Peerless Empress: One Woman, One Sword, Slaying Through Myriad Realms

The old man pondered for a moment and said, "Among our new disciples this year, there should be some promising talents. They actually managed to snatch the treasure from the Earth-rank Lesser Vermilion Bird, and the Vermilion Bird's feathers are too few, as if they have been plucked..."

The middle-aged man was somewhat surprised, "Is that so? I've never heard Elder Wei mention it..."

The old man frowned. "I'm wondering about that too. Perhaps he didn't have time to report it. Let's call him over and ask him..."

Upon receiving the message, Elder Wei quickly arrived at the magnificent palace.

Upon seeing the two, Wei Zhong, the Grand Elder of the Outer Sect, was very respectful, saying, "Greetings, Supreme Elder, Greetings, Sect Master!"

Sect Master Han Yunfei spoke directly, "Among the disciples participating in this trial, are there any with profound cultivation or exceptionally outstanding talent...?"

Wei Zhong hesitated for a moment before slowly speaking, "Reporting to the Sect Master, the highest cultivation level among those participating in this trial is the fifth level of the Xuanwu realm, and there are five of them. As for talent, the one with the highest affinity for spiritual energy is the eighth rank..."

The old man beside him murmured, "Only the fifth level of the Xuanwu realm?"

Elder Wei asked cautiously, "Grand Elder, is something wrong?"

The old man thought for a moment and then asked, "Who were the top three in this trial, and what were their cultivation levels and talents like...?"

Elder Wei quickly said, "To be honest, the results of this trial were indeed quite unexpected. I was just about to report it to the Sect Master and the elders."

Han Yunfei became somewhat interested, "Tell me about it..."

"The first place winner is a girl named Ye Wuxi, with a Xuanwu third-level cultivation and an eighth-grade affinity for both water and fire attributes. She was introduced to the sect by Jingyao. The second place winner is Duan Hong, with a Xuanwu fifth-level cultivation and an eighth-grade affinity for fire attributes. The third place winner is Liu Yu'er, with a Xuanwu third-level cultivation and a seventh-grade affinity for water attributes..."

The old man was somewhat puzzled, "Dual attributes? That shouldn't be possible..."

Han Yunfei frowned. "We'll see when we get there. Wei Zhong, go and bring the three of them over. Be careful not to let anyone else know..."

"Yes"

Ye Wuxi, who was taking stock of her belongings in the room, suddenly frowned, because she sensed a powerful aura appearing in the courtyard.

Opening the door, Ye Wuxi looked at the old man in the courtyard and asked in confusion, "Elder Wei, is there something you need to do so late at night?"

Elder Wei said calmly, "Girl, go and fetch Duan Hong and Liu Yu'er. The sect leader wants to see you."

Ye Wuxi was shocked. Why would the sect leader of the Heavenly Sword Sect meet with a few insignificant ants like them?

Could it be that they discovered she and Duan Hong took the strange fire and the strange crystal? Damn it, they won't make them return them, will they? But a dignified fifth-grade sect shouldn't be so stingy, and these aren't some extraordinary treasures...

Elder Wei coughed lightly, "What are you standing there for? Go quickly!"

Upon hearing the reminder, Ye Wuxi chuckled twice, "Alright, Elder, please wait a moment..."

Lost in thought, Ye Wuxi knocked on Duan Hong's door. When Duan Hong opened the door and saw the heavy expression on the usually aloof woman's face, his heart tightened. "Wuxi, what's wrong?"

Ye Wuxi whispered, "The sect leader wants to see us... do you think it might be because of that Vermilion Bird..."

Seeing that it wasn't what he thought, Duan Hong finally relaxed and chuckled, "It can't be that bad, can it? Besides, we can just deny it..."

Ye Wuxi nodded, "You're right."

The two then called Liu Yu'er, and together they followed Elder Wei to a place they were no longer qualified to set foot in.

Inside the main hall, as soon as the group stepped inside, the white-robed elder immediately cast a sharp glance his way. After scanning the three of them, his brows furrowed even more deeply.

Liu Yu'er was indeed unremarkable, while Duan Hong possessed a strong aura and blood fluctuation, suggesting he had some special bloodline. However, Ye Wuxi found it strange that a mysterious force within her seemed to be preventing him from probing her...

"Disciple greets Sect Master and Supreme Elder!" Ye Wuxi and the other two bowed to the two elders after being introduced by Elder Wei.

Han Yunfei smiled and said, "Well, it's great that you all got the top three spots in the trial, so I wanted to meet you. Don't be nervous..."

Ye Wuxi and the other two responded respectfully. Compared to Ye Wuxi and Duan Hong, Liu Yu'er was only a little flattered, but had no other thoughts.

The white-robed elder suddenly said, "You lot are indeed quite good. Now, use your strongest methods to attack me. If you can prove your strength, this elder will offer an extra reward..."

Han Yunfei and Wei Zhong, standing to the side, were both astonished. What was going on here...?

Upon hearing about the reward, Ye Wuxi naturally perked up. "May I ask, Elder, what exactly is the reward?"

The white-robed elder chuckled, "You're quite an interesting girl. What reward do you want?"

Ye Wuxi's eyes lit up, "Anything you want?"

The white-robed elder chuckled, "I don't have any of those miraculous pills or elixirs, but if your strength satisfies me, you can choose one from a low-grade Earth-rank weapon and a low-grade Earth-rank martial art or cultivation technique..."

Ye Wuxi's eyes flickered slightly. Earth-rank was pretty good! Was it really worth it just for showing off her strength? But if she only activated her Water and Fire dantian, she wondered if it would satisfy this person…

After a moment of silence in the hall, the white-robed elder spoke calmly, "Who wants to go first..."

Ye Wuxi and the other two exchanged glances. Liu Yu'er gritted her teeth and spoke first, "Elder, I'll go first!"

The white-robed elder didn't even lift his eyelids. "Hmm, just unleash what you consider your strongest attack on me..."

Liu Yu'er nodded, and a long sword appeared in her hand. "Elder, this disciple has offended you!"

Having said that, he unleashed his strongest sword strike to date. The white-robed elder easily deflected the sword energy, then shook his head and said, "No..."

With just that one sword strike, he knew that this person's third place in the trial was definitely not earned through their own strength...

"You two come here..." the white-robed elder said calmly, glancing at Duan Hong and Ye Wuxi, who seemed lost in thought.

Duan Hong's eyes darkened. After a moment's thought, he stepped forward, a long sword appearing in his hand. An aura of kingly dominance emanated from him, pressing down on the white-robed elder.

The white-robed elder and Han Yunfei and Wei Zhong beside him both narrowed their eyes. This pressure was no ordinary thing!

While the group was pondering, Duan Hong suddenly slashed at the white-robed elder with his sword, the crimson sword energy sweeping out like a burning fire dragon.

What was a terrifying sword strike in the eyes of outsiders was still effortlessly neutralized by the white-robed elder.

"Not bad, qualified!" The old man nodded. Putting aside the special pressure, this sword strike alone contained sword intent. He deservedly won second place in the trial...

Hearing the praise, Duan Hong showed no smugness and calmly walked to the side.

"Ye girl, it's your turn!"