The blonde girl perked up her ears and learned that her rival had also stumbled her way into the main tournament, ranking among the top thirty-two.
“What? What kind of trash did that Xiao girl run into? They must be pathetic!”
“Someone who won by doing absolutely nothing has no right to talk,” Ao Tian remarked.
“That’s called ‘conserving strength,’ alright? Heaven is on my side.”
Ji Shiyu breathed a sigh of relief and pumped her fist before asking, “Senior Sister Qin’s advancement is a given, but what about that Oily Boy?”
“He…”
Ao Tian hesitated, looking as if the words were difficult to say.
“What’s wrong with him? Did he fail?!”
‘Not exactly. He just found you two new stepmothers…’
These past few days, Jueyun Peak had been reeks of the scent of romance.
It was enough to suffocate a bird; it was simply unbearable to watch.
Her “father” was doing just fine.
With a Senior Sister on one side and a Princess on the other, a wet nurse in front of him and an ice beauty at his back, he had more than just good peach blossom luck.
Compared to Xiao Xinran’s forceful rise, the Senior Disciple of Tianxiang Peak was even more shocking.
He had fought his way through the ranks without a single scratch, demonstrating a dominance worthy of a Chief Disciple.
Ao Tian once suspected that because Yun Liu believed so fervently in Shiyu’s advancement, those unlucky fools had simply cleared the path for her.
The Fortune didn’t actually originate from her.
“Anyway, you came back at the right time. The match is about to begin.”
The crow left his sentence half-finished, his eyes full of deep meaning.
This left the blonde girl scratching her head in frustration.
She hurried her pace, feeling as though she had unknowingly fallen behind by several versions.
Damn it, she had only been in seclusion for seven days, so why did it feel like she had missed out on the entire world?!
***
The Shenhua Pavilion was overflowing with people, and every seat in the Shanhai Pavilion was taken.
Everyone looked up at the two opponents facing off amidst the clouds, unwilling to miss the upcoming duel between Golden Core Sword Cultivators.
As the Great Competition entered the main tournament stage, the Yanding Sword Contest became increasingly exciting.
The disciples who could make it this far were all elite members of the Inner Sect, chosen as one in a hundred.
Ji Shiyu squeezed through the crowd and immediately recognized a familiar figure.
Qin Yao wore a gentle, beautiful green Cloud Robe.
As soon as she appeared, a thunderous cheer erupted from the Sea of Clouds Five Peaks.
The Mistress of Xiangfang Pavilion held immense popularity among both Inner and Outer Sect disciples.
The Grand Elder looked back and glared.
The howling disciples from the First Peak immediately ducked their heads and quieted down.
This match involved someone from Qingxia Peak on the opposing side.
What did they think they were doing?!
Qin Yao nodded to her opponent.
The man standing atop his sword in the clouds had a dignified appearance and profound cultivation.
He was equally famous within the Inner Sect.
Looking at the Golden Auspicious Clouds on the man’s sword robe, Ji Shiyu muttered, “It’s actually Senior Brother Chen. Senior Sister Qin is in trouble.”
Chen Luo possessed a cultivation at Golden Core rank 4.
Even among the experts of the First Peak, his strength ranked within the top five.
He wouldn’t back down even against the Chief Disciples of the other peaks.
Furthermore, Metal overcomes Wood—the edge of the Falling Cloud Sword held a damage advantage over the resilience of the Qingxia Sword.
Qin Yao of Qingxia Peak versus Chen Luo of Falling Cloud Peak.
Both were favorites to reach the top ten, yet they had clashed in the first round of the main tournament.
One could imagine the intensity of this duel.
There was no idle chatter.
After the two exchanged sword salutes, they went straight to the point.
In an instant, Sword Qi crisscrossed the sky.
Clang!
The Flying Swords leaped from their sheaths.
Two streaks of light—one yellow and one green—collided frequently.
Spiritual light hummed, stirring up ripples in the air.
Qin Yao held a sword formula in one hand, not even looking at where her Flying Sword landed.
Her gaze was fixed directly on Chen Luo, their Seas of Consciousness clashing in secret.
A Golden Core Sword Cultivator’s Spirit Control reached a level of divine mastery.
Everywhere their Divine Sense reached became a Sword Domain.
The two Flying Swords behaved as if they had never left their masters’ hands, weaving into strange and unpredictable Sword Momentums as they contended for dominance over the Sea of Clouds.
The two remained motionless, their minds fully immersed in the vision of their Seas of Consciousness.
Their thoughts coincided perfectly; the duel between the Flying Swords in the distance was more like a deduction of the battle’s outcome.
Both were searching for an opening to break the other’s moves.
After hundreds of exchanges, the flexible variations left the audience dazzled and amazed.
Chen Luo was extremely aggressive.
He had devised countless methods to suppress the Qingxia Sword Codex, but Qin Yao intercepted every single one.
Strangely, the two focused their struggle within a small space.
There were no grand, destructive visual effects, which saved quite a bit of production effort.
Ji Shiyu asked in confusion, “What are they doing? In terms of cultivation, Senior Sister Qin should be superior, but the Sword Scripture of Zhuiyun has a balancing effect against the Qingxia Sword Codex. Senior Brother Chen has a good chance too. Why have both of them set aside their strengths to focus solely on winning through technique?”
“That’s where you’re wrong. A spar between fellow disciples is nothing more than a way to temper one’s Sword way, acting as each other’s whetstones. Victory or defeat is secondary.”
Ao Tian shook his head.
This was exactly why it didn’t think Ji Shiyu’s fluke was a good thing; she had missed out on many opportunities to train for no reason!
Ji Shiyu held her head in her hands.
Her small brain had a different way of interpreting things.
She didn’t quite understand this so-called ‘spirit of the Sword way.’
What was secondary or primary?
If fighting wasn’t for the sake of winning, then it was meaningless.
As long as one could win, anything was fine.
Winning by doing nothing was still a win, wasn’t it?
‘The person whose sword returns to their hand first will have the confidence to break the opponent’s move.’
‘Agreed.’
On Jueyun Peak, Bai Yu and Zhuang Heng came to the same conclusion while watching the battle.
Outside the Dragon Subduing Hall, the Head Seat of Sunset Peak stroked his beard.
Not one to pass up a chance to stir the pot, he incited, “Little Chen is a good prospect. It’s a pity he ran into such an unreasonable female hooligan. It looks like the First Peak is going to lose another spot.”
Currently, the two were locked in a back-and-forth struggle, but that was only because Qin Yao had not yet utilized the Qingxia Sword Mark.
If pushed too far, it would be as if the Head Seat herself had stepped onto the field.
“Hmph!”
The Grand Elder’s facial muscles twitched.
His heart was bleeding.
If Chen Luo had faced any other Chief Disciple, with his strength, he would have had a fighting chance.
He shouldn’t have been stopped here.
How unlucky was it that he had to run into the one who inherited the Qingxia Sword Mark…
The results of the advancement into the main tournament for this Great Competition were very much to Head Seat Tu Gou’s liking.
There were two more surprises than he had estimated, and one of them was his beloved disciple, Xiao Xinran.
In the past, Falling Cloud Peak and Sunset Peak had dominated, but this time the spots were evenly split.
Mist Concealment Peak followed them.
All the Disciples of the Five Peaks were fighting for the chance to enter the Sword Furnace to cultivate.
As long as they survived one more round, it would be a stroke of Fortune.
Both their cultivation and Divine Sense would see a significant boost.
Gelan picked at her ear and said coldly, “Tu Gou, what did you just say? I didn’t hear you.”
“Aunt Master is getting old. It’s normal for your hearing to fail. It’s only right that you leave the stage for the younger generation soon.”
“I can still beat the crap out of you even if I’m old. Why? Is your backside itching again?”
“You!”
Tu Gou’s fat face turned red as if he had recalled some unbearable memories from the past.
Back in the day, there were very few fellow disciples who hadn’t been bullied by that female tyrant.
Getting kicked in the rear and falling flat on one’s face was considered a light punishment.
While the disciples were fighting tooth and nail on the stage, the Masters were equally fierce with their verbal sparring below.
This could be considered a traditional part of the Sword Sect’s annual events.
The Elders present looked straight ahead, not daring to interject.
In truth, they all understood the situation perfectly.
Who didn’t know why Gelan was so anxious to retire early?
Wasn’t it to secure a status for her eldest disciple?
Tianxiang Peak and Qingxia Peak were sister peaks and belonged to the weaker groups.
They had always stuck together.
With the two Chief Disciples being a handsome man and a beautiful woman who were quite close, they were naturally a perfect match.
If Yun Liu and Qin Yao were to form a union, it would logically be a good thing.
The Grand Elder maintained a permissive attitude and would no longer have to worry.
He even secretly encouraged and supported them.
Turning a major problem into a minor one, the Medicine Hut would also have a successor in the form of a Heavenly Dao Alchemy Master.
Even if he left the Sect, they would still be one family.
All the Elders cheered, and the only one who seemed to lose out was the Aunt Master who would lose both a son and a disciple.
But who could have known that a Princess would suddenly appear, carrying betrothal gifts and an imperial decree to take the man away?
With Gelan’s temper, how could she tolerate this?
Even if she was the daughter of the “Chairman,” she couldn’t just snatch someone’s husband!