Lu Lin entered the arena dueling area and saw that among the teammates who came with him, some had already been on stage. He Yu looked dejected, thinking he would be able to make a stunning debut after coming here. To this end, he only entered the Secret Battlefield for the first time after his cultivation reached the Star Dust Sixth Layer. If he had lost to a disciple with strength greater than his, he wouldn’t have been so dejected. Yet he just happened to lose to an opponent whose strength was only at the Star Dust Fifth Level. Ma Long seemed to be quite happy, though. Lu Lin, passing by his arena just now, saw Ma Long defeat an opposing disciple with a single stroke. However, Lu Lin didn’t catch the specific details. He only saw Ma Long being walked back by another disciple of the same team, grinning ear to ear. Compared to He Yu, Ma Long was undoubtedly very lucky. And then there was Zhao Feihu, the burly disciple, waiting by the arena, clearly up next. But Lu Lin glanced at Zhao Feihu’s opponent and didn’t think he stood a chance. The opponent’s strength had already reached the Star Dust Eighth Layer and judging by his appearance, he had obviously spent considerable time mixing in the Secret Battlefield, exuding a calm demeanor. Facing Zhao Feihu, such a rash individual, it would probably only take a few moves to teach him a lesson. "This disciple seems new yet he managed to cut down Team Leader Wang Song of Team Twenty-Seven, both at the ninth level, in just one stroke?" "What’s his name? I want all his information in three minutes." Just as Lu Lin found his arena, a burst of exclamation erupted from the crowd. Turning to look, he saw Jiang Huayu with an innocent expression. Muttering to himself, "So weak?" In his Master’s words, he had always been depicted as lacking progress, having no Talent. But once he entered the Secret Battlefield, he was first praised by He Yu and Zhao Feihu and others, after being assigned to a team, upon learning he had reached the Star Dust Ninth Layer, the team leader directly appointed him as deputy leader. On stage to duel, he faced another Team Leader, Wang Song, from Team Twenty-Seven. Jiang Huayu remembered, just when he got on stage, Wang Song said he’d give him a lesson. He couldn’t even take one move from him, so how was he supposed to teach him? By now, even if Jiang Huayu was a bit slow, he realized that his Master had been deceiving him for the past six months. He, Jiang Huayu, was not some waste, but clearly a genius! The exclamations from the arena also caught the attention of Fan Hong, the Inner Sect disciple responsible for organizing the duels. He shifted his gaze to Jiang Huayu, slightly frowning, "What’s going on." "Mr. Fan, this is Jiang Huayu, one of the five new disciples recently reported. He hasn’t cultivated within the sect but was instead training outside with an Elder from our Wild Blade Clan..." The person responsible for intelligence information beside him immediately explained the background of Jiang Huayu to Fan Hong. Hearing that Jiang Huayu had advanced to the Star Dust Ninth Layer with just half a year of cultivation, Fan Hong couldn’t help but show a trace of surprise. "So strong, such a talent could be of great use to me." "Transfer him to my Guard Camp." His subordinate agreed with a word and went to handle it for Fan Hong. The Wild Blade Clan has millions of disciples, but the vast majority are outer sect disciples. The Star Dust Realm, almost anyone can easily enter, the challenge lies in entering the Star Core Period. Within the Wild Blade Clan, outer sect disciples make up the majority, while inner sect disciples number less than ten thousand. Further up, the core disciples number only about a thousand, and during certain lean years, the Wild Blade Clan’s core disciples may even fall below a thousand. Direct disciples aren’t a particular rank but a form of address. Theoretically, direct disciples also belong to core disciples; it’s just that they are favored by the Sect Leader and Elders to learn from these Great Powers. But due to rules and resource limitations, most direct disciples often surpass core disciples in ability. Outer sect disciples, Star Dust Realm. Inner sect disciples, Star Core Realm. Core disciples, Star Universe Stage. And direct disciples might reach the pinnacle of the Star Universe Stage, possibly stepping into even higher tiers. Within the Wild Blade Clan, every direct disciple is a treasure of the sect. At this moment, in Fan Hong’s eyes, Jiang Huayu was someone who might reach the rank of core or even direct disciple. Or perhaps he was already a direct disciple appointed by some Elder on an external excursion? Finally, under Fan Hong’s crew’s appeasement, the dueling grounds returned to silence, allowing Lu Lin to get on stage. The disciple opposing him was also at the Star Dust Fifth Level, yet appeared flippant, seemingly not there to fight but to chat with Lu Lin. "Brother, what’s your name? I’m Zhang Jingyun, eighteen years old. How about you?" Lu Lin at first felt a little embarrassed, stating his name but not his age. The result was that this guy called Zhang Jingyun got really excited when Lu Lin responded to him. "Oh, Lu Lin, it looks like it’s your first time here at our sect’s Secret Battlefield." "Let me share a secret with you, but don’t spread it around. Our Camp Leader, Mr. Fan, actually likes..." A Star Dust Ninth-Level team leader who served as the judge couldn’t help coughing twice. In the camp that Fan Hong managed, few were unfamiliar with Zhang Jingyun. This guy’s strength wasn’t great, but he had a knack for talking about anything. Crucially, he often described things vividly, but when you went to investigate his claims, you found they were all nonsense and completely unrealistic. Of course, there were occasional instances he got things right, but in everyone’s eyes, Zhang Jingyun was still just a braggart. "Arena dueling, private chats are forbidden." "Now, the duel begins." The judge said, seeing Zhang Jingyun still trying to banter, couldn’t help but jump directly off the arena. Lu Lin, seeing Zhang Jingyun babbling, didn’t want to engage in much conversation with him either. Drawing his broken knife from the Storage Ring, he stepped forward directly. Lu Lin had also learned the basic martial skills of the Crazy Saber Sect, the Heavenly Saber Art. This time, when he used it, he was no worse than the outer sect disciples of the Wild Blade Clan, and even more skilled than many Sixth Level and Seventh Level Star Dust disciples. "Holy crap, Lu Lin, are you serious?" "I haven’t died since I came to the Battlefield Secret Realm, are you trying to give me a taste of it?" "But I have to admit, that move was impressive, almost got me." "Wow, you actually hit me." Zhang Jingyun continued to distract Lu Lin with his words as they fought. Fresh chapters posted on 𝗇𝗈𝗏𝖾𝗅✦𝖿𝗂𝗋𝖾✦𝗇𝖾𝗍 But when he was struck by Lu Lin’s knife, he realized... he was unharmed. Was Lu Lin hiding his strength, deliberately going easy on him? Zhang Jingyun showed a thoughtful expression, could it be that Lu Lin’s ability was insufficient to cause him harm. As he pondered, he saw Lu Lin’s knife coming again, but instead of dodging or blocking, he directly greeted it with his arm. A crisp sound echoed. Zhang Jingyun retreated two steps, looking at his unscathed arm, surprise showing on his face. "Lu Lin, you wouldn’t be a... failure, would you?" "Your saber technique is exquisite, but your strength seems to be less than even Star Layer One." As these words were uttered, the squad leader responsible for judging, as well as the outer sect disciples waiting at the edge of the arena, showed expressions of surprise. The Crazy Saber Sect even recruited failures? Moreover, how did this guy pass the Secret Realm assessment to enter the battlefield. Was someone cheating for him, or what. Suddenly, with this statement, a strange silence fell around the arena. Passing the assessment. These three words combined could cause quite a stir in the Crazy Saber Sect. The Battlefield Secret Realm was established specifically for selecting disciples for their actual combat abilities, to screen candidates suitable for the sect leader position. Was someone actually cheating in the Battlefield Secret Realm? This matter was no small deal. Fan Hong, observing the silent arena, furrowed his brows again. Could it be another genius has appeared? What kind of day is today, geniuses appear one after another. "Mr. Fan, it’s not that a genius has appeared, but a disciple has entered the battlefield through fraudulent means." "Do you think we should report this or just hold it here." Someone suggested to Fan Hong. But Fan Hong shook his head, staring fixedly in Lu Lin’s direction. The Battlefield Secret Realm has existed for so many years, there’s no way for cheating to occur. The sect elders and the sect leader, they wouldn’t do such a thing. And the sect stewards below this level don’t have the ability to do such a thing. Although the Wild Blade Clan is not considered a Great Sect, the sect has always been unified, rarely having internal strife. This matter couldn’t be an internal issue of the sect. So here’s the question. If not cheating, how did Lu Lin pass the assessment and reach the minimum standard to enter the Battlefield Secret Realm, implying... his Physical Strength and Spiritual Strength both achieved full marks? This is a different kind of genius. Fan Hong’s face showed a profound smile. "No need, bring that disciple to see me." Hearing the orders, his subordinates immediately went over to bring Lu Lin here. Along with the arrival was Jiang Huayu, who had just wounded his opponent severely with a single strike on the stage. Lu Lin and Jiang Huayu exchanged a glance, somewhat puzzled by what Mr. Fan was thinking. Jiang Huayu was a genius, while Lu Lin was merely a failure. Why did he get to meet Mr. Fan alongside Jiang Huayu? "Mr. Fan, Jiang Huayu and Lu Lin are here." Fan Hong sized up the two for a long while before laughing heartily. "Jiang Huayu, would you be willing to become my guard, and accumulate achievements in future battles?" Jiang Huayu’s master had already informed him about the purpose of the Battlefield Secret Realm. The Battlefield Secret Realm of the Wild Blade Clan is specifically set up to train disciples, with many sect disciples selected through battles here. In cultivation, one may focus on aptitude early on, but the senior-level will later turn their attention to those who show great resilience, extraordinary battle prowess, and unmatched luck. Because everyone has been there, they know that at higher levels of cultivation, the issues faced cannot be resolved simply by aptitude. The higher one cultivates, the less help aptitude provides. Instead, those with outstanding performance in character, nature, luck, and battle talent are able to advance boldly. The current Camp Leader Fan Hong, for instance, didn’t have exceptional Star Power talent but dared to fight in the Battlefield Secret Realm, gaining recognition from a senior inner sect brother, who gave him the chance to advance to the Star Core Realm. Looking at Lu Lin, Fan Hong’s eyes show eager light. Could this junior brother also be a battle genius like himself?