# Chapter 651: Zhang Ruochen on the Bronze Cauldron
Pang Long saw Han Qiu walking down from the Heaven Sacrifice Bronze Cauldron and immediately went to meet her, cupping his hands in salute, smiling: "Congratulations, Junior Sister, for obtaining a Sword Saint's sword intent. With your talent in the Sword Dao, you have a great chance of cultivating Sword One to the tenth level of Great Perfection in the Fish-Dragon Realm."
In truth, deep in his heart, Pang Long was quite jealous of Han Qiu. After all, what he had obtained was merely an ordinary Saint's sword intent, far inferior to a Sword Saint's sword intent.
But then he thought again—if he could pursue Han Qiu and make her his woman, wouldn't that be even more satisfying?
Having obtained a Sword Saint's sword intent, Han Qiu's mood was still quite pleasant. She said: "My Sword Dao talent is still far behind those young sword masters. Obtaining a Sword Saint's sword intent was entirely a matter of luck."
Pang Long felt that Han Qiu was being too modest. "Then in Junior Sister's eyes, who would be considered a supremely talented young sword master?"
Han Qiu's eyes couldn't help but look toward the horizon, and in her mind appeared the elegant shadow of a young man in white robes.
Back then, if it hadn't been for that person passing down the Nine Moves of Yin Sword to her, she probably wouldn't have been able to join the Liangyi Sect. She would have long been devoured by the Dark Force and turned into a handful of dust.
His Sword Dao talent was truly terrifying, leaving Han Qiu only able to look up to him.
Later, he left the Demon Ridge and went to the Eastern Domain Holy Academy. It was said he entered the Sword Dao Department of the Holy Academy with the highest score.
If he were still alive, who among the younger generation could compete with him in swordsmanship?
If he came to the Liangyi Sect and entered the Heaven Sacrifice Bronze Cauldron, he would at least have obtained the sword intent left by a Saint King. It was just a pity that heaven was jealous of geniuses. Such an outstanding person had died an untimely death, which Han Qiu found truly regrettable.
Thinking of that person, the joy she felt from obtaining the Sword Saint's sword intent instantly vanished. Han Qiu sighed softly, her mood quite low. Without answering Pang Long, she walked down the steps and returned to where she had been standing before.
Pang Long had no idea what he had said wrong to offend Han Qiu. Seeing her somewhat dejected, he also retreated, feeling rather bored.
Next, five more newly promoted Saint Heir disciples ascended the Heaven Sacrifice Bronze Cauldron, but all ended in failure. No one obtained the Ancestral Sword Intent.
"Senior Brother Pang Long and Senior Sister Han Qiu have already entered the Heaven Sacrifice Bronze Cauldron. There shouldn't be anyone else who can obtain the Ancestral Sword Intent."
"In previous coronation ceremonies, having one Saint Heir disciple obtain the Ancestral Sword Intent was already quite good. Today, two have appeared in succession. The Liangyi Courtyard and the Shangqing Palace will certainly celebrate greatly."
Among the crowd, a rather pretty female disciple, her eyes sparkling, said somewhat expectantly: "I wonder if Senior Brother Lin Yue can obtain the Ancestral Sword Intent?"
This female disciple was Zhao Han'er from the Zixia Ling Mountain.
She had come specially to the Shangqing Palace, wanting to witness with her own eyes Senior Brother Lin Yue being crowned as a Saint Heir disciple.
Zhao Han'er's words immediately drew a burst of laughter from the surrounding crowd.
A sallow-faced inner disciple, stroking his chin with his fingers, said mockingly: "Junior Sister Zhao, you really shouldn't place too much hope in Lin Yue. Otherwise, you'll be quite disappointed later."
"Why don't any of you believe in Senior Brother Lin Yue?" Zhao Han'er said somewhat angrily.
In her view, Senior Brother Lin Yue's Sword Dao attainments were quite remarkable. He had already cultivated the Ten Pulse Sword Ripples to the transformation realm, and his Sword Dao talent was enough to leave all the inner disciples present several streets behind.
That inner disciple said: "Lin Yue's reputation was mostly built by himself. You don't actually believe he could kill the Youlan Star Envoy, do you?"
Another inner disciple beside him, quite disdainful, laughed: "Lin Yue defeating Pang Long was only because his cultivation was stronger than Pang Long's. If they were at the same realm, Lin Yue and Pang Long wouldn't even be on the same level."
Zhao Han'er had great confidence in Senior Brother Lin Yue and continued arguing with the surrounding inner disciples, but only drew more mocking laughter.
Everyone felt that this junior sister was too naive, actually believing Lin Yue could obtain the Ancestral Sword Intent.
Zhang Ruochen, standing below the Heaven Sacrifice Bronze Cauldron, naturally heard Zhao Han'er arguing with the crowd. He turned around and glanced toward the edge of the training ground.
Xun Huali followed Zhang Ruochen's gaze and revealed a sinister smile: "What's this? Feeling protective of a beauty? This junior sister is quite attractive and admires you greatly. If you could obtain a trace of Ancestral Sword Intent—even just a Half-Saint sword intent—you could easily win her over tonight."
Zhang Ruochen withdrew his gaze, expressionless: "Our relationship is purely that of fellow disciples. Don't let your thoughts run too wild."
Xun Huali couldn't stop laughing: "Purely fellow disciples? Don't make me laugh, okay? If you don't make a move, I will."
"Better not touch her." Zhang Ruochen shot a glance at Xun Huali.
Zhang Ruochen's gaze seemed very calm, but it carried a powerful Spiritual Power, causing Xun Huali to shudder as if he had suddenly fallen into a freezing ice cave.
After a long while, Xun Huali finally recovered, letting out a long breath and muttering under his breath: "What's with being so fierce? It's just a woman. Yours, all yours. I won't compete with you, alright?"
The reason Zhang Ruochen warned Xun Huali wasn't because he had any romantic feelings for Zhao Han'er. It was entirely because she had left a fairly good impression on him.
Pang Long shot a glance at Zhang Ruochen and said: "Lin Yue, why haven't you entered the Heaven Sacrifice Bronze Cauldron yet? Are you afraid that if you don't obtain the Ancestral Sword Intent, you'll lose face?"
Han Qiu's gaze also fell on Zhang Ruochen.
She was well aware that Lin Yue's swordsmanship had a certain level of skill. It wasn't necessarily impossible for him to obtain the Ancestral Sword Intent. Therefore, Han Qiu secretly held some expectation for him.
Today, there were a total of seventeen newly promoted Saint Heir disciples. Fifteen had already entered the Heaven Sacrifice Bronze Cauldron. Except for Pang Long and Han Qiu, all the others had failed.
Finally, the sixteenth Saint Heir disciple also ended in failure, walking down the stone steps in disappointment.
"In that case, I'll try my luck as well."
Zhang Ruochen shot a glance at Pang Long, then stepped forward, steadily ascending the stone steps. With a leap, he landed on top of the Heaven Sacrifice Bronze Cauldron.
His feet lightly touched the edge of the bronze cauldron. Zhang Ruochen took a deep breath, striving to adjust his state of mind to its optimal condition. His entire being was like an ancient pine growing on the bronze cauldron, giving off an exceptionally serene feeling.
Standing below, Han Qiu was slightly startled. It was this very temperament—the aura Lin Yue displayed was very similar to that person she knew.
It was because of this temperament that Han Qiu, despite clearly hating Lin Yue's actions, could never bring herself to hate him.
Zhang Ruochen didn't immediately jump into the cauldron. He remained standing at the edge, closing his eyes. In an instant, his mind was completely emptied, entering a profound and mysterious mental state.
He stood there for a full half hour without moving at all.
"What's he doing? Why isn't he entering the cauldron?"
"Why is he just standing on top of the cauldron? Does he want everyone to see him? Is there anyone this narcissistic?"
All the other newly promoted Saint Heir disciples had jumped directly into the cauldron without any hesitation. Only Zhang Ruochen kept standing at the edge, lingering and not jumping down. No one knew what he was doing.
Another half hour passed, and Zhang Ruochen still stood quietly at the edge of the cauldron, completely motionless.
"How long is he going to stand there? Why doesn't a Half-Saint Ancestor come out and deal with him?"
"If he can't do it, just come down quickly..."
...
Pang Long stood below the Heaven Sacrifice Bronze Cauldron, looking up. Veins bulged on his forehead as he coldly shouted: "Lin Yue, what the hell are you playing at?"
Xun Huali shook his head with a sigh, then sat down on the ground, scratching his head: "I think he's planning to stand there until dark. Why didn't I think of this move back then? Even if I couldn't obtain the Ancestral Sword Intent, at least I could break the record for the longest time standing on the Heaven Sacrifice Bronze Cauldron. What a missed opportunity!"
The various Half-Saints in the Shangqing Palace were also frowning.
Yuanlong Half-Saint was the first to show impatience. He stood up and walked out of the palace, intending to drive Zhang Ruochen off the Heaven Sacrifice Bronze Cauldron.
Zixia Half-Saint's expression was also unpleasant. After all, since the founding of the Liangyi Sect, no one had ever been so shameless as to stand on the Heaven Sacrifice Bronze Cauldron for over an hour. If Yuanlong Half-Saint hadn't stood up, he himself would have gone to bring Zhang Ruochen down.
Only Shengshu Cainü among those present showed a thoughtful expression.
"Could it be..."
Suddenly, her sacred eyes emitted a blazing light. She involuntarily stood up and blurted out: "Elder Yuanlong, please wait."
Yuanlong Half-Saint stopped and looked at Shengshu Cainü, immediately showing a respectful expression: "Does the Talented Woman have any instruction?"
"We should wait a little longer," Shengshu Cainü said.
Yuanlong Half-Saint glanced at Zhang Ruochen on the bronze cauldron and smiled: "This kid has lingered on the Heaven Sacrifice Bronze Cauldron for too long. I'm afraid the Talented Woman finds this amusing."
Shengshu Cainü revealed a faint smile: "I don't think so. This young man is quite interesting. He might just bring us a surprise."
"Oh?" Yuanlong Half-Saint was somewhat moved.
The other Half-Saints immediately sat up straight, all looking toward Zhang Ruochen on the bronze cauldron.
Shengshu Cainü was a Spiritual Power Saint, her realm far beyond theirs. She must have noticed something unusual to say such a thing.
Through careful observation, the various Half-Saints finally discovered something out of the ordinary.
Zixia Half-Saint's expression became quite animated. He laughed heartily: "Interesting, truly interesting. This little fellow seems even more extraordinary than I imagined."
Only Half-Saints could perceive that Lin Yue at this moment seemed to have merged with the Heaven Sacrifice Bronze Cauldron, even the surrounding natural spiritual energy had been repelled.
The other Half-Saints all showed astonished expressions.
"In the history of coronation ceremonies, nothing like this has ever happened. Could it be that Lin Yue's Sword Dao talent is truly astonishing, even stirring the artifact spirit of the Heaven Sacrifice Bronze Cauldron?" Jinglan Half-Saint of the Liangyi Courtyard said doubtfully.
Shengshu Cainü's beautiful eyes flickered as she stared at Zhang Ruochen on top of the Heaven Sacrifice Bronze Cauldron: "In any case, we should not disturb him. Let us witness what astonishing event is about to unfold."