"Done." Ma Yuanwu wiped the sweat from his forehead, a trace of joy appearing on his face.
This time, he felt like his speed seemed to be a bit faster than usual.
However, he didn't know how much time had passed.
The clearance ranking should already be out, right?
Ma Yuanwu impatiently left the sword dao space and looked up toward the sky.
This sixth stage had taken him more than ten hours. By now, two days had already passed.
Today was the third day.
On the list.
Sure enough, first place was still him.
Ma Yuanwu: Sixth Stage — Cleared
Looking further down.
Ma Yuanwu was slightly surprised.
This time, he had regarded Feng Linglong as his greatest rival, yet Feng Linglong was only third?
Second place was actually that useless member of the Yu family.
Yu Songnian.
Ma Yuanwu silently repeated the name in his heart, but didn't take it seriously.
He had heard about this useless person before.
No matter how high his sword dao talent was, if his cultivation couldn't increase, it's completely useless.
Moreover, Yu Songnian seemed to have petrification disease. If it flared up midway through a trial, that would be quite a spectacle.
Aside from these two, fourth place was...
Ma Yuanwu frowned slightly and suddenly saw Yun Jin, seated cross-legged not far away.
This woman had also reached the sixth stage!
That's still acceptable.
However, the further one went in the sword tomb, the harder it became.
Although he had cleared six stages in less than two days, the next three stages were each as difficult as crossing a heavenly chasm.
Last time, he was short on time by just a little. Otherwise, he would already have obtained the final treasure.
After leaving, he had reviewed everything repeatedly, carried out all kinds of training, and further compressed the clearance time of the earlier stages.
This time, he would definitely not fall short again.
Ma Yuanwu glanced disdainfully at Yun Jin.
As for this person…
She would probably be permanently stuck at the sixth stage.
He, Ma Yuanwu, had never had rivals. His only rival was himself!
Ma Yuanwu laughed, and confidently lifted his leg to leave.
At that moment.
There was movement behind him.
Ma Yuanwu's heart tightened.
He turned around.
Only to see Yun Jin stretching lazily while muttering something, slowly standing up.
Ma Yuanwu's pupils suddenly contracted!
She had exited the sword dao space and hadn't been expelled.
What did this mean?
This woman!
She had cleared the sixth stage?
"That's impossible!" Ma Yuanwu and Mu Lan outside almost spoke at the same time.
Master and disciple stared at Yun Jin with identical looks of shock.
Yun Jin had arrived at the sixth stage several hours later than Ma Yuanwu.
Yet.
Her clearance time was almost identical to his?
What happened to "the further you go, the harder it gets," and "the later stages take more and more time"?
Qin Ping couldn't help but chuckle softly.
Yun Jin was indeed not simple.
Once again, fate's guidance to him had proven accurate.
Could this young Golden Core Stage cultivator really change the plight of dynasty cultivation and help them carve out a new path?
Qin Ping still felt like such thoughts were somewhat absurd, yet he couldn't help feeling more anticipation.
"Senior Brother Ma, hello." Yun Jin greeted him with a smile, as if she didn't see his shocked expression.
Ma Yuanwu stared at Yun Jin, "You cleared the sixth stage?"
Yun Jin looked puzzled, "Otherwise?"
"Impossible! This stage has two ways to clear it. One is to continuously endure the waves' assault. This method requires a full twenty-four hours to complete. The second method is to find the only island not struck by waves. That island is hidden within the vast ocean, and its location changes every time. Finding it under constant wave attacks is even harder, but it saves time… but you!"
Ma Yuanwu glared at Yun Jin, "You cleared it so fast, so it definitely wasn't the first method. Did you really find the island that quickly?"
Yun Jin blinked.
Oh, so there were several conventional ways to clear it.
That's quite informative.
She smiled slightly, "Then perhaps my luck was just good."
Luck?
Ma Yuanwu looked deeply at Yun Jin.
Strictly speaking, luck could indeed play a role in this stage.
Perhaps she had stumbled upon the island by sheer chance?
That's the only explanation.
Ma Yuanwu said coldly, "Junior Sister Yun's luck is quite good. But in the next stage, we'll see whether you still have such luck."
Yun Jin showed a troubled expression, "I'll leave it to fate."
She sighed, as if she truly lacked confidence.
Ma Yuanwu steadied himself.
It's merely luck. He absolutely couldn't let himself be thrown off balance.
The next three stages were the true highlights!
Without another word, Ma Yuanwu walked straight toward the next stage.
Yun Jin smiled faintly and followed at an unhurried pace.
In this stage.
By integrating the water-attribute techniques she had mastered, she had initially established the foundation of a brand-new sword dao.
It had to be said that the Vast Expanse Sword space was indeed a treasure ground.
Its enhancement to water-attribute sword techniques was far stronger than even the Ice Jade Sword space from the first stage.
Only, the further she went, the stingier these swords became. Each one feared she would linger too long. The moment she completed the task, they immediately threw her out. This stage indeed granted her a second fragment. Though she still didn't know its purpose, Yun Jin carefully stored it away.
"I wronged you back then, Ice Jade Sword. You're actually not that stingy," Yun Jin sighed.
Inside the sword-dao space, upon hearing this, the Ice Jade Sword became emotional, "She said she wronged me. Wu wu wu, suddenly I'm so moved."
The Complaint Sword Alliance immediately turned to look at Ice Jade Sword in unison.
Had a traitor appeared among them?
Ice Jade Sword felt its scalp go numb under their gazes and hurriedly said righteously, "But I will never forgive her! I'll always stand with everyone!"
Only then did the swords nod in satisfaction.
This time, before Yun Jin even reached the seventh stage, all the swords collectively turned their attention to the sword guarding that stage.
It's a fully green sword, its blade seemingly entwined with vines.
A high-grade Earth-tier wood-attribute sword.
Azure Wood Sword.
Among these swords, Azure Wood Sword was particularly composed. Seeing the others look over, it merely nodded calmly.
"Azure Wood, do you want to join us in advance?" Blazing Sun Sword invited enthusiastically.
Azurewood shook its head maturely, "No need."
In terms of age, it's older than the others. It couldn't be as idle as them.
In its view, Yun Jin hadn't done anything earth-shattering. The reactions of these swords were somewhat excessive.
He, Azure Wood, would never make such a fuss.
The giant sword watched and nodded approvingly.
Among so many swords, Azure Wood really was the least worrisome.
Seventh stage.
Ma Yuanwu raced against time and immediately entered the sword dao space.
On the other hand, Yun Jin wasn't in a hurry. She slowly read the text on the tombstone, then glanced at the ranking list in the sky.
When she entered the seventh stage's sword dao space, the final list of three would likely appear before she came out.
On the current list:
Ma Yuanwu was still first.
Yun Jin was second.
Third was Yu Songnian.
If nothing unexpected happened, Feng Linglong would be eliminated.
Yun Jin couldn't help but feel faintly worried.
Her Third Senior Brother's petrification disease had been flaring up more and more frequently recently.
This time, it hadn't acted up for half a month. I'm afraid it might flare up at any moment.