Yun Liu remembered Zhang Ziyou because he was supposed to be Ji Shiyu’s first-round opponent.
In the original timeline, it had taken her dozens of rounds to achieve victory.
His habits and skill patterns were linear, making his difficulty level moderate.
Now that Zhang Ziyou had ended up facing him, what about the blonde?
“By the way, who is Ji Shiyu facing?”
“Her…”
Qin Yao covered her mouth and giggled.
“Since the number of participants is odd, that child’s luck has always been excellent. She is the only disciple to receive a bye in the first round.”
‘A free pass?’
Yun Liu’s expression was complicated.
No wonder Xiao Xinran was grumbling.
As the sun rose high, the Five Peaks disciples actively prepared for the eve of the Great Competition.
They polished their precious swords, packed their magical treasures, and prepared sufficient spiritual medicine, all to achieve a good result.
The sickly one, whom everyone was most worried about, was instead basking in the sun.
He lay leisurely on a rocking chair, his mouth open as Miss Lin fed him freshly picked fruit from the spirit garden.
This reminded Ji Shiyu of Bai Yu from the Radiant Light Sect.
That boy looked unremarkable, but his skills were impressive; he was the strongest Foundation Establishment cultivator she had ever seen in the East Pole Province.
Ji Shiyu and Xiao Xinran had used every ounce of their strength, joining forces just to break the Three Lives Array.
They had been drenched in sweat by the time they emerged.
The two had gained a new understanding of the formation techniques the world considered useless, and they no longer dared to challenge the other mists lightly.
Yun Liu glanced at the dejected Ji Shiyu, then at the vibrant Xiao Xinran.
He felt that this girl next door fit the image of a protagonist at this stage much better.
She was the one who had changed the most among the Cloudsea Trio of Fools.
She was the one who had redeemed Lin Shu, and she was the one who had risked her life to save others.
The blonde’s script was practically being stolen.
Opportunities to receive guidance on the Sword way from the Chief Disciple were rare.
Miss Xiao had already cleverly moved to Qin Yao’s side to humbly ask about her cultivation doubts.
Meanwhile, Ji Shiyu had found a cool spot to start a picnic.
She glanced over from time to time, looking listless even while eating.
She treated the advice the Great Baldy had given her with high expectations as nothing more than background noise.
Before long, Jueyun Peak turned into a daycare.
A crowd of Clear Mist Peak disciples followed their Senior Sister over, begging Qin Yao for guidance as they had no confidence in their first-round matches.
Qin Yao put her hands on her hips and said crossly, “I told you all to practice hard, but no one listened. Now you remember to cram at the last minute?”
“We know your thighs are only for Junior Brother Yun to hold, but is it too much to let us touch them? Since he went to the Rosy Fragrance Pavilion, you haven’t returned to the Master’s Sect more than a few times all year.”
The Yao Lu disciples took the lead in protesting, clinging to their Senior Sister and acting spoiled.
“That’s right! We can’t find you at all if we don’t come here!”
“Guh.”
Half of Qin Yao’s pretty face turned beet red.
She frantically tried to cover the mouths of these bratty girls.
“Fine, fine. One at a time. If you keep talking nonsense, I’m going to get angry.”
“Hehe, Senior Sister is the best!”
Sect sparring was different from debating with various schools.
The Five Peaks Sword Canon each had their strengths, and one had to know themselves and their enemies to be ever-victorious.
For the disciples of Clear Mist Peak, the most troublesome opponents were always the sword cultivators of Sunset Peak.
Unfortunately, that lineage was the most numerous and flourishing.
“Sunset Peak is famous for its Fire Aspect Sword Qi. If your Spiritual Root is weak water, or if you use wood to generate fire, retaliating with the Qingxia Sword Codex will yield half the result for twice the effort.”
“The Sword Manual of Hidden Mist has no fear of it, but the Shenhua Sword Art is broad and profound. Basic methods can also use Sword Intent to break their moves.”
Ji Shiyu watched this scene and put down the rice ball she was about to stuff into her mouth.
She buried her head in her knees, suddenly feeling like an outsider.
‘If Master and Senior Sister Qin get together and he becomes the first Senior Brother-in-law of Clear Mist Peak, he’ll have so many beautiful sisters to take care of. Would he still care whether I live or die?’
The adolescent Fallen Mystic Maiden began to let her imagination run wild again, feeling gain and loss.
Xiao Xinran sat upright and obediently, her attention entirely on eavesdropping on the lecture, failing to notice anything unusual.
However, she was dismissive in her heart.
Back in the Royal Capital, she had dealt with several Demonic Cultivators who thought they could use their Water Spiritual Root to seek death.
Her Fire Ultimate Flame God was completely unrestrained by such things.
Qin Yao was busy giving the girls a crash course, unaware that a pair of eyes was resting on her back, openly admiring her graceful curves.
The Senior Sister, in the middle of teaching, radiated an intellectual aura.
She seemed even more enticing than the fragrant pear Lin Shu had fed him.
As lying flat became increasingly uncomfortable, Yun Liu coughed.
He did not dare test the limits of the Sacred Fire any further.
He shifted to his side and whistled.
A plump yellow chicken immediately poked its head out, fluttered its wings, and flew over, landing on the young man’s head.
“What’s wrong with Shiyu? Is someone bullying her?”
“How is that possible? Besides you, who else here could bully her?”
Ao Tian sighed.
The tyrant of Star Isle was not just for show…
“True. Then is it because I gave her too much homework? I’ll give her a raise later!”
The evil farm owner who employed the Miss Gong suddenly realized he had neglected the mood of his medicine hut slave while busy, feeling a sense of self-reproach.
Ao Tian pecked Yun Liu’s eyelid, hinting, “That’s not it! She’s heartbroken. She hasn’t moved on yet. Why don’t you go comfort her?”
“Heartbroken?”
Yun Liu glanced at Xiao Xinran, deep in thought.
‘Could it be she was rejected after confessing?’ Given the current favorability between the two bickering rivals, it was highly likely.
Even if he wanted to help, he couldn’t.
He wasn’t a beautiful girl.
After thinking it over, only one person was suitable for this role.
“What use is it if I go? Miss Lin, you go.”
“Huh? Oh!”
Lin Shu was even more confused.
She walked over foolishly and sat beside Ji Shiyu, taking over the task of peeling fruit and feeding her.
“…”
Ao Tian rolled its eyes.
‘Why is it so difficult to talk to this father-daughter pair?’
It tilted its head, deciding to approach the Ji nest from a different angle!
“Yun, listen to my advice. In your youth, you don’t know the virtues of a wife, mistakenly treasuring elder sisters. What you need most right now isn’t a gentle and considerate big sister, but a wealthy woman who can save you thousands of years of hard work. Well, a wealthy young master would work too.”
Yun Liu gave the yellow chicken a side-eye and tossed a grape into his mouth.
The Sacred Fire was hard to calm, and he did not dare recall Ji Xingshu’s moving “sincerity.”
“I know exactly what you’re thinking the moment you twitch. I only said I would offer suggestions when necessary; I never planned to sell my life to the Palace of the Heavenly Pivot Star.”
“Don’t make it sound so ugly. If you marry into the Tianxian Star Palace, we’re still family!”
Ao Tian winked.
As for whether he shared a bed with the mother or the daughter, he could take his pick.
That was the situation.
In any case, the Ji nest had long since fallen.
Whether it was on Xingshu’s side or Shiyu’s, it gave the Phoenix Spirit a headache.
It knew Yun Liu best; he was someone who hid his talents but lacked ambition.
Being a deacon of the Shanhai Pavilion was indeed a stable job, but it was nowhere near as comfortable as lying in the arms of Old Mother Ji!
Yun Liu smiled without speaking.
The thirst of the Sacred Fire was endless, but he was not that greedy.
Having Tan’er and An’er was enough.
Even if Starshuo Madam was wonderful, she was still a star in the sky, far beyond reach.
Ultimately, he had no interest in the starry sky of the strong on the distant shore.
He only wanted to rescue his Junior Sister as soon as possible and settle his regrets one by one.
“Let’s talk business. As you can see, an incomplete Extreme Destiny makes it hard for Shiyu to take another step forward. I wonder how much you know about the Divine Wood Fruit?”
Ao Tian’s eyes lit up, its heart racing.
It instantly dropped its playful demeanor.