Chapter 114
Within the silent expanse of the void, Sect Leader Qingxuzi's eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly at the mention of the Changjing Clan.
Among the countless races scattered across the continent, the Wendao Sect's records contained only a few brief lines about them:
They dwell in the southeastern reaches of the continent and possess the rare ability to alter their physical gender twice over the course of their lives.
Although the Wendao Sect prided itself on embracing all races that were not officially classified as hostile, Qingxuzi couldn't shake the feeling that He Wenjing had not joined the sect without a purpose.
His thoughts drifted to the recent incident involving the Nightmare Clan spy—the infiltrator who had betrayed the sect and secretly collaborated with enemies beyond its borders.
A quiet sigh escaped him.
Lately, it seemed as though trouble had been finding the Wendao Sect from every direction.
Beside him, Elder Wei Tu glanced thoughtfully at his senior brother.
The Changjing Clan had always lived in seclusion, keeping themselves far removed from the affairs and conflicts of the outside world.
For one of their people to suddenly appear within the Wendao Sect...
What exactly were they after?
After a moment's thought, however, he dismissed the more alarming possibilities.
He Wenjing was only at the Foundation Establishment Realm.
With cultivation at that level, it was difficult to imagine him orchestrating any truly catastrophic scheme.
The more immediate concern was something else entirely—the relationship that had quietly blossomed between him and Junior Brother Meng's precious daughter.
High above the arena, the Nascent Soul elders of the Seven Great Sects all fell into thoughtful silence.
Each weighed the revelation according to their own judgment...
And each arrived at a very different conclusion.
Down on the arena floor, Meng Zonghan fixed He Wenjing with a gaze heavy enough to crush mountains.
His voice rang out, stern and uncompromising.
"Speak plainly. What was your true purpose in joining the Wendao Sect? And why did you deliberately get close to Shuangya?"
He would tolerate no threat to his daughter.
Even if the young man before him truly cared for her, how could he be certain that affection wasn't merely another carefully crafted disguise?
Meng Shuangya stepped forward to stand beside her father.
The quiet hopes she had treasured over the past months were set aside without hesitation.
She met He Wenjing's eyes steadily.
This was no longer just a matter between the two of them.
It concerned the safety of her sect.
Her family.
Everyone she held dear.
Even so, a sharp ache twisted deep within her chest.
No matter how hard she tried to steel herself, the warmth of their shared memories refused to fade.
The more turbulent her emotions became, the calmer her expression turned.
If she had truly been responsible for allowing danger to slip into the sect...
She would never forgive herself.
And if everything between them had truly begun as nothing more than deception, then she would show him no mercy.
Nor would she forgive herself.
The distance in her eyes made He Wenjing's face pale.
His hands slowly clenched into fists before he finally spoke, his voice low and strained.
"I have never harbored any ill intentions toward the Wendao Sect-I swear it. I came here of my own accord. My actions have nothing to do with the Changjing Clan."
He paused, taking a slow, unsteady breath before continuing.
"I lost something precious. I searched everywhere for it... and eventually discovered that it was with Shuangya. At first, I had no way of approaching her. So I joined the sect. I only wanted the chance to meet her... to earn her trust... and, when the time was right, ask her to return it."
Meng Shuangya's expression trembled ever so slightly.
She had already suspected that their relationship had begun with hidden motives.
But hearing him admit it with his own lips still left an emptiness spreading through her chest, as though the ground beneath her feet had quietly given way.
"But as we spent more time together," He Wenjing continued, his voice softening, "what began as a means to an end became something real.
I truly fell in love with you. When you spoke of marriage, I agreed without a moment's hesitation.
By then... I had already stopped caring about the Moon-Sealing Pearl. "
He looked directly into her eyes, every trace of pretense gone.
"You and Hall Master Meng may find that difficult to believe, but I swear it is the truth. My feelings for you long ago became far more important than the reason I first came here. I love you for who you are."
Confusion flickered across Meng Shuangya's face.
She no longer knew where the lies ended and the truth began.
Once, she would have believed every word without question.
But now...
Now that deception had cast its shadow over everything between them, her heart instinctively pulled back, wrapped in caution and uncertainty.
Meng Zonghan offered no judgment.
Instead, he rested a reassuring hand on his daughter's shoulder and spoke softly enough for only her to hear.
"This is your heart to weigh, Shuangya. Listen to what it tells you."
Privately, he doubted He Wenjing would dare lie at a time like this.
Not before so many sharp-eyed elders.
And certainly not with Lou Yuqing standing nearby.
Meanwhile, Lou Yuqing remained blissfully unconcerned with the expectations everyone seemed to place upon her.
She was far too absorbed in browsing the endless stream of gossip flowing through her system.
[He's telling the truth.]
[Whatever reason first brought him here, his feelings for Meng Shuangya have long since become sincere—and they haven't wavered.]
The quiet voice echoed through the square.
Meng Shuangya slowly steadied herself.
Perhaps...
Perhaps her heart had not been entirely wrong after all.
She looked back at He Wenjing, her voice calm but searching.
"You keep mentioning a treasure. What exactly was it? I don't remember ever taking anything that didn't belong to me."
He Wenjing immediately explained.
"It was a small bead, no larger than a fingertip. It is called the Moon-Sealing Pearl. It absorbs moonlight and refines it into pure spiritual energy, allowing its owner to cultivate more steadily."
Meng Zonghan's eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly.
Any treasure capable of drawing directly upon the essence of moonlight was far from ordinary.
It was an invaluable artifact.
And he could now understand why someone would go to such lengths to recover it.
Meng Shuangya frowned, searching her memories.
"I don't have it. I've never seen a bead like that nor have I ever possessed anything matching your description."
No one present questioned her words.
As the cherished daughter of a Nascent Soul cultivator, she had never lacked precious treasures.
Someone of her status had no reason to steal—or secretly keep—such an item.
"Then why didn't you tell me from the beginning?" Meng Shuangya asked quietly, searching his face for an answer.
"If you had been honest when we first met... I might have been upset. But I would have listened. Instead, you said nothing. You stayed by my side, let us grow closer and closer... and now it feels as though everything was only to make me lower my guard before asking for it back."
He Wenjing could only force a bitter smile.
How could he explain it?
The truth sounded even more unbelievable than the lie.
Before he could find the words, Lou Yuqing's voice echoed through the square once again.
[The reason he never asked for it back... is because he discovered the Moon-Sealing Pearl was already inside her.]
[And after falling in love with her, he simply couldn't bring himself to do anything that might hurt her.]
[Honestly... he's hopelessly lovestruck.]
[The adorable kind of hopelessly lovestruck.]
A few disciples couldn't help coughing awkwardly.
That... was an unexpectedly fitting description.
Lou Yuqing continued without pause.
[When members of the Changjing Clan first awaken their bloodline, each of them is born with a companion treasure bound to their soul.]
[The Moon-Sealing Pearl is He Wenjing's soul-bound artifact.]
[Its value is far greater than it appears.]
[It tempers the body, stabilizes spiritual energy, and continuously nourishes its owner's cultivation.]
[After losing it, his cultivation slowed noticeably, and even his foundation became less stable.]
A wave of surprise swept across the crowd.
A soul-bound treasure... no wonder he had searched so desperately for it.
But Lou Yuqing's next words left everyone stunned.
[Even after finding it, he never tried to reclaim it.]
[Instead, he stayed close to Meng Shuangya and quietly guided the pearl's power so it would continue nourishing her.]
[When she proposed marriage, he agreed without the slightest hesitation.]
[He had already made up his mind to give up his own companion treasure... as long as he could stay by her side.]
The entire arena fell silent.
Meng Shuangya stood frozen where she was.
Her thoughts had gone completely blank.
The Moon-Sealing Pearl, the treasure bound to his very soul... she had unknowingly absorbed it into her own body.
And rather than forcefully reclaim it, he had quietly remained by her side, helping her refine its power all this time.
Shi Xiuxiu's eyes grew round with astonishment.
She had once thought He Wenjing was no different from Qi Luofeng.
Now she realized... the difference between the two was like heaven and earth.
Not far away, Shen Lijun suddenly felt a chill crawl up the back of his neck.
He instinctively turned his head.
Sure enough, Si Nidie was staring at him.
The look in her eyes seemed to say only one thing: You're no better than he is.
Shen Lijun silently looked away.
Then let out a long, helpless sigh.
The murmurs sweeping through the arena rose and fell like rolling waves.
Even the Nascent Soul masters suspended high above exchanged surprised glances.
Sect Leader Qingxuzi met Elder Wei Tu's eyes, and for the first time in days, the lingering weight of suspicion quietly lifted from both their hearts.
They had prepared themselves for a hidden conspiracy...
Only to discover they had become unwilling spectators to the story of a young man who had lost not only his heart, but even his most precious treasure.
He had come to reclaim what belonged to him. In the end, he had willingly given it away.
Meng Zonghan looked at He Wenjing with entirely new eyes.
There was something strangely familiar about that unwavering devotion.
Once upon a time... hadn't he himself moved heaven and earth just to win Shuangya's mother's heart?
Sensing the subtle change in the older man's expression, He Wenjing felt as though a ray of sunlight had finally broken through the storm clouds hanging over him.
He immediately looked toward Meng Shuangya.
When he noticed the frost in her eyes soften ever so slightly, hope quietly blossomed in his chest.
"Shuangya..."
He spoke cautiously, as though afraid a single careless word might shatter the fragile peace between them.
"...Do you hate me?"
She looked at him quietly.
"For what?"
"For the way everything began." His voice grew hoarse. "For approaching you only because I wanted to recover the Moon-Sealing Pearl. I know trust should come before anything else. But before we truly even knew each other... I had already broken that trust."
He lowered his gaze.
"Ever since then... I've been afraid. Afraid that once you learned the truth... you would never forgive me."
Meng Shuangya fell silent.
She carefully sorted through everything that had happened.
When she looked back on it now, she realized she had never truly lost anything.
If anything, she had been the one receiving everything.
The thought made the anger she had clung to suddenly feel much lighter.
Almost difficult to hold onto.
After a long pause, she finally stepped forward until only a single pace separated them.
Meeting his eyes, she said quietly, "Then tell me everything. If I'm going to decide whether I can forgive you... I need to hear the whole truth."
He Wenjing straightened instinctively.
His shoulders were squared, yet his expression was filled with quiet remorse.
"I approached you to recover the Moon-Sealing Pearl—never told you why.
When I discovered it had already fused with your body...
I secretly guided its power to nourish your cultivation.
I never asked whether you wanted that. I made those decisions on my own.
I kept things from you when I should have trusted you with the truth. "
A bitter smile crossed his face.
"I know I've done you a great wrong. And perhaps... it's one I can never truly make right."
Before the silence could settle, Lou Yuqing's voice rang out once more.
[Does a man like this actually exist?]
She sighed dramatically.
[Who wouldn't want to be loved like this?]
A wave of silent agreement spread through the crowd.
Many found themselves thinking the very same thing.
After all... who wouldn't hope that, someday, someone would choose them over even their most precious treasure?
Meng Shuangya thought back to the sudden leaps in her cultivation.
The inexplicable breakthroughs, the steady growth in her strength that had seemed to come from nowhere... only now did she finally understand where they had come from.
She looked at He Wenjing, who stood before her as though awaiting a sentence of execution, and let out a long, weary sigh.
"You shouldn't have made that decision for me," she said softly. "If that pearl truly belongs to you... then you should take it back. I don't want something that was given up out of obligation instead of choice."
The answer she had sought was finally before her.
She knew now that his feelings had always been genuine.
But her own heart was still a tangled mess.
She couldn't yet say whether she could completely let go of the hurt his deception had caused or what kind of future still lay between them.
He Wenjing slowly shook his head.
His expression was gentle, but unwavering.
"It isn't that simple. The Moon-Sealing Pearl has remained inside you for far too long. Its power has already fused with your spirit, it belongs to you now. Trying to separate it would only hurt you."
He deliberately left one thing unsaid.
The Changjing Clan did possess ancient secret techniques capable of reclaiming a soul-bound treasure.
But the process would inflict unimaginable pain upon the one carrying it.
At worst... it could even shatter their cultivation foundation.
He would never ask Meng Shuangya to endure something like that.
Before anyone else could respond, Lou Yuqing's inner voice echoed through the square once again.
[If only that were actually true.]
[He'd rather make up another lie than risk letting her get hurt.]
[Though after everything today... I doubt anyone here will believe him so easily anymore.]
A flicker of doubt crossed Meng Shuangya's face.
She knew nothing about the Changjing Clan or their customs.
Under normal circumstances, she probably would have accepted He Wenjing's explanation without question.
But after everything that mysterious voice had revealed...
She couldn't help wondering.
"Then how did your pearl end up inside me in the first place?"
She frowned, searching her memories.
"I don't remember ever seeing anything like it—much less swallowing it."
He Wenjing could only shake his head helplessly.
"I followed the Moon-Sealing Pearl's aura until it led me here. But... I don't know how it left my side... or how it ended up with you."
Lou Yuqing perked up immediately.
[Oh! That part I know!]
Everyone instinctively pricked up their ears.
[He lost it years ago while traveling through the wilderness.]
[He ran into a powerful demonic beast, was gravely injured, and lay unconscious for several days.]
[During all that chaos, the Moon-Sealing Pearl slipped away.]
[The demonic beast happened to find it glowing on the ground.]
[Thinking it was some rare delicacy, it swallowed the pearl whole.]
The disciples collectively fell silent.
...A demonic beast actually ate a soul-bound treasure?
Lou Yuqing continued cheerfully.
[Unfortunately for the beast, it didn't get to enjoy its prize for long.]
[Not long afterward, it crossed paths with a demon hunter.]
[The hunter killed it, but had no interest in such a tiny pearl.]
[So he sold the beast's carcass to a restaurant in the nearest city.]
By now, several people were beginning to sense where this story was heading.
Lou Yuqing didn't disappoint.
[And then... on the very day Meng Shuangya happened to be in an awful mood and went out to eat...]
[The restaurant served her meat from that very demonic beast.]
[She was eating so quickly that she swallowed the Moon-Sealing Pearl together with the food... without ever noticing it.]
Silence.
Utter silence.
The entire square seemed to stop breathing.
Meng Shuangya's eyes widened.
A distant memory suddenly resurfaced.
There really had been such a day.
She had been upset about something, buried herself in a meal, and barely bothered chewing before swallowing.
She slowly turned toward He Wenjing.
Her expression was caught somewhere between disbelief... and helpless amusement.
After a long pause, she finally asked, "Exactly how big was this pearl?"
He Wenjing answered honestly, "...About the size of a grain of rice."
Meng Shuangya closed her eyes for a moment.
No wonder I never noticed.
"Come with me," Meng Shuangya said, turning toward the edge of the arena. She hopped lightly down from the raised platform, then glanced back over her shoulder. "We need to talk-properly, and away from everyone else."
He Wenjing followed almost on instinct, his thoughts racing as he tried to gauge how much hope remained.
At the very least, she had not rejected him outright. She was still willing to hear him out.
As the two of them walked away, disappointed murmurs rippled through the crowd. More than a few disciples called after them, urging them to stay—they had only just reached the most interesting part of the story.
Meng Zonghan let out a quiet but unmistakably cold snort, and the entire square fell silent at once.
In the next instant, he vanished from where he stood, discreetly following after the pair.
He would give them the privacy they needed, but that did not mean he intended to stop watching over his daughter.
Truth be told, he had come to admire He Wenjing's sincerity and devotion. Yet one question continued to linger in the back of his mind.
The young man's way of thinking was simply too different from Shuangya's.
Perhaps that was only to be expected. After all, they belonged to entirely different races. Even if their feelings were genuine, would such differences become obstacles in the years to come?
Ling Yunxiao found himself considering the same question for only a brief moment before dismissing it altogether.
It had nothing to do with him and Yuqing.
They were both human; such concerns would never stand between them.
His gaze drifted toward Lou Yuqing, and the corners of his lips softened into the faintest smile. Simply looking at her was enough to make his heartbeat quicken.
So this is what it means to be lovestruck...
Yuqing seemed to think there was something rather admirable about loving someone so wholeheartedly.
Ling Yunxiao quietly took stock of everything he owned, mentally counting each possession one by one. By the time he finished, the smile had faded into a slight frown.
He was... embarrassingly poor.
Even if he offered her everything he possessed, it would amount to little beside the countless priceless treasures owned by her master, Immortal Venerable Zixiao. Compared to someone of that stature, his own wealth was hardly worth mentioning.
A moment later, however, determination blazed in his eyes.
So what if he had nothing now?
Giving up had never been an option.
He would cultivate harder than ever before, grow stronger, and gather every opportunity and every treasure he could.
One day, he would stand proudly at her side, not because he had inherited greatness, but because he had earned it himself.
And when that day came...
Perhaps he, too, could proudly call himself a man hopelessly in love.
Lou Yuqing remained blissfully unaware of the quiet determination taking root in Ling Yunxiao's heart. Dismissing the floating system interface with a thought, she turned her full attention back to the arena.
At that same moment, a line of text scrolled silently across the hidden panel.
[This juicy bit of gossip has been delivered. Current audience tally: 1,566—including Meng Zonghan, Meng Shuangya, He Wenjing, and many others...]
The second match of the Golden Core division was about to begin.
Wendao Sect's Song Li versus a disciple of the Bailing Sect.
"Begin!" the referee called.
The instant the signal was given, both cultivators moved.
Song Li raised a slender hand, and a colossal serpent of flame erupted into existence. Its crimson scales blazed with terrifying heat, while those with keen enough eyesight caught sight of a thin strand of writhing black smoke coiling through its core like a living shadow.
From the stands, Madam Hongyan watched with a faint smile of satisfaction.
Her disciple had become increasingly adept at controlling the innate gift she had been born with—the Fire Poison Physique.
That black thread hidden within the flames was no ordinary smoke, but venom condensed into its purest form.
A single brush against the skin was enough to spell disaster.
Unless the afflicted limb was severed immediately, the poison would spread through flesh, blood, and bone alike, bringing an agonizing death.
The Bailing Sect disciple clearly recognized the danger.
The moment he realized his own spell could not contend with the overwhelming blaze, he abandoned the half-completed technique without hesitation. With a swift motion, he drew a polished shield from his storage bag.
A pulse of spiritual energy surged into it.
The shield shone brilliantly before expanding in an instant until it stood three zhang high, transforming into a gleaming wall of light directly in the path of the charging fire serpent.
The collision shook the entire arena.
A thunderous explosion split the air as scarlet flames and dazzling white light erupted outward in violent waves. The shockwave swept across the platform, racing more than four hundred zhang in every direction.
A powerful gale slammed into the spectator stands, whipping robes and long hair into a frenzy. Even the disciples seated in the front rows instinctively leaned back, hurriedly bracing themselves against the fierce blast.
When the blinding light finally began to fade, countless eyes remained fixed on the arena, holding their breath as they waited to see who still stood.
Song Li stood unmoving at the center of the arena, as composed as a mountain. Not a trace of emotion stirred across her face as her fingers flowed through one hand seal after another with practiced ease, as though preparing an even more devastating technique.
Across from her, the Bailing Sect disciple gritted his teeth.
The massive shield before him had already begun to buckle beneath the relentless heat. Its once-smooth surface was blackened, dented, and riddled with cracks, groaning as though it could collapse at any moment.
Sweat streamed down his temples as he desperately poured every last thread of spiritual energy into the artifact, struggling to keep it from breaking apart.
High above the arena, Sect Leader Qingxuzi watched quietly before giving a faint nod.
The victor had already been decided.
Sure enough, after only a few more exchanges, the shield could endure no longer.
With a deafening crack, it shattered into countless fragments.
The remaining force of Song Li's attack slammed into her opponent, hurling him clean off the arena. He crashed heavily onto the grass beyond the platform, unable to regain his footing.
"The winner—Song Li of the Wendao Sect!"
Thunderous cheers erupted throughout the arena.
Song Li accepted the victory as calmly as she had entered the match. Without the slightest trace of pride or excitement, she simply turned and walked toward the victors' platform, her expression as tranquil as ever.
Lou Yuqing glanced at the defeated disciple below.
His robes were scorched black in several places, his hair was thoroughly disheveled, and wisps of dark smoke still curled from the shattered remains of his shield.
That fire poison is terrifying...
She couldn't help feeling impressed.
Its destructive power far surpassed ordinary fire-element techniques.
Not long afterward, the second round of the Foundation Establishment matches also came to an end. A disciple from the Suyin Sect emerged victorious over a representative from Haotian Palace.
Lou Yuqing had watched every match with genuine interest while quietly waiting for her own turn.
She had to admit, none of the competitors who had reached this stage were ordinary cultivators.
Their spellcasting was swift and precise, their control over magical artifacts almost instinctive.
Every one of them possessed remarkable talent.
By the time the last rays of the setting sun stretched across the arena, the announcer finally called her name.
It was her turn.
Her opponent stepped onto the platform as well.
Yan Zice.
A disciple of the Cloud Soaring Sect.
He was recognized as one of the most outstanding swordsmen of the younger generation, a rival to Qi Qingxiong himself... and the very person Kong Qianyun had once mistaken for her mysterious savior.
"I ask for your guidance," Yan Zice said politely, offering a formal bow as one hand rested lightly on the hilt of his sword.
Lou Yuqing returned the courtesy.
"I ask for your guidance as well."
The moment her voice reached his ears—Yan Zice froze.
His head snapped up abruptly, his eyes widening in disbelief as they locked onto her.
That voice...
There was no mistaking it.
It was the very same mysterious voice that had been echoing throughout the arena all day, the one everyone had heard countless times already.
Only now did he finally realize who it belonged to.
Earlier, Yan Zice had spoken with Kong Qianyun after they left the arena. From her, he learned that she had recognized him only because that same mysterious voice had suddenly appeared, revealing things no ordinary person should have known.
Ever since then, he had quietly wondered who—or what—could possess such terrifying insight.
Now...
The owner of that voice stood right before him.
His opponent.
Every instinct in his body sharpened at once.
Anyone capable of glimpsing the threads of the past and future was not someone he could afford to underestimate.
Lou Yuqing tilted her head slightly, puzzled by the sudden shift in his expression.
Why does he look like he's about to fight some terrifying monster?
Seeing the caution in his eyes, she couldn't help feeling a tiny bit pleased.
If he thinks I'm that formidable... then perhaps I really am stronger than I thought.
Meanwhile, whispers spread quietly through the audience.
One pair of eyes after another settled on her.
So it's her...
She's the mysterious cultivator whose voice has been guiding us all along.
The referee raised his hand.
"Begin!"
Lou Yuqing exhaled slowly.
In the next instant, she activated the Myriad Thunder Body Technique.
Brilliant violet lightning burst into life, winding around her arms and legs like living serpents. Countless arcs crackled through the air, illuminating her figure with flashes of dazzling light.
Her hands moved swiftly through a series of seals.
The scattered currents instantly converged, merging into a single massive bolt of lightning that pulsed with overwhelming destructive power.
Boom!
The thunderbolt tore through the air, hurtling straight toward Yan Zice.
Lou Yuqing remained fully alert.
She knew better than to assume victory after a single attack.
With a flick of her wrist, she drew the plain jade hairpin from her hair. Spiritual energy surged into it, and the seemingly ordinary ornament floated before her, glowing with a soft emerald radiance.
Though unassuming in appearance, it possessed a remarkably useful ability, it could absorb and disperse attacks directed at its wielder.
Her opponent was a swordsman.
That meant swift, razor-sharp strikes and relentless close-range assaults.
If she let her guard down for even the briefest instant, his blade would be at her throat before she had time to cast another defensive spell.
Satisfied with her preparations, Lou Yuqing lifted her gaze to see how her opening strike had fared.
She blinked in surprise.
The bolt of lightning had struck Yan Zice squarely in the chest.
For a crucial heartbeat, he had remained frozen, still trying to reconcile the identity of the woman standing across from him. By the time instinct finally took over and he raised his sword to defend himself, it was already too late.
The lightning slammed into the blade.
Instead of dispersing, it raced along the steel like a living current before surging straight into his hands.
A violent jolt coursed through his body.
His muscles seized, every limb stiffening as numbness spread through his arms and shoulders. Tiny arcs of violet lightning continued to dance across his robes, leaving him momentarily unable to move.
Yan Zice's heart sank.
He understood at once how serious his mistake had been.
His moment of hesitation had cost him the initiative.
Against an opponent of equal standing, surrendering the first move was often enough to decide the outcome of an entire battle.
From the spectator stands, the Cloud Soaring Sect disciples collectively grimaced.
Senior Brother Yan... had just made the kind of mistake even novice disciples were taught never to commit.
Under different circumstances, it might have been almost laughable.
But this was the Seven Sects Tournament.
No one could afford such a blunder.
Qi Qingxiong watched in silence.
Although Yan Zice had always been one of his greatest rivals, there was no satisfaction to be found in seeing him stumble.
Instead, his brows knitted together.
Whatever their personal rivalry, they both represented the Cloud Soaring Sect.
So far, among the Foundation Establishment disciples, only he and one other had managed to secure victories for their sect.
If Yan Zice could claim this match as well, it would strengthen the Cloud Soaring Sect's standing—and, more importantly, blunt the overwhelming momentum the Wendao Sect had built throughout the tournament.
But judging from the situation before him...
That hope was beginning to slip away.
High above, within the mist-veiled viewing platform, the elders of the Cloud Soaring Sect exchanged solemn glances.
A poor opening was always difficult to recover from.
All they could do now was hope the young man possessed the composure—and the judgment—to seize whatever chance remained before the match slipped completely out of his hands.
Seeing Yan Zice momentarily immobilized, Lou Yuqing wasted no time.
She poured even more spiritual power into her technique, guiding the currents of lightning as they twisted and reshaped themselves beneath her command.
"Take this!"
Violet light blazed once more.
Countless crackling strands intertwined into a massive net of thunder that spread across nearly a tenth of the arena before plunging downward to ensnare him.
Under normal circumstances, Yan Zice could have broken free from such a binding technique before it ever closed around him.
But the lingering numbness still gripped his body.
He could only watch as the crackling net descended, unable to move even a single step.
In the spectator stands, Kong Qianyun unconsciously clasped her hands together.
Could the benefactor I admired... really lose his very first match?
Just before the net sealed completely, Yan Zice drew a sharp breath and forcibly drove the numbness from his limbs.
With a powerful leap, he shot backward.
His sword carried him skimming past the very edge of the crackling web.
The lightning net slammed into the arena floor instead.
Boom!
Stone exploded into the air as countless arcs of electricity spread in every direction, transforming the ground below into a churning sea of violet sparks.
Yan Zice exhaled heavily, his heart still pounding.
Another heartbeat slower... and he would have been trapped inside that thunderous prison, helpless to resist before the match had truly begun.
He steadied himself, taking several slow breaths until his mind settled once more.
His sword let out a clear, resonant hum as spiritual energy flowed smoothly through the blade again, and the hesitation that had nearly cost him the match vanished from his eyes.
Lou Yuqing saw that he had recovered.
She didn't allow him even a moment to regroup.
Lightning wrapped around her body, and with a flash, she vanished from the arena floor.
An instant later, she appeared high above him, suspended in midair.
Whoever controlled the skies often controlled the battle.
She had no intention of surrendering that advantage.
Without another word, the fight shifted into the heavens.
Thunder cracked.
Steel rang.
For more than a dozen exchanges, lightning and swordlight collided again and again.
Streaks of violet and emerald flashed across the sky, weaving through one another with astonishing speed until the spectators could no longer distinguish their figures—only bursts of light and the ceaseless clash of thunder against steel.
Qi Qingxiong watched the battle intently before turning toward Ling Yunxiao.
"Who do you think will win?"
Ling Yunxiao looked at him in mild surprise, as though the answer should have been obvious.
"Fellow Daoist Ling?" Qi Qingxiong prompted.
Ling Yunxiao let out a quiet chuckle. "You may want to have your eyesight checked."
His gaze remained fixed on the battle overhead.
"Who else could possibly win except Yuqing?"
His tone was calm and matter-of-fact, as though Yan Zice had never truly been worthy of consideration.
Qi Qingxiong's lips twitched helplessly.
For some reason, he had the distinct feeling that if someone asked Ling Yunxiao who would win in a fight between the two of them... he would answer with exactly the same confidence.
Qi Qingxiong had witnessed Ling Yunxiao's strength firsthand.
Every strike was precise.
Every movement was efficient.
His sword always sought the opponent's weakest point, carrying the ruthless decisiveness of someone who had fought far more life-and-death battles than any disciple their age should have experienced.
He had already been formidable during the Hidden Realm trials.
Now...
He felt even more dangerous.
If they were to cross swords today, Qi Qingxiong silently judged his own chances.
Four chances in ten for himself.
Six for Ling Yunxiao.
And if even he reached that conclusion... then Ling Yunxiao's confidence in Lou Yuqing was probably not unfounded.
"They've reached their limit," Ling Yunxiao said quietly.
Qi Qingxiong lifted his gaze toward the arena once more.
Both combatants had clearly exhausted themselves.
Yan Zice hovered unsteadily in the air, his body swaying with every labored breath. His arms trembled from exertion, and his robes were torn and streaked with scorch marks. He looked even more battered than the Bailing Sect disciple who had faced Song Li's fire poison.
Lou Yuqing was little better.
The lightning surrounding her had all but faded, and every movement carried the unmistakable weight of exhaustion.
A moment later, neither of them could maintain their footing in the sky.
They fell almost simultaneously, landing heavily upon the stone arena.
Qi Qingxiong frowned. "A draw?"
Ling Yunxiao smiled faintly. "No."
Qi Qingxiong looked more closely.
Yan Zice was already struggling back to his feet, forcing his exhausted body to obey through sheer determination alone.
Lou Yuqing, meanwhile, remained motionless where she had fallen, as though she no longer possessed the strength to move even a finger.
It certainly looked as though the swordsman had managed to outlast her.
Many spectators came to the same conclusion.
Only a handful of sharp-eyed elders noticed something unusual.
Near the cracks in the arena floor, faint threads of spiritual energy still lingered.
Almost too weak to detect.
Almost...
Yan Zice finally forced himself upright.
Breathing heavily, he tightened his grip on his sword and slowly raised it, preparing to claim the match.
At that very moment—Lou Yuqing's eyes flew open.
She looked directly at him, her gaze calm and unwavering.
"You've lost."
The instant the words left her lips, the nearly imperceptible traces of lightning hidden beneath the arena stones exploded to life.
Crack!
Brilliant violet currents surged upward without warning.
Yan Zice's body stiffened instantly.
The lightning raced through his legs, numbing them completely before spreading through the rest of his body.
His knees buckled.
Slowly, powerlessly, he sank back onto the arena floor.
A faint, helpless smile tugged at the corner of his lips before the last of his strength finally deserted him.
So that... had been her final move.
She had concealed the remnants of her lightning beneath the shattered stone long before pretending to exhaust herself, patiently waiting for the one moment he lowered his guard.
He had faced countless lightning cultivators before.
Never one who could manipulate thunder with such delicate precision.
Nor one capable of feigning weakness so convincingly that even he had been deceived.
The referee stepped forward, his voice echoing across the arena.
"The winner of this Foundation Establishment match—Lou Yuqing!"