Chapter 101 : The Unexpected
The night passed quickly, and the bell at Mount Lingxia Square rang as usual the next day.
Today was the competition for the final four of the Three Sect Martial Arts Competition. This grand event, held here for two consecutive days, was now approaching its conclusion. On the high platform, Sect Leader Qingxiao sat in the main seat as usual, with various peak masters and elders of Xuanqing Sect seated on his left, and the elders of Tiandao Sect and Buddha Sect on his right. The elite disciples of the three sects stood behind their respective elders, and as they looked at each other, the atmosphere was subtly tense.
Of course, this tension wasn't so much between the disciples of the three sects as it was the hostility between Tiandao Sect and Xuanqing Sect—most of Buddha Sect's disciples quietly lowered their eyes, maintaining their usual detached appearance, while Tiandao Sect's disciples glared angrily at those from Xuanqing Sect.
This wasn't surprising, since after yesterday's competitions, both Jiang Shen and You Yi, the only two from Tiandao Sect who had made it to the final eight, had been eliminated. Tiandao Sect's disciples not making it to the final four in this martial arts competition was something that hadn't happened in many years, so their dissatisfaction was understandable. Therefore, it was even more natural for them to look unfavorably upon the Xuanqing Sect disciples who had "occupied" their spots.
Although the Xuanqing Sect disciples didn't speak, they slightly raised their chins in response to the angry gazes of the Tiandao Sect disciples. Even without returning a single glance, their smug attitude was unmistakable, infuriating to anyone who saw it.
True Lord Ji Ling of Tiandao Sect noticed the interaction between the disciples of the two sects, and his expression darkened. But a competition was a competition, and a loss was a loss. As a representative of his sect, he naturally couldn't raise objections without reason, and even to demonstrate magnanimity, he had to attend the competitions today and tomorrow. Although he had originally planned to observe coldly, these Xuanqing Sect disciples irritated him so much that he spoke up: "After yesterday's competitions, I see that two disciples of Xuanqing Sect were seriously injured. I wonder how they've recovered today? They shouldn't compete while injured, as damaging their foundations would be regrettable."
This statement was reasonable, but coming from True Lord Ji Ling's mouth, it somehow sounded sarcastic.
Sect Leader Qingxiao didn't seem to mind, his gaze sweeping over the disciples below, and instead he smiled and said: "True Lord Ji Ling is quite right. Although the Three Sect Martial Arts Competition is a rare event that happens only once every sixty years, it is ultimately just an exchange between disciples. Winning is good, but losing isn't a big deal. Compared to your future paths of cultivation, this is hardly worth mentioning."
Hearing this, Su Hao's eyebrows seemed to move slightly, but he didn't immediately say anything. Yun Qingyue, however, straightforwardly raised her hand in greeting: "I respectfully follow Uncle-Master Sect Leader's teachings. My injuries have already healed, and I have no problem with today's competition."
Sect Leader Qingxiao nodded and didn't delay further, simply waving his hand to release the jade box for them to draw lots and determine their opponents.
The three from Xuanqing Sect actively yielded, so Tan Xin was the first to step forward and take a lot. Then Su Hao, Yun Qingyue, and Chu Yang each took one of the remaining three lots in turn. All four opened them at the same time, revealing the golden numbers—Su Hao and Yun Qingyue had drawn number one, while Chu Yang and Tan Xin had drawn number two, thus finalizing today's arena arrangements.
The Sect Leader and peak masters didn't comment on the draw results, but the disciples watching in the square couldn't help but sigh—Chu Yang, a Golden Core cultivator, was destined to be sacrificed to Buddha's Disciple, but the duel between Senior Brother Su and Senior Sister Yun was concerning. Both had been seriously injured in yesterday's competition, and it was hard to say who would have the upper hand today. And even if one won through a hard fight, facing Tan Xin tomorrow would be dangerous.
In a way, Xuanqing Sect occupying three of the four finalist positions seemed impressive, but these three were either weak or injured. In comparison, Buddha Sect's Tan Xin appeared strong and in excellent condition, making his chances of winning greater.
"Perhaps Senior Brother Su and Senior Sister Yun shouldn't compete against each other. What's the point of internal attrition? It would be better to rest for another day, recover more from their injuries, and increase their chances of winning tomorrow," one disciple suggested.
Everyone hearing this thought it made sense, but then the question became: who would concede? In terms of cultivation, Su Hao was naturally higher, but in terms of injuries, Su Hao's were clearly more severe, and it was uncertain how much of his strength he could display now.
The square was filled with discussions, with fragments reaching the high platform, though everyone's thoughts remained unknown.
Sect Leader Qingxiao clearly had no intention of interfering, nor did he show any favoritism toward his own disciples. After seeing the draw results, he said to everyone: "Very well, the draw has been completed, and the competition can begin."
With the little white tiger's help, Yun Qingyue's injuries had indeed healed. Not only that, but she had also rested well the previous night, so she was in good condition after conserving her energy. She bowed to her master, then without further words, stepped onto the arena first. Looking at Su Hao, her bright eyes were full of fighting spirit—Su Hao had advanced to the Nascent Soul realm long ago, his cultivation far surpassing hers, so they had rarely had the opportunity to face each other in the past. In the few rare encounters, rather than exchanges, it was more like Su Hao teaching her one-sidedly. She was grateful, of course, but also hoped for a day when she could truly compete with her Senior Brother. Now that she had also advanced to Nascent Soul, although her Senior Brother was injured, she still hoped to have a good fight with him.
Su Hao's figure flickered as he also stepped onto the arena. Meeting Yun Qingyue's eyes full of fighting spirit, he raised his lips in a smile.
Yun Qingyue tightened her grip on the Fuxue Sword, appearing fully prepared, her fighting spirit gradually rising. But before she could make a move, Su Hao's gentle voice reached her ears: "I concede."
Su Hao's tone was extremely calm as he said this, and his volume wasn't loud, just like casually chatting with his junior brothers and sisters. However, his voice accurately reached the ears of everyone present, exploding like thunder... After a brief silence, the crowd watching below the arena immediately erupted, seemingly never imagining these words would come from the Senior Brother's mouth.
Yun Qingyue was equally surprised, and for once, was a bit stunned: "Senior Brother?"
Su Hao was still smiling, waving his hand at her and saying: "My injuries haven't healed yet, and I'm not suitable for combat. Since your injuries have recovered, I hope you'll do your best in tomorrow's competition." With that, he turned and jumped off the arena.
It was only at this point that everyone noticed Su Hao's face was indeed unusually pale, almost bloodless, even his lips were frighteningly pale. But as the Senior Brother, his presence had always been strong, and people were so intimidated by his aura that they hadn't noticed this. They had also forgotten that Jiang Shen of Tiandao Sect didn't have an undeserved reputation—he was truly Tiandao Sect's number one of his generation!
Today, Jiang Shen was severely injured and hadn't shown up, and the so-called "mutual injury" wasn't just talk.
༻༺❀༻✧⋆｡°✩☽༓☾✩°｡⋆✧༺❀༻༺
Yun Qingyue and Su Hao's first match ended before it even began. Although unexpected, upon careful consideration, it made sense—as the Sect Leader's direct senior disciple, Su Hao naturally had more responsibility to the sect than others, and today's decision was purely out of duty. If his opponent today hadn't been Yun Qingyue, whether Tan Xin or Chu Yang, he would have fought with all his might.
Fortunately, he had drawn Yun Qingyue, a junior sister whose cultivation was strong enough to reassure him, and there was no need to compete and cause internal attrition. So he conceded frankly, though it damaged his prestige, it at least didn't harm the sect.
Thus, Yun Qingyue effortlessly gained a chance to compete for the championship, and the second match was about to begin.
Today's second duel was between Chu Yang and Tan Xin. Compared to the previous match, everyone felt the outcome was without suspense. After all, Chu Yang reaching this point with merely Golden Core cultivation was already considered miraculous. Buddha Sect's disciple was no simple character—not to mention his extraordinary talent and Buddha Sect's years of dedicated training, but just seeing his techniques these past few days showed he was not to be underestimated.
Zhong Heng, holding the little white tiger while watching beneath the arena, heard many disciples discussing. Even fellow disciples from Xuanqing Sect gave Chu Yang no chance. Many even said that today's arena competition would end quickly, and they had already made plans for the remaining half of the day.
Even Zhong Heng secretly said: "It's good to have extra time; it gives Senior Sister a chance to adjust her condition."
However, while no one gave Chu Yang any chance, the little white tiger remained vigilant, because in her heart, this person was almost synonymous with the male protagonist. And such protagonists generally had the luck of a golden koi, the tenacity of a cockroach, and their most skilled ability was slapping faces. The more unfavorable the situation that no one believed in, the more likely he was to turn things around!
Thinking of this, the little white tiger secretly glanced at Tan Xin, who had already stepped onto the arena, and felt some doubt—the young monk was handsome with red lips and white teeth, and didn't look like cannon fodder destined to be humiliated.
But regardless of what the little white tiger thought or what others said, the competition on the arena finally began. No matter how inferior Chu Yang's cultivation was, he wouldn't concede immediately. On the contrary, the moment he drew his sword, his fighting spirit soared to the heavens.
On the arena, Chu Yang thrust his sword forward, and the sharp sword energy rushed toward Tan Xin like bamboo being split apart.
Seeing this, Tan Xin remained calm as ever, his wrist turning to throw out a string of white jade prayer beads. After being thrown, the beads suspended in front of him, and as he quickly formed Buddhist mudras with his hands, the entire string of beads immediately emitted a faint golden light... This was completely different from the golden light emitted when gold spiritual root cultivators used spiritual power—it lacked the sharp edge of metal, and instead possessed a gentle, inclusive quality.
This was the Buddha-light unique to Buddhist cultivators. It didn't look particularly dazzling, but it firmly blocked Chu Yang's full-force attack. Then, as Tan Xin's hands changed mudras, the golden light transformed into a circular light palm, striking back at Chu Yang.
The gentle Buddha-light sprinkled on the crowd watching beneath the arena, making everyone feel a warmth like sunshine falling on their bodies. Precisely because this warmth was too comfortable and sunshine too ordinary, almost no one paid much attention to that strand of Buddha-light. Thus, no one noticed that when the light palm carrying the Buddha-light struck at Chu Yang, he frowned almost imperceptibly under the illumination of that Buddha-light.
Chu Yang seemed somewhat uncomfortable, but quickly concealed it, then immediately swung his sword to split that light palm. This sword strike was magnificent, not only shattering Tan Xin's light palm but also dispersing the shining Buddha-light.
The crowd below cheered loudly, attracted by his technique, and even fewer people noticed the subtle changes in his expression...