“Just now… what happened?”
In the audience seats, the spectators who had been focused on Ling Xiaoyou’s match fell silent for a long moment.
Only after a while did someone finally voice a questioning inquiry.
But no one could answer him.
Everyone was still immersed in that stunning sword light, unable to snap out of it for a long time.
The first to react was Miao Miaomiao.
Seeing Ling Xiaoyou’s victory, she stood up in surprise, let out a cheer, and shouted, “We won! Elder Ling won!”
As if infected by Miao Miaomiao’s voice, the others gradually came to their senses one after another and offered their applause to the victorious Ling Xiaoyou.
But besides those cheering for Ling Xiaoyou, there were also others dissatisfied with the outcome.
Take, for example, the spectator who had spoken to Miao Miaomiao earlier and mocked Ling Xiaoyou.
“That’s not right, is it? Why did she suddenly win when she was clearly being suppressed?! This has to be cheating, right?”
The man questioned, his words standing out sharply amidst the cheers.
Miao Miaomiao naturally noticed this skeptical guy.
She snorted and said, “I think you’re just unwilling to believe it. What’s the use of claiming cheating? The referee didn’t call it cheating, so what makes you think you know better?”
Hearing this, the man’s expression turned ugly, but he still retorted, “Not being ruled as cheating doesn’t mean she didn’t cheat. Maybe the referee just didn’t notice!”
“Hey, what’s wrong with you? If the referee didn’t notice, what makes you think you did?”
Miao Miaomiao was also angered by this stubbornly argumentative guy.
Her small chest heaved continuously, as if it might explode at any moment.
“Because of that sudden sword light! She never used such a sword technique in her previous matches, so why could she suddenly pull it out now?! If that’s not cheating, then what is?” the man argued.
Hearing this, Miao Miaomiao was furious and wanted to retort, but she couldn’t come up with any counterargument.
After all, she herself hadn’t understood what that strike was all about.
She could only trust that Elder Ling would never cheat.
“Can’t argue back, can you? I told you, even your colleagues don’t know about that move, so it’s definitely cheating.”
Seeing Miao Miaomiao silent, the man grew even more arrogant, almost getting in her face.
Miao Miaomiao was both anxious and angry.
Her colleagues beside her tried to comfort her, telling her not to bother with someone like that.
But the man persisted, continuing, “Sure enough, birds of a feather flock together. Cheaters’ companions are all a bunch who cover for each other—”
“Could you please shut up?”
Suddenly, an old, calm female voice reached his ears.
The voice was ordinary, like that of an old grandmother, but inexplicably made the man feel a chill in his heart.
He quickly closed his mouth and then noticed an elderly woman appear in an empty seat among the Ghostly Resentment Office crowd.
The old woman stroked Miao Miaomiao’s hair, making the latter extremely delighted, as if a protector had arrived.
Seeing this, the man’s heart skipped a beat.
He realized he had encountered the leader of the Ghostly Resentment Office.
He was only a moderately famous ghost cultivator.
Although he could enter the Xuantian Martial Tournament to watch the matches, facing these big shots, he was nothing—easily wiped out.
He tried to shrink his presence and was about to slip away when he heard the old woman’s calm voice: “Leaving already? Not listening to our explanation?”
“This… I’ll… I’ll listen!”
the man said with a fawning smile, trying to say something to smooth things over.
Then he saw the old woman glance at him, making him feel like he had fallen into an ice cave.
He dared not say another word and obediently sat back down.
Li Xueman nodded, looked at the replay of Ling Xiaoyou’s finishing blow on the big screen, and said, “That was a spirit tool, and a high-quality one at that.”
“A spirit tool?”
Miao Miaomiao repeated in confusion, not understanding how just a spirit tool could make Ling Xiaoyou’s sword technique so powerful… just like Bai Shuanglian’s!
“Yes, that spirit tool is likely one that can rub off others’ fighting styles and techniques, allowing the user to temporarily possess another set of skills.”
“That’s where that sword technique came from.”
As she spoke, Li Xueman took a sip of hot tea and continued, “This spirit tool only temporarily provides another set of skills. It doesn’t grant any boost in strength. So Xiaoyou was only using her own power from start to finish.”
“I see.”
Miao Miaomiao nodded in understanding.
The spectator didn’t dare say a word, only hoping the explanation would end quickly so he could escape.
“But Elder, who did Elder Ling rub that technique from?”
A colleague from the Ghostly Resentment Office nearby asked curiously.
“Who knows.”
A hint of amusement flashed in Li Xueman’s eyes.
“But this kind of rubbing exposes everything about the person being rubbed, including their weaknesses. So unless they deeply trust the user, no one would be willing to be rubbed.”
The colleague nodded thoughtfully, then showed a curious expression, with a hint of gossipy interest.
The surrounding audience, who had been silently listening, also looked enlightened after hearing Li Xueman’s explanation.
If that was all, it couldn’t be considered cheating at all.
At most, it just meant she had many means and had a friend who trusted her greatly.
The spectator who had questioned Ling Xiaoyou sat uneasily for a while, afraid that Li Xueman would pursue his words.
But after waiting a long time without any punishment, the old woman seemed to have forgotten about him, simply drinking her tea calmly and watching the matches on the big screen.
Worried that leaving would get him instantly killed, the spectator dared not move and could only continue sitting there in agony.
On the other side, Ling Xiaoyou walked out of the light gate, stretched, and shook her little head.
‘That attack just now was pretty satisfying. No wonder so many people love being sword cultivators; now I get it.’
‘Too bad I don’t seem to have any talent for it, or else I would definitely learn some swordsmanship.’
Ling Xiaoyou let her mind wander as she sat back down on the sofa in the rest chamber.
She switched the light screen to check on Bai Shuanglian’s match.
Perhaps because she had already gotten used to her power, Bai Shuanglian was now completely dominant.
Her opponent could only flee.
If not for the opponent’s excellent escape skills, Bai Shuanglian would have taken them down long ago.
‘Hmm, speaking of which, should I keep training my escape magic? After all, that’s my lifeline!’
Just as Ling Xiaoyou thought this, she saw Bai Shuanglian catch her opponent in a split second of stiffness during their escape and effortlessly decapitate them.
This made Ling Xiaoyou recall the scene where she had beheaded Heijin Sengren earlier.
‘Yeah, I must have been influenced by Bai Shuanglian to act that way.’
Ling Xiaoyou thought to herself.