After he arrived at the 16th level, Yang Ye didn’t take the initiative to attack, and he stared concentratedly at the Sword Servant instead. He’d made a discovery at the 15th level, and this discovery was that even though the person who attacked first had obtained the initiative in the battle, that person would reveal a flaw as well. Thus, so long as his strength and speed were enough, then he could utilize this flaw to annihilate his opponent!

Now, he intended to utilize this method!

After both of them refused to attack for a moment, it was the Sword Servant that was the first to attack. The Sword Servant didn’t utilize a sword technique, and its figure flashed instantly before stabbing its sword towards Yang Ye. However, this sword strike was extremely swift, and it was swift to the point Yang Ye was practically unable to see it clearly!

When the Sword Servant’s sword arrived 3m away from Yang Ye, Yang Ye’s right hand that grasped his sword moved. After that, the Sword Servant’s sword stopped a few centimeters away from Yang Ye’s neck, and then the Sword Servant’s body started becoming immaterial before vanishing completely.

Yang Ye had a calm expression as if he hadn’t attacked just now. His eyes were closed slightly as he recalled that sword strike from before. After a long time, he opened his eyes and said, “Harmless when it remains stationary yet shocking the world as soon as it moves. In the future, I’ll call this move Reactive Strike!”

As soon as he finished speaking, Yang Ye started laughing.

Yang Ye was very satisfied with this move that he’d comprehended through his battles with the Sword Servants. This move was extremely sharp, yet it had a flaw, and this flaw was that his own speed and strength had to be swifter than his opponent's. Moreover, he had to be able to capture his opponent’s flaws in time. Otherwise, he would be inviting death. However, Yang Ye was extremely confident towards his own speed and strength.

Yang Ye didn’t rest before he walked up to the 17th level. Presently, he truly yearned for battle because only through battle would he be able to perfect the Basic Sword Technique and the Reactive Strike that he’d just comprehended. Only ceaseless battle would allow him to become more and more stronger, and the Sword Servants within this pagoda were the best sparring partners for him.

Yang Ye wasn’t aware that everyone outside the pagoda had exploded into an uproar when he stepped foot onto the 17th level, and even those arrogant and proud outer court disciples that were ranked on the Outer Court Rankings had exploded into an uproar. After all, none amongst them had stepped foot onto the 17th level during their Outer Court Exam.

“The 17th level, the 17th level…. As expected of the most outstanding genius from Snow River City. My Sword Sect will possess a super genius in the future. Hahaha!!” Cao Huo lost his composure and roared with laughter once more, and he simply seemed no different than a villain that had realized his ambition.

Elder Feng Yu and Elder Qian who stood by Cao Huo’s side exchanged glances, and then they smiled as they shook their heads. Not to mention Cao Huo, even they were almost unable to restrain themselves from roaring with laughter. Because besides that demonic woman, it could be said to be the best result in the Outer Court Exam during the last 10 plus years.

Those youths at the side weren’t as excited as Cao Huo, and their faces were just covered with shock and adoration. Because they’d personally experienced how formidable those Sword Servants within the pagoda were, and they were already unable to resist those Sword Servants at the 6th or 7th level. Yet now, someone was actually able to ascend to the 17th level, so how terrifying would that person’s strength be?

Everyone in the surroundings was either excited or shocked, and only a single person’s face was covered in a gloomy expression. That person was Liu Qingyu. He’d been paying attention to Yang Ye since the beginning, yet Yang Ye still hadn’t emerged from within the pagoda until now. That meant that Yang Ye was at least at the 10th level.

Since he was able to ascend to the 10th level, it represented that Yang Ye’s strength and natural talent was extremely good. At the very least, it wasn’t inferior to him, Liu Qingyu. After all, he’d only ascended to the 10th level as well. So, once Yang Ye became an outer court disciple and obtained the resources and fostering of the sect, then even if Yang Ye was unable to surpass him in a short period of time, Yang Ye would still be a problem for him!

“I shouldn’t have made that agreement with him on that day!” Liu Qingyu muttered while he gazed at the Sword Servant Pagoda with a gloomy expression.

On the 17th level, Yang Ye didn’t take the initiative to attack, and the Sword Servant actually didn’t attack him as well this time. This caused Yang Ye to be slightly curious. Can this Sword Servant have seen through my intentions?

Yang Ye didn’t think about anything else. His eyes were slightly closed while he fully concentrated. He didn’t dare be careless at all because this Sword Servant was extremely formidable. Based on the aura it emanated, if this Sword Servant fought the grey wolf within the tiny vortex, then the grey wolf would definitely be defeated by it.

In other words, the strength of this Sword Servant wasn’t just more formidable than a human of the same cultivation realm, it was even stronger than a Darkbeast at the same cultivation realm. This caused Yang Ye to not dare be careless at all!

Yang Ye refused to launch the first strike, and the Sword Servant refused to attack as well. So, both of them were in a stalemate just like this.

On the other side, within the illusory realm that Jiang Yuan resided in, Jiang Yuan had defeated the Sword Servant at the 10th level with great difficulty, and he arrived at the 11th level. When he sensed the strength of the Sword Servant here, Jiang Yuan’s expression instantly became heavy because this Sword Servant’s strength was too much stronger than the Sword Servant at the 10th level.

After remaining silent for a long time, Jiang Yuan took a deep breath and said, “The 20th level huh? I, Jiang Yuan, will break this record today!”

As soon as he finished speaking, he stopped holding back, causing the aura in his entire body to suddenly start rising explosively and madly.

At the instant Jiang Yuan’s aura rose explosively, the expressions of everyone outside the pagoda changed once more, and Cao Huo cried out involuntarily. “The First Heaven Realm, someone is advancing into the First Heaven Realm within the pagoda!”

This sentence was like a stone that caused a thousand ripples on the surface of a lake. At this moment, Everyone wasn’t surprised any longer, and they were shocked instead.

Right at this moment, a figure was suddenly teleported out of the pagoda. Everyone focused their gaze over and noticed that it was the woman in a green dress called Qingxue.

Right when a woman at the side intended to support Qingxue up, Cao Huo’s figure suddenly arrived by Qingxue’s side, and he waved his hand to the woman to indicate that she should withdraw herself from here.

As he gazed at Qingxue that had sat down cross-legged upon leaving the pagoda, his gaze burned with anticipation, and it was even to the extent that his hands had started to tremble.

When they noticed Cao Huo acting in this way, Elder Qian and Feng Yu felt that something was absolutely off. They naturally wouldn’t think that Cao Huo had taken a liking to the woman. So, the two of them arrived by Qingxue’s side, and when they took a closer look, both of them instantly reacted like how Cao Huo had.

At this moment, Qingxue sat cross-legged on the ground while energy fluctuated unusually in her surroundings, and Qingxue’s own aura was rising steadily. Obviously, this was a sign of breaking through in one’s cultivation. Qingxue was already at the ninth rank of the Mortal Realm, so if she broke through again, it would be the First Heaven Realm!

When they thought up to this point, everyone in the surroundings gasped.

There was already a First Heaven Realm expert in the pagoda, yet another was advancing outside the pagoda right now.

How heaven defying!

The young man with a round face said with a trembling voice, “Two First Heaven Realm experts at the age of 16. Could… could this be two more of that ‘demonic woman’ in the making?”

Qin Feng who stood at the side shook his head and said, “A First Heaven Realm expert at the age of 16 can indeed be considered a genius. However, if they’re compared to that demonic woman, then they’re probably quite inferior. When that demonic woman challenged the Sword Servant Pagoda, she hadn’t even attained the First Heaven Realm. She was able to ascend to the 20th level without attaining the First Heaven Realm. What does that represent? It represents that she can surmount a realm to defeat a First Heaven Realm expert while at the Mortal Realm!”

The young man with a round face nodded in agreement and said, “Indeed, that demonic woman is only at the First Heaven Realm now, yet she’d been able to fight experts at the King Realm. Such natural talent can probably already be considered to be extremely good even within the Origin School and two palaces. Even though these two people are at the First Heaven Realm, if they really fought that demonic woman while she was at the Mortal Realm, then the two of them would probably be defeated!”

“No matter what, their natural talent isn’t bad. If they don’t perish in the future, then they ought to be the ones to take up the Sword Sect’s banner in the next Ascension Rankings!” Qin Feng spoke indifferently.

“Indeed! Alas! The Ascension Rankings! We have to work hard as well, otherwise, we’ll be playing the role of cannon fodder even if we did attend it….”

At the 17th level, Yang Ye still didn’t move, whereas, the Sword Servant remained on the spot without moving like a puppet. The two of them were in a stalemate for a very long time now.

At a certain moment in time, Yang Ye suddenly opened his eyes. He formed a sword with the fingers on his left hand before lightly slashing it towards the Sword Servant, and then a strand of sword qi instantly arrived before the Sword Servant.

A cold glow flashed as the sword qi vanished, yet the Sword Servant still didn’t move.

Yang Ye walked slowly towards the Sword Servant. He didn’t utilize a movement technique and just seemed as if he was taking a stroll as he walked slowly towards the Sword Servant. When he arrived within an area of 6m before the Sword Servant, the Sword Servant attacked.

A cold glow flashed, and then the tip of a sword that flickered with a ghastly cold glow appeared before Yang Ye.

At the instant that the Sword Servant attacked, Yang Ye’s right hand had moved as well.

Swish!

A sharp sound of the air being torn apart resounded, and then the tip of the Sword Servant’s sword stopped before Yang Ye’s neck. After that, the Sword Servant’s body gradually vanished.

Yang Ye touched his neck lightly with his left hand, and then he noticed that the tip of his finger was covered in a bit of scarlet red.

My speed is still slightly inadequate! As he gazed at the bit of scarlet red on his finger, Yang Ye muttered in a low voice. If he was just a little bit slower during the collision with that Sword Servant, then he would have been stopped at the 17th level.

Yang Ye didn’t rest and stepped onto the stairs towards the 18th level.