Xu Ming moved towards him and attacked Sun Mu with sword. Sun Mu met Xu Ming's attack head-on, but he was still forced back two steps because of the heavy impact.

Sun Mu turned his body in a full circle in order to give his sword more momentum.

Xu Ming moved back and dodged the attack of Sun Mu.

Sun Mu's attack missed its target and hit only empty air.

There was a distance created between them.

"3 strikes of Heaven, 2nd Strike!" Sun Mu let out loud as he swung his sword.

A bright arc of light escaped his sword that moved towards Xu Ming, but Xu Ming used the same attack.

" 3 Strikes of Heaven: 2nd Strike!" Xu Ming swung his sword.

Both of them had the same attack, but there were two differences between their attacks.

The first difference was that Sun Mu's cultivation was higher, and the time he spent learning the skill was longer as well. That's why he was able to bring more power to this skill.

On the other hand, the second difference was that Sun Mu's skill used Natural Qi, whereas Xu Ming's skill used Origin Energy, which was genuinely more powerful.

Both had an advantage in one way or another, but still, Xu Ming's attack was more powerful and destroyed Sun Mu's attack and kept advancing towards Sun Mu.

Sun Mu was visibly surprised and jumped to the side as he dodged the attack.

"Strong," he muttered as he stood up and looked towards Xu Ming, who was looking at him.

"Why aren't you using your finger skill?" Sun Mu asked. He was told that it was Xu Ming's strongest attack, but he hadn't used it yet.

"I don't want to use it today. You're already injured, and you might not be able to take it. Also, I want to enjoy this fight and fight like a true warrior. I know I can win even then," Xu Ming said.

"Hahaha, I don't know what to think of it. It sounds like you're taking pity on me, but then again, it might just be me who hasn't been able to make you use your skill," Sun Mu laughed in a self-deprecating manner.

"Very well. Let's fight like true beasts without the skills," he added as he threw the sword to the side.

"Pick up the sword. I don't want to fight with fist. Fight like a swordsman with swords," Xu Ming said.

Sun Mu was stunned and somewhat embarra.s.sed now. He walked to the sword that he had thrown away and picked it up.

The fight continued, and both the guys used their swordsmans.h.i.+p. Even though they used swords, their physical strength also played an essential role in it.

The fight continued for over 20 minutes, and none of them had used any skills by now, but Sun Mu's condition was clearly looking worse.

Each of Xu Ming's attacks had an immense power behind it, which made it difficult for Sun Mu to handle it without getting the heavy impact on his hands.

He still held onto his ground and never fell down.

After ten more minutes, it had gotten so intense that Sun Mu's hands had started shaking. He couldn't even hold onto his sword anymore, which fell down to the ground.

Xu Ming pointed his sword towards Sun Mu's neck but didn't attack.

"The fight is over. You lost," Xu Ming announced.

Sun Mu smiled as he sat down on his bed.

"Yeah, I lost," he said.

Xu Ming looked towards his badge and saw the number 2 change to number 1. He had officially become the number 1 disciple.

A smile appeared on his face as he was now one step closer to his target.

He extended his hands towards Sun Mu to help him up.

"Weird. I was told that you never help your opponents and leave them behind after winning," Sun Mu muttered.

"They don't have my respect, but you do. I'll take you back," Xu Ming said.

Sun Mu started laughing as he caught the hands of Xu Ming and stood up.

They left the Ranking Hall and walked to Sun Mu's courtyard.

Xu Ming and Sun Mu entered his courtyard, and Xu Ming was about to leave when Sun Mu stopped him.

"You wanted to know what the core trial is, right?" Sun Mu asked.

"Yes," Xu Ming answered.

"Elder Mu should be coming to you soon to explain about it. You'll understand everything, but I have advice for you. Think carefully and take your time. Approach the test carefully as your strength won't always help you win," Sun Mu told him.

"I'll keep that advice in mind," Xu Ming said before he left.

Xu Ming walked back to his courtyard.

Sun Mu had told him that an Elder would come to his place in a few days to tell him about everything. He had decided to wait for him to come.

Xu Ming entered his courtyard. He didn't even open his door and began using the Origin Movement.

As Xu Ming got inside his place, he found the woman sitting there on his bed.

"Who are you? Do you need anything from me?" Xu Ming asked the woman.

"I'm the Elder Mu. I'm in charge of the matters related to the Core Sect in the Inner Sect," the Woman said.

"Oh, you're here to tell me about the Core Test?" Xu Ming asked.

"Quite clever. You understood it. That's exactly why I'm here," the Woman said, smilingly.

"That was fast. I thought you would get here after a few days," Xu Ming muttered.

"Oh? So it was Sun Mu who told you that I would be coming. That makes more sense. Anyway, I didn't want to delay it. Too many eyes are on you right now. I can't be lazy on my duty," Elder Mu said as she chuckled.

"The test that we are talking about will decide if you become the Inner Sect disciple or not, so listen carefully. You can attempt the test once every three months. The tests will only be at the start of the month, so if you want to attempt the Core Promotion Test, you need to inform me at least five days before the month ends," she said.

"The earliest you can attempt a test is next month, so you have a whole month to train yourself. The test will be conducted in the pocket dimension of the sect. As for the other details and the content of the test will depend upon your Strength at that time, so I can't tell you what it will be yet. You will be told about that on the day of the test when we measure your cultivation," She said.

"You basically didn't tell me anything about the test other than when I can take it," Xu Ming told her.

"As I said, the test will depend on your strength at that time, so even I don't know what it will be. Oh right, I was told that you still haven't used your chance to enter the Cleansing Pond of the Core Sect. When are you planning to do it? Don't waste the opportunity. The faster you do that, the better it would be for your Cultivation," Elder Mu said.

"I was about to talk about that. I want to enter the Cleansing Pond as soon as I can," Xu Ming told her.

"Alright. I'll take you to the Pond tomorrow. Since you are 1st Rank, you will be allowed to stay there for a week," Elder Mu explained.

"That's good," Xu Ming nodded his head.

He kept standing there as he watched her.

"Are you going to leave? Or do you have something else to tell me?" Xu Ming asked her as he watched her not leaving.

Elder Mu smiled as he stood up.

"So many people have high hopes for you. I hope you won't disappoint," She said to Xu Ming before she left.

Xu Ming closed the door and started his cultivation.

"Early morning, he heard a knock on the door," he opened the door and saw Elder Mu standing there.

"You still aren't ready? Are you coming or not?" She asked him.

"I thought we would go later. It's only 4 in the morning. I'll be ready in minutes," Xu Ming told her as he walked inside 

After a few minutes, he stepped out, adequately dressed.

Elder Mu took Xu Ming towards the Core sect.

The guards didn't stop them and allowed them to enter.

The Core Sect seemed to be much bigger than the Core Sect, but it looked deserted. Xu Ming rarely saw any buildings there.

"Why is this place like this?" He asked Elder Mu.

"It has been like this since the sect was established. The Core Sect has very few disciples as it selects the best if the best. It's same for everything that,"