Yun Ge looked at the majestic figure of Mu Jinyu on the platform, his eyes flickering with light, full of yearning, envy, and a bit of disappointment.
He understood that given the strength Wei Ziping had just shown, especially his comprehension of the Self Realm, if he were to fight him, he would most likely lose at Wei Ziping's hands!
If it hadn't been for Mu Jinyu clashing with Wei Ziping, he might have been the one defeated on the platform, becoming a stepping stone for Wei Ziping.
It turns out that, unknowingly, he had fallen from first to third on the List of Outstanding Talents.
Yun Ge's heart was filled with complex emotions, glad for the emerging talents in the sect, yet saddened by his own situation.
Mu Jinyu wasn't aware of Yun Ge's thoughts. He glanced at the unconscious Wei Ziping and said to the Examiner Elder, "How should he be dealt with?"
The Examiner Elder ascended into the air, landed beside Wei Ziping, carefully checked him over, and secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Fortunately, Mu Jinyu was measured in his strike; Wei Ziping's injuries were not too severe. With proper care, he could still participate in the Four Sects Martial Meeting and contribute to the sect!
Then, the Examiner Elder called a few people to carry Wei Ziping away.
He simultaneously announced, "Wei Ziping, losing the ability to fight again, has failed the Actual Combat Assessment. His rank on the List of Outstanding Talents falls from second to third, with Mu Jinyu taking his original rank."
As the Examiner Elder's voice fell, Mu Jinyu felt his identity token at his waist flash with light.
He let his Divine Sense flow into it, and found that his ranking on the List of Outstanding Talents had indeed risen from third to second.
"Quite fascinating,"
Mu Jinyu remarked with a smile.
At his current strength, he was already prepared to leave the Heavenly Sword Faction, so he was no longer very concerned about the ranking and rewards on the List of Outstanding Talents.
Therefore, after defeating Wei Ziping, he did not destroy his identity token to seize the second place on the list.
But he had not expected that the Inner Gate assessment would have such an effect.
This also saved the loser the trouble of reissuing an identity token.
Of course, while Mu Jinyu wanted to leave the Heavenly Sword Faction, he had gained much from it and naturally couldn't leave just like that.
He would first help the Heavenly Sword Faction acquire enough resources at the Four Sects Martial Meeting, and then at the Hidden Dragon Conference, he would fight for some Dragon Vein Qi Luck for the faction!
If he succeeded, the Heavenly Sword Faction's fortune would grow, inevitably becoming a breeding ground for talent, no longer confined to the small territory of the Yan Kingdom.
This would also be a repayment of the Heavenly Sword Faction's nurturing of him over this time.
Thinking this way, Mu Jinyu looked at the carried-away Wei Ziping, then walked over to pick up the Sacred Wood Branch that had been knocked down before, and pointed it towards Yun Ge not far below the platform, saying, "Brother Yun, let us fight!"
"Ah?!"
Yun Ge snapped back to reality at Mu Jinyu's words, slightly dazed, then said, "You want to challenge me now?"
He did not mean, are we not on good terms, why challenge me now?
Instead, he meant you just fought Wei Ziping, you must be exhausted; wouldn't it be better to rest a bit before challenging me?
Mu Jinyu smiled and said, "I'm not very tired. The sooner we finish the challenge, the sooner it's over."
Yun Ge felt a bit uneasy hearing these slightly dismissive words from Mu Jinyu.
He thought, yes, I'm probably not your match now, but I won't avoid your challenge, so why humiliate me like this?
Yun Ge's fingers clenched unconsciously, then he nodded, "Very well."
With that, Yun Ge soared into the air, landing on the Combat Platform, opposite to Mu Jinyu, his aura suddenly surging.
For a moment, the surrounding Heaven and Earth Vital Energy seemed disturbed, forming two indistinct vortices of Elemental Qi above their heads!
The crowd below saw that Mu Jinyu finally was going to fight Yun Ge, and couldn't help but hold their breaths, feeling tense and expectant.
Meanwhile, Chen Qiuqiao, Wu Lei, and Li Xiaoxiao had complex expressions as they watched the two opponents on the Combat Platform, filled with mixed feelings.
Half a month ago, they still looked down on Mu Jinyu, thinking that despite his Spirit Root, he wasn't their match and that it would take a few years for him to catch up to them.
Who could have thought that in just half a month?
Mu Jinyu first easily defeated them, taking first place in the Outer Gate examination, and then they all entered the Inner Gate together. While they struggled at the bottom, Mu Jinyu, performing as he did in the Outer Gate, quickly faced the top Inner Gate disciple.
And there was a high probability that he would become the new number one on the List of Outstanding Talents!
Back then, they were still on par with Mu Jinyu. Now they could only look up at his back.
"Senior Brother, please."
Mu Jinyu, unaware of Wu Lei and the others' thoughts, held the Sacred Wood Branch in one hand and slightly raised it towards Yun Ge, saying softly.
"Then, Junior Brother Mu, be careful,"
Yun Ge also didn't stand on ceremony. He knew that if he let Mu Jinyu strike first, his chances of losing would be higher.
So, politely saying a sentence, he raised his hand, took out his magic treasure sword, and performed his Wandering Dragon Technique, charging towards Mu Jinyu in an instant!
"Clang! Clang!
Mu Jinyu's eyes instantly exuded an air of imperiousness. Holding the Sacred Wood Branch, he blocked Yun Ge's fierce attacks.
Yun Ge didn't lose his composure like Wei Ziping, calmly searching for Mu Jinyu's weaknesses, trying various probing attacks. For a moment, killing intent surged, and the sword wreaked havoc!
The Combat Platform became pitted and cratered.
Mu Jinyu never fully attacked, almost always staying on the defensive, allowing Yun Ge to unleash his attacks!
Seeing this, Yun Ge thought Mu Jinyu was looking down on him, giving him a chance, and gradually stopped holding back, giving it his all!
"Golden Crow Sword Intent!"
"Galaxy Sword Intent!"
"Golden Crow Illuminating the Galaxy!"
Gradually, Yun Ge used all his Completion Stage Sword Intents, even employing a combined method of Dual Sword Intent he wasn't skilled at!
But unfortunately, all were deftly blocked by Mu Jinyu.
The crowd below watched, dazzled, but nobody thought Mu Jinyu was at a disadvantage; instead, they felt Mu Jinyu was incredible, even blocking Brother Yun's ultimate killing move.
They believed that if Wei Ziping had faced Yun Ge's full-strength killing move "Golden Crow Illuminating the Galaxy" like Mu Jinyu did, Wei Ziping would definitely have a hard time blocking it!
Yun Ge was also shocked, never expected that his full-force Dual Sword Intent "Golden Crow Illuminating the Galaxy" couldn't force Mu Jinyu back even a step.
He felt dejected, unwilling, but more than that, his blood boiled, igniting his unyielding fighting spirit!
Today, even if he lost to Mu Jinyu, he would never concede. He would lose magnificently, using up all his strength against Mu Jinyu, so he wouldn't regret his disheartened surrender today in the future!
At this moment, Mu Jinyu sensed that Yun Ge's fighting spirit had reached its peak. With a flash of his eyes, he said, "Brother Yun, you take this move too!"
"Ha!"
Finishing his words, Mu Jinyu raised the Sacred Wood Branch in his hand, striking towards Yun Ge!
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Instantly, the Great Freedom Heavenly Wood Sword Qi raged across the field, descending gigantic trees from the sky, smashing towards Yun Ge.
'Huh?'"
Seeing this, Yun Ge was also shocked, starting to defend with all his might.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
The Combat Platform trembled. Once the dust settled, Yun Ge's figure was no longer visible, instead, a gigantic wooden cage had appeared on the platform.
Yun Ge seemed to be trapped within!