"This brat actually forced Yin Hai to use the Heaven Slaying Saber!"
Wang Lin outside the arena showed a look of shock.
The Heaven Slaying Saber is the "ultimate move" of the Blood Saber Art, equivalent to a "trump card" that can double Yin Hai's saber energy power for a short period.
Even he, a steward at the Sixth Level of Qi Sea, wasn't confident he could force Yin Hai to use such a powerful move.
"Steward Yin Hai has unleashed his trump card; this brat is doomed!"
Lin Xiong's face was filled with madness.
"Little Beast, every time I use the Heaven Slaying Saber, it consumes eighty percent of my Qi and blood, and after this battle, I'll be bedridden for three months. You can consider yourself fortunate to die by this technique!"
Yin Hai summoned the blood-colored heavenly saber, his face slightly pale.
"What powerful saber energy!"
Lin Yan felt a chill run through his body. His sixth sense told him that if he made the slightest mistake, this saber strike would turn him into dust.
"If I only rely on my normal combat strength, I definitely can't withstand this move! I have to use my hidden trump card!"
The so-called hidden trump card refers to the "Hidden Realm."
Although he had cultivated the Hidden Realm, the power he normally used was only from the Ninth Layer of Qi Cultivation. The reason his combat power was so much stronger than before was purely due to the qualitative change in his True Qi brought by the Hidden Realm.
But he hadn't truly unleashed the power of the Hidden Realm.
"Roar!"
The moment he activated the Hidden Realm, Lin Yan's aura instantly surged more than tenfold. The sheer magnitude of his True Qi even surpassed that of a martial artist at the Triple Layer of Qi Sea Realm.
He unleashed the Blood Dragon Fist Seal again, its power surging more than ten times.
With the same punch, which could originally only block the ordinary saber energy of the Blood Saber Art, it could now shatter even the ultimate move saber energy with the Golden Sacred Dragon.
The terrifying force impacted Yin Hai, sending him spewing blood. Several of his ribs were broken, and he looked utterly miserable. He stared at Lin Yan in horror:
"How can your strength increase so much all of a sudden? Did you take a pill? You cheated!"
"I need to use a pill to deal with you? You think too highly of yourself."
Lin Yan shook his head. He didn't explain to Yin Hai and swung his fist, preparing to end Yin Hai's life.
"Little Beast, so what if your strength is greater than mine? You still can't kill me!"
Yin Hai roared, flipping his palm. A golden token appeared.
This golden token looked somewhat similar to the Tianlong Token, but the patterns engraved on it exuded spiritual power fluctuations.
"Rune Array?"
Lin Yan's pupils constricted.
"You do have some insight. Not bad, this item is the Golden Dragon Token. It's far more precious than a regular Tianlong Token and can only be possessed by Elder-level figures. It can activate many arrays in the Outer Mountain of the Heavenly Dragon Sword Sect!"
Yin Hai sneered, pouring the last trace of his cultivation into the Golden Dragon Token.
Boom!
The Gladiator Arena where they stood suddenly rumbled, and then an array rose from the surroundings of the arena.
"This Yin Hai is too shameless, resorting to using an array's power when he's outmatched!"
Wang Lin outside couldn't help but curse.
Even Ma Baoguo curled his lips: "That old fellow Yin Long spoils Yin Hai too much, actually giving him the Golden Dragon Token."
"Elder Ma, please step in and save that Lin Yan."
Wang Lin spoke.
"No need for me to act. That kid won't die that easily."
Ma Baoguo smiled faintly.
...
Boom! Inside the Gladiator Arena, streaks of brilliant runes interwove. This power far exceeded the combat capabilities of Lin Yan and Yin Hai. It was estimated that even the First Elder of the Lin family, Lin Xiong, would likely be forced to bleed.
With the array's enhancement, Yin Hai regained his confidence. He looked at Lin Yan with a ferocious gaze: "So what if you're an elite disciple? You'll still die by my hand in the end! My Yin family has had members in the Heavenly Dragon Sword Sect for three generations. What can you possibly do to fight me?"
"Just a rune token, and you think you've won?"
Lin Yan's expression was odd.
"Of course. Do you think you can be stronger than this array? The guardian array of this Gladiator Arena was personally set up by a powerful Spiritual Talisman Master. Even someone in the Spirit Sea Realm would need some effort to forcefully break it!"
Yin Hai said proudly.
"My strength is indeed inferior to this Rune Array, but who says I must break the array to defeat you?"
Lin Yan formed a hand seal, and then a Spirit Talisman Mark appeared.
This was a secret technique recorded in the Minor Spirit Talisman Technique that could interfere with nearby Rune Arrays.
Although interfering with an array was vastly different from breaking it, Yin Hai was ultimately an amateur and not a true Talisman Master, so he didn't know how to utilize the Rune Array. Therefore, mere interference was sufficient.
Buzz!
Heaven and earth trembled. The array, which was originally fierce and imposing, flickered unsteadily. Yin Hai tried to control it but found that the connection between the token and the array had weakened.
"Now is the time!"
Lin Yan seized this opportunity to strike, injuring Yin Hai with a punch and forcibly snatching the Golden Dragon Token.
"Not good!"
Yin Hai panicked and immediately tried to escape the arena.
But unfortunately, the Gladiator Arena was in a sealed state, and Lin Yan had already taken Yin Hai's Golden Dragon Token, leaving him with no recourse.
"Little Beast, my grandfather Yin Long is an Outer Mountain Elder, on the same level as Ma Baoguo. You dare to kill me? My grandfather will definitely not let you off!"
Seeing no escape, Yin Hai could only shout at Lin Yan.
"Do you think I'll let you off just because you say that? Ridiculous!"
Lin Yan launched a punch.
Yin Hai despaired.
Just as Yin Hai was about to be killed, the previously sealed array was suddenly opened, and a large hand reached out, saving Yin Hai.
"Elder Ma!"
Lin Yan looked up. It was Ma Baoguo, who was supervising the match.
"If you kill him, that old fellow Yin Long will spare no expense to eliminate you. Even the sect's rules won't protect you."
Ma Baoguo said calmly.
Normally, given his status, he wouldn't need to show deference to a junior and could simply order him, and the junior would not dare to disobey.
However, Lin Yan's performance was outstanding, earning his admiration. Therefore, he showed a degree of respect and explained his reasoning.
"But even if I let him go, the Yin family probably won't let me off easily..."
Lin Yan voiced his concern.
"With me here, at least on the surface, they won't dare to act rashly! If Yin Hai tries to bully you using his authority again, you can come find me directly."
Ma Baoguo took out a token containing his soul aura, a promise to Lin Yan.
"Since Elder has said so, this disciple will naturally obey."
Lin Yan cupped his fists and withdrew his killing intent.
Ma Baoguo nodded slightly, then took out a silver token and handed it to Lin Yan, saying, "This is the identity token for elite disciples. With this token, you are from now on an elite disciple of our Heavenly Dragon Sword Sect!"
"This brat rose to prominence in one step!"
Wang Lin was full of envy.
The Outer Mountain Disciples also had different ranks. The lowest were handyman disciples, followed by formal disciples, elite disciples, and then elite disciples.Reply with only the corrected sentence. (TL note: The glossary specifies 'elite disciple' for both excellent disciple and elite disciple, so here it is translated as 'elite disciple' for both ranks to maintain consistency, though in standard cultivation novels 'outstanding disciple' and 'elite disciple' would be distinct ranks.)
Elite disciples were already quite formidable in the Outer Mountain, with a status comparable to stewards.
And most importantly, Elder Ma greatly appreciated Lin Yan!
Having just joined the sect, he gained the attention of a Spirit Sea Realm powerhouse. Just this fact alone was enough to make other elite disciples envious!