Chapter 288: Within the Desolate Ancient City

"Trick of a petty—"

Before Lin Ming could even finish saying the word "technique," his expression changed drastically. He swiftly drew his sword to block the blade that radiated piercing cold light.

Boom!

The moment the two sword auras collided in midair, they exploded with tremendous force.

Everyone in the plaza watched as Lin Ming was forced dozens of steps back before he managed to stabilize himself. Elder Bing, however, remained standing exactly where she was—unmoved, untouched—simply raising her sword again.

"Wait!"

Lin Ming quickly shouted, and Elder Bing stopped her blade, staring at him coldly.

"Elder Bing, your skill is impressive. Although you seized the initiative, even if I had gone all out, we would have only ended in mutual defeat. It’s true—I have nothing left to teach you. If Elder Bing wishes to leave Heavenly Spirit Academy, so be it."

Lin Ming said all this in one breath, afraid she might object. At this point, he no longer cared about saving face.

This Elder Bing had actually comprehended the true meaning of the Sword Dao. And judging by that strike just now, she hadn’t even used her full strength.

If this fight continued, his reputation would’ve been completely ruined today.

"Thank you, Chief Lin."

With that, Bing Yan flew back toward the viewing platform.

The Dean instinctively stroked his beard at the sight, then glanced over at Chu Feng not far away.

This brat really did manage to surprise him every single time. And this duel today might help keep these newcomers from the Holy Academy a bit more grounded.

However, the expressions on the faces of the eight other Chiefs nearby were quite sour.

They hadn’t expected Lin Ming’s first move to disgrace them all.

You’re supposed to be a prodigy from the Holy Academy, yet you were completely suppressed by a Nirvana-stage elder from the secular division.

Had we known, one of us would’ve taken the challenge instead!

But the ones most shocked were the cultivators gathered in the plaza. No one had expected the battle to end so quickly.

None of them were fools—anyone could see that Elder Bing had the upper hand from start to finish.

Still, no one was planning to rush off and join the Miscellaneous Dao Institute just yet. It was simply a shame the show had ended so soon.

Moments later, the Dean officially declared the appointment ceremony concluded.

The nine new Chiefs departed in unison.

Jin Feiyao was the first to tease Lin Ming: "Senior Brother Lin, don’t tell me you’ve taken a liking to Elder Bing?"

Lin Ming had already anticipated backlash from the others and responded coolly.

"She’s already comprehended the true meaning of the Sword Dao. If you don’t believe me, feel free to go to the Miscellaneous Dao Institute and humiliate yourselves."

The moment he said that, the eight others froze.

"Impossible."

"There’s no way that’s true."

"..."

Each one of them wore a stunned expression. Every single one of them was a top-tier prodigy—yet none had grasped the truth of any Great Dao.

This journey to the secular division was meant to temper them and help them attain that very enlightenment.

Now Lin Ming was telling them that a mere third-layer Nirvana cultivator had already comprehended the Sword Dao’s true meaning?

None of them could digest that easily.

As they stared at him in disbelief, Lin Ming raised his right hand.

Everyone looked closely. His palm was covered in cracked, bleeding cuts—and within those wounds, traces of sword intent still lingered.

Upon careful inspection, the group fell completely silent.

"It really is the true meaning of the Sword Dao... I truly have no idea how Elder Bing cultivated it."

Zhang Ruocheng muttered in disbelief.

Yue Wushuang said, "Before I came to the secular division, I met with Great Sage Xiaoyao and asked him who at Wendao Academy we shouldn’t provoke.

At the time, he named three people from the Miscellaneous Dao Institute—Great Sage Jinchi, and the third was that Elder Bing.

I didn’t understand then why he would include Elder Bing. But now it’s clear—he already knew she had comprehended the Sword Dao’s truth.

And that Elder Bing is the Dao companion of the Miscellaneous Dao Institute’s Chief—the first peerless prodigy since the founding of Wendao Academy, and the academy’s next Holy Master."

Everyone fell silent, thoughtful expressions settling over their faces.

They had all been scheming in their hearts before, but that battle reminded them of one thing: relying on their Holy Academy status to pressure others simply wasn’t going to work here.

Miao Miao Mountain—

Great Sage Jinchi was in excellent spirits that day. Grinning, he asked, "Sister-in-law, why didn’t you give that Lin brat a proper thrashing?"

Chu Feng patted him on the shoulder. "We’re all colleagues—just a small warning is enough. No need to make things too hard on him. Cultivation is also about human relationships, not just fights and bloodshed."

Great Sage Jinchi tilted his head and pondered. "Now that you say it, that does make some sense. No wonder my adoptive father told me to learn more from you."

"There will be plenty of chances to learn later. Come on, keep drinking."

Chu Feng raised the wine cup in his hand as he spoke.

…

Within the Desolate Ancient City secret realm—

Xiao Chen and his companions stood before a towering city built entirely from yellow sand, eyes gleaming with excitement.

At that moment, the gates of the Desolate Ancient City were shut tight. For a hundred li in every direction, there wasn’t a trace of sound or life. The eerie stillness stood in sharp contrast to the dense spiritual energy within the secret realm.

Cao Youqian was about to send out his spiritual sense to investigate the city interior, only to discover it was being completely blocked by the city.

He instinctively looked to Ye Beixuan. "Junior Brother Ye, what should we do next?"

Ye Beixuan replied, "We go in directly. I once read about this place in an ancient record. After the War of Imperial Succession, Desolate Ancient City became a dead city. There are some ghost creatures inside, but with the Sword Jades gifted to us by Master, we can easily dispel them."

Xiao Chen said, "We must not let down our guard. I suggest we explore together and distribute any treasures based on individual needs."

"Agreed."

"No problem."

Everyone responded without hesitation.

Unlike other cultivation sites, the Miscellaneous Dao Institute had little scheming or internal strife. Though they didn’t spend much time together on ordinary days, there was genuine affection among them.

"Let’s go."

Xiao Chen took the lead, stepping toward the ancient city.

Ye Beixuan retrieved the key and struck the city gate with it.

The key flew from his hand, embedding into the gate. Moments later, the gate creaked open slowly.

What greeted their eyes was a ground littered with white bones.

These bones, seemingly sensing the presence of the living, began to rise one after another, transforming into monstrous forms and advancing toward the group.

Exchanging glances, everyone acted without hesitation, suppressing the bone monsters immediately.

As he fought, Ye Beixuan said, "Fellow disciples, this Desolate Ancient City forbids flight. These bone monsters are endless. Our task is to rush toward the royal court at top speed. Once we reach it, the bone monsters will stop advancing."

Everyone instinctively sped up upon hearing this. After about an hour, a magnificent palace came into view.

Just as Ye Beixuan had said, the bone monsters came to a halt.

Seeing this, Cao Youqian joked with a smile, "Junior Brother Ye, are you sure what you read was an ancient record and not a walkthrough for the Desolate Ancient City secret realm?"

Ye Beixuan: "…"

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