Ding Hao could not help but secretly sigh.
Based purely on appearance, this woman was indeed startling.
However, her cold and arrogant expression looked like an unmelting ice glacier. Even her profile felt as if she held herself several thousand miles aloof from others. This made Ding Hao feel rather uncomfortable.
This young woman had to be the handsome young man's cousin whom he referred to as Li Yi Ruo.
There were two maidservants wearing light armor standing beside her. Their expressions were just as cold and stern.
Ding Hao glanced at them casually and discovered that the horses that these people rode all had hair that was as black as ink. The horses were more than two meters tall and their four legs were strong and nimble, just like ferocious beasts. They were Dark Cloud Lion Beasts which were also called half-demon horses. It was said that they possessed a demonic bloodline. They could travel 5000 miles in the day and 1500 at night. They were extremely handsome and each horse was worth several thousand dollars.
Furthermore, all these people wore armor that made from demonic beast leather. They were expensive and light and were better than steel armor.
It was evident that these people had extraordinary backgrounds, and were definitely from powerful families.
Ding Hao was unwilling to get into more trouble and he took off far away. He did not want to interact with such people.
The warrior called Chen Wu quickly set up a simple tent.
The other burly warriors began to cook by the Sword-cleansing Pond, causing a bustle by it.
Moments later, another odd change occurred.
The thunderous sounds of horse hooves clopping rang once again on the distant mountain road. The sound was even louder than what the handsome young man and his party had made.
Moments later, dust flew across the air. A large team of riders rushed out of the woods.
The party wore white armors and had white horses. It was as if they were a ball of snow rolling across the land, galloping like the wind. They came next to the pond in the blink of an eye.
The leader of the party was also a young man who was large and burly. He had a large face and ears, and his eyebrows were like blades. He was extremely intimidating and wore white armor and a white cloak. His black hair danced in the wind wildly like a waterfall. His eyes glinted with stars. He had a long sword tied to his waist and he looked strong and carefree.
The strapping young man pulled his reins and yelled out loud. He swept his eyes across the people by the pond, and when he saw the beautiful young woman in white, his eyes brightened. He then turned to look at the pale-faced handsome young man and laughed loudly. He said, "I didn't think that the cowards from Xiyang Town would reach before us. Li Canyang, you ran faster than a damned rabbit when you encountered ferocious beasts yesterday in the wilderness!"
"I have to rush to get to the Swordsmanship-seeking Sect. I naturally do not have time to waste with those beasts."
The pale-faced young man, Li Canyang said coldly, "But you, Xiao Chengxuan, the young master of Qingyang Town, insist on fighting with a group of beasts just to showcase your abilities. I see you're missing six guards, are they dead? Hehe, you disregard the lives of your guards just for your own pleasure. I, Li Canyang, really can't do something so stupid!"
"You..." The beefy young man, Xiao Chengxuan glared at him angrily.
The two parties seemed to have met earlier, but the relationship between the two was not pleasant. It was likely that the two parties had had a slight skirmish before.
And listening to their tones, it was likely that they were children of noble families in the distant human settlement town who had come to Swordsmanship-seeking Sect to study. The guards of both sides were mostly warriors in the Martial Student Realm. The two young men and the young woman all had a good martial arts foundation and were about to enter the Martial Student Realm.
Both sides seemed to come to a standstill.
Xiao Chengxuan laughed coldly and ordered his guards to set up simple tents by the Sword-cleansing Pond as well. They were going to stop here some ten odd meters away from the other party. While the two did not have any direct confrontations, but there was no lack of verbal sparring.
Ding Hao did not wish to have any dealings with these people. He sat far away by the Sword-cleansing Pond, and the rusty sword balanced on his knee. He took this time to cultivate and move the Qi in his body, constantly nourishing his physical body.
The startling beauty named Li Yiruo seemed to be a neat freak. She went to the Sword-cleansing Pond, under the company of two maidservants dressed like female warriors, and began to get water to wash. Then, she quickly changed into a set of tight and white warrior clothing. She rolled up her pants and began to play by the side of the pond.
The girl's delicate and white feet were like sheep-fat jade. Her elegant toes were painted a vibrant red and her pale calves were beautiful beyond compare. It was startling and moving. One would be startled by her beauty and blush just looking at her from afar.
The warriors of both parties, including Li Canyang and Xiao Chengxuan, would all occasionally glance at her.
Everyone was attracted by the perfect and flawless beauty of the girl.
Only Ding Hao sat in the distance, with his eyes tightly closed. He focused on moving his Qi as if he could not hear or see anything.
Even though he wore cloth clothing, he seemed to exude a feeling that he did not belong to this world. His aura floated like those of deities, making him seem extremely handsome.
Li Yiruo quickly noticed Ding Hao.
Of course, the proud little swan only had to turn her lips slightly, and an arrogant and disdainful curve appeared at the corners of her beautiful lips.
She had seen too many of such young men in the past who tried to attract her attention by behaving that was unlike others. This sort of behavior was ludicrous and childish to Li Yiruo. She would not lower herself to pay attention to the poor lad who wore cheap clothing and did not have a future just because of her boring curiosity.
As time passed, noon approached and the sun grew hotter and hotter.
Odd things happened every year. But there was an exceptional number of such incidents this year.
It was unknown when a strange black shadow slowly approached from the large land by the forest in the distance.
It was a thin and weak stumbling figure. It seemed to be almost losing all its strength. It stumbled slowly, but determinedly towards the Sword-cleansing Pond.
Only when it got closer could one see clearly that it was a thin and weak young man who was about 14.
His rough cloth clothing was already in tatters, torn in strips by thorns. His exposed skin was filled with dirt and was bleeding. His black hair was tangled together messily like straw. His thin and weak arms and calves were exposed, and on the surface of his tanned skin, were various types of injuries.
The mysterious young man carried a bamboo basket on his back.
There was a torn piece of cloth covering the basket. No one knew what was it and it looked slightly heavy.
His stumbled barefooted, seeming to be a little dizzy as he swayed forward, stepping on the burning hot sand step by step as if he was carrying a large mountain on his back. There was a pair of eyes under his messy hair those were as bright as the stars in the night sky. They held an indescribable charm as if they would make one's heart shatter and feel intoxicated when they saw them.
"Water...water..."
When he saw the Sword-cleansing Pond, the tanned young man was startled. He moved faster, stumbling and rushing towards it.
When he finally reached the pond, he had evidently used up all the strength in his body. He carefully put down the basket by the pond, wanting to kneel and scoop up the clear water with both hands. However, there was a plop and he accidentally fell into the shallow waters and reeds. He did not even bother to climb up. He just laid in the water and gulped down the water greedily.
Except, the mysterious tanned teen had too much filth on him. Upon meeting the pond water, dark wisps quickly spread through the pond water. "Sister, sister, Ding Ding is thirsty. I want to drink water too!" A tender young voice of a little girl suddenly sounded from the basket. When the "young man" heard the voice, he quickly climbed up from the water. He scooped up a handful of clear water and lifted the tattered cloth from the basket. There was a seemingly pale jade-carved little girl in it. She looked to be only two or three and had her hair tied up like goat horns. Her large eyes were filled with innocence and were as clear as black pearls. Her pale and chubby cheeks and dazed expression made her look extremely adorable. Ding Hao could not help but immediately think of his sister Ding Ke'er when he saw the intelligent and cute girl. The little girl shrieked in joy and lowered her head to take a few sips of wat
Of course, Xiao Chengxuan's cheers also meant to embarrass Li Canyang and those from Xiyang Town. Ding Hao's attack had angered the arrogant and cold Li Yiruo. "Who are you? How dare you hurt my maidservant?" Li Yiruo had already changed into her boots. Her white female warrior costume showed off her curvaceous and sexy figure. It was unlike a body possessed by a 14 or 15-year-old girl. She had a cold smile on her face, looking proud and mighty like a peacock. Her eyes were sinisterly cold. "We are not allowed to be noisy or fight by the Sword-cleansing Pond of the Swordsmanship-seeking Sect." Ding Hao was also a stubborn person. He laughed coldly and said, "If she dares to make another move, she would not just be simply hurt." The pale-faced young man Li Canyang heard this and felt weak as he thought of something. He frowned and asked, "Are you a disciple of the Swordsmanship-seeking Sect?" Ding Hao l
The young man's appearance was ordinary, but he was a master of swordsmanship! The Swordsmanship-seeking Sect was indeed the largest sect in the thousand-mile radius. Its power was unfathomable. The young man dressed ordinarily and did not seem to be someone important. However, his swordsmanship was stunning. Could it be that the Swordsmanship-seeking Sect disciples were all so talented? Everyone was shocked. Clang! Just then, a cluster of sparks suddenly erupted in the battle. This was the first time Ding Hao's rusted sword and Chen Wu's long sword met. The two figures collided and parted immediately. Ding Hao swayed, but his expression remained unchanged. He kept his sword and stood on the spot. However, Chen Wu stumbled and took four or five steps back. His face flushed red and then, he gained his foothold. Chen Wu breathed in rapidly and held his sword by its hilt with the sword pointing down. This was the sta
"Hey, don't look at me like that. I'm serious. Hehe, what do you think of my sister? She's a super beautiful lady. If you're interested in her, I can help you." The little girl looked at the large tree in the distance and pouted. She finished one of Ding Hao's meat biscuits in a few bites and her mouth was covered with scraps. Her chubby hand reached out at a lightning-fast speed and snatched up a second biscuit. Ding Hao was speechless. The pony-tailed little girl was rather odd. Honestly speaking, Ding Hao had helped them out earlier was not just because he didn't like Li Yiruo's arrogance. The stubbornness and strength in the mysterious girl's beautiful eyes, as well as the weakness of the two girls depending on each other, had struck a chord in the deep part of his heart. Ding Hao was reminded of the hardship he and Ding Ke'er had endured as they depended on each other. And thus, helped them out under the risky guise of pretending to be a Swordsman
Some cheered in joy as they had passed the first round. While others wailed out loud and tried to commit suicide because they failed. Scenes of joys and tribulations of life played out in the wide square. Ding Hao arrived at the registration area at the edge of the square. This was the test center of the "Bone-age test" which was the first of the five major tests. One would pass the test as long as the results showed that they were truly less than 15. And only through passing the test, would the registrant be qualified to take the other tests so that they would not waste time. A white-haired elder wearing a silver long robe sat on an old bamboo rocking chair silently as he monitored the works at the registration counter. There were more than ten other third-generation disciples wore red robes with black trims who wore a sharp ring on their fingers. They would sweep it over each registrant's body and after a slight analysis, report
The third generation disciple opened his mouth wide in shock, stuttering in excitement after being stunned for a while, "Number 89, Xiao Chengxuan, Grade A+ for gold element." Even the few elders in silver robes who squinted their eyes over the distance rushed over upon hearing the news. The leading elder, who looked as brave and ferocious as a lion, nodded satisfyingly upon seeing the golden flames erupted out of the stone egg. He smiled and said, "Not bad, the first Grade A+ prodigy today is finally discovered. Looks like this would be another genius in our populous Swordsmanship-seeking Sect!" The other elder whispered a few words to the third generation disciple. The disciple then hastily recorded something on his document. It was apparent that Xiao Chengxuan, who came from Qingyang town, had become a major focus of the sect. All the guards from Qingyang Town cheered delightedly as they were happy for the talent of th
"Oh? It's you?" Chirped a woman below the stage. "Why are you taking this test? I guess you're not a Swordsmanship-seeking Sect disciple! Haha, I thought you were so powerful, but it turns out you're only a piece of trash that fails at all five elements. Get down here!" Ding Hao looked down. The genius girl who had just finished taking the test, Li Yiruo, was looking at him mockingly. "You know this piece of trash?" "Haha, did you hear her? Lady Li is telling you to go down." "You failed all five elements. Get lost." A group of young men who were trying to impress Li Yiruo saw that the lady had a grudge against the man on the stage, and they all immediately began heckling him to get her attention. Ding Hao chuckled coldly. For some reason, he actually felt stronger, and all his worries disappeared. He stepped out and pressed his hands on the sixth testing egg. Boom!
Ding Hao silently handed his badge over and calmly left the stage. There was no point in arguing with a lowlife like him. In the distant perimeter of the testing arena, two young men stood on top of an ancient tree. They did not seem to be hiding, but the crowds below them, including the first elder of the elder gate, Liu Wenkuang, could not see them or sense their auras. It was a very strange sight. "Senior Brother Leng, what do you see?" asked Shi Feizhou with a smile. He was wearing a yellow suit, and his long blonde hair was tied back with golden thread. "I believe there has only been a god-level genius once six years ago." The other replied. He wore a snow-white robe, with long black hair carelessly draping over his shoulder, and he gave off an icy aura. Swordsmanship-seeking Sect disciples were roughly divided into the five levels of name, outer gate, inner gate, successor, and core. These two were top