After bidding farewell to the group from the Radiant Light Sect, Yun Liu continued his shopping spree while wearing the Golden Crow Mask.
Regardless of whether Ao Tian joined him or not, the Evil Dragon had to die.
The greatest advantage of the Shanhai Pavilion establishing itself in the Shenhua Pavilion was that the commercial street was now right at his doorstep.
The variety of items in the weapon and item shops would change as the Main Character Group leveled up.
At this point, Ji Shiyu’s future rivals and companions had all made their appearances.
All that remained was to wait for the Great Competition to conclude before setting sail for the Boundless Sea.
Yun Liu’s private itinerary aligned with the main storyline’s direction, but his specific destination was slightly different.
Moreover, he had no intention of bringing those few silly girls along to meddle in his affairs.
***
Early the next morning, the Great Competition officially began.
The Inner Disciples gathered at the Five Peaks Sword Stage.
At that moment of universal anticipation, floating clouds rose.
A golden radiance shot into the sky from Falling Cloud Peak, and in an instant, countless golden threads carved the Sea of Clouds into a chessboard.
During the Yanding Sword Contest, every auspicious cloud served as a literal stage.
Falling out of bounds meant disqualification, and a broken sword meant the same.
Sword Posts were laid out atop the Dragon Subduing Hall, and Sword Qi surged across the area in a magnificent display.
The participating disciples were all listed, and one by one, the disciples from the Five Peaks took to their swords and pierced through the air like chess pieces.
The disciples of the Radiant Light Sect watched the match from Jueyun Peak, providing them with an excellent vantage point to overlook the entire field.
The mysterious female cultivator nodded inwardly.
The Shenhua Sect had thousands of years of history, and it still possessed some foundational depth.
A few of the Spirit Breaths she sensed could even pose a threat to her, though they were still inferior to the Radiant Light Sect.
There was only one valiant female guard present, while the Mountain Lord was nowhere to be seen.
Ever since Yun Liu abandoned the sword for alchemy, he seemed to have lost interest in such occasions.
Bai Yu searched for a long time but could not find Ji Shiyu.
What he looked forward to most was that formidable blonde-haired girl.
“Stop looking. Junior Sister Ji has a bye for the first round,” someone said.
“Oh.”
Zhuang Heng picked his nose while staring at a red-clothed girl on the chessboard.
He also wanted to see how far Xiao Xinran, who had defeated him, could go.
Outside the Dragon Subduing Hall, the Peak Masters of the Five Peaks personally attended the event.
They sat atop the clouds, showing how much they valued the competition.
The mournful moonlight emanating from the direction of the Celestial Phenomena Peak drew the most attention.
If there was anyone still notable in the Shenhua Sect within the Magic Nine Provinces, besides the long-vanished former Sword Dao Leader, it had to be the legendary Ice Fairy, Yan Bingling.
The white-robed Fairy possessed an exquisite countenance and a cold temperament, resembling a piece of eternal, unmelting ice.
For the rogue cultivators in the market, even a distant glimpse was enough to make their trip worthwhile.
The Yanding Sword Contest had not even started, yet the greatest highlight had already appeared, triggering waves of exclamations.
At her peak, Yan Bingling’s Sword Qi had swept through the Nine Provinces.
She was once hailed as Shen Zhong’s successor, a female Sword Immortal with the potential to become the next Sword Dao Leader.
However, there had been no news of her for nearly 100 years.
No one knew why she appeared this year, especially since Celestial Phenomena Peak was on the verge of bankruptcy under her “diligent” management!
The Sunset Peak First Seat and the Mist-Hidden Peak First Seat were equally bewildered.
They could not figure out why their Aunt Master had graced them with her presence.
Only the Grand Elder and the Head of Clear Mist Peak knew the truth, though they could only grumble privately.
‘If they had only known this would happen, they wouldn’t have acted that way back then.’
The answer was soon revealed as a youth dressed in a Moon-White Cloud Robe departed from a solitary peak amidst the clouds, slowly landing on a cloud.
The expressions on the faces of Bai Yu and his three companions were beyond description.
“Hey, isn’t that…”
“Didn’t he already quit the Sword Sect?”
Zhou Yan whispered.
The dance practitioner paused, looking at the youth’s back with great interest.
A Heavenly Spiritual Root was rare and precious.
Like Ji Shiyu and Xiao Xinran, he had once been touted by many seniors as the hope of Shenhua.
But that was then, and this was now.
It was like a person who had broken their leg; even if they recovered, they would still be affected.
Furthermore, the most taboo thing in cultivation was trying to do two things at once.
The Grand Elder read the Sword Post with a calm expression.
Following tradition, he droned on for a long time to console the ancestors of the Sword Sect.
Suddenly, a young boy ran over in a hurry and whispered a few words into the Great Baldy’s ear.
His expression shifted — first into surprise, and then he shot a meaningful look at the white-robed youth yawning in the clouds, wearing a strange smile.
“National Religion Shenhua, we welcome the Vermilion Saint Princess.”
The Grand Elder closed the Sword Post, and his booming voice echoed through the Sea of Clouds.
This single sentence stirred up another wave of commotion.
The Cloudsea Formation was released.
In the next second, a blazing spiritual light surged from the mountain gate of Sighing Peak.
Blazing feathers cleared the path as a burning fire crow pulled a Saint Carriage through the sky, looking quite majestic.
The young woman sitting high upon the Saint Carriage arrived with an aggressive aura.
She wore a Golden Crow Royal Robe, and the dark gold and black feathers of the sun wheel pattern were restrained yet imposing.
Her identity was obvious.
Jing Tan’er crossed her long legs, looking down upon the Five Peaks with a disdainful gaze.
Her brow held a hint more majesty than before, and her exquisite makeup was breathtakingly radiant.
Her cultivation had also improved significantly; after receiving the lineage’s essence and the Vermilion Bird’s Blessing, she had reached the peak of Foundation Establishment.
The Little Princess had returned to the Sword Sect.
Her second appearance was nothing like the first.
No matter how one looked at it, she had come prepared.
The previous imperial decree had merely been a greeting.
The fact that the young Sovereign attended the Great Competition was unexpected for everyone.
Qin Xing curled her lips and glanced at Yun Liu on the other side.
Before the fight had even started, he was already breaking out in a cold sweat.
The surprise came so abruptly.
It was quite in line with the flamboyant style of a Villainous Young Lady…
Jing Tan’er jumped down from the Saint Carriage and first bowed to the immortals of the Five Peaks.
She did not act conceited because of her status.
Afterward, she sat down beside her Master with her legs crossed, while her escorting Prohibition Guards remained at the Sighing Peak Academy.
“Why is everyone looking at me? Carry on,” she said.
The Grand Elder stroked his beard and helplessly continued reading the Sword Post.
The stage was clearly set for the disciples of the First Peak, so why did the atmosphere feel so off?
The paralyzed Mist-Hidden Peak First Seat could not stop smiling; he felt he had gained a lot of face.
It was a pity this child had not made it in time to register.
The faces of the other two Peak Masters were increasingly grim.
Yan Bingling’s face was ashen.
Even if she had not heard about this, she had been brainwashed several times by Gelan, and their hostility was now unified against the outsider.
The area around the Head of Tianxiang was chillingly cold, making Gelan shiver and curse under her breath.
Judging by this posture, it seemed the position of the First Wife was at risk.
“So what if she’s back? What is there to be proud of?”
Xiao Xinran curled her lip, focusing on the opponent in front of her. She was ready to go.
Her only regret was that she could not defeat that wicked woman in a proper match.
The Sunset Peak First Seat had strictly forbidden his disciples from discussing the matter, fearing it would affect the performance of his Junior Sister.
As a result, she still did not understand the situation.
Her head was full of nothing but the desire to win, unaware that she was about to lose everything.
Yun Liu lowered his head and rubbed his nose, feeling the pressure mount.
He did not dare return the Saint Princess’s burning gaze.
He had a ridiculous premonition that if Jing Tan’er were to participate, Ji Shiyu’s first-round opponent would be her — and Ji Shiyu would likely be eliminated in that very first round.
Meanwhile, the Little Yellow Hair was still sweeping.
She had been locked in the Illusion Pavilion by the Old Sect Leader and was now deeply trapped.
She could not finish; she really could not finish!
Ji Shiyu was almost buried by fallen leaves.
The more she swept, the more there were.
She was on the verge of a breakdown.
Slowly, she realized that she was not at Sighing Peak at all.
There was no one inside or outside the Illusion Pavilion, and the sun here never set.
She did not even know how much time had passed…
This year’s Great Competition was becoming more and more exciting.
However, everyone’s focus was not on the cloud chessboard at all.
There were many rumors in the Jianghu regarding the East Pole Pavilion Master’s female confidantes.
This time, they had finally caught a fresh development.
After all, the former wife, the mistress, and the current partner were all gathered here!