Three vertical streaks of sword energy slashed forward, carving deep fissures into the ground. A horizontal wave of sword energy followed in between, leaving the four attackers with no escape. The three vertical streaks cleaved through three of the charging enemies, cutting them cleanly in half.
[Killed a Haoran Academy Qi Refining Peak disciple, gained 788 evolution points!]
[Absorbed blood essence from a Haoran Academy Qi Refining Peak disciple, gained 62 energy points!]
[Killed a Haoran Academy Qi Refining Peak disciple, gained 523 evolution points!]
[Absorbed blood essence from a Haoran Academy Qi Refining Peak disciple, gained 41 energy points!]
[Killed a Haoran Academy Qi Refining Peak disciple, gained 856 evolution points!]
[Absorbed blood essence from a Haoran Academy Qi Refining Peak disciple, gained 76 energy points!]
Meanwhile, the last enemy, a sword-wielding disciple, had quickly switched from offense to defense, raising his sword to block the horizontal wave of sword energy. The immense force sent him flying, spitting blood, but the system did not issue a notification, indicating he was heavily injured but not dead.
At that moment, Lin Li's cold gaze turned to the fan-wielding leader.
"Gasp?!"
The fan-wielding man was utterly stunned by what he had just witnessed, overwhelmed with shock and fear. "How is this possible?!"
So many of them, yet they were utterly helpless against Lin Li. It was terrifying.
"Well? Do you still want to fight?" Lin Li sneered. "After all, we're both from the Seven Great Sects of Zhao Nation. This is merely a trial."
"If it weren't for your disgraceful act of using numbers to bully the few, I wouldn't have had to do this."
He paused, then offered, "Here's the deal: hand over your life token willingly, and I'll spare your life. If not…"
"I-I'll give it to you! Please, spare me!" the fan-wielding man stammered, his fighting spirit completely shattered. He didn't dare hold out hope that Lin Li's spiritual energy would run out before his next attack—there was no telling when that might happen, and if he couldn't defend against it, he would be dead for sure.
Faced with the threat of death, the fan-wielding man no longer displayed any arrogance. His forehead beaded with sweat as he lowered his head submissively, pulling the life token from his chest and placing it on the ground before quickly retreating. He rushed over to the sword-wielding disciple, who was still coughing blood, and anxiously asked, "Are you still alive?"
"Se-Senior Brother…" the sword-wielding man gasped weakly, blood spilling from the corner of his mouth. "I'm…still…"
"Don't talk!" The fan-wielding man, despair written across his face, grumbled, "We've hit a brick wall here. Just our rotten luck! Your life is the most important thing. Where's your life token? Hand it over, and let's get out of here. I'll take you somewhere to heal."
"In…my inner pouch."
"Got it."
The fan-wielding man fished the life token from his junior brother's pouch, placed it on the ground, then hoisted the injured man onto his shoulder. With a gritted farewell, he spat, "Thank you for sparing us!"
Then, he hurried away with the wounded disciple in tow.
Only now did Lin Li finally retract his spiritual energy from Ye Fan's blade. The intense bloodlust, that overwhelming desire to slaughter every living being, quickly dissipated.
"Gasp!"
As that violent urge faded, Lin Li looked around at the bloodied battlefield, inhaling sharply with a sense of dread. "That was terrifying!"
The ground was littered with corpses and the stench of blood was thick in the air. Lin Li, shaken, began to search through the bodies, collecting their life tokens and any valuable items they carried.
In the end, he found eight low-grade spirit stones and three bottles of Essence-Boosting Pills, totaling sixteen pills. To Lin Li, these fallen disciples were rather "poor," with little of value on them.
After stashing away the spoils, Lin Li gazed down at the eight life tokens arranged on the ground, feeling heavy-hearted. "I didn't intend to kill them."
In the past, Lin Li had only ever killed demonic beasts that preyed on humans, so he hadn't felt any guilt. But this time was different.
While death was not forbidden in the Seven Sect Trials, it was, after all, a competition between righteous sects. Master Guangzhi's introduction of the life token rule had been aimed at reducing fatalities.
Moreover, Lin Li was not inherently cruel. He wasn't someone who killed the innocent. This trial wasn't meant to be a bloodbath—it was just a way to earn a Foundation Establishment Pill.
And yet...
"I ended up killing so many people without even realizing it," Lin Li thought with lingering fear. These eight individuals hadn't deserved to die. They were righteous cultivators from Haoran Academy, disciples who cultivated noble qi.
"It seems this sword is too sinister!"
Lin Li glanced down at the sword in his hand, its purple-red aura swirling ominously, and thought to himself, "It evolves through slaughter, and during the bloodshed, it feeds energy back to me, allowing me to grow stronger faster. But its influence on my mind is too strong."
"I'll have to be careful from now on. I mustn't let it control me. Otherwise, it won't be me wielding the sword—it will be the sword controlling me! In the end, I'll become a slave to this sword, just a tool for its killing."
"Yet, for now, I still need this sword."
"At least…until I've avenged myself, I can't stop using it!"
Lin Li's eyes darkened, filled with resentment and determination.
…
Three days later.
"Haha! Look who we found!"
A representative from the Qi Sect, leading nine other disciples from Xuantian Sect, spotted Lin Li meditating atop a rocky outcrop. "How are you doing, Junior Brother? Still have your life tokens?"
"Hahaha!"
Another representative from the Qi Sect sneered, "Don't even mention it! He's been alone this whole time. If he's lucky and hasn't encountered other sects, maybe he still has his life token. But look at the bloodstains on him, and see how he's meditating? I'd bet another sect already beat him up, took his life tokens, and left him here to heal!"
One of the alchemy disciples frowned in concern, quickly approaching Lin Li with a porcelain bottle in hand. "Junior Brother Lin, this is a bottle of Minor Rejuvenation Pills that I've refined. They're great for healing. There are four pills left in the bottle—please take them."
"Indeed!"
Ge Hao, from the Sword Sect, also approached, saying, "Lin Li, stop being so stubborn. No matter how strong you are, two fists can't fight off four hands. If you run into a larger group, you'll still have trouble. Why not join us?"
"We've got four more life tokens, in addition to the ones we already had! That means at least one of us is guaranteed to get a Foundation Establishment Pill," boasted the representative from the Qi Sect. "If you know what's good for you, you'll stick with us. We might even share some life tokens with you, and you'll have a chance at getting a Foundation Establishment Pill."
"Otherwise…"
"Otherwise, what?"
Lin Li finally ended his meditation, opening his eyes. His gaze was sharp and filled with energy.