Chapter 104 : Return to Mount Mingxia
In Lingyun Hall on Mount Tianyang, Sect Leader Qingxiao sat in the central position, with the four peak masters and the elders from the two sects seated on both sides. Besides them, disciples and ordinary elders were not present, making the hall seem somewhat empty. However, with everyone's profound cultivation, they could faintly hear the disciples' celebrations below the mountain.
As Xuanqing Sect had ultimately won the martial arts competition, the disciples were naturally jubilant. After Yun Qingyue's victory, everyone spontaneously began celebrating. First, they made a commotion at Mount Lingxia, and now back at Mount Tianyang, they still hadn't settled down. Without the sect's restrictions, such festivities might continue for a month or two. And the sect naturally wouldn't restrict them; many elders even joined in, making the celebration even more lively.
Compared to the excitement of the disciples below the mountain, Lingyun Hall was now completely silent.
The Three Sect Martial Arts Competition was originally established to ease tensions among the three sects. According to tradition, it was held once every sixty years, and the results of the disciples' competitions would ultimately affect the resource allocation among the three sects for the next sixty years.
This was truly a serious matter, so a concluding meeting after the competition was inevitable. However, the atmosphere among those gathered this time was noticeably awkward—in a formal competition, one must honor the results, and in previous martial arts competitions, regardless of the outcome, there had never been any disputes. But this time was different. Because of the unexpected incident with Chu Yang, the results of the competition seemed somewhat unconvincing...
True Lord Ji Ling, representing Tiandao Sect, sat in the hall listening to the celebrations of Xuanqing Sect's disciples below. His expression was somewhat gloomy: "Hmph, such festivities. Xuanqing Sect has achieved a great victory this time, so they indeed should celebrate properly."
His tone wasn't good, his speech carrying a hint of sarcasm, making everyone present slightly frown.
Sect Leader Qingxiao's expression remained unchanged as he took out a jade bottle from his sleeve and tossed it toward True Lord Ji Ling. Before the latter could raise his hand to catch it, the jade bottle landed steadily on the table beside him: "I understand why True Lord is upset. The previous match between Chu Yang and You Yi was indeed suspicious. However, time has passed, and we didn't catch any evidence then, so saying anything now would be pointless. But since Chu Yang is indeed a disciple of our Xuanqing Sect, and he did injure You Yi, this is a fact. Please give this medicine to Nephew Disciple You, consider it an apology from our Xuanqing Sect."
Hearing this, True Lord Ji Ling glanced at the jade bottle but showed no intention of opening it to look. Something offered as an apology by Sect Leader Qingxiao wouldn't be ordinary. But even if the medicine in the jade bottle was more precious than the Boundary Breaking Pill, allowing You Yi to receive a more valuable reward than the top three in the competition, compared to the sect's resources for the next sixty years, it was still insignificant.
"Sect Leader Qingxiao is indeed generous," True Lord Ji Ling seemed to be holding back his anger, determined not to easily let the matter go. "Xuanqing Sect hosts the martial arts competition, yet a Xuanqing Sect disciple disrupts the competition with a demonic weapon, and Sect Leader Qingxiao thinks a bottle of medicine will settle this matter?!"
It was understandable why True Lord Ji Ling wouldn't back down. His cultivation wasn't high, and his position in the sect was only ordinary. Elite disciples like Jiang Shen had cultivation levels almost catching up to his; they only lacked experience. This martial arts competition was precisely one of the experiences for Jiang Shen and others. True Lord Ji Ling was said to be leading the team, but in reality, he was merely handling some trivial matters, serving as a figurehead.
But even being a figurehead wasn't easy. The ones making decisions were Jiang Shen and the others, but if problems arose, he would definitely be the one taking the blame. Unfortunately, this time Jiang Shen and the others had come with full confidence, only to end with a disastrous defeat. Tiandao Sect ranked last, and if the sect didn't hold him accountable, who else would they blame?
Therefore, even knowing that had You Yi won that match, it might not have affected the final result, he still stubbornly refused to let it go.
However, Sect Leader Qingxiao wasn't one to be pushed around. He generously offered medicine as compensation, but that didn't mean he would concede on the competition results. He gave a cold glance, and the pressure from a Fusion realm cultivator almost made True Lord Ji Ling unable to breathe: "Chu Yang didn't win the championship, nor is he among the top three. What more does True Lord Ji Ling want?"
True Lord Ji Ling's face alternated between blue and red, but he still stubbornly said: "You Yi is an elite of our Tiandao Sect. If he hadn't been treacherously ambushed by that Chu Yang, how could he have been defeated by a mere Golden Core cultivator? If he hadn't lost, he might well have gone all the way to the end!"
Hearing this, Peak Master Qingyu finally couldn't hold back and let out a light snort: "You Yi had a match with my disciple before, and he lost."
True Lord Ji Ling was momentarily at a loss for words but still insisted: "It was just a minor defeat. Their cultivation levels were evenly matched, and in another match, You Yi might not necessarily lose! Besides, besides..." He looked at the lead elder from Buddha Sect and ultimately didn't continue. Because Buddha Sect's disciple was clearly not someone to be trifled with, and while he could claim that You Yi and Yun Qingyue were evenly matched, he had no confidence regarding that Buddha's Disciple Tan Xin.
Indeed, Yun Qingyue had been lucky. If Tan Xin hadn't injured his spiritual energy dealing with the demonic weapon earlier, the outcome of today's match would truly have been uncertain. Buddha Sect's people were genuinely good-tempered; even at this point, they remained silent, allowing Xuanqing Sect to get away with it!
True Lord Ji Ling became increasingly angry, and when he looked at the old monk from Buddha Sect, his gaze couldn't help but contain a hint of fire.
Unfortunately, regardless of how True Lord Ji Ling insisted, the results of the martial arts competition could not be changed. Sect Leader Qingxiao didn't want to entangle with him further and said: "The results of this competition are set. If True Lord has any objections, feel free to report the matter to your Sect Leader. If Tiandao Sect's Master also has objections to this matter, I will discuss it with him personally." After a pause, he added: "Besides, our gathering here today is also to discuss the new secret realm that True Lord mentioned earlier."
The matter of the new secret realm was something True Lord Ji Ling had mentioned when he first arrived at Xuanqing Sect with his team before the competition began. Although now, with Tiandao Sect ranking last, being asked about the new secret realm they had discovered seemed somewhat inappropriate and even aggressive, important matters still needed to be discussed.
True Lord Ji Ling indeed felt stifled. His lips moved slightly, but he ultimately didn't voice any refusal—with his temperament, given how things had progressed, he naturally wouldn't want to share the newly discovered secret realm. However, exploring a new secret realm was inevitably accompanied by risks, and the sect wasn't willing to bear them alone, so they had made it clear early on that all disciples participating in the martial arts competition could enter.
Having already bungled one matter, True Lord Ji Ling didn't dare create more problems. After a moment of silence, he finally said gloomily: "The new secret realm will open in a year, at Mount Mingzong. I don't know many other specific details; everyone should prepare accordingly."
Sect Leader Qingxiao nodded and said: "Thank you."
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Although Yun Qingyue's ultimate championship was unexpected, it was indeed a joyous occasion for Xuanqing Sect. Regardless of whatever thoughts the sect elders had, the disciples couldn't miss their celebration. Mount Tianyang had been lively, and Mount Mingxia was naturally even more so.
After claiming the championship and receiving the competition rewards, Yun Qingyue, carrying the little white tiger, finally returned to Mount Mingxia with Zhong Heng.
As the flying sword landed on the mountain platform, the little white tiger was the first to jump out of Yun Qingyue's arms, running excitedly toward the familiar small courtyard—this journey had first been the sect competition, immediately followed by the Three Sect Martial Arts Competition, and all the hustle and bustle had lasted nearly two months. During these two months, they had only competed and cultivated, without returning home once. Now that they were finally back, the little white tiger even felt the joy of returning home.
Yun Qingyue looked at the playful little white tiger, her eyes softening with a hint of a smile. Just as she was about to step forward to catch up, she saw the doors of several nearby small courtyards open, and a group of junior brothers and sisters appeared all at once, smiling as they congratulated her: "Congratulations, Senior Sister, on winning the martial arts competition!"
The true disciples of Mount Mingxia were rarely gathered together. Zhong Heng smiled and stepped forward to join the junior brothers and sisters: "Congratulations, Senior Sister, on winning the martial arts competition." As he spoke, his palm turned, and a brocade box appeared in his hand, which he offered with both hands: "This is a congratulatory gift."
Yun Qingyue was somewhat surprised, but then she smiled and accepted it: "Thank you."
Hearing this, Zhong Heng scratched his head in embarrassment, then changed the subject, saying: "Since we're rarely gathered together, and Senior Sister's championship is even more rare, why don't we all get together tonight and drink till we're drunk?"
Before Yun Qingyue could respond, a junior sister glared at him: "When did Second Senior Brother become such a fan of drinking? Senior Sister and I don't like it."
Zhong Heng wasn't upset and said: "Then we'll just eat something and chat. Who knows when we'll gather again?"
The several senior and junior disciples clustered together, talking animatedly. The little white tiger, who had run ahead, had already rushed into the small courtyard and back out. She carried a fresh peach just picked from the peach tree in her mouth and was happily running over to present it to Senior Sister. However, upon hearing Zhong Heng's words, her steps immediately faltered—that's right, after the martial arts competition, Senior Sister was going to leave for training, as they had agreed. But how did Zhong Heng know?
The little white tiger felt somewhat dejected and a bit concerned, slowing her pace as she approached.
Everyone present was a cultivator with considerable cultivation, so they naturally noticed her immediately. Apart from Zhong Heng, the others' expressions turned slightly solemn. Though they found the little white tiger carrying a peach amusing, they didn't dare look too much and all bowed to her.
The little white tiger walked over with her head raised. By the time she reached Yun Qingyue, Senior Sister had already bent down. So she handed the peach she had picked to Senior Sister's hand and said: "We were gone for two months, and many new peaches have grown on the tree."
Hearing this, Yun Qingyue's eyes warmed, remembering the days when the little white tiger would bring her peaches every day.
Zhong Heng, somewhat tactlessly, interjected: "Oh, Senior Sister's place has many peaches? That's perfect, let's pick some to eat." He then added wistfully: "That peach tree has been there for many years, and its peaches are sweet. I remember when I was young, just after joining the sect, when Senior Sister was teaching me, I would often secretly climb the tree to pick them. Speaking of which, Senior Sister will have her own spirit peak after advancing to Nascent Soul. Will you take this peach tree with you when you leave?"
The origin of the peach tree in Yun Qingyue's courtyard was similar to that of the ice lotus in Peak Master Qingyu's private courtyard; both were results of her childhood sweet tooth. However, as she grew older, she no longer ate the ice lotus seeds and peaches much, and the ice lotus and peach blossoms had become part of the scenery.
"I suppose so," Yun Qingyue thought for a moment, a faint smile in her crystal eyes.
The little white tiger belatedly realized that Senior Sister would also be moving. She looked back at the familiar small courtyard, feeling somewhat reluctant. But then she thought that when Senior Sister left, it would be for a year, and she might spend that year with Divine Lord Zhiming. Compared to this small courtyard, she would miss Senior Sister the person more than the place. So she looked up pitifully...
Senior Sister, are you really not planning to take a little tiger with you? One that can act cute, be adorable, and has fur to stroke!