the surroundings were filled with people—some coming to participate in the competition, and others to watch the excitement, including disciples from the Blue Spirit Star Palace.

Qin Yun also learned that the Runes competition would be held in the neighboring Rune Hall in the afternoon.

As for the subsequent rounds, he wasn’t sure if there would be any conflicts in the schedules of these two competitions. He could only take things one step at a time. If there really was a conflict, he would decide which one to give up.

As for the martial competition, the first few rounds mainly assessed the various abilities of the warriors, eliminating participants in batches.

Only those who could last until the end would be able to compete!

When Qin Yun arrived at the entrance of the Spirit Martial Hall, he saw a grand procession of saints.

Xie Wufeng, Huo Zhong, and Murong Daren were also there. Although they weren’t participating, they wanted to watch the excitement, as Qin Yun and several young warriors from the Holy Palace were participating.

"Brother Yun, the martial competition officially starts today. I hope to see your outstanding performance!" Xie Wufeng said with a smile.

"Yes, I will definitely perform well!" Qin Yun nodded and smiled.

A young man clad in tight-fitting golden-blue armor suddenly walked toward Qin Yun. He had a thin and handsome face, but it was full of arrogance, and his eyes, which were sizing up Qin Yun, also revealed a sense of disdain and jealousy.

"Are you Xiao Yuelan’s fiancé?" the man asked in a tone full of contempt. "You don’t look like much, nothing special!"

Xie Wufeng’s expression turned slightly cold. "Ji Kailin, what do you mean by that?"

The arrogant young man, named Ji Kailin, had been mentioned to Qin Yun by Lan Huayu before. He was said to be the youngest and most powerful warrior at the ninth level of the Martial Body stage in the Blue Spirit Star Palace, at eighteen years old, with seven yang meridians and possessing the legendary beast spirit, the Thunder Qilin.

He was two or three months younger than Xiao Yuelan, but he believed his strength surpassed hers.

Moreover, in the Blue Spirit Star Palace, he was also recognized as the youngest and most powerful warrior at the ninth level of the Martial Body stage!

Additionally, Ji Kailin’s parents and ancestors held important positions in the Blue Spirit Star Palace, with both power and strength.

Ji Kailin was the kind of person who could walk sideways throughout the entire Blue Spirit Star Palace, so it was normal for him to be arrogant and look down on others.

"I don’t mean anything by it, I just think he’s not worthy of Xiao Yuelan! If he were to die, that would be great—then Yuelan would be mine!" Ji Kailin laughed. "If I meet him on the competition stage, I will definitely beat him up and let Yuelan see how weak her fiancé is!"

Another young saint walked over and sneered, "Qin Yun is naturally weaker than Xiao Yuelan—that’s a well-known fact. So beating him up won’t do much, and Yuelan might even hate you for it!"

"Oh, if you say so, I dare not hit him! Ah, a big man being protected by a woman, what a disgrace to us men!" Ji Kailin laughed loudly. "Qin Yun, I have to say, I admire you. Your ability to live off a woman must be the best in the world. I wonder what kind of potion you gave Yuelan to make her so devoted to you!"

"Just kill Qin Yun, and you’ll have a chance!" a saint laughed. "Do you dare?"

Xie Wufeng shouted coldly, "Enough, go in and participate in the competition! Strength speaks for itself!"

Ji Kailin appeared hesitant to confront Xie Wufeng and just snorted disdainfully at Qin Yun before walking into the Spirit Martial Hall.

"Brother Yun, don’t be angry! This guy is always like this!" Xie Wufeng said.

Qin Yun coldly stared at Ji Kailin and said coldly, "Of course, I’m not angry! Someone like him doesn’t deserve my anger!"

After saying that, he quickly walked into the Spirit Martial Hall.

In the Spirit Martial Hall, all the warriors participating in the competition had arrived, totaling over a thousand, all at the ninth level of the Martial Body stage.

The majority were middle-aged, some from other Profound-level Martial Academies, and some from the Blue Spirit Star Palace.

The most eye-catching were the few saintesses from the Blue Spirit Holy Palace, whose commanding presence and dazzling attire set them apart as they stood at the forefront.

Qin Yun stood together with Xue Ziye, listening to the rules of the first round.

The martial competition consisted of five rounds, with the fifth being the actual combat. The first four rounds were eliminations, and after the combat, there would be a celebration for the 5000th anniversary of the Holy Palace's establishment.

The Blue Spirit Holy Palace believed that the winners of both the martial and esoteric pattern competitions would be from their palace, and holding the celebration would be a moment of great glory.

Spectators were disappointed to learn that Xiao Yuelan was not participating, but Qin Yun's presence gave them some anticipation.

Qin Yun had reached the ninth level of the Martial Body stage, and his strength was certainly formidable, though to what extent, no one knew.

Now, this martial competition would have strong ninth-level Martial Body warriors as Qin Yun's opponents, so everyone would get to see Qin Yun's true power!

"The first round will test your composure! Form ten lines, with ten people in each!" shouted a middle-aged woman in charge, her tone stern.

The participating warriors immediately lined up in ten teams, waiting to start.

The composure test required participants to hold a Phantom Demon Pearl and walk across the Spirit Martial Hall; the number of steps taken indicated the strength of their composure.

The expansive center of the Spirit Martial Hall had been specifically arranged for this test.

The first batch of ten teams each held a black Phantom Demon Pearl, and as the signal sounded, they began to walk forward.

Some had just taken two steps before they fell to the ground, screaming as if they were confronting a ghost.

Some walked four or five steps before they started to shout wildly, as if in great pain, while others displayed disgraceful behavior, their faces twisted with evil expressions, as if indulging in wicked deeds.

"The Phantom Demon Pearl can awaken the inner demons of a person, inducing their evil thoughts to the maximum, then creating illusions for them to act out their desires, so they appear to be doing what they usually want to do but dare not. Of course, the illusions are quite realistic, and they will be punished while doing evil deeds!"

An elder among the spectators explained the function of the Phantom Demon Pearl seriously.

Many young disciples understood what was happening and were glad they were not participating, or else their inner evil thoughts would be exposed!

If one's composure is not strong enough, their inner demons are easily induced, and evil thoughts surge, leading them to do crazy and evil things in the illusion.

This first round of the composure test would ultimately select the five hundred who walked the most steps. The one who walked the most steps could also receive a Demon Beast Crystal Egg as a reward!

In the blink of an eye, more than a dozen batches had gone up, with the highest number of steps walked before succumbing to madness being fifteen, a result that was still admirable.

After all, many could not exceed ten steps.

Next, it was the turn of the saintesses from the Blue Spirit Holy Palace!

Qin Yun was towards the back, and he stood on tiptoe, watching the strongest and youngest ninth-level Martial Body warrior, Ji Kailin!

Ji Kailin was confident, a subtle, proud smile playing on his lips as he held the black Phantom Demon Pearl and walked out quickly...

One step, two steps, three steps... fifty steps... a hundred steps...

The crowd erupted in loud cheers.

After walking a hundred steps, Ji Kailin, now drenched in sweat, quickly set the Phantom Demon Pearl down to prevent himself from losing control.

The other saintesses from the Blue Spirit Holy Palace could also walk eighty to ninety steps, which was indeed impressive, demonstrating to many warriors the stark difference between saintesses and ordinary disciples.

The disciples of the four palaces also performed well, each walked several dozen steps, which was better than the students from the Xuan-level martial academy!

"Ji Kailin and the others must have been trained!" Xue Ziye, who was in front of Qin Yun, snorted. "All the disciples of the Blue Spirit Star Palace must have been trained in this for years, which is why they perform better than other warriors!"

"Ziye, are you scared? You're young and beautiful. It wouldn't look good if you were forced to show your ugly side!" Qin Yun teased with a laugh.

"I'm not scared. Sure, I have some dark thoughts, but they've never been too strong, and I usually keep them in check! Walking several dozen steps shouldn't be a problem for me!" Xue Ziye said.

Qin Yun didn't doubt her words. Having known Xue Ziye for so long, he rarely saw her emotional fluctuations, indicating that she had also undergone such training.

"Qin Yun, what about you? Over the years, you've been oppressed, tortured, and surrounded by all kinds of beauties, exposed to many temptations. I'm quite worried about you!" Xue Ziye said. "You can be pretty impulsive. Are you sure you'll be alright?"

"Of course, I'll be fine!" Qin Yun replied with a calm smile. He had practiced the Star Yang Heart Sutra, witnessed the terrors of the universe, and endured various mental trials, earning the recognition of the Nether Yang.

His mental strength was formidable; resisting such illusions was no issue.

After a short wait, it was finally Xue Ziye's turn.

Xue Ziye was one of the few young female warriors with the cultivation of the ninth level of the Martial Body stage, and she was very close to Qin Yun, which drew a lot of attention.

Many Blue Spirit Star Palace disciples were annoyed to see Xue Ziye ahead of Qin Yun, as Qin Yun already had Xiao Yuelan, yet he still mingled with other outstanding women.

Xue Ziye, holding the Phantom Demon Pearl, stepped forward quickly and immediately took over twenty steps, causing a stir!

"She's still going! That's really impressive. The disciples of the Blue Spirit Star Palace can walk many steps because they often train with the Phantom Demon Pearl, but Xue Ziye just joined the East Palace and hasn't undergone any training!"

"Forty steps!"

"Fifty-five!"

When Xue Ziye reached fifty-five steps, she finally put down the Phantom Demon Pearl and gasped for breath, seemingly on the verge of losing control.

This achievement made many outstanding disciples of the Blue Spirit Star Palace feel ashamed.

Even the saintesses started to regard Xue Ziye with newfound respect!

Next, it was finally Qin Yun's turn!

What his result would be had many people eagerly anticipating!