Grandma Dean, things always happen in strange places, unexpectedly.
For example, my dantians only want to work once every few months.
Sigh, I spoiled them.
Another example: the senior apprentice I accidentally met during my cultivation in Zhenchuan turned out to be a great demon.
And not an ordinary dog, but a jiuwei…
— Lin Shuang’s Diary.
Lin Shuang put away her charcoal pencil.
She looked at her diary entry marked with the word “key,” satisfied.
Even if someone stole her qiankong bag, the diary wouldn’t cause her social death or expose secrets.
Perfect.
But when she looked at Huangfu Yuan beside her, who had been unusually silent since last night, his phoenix eyes dark and unreadable, she coughed lightly.
“Don’t you like the fishbone braid?”
“The scorpion tail braid?”
“The princess bun?”
“Junior apprentice, your neck itches again.”
“…”
Lin Shuang sighed. She admitted she had been a bit too forceful last night, pulling out a few of his hairs.
It wasn’t intentional.
Discovering he might be a rare jiuwei fox… she admitted, she was a bit too excited.
“Don’t be angry. I didn’t have a practice schedule for braiding my companions’ hair before. Oh, I know, next time I’ll practice more before braiding your hair.”
As they spoke, the two walked out of the wooden house.
Their expressions were subtly relaxed and pleasant.
Lin Shuang felt the joy of playing with a doll; it had been a long time since she braided and dressed someone up.
Plus that fluffy, soft tail fur, stroking it was more refreshing than a whole night’s sleep.
Huangfu Yuan’s phoenix eyes also changed.
It had been a long time since someone or something had combed his fur.
Among companions, mutual grooming was their nature.
At this moment, the tips of his nine tails felt somewhat light and cheerful. The broken tails even seemed to have signs of regrowth, itchy and pleasant.
Comfortable.
The two walked out of the wooden house, one after the other.
Outside, Meng Zi and the other three were sweating, and when they saw the two, they were stunned.
“What? Did you two finish your breakthrough already?”
So fast?
At this moment, Lin Shuang’s scattered dantians were all at the fifth layer of Foundation Building.
Huangfu Yuan had already reached the peak of the third layer of Core Formation.
Meng Zi rubbed his eyes.
It seemed they were still a bit away from the Zhen Mountain Stone.
But why did the two of them look so comfortable?
Lin Shuang said nothing, continuing to dig the ground.
Huangfu Yuan did the same.
But their movements were lighter and quicker than when they harvested wheat yesterday, clearly in a good mood.
Meng Zi rubbed his temples, hissing, “I slept so soundly last night. Did I miss something? Ah, it’s all because I dreamed of some inexplicable thief!”
“What thief?”
Dao Dong firmly believed that what one thinks during the day, one dreams of at night. “Maybe Brother Meng is about to break through too.”
“No,” Meng Zi raised it with an ominous expression. “That thief was really weird. He kept shouting, saying ‘so smooth… so nice to touch… let me touch again…’
As he spoke, his expression was about to vomit.
Dao Dong listened in shock, “How could a cultivator have such a dream?”
Lin Shuang, holding the golden sickle, almost fell into the furrows in the field.
Huangfu Yuan remained silent.
*
“Ding, Xiao Ai reminder, today’s fat-burning starts now.”
Lin Shuang instantly assembled her dantian into a big ball, operating at 100%!
Her entire body’s Core Formation at the fifth layer burst forth!
Unlike the previous 100 scattered dantians, now the big dantian was truly seamless, as if one.
Combined, they exploded.
At the same time, it entered the operating state from 1% to 100%!
So convenient.
Lin Shuang instantly gripped the sickle.
“First move, swan arm training—start with 100 times!”
Lin Shuang rushed into the wheat field and began her fat-burning exercise…
Raise her hand, sword qi arose.
Release, sword qi fell.
Each time, a row of wheat at the fourth layer of Core Formation fell in succession.
Wheat at the fourth layer of Core Formation, with sword qi, rushed toward wheat at the third layer of Core Formation, with sword qi, flew toward wheat at the second layer of Core Formation…
Layer by layer, the force was dissipated, layer by layer, they fell.
Finally, the wheat at Foundation Building broke.
Meng Zi and the others: “…!”
Several beams of light flashed, and the wheat continuously transformed into “Dragon Siphon Sword.”
Page 1, page 23, page 19, page 6, page 9…
Immediately, Xiao Ai talismans flew out, picking up each page.
Next door, Huangfu Yuan swung his sword, sword qi seemed like braids… three sword qi twisted and entwined, each cutting down three rows of wheat stalks in the field.
“Master Shui’s Sword Technique Notes” page 2, page 3…
Meng Zi and others gritted their teeth, quickly speeding up their movements.
The six of them repeatedly exhausted their dantians, sweat rolling down.
Tired, they fell in the wheat field.
They were given elixirs by Xiao Ai’s talismans, darting around.
Or fed a bowl of spiritual vegetable porridge by the youths of Li Village.
Continuously consuming, continuously recovering, then consuming again, then recovering.
The six of them gradually refined their dantians.
Finally, the wheat field was all harvested.
“Immortal, please help us fix the chicken coop when you have time.”
The chicken coop was damaged, chickens running around flying.
Each chicken would change from the first layer of Core Formation to the fifth layer of Core Formation.
Only by timing it right and grabbing the chickens’ necks could they be subdued and thrown back into the chicken coop.
The firewood used to repair the chicken coop was all thick, sturdy wood from the fourth layer of Core Formation.
“Please help us fix the roof when you have time.”
“Please help us draw water when you have time.”
“Please help us walk the Fang family when you have time.”
…
Time passed quickly.
Lin Shuang and the six of them finally renewed themselves, arriving at the Zhen Mountain Stone blocking the way to Li Village.
Lin Shuang didn’t even take out her sword, holding the harvesting sickle, sword qi surrounded the mountain stone!
The mountain stone didn’t move.
She already turned with the sickle.
After taking one step, instantly, the mountain stone behind her turned to dust.
[!]
[Done—it she has already reached the fifth layer of Core Formation!]
No.
After completing one slash, her big dantian again split into a hundred scattered Foundation Building at the fifth layer, slacking off.
Meng Zi and others looked at her, couldn’t help rolling their eyes.
But they also gripped the sickle, striking the mountain stone, the mountain stone shattered one after another.
[Nine Linked Rings One: Zhen Mountain Stone Broken!]
[Entering the second of the Nine Linked Rings: The Lambs Cross the River.]
[Old Li has an important item, please deliver it to Wang Village, cross the river to proceed.]
In an instant, the river beside Li Village’s wheat field rose three zhang, becoming a hundred times longer.
[If your spiritual energy runs out midway, you cannot take the elixir, fall into the river, and return to the starting point.]
[This is spiritual energy endurance training…]
[Wow.]
Lin Shuang and the six of them flew into the air.
“Ding, Xiao Ai…”
“Xiao Ai, don’t talk, I know there are still thirty thousand breaths of flying…”
“Frightening, as soon as it counts down, I feel it’s even harder to endure.”
Lin Shuang: “…”
You all have a misunderstanding of Xiao Ai.
The next moment, Xiao Ai’s cute voice sounded.
“So great. Wow, you actually flew the first step.”
“Amazing, already three breaths!”
“Wow, you’ve flown a third of the way…”
Despair.
Still two-thirds to go.
Meng Zi even wanted to shoot Xiao Ai down.
Dao Dong was itching, holding the formation plate.
But the next moment, Xiao Ai’s voice stopped their malicious thoughts.
“You guys are really great.”
“This third of the way, equals practicing eight sword sets in the inner sect’s cave 1700, or equals flying for seventeen incense sticks, or equals running the small circulation 51 times…”
Dao Dong: “!”
It actually equaled so much training?
He seemed to be able to go on again.
“So great, soon your endurance will increase, and you can get this level’s reward, ten thousand spiritual stones~”
Meng Zi: “!”
He seemed to be able to go on again!
“Amazing! Soon you’ll be able to visit the rest area to purchase magical treasures, consume elixirs, and sip spiritual tea.”
Huangfu Yuan’s phoenix eyes flickered.
In an instant, he couldn’t help rushing to the front.
Lin Shuang looked at today’s schedule, unwilling to fall behind, chased up.
The six of them not only didn’t look painful, but even had a bit of anticipation.
It seemed the ten-thousand-mile-long river was just a moment away.
[I also want to enter this level.]
[I want to practice with the outer sect junior sister, who understands?]
“Not painful at all, not boring, cultivation seems to have a sweet taste.”
“I want this Xiao Ai talisman… junior sister, will you sell it…”
[Same.]
Li Village’s Nine Linked Rings was in full swing.
Lin Shuang and the six of them were unstoppable.
When progress stalled, it was only temporary. Soon, with Xiao Ai’s soft, encouraging voice, they rallied again.
At most, they just returned to the thatched hut to cultivate for a while.
What was there to fear?
The six of them gradually showed an ‘overconfident’ expression.
Meng Zi and others were even a bit reluctant to leave.
In the Nine Linked Rings, it was equivalent to ten times the usual cultivation speed.
Once they left, it would be gone.
And in the future, cultivation would be alone again, without Xiao Ai counting and encouraging them… why did they feel a bit of loss?
The Nine Linked Rings, the more they advanced, the slower their pace.
In the stone layer, time passed.
Ten days passed.
Twenty days passed.
…
Outside, time also flowed away.
*
Shanhai Sect, Baihua Sect, Danqi Gate…
Each sect opened their inner and outer sect trial secret realms.
Preparing for the upcoming competition among the twelve sects in Donghua.
“Starting today, the outer sect elites will follow me.”
“Starting today, you will train in the thousand-layer flower valley.”
[Senior, outer sect Xiao Qi has broken through to Core Formation, cultivating the Diamond Defense Technique to the tenth layer, able to withstand attacks from the fifth layer of Core Formation.]
The elder of the Shanhai Sect looked and was stunned.
Xiao Qi?
He had heard of him, wasn’t he the sword-obsessed genius disciple?
How did he become a defensive cultivator!
But soon he laughed.
Whether black cat or white cat, the one that catches mice is a good cat.
This outer sect arena, Shanhai Sect is stable.
“Master, in our Wanhua Valley, three outer sect disciples have mastered combined moves, able to fight a third-layer Core Formation for a stick of incense.”
“Qidan Gate has prepared spiritual treasures for the outer sect disciples.”
The elder of the management guild on duty, who overheard secretly: “…”
Good, everyone is hiding their strengths!
In the Twelve Elders’ Meeting, a puddle of water silently expanded on the ground.
Hehe.
Comparing aces, how could they rival Qing Shui Sect.
In the puddle, Shui Qiantan looked at his message stone.
[Xiaohong: Master, outer sect Lin Shuang has entered the fifth layer of Foundation Building. She can defeat a sixth-layer Core Formation cultivator.]
Shui Qiantan: “…?”
Can’t understand.
Did Xiaohong write the words wrong?
But it’s okay, as long as she wins.
The puddle on the ground shimmered with ripples.
…
In Zhenchuan.
Zhou Xuanwu, after meditating in the Ten Thousand Snake Valley, woke up. As soon as he came out, he saw Zhao Keran and Chen Sixin packing their bags, nodding to him.
“Senior Brother Zhou, the outer sect secret realm has opened.”
The three exchanged glances, immediately setting off with Xu Rui to the outer sect’s opened secret realm for training.
Soon, several dozen days passed.
Winter passed, spring came.
The outer sect secret realm closed.
All the outer sect disciples of Qing Shui Sect returned to the wooden house.
Zhao Keran looked westward, showing a trace of nostalgia, continuing with Zhou Xuanwu and Chen Sixin to do odd jobs in Zhenchuan.
The disciple pendants hanging from their robes were already different.
The wooden pendants were now made of purple gold wood.
The characters on them seemed to always have swirling water gathering.
—Outer sect elite disciple exclusive.
Zhao Keran first, Zhou Xuanwu second, Chen Sixin third!
These were personally awarded to them three days ago by Elder Li Daowei of the outer sect’s transmission hall.
After Zhao Keran, dressed in elite disciple robes, did odd jobs in Zhenchuan for several dozen days, breaking through to the peak of the first layer of Core Formation.
Finally, a celestial crane cried out, echoing across the twelve sects of Donghua.
“Every ten years, the Donghua outer sect competition begins.”
“Every ten years, the Donghua inner sect competition begins.”
“Inner sect battle—Core Formation middle and lower class competition first.”
“This year’s competition location—Shanhai Sect!”
Xu Rui, the outer sect supervisor senior brother, appeared at the six thousandth layer of Zhenchuan, hurriedly taking Zhao Keran and the three with him along with Elder Li Daowei of the outer sect’s transmission hall.
Green Robe Elder and Pink Robe Elder exchanged glances, rarely standing in the same place.
Looking toward Lin Shuang and the three still in the Nine Linked Rings.
They had reached the ninth layer trial—agility.
“Lin Shuang, your ball dantian is dreaming again. Hurry up and run!”
“How do you know? It’s halftime after half a day.”
“…”
“Don’t talk nonsense, you go up!”
“Eat my formation!”
Lin Shuang and the six finally dodged the rabbit legs attacking at the fifth layer of Core Formation, catching most of the rabbits back into the cages.
Huangfu Yuan’s eyes flickered, his gaze almost unable to leave a cage of fat, juicy rabbits.
“Alright, go to sleep.”
“Tired to death.” Mei Xin fell beside the rabbits.
Lin Shuang yawned, walked into Old Li’s wooden house, and lay on the jade bed to recover spiritual energy.
Lying on the jade bed, she looked at Xiao Ai finally piecing together the third volume of “Dragon Siphon Sword,” nodding continuously.
After reading the storybook for two candlesticks, her spiritual sense rested, she got up to study.
She learned the last layer in one go.
Then she put it down.
[Nine Linked Rings Nine: Bunnies Are So Cute, Why Would You Eat Them]
[Trial passed.]
Lin Shuang opened her eyes on the jade bed, Huangfu Yuan had just taken the medicine, his phoenix eyes looking at the projection.
Meng Zi was counting spiritual stones, preparing to count the second time.
Dao Dong, Mei Xin, and Chen Xingchuan all looked up blankly beside the rabbit cages.
The six of them either looked tired, or about to eat, or looked reluctant.
“Is it over?”
“What’s going on, Chen Xingchuan, didn’t we agree to leave one for tomorrow?”
“…I left one, Dao Dong, was it you?”
“…Is it too late to open the rabbit cage now?”
“Old Li, your rabbits escaped again!”
[…]
[Absurd, ridiculous.]
[Is there someone who doesn’t want to pass the trial?]
[Hmm, they are retired in there…]
[It’s not you guys, it’s the elders…]
[Donghua inner sect competition has started—]
[The senior brothers and sisters who wanted to watch on-site have already set off.]
[Right? If you go late, the accommodation caves in Shanhai Sect will double in price!]
[Wake up, six people!]
The projection text was helpless.
The six in the projection looked even more helpless.
But the next moment, they were quickly thanked by Old Li of Li Village and stuffed into six big red bundles.
Then they were teleported to the rest cave dwelling on the six thousandth floor of Zhenchuan.
Elders Li Min in pink robes and Duan Wufang in green robes stood inside.
At the peak of the Nascent Soul stage cultivation, their power finally erupted, sleeves quaking.
“For this battle of Yuan cohesion, we are the leading elders.”
“You six will accompany us!”
“There’s only half a day left; the first match is about to begin.”
Lin Shuang displayed a subtle expression indicating that the moment had finally arrived.
“Lin Shuang, especially you. The outer sect competition probably already has all twelve sects calling names.”
“Quickly!”
Lin. Outer Sect Competitor. And Inner Sect Competitor. Shuang: “…”
So busy.
“Who has a teleportation talisman? Lend it to me for a moment.”
Big problem.
She might miss the dual-purpose opportunity!
*
This year’s Twelve Sect Exchange was hosted by the Shanhai Sect.
As early as two days ago, various sects had sent elders and elite disciples to gradually head toward the Shanhai Sect.
Flying vessels, flying swords, and teleportation arrays continuously emitted spiritual lights.
Luckily, the Qingshui Sect had good relations with the Shanhai Sect.
The two sects were very close.
[Xiao Qi: Lin Shuang, you’ll definitely participate as an outer sect disciple, right? When you arrive at the Shanhai Sect, I’ll treat you.]
[Xiao Qi: Where are you?]
[Xiao Qi: You didn’t enter the inner sect and won’t come to the outer sect competition, did you?]
After sending this message, Xiao Qi sadly looked toward the arena where the Qingshui Sect’s outer sect disciples were already waiting.
Five in green sashes and blue robes, but there was no sign of Lin Shuang.
Like the Shanhai Sect, three were official competing disciples, while the others were substitutes?
Was Lin Shuang really not coming?
Xiao Qi looked deeply disappointed.
“Junior brother, why do you look so down? You’ve received guidance from elders and can now withstand an attack from a Nascent Soul fifth-stage opponent for a whole incense stick’s time.”
Sigh, what use was that?
Xiao Qi somewhat regretted that the elder who guided him had suggested staying in the inner sect and not participating in the outer sect competition.
But he refused, wanting to meet Lin Shuang and show her his current progress, that he could now last a full incense stick’s time.
Could she really not come?
Xiao Qi’s disappointment was hard to conceal.
“Quickly look over there…”
Like spring blossoms flying in March, pieces of pink peach petals drifted down from the boundless sky.
Step by step, lotus flowers blooming underfoot, several graceful women in gauze robes, carrying bamboo flower baskets in their hands, walked step by step from midair toward the Shanhai Sect’s arena.
“It’s the Hundred Flowers Sect!”
Not only the competing disciples, but even the spectators opened their eyes wide.
Wherever they passed, petals floated onto the surrounding disciples, accompanied by waves of spring floral fragrance.
Behind them followed a boat surrounded by six-colored flower wreaths, on which were placed a loom, flowerpots, an incense table with a zither, and more…
Numerous handsome and beautiful cultivators, male and female, mostly embroidered, arranged flowers, or played zithers and painted on scrolls aboard the boat.
The falling flowers lingered for a long time without dispersing.
Soon, the six Qingshui Sect members, including Lin Shuang, flying behind them with six swords bound together, were completely overshadowed.
“Tch! Tch!”
Meng Zi inhaled two flower petals, his face darkening.
“What kind of thing is this!”
Mei Xin turned her head frantically, shaking off the petals on her head.
Chen Xingchuan and Dao Dong recited spells to clean their robes.
Huangpu Yuan, however, let a fragrant petal land on his nose, his eyes flashing mysteriously.
He closed his eyes and gently inhaled.
Beside him, Lin Shuang, who had been sitting cross-legged drinking tea, stood up and leaned forward half a step.
At the same time, she took out clothes for three days from her spatial bag.
Such good fragrance.
Couldn’t be wasted.
“Lin Shuang, what are you doing? Perfuming your clothes?”
“Mm.”
“…”
While others sprayed perfume, Lin naturally wanted to take the chance to catch some fragrance too.
“It’s peach blossom fragrance.”
With a hand seal, she used her sword technique for picking things up—Dragon Sucks Water.
Instantly, a whirlwind of sword energy gathered the unwanted petals ahead of Meng Zi and others into three full baskets.
“These can be used to make peach blossom jam or fragrant flower notes to correspond with pen pals.”
“Thirty days’ worth of fragrant clothes are also taken care of.”
Elder Li Min: “…”
“This is the Hundred Flowers Sect. Look carefully at the disciples on the flower boat.”
Lin Shuang looked over. Several handsome male cultivators were embroidering, painting, and arranging flowers aboard the boat. The female cultivators were doing the same.
“Their cultivation techniques are mostly related to the four seasons’ flowers. Seemingly soft, but actually a combination of softness and strength. You must be careful during the competition.”
In previous years, the Twelve Sect Competitions were always handled by senior disciples from the Refining Spirit stage.
Nascent Soul disciples had few opportunities to compete against disciples from other sects.
Hundred Flowers Sect.
Lin Shuang pulled out from her spatial bag the three-volume set “How to Get Rid of Being Single for a Thousand Years.”
It covered elite singles from inner and outer sects of the twelve sects, human or demon cultivators.
—Author: Anonymous Senior from the Hundred Flowers Sect.
After taking a look, Meng Zi and Huangpu Yuan both displayed subtle expressions.
“So they wrote it.”
Great, passing through a myriad of flowers, I must pluck one.
The author teaching others how to pursue cultivators is indeed from the Hundred Flowers Sect.
While flipping through the book, suddenly a hot air came from Lin Shuang’s left.
Accompanied by sweet voices.
Two rows of furnaces and cauldrons appeared, all dressed in red, a man and a woman walking hand in hand.
“Junior sister, you’re tired. Sit on my furnace for a while.”
“Senior brother, I’m not tired. You’re the one who’s tired. Here’s a Strong Vajra Pill I just refined for you.”
“Junior brother, you’re sweating a lot. Let me create a Cold River Ice Soul Sword to cool you down.”
“Senior sister, you’re the one who needs cooling. I’ll refine an Ice Soul Pill for you right away.”
Couples standing side by side, holding hands and wiping sweat off each other, quickly flew past Lin Shuang.
Lin Shuang opened her mouth, having swallowed a full mouthful of dog food.
“It’s the Alchemy and Artifice Sect.”
“Wrong, this year they’re called the Artifice and Alchemy Sect.”
“Really? Is that so?”
“Yes, this year their two sect leaders, the artificer won, placing alchemy beneath. Don’t get it wrong.”
“Ugh, so annoying. They change names every year!”
“That’s exactly how it is—quarreling at the head of the bed and reconciling at the foot. What do you, a single cultivator, know! Alchemy and Artifice, tonight you’re on top, tomorrow I’m on top, each has their own joy… This is the romance of the Alchemy and Artifice Sect disciples.”
Lin Shuang: “…”
Huangpu Yuan: “…”
Meng Zi held his forehead.
Elder Duan Wufang’s expression was serious. “The Alchemy and Artifice Sect disciples, after ten years in the sect, will choose suitable partners and form cultivation couples. From then on, they walk the path of cultivation together, one alchemy and one artifice.”
“If you encounter them in battle, be careful. They cooperate especially well, understanding each other’s intentions at a glance.”
Upon hearing the word “cooperation,” Lin Shuang, Huangpu Yuan, and Meng Zi all twitched their eyes severely.
“So if it’s a three-on-three match…”
Lin Shuang raised her hand.
Elder Li Min looked at her deeply. “They will draw lots to decide which couple will be separated and become the third member of the team. Once separated, longing and grief will cause the single one to unleash a sorrowful force that cannot be underestimated.”
“…………”
Damn.
Lin Shuang admired this Alchemy and Artifice Sect’s school culture!
It provides education, employment, and even arranges lifelong partners.
Breaking up couples makes young lovers eager to win.
The founder of this sect must be an extremely formidable figure.
Back when she was choosing a sect, she actually thought Alchemy and Artifice had great potential. After all, who in the cultivation world doesn’t need alchemy and artifice?
Joining this sect would secure a stable source of spiritual stones for a hundred years.
But she saw the sect’s culture of couples everywhere. As a single woman in her previous life, Lin Shuang deeply felt a sense of fear.
She was afraid that she might not find a match, even after multiple blind dates over ten years.
At that time, eating dog food every day, who could endure it?
So she didn’t join the Alchemy and Artifice Sect.
As Lin Shuang shook her head recalling, another group came from her right, emitting the scent of Buddhist incense.
Unlike the Hundred Flowers Sect’s blooming splendor or the Alchemy and Artifice Sect’s loving scenes, this group was silent as water, making no sound at all.
A group of monks in robes, even the sound of fabric rubbing together was absent.
“It’s the Ten Thousand Monks Sect!”
“Are they here to compete again, all practicing the silent meditation?”
“According to the Hundred Flowers Sect’s records, the most boring matches are definitely from the Ten Thousand Monks Sect.”
“Their viewing crystal charges have always been the least profitable.”
“No choice, who wants to watch such a quiet match… They’re basically all practicing silent meditation below the Nascent Soul stage.”
Lin Shuang and the five others twitched their brows.
Elder Li Min spoke again, “Be careful, they cannot speak, actively closing off one of their senses. Therefore, their eyesight, hearing, movements, and spiritual sense are exceptionally sharp and not to be underestimated.”
Lin Shuang took a deep breath.
The twelve sects of the Donghua Realm were all strange and varied.
No, the Qingshui Sect and the Shanhai Sect were much more normal.
Luckily, she hadn’t chosen the wrong sect.
“Let’s go, we need to register at the middle and lower-level arenas.”
The two elders surrounded them, quickly descending toward the inner sect competition arena.
Meanwhile, at the outer sect arena, Qingshui Sect’s senior brother Xu Rui, outer sect disciple Zhou Nanwu, and others were anxious.
Xiao Qi also kept looking toward the horizon with concern.
“The first round, outer sect arena battle!”
“The top six advance to the next round!”
“All sect competitors, please step onto the arena.”
Some carrying needles and thread to embroider, some silently striking wooden fish, some inseparable Alchemy and Artifice couples, they all stepped onto the wide central arena.
Only the Qingshui Sect’s outer sect disciples remained still.
“What’s going on? Zhou Nanwu, what are you all waiting for?”
“Chen junior sister, why aren’t you moving? Come up to the arena!”
The elder from the Shanhai Sect, who was hosting the competition, also stood on the arena with a frown.
“Hurry up.”
Around the arena, a circle of mountains was filled with spectators.
There were also disciples from the Shanhai Sect and the Hundred Flowers Sect conducting joint hosting, broadcasting the battle projections.
“Hello everyone, this is the ten-year once outer sect competition.”
“I’m Xiaoke from the Hundred Flowers Sect.”
“I’m Zhao Ming from the Shanhai Sect.”
“Below, we will explain the details of this ten-year once outer sect competition for you.”
“The match is about to start soon.”
On the arena, eleven sects, each with distinct clothing and various magical artifacts, occupied eleven positions.
“This year, the Hundred Flowers Sect’s outer sect disciples are excellent. They have embroidered the Four Seasons Hundred Flowers Robe, which is now priced at 100,000 spiritual stones, ranking first among second-tier magical garments.”
“As for this year’s Ten Thousand Monks Sect… Hmm, what’s going on? Why hasn’t the Qingshui Sect moved yet?”
The sweet-voiced senior sister Kong Miaoke from the Hundred Flowers Sect asked in confusion.
[I thought the projection was frozen.]
[I give this live commentary from the Hundred Flowers Sect zero points. The Qingshui Sect has been motionless for so long? Hmm, they really haven’t moved? Well then, never mind.]
[Refund money—the Qingshui Sect wasted my viewing time! One incense stick costs 50 spiritual stones!]
“Let’s interview the Qingshui Sect’s outer sect disciples on the spectator mountain to see if they know what’s going on?”
Zhao Ming, the outer sect steward of the Shanhai Sect, soon came to the spectator mountain around the arena with Kong Miaoke.
The Qingshui Sect’s outer sect occupied a small hillside.
“Could it be they asked an elder to divine an auspicious time?”
“Or is the Qingshui Sect withdrawing from the competition?”
Kong Miaoke from the Hundred Flowers Sect, sweet and gentle, asked.
The projection screen immediately showed the tense faces of the Qingshui Sect’s outer sect disciples.
They were nervous.
But not because they appeared in the projection watched by thousands—they were tense because—
“We are waiting for someone.”
In unison, the Qingshui Sect’s outer sect disciples looked up to the horizon.
“Eh?”
Kong Miaoke was taken aback.
On the arena, the elder hosting the competition shouted loudly, “Elite disciples of the Qingshui Sect’s outer sect! Are you forfeiting the match!”
But no one moved, still no one moved.
Below the arena, Zhao Keran and others also looked toward the horizon.
“Elder, the competition hasn’t started yet.”
“Please wait a moment.”
Zhao Keran stepped forward respectfully.
The disciple badge on her waist showed she was the top elite of the Qingshui Sect’s outer sect.
Zhou Nanwu, the second elite of the Qingshui Sect, nodded.
Chen Sixin, the third elite of the Qingshui Sect, looked up with a complicated expression.
The fourth and fifth outer sect disciples of the Qingshui Sect remained silent.
“Ah, really missing one, where is their sixth elite?”
“The sixth is here!”
On the projection of the Hundred Flowers Sect’s grand competition, the disciple badge clearly showed the sixth one.
He was sitting among the spectator disciples.
[What’s going on? Why is he sitting outside?]
[Hurry up and get on the arena, so many people are waiting!]
[What a joke! Still dreaming on the viewing platform?]
But this sixth disciple of the Qingshui Sect shook his head red-faced, “It’s not me, the one competing isn’t me.”
[Hmm? Then is the seventh competing? Did the seventh go to the toilet!?]
But just as this message floated past, a ripple of a green robe appeared in the sky.
Three seconds before the match began, a red ribbon fluttered, gauze robes billowed, and wide sleeves caught the wind.
“Sorry, I’m a little late.”
A clear voice accompanied a broad sword slicing through the sky.
“But I’m not late, am I?”
Qingshui Sect’s first outer sect disciple Zhao Keran, second Zhou Nanwu, third Chen Sixin, all stepped back one step.
Leaving the leading first position open.
[!]
[!?]
At the tail of the broad sword, a red tassel trailed steadily as it landed.
On her waist, the disciple wooden plaque flipped and settled.
—Lin Shuang
—Qingshui Sect Outer Sect: Rank 10123
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage