It didn't take long.
The group of sword cultivators soon sensed something unusual.
Disbelief flickered across their faces.
Within this new Mystic-level sword technique, they could faintly detect traces of the Yellow-level techniques Yun Jin had demonstrated earlier. But now, those had been refined and elevated—flaws stripped away, the essence distilled into something far superior.
Wait a moment...
Had she actually created a Mystic-level sword technique on the spot, using only those Yellow-level forms as reference?
It wasn't entirely impossible.
If Cang Li, the head disciple, had done it, they'd only nod and sigh with admiration. That would be expected of someone of his standing.
But this was Yun Jin.
Yun Jin—who even was she?
She wasn't even a disciple of the Kunlun Sword Sect. How could she possibly accomplish something like this?
Everyone locked their eyes on Yun Jin as she continued to practice the technique, hoping to find some flaw, some tell that would expose her as a fraud. But right there, under their scrutiny, Yun Jin performed an entire Mystic-level technique, from beginning to end.
When she finished, she let out a light sigh. "Most of those Yellow-level techniques were low to mid-tier. So this Mystic-level technique only managed to reach a mid-tier level as well. If the Yellow-level techniques had been higher grade, I might've been able to create a high-tier Mystic one."
Her words carried clear dissatisfaction.
But the meaning behind them was unmistakable.
This technique—this Mystic-level sword technique—had been created by her.
From the moment she began practicing until now, barely an hour had passed.
"Junior Sister Yun," Jin Yu stepped forward instinctively, "this technique... did you already create it beforehand?"
Yun Jin blinked innocently and started to show off just a little. "Nope. First Senior Brother just brought me a few Yellow-level techniques. I tried them out and figured this one out just now."
She'd only just started practicing those Yellow-level techniques—
And now, less than an hour later, she'd developed a Mystic-level sword technique from them.
Jin Yu couldn't help but wonder—
Could Senior Brother Cang Li have done the same?
Probably not.
"You're lying!" one of the Kunlun Sword Sect disciples burst out, clearly rattled. "Create your own technique? Do you think you're Senior Brother Cang Li?"
"You must've gotten someone to help you prepare this in advance, and now you're just putting on a show!"
"That's right, it must be that!"
None of them were willing to believe that someone outside of the Holy Lands could be more talented than they were in swordsmanship.
Just then, another voice rang out.
"I won't speak for the rest, but those Yellow-level techniques? I gave them to Junior Sister Yun myself, just now, back at the Yu family estate," said Yue Zhao calmly.
Until now, everyone else had returned, but Yue Zhao and the Qingxiao Pavilion members had remained in the Soul Refining Chamber.
Now Yue Zhao had appeared, and all eyes turned to him.
He raised a brow. "My Junior Sister's talent in the sword isn't inferior to anyone's. Common folk like you couldn't begin to understand."
His tone was utterly arrogant.
Even Yun Jin froze for a second.
Wait, wasn't that her line?
She glanced sideways and almost laughed when she saw the expressions on Duan Yiwei and the others.
They didn't look too happy.
Could it be that Senior Brother had really taken the Soul Refining Chamber's treasure?
She couldn't help asking, "Senior Brother, what exactly was the trial in the Soul Refining Chamber? Why were you in there for so long?"
She really shouldn't have asked.
The moment she did, the faces of the Qingxiao Pavilion disciples darkened so much it looked like they'd swallowed ink.
The Soul Refining Chamber had contained an illusion. Within it, they had been subjected to endless torment—until their very souls were on the verge of collapse. Only then could they escape.
Among them, Duan Yiwei had the strongest soul and had lasted the longest.
They'd assumed that meant he would claim the treasure.
But the chamber had remained silent even after he emerged. They thought something had gone wrong.
Then, to their shock, Yue Zhao had walked out.
And somehow, his soul was stronger than Duan Yiwei's?
That couldn't be.
"Yun Jin, what trick did you pull?" a Qingxiao Pavilion disciple snapped. "How could Yue Zhao's soul strength surpass Senior Brother Duan's?"
Had Senior Brother really won?
Yun Jin beamed and replied sweetly, "Why are you so shocked? You think Qingxiao Pavilion has the monopoly on strong soul bodies? My Senior Brother was simply born with extraordinary talent. What, you don't like that?"
Yun Jin could've cleared the Soul Refining Chamber herself.
But she'd thought about it and decided letting Yue Zhao go was enough.
Wushuang Sect couldn't be all about her alone.
Senior Brother, Second Senior Sister, Third Senior Brother, even Feng Linglong and Gu Jinghong—
She wanted all of them to become extraordinary, the kind of people the world couldn't ignore.
It was time to start building up their legendary image.
As she said that, Yue Zhao glanced at her.
He knew why he'd lasted that long in the Soul Refining Chamber.
At the moment his soul was about to collapse, a second soul body had emerged within him. The fusion of two souls had allowed him to endure the trial to the very end.
And Yun Jin had been the one to suggest he try the chamber. Now that he'd claimed the treasure, she acted like it was only natural.
A sudden chill ran down Yue Zhao's spine.
An unsettling thought struck him.
He was a transmigrator. That was his greatest secret—
And the reason he possessed dual souls.
Could Yun Jin… have known all along?
He shook his head. No, impossible.
How could she possibly know something like that?
But then he looked at her face—that familiar, slightly smug smile.
He blacked out a little.
No. No need to doubt.
She definitely knew.
That was her I-know-your-secret face.
He'd seen it more than once.
The first time, when he'd called himself Ren Woxing.
The second time, when he played that ridiculous dating show theme music.
So many little details came flooding back.
When she wanted to torment Ye Danxia, she'd come asking for torturous songs. He gave her an entire collection of "godly" tracks.
She'd never looked surprised by the sudden changes in the market square—almost like she expected them.
Even the ghost house concept had been subtly nudged into his mind by her.
Yue Zhao's lips trembled.
Could his Junior Sister be a transmigrator too?
A fellow traveler from the same world?
He suddenly wanted to crawl into a hole and disappear.
What had he even been doing in front of a fellow Earthling?!
Yue Zhao tilted his head back and blinked furiously, fighting off the urge to cry.
For some reason, dying didn't seem like such a bad idea right now.
Yun Jin caught his expression and knew right away—
He'd realized. His secret was out.
She grinned even wider.
Senior Brother's shocked face was honestly pretty entertaining.
While Yue Zhao reeled from the revelation, the Qingxiao Pavilion disciples weren't letting up.
"You're the future Sect Master of Wushuang Sect! You must have tampered with the trial somehow! That treasure should've gone to us!"
Yun Jin rolled her eyes and couldn't be bothered to argue anymore. She unsheathed her sword and pointed it directly at Duan Yiwei.
"You're not convinced? You want a fight?" Her voice rang clear. "What, did you think this world belongs only to the four Holy Lands? Don't forget—the world is vast. There's always someone stronger. If any of you have a problem with that, then when the final room opens, I'll go in first. I'll be waiting on the dueling platform. You can come challenge me one by one. And I'll show you—
Even the mighty Holy Lands are nothing more than a drop in the ocean."
The crowd stiffened.
Such arrogance. Was Yun Jin out of her mind?
But she was calm. Deathly calm.
After walking the Heart-Testing Stairway, she'd come to one clear conclusion.
The so-called four Holy Lands had become far too arrogant.
Sure, there were a few rational minds among them—but only a few.
Even those who seemed to support her outwardly—thanks to her various masters—were really just in it for the benefits of having the Wushuang Sect's future leader on their side.
To them, she was probably no different from a pampered house pet.
But she had made a promise to the Tian Po Sword.
She had vowed to rebuild Wushuang Sect.
A promise, once made, was a vow for life.
The Wushuang Sect she would build—
Could never be anyone's puppet.
And if they wanted to test her, she would make them understand:
The Holy Lands were not the center of the world.
And they would never hold even a sliver of control over Wushuang Sect again.
This change in the tide—
Would begin with her beating every one of them into the ground.