Chapter 87: I Need No Weapon—Draw Your Sword!

Not only the prodigies on the viewing stands, but also the team leaders in the bamboo pavilion courtyard showed traces of surprise upon witnessing the battle’s progression and outcome.

But after a moment, their expressions added a hint of acknowledgment.

Regardless of anything, the earlier “rumor” that Lin Mo had cheated points in the secret realm had now been disproven on its own.

“A perfect-grade mid-tier spell, a perfect-grade stance, plus a foundational sword technique at least at the Great Achievement level…”

Li Feng counted them off one by one, then praised:

“Though Lin Mo’s spiritual root limits his cultivation base to merely above-average, he clearly excels in spell techniques—his comprehension must be exceptional, far beyond ordinary people!”

Zhuang Weiwang smiled and said:

“Lin Mo is indeed clever, especially with fire spells—he has a special talent, and with his Qi Refining eighth-layer cultivation, these three challengers are no match for him!”

Li Feng nodded: “That makes sense.”

He Fei, however, frowned slightly and said:

“Not necessarily. Ye Chen has already been chosen by He Lian as a sword attendant; though his external sword isn’t fully refined yet, he already shows the bearing of a true swordsman.”

“Lin Mo’s Thunder Spell is only mid-tier—even at perfect grade, its killing power has limits. Ye Chen may still have a chance!”

Li Feng chuckled awkwardly: “Hmm… that does make sense.”

Zhuang Weiwang shook his head: “Ye Chen is only Qi Refining seventh-layer. Even if he can fight above his level, it’s limited—how can he compare to Lin Mo, a top contender in his own rank?”

Li Feng chuckled: “Yeah, yeah, that’s true.”

He Fei glanced at her, speaking with arrogance: “Sword cultivators are fundamentally different from other cultivators!”

Li Feng: “There’s a saying…”

Wait a minute—what do your Qingshan Sect matters have to do with me?

He felt caught in the middle, like he was wrong on both sides.

Fortunately, a nearby team leader spoke up in time:

“Who’s better? Just watch—Lin Mo hasn’t left the arena yet, he’s still choosing his next opponent!”

Everyone looked up and saw Lin Mo, after defeating Tang Lei, did not immediately leave the arena, but raised his head toward the waiting seats.

But this time, Ye Chen had learned his lesson—he didn’t stand up right away, instead sat calmly with arms crossed.

You’re just unsure of yourself, so you’re saving me for last, huh? Heh!

Ye Chen’s face wore a sneer, clearly signaling he knew exactly what Lin Mo intended.

But the next moment, Lin Mo chuckled and teased:

“What? Is our young master Ye about to get married? Do you need a sedan chair to carry you down?”

Ye Chen frowned: “Are you challenging me?”

Lin Mo looked utterly baffled: “Are you awake? You’re the one who challenged me!”

These words instantly triggered a burst of laughter from the audience in the tavern hall beyond the Mirror Flower, Water Moon arena.

“Pfft, is this guy out of his mind?”

“He’s already on the arena and still distracted? What a big heart!”

“This guy Ye Chen? His strength’s decent, but why does he seem mentally slow?”

“Haha, yeah, a bit. Seems Lin Mo’s strength is stronger.”

“Lin Mo’s thunder spell was damn cool—I didn’t even notice it hit, and his close-range combo afterward was smooth as silk; clearly his swordplay is top-notch!”

“…”

Li Feng, hearing these remarks, snapped back angrily:

“Bullshit! Brother Chen is one of our Nanshan prodigies—what the hell is Lin Mo? Just a waste who climbed up by clinging to Chu Wange—how dare he compare himself to our Chen?”

He sneered: “To be honest, even his top-ten spot on the Immortal List was gained through cheating…”

“Li Feng! Shut up!”

Before he could finish, Zhu Hongyuan cut him off sharply:

“You don’t even understand the Heavenly Dao Immortal Exam—what right do you have to judge Lin Mo? And you have no right spreading unverified, baseless rumors here!”

Hearing this, Lao Hu, who had long resented Li Feng, slammed his table and cheered:

“Well said! Lin Mo defeated nine Dao Academy’s top candidates with his own strength—what have you done? Just talk nonsense to slander others?”

San Zi immediately joined in:

“Exactly! You’re his classmate—can’t you stand seeing someone else succeed?”

“You accuse him of clinging to others and cheating—where’s your proof?”

Li Feng’s face flushed red and pale by turns, but aside from unverified internet rumors, where could he possibly produce real evidence?

As for the Heavenly Dao Immortal Exam, he’d only heard what the Immortal Platform looked like—he’d never seen it with his own eyes.

Finally, he could only say, face flushed:

“You can believe it or not—Lin Mo’s just a pretty face.”

“Chen, with Qi Refining seventh-layer, defeated an eighth-layer opponent—he’s the real genius!”

Zhu Hongyuan heard this and sighed helplessly.

Someone whose butt is crooked won’t listen to reason—no matter what you say, it’s useless.

The only thing that works is smashing his face with facts!

Lao Hu snorted: “Ye Chen stronger than Lin Mo? Not necessarily.”

Li Feng sneered back: “We’ll see then!”

The surrounding spectators glanced around, feeling thoroughly satisfied by today’s drama.

One was the rumored pretty boy, the other the fate-favored prodigy who defeated higher-level opponents.

And crucially, they were classmates.

Instantly, all sorts of tangled grudges and romances played out in the audience’s minds.

The upcoming battle in the Mirror Flower, Water Moon seemed far more interesting than they’d imagined.

…

“Dong! Dong! Dong!”

Ye Chen swiftly crossed the spectator seats and landed on the arena, his gaze calm as he faced Lin Mo:

“Challenging me first will be your greatest mistake!”

Lin Mo waved his hand:

“You misunderstand—I just thought you sitting in the waiting area was too annoying.”

Ye Chen’s face darkened; he opened his mouth to speak, but Lin Mo cut him off:

“Enough talk—will you fight or not?”

Ye Chen: “...”

After a moment of silence, he silently drew his longsword from his back, his expression turning serious.

Though he’d spoken boldly earlier, Lin Mo’s defeat of Tang Lei had been utterly legitimate—his strength was no longer the same as the “cultivation waste” from Nanshan High School.

Moreover, Lin Mo’s cultivation was solidly Qi Refining eighth-layer, while Ye Chen was only seventh-layer—he couldn’t afford to be careless.

Of course, that didn’t mean he had no chance.

On the contrary, with the external sword named [Frost and Snow], his combat power had surged dramatically—far beyond what any same-rank cultivator could match.

And in refining external swords, he even held an advantage over pure sword cultivators like Chu Wange.

Chu Wange still needed to grow her own life-sword; Ye Chen’s external sword was a superior sword core, pre-refined with the life-sword intent of a Qingshan Sect sword elder.

All he had to do was follow the method, refine it into his own life-object, and become the strongest killer in his rank.

Even now, while still partially unrefined, [Frost and Snow] possessed formidable killing power.

It was precisely because of this external sword that he had dominated the arena brawl earlier and secured his promotion slot.

Ye Chen reached out and grasped the [Frost and Snow] sword before him; cold energy slowly spread across the arena as he gazed at Lin Mo with pride.

Lin Mo, you only control a mid-tier spell—what makes you think you can match me?

Are you relying on that broken sword in your hand?

The moment this thought arose in his mind, he saw Lin Mo sheath his standard Daoist sword behind his back, then smile gently at him:

“I need no weapon. Draw your sword.”

At these words, Ye Chen frowned slightly.

Why did this sound so familiar? Where had he heard it before?