Chapter 591 - 591: Assigned to the Celestial Sword Sect

After spending the better part of a day, Chu Qingyun had perfected his mastery of the Lightning Sword.

Now, inside the Saint Extreme Tower, every swing of his sword could successfully conjure the Lightning Sword technique, summoning a bright purple flash of lightning upon his Thunder Shock Sword.

What's more, Chu Qingyun had even entered the Illusion Realm to test the technique, ensuring he could still perform it successfully every time even after leaving the Saint Extreme Tower.

If it turned out his consistent success was merely a product of the tower's assistance, he would be in for a rude awakening once he left.

He had finished all the training he needed to do.

Although he still had some time left, Chu Qingyun didn't stay in the training room. Instead, he retrieved his sect Token and left the Saint Extreme Tower.

By now, it was evening.

The gathering for the Inner Sect qualification competition was scheduled for the next morning.

Chu Qingyun found a place to have a hearty meal, then returned to his quarters for a good night's rest. Early the next morning, he headed to the assembly point.

He thought he was early, but was surprised to find that quite a few people were already there.

A single glance across the vast plaza revealed it was almost entirely filled with ninth-level Martial Spirits. Forget seventh-level; even eighth-level Martial Spirits were a rare sight.

It seemed as if every ninth-level Martial Spirit from the Saint Extreme Sect—a rare sight on any normal day—had gathered here.

Of course, the majority of them, much like Zheng Tianrong and Chen Yi, were just ordinary ninth-level Martial Spirits. The number of so-called "seed disciples" was, after all, very small.

Ordinary ninth-level Martial Spirits of their caliber were likely to fail the Inner Sect qualification competition—they might not even make it past the first round.

For the most part, they were well aware of this themselves.

However, the allure of becoming an Inner Sect Core Disciple was simply too great. Many ninth-level Martial Spirits wouldn't be satisfied unless they tried for themselves.

Besides, such brutal competition was an opportunity in itself to force out one's latent potential.

There had been more than one occasion where a ninth-level Martial Spirit, stuck at their bottleneck for ages, finally broke through to the Martial King Realm after participating in the competition.

'Good thing I reached the eighth-level Martial Spirit realm. Otherwise, I'd probably be getting stared at...'

Chu Qingyun muttered to himself as he walked into the crowd.

Along the way, he couldn't help but overhear the discussions of those around him.

"Which sect's Land of Trial were you assigned to? I got our own Saint Extreme Sect's Iron Mang Mountain. HAHA! My luck is incredible! I've been there many times, so I know it like the back of my hand."

"Hmph, don't even ask. I got assigned to the Celestial Sword Sect's Withered Wood Forest. Fucking terrible luck!"

"Celestial Sword Sect... ugh, that's a tragic draw. I didn't get Iron Mang Mountain, but I was assigned to the Stone Spirit Sect's area. A small sect like that probably doesn't have much talent."

Among all the participants, those assigned to their own sect's Land of Trial were generally beaming. After all, it was their home turf, and many had been there before.

Those assigned to smaller sects like the Stone Spirit Sect or Liuchuan Sect were also able to accept their lot with a smile, since the competition there was expected to be much weaker.

However, those assigned to one of the Four Sects—the Celestial Sword Sect, Talisman Puppet Sect, Tianya Sect, or Purple Cloud Sect—all had grim expressions.

Among them, the ones assigned to the Celestial Sword Sect looked the most distraught; some couldn't even stop themselves from cursing out loud.

Chu Qingyun had learned about this from Zhou Ling previously.

While each sect sent disciples to the Lands of Trial of the other fourteen sects, the largest number of disciples was always assigned to their own home ground.

Therefore, being at one's home Land of Trial offered not only a geographical advantage but also an advantage in numbers.

As for those sent to the Lands of Trial of smaller sects, their main competitors would be the Outer Disciples of those sects, who weren't considered particularly strong.

Thus, the difficulty of passing was lowest in these two scenarios.

But being assigned to one of the Four Sects, like the Celestial Sword Sect, was a different story. The strength of those sects was on par with, if not greater than, the Saint Extreme Sect's.

When competing against their Outer Disciples, it wasn't just a matter of passing; one's own safety was a major concern.

And among these, the Celestial Sword Sect was the worst.

As the recognized number one sect in the Northern Domain, the disciples of the Celestial Sword Sect were notoriously domineering and brutal. Consequently, in all previous Inner Sect qualification competitions, the disciples from other sects sent to the Celestial Sword Sect's trial had always suffered the highest casualty rate.

The assignments for which Land of Trial each registered Outer Disciple would attend had all been decided by the Outer Sect Elders over the past two days.

And early this morning, the lists had been posted on a stone wall beside the plaza.

Listening to the discussions around him, Chu Qingyun grew curious. He wanted to see which sect's Land of Trial he had been assigned to.

Of course, like almost everyone else, he hoped to be assigned to his own sect's Land of Trial, or one of the smaller sects.

The very last place he wanted to go was the Land of Trial of the Celestial Sword Sect.

On a stone wall over ten meters long hung fifteen white silk banners. At the top of each banner was the name of one of the Northern Domain's Fifteen Major Sects, and below, packed densely together, were the names of the disciples assigned to that trial.

Chu Qingyun first searched under the banner for the "Saint Extreme Sect."

This banner had the most names, but after scanning the list, Chu Qingyun didn't find his own.

'Cyan Leaf Sect... Liuchuan Sect... Stone Spirit Sect...'

Chu Qingyun then searched under the banners of the other small sects, but after a full circuit, he still hadn't found his name.

Since his name wasn't under the Saint Extreme Sect or any of the smaller sects, it had to be under one of the four powerful sects, such as the Celestial Sword Sect.

Chu Qingyun sighed softly, thinking, 'Just my luck.'

He didn't let it bother him too much, though. 'After all, no matter where I go, it all comes down to strength. Even at the weakest sect, someone without strength will just be eliminated. But with enough strength, I can pass even if I'm sent to the Celestial Sword Sect.'

And right now, Chu Qingyun was very confident in his strength!

With that thought, the last trace of gloom in Chu Qingyun's heart vanished. He turned his gaze directly to the "Celestial Sword Sect" banner.

And there it was... right in the middle of the column of names, he found his own.

"Of course it is..."

Chu Qingyun was utterly speechless.

What he failed to notice, however, was that in front of a large hall near the plaza, the Outer Sect's Elder Huang was staring at him as he stood before the "Celestial Sword Sect" banner, a chilling smile on his face.

'Chu Qingyun, I bet you feel like crying now that you know you're going to the Celestial Sword Sect... Heh heh, but this is only the beginning...'