The facial expression of the crowd made Lin Yun and Li Wuyou feel weird. When they stepped forward, the crowd immediately split into two and allowed them through. But when they got to the front, they suddenly heard a rumbling explosion from fights. They could sense the powerful auras leaking out.

Just sensing the origin energy’s fluctuation made Lin Yun and Li Wuyou feel that something wasn’t right. Even if everyone was in the same cultivation, there would be differences in the quality of their origin. For example, Lin Yun’s origin energy was stronger than disciples in the same cultivation because he cultivated the Iris Sword Sutra.

Cultivators were sensitive to origin energy, so they could determine the quality of origin energy from the sound alone. Lin Yun and Li Wuyou directed their gazes over and saw two ancient statues at the entrance of the Sword Tomb. Beneath the sword tomb, there were four prideful youths who stood in the way looking at everyone with disdain.

There were two people fighting and several people kneeling to the side. Coincidentally, Lin Yun recognized one of them. It was Gu Feiyun, who was ranked nineteenth on the Mortal Ranking. He was facing a grey-clothed youth and the two of them were fighting seriously. Their weapons were drawn and they were unleashing sword gleams in their attacks.

The grey-clothed youth was clearly no match for Gu Feiyun in terms of sword technique. Gu Feiyun’s sword technique was domineering and ferocious, but the grey-clothed youth’s origin energy was far more condensed. He could easily fend off Gu Feiyun’s attacks with his sword. With just a glance, Lin Yun could tell that Gu Feiyun wouldn’t be able to maintain his advantage for long.

“Big Brother, there are a few people looking at you.” Li Wuyou’s gaze fell on the few people who were kneeling beneath the stone statue.

“Oh?” Lin Yun directed his gaze over and his face changed. He saw Gu Beixuan and Chen Ling. Besides those two, there were also others that he recognized. He saw Nie Tian, Han Feng, and Wei Songhan. They were all elites whom he met back in the fight for the Imperial Sword Herb and they were ranked at the forefront of the Mortal Ranking. So who were these people blocking the way?

“Big Brother Zhong!” A familiar voice sounded out as Lin Yun was feeling baffled. He then saw Lin Yan and Lin Qiushan walking over to him. When Lin Yun directed his gaze over, he noticed Lin Qiushan’s ashen face and a trace of blood on her lips.

“What’s going on?” asked Lin Yun.

Before Lin Qiushan could even reply, Lin Yan pointed at the four blocking the way and explained, “They’re inner disciples. They’re blocking us. Anyone who wants to get through will have to pay three Swordcloud Cores to them. Three Swordcloud Cores isn’t a small amount, so naturally we’re unwilling to comply. But in the end, we were beaten by them. Senior Brother Gu and Senior Brother Chen were even used to make an example to everyone here.”

Lin Yun now knew why these people were so strong. So it turns out that they were inner disciples. With Lin Qiushan’s identity, there was no way these inner disciples would do anything to her. But Gu Beixuan and Chen Ling weren’t so lucky.

The ones kneeling by the side were all famous in the outer sect, so it was shocking to see them kneeling on the ground. Lin Yun now knew why so many people were looking at him with anticipation when they saw him arrive. But weren’t inner disciples forbidden from participating in the Alliance-Union Battle.

“They’re inner disciples ranked in the last one hundred on the Earth Ranking. If they’re not able to reach the top hundred in the Sword Tomb, they will have their identity as inner disciples taken away from them. It’s only forbidden for them to step out of the Burial Sword Peak, so it’s not against the rules for them to block the way,” sighed Lin Qiushan.

Indeed, Lin Yun knew that it wouldn’t be so easy to obtain the inner disciples’ quota. So it turns out that there was a catch. But none of them was willing to give up so easily. It wasn’t easy for them to come this far, so how could they possibly give up when the Sword Tomb was right in front of them?

Furthermore, the rules of the second round weren't determined. Who knew if they couldn’t make it into the top hundred if they didn’t give it a try? After all, the temptation of becoming inner disciples was tempting.

“Junior Brother Tian, stop playing around.” The one that seemed like the leader of the four disciples spoke with a smile.

“Got it, Senior Brother Mu Ling,” smiled the youth who was fighting Gu Feiyun. He then looked at Gu Feiyun and he said, “Game over.”

“Hmph! How arrogant, but you’re actually nothing. Now I know why you’re the last hundred on the Earth Ranking,” sneered Gu Feiyun. He didn’t think that he would lose to this inner disciple. There was no way he was giving up three Swordcloud Cores.

“Is that so?” The grey-clothed youth chuckled. “You have no idea about the terror of a spiritual cultivation technique. I’ve only been using a little more than half of my strength.”

The grey-clothed youth’s aura suddenly surged. He was also in the fifth stage of the Profound Martial Realm, but his power felt like an endless mountain range.

“Take my sword!” Gu Feiyun’s face changed after he yelled. His breathing became anxious under his opponent’s domineering aura. The grey-clothed youth swept his sword backwards and the veins on Gu Feiyun’s hands popped as they held onto the sword. The origin energy in his opponent’s sword was one fold stronger than his.

“Fine! I’ll hand it over! I have three Swordcloud Cores!” yelled Gu Feiyun.

“Too late!” The grey-clothed youth smiled sinisterly. His sword was fast like a bolt of lightning, which created a rumbling explosion. At the same time, Gu Feiyun’s sword was blown away.

Gu Feiyun threw up a mouthful of blood. The grey-clothed youth stepped forward and sent over four swords. Each sword caused blood to splatter and Gu Feiyun ultimately fell to his knees. His state was even more miserable than Chen Ling and Nie Tian.

“You’re courting death. Hmph, someone like you dares to boast with such shameless words? You’re only nineteenth on the Mortal Ranking!” The grey-clothed youth snorted. He took away Gu Feiyun’s interspatial pouch and gave him two slaps, “Kneel down obediently. Otherwise, don’t blame me if anything happens.”

Gu Feiyun’s tears fell from the slap, but he didn’t dare to refute those words. The surroundings were quiet. No one could bear seeing Gu Feiyun defeated so easily. It looked like they had no choice but to hand over the Swordcloud Cores now.

The grey-clothed youth had violence written on his face. He swept a glance at the crowd and he spoke up, “What a bunch of garbage. Do you really think that you guys can become inner disciples so easily? Hand over three Swordcloud Cores or get lost!”

All the outer disciples were filled with resent, but none of them dared to speak. Gu Feiyun and the others who were kneeling beside the stone statue clenched their fists and teeth together. Weren’t these inner disciples too much? Not only did they demand Swordcloud Cores, but they even humiliated them when there was no grudge between them.

“These people must be the Earth Ranking’s shame to be here. That’s probably why they’re venting their unhappiness on us,” whispered Li Wuyou.

“How many Swordcloud Cores do you think these people will have on them?” Lin Yun suddenly asked. His abrupt question stunned Lin Qiushan and the rest. When they recovered from their shock, they saw that Lin Yun was already walking towards the grey-clothed youth.

With a hint of concern flickering through her eyes, Lin Yan asked, “Big Sister, will Big Brother Zhong be alright? After all, these are inner disciples that we’re talking about here.”

“Don’t worry about it. My Big Brother is naturally confident about this since he’s making a move.” Li Wuyou grinned at the current situation.

“You are…?” Lin Yan looked at Li Wuyou with doubt.

“Hehe, I’m Li Wuyou of the Locket Mountain,” he responded.

“I KNOW YOU! You’re the person who killed Wang Ning with Lin Yun in the Nine-Stars Contest!” Lin Yan said with her eyes lighting up. At the same time, Lin Qiushan couldn’t help looking baffled. 

Li Wuyou?

“Where’s your Swordcloud Cores?” The grey-clothed youth asked when he saw Lin Yun walking over.

“I don’t have any,” replied Lin Yun honestly. He wasn’t like others who only refined one Swordcloud Core. He refined all five Swordcloud Cores together with the Imperial Sword Herb.

“Don’t have any? It looks like people think that I’m a pushover if I don’t kill someone!” The grey-clothed youth lost it. He had cold flickers in his eyes as he unleashed his murderous aura. The surrounding atmosphere also began to stop as everyone shivered from the chill.

“Brother Zhong, watch out!” Gu Beixuan and Chen Ling yelled out at Lin Yun. They both knew how powerful the grey-clothed youth was. Even Gu Feiyun and the rest shook their heads lightly. Zhong Yunxiao might be strong, but compared to the inner disciples, he was still inferior.

A cold light flashed and the grey-clothed youth stabbed his sword forward. His sword aimed at Lin Yun’s throat at lightning speed. This made the hearts of Lin Qiushan and everyone else tighten. On the other hand, the four youths standing beneath the statue were calmly watching this scene with a faint smile. It looked like the grey-clothed youth was finally getting serious.

However, Lin Yun easily avoided it with the Seven Profound Steps. At the same time, his mockery sounded out, “Did you learn your sword technique from a tortoise?”

“You’re courting death!” The grey-clothed youth stabbed his sword out once more. When he turned around, the immense origin energy within his body circulated violently. His sword created a powerful gale and produced a loud noise when the sword tore the air apart.

“How slow. Is this the limit of what an inner disciple is capable of?” Lin Yun avoided it perfectly once more. “Think before you swing your sword. If you miss again, you might not have another chance to swing your sword in your lifetime.”

His indifferent voice made the grey-clothed youth who was about to swing his sword for the third time feel a chill run down his spine.