Everyone present, including the few secretly watching from the top ten pavilions, was utterly stunned by Lin Xuan's terrifying talent.
Yet the man himself remained calm, even feeling a bit amused.
He naturally didn't possess such monstrous comprehension.
He had simply copied the Blazing Cloud Sword Technique, fused and absorbed it, instantly reaching Zhang Xin's level.
Coupled with his forty percent sword intent, his understanding of the sword far surpassed these Condensation Whirlpool realm disciples.
Thus, he effortlessly grasped the true essence of this technique.
As for the power displayed when he executed it, that was partly due to his physical strength amplifying the effect.
Originally, he hadn't planned to do this.
He had only intended to use the rankings to extort some cultivation resources.
But after hearing that Zhang Xin had voluntarily offered spirit stones and contribution points, and even found a good excuse for him, a sudden idea struck.
This way, he could avoid drawing resentment while still causing a stir and earning plenty of energy points.
Why not go for it?
Now, it seemed the effect was indeed good.
Lin Xuan scanned the crowd, noting the changes in everyone's expressions.
He glanced at the attribute panel floating in the void before him, where the energy points were rapidly increasing, and nodded slightly.
Then, he continued walking forward.
The crowd snapped out of their daze and followed behind him, buzzing with discussion.
"I never imagined Lin Xuan's comprehension of swordsmanship was this terrifying!"
"So that physical strength was just a minor trick; his real skill lies in swordsmanship!"
"As expected of the sect's number one genius, too strong!"
"I wonder who he'll target next?"
"Getting some guidance from Senior Brother Lin Xuan and improving in martial arts isn't too bad a deal."
"Yeah, but it's still a bit of a loss, since that many contribution points and spirit stones could hire an Inner Sect Elder at the Spirit Opening Realm for a session."
"But it's better than nothing, and at least you won't end up as badly injured as Tian Guangliang."
"True, none of us are a match for a freak like Senior Brother Lin, so it's better to hand it over willingly."
"..."
The disciples chatted as they closely followed Lin Xuan.
Gone were their earlier unease and reluctance.
Soon, Lin Xuan stopped outside the thirteenth pavilion.
From the crowd, a white-robed youth carrying a long sword stepped forward, approached Lin Xuan, and cupped his hands:
"Senior Brother Lin, here are 200,000 contribution points and 10,000 low-grade spirit stones as payment. Please guide me in swordsmanship."
This was the owner of the thirteenth pavilion, Zhou Zhiquan, who also used a sword.
After witnessing the power of Lin Xuan's casual strike earlier, he estimated he couldn't even block that one blow. Knowing he was no match, he stepped forward voluntarily, handed over his savings, and requested Lin Xuan's guidance.
His Clear Water Sword Technique had also hit a bottleneck, unable to advance.
Though he could use his savings to hire an Inner Sect Elder, he'd never been able to make up his mind.
Now, under duress, he had finally decided.
"Alright."
Lin Xuan accepted the storage ring, transferred the contribution points to his identity token, and revealed a slight smile.
Indeed, the further ahead, the greater the rewards.
Too bad he couldn't do it too many times.
Otherwise, attracting the attention of the higher-ups would be troublesome.
After all, he was exploiting a loophole in the sect rules.
Fortunately, his outstanding performance had earned him the title of the sect's number one genius.
As long as he didn't go too far, the sect's higher-ups would turn a blind eye.
So, he had to control the limit.
After some thought, he decided to extort only three people.
Any more would be unwise.
Then, Lin Xuan glanced at an Inner Sect Elder at the late Spirit Opening Realm standing by a window on the second floor of a pavilion a thousand meters to the left.
For instance, that elder was there to warn him that he had reached his limit.
If he continued, the elder would step in to stop him.
With that, Lin Xuan withdrew his gaze and said:
"Demonstrate the sword technique you specialize in."
Of course, this was just an excuse to buy some time.
Enough to copy the technique, fuse it, and absorb it.
"Yes! Senior Brother Lin, I practice the Clear Spring Sword Art!"
Zhou Zhiquan's eyes lit up with joy as he quickly nodded and moved aside to demonstrate.
...
A few minutes later, Lin Xuan prepared to turn and leave.
Behind him, Zhou Zhiquan was full of gratitude.
The surrounding disciples wore expressions of disbelief and astonishment, their hearts filled with shock.
Clearly, Lin Xuan had effortlessly grasped the true essence of the Clear Spring Sword Art and, after guiding Zhou Zhiquan, had greatly improved his swordsmanship.
That was why everyone reacted this way.
Lin Xuan also looked satisfied.
This time, he had earned tens of thousands of spirit stones and hundreds of thousands of contribution points, enough to cultivate for a while and break through to the Condensation Whirlpool realm.
Just then, a voice called out from behind.
"Senior Brother Lin, please wait!"
Lin Xuan turned around and saw a tall young man with a slight resemblance to Wu Mengna walking quickly toward him.
"Wu Jie?!"
Lin Xuan raised an eyebrow, looking at the newcomer's attribute panel.
It was none other than Wu Mengna's backer in the inner sect, ranked ninth on the rankings.
Wu Jie truly lived up to being in the top ten; his attribute panel was several times stronger than the other ranked disciples present.
Of course, compared to the true disciple Xu Anlan, he was still far behind.
"What, you want to avenge your sister Wu Mengna? Fine, accept my challenge, and you'll get your chance!"
Lin Xuan said coldly.
He had only come to earn some cultivation resources and didn't plan to change his residence for now.
But if Wu Jie wanted trouble, he wouldn't mind fighting.
Among the inner sect disciples, aside from the top three, no one else was worth his concern.
"No, Senior Brother Lin, you misunderstand."
Wu Jie gave a bitter smile and quickly explained:
"I'm here to apologize on behalf of my younger sister for her rudeness."
"Oh? Is that so?"
Lin Xuan looked surprised, caught off guard.
He hadn't expected this.
Wu Jie was in the top ten; shouldn't he have some pride?
Why was he backing down so quickly?
This didn't match the rumors in the inner sect.
Lin Xuan was puzzled.
"Yes, this is my apology gift. Please accept it, Senior Brother Lin.
Also, I promise I won't let my sister bother Junior Brother Zhang Chen again."
Wu Jie spoke sincerely, not seeming to be lying.
He handed over a storage ring.
Lin Xuan didn't respond at first, taking the ring and inspecting it.
"30,000 low-grade spirit stones!"
Lin Xuan's heart leaped as he saw the dense, glittering pile of low-grade spirit stones inside the ring.
He hadn't expected Wu Jie to offer such a generous apology.
After all, the three he had extorted earlier—Tian Guangliang, Zhang Xin, and Zhou Zhiquan—had only yielded a little over 3,000 spirit stones combined.
Yet Wu Jie alone had given this much.
Three times the amount.
Lin Xuan was genuinely shaken.