Chapter 8: The Duel

As the hour of Mao approached, disciples began to gather in the main hall. Today, alongside the immortal master conducting the roll call was Jiang Qi.

Jiang Qi had entered the sect earlier than all the other disciples and had devoted himself wholeheartedly to cultivation. After years of training in the mortal realm, he had now broken through to the early Soul Manifestation stage after reaching the late Nascent Soul stage.

The sect leader had tested his cultivation level and praised him endlessly.

As the senior disciple, Jiang Qi hadn’t returned to the sect for decades. The sect leader wanted him to get acquainted with the new generation of disciples, and the morning lesson roll call provided the perfect opportunity.

Jiang Qi arrived early, and soon the disciples began to trickle into the hall.

Those who recognized him respectfully addressed him as “Senior Brother Jiang,” while those unfamiliar with him curiously whispered among themselves, quickly approaching him to make introductions.

Jiang Qi responded to everyone with a gentle smile.

Not long after, Bian Qingxuan also entered the hall. She stepped forward to greet him: “Senior Brother Jiang.”

Bian Qingxuan’s eyes shimmered like autumn water, and her gaze easily inspired goodwill in others.

Jiang Qi raised an eyebrow internally but smiled on the surface: “Junior Sister.”

Bian Qingxuan reminded him, “The immortal master usually doesn’t need the roll call register since he’s already familiar with everyone. But since you’ve just returned to the sect and may not know the new disciples, you might want to ask for the register beforehand.”

Jiang Qi replied, “Thank you, Junior Sister.”

Bian Qingxuan smiled faintly and took her usual seat.

Jiang Qi’s gaze lingered on her, and an uncontrollable sense of fondness welled up within him. He didn’t suppress this feeling but instead pondered inwardly: What exactly is she?

Charm magic? No, there was no trace of malevolence around her.

Yet Jiang Qi prided himself on his strong willpower—ordinary charm magic wouldn’t affect him so easily. And yet, after only a few exchanges, Bian Qingxuan had stirred his emotions. She was the first to do so.

Interesting, he thought. No wonder the pitiful girl from Buye Mountain lost so miserably.

A junior sister with innate charisma and charm was truly irresistible.

However, he still hadn’t met the other protagonist of the rumors. He resolved to visit her when he had the chance. Compared to this peculiar junior sister, he was far more curious about the “pitiful girl” from Buye Mountain.

When the disciples had mostly taken their seats, the hour of Mao arrived.

Just as Jiang Qi was about to begin the roll call with the register, a clear, youthful voice rang out from the back of the hall.

“Immortal Master, Luoyi has come to attend the lesson.”

Jiang Qi paused and looked up.

It wasn’t just him—many disciples turned their heads. There were at least a hundred or two hundred disciples in the hall, but only thirty or forty had ever seen Shi Luoyi.

For most of them, the “Shi Luoyi” they knew from rumors was arrogant, bullying, unattractive, and unworthy of her father’s legacy.

But in the soft morning light, the girl before them wore a dark green silk dress, cinched at the waist with a crimson sash that accentuated her slender figure. Her trailing scarves swept the floor, her lips were as red as cinnabar, her hair cascaded like a waterfall, and apricot blossoms adorned her hair, with ribbons swaying gently in the breeze.

She was indeed spirited, like a dazzling flower in full bloom, exuding the carefree arrogance of a cultivator. Yet she shone like a firefly in the night sky, captivating and awe-inspiring.

All the disciples stood frozen in place.

Jiang Qi also stared at her. Across the rows of seats, this was their first meeting. She wasn’t wearing the robes of Mingyou Mountain but instead the attire of Buye Mountain.

The Daojun’s beloved daughter, cherished like a precious treasure, was the sole princess of Buye Mountain. The finest garments in the world were the robes of a Buye disciple.

“Take your seat,” Jiang Qi said.

The girl nodded slightly and cast a glance at him.

Jiang Qi’s hand tightened slightly on the register as he deliberately avoided her gaze.

Memories of the past surfaced in his mind.

The Jiang family had once been illustrious. Jiang Qi remembered his father sighing, “If only our family hadn’t fallen, it might have been our Qi’er who married into Buye Palace.”

Unintentionally, Jiang Qi had remembered her, even though he had never seen her. Later, she became the fiancée of his junior brother.

He hadn’t fully believed the rumors brought by messenger cranes. His father, while alive, had once said, “The beauty of Princess Nanyue is unforgettable. As the daughter of her and Daojun Shihuan, who knows how stunning that little girl from Buye Mountain will grow up to be!”

Now, seeing her in person, Jiang Qi understood—she was truly flawless, a rare gemstone carved from jade.

Almost every disciple in the hall had their eyes fixed on Shi Luoyi, and even Jiang Qi’s roll call failed to bring them back to their senses.

Bian Qingxuan idly tapped her fingers against the table, glancing at Shi Luoyi with a faint, cold smirk in her eyes.

The disciples seemed to snap out of their daze and began listening to the immortal master’s teachings.

The morning lesson included both instruction in cultivation techniques and sparring sessions, where disciples learned through practical combat.

As if fate had ordained it, the opponent assigned to Shi Luoyi was none other than Zhang Xiangyang.

Zhang Xiangyang’s heart raced with excitement.

For dozens of days, he had prepared for this moment. If given the chance to fight Shi Luoyi, he would teach her a lesson she’d never forget.

He glanced back at Bian Qingxuan among the crowd of disciples.

The crimson-clad girl gave him a soft, fragile smile, sending his heart pounding wildly and stirring his emotions.

Such a wonderful person as the junior sister was always being bullied. Since she neither fought back nor complained, he would step up to avenge her!

Zhang Xiangyang secretly consumed a vial of pills.

His cultivation level had originally been at the peak of Foundation Establishment, and he was close to breaking through to the early Core Formation stage. However, the pills he took boosted his strength to the late Core Formation level!

He smirked smugly to himself. After all, Shi Luoyi was only at the early Core Formation stage. Not only would he injure her, but he would humiliate her as well!

Mingyou Mountain had rules for sparring among disciples: it was meant to be non-lethal, with minimal harm permitted. But Zhang Xiangyang had made up his mind. Today, he would shame Shi Luoyi, even if he faced punishment afterward—it didn’t matter. For the sake of the junior sister, he was willing to endure any hardship!

Shi Luoyi stepped onto the arena, facing Zhang Xiangyang.

In her past life, she had been injured during their encounter and hadn’t noticed anything unusual then. But this time, upon meeting his gaze, she immediately sensed something off about his aura.

Shi Luoyi glanced at him, her mind racing as she tried to figure out what was going on.

Was it an artifact? A pill? Or some extraordinary opportunity? Which of these could make a disciple at the peak of Foundation Establishment exude such a formidable aura?

Zhang Xiangyang was just an ordinary disciple with no notable background—it was impossible for him to possess a rare artifact. And as for opportunities, great ones could reshape a person’s foundation, but Zhang Xiangyang clearly hadn’t reached that level.

That left only one possibility: he had taken pills to forcibly boost his cultivation in a short period of time. However, in all of Mingyou Mountain, only a few elders from the Pill Pavilion, like Hanshu, were capable of refining such potent cultivation-enhancing pills—and they would never allow someone like Zhang Xiangyang to use them freely.

Something clicked in Shi Luoyi’s mind, and her gaze shifted toward Bian Qingxuan.

The crimson-clad girl gave her a shy smile and said softly, “Senior Sister, do your best…”

Shi Luoyi withdrew her gaze, understanding everything now.

Bian Qingxuan was indeed skilled if she could refine such powerful pills. In her past life, she had admitted defeat to her abilities—she truly admired her talent. But this time… why not put it to the test?

Zhang Xiangyang was a sword cultivator. He drew his sword, his eyes flashing with cruelty as he said, “Junior Sister, please teach me.”

He had already gathered information beforehand: Shi Luoyi also wielded a sword, and her swordsmanship was mediocre at best. With this knowledge, Zhang Xiangyang felt confident and looked invigorated.

However, under his watchful gaze, the young woman twisted her wrist. In the sunlight, a blood-red blade appeared in her palm.

The blade burned fiery red, like a blazing flame, yet it possessed an otherworldly beauty. Held steadily in the delicate hands of the petite girl, it looked perfectly natural. Not only did Zhang Xiangyang freeze in shock, but even Bian Qingxuan in the distance narrowed her eyes.

Bian Qingxuan remembered—Shi Luoyi had originally been a blade cultivator.

Daojun Shihuan himself had been a master of the blade. His techniques were bold and overwhelming; once, he had split mountains and parted seas with a single strike, shaking the nine provinces.

But after Bian Qingxuan joined the sect, her elegant and graceful swordplay won the favor of the sect leader. She was instructed to practice alongside Wei Changyuan every day. Shi Luoyi, unwilling to be overshadowed, had begrudgingly switched to practicing the sword as well.

Since then, Shi Luoyi had never revealed her blade again. But now…

Shi Luoyi curved her lips into a faint smile. “Senior Brother, please teach me.”

Zhang Xiangyang’s expression darkened as he lunged forward, his sword strikes vicious and relentless. He desperately wanted to defeat Shi Luoyi within a few moves, preferably leaving her severely injured.

Bian Qingxuan cursed inwardly, muttering under her breath, “Useless fool.”

At this moment, Zhang Xiangyang still didn’t know that Shi Luoyi’s blade was called Divine Ruin . Daojun Shihuan had spent twenty years forging it from the finest black iron he had painstakingly collected from the battlefield where gods fell.

Shi Luoyi had inherited her father’s aptitude and was the finest blade cultivator in existence.

In her past life, even after falling to demonic ways, she had never stopped cultivating. After leaving the sect, she had never repeated the mistakes of her youth or abandoned her blade ever again.

Early Core Formation versus late Core Formation? Pills, huh?

—Then let’s see how it goes!

With a whirl of her body, Shi Luoyi brought down the Divine Ruin blade like a meteor descending upon the earth, carrying immense force. The clash of blade and sword rang out sharply, and Zhang Xiangyang’s wrist went numb from the impact. The raw power of a blade cultivator was notoriously brutal and overwhelming. Due to his arrogance, Zhang Xiangyang had chosen to meet Shi Luoyi head-on—but under such overwhelming strength, he found himself unable to withstand even a single strike. His knees buckled uncontrollably, and he collapsed to the ground!

Before he could even rise, the afterimage of the second strike approached, bearing down on him once more.

Zhang Xiangyang didn’t dare block it this time and rolled away in panic. He scrambled blindly, his vision filled with the lingering shadows of the bloody blade. Finally, terrified, he tumbled off the arena platform. But the blade’s energy didn’t spare him—Zhang Xiangyang felt a metallic taste in his throat, blood spilling from his mouth, and several strands of hair were sliced clean off.

Gasping, Zhang Xiangyang looked up to see the girl holding the massive blade silhouetted against the light.

She showed no particular expression, but Zhang Xiangyang trembled. For a fleeting moment, he truly believed the blade’s energy would cut him down, and he almost wanted to beg for mercy.

Why? Why had things turned out this way? He, a late Core Formation cultivator powered by pills, couldn’t even withstand three strikes from her, an early Core Formation cultivator?

Bian Qingxuan pushed through the crowd and helped Zhang Xiangyang up, interjecting, “Senior Sister, we’re all fellow disciples here. This is just a friendly sparring match—why go so far as to injure him?”

Zhang Xiangyang snapped back to his senses and angrily retorted, “Junior Sister, I’m only at the Foundation Establishment stage, while she’s at the Core Formation stage. Isn’t this bullying?”

As the disciples began whispering amongst themselves, Shi Luoyi shot them a disdainful glance, hoisted her blade onto her shoulder, and addressed the immortal master on the high platform directly, “Immortal Master, Senior Brother Zhang took pills!”

Zhang Xiangyang: “….”

Bian Qingxuan: “….” Of course, straightforward blade cultivators are the most troublesome!

The immortal master stepped forward, feeling Zhang Xiangyang’s pulse and giving him a strange look. “Zhang Xiangyang, this is just a sparring session. Why did you take pills to enhance your cultivation? Where did you get them?”

Zhang Xiangyang stammered, and eventually, drenched in cold sweat, he knelt down. “Disciple… disciple was momentarily blinded by foolishness.”

“Absurd!” the immortal master exclaimed. “I will report this matter to the sect and investigate it thoroughly. Your intentions are questionable. Go reflect at the Cliff of Reflection and await further punishment from the sect.”

Bian Qingxuan widened her eyes, utterly baffled. “Senior Brother Zhang, this was just a friendly match. Why did you go so far against Senior Sister Luoyi?”

Zhang Xiangyang opened his mouth but ultimately shook his head. Junior Sister knew nothing about this—he couldn’t implicate her.

As Zhang Xiangyang was led away, Bian Qingxuan approached Shi Luoyi, attempting to grab her arm affectionately. “Senior Sister, I misunderstood you earlier. I apologize on behalf of Qingxuan.”

Here she goes again! Shi Luoyi swiftly turned the flat side of her blade, causing Bian Qingxuan’s hand to throb painfully. She was forced to retreat a few steps, her eyes brimming with委屈 (grievance).

“Junior Sister,” Shi Luoyi said with a faint smirk, “Senior Sister is in a good mood today, so consider this a small punishment with a big lesson. Next time, stay away from me. If you touch me again, I’ll cut you. If you want to cry, feel free to start now.”

From afar, Jiang Qi watched, a faint smile playing on his lips.

How amusing.

Bian Qingxuan’s face flushed red, her words stuck in her throat. She didn’t know whether to cry or not.

________________________________________

As dusk fell, the disciples finally dispersed. Ding Bai rested his chin in his hands, gazing worriedly into the room.

At this time, his master would usually go outside the wall to listen to the disciples’ conversations. But for five days now, he had been bedridden. Could something serious have happened?

Bian Qingxuan entered with a grim expression, catching the scent of blood in the air. Her expression grew darker.

She pushed open the door and walked over to the bedside.

Bian Lingyu was still reading his books. She reached out to snatch them away, but he looked up at her and said coldly, “Leave.”

Bian Qingxuan snapped, “Other people pretend to be sick and bounce back lively, but you—you go out of your way to bleed yourself dry feeding that stupid girl. Hmph, I don’t know whether to call you pitiful or pathetic!”

Bian Lingyu stared at her silently for a long moment before speaking.

Bian Qingxuan’s voice faltered under his gaze, and she bit her lip, saying, “Brother, I’m only standing up for you because it’s unfair. Even after all this, she still won’t like you. Why won’t you look at me instead?”

Bian Lingyu lowered his gaze, turning the page of his book. In a calm tone, he replied, “Perhaps I prefer being pathetic.”

Bian Qingxuan was speechless.

“The affairs between you and her—I’m a useless cripple now; I can’t meddle anymore. If you lose, don’t come crying to me to vent your frustration,” he mocked. “When did I ever say I wanted her to like me? Get out. Stop bothering me.”

If he got involved in their mess again and Shi Luoyi dared to pull something like that again… he feared he might not be able to resist the urge to strangle them all.