“Won… I won?”
Ji Shiyu tilted her head and looked around with her sword, feeling dazed.
Her Protagonist halo didn’t just mesmerize Zou Chen; it also blinded the eyes of the Ao Tian chicken.
Not a single cheer could be heard across the Sea of Clouds.
Everyone had expected a brilliant duel, but it turned out to be another easy win.
Comparison is the thief of joy.
Xiao Xinran had worked herself to death to squeeze into the top sixteen, and no one dared to question her.
Yet Ji Shiyu advanced so easily that it gave everyone the illusion that even they could do it if they tried.
Even when the next match began, Ao Tian still couldn’t figure it out.
This couldn’t just be a matter of luck anymore.
‘Could this child really be some kind of tactical genius?’
“How did you know his weakness?”
“How would I know his weakness!”
Repeater Ji shook her head and reached out her hand with a beaming smile.
It was clearly her strength, obviously.
More importantly, it was time to collect!
“Where’s the money?”
Ao Tian laughed.
“I was just teasing you. With your recent performances, how could I dare to bet the entire family fortune on you? I only said that to ignite your fighting spirit.”
“Go to hell, you bastard!”
Ji Shiyu grabbed the yellow chicken, slammed him onto the ground, and stomped on him repeatedly.
Ao Tian struggled.
“But I bet everything on the Oily Boy! It’s a guaranteed win. He’ll never let me down!”
“So you never believed I could win!?”
Ji Shiyu’s stomps became even more violent.
Whose companion Spirit Pet was this wild chicken, anyway?
***
Rosy Fragrance Pavilion, emergency room.
The Peak Master of Evening Glow, Tu Gou, had a deep frown on his face.
He feared his beloved disciple’s impulsive actions might have damaged his foundation and affected his future on the Path of Immortality.
The next match featured Elder Xu’s Grand Disciple, Zou Chen.
Dealing with that “yellow-haired girl” Ji Shiyu shouldn’t have been a problem, so Tu Gou didn’t feel the need to personally oversee the match.
Suddenly, the lively noise outside died down.
A moment later, a disciple from Clear Mist Peak carried another person in.
Tu Gou took a closer look and saw it was Zou Chen.
He froze on the spot.
The boy had no external injuries, but he was twitching uncontrollably and foaming at the mouth.
It was impossible to tell what kind of trap he had fallen into.
“Who… Who committed this foul deed!?”
“Reporting to the Head Seat, Senior Brother Zou’s old ailment just flared up.”
Huo Tian Tian’s words, spoken while suppressing a smile, nearly made Tu Gou explode with rage.
Bad news kept coming one after another. What was wrong with these people?
“It looks like Shiyu won as well.”
Gelan patted Tu Gou’s large belly, adding insult to injury with a loud laugh.
Although Evening Glow Peak had many disciples, few were actually capable.
Now, aside from their Chief Disciple, none of them would make it into the top eight.
***
Inside the secret room, the fragrance of pills filled the air.
Three furnaces were open at once as purple mist rose.
Three eye-sized pills floated before Yun Liu.
One was crimson, one was icy blue, and the last was pitch black.
He picked up the blue pill, which emitted a chilling aura, and stuffed it into Xiao Xinran’s mouth.
He threw the remaining two, along with some Spirit materials, into the Pill Furnace.
He then set up a small military smelting Magic Array and used Spirit Flame to continue the refinement.
After finishing all this, Yun Liu consumed a bottle of Spirit Summoning Pills, took off his Qingyun Robe, and pushed the door open to leave.
“Where are you going?”
Yan Bingling noticed Xiao Xinran’s Spirit Breath had stabilized and looked back curiously.
“There’s one last match. I’m off work after I finish it.”
“The last match? What do you mean? What about me?”
Yan Bingling didn’t know that her unfilial disciple’s original plan was simply to blend into the top sixteen and snag a free item from the Sword Furnace.
“Just hold her until her body temperature returns to normal. I’ll be right back.”
“What? Me, hugging and cuddling this brat? Where’s the decorum? Don’t leave! Come back!”
Yun Liu stepped out without turning off the cooling effect of the room, and a crowd immediately swarmed him.
He took a hot towel from Qin Yao, wiped his hands, and gave her a reassuring look.
“Xiao Yun — no, Mr. Yun, how is Xinran’s injury?”
Xiao Wang cupped his fists and lowered his head, acting quite sensibly.
After being rejected several times, he no longer dared to bring up the past.
“The family should prepare themselves mentally. I’ve done everything I can. Now, it’s up to Fate.”
Yun Liu rubbed his chin.
The success rate of forcibly breaking through the Burning Silence Art at the Middle Stage of Foundation Establishment wasn’t very high, even with a Heavenly Dao Elixir helping.
“Ah? What!?”
“Boy of the Yun Clan, look closer! Don’t make such jokes!”
To the two elders, those words sounded like a death notice.
Xiao Wang and Tu Gou turned pale.
The situation was actually this serious?
Little did they know that the “mental preparation” he mentioned was for the bill.
A late-game Female Lead like Xiao Xinran was a bottomless pit to raise.
Even if it failed, the material and labor costs couldn’t be waived.
Even siblings should keep clear accounts, right?
“If nothing goes wrong, there will be a result in the time it takes to drink a cup of tea. Please settle the fees first. I’ll give you a 10% family discount. Will this be covered by the Sect’s medical insurance or the Xiao Family’s expenses?”
The two elders took the bill and shuddered.
Every item on the Pill Recipe was a rare Level 2 Spirit material, and there were even several Level 3 herbs.
Combined with the appearance fee for a Heavenly Dao Elixir Master, the total was at least six figures.
The Shenhua Sect wasn’t as wealthy as the Mingguang Sect.
Even the annual Offering for a Peak Master of the Five Peaks was only around that much!
This was only because they were at the Rosy Fragrance Pavilion.
Usually, people didn’t even have the right to ask the East Extreme Pavilion Master for help.
Thinking back to when Xiao Mother tried to dismiss him with a Middle-Grade Spirit Vein, it felt rather ironic now.
“Of course! Money isn’t an issue. The Xiao Family will deliver it with both hands in a few days. I only ask that you save my daughter! A day as a couple means a hundred days of grace — please forgive any offenses my clansmen committed in the past for the sake of your history!”
Xiao Wang’s eyes reddened, and he was about to kneel.
Yun Liu was startled, but fortunately, Qin Yao supported the older man in time.
“Uncle Xiao, you’re overthinking it. I’ve always viewed Xinran as my own sister. I will naturally do my best.”
Qin Yao couldn’t help but smile.
‘Those words aren’t a lie. She is indeed a sister he can be close with.’
Suddenly, the call of a Sword Post from the Dragon Subduing Hall rang out.
The voice was loud and clear, echoing across the Sea of Clouds.
“Yun Liu of Celestial Phenomena Peak versus Fang Heng of Falling Cloud Peak!”
Everyone was stunned.
They looked at the white-robed youth’s pale face and realized he had just exhausted himself.
They felt incredibly guilty.
Gelan said worriedly,
“Oh dear, I forgot you had an important matter. If this affects the Great Competition, Bingling will definitely chop off my breasts. You haven’t recovered from your injuries yet. Is it really okay for you to go up in this state?”
“Yun Gongzi, don’t force it if you can’t do it. While there’s life, there’s hope. Fang Heng is Fang Ting’s elder cousin and has received the true inheritance of Elder Fang’s lineage.”
“Those from the First Peak always stick together and act arrogantly. After what happened recently, they’ll surely try to settle the score with you. He won’t be easy to deal with.”
Tu Gou stroked his beard.
His underlying meaning was that the opponent wouldn’t let things go easily.
That idiot Fang Ting was still retaking his basic courses in the Outer Sect.
The Great Competition was supposed to be a matter of “stopping at the right moment,” but accidents were inevitable when swords were involved.
If someone intentionally struck a heavy blow, the Discipline Elder might not be able to stop it in time.
Yun Liu smiled and simply instructed,
“Good sister, help me watch the tripod inside. Maintain the balance of the Five Elements.”
“Mhm, I’ll wait for you to come back.”
Qin Yao nodded, full of confidence in her “younger brother.”
‘By the time I’m done, the pills should be ready to come out of the furnace.’
Yun Liu stretched, strode out the door, and ascended to the Cloud Top with his sword.
The appearance of the white-robed youth attracted many gazes.
The Dance Practitioner female cultivators from the Mingguang Sect looked up curiously, and the Golden Crow Princess’s eyes sparkled.
“Master!”
Ji Shiyu also looked up.
She didn’t have time to fix the silly bird.
After so many days, she finally saw that Heavenly Fate again, and her heart felt much more at ease.