Chapter 165: Ranking Match Invitation

The floor cracked, and the ceiling collapsed. The swirling debris and dust completely enveloped Yun Che's area, making it impossible to see anything.

"Ah?" Ling Jie exclaimed at that moment, as he suddenly realized the connection between himself and his sword had vanished. Just then, from within the dust, a silver longsword spun out, tracing a long arc through the air before landing in front of Ling Jie. The moment it hit the ground, it emitted a piercing *clink*, and the formerly intact sword suddenly shattered like fragile glass, scattering into countless fragments.

Ling Jie stood there dumbfounded, staring at the sword fragments at his feet, unable to react for a long time.

The dust at the hall entrance finally began to settle, and Yun Che, dragging his heavy sword, slowly walked over. His expression was remarkably calm, showing no trace of having just exerted himself to the limit.

"Little brother Ling Jie, I've also blocked your third sword... You've... lost." Yun Che said slowly as he stood before Ling Jie. He had blocked the third sword with extreme difficulty, and there was a hint of cheating involved. He had used two strikes in succession—*Falling Moon Sinking Star* and *Heaven Wolf Slash*—to forcibly parry Ling Jie's single sword. However, Ling Jie had only clamored about him blocking three swords, not specifying how many strikes it would take.

Ling Jie looked at Yun Che, then at the broken sword on the ground, and said in a daze, "I actually lost... You actually blocked my *Piercing Sun*... and even shattered my sword..."

"Many people in the villa can withstand this sword of mine head-on, but their profound energy is much higher than mine, and they are much older, so it's nothing remarkable for them to block it. You're only in the True Profound Realm, yet you actually managed to block it..." At this point, Ling Jie's eyes suddenly lit up, and he stared intently at Yun Che: "You're simply too amazing! To be this strong in the True Profound Realm, if you reach the Spirit Profound Realm, I won't be your opponent at all. No wonder such a beautiful Princess sister would fancy you; you really do seem worthy of Princess sister."

Yun Che quirked a corner of his mouth and said, "That's useless talk. Have you forgotten what you're supposed to do after losing? As a true man, you must be responsible for your words! Otherwise, you're not fit to be called a man."

"Hmph!" Ling Jie scoffed, naturally saying, "Of course I, Ling Jie, won't go back on my word. It's just acknowledging you as my boss; what's the big deal?"

After speaking, he genuinely took a step forward and said with a cheeky grin, "Ahem, Boss Yun Che, I, Ling Jie, admit defeat. From now on, I'm your little brother. Um, Boss, how did you become so powerful in the True Profound Realm? As a boss, you definitely can't be stingy with your little brother; you absolutely must give me some pointers on this! If I could be like you, I might even be able to challenge my big brother now! I wouldn't have to get beaten black and blue by him every time."

Ling Jie's straightforward admission surprised Yun Che somewhat. And from his demeanor, he seemed neither artificial nor forced; there was genuine curiosity and even admiration in his eyes!

Clearly, Yun Che using his True Profound Realm profound energy to directly counter one of Ling Jie's ultimate moves and even shatter his sword had indeed caused a significant psychological impact on him.

Yun Che chuckled and said, "Well, that depends on whether you're a qualified little brother. If you're qualified and satisfy me, your boss, I might just tell you."

Ling Jie's eyes instantly brightened, and he exclaimed excitedly, "Really? Wow! If you're really willing to tell me, never mind being your little brother, I'd even become your disciple!"

Ling Yun walked over, gave Yun Che a faint, sincere smile, and said, "Brother Yun, when I first arrived in Imperial City, I heard rumors about you everywhere, but I didn't pay them much mind then. Now, seeing it with my own eyes, it far exceeds the rumors. I believe Little Jie is also genuinely convinced by his defeat."

After speaking, Ling Yun gave Yun Che a meaningful glance and turned to Lan Xueruo, saying, "Your Royal Highness, my brother and I came to Imperial City this time to deliver an invitation to your esteemed Royal Family. Please accept it, Your Royal Highness."

Ling Yun took out a light golden invitation card and handed it to Lan Xueruo. He continued, "In half a year, we will welcome your esteemed Royal Family to our villa. It would be most wonderful if Your Royal Highness could grace us with your personal presence. With Brother Yun, such an exceptionally talented individual, by the Princess's side this time, I believe that in three years, your esteemed Royal Family will surely shine brightly because of Brother Yun... Our mission is complete, and we shall take our leave now."

Ling Yun bowed to Lan Xueruo and Yun Che. Without waiting for Lan Xueruo to respond, he pulled Ling Jie along. "Little Jie, we should go."

"Huh? Go? But I haven't asked Boss how to become so powerful in the True Profound Realm... Ahhh!"

Ling Jie couldn't finish his sentence before Ling Yun had pulled him far away with his mysterious and unpredictable profound movement technique. The next second, Ling Jie's voice echoed from far outside the main hall: "Boss, you must visit Heavenly Sword Villa when you have time... I want those guys to know what a true genius is! I can defeat them in the True Profound Realm... Ahhh, Big Brother, don't drag me!"

Ling Yun had taken out the invitation, spoken his piece, and immediately pulled Ling Jie away. The entire process happened in a flash, catching Lan Xueruo off guard; she didn't even have time to say goodbye. She looked in the direction of the hall entrance and said in surprise, "Ling Yun has a very calm and humble temperament. Why would he suddenly leave in such a hurry? Did something urgent come to mind?"

No sooner had she spoken than Yun Che swayed beside her, then knelt on one knee, supporting himself with his heavy sword. His face paled, and a mouthful of blood gushed out, staining a large patch of the floor in front of him.

"Ah! Junior Brother Yun!" Lan Xueruo's face turned ashen with alarm. She hastily supported Yun Che and asked anxiously, "Junior Brother Yun, what's wrong? Are you injured? Is it serious?"

Yun Che leaned most of his weight on his heavy sword, shook his head, and forced a pale smile. "Sister, don't worry, I'm fine. Ling Jie's sword... it's incredibly overbearing. Although I forcibly blocked it just now, I still sustained some internal injuries. The reason Ling Yun left so quickly... is because he saw I was trying to suppress my injuries and wanted to help me save face."

Lan Xueruo quickly took out a Mid-grade Heaven Returning Pellet. She watched Yun Che consume it, and only when his complexion gradually improved did she finally breathe a sigh of relief. "I knew that since Junior Brother Yun dared to make a bet with Ling Jie, you must have been confident enough. But I was still so nervous just now. Although Ling Jie looks very young, those from Heavenly Sword Villa are all prodigies; their strength cannot be measured by ordinary standards. But thankfully, you still won, and you actually made him your little brother."

The Great Way of the Buddha began to circulate, healing Yun Che's injuries at an astonishing speed. Listening to Lan Xueruo's words, he shook his head and said, "That was just a spur-of-the-moment idea because I saw Ling Jie's youthful temperament. Although he agreed, it doesn't truly bind him to anything. I just hope it might offer some convenience in certain aspects in the future, after all, he is the son of the Heavenly Sword Villa Master."

"By the way, the invitation Ling Yun and the others brought... could it be?"

Lan Xueruo took out the invitation. "Father Emperor was right; it's the invitation for the next Cangfeng Ranking Tournament. Invitations for each tournament are sent out half a year in advance to give participating forces enough time to prepare."

"So, there's still half a year until the next Cangfeng Ranking Tournament?" Yun Che asked in surprise.

"Yes," Lan Xueruo nodded. "Indeed, only half a year remains. However, Junior Brother Yun, you don't need to rush, because you won't participate in the next tournament, but the one after that."

"The one after that? Why?" Yun Che's brow furrowed. He remembered Ling Yun's parting words: "I believe that in three years, your esteemed Royal Family will surely shine brightly because of Brother Yun..." Three years from now? Did Ling Yun also mean the Cangfeng Ranking Tournament after next?

Lan Xueruo explained, "The Cangfeng Ranking Tournament is held every three years. As the name suggests, it's a competition that determines the ranking of forces within the Cangfeng Empire. However, the participants are not the strongest individuals from each force, because no force, especially large ones, would ever expose their full strength. So, a 'strongest' competition is simply unrealistic. Instead, the ranking is determined by a competition among the younger generation. The heights achieved by the younger generation are sufficient to demonstrate a force's foundation and overall strength, making this method of ranking fundamentally the fairest."

"For each Cangfeng Ranking Tournament, approximately five hundred forces are invited. Each force can send a maximum of three young disciples to participate, and the highest ranking achieved by their disciples determines the force's overall rank. The age of participating disciples is limited to sixteen to twenty years old; those younger than sixteen or older than twenty are not allowed to participate. There's a bone age test before the tournament, so cheating is impossible. Therefore, to maximize combat strength, the age of participating disciples is usually concentrated around twenty, nineteen, or eighteen, with very few under eighteen. Junior Brother Yun is only seventeen, and his starting point was low, so he's not suitable to participate in the next Cangfeng Ranking Tournament. By the tournament after that, Junior Brother Yun will be twenty and will have three years of accumulation, which will be the optimal time for him to participate."

"I see." Yun Che slowly nodded. After a moment of silence, he suddenly asked, "Sister, what was the profound energy level of the first-place winner of the previous Cangfeng Ranking Tournament?"

Lan Xueruo answered without hesitation, "The first-place winner of the previous Cangfeng Ranking Tournament was Ling Yun, whom you just met."

"It was him?" Yun Che murmured.

"Junior Brother Yun, what do you think of Ling Yun?" Lan Xueruo asked.

Yun Che thought for a moment and slowly said, "Ling Jie's talent is astonishing, almost monstrous, but I at least had the courage to confront him with three swords. But Ling Yun, he gives me a feeling of unfathomable depth. Even his character is pure and untainted, making it impossible to feel any ill will towards him. One could say he is... flawless."

"Your assessment is very similar to my Father Emperor's," Lan Xueruo said with a sigh. "Father Emperor gave him the 'flawless' assessment when he first met Ling Yun. If nothing unexpected happens, he will still participate in the upcoming Cangfeng Ranking Tournament."

"Oh," Yun Che responded, then his brow twitched in surprise. "You mean... he'll still participate in this one? So, he's still under twenty years old? Then in the previous tournament, he must have been only..."

"That's correct. He was only seventeen years old when he won first place in the previous Cangfeng Ranking Tournament," Lan Xueruo said. "His profound cultivation at that time was Spirit Profound Realm Level Nine."

Seventeen years old, Spirit Profound Realm Level Nine... Yun Che took a sharp breath.

"While Spirit Profound Realm Level Nine at seventeen is incredibly astonishing, Ling Yun's strength was far beyond that level. In the finals, his opponent was Mu Lingxue, the top disciple of Frozen Cloud Asgard. At that time, Mu Lingxue was twenty years old, with profound energy reaching the peak of Spirit Profound Realm Level Ten, only half a step away from the Earth Profound Realm. She was the highest-level participant among all disciples in that tournament. But against Ling Yun... she only lasted seven moves against him... and that was with Ling Yun not even using his full strength."

Yun Che: "..."

"Three years have passed, and Ling Yun's profound energy has reached an even more astounding height. Under the age of twenty, he is undeniably the top individual in the entire Cangfeng Empire; no one would deny this. In the Cangfeng Ranking Tournament, major sects fiercely compete for rankings, especially Frozen Cloud Asgard, Xiao Sect, and Burning Heaven Clan. They fight tooth and nail to secure second place, but they've never considered replacing Heavenly Sword Villa from its first position. Because Heavenly Sword Villa's top position has always been unshakeable, just as there are no young disciples in any sect who can match Ling Yun."