Chapter 107
A trace of satisfaction flickered through Lingzhu Zhenren's eyes as she looked at Lou Yuqing and Ling Yunxiao.
The Snow Lotus Small World had been designed by her personally, and the performance of these two disciples had exceeded even her expectations.
"According to the competition rules, the top three participants will each receive a reward."
With a casual wave of her sleeve, three snow-white petals drifted into view.
Each shimmered with pure spiritual light, identical to the Snow Lotus petals Lou Yuqing had seen inside the trial world.
Lingzhu Zhenren smiled faintly.
"These are Snow Lotus petals, a top-grade spiritual medicine. Even if someone is gravely injured, as long as they still have a single breath left, consuming one will preserve their life."
Lou Yuqing immediately understood why so much blood had nearly been spilled over them inside the trial world.
The three petals varied in size, and without the slightest attempt to hide it, her gaze went straight to the largest one.
Beside her, Ling Yunxiao's eyes lingered on it as well, a hint of anticipation flashing across his face.
Qi Qingxiong stared even more intently.
The disappointment of placing third had already disappeared.
So what if he was only third?
He had still secured a place in the Arena Competition.
That alone was enough.
Seeing the eager expressions on their faces, Lingzhu Zhenren smiled.
The Seven Sects had spared no expense for this grand competition.
The treasures hidden within the other trial worlds were no less valuable than these Snow Lotus petals.
Just as she was about to distribute the rewards, she noticed the strange look on Lou Yuqing's face.
Perhaps because she had taken quite a liking to the girl, she asked directly, "What is it? Do you have a question?"
Lou Yuqing hesitated only briefly before asking, "Senior Lingzhu, may I ask whether these Snow Lotus petals have any connection to the Snow Lotus spirits from the trial world?"
Ling Yunxiao's eyes flickered slightly.
It was the very same question he had been wondering about.
Lingzhu Zhenren paused for a moment before a knowing smile curved her lips.
"Do you think it's so easy for spirit races to take human form?" she asked, amusement coloring her voice. "A trial world is a trial world, and reality is reality. I can tell you with certainty—they have absolutely nothing to do with one another."
Lou Yuqing visibly relaxed.
"Thank you for clarifying, Senior."
She smiled obediently, though inwardly she let out a long sigh of relief.
The thought that real Snow Lotus spirits might transform into humans only to have their petals harvested as medicine had honestly been a little horrifying.
Thankfully, that wasn't the case.
Ling Yunxiao stole a glance at her. The moment he saw the relief on her face, he immediately guessed what had been going through her mind, and the corners of his lips lifted in an unconscious smile.
Qi Qingxiong, who was far more straightforward and nowhere near as imaginative as Lou Yuqing, also found himself oddly relieved after hearing the explanation.
Lingzhu Zhenren swept her gaze over the three of them and gave a faint snort before distributing the rewards.
The largest petal floated to Lou Yuqing, the medium-sized one to Ling Yunxiao, and the smallest to Qi Qingxiong.
The difference in treatment made the significance of the rankings abundantly clear—the higher one's placement, the greater the reward. No one found the arrangement surprising.
Lou Yuqing reached out to catch her petal. The instant it settled into her palm, she blinked in surprise.
It felt cool and slightly damp, wrapped in a thin layer of water.
"Senior, what's this?"
Ling Yunxiao and Qi Qingxiong looked over as well, equally puzzled.
"Snow Lotus petals are difficult to preserve," Lingzhu Zhenren explained patiently. "This layer of water slows the loss of their medicinal properties."
Then she noticed the increasingly peculiar expressions on their faces.
"...Wait." Her eyes widened. "Why are you all looking at it like that? Put those expressions away. It won't spoil for at least five hundred years."
She shot the trio an exasperated glare.
Lou Yuqing laughed awkwardly.
"Please don't be angry, Senior. I thought it was already starting to wither, so I was a little startled."
She carefully stored the petal away before smiling.
"Since it can last for five hundred years, I have no complaints."
Ling Yunxiao immediately followed suit. Cupping his hands in apology, he said, "I misunderstood you, Senior. Please forgive my mistake."
Lingzhu Zhenren's gaze drifted between the two of them.
Their reactions were so perfectly synchronized that she couldn't help smiling to herself.
"Ah, youth..." she said meaningfully. "It's full of spirit. I have high hopes for the both of you."
As for Qi Qingxiong, who had also opened his mouth to apologize-she ignored him completely.
Before anyone could react, Lingzhu Zhenren flicked her wide sleeve.
"Enough. Someone is waiting for you. If I keep you here any longer, those old fellows are bound to lose their patience."
The "old fellow" Qingxuzi: "..."
The "old fellow" Sword Venerable Chengfeng: "..."
The scenery blurred before Lou Yuqing's eyes. Her vision spun for a brief instant, and when it steadied again, she found herself standing in the void, surrounded by the powerful elders of the various sects.
Without hesitation, she bowed toward Qingxuzi.
"This disciple greets the Sect Leader! Yuqing has lived up to your expectations and claimed first place!"
Qingxuzi stroked his white beard, the smile on his face impossible to hide.
A gentle stream of spiritual energy lifted her upright as he said warmly, "No need for such formalities. I watched your performance, and you've done exceedingly well. The sect will reward you handsomely."
Lou Yuqing hadn't expected another reward waiting for her. Delighted by the unexpected windfall, her eyes lit up.
"Thank you, Sect Leader!"
Qingxuzi nodded with satisfaction before turning his gaze to the young man beside her.
"And you are?"
Ling Yunxiao stepped forward and bowed respectfully.
"This disciple, Ling Yunxiao, greets the Sect Leader."
"Hahaha! Excellent! Excellent indeed!"
Qingxuzi laughed heartily before introducing the gathered elders one by one.
"This is Minghan Zhenren of the Bailing Sect, this is Fengyun Zhenren of Star Pavilion, and this is Sword Venerable Chengfeng of the Cloud Soaring Sect."
Under his guidance, Lou Yuqing and Ling Yunxiao greeted each senior in turn.
The old Daoist's face was practically glowing with pride.
The Nascent Soul cultivators all acknowledged the greetings politely, though every one of them shared the same conflicted emotions.
They admired the two outstanding juniors.
At the same time, they couldn't help lamenting that neither belonged to their own sect.
Only Minghan Zhenren seemed to sense what Qingxuzi was about to do.
The corner of his mouth twitched.
Sure enough, Qingxuzi casually turned toward Chengfeng and said with a smile, "Fellow Daoist Chengfeng, your Cloud Soaring Sect earned third place. I haven't congratulated you yet."
The Cloud Soaring Sect cultivators immediately clenched their fists.
Congratulations?
Who was he trying to fool?
The Wendao Sect had swept both first and second place. Either one of those disciples could suppress their third-place representative with ease.
This wasn't a congratulation.
It was shameless showing off.
Qingxuzi proudly lifted his chin.
Yes. That was exactly what everyone was thinking.
His disciples had lived up to every expectation. If he didn't show off at a moment like this, then when would he ever get the chance?
The elders and sect leaders standing behind him wore similarly satisfied expressions.
Sword Venerable Chengfeng, however, simply replied in his usual calm tone, "My thanks."
Qingxuzi's smile froze.
He studied Chengfeng's face carefully.
There was no trace of sarcasm. No hidden meaning. The man genuinely believed he was being congratulated.
Qingxuzi was suddenly at a loss for words.
He had forgotten.
Trying to exchange verbal blows with Chengfeng was pointless. This man's way of thinking simply wasn't on the same wavelength as everyone else's.
The Cloud Soaring Sect disciples, meanwhile, quietly let out sighs of relief.
As expected of Sword Venerable Chengfeng.
With a single sentence, he'd effortlessly neutralized Qingxuzi's blatant display of smugness.
Minghan Zhenren nearly burst out laughing.
No matter how enthusiastically Qingxuzi flaunted his achievements, he always ended up completely helpless whenever he ran into Chengfeng—his natural nemesis.
Qingxuzi coughed twice to cover his embarrassment and was just about to steer the conversation elsewhere when Chengfeng spoke again.
"I find you pleasing to the eye."
The sudden remark left everyone stunned.
Then, before anyone could react, Chengfeng produced a spirit sword and held it out to Lou Yuqing.
"If you don't mind, accept this. There is a strand of my sword qi sealed within it. Should you encounter danger, activate it."
Lou Yuqing blinked, then pointed at herself.
"Me? You're talking to me?"
Chengfeng continued holding out the sword, his expression plainly saying: Who else would I be talking to?
It was an astonishing sight.
The man who normally couldn't be bothered to say more than a handful of words had just delivered the longest speech anyone could remember hearing from him.
The Cloud Soaring Sect disciples were dumbfounded.
The Sword Venerable was showing favor to a junior.
And not just any favor.
For a sword cultivator, gifting someone a strand of one's own sword qi as protection was no trivial gesture. It was enough to show just how highly Chengfeng regarded its recipient.
Qi Qingxiong had only just managed to recover from the blow of placing third. He had already resolved to redeem himself in the arena matches and restore some honor to the Cloud Soaring Sect.
Then Chengfeng's words landed like another bolt from the heavens.
He stood there in stunned silence.
He was Chengfeng's own disciple.
Yet the Sword Venerable had walked right past him to present such a precious gift to a disciple of another sect.
...Did Master truly think so little of me?
The cracks in Qi Qingxiong's spirit widened all over again.
Ling Yunxiao noticed the change in his expression almost immediately.
One glance was enough for him to understand.
He merely shook his head.
Senior Chengfeng treated Junior Sister Yuqing differently for one reason alone-that mysterious "chemistry" she had mentioned before.
Nothing more.
"Yuqing, thank Fellow Daoist Chengfeng," Qingxuzi said with a grin so broad his eyes nearly disappeared.
Still slightly dazed, Lou Yuqing accepted the spirit sword with both hands.
"Thank you, Senior Chengfeng."
Chengfeng merely gave a small nod before withdrawing his gaze, completely unaware that his casual gesture had already set countless minds racing.
Of everyone present, perhaps only Shi Hua understood why he had done it.
When she first met Lou Yuqing in the Spirit Beast Garden—while castrating pigs, no less—she had felt exactly the same way.
The girl was simply... pleasing to the eye.
Even her natal spirit beast, the Nine Heavens Azure Phoenix, had treated Lou Yuqing differently. The proud phoenix, which usually looked down on everyone, had willingly carried her the very first time they met.
"Our sect now has two disciples qualified for the arena competition."
Qingxuzi's smile only grew more radiant as he looked around at the assembled sect leaders.
"Fellow Daoists, don't mind us. Just let your own disciples display their true abilities—"
"That's enough, Fellow Daoist Qingxuzi."
Unable to endure him any longer, Fengyun Zhenren cut him off without hesitation.
"The Foundation Establishment and Golden Core trials are still underway. I need to focus on watching the remaining disciples."
His gaze shifted meaningfully toward Qingxuzi.
"If you're so eager to keep talking, take your two disciples somewhere else and continue there."
Qingxuzi paused.
Looking around, he realized the others all seemed to share the same opinion.
The speech he had painstakingly prepared instantly died in his throat.
Suppressing his disappointment, he put on a composed smile as though nothing had happened.
"Fellow Daoist Fengyun, why say such things? I had no intention of disturbing everyone."
He waved a sleeve with dignified ease.
"Very well. I'll send them away."
Only then did Fengyun Zhenren withdraw his gaze.
The world blurred.
In the blink of an eye, Lou Yuqing and Ling Yunxiao found themselves back in the plaza.
The instant they appeared, a wave of Wendao Sect disciples rushed toward them from every direction.
Si Nidie was the fastest.
She threw herself at Lou Yuqing and pulled her into an enthusiastic bear hug.
"Junior Sister! You're incredible!"
At the same time, Shen Lijun and Chu Qingyang lunged from either side and nearly strangled Ling Yunxiao with their overenthusiastic embrace.
Ling Yunxiao shoved the two of them away without ceremony.
"What's so great about hugging another grown man?"
If anyone was going to hug someone... it should be Junior Sister Yuqing.
The thought surfaced so naturally that even he was caught off guard.
Heat instantly crept up to his ears.
I've become far too shameless...
How could I even think something like that?
Yet, almost against his will, his eyes drifted toward Lou Yuqing once more.
And before he could stop himself, another thought quietly surfaced.
...Her hugs would probably be very soft.
While Ling Yunxiao was still lost in his own thoughts, Lou Yuqing suddenly looked up.
She gently slipped free of Si Nidie's embrace before walking straight toward him.
One step after another.
His heartbeat quickened.
She was coming over.
Could she be...
Lou Yuqing stopped in front of him and quietly extended a hand.
Ling Yunxiao's heart skipped a beat.
Then...
Nothing else happened.
Ling Yunxiao: "..."
A flicker of disappointment crossed his eyes.
Wasn't this supposed to end with a hug?
Even so, he obediently reached out and took her hand.
The next instant, Lou Yuqing lifted their joined hands high into the air.
"Wendao Sect is number one!"
Her clear voice rang across the plaza.
Every disciple of the Wendao Sect heard it.
For a heartbeat, the square fell silent.
Then the crowd exploded.
"WENDAO SECT IS NUMBER ONE!"
Ling Yunxiao looked at the radiant girl standing beside him.
Sunlight seemed to gather around her, making her smile impossibly dazzling.
Without even realizing it, he raised his own voice.
"Wendao Sect is number one!"
The cheers grew even louder.
"WENDAO SECT IS NUMBER ONE!"
Standing shoulder to shoulder at the front of the crowd, the young man and young woman led the chant together like a perfectly matched pair.
The thunderous cries rolled across the plaza again and again, echoing beneath the open sky.
"WENDAO SECT IS NUMBER ONE!"