“Brother Tang, you’re finally awake. You scared us to death!” Baili Wenyue’s fox-like eyes were full of smiles, and he was clearly relieved.
Tang Chonglou suppressed his instinct to strike out and said coolly, “Brother Wenyue, next time, don’t get so close to me.”
Baili Wenyue was stunned for a moment, but then another voice, clear as a silver bell, rang out. “Hmph! Talk about not knowing when you’re well off. Sixth Junior Brother, your kindness has been wasted on the wrong person!”
Baili Wenyue straightened up and dared not say a word. Ning Shiyue had already been upset with him since the black market and wasn’t speaking to him, so he’d better not offend her further for now.
“Your time seems to have exceeded the five-hour limit. How did you get back up here?”
Qin Hanyan’s voice was cool as frost. Everyone froze for a second, then looked at her in surprise.
Third Senior Sister actually took the initiative to speak with Tang Chonglou!
Third Senior Sister usually kept to herself, aloof from worldly affairs. Only matters concerning Ning Shiyue could stir her emotions.
None of them had ever heard Third Senior Sister speak to anyone in that tone before.
Tang Chonglou met Qin Hanyan’s beautiful eyes and said, “I ran into some enforcers. They delayed me, but they told me that going a little over the time limit for the Nascent Soul stage wouldn’t be a problem.”
“What were you doing when you ran into the enforcers?” Qin Hanyan’s features were delicate and elegant, yet her expression radiated cold indifference.
Ning Shiyue’s bright eyes went wide. Hanyan was actually pressing for more details!
Could it be that Hanyan was finally stepping out of her cold, isolated world?
Baili Wenyue rubbed his nose, wondering if Third Senior Sister was trying to get back at Tang Chonglou on Ning Shiyue’s behalf.
Feng Qingran blinked her almond-shaped eyes, glanced at Mo Jinghong, and asked him silently what was going on.
Mo Jinghong’s phoenix eyes were deep and unreadable, and he shook his head at Feng Qingran.
Tang Chonglou was a little surprised, though. Qin Hanyan’s temperament seemed quite different from what he remembered.
Tang Chonglou explained, “I was buying something when I ran into a merchant who tried to force a sale on me, so I called the enforcers myself.”
A chilling light gleamed in Qin Hanyan’s eyes. She stared at Tang Chonglou for a few breaths but said nothing more.
An odd silence fell over the room. No one dared to break it first.
Knock, knock, knock!
A knock sounded at the door in the quiet room.
Then, a servant’s stiff, formal voice came through. “Guests, your time is almost up. After you’ve transferred your items, remember to return your tokens before you leave.”
“Understood. Just a moment,” Baili Wenyue called back toward the door.
After the five of them had moved everything into their own storage spaces, Mo Jinghong raised his slender hand and collected everyone’s tokens.
Then, red light flashed across the five tokens, and five runes drifted out.
Mo Jinghong swept his sleeve, and with a gust of wind, the runes vanished into thin air.
——
Seven days later.
It was time for the match between Qingyun Province and Haoling Province.
In the first round, each province sent a sword cultivator.
Yun Hai, serving as the referee for the two provinces, appeared beside the arena.
“Once you step onto the competition stage, it’s life or death, no exceptions, until one side concedes,” Yun Hai said coldly.
As soon as Yun Hai said that,
the Haoling Province team was thrilled, shouting, “Go! Beat them! Show them what Haoling Province is really made of!”
The expressions on the Qingyun Province side were grim. Even among late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators, there were vast differences.
The Nascent Soul stage had ten levels total. The first three levels were called early Nascent Soul, the middle three were mid Nascent Soul, and the last three were late Nascent Soul.
Level ten was known as peak Nascent Soul.
Cultivators at different stages had massive gaps in strength.
And even within the same stage, different levels still made a huge difference.
Su Yubai had only recently advanced to the late Nascent Soul stage and was currently at level seven, while Haoling Province’s Qian Fusu was at level nine and was about to reach peak Nascent Soul.
If the two actually fought, Su Yubai would definitely be at a disadvantage.
What really worried the people of Qingyun Province, though, was that Qian Fusu might not even give Su Yubai the chance to say “I concede.” If that happened, Su Yubai’s life could very well be in danger.
After all, in the last match, during the battle between Diling Province and Tianxuan Province, Diling Province’s contestant had beaten Tianxuan Province’s contestant so badly that he couldn’t even speak.
They only stopped after crippling the man.
“Sir, please announce the start of the match,” Qian Fusu said as he stepped onto the arena first.
Yun Hai glanced sideways at the arrogant Qian Fusu and said coldly, “Are you telling me how to do my job?”
With that, an intimidating pressure descended upon Qian Fusu.
Qian Fusu immediately drove his sword into the ground to support his trembling legs, barely keeping himself from kneeling. But he was already drenched in cold sweat and his face had turned deathly pale.
Qian Fusu had no idea why Yun Hai was treating him like this.
After all, the Qian family was at least a vassal of the Baili family. And Yun Hai was just a servant of the Baili family—why did he always act so high and mighty!
“Sir Yun Hai, the younger generation doesn’t know any better. Please don’t hold it against him,” the team leader of Haoling Province said, simultaneously lifting the pressure from Qian Fusu.
“Fusu, apologize to Sir Yun Hai right now!” the leader ordered coldly.
Qian Fusu quickly bent over and apologized to Yun Hai.
Yun Hai said coolly, “Rise. Remember your place. You’re just a contestant. You follow my arrangements.”
“Yes, sir,” Qian Fusu replied with his head bowed, though a dark glint flickered deep in his eyes.
Yun Hai swept his gaze across the Qingyun Province team. “On the competition stage, any means are allowed to secure victory. However, contracted beasts are prohibited, and no outsider is allowed to interfere or concede on a contestant’s behalf.”
When Feng Qingran heard this, a radiant gleam danced in her beautiful eyes. She curved her crimson lips slightly and beckoned to Ning Shiyue.
Ning Shiyue leaned in close, and after listening to Feng Qingran, her eyes sparkled like brilliant jewels. “Little Junior Sister, don’t you worry. I’ll make sure we win in a way that shakes the heavens and the earth.”
“Everyone, if there’s nothing else to say, shall I announce the start of the match?” A faint glint passed through Yun Hai’s cold eyes as he spoke again.
The crowd on the stage exchanged odd looks. Since when was Sir Yun Hai so good-tempered?
He’d even asked twice with such patience!
That was simply unheard of.
When Yun Hai saw Ning Shiyue stand up, he deliberately said, “I announce—”
Ning Shiyue rose and flew down on her sword. “Wait, Sir Yun Hai. I have a few words to say to Su Yubai.”
The crowd erupted in murmurs. “Is she out of her mind? She dares to interrupt Sir Yun Hai?”
