The final day of the Grand Competition was reserved only for the awards ceremony.
A high stage had been erected in the center of Qingyun Terrace, where the elders of the seven peaks were seated in order. Below them, the disciples stood in neat ranks as a breeze swept down from the mountains, making the flags of each peak snap and flutter loudly.
As the mist dissipated, the fading morning light crept over the western ridge, warming the stone platform slightly.
Elder Han stood on the high stage, holding a register in his hands. His voice was resonant as he announced the final rankings word by word.
“The top spot of the New Disciple Grand Competition: Xueji Peak, Bai Qingxue.”
After the words fell, the entire venue went silent for a heartbeat. It was a moment so brief it felt as if everyone had held their breath simultaneously, only for cheers to explode like a clap of thunder in the next instant.
The first to erupt was naturally the area where the Xueji Peak disciples were gathered.
Dozens of people shouted the name “Bai Qingxue” at once, the wave of sound nearly toppling the flags on the stage.
Shen Yao was so excited she practically jumped into the air. A senior sister beside her grabbed her hem to steady her, but Shen Yao didn't even care about her footing; she continued to wave her arms toward the arena, shouting “Junior Sister Bai! Junior Sister Bai!” Her high-pitched voice was exceptionally clear amidst the roar of the crowd.
Disciples from other peaks looked on, some sighing in admiration, some with envy. When they looked at the frost-white figure, there was a newfound sense of awe and respect in their eyes.
This was especially true for those who had faced Bai Qingxue on the arena; their gazes were particularly complex as they looked at her now.
Perhaps from this moment on, Bai Qingxue could truly be said to have made a name for herself within the Xuantian Sect.
Bai Qingxue stepped out from the ranks, her expression as calm as ever, as if the cheers had nothing to do with her.
As she ascended the high stage step by step, the sunlight fell upon her shoulders, making the silver strands hidden within her black hair faintly visible. A corner of her frost-white Daoist robe fluttered in the wind before settling again.
“Second place: Tianshu Peak, Shen Moyuan.”
Shen Moyuan stepped out from his rank with a composed gait, that unchanging smile playing on his lips.
He ascended the stage and stood beside Bai Qingxue, politely maintaining a distance of one step.
The sunlight hit him, casting a faint halo over his ink-black Daoist robe. His handsome features paired with that proper smile drew a series of low murmurs of praise from the direction of Tianshu Peak.
Elder Han continued reading. Third place, fourth place... Name after name was called; some were joyful, while others remained silent.
Ye Qingyao did not stand on the high stage, nor was her name called.
She stood in the ranks of Qingyun Peak, far away from the place where the sunlight shone brightest.
Ye Qingyao's ranking was in the middle of the competition—neither high nor low.
No one would cheer for her results, and no one would feel regret for her loss.
She was just one person in the crowd, just like the disciples around her, looking up at those on the high stage who were gilded with a golden border by the sun.
By now, Ye Qingyao's neck was a bit sore from looking up, but her gaze never wavered from Bai Qingxue.
She watched Bai Qingxue standing atop the high stage.
Ye Qingyao suddenly thought that if she were the one standing up there, she would probably be unable to resist searching through the crowd.
She would look to see if Sister Bai was there, to see if Sister Bai was looking at her.
Ye Qingyao lowered her head, suddenly finding her own thoughts a bit laughable.
What was she thinking? Did she really think that when Sister Bai stood on that high stage, she would search for her silhouette in the crowd like in her fantasies?
She wouldn't. Sister Bai didn't even care about those cheers; why would she care if one person's gaze was missing from the crowd?
That gaze probably never mattered to Sister Bai.
Yet Ye Qingyao continued to look. She had been looking for a very long time.
Sister Bai didn't know, and perhaps she would never know.
...
As the rankings were finalized one by one...
Elder Han closed the register and replaced it with a longer silk scroll to begin distributing the rewards.
Bai Qingxue received a storage ring. She swept her spiritual sense inside and found five hundred spirit stones, several bottles of pills, and a translucent white jade pendant.
The pendant was called the “Jade Radiance Pendant.” It was cool to the touch, and wearing it could calm the mind and assist in the circulation of ice-based cultivation techniques. it was an extra reward for the champion.
Bai Qingxue put the storage ring away and turned to walk down from the high stage.
Immediately, the disciples of Xueji Peak swarmed forward, surrounding her.
Shen Yao was the first to rush over, her eyes shining like two stars as she chattered away.
Bai Qingxue didn't process a single word, but she wasn't impatient either.
She knew Shen Yao meant well, and her silence was already her best response.
Other disciples offered their congratulations in a jumble of voices. Some offered water, some offered handkerchiefs, but Bai Qingxue accepted none of them.
Her hands remained at her sides; she didn't reach for anything, nor did she push anyone away.
Until Lu Xueqing walked through the crowd, holding a water skin.
“Junior Sister, have some water,” Lu Xueqing said, her tone as natural as usual.
As she spoke, her hand had already extended the water skin.
Bai Qingxue glanced at Lu Xueqing, momentarily stunned, before finally taking the water skin and taking a sip.
The water was warm. She didn't know when Lu Xueqing had prepared it.
Perhaps it was before the awards ceremony began, or perhaps it was the moment Bai Qingxue stepped onto the high stage.
The warm liquid slid down her throat, carrying a faint, subtle sweetness. She wasn't sure if the water was naturally sweet or if it was because of something else.
The corners of Lu Xueqing's mouth curved slightly, but she said nothing more. She simply stood by Bai Qingxue's side, neither too close nor too far, yet just enough to block out the overly enthusiastic junior brothers and sisters.
In truth, Lu Xueqing didn't intentionally try to block them. She simply stood beside Bai Qingxue, but when those who wanted to crowd around saw Lu Xueqing's expression, they instinctively backed away.
Bai Qingxue was ushered toward the rest area, the crowd surrounding her like a tide, moving as she moved.
She walked in the center of the crowd, her expression still calm, as if none of this concerned her.
Her gaze occasionally swept over the crowd. It didn't linger on anyone, but she didn't intentionally avoid anyone's eyes either.
In the distance, the Qingyun Peak ranks had already dispersed.
Lin Xiaoxi tugged at Ye Qingyao's sleeve, pulling gently as she whispered an urge, “Let's go, Junior Sister. What are you still looking at? We need to go back and pack our things.”
Ye Qingyao didn't move.
She just stood there, like a small tree that had been bent by the wind and forgotten how to straighten itself.
Ye Qingyao's gaze pierced through the crowd, through the bobbing heads, and through the rising and falling laughter, landing on that frost-white figure surrounded in the center.
Bai Qingxue walked at the very front. Lu Xueqing followed by her side, neither too close nor too far.
The Xueji Peak disciples formed ring after ring around them. The laughter, the congratulations, and the voices calling her name struck clearly even from such a distance.
“Little Junior Sister?” Lin Xiaoxi called again, her voice slightly louder and tinged with unmistakable worry.
Ye Qingyao felt as though she had been lightly tapped while in a very deep dream. Her eyelashes fluttered, and a moment later, she slowly came back to herself.
Ye Qingyao gave a soft “Mm” and lowered her head, reflexively clenching her hand.
As her fingertips brushed against the thin scab in her palm that hadn't fully healed, a slight sting brought her a bit more clarity.
“Let's go,” Ye Qingyao said, her voice very soft.
She didn't know if she was saying it to Lin Xiaoxi or to herself.
Perhaps it was both, or perhaps it was neither.
Lin Xiaoxi walked beside Ye Qingyao, occasionally glancing at her. Her lips moved several times as if she wanted to say something, but she swallowed the words back down.
She didn't know what was wrong with her little junior sister; she only felt that her junior sister was exceptionally quiet today, quite different from her usual self.
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