“She's exactly like my father's concubine.”
Xue Mingzhao almost choked on her own spit.
She lowered her voice. “Your father's concubine?”
Su Ye said resentfully, “Whenever I got into trouble, she would look at my father with that exact expression, saying, ‘He’s just a child, he doesn't know any better.’ It sounded like she was pleading on my behalf, but every single time, my father would beat me even harder.”
Xue Mingzhao fell silent for a moment.
Well, it wasn't that he was naturally good at spotting green teas—he had just been steeped in tea since childhood.
Below them, the argument between the two groups was growing increasingly heated, and they looked ready to come to blows at any moment.
Xiao Jinghe suddenly sneered, speaking up before anyone else could. “Shen Chaoyue, what's the use of just talking big? Since you're so tough, why don't we make a bet?”
“For this mystic realm trial, if your Heavenly Origin Sect takes first place, I, Xiao Jinghe, will kneel and apologize to you, and the Flowing Cloud Sect will never mention bringing you back again. But if our Flowing Cloud Sect takes first—”
He dragged out his words on purpose, a look of undisguised mockery hanging on his lips. “You will kneel down and kowtow to Little Junior Sister to admit your wrongs. Do you dare?”
Jiang Yuran quickly tugged on Xiao Jinghe's sleeve, her eyes reddening once again. “Senior Brother, don't be like this. Senior Sister Chaoyue's cultivation was only just restored. How could you make this kind of bet with her... I couldn't bear to have Senior Sister kneel to me.”
Xiao Jinghe patted her hand, his tone full of certainty. “Don't worry, she wouldn't dare.”
“They have fewer people than us, and Shen Chaoyue's cultivation was completely ruined. What does she have to compete with us? She'll only be a drag.”
Shen Chaoyue watched the two of them play off each other with cold eyes. Just as she was about to speak, Yun Yanchen's voice rang out from beside her, lazy yet carrying a presence that suppressed everyone else. “The competition hasn't even started, and you already think you've won?”
He took a step forward, shielding Shen Chaoyue. “We accept this bet. When the time comes, it's still up in the air who will be kneeling to whom.”
He looked into Shen Chaoyue's eyes and said earnestly, “Don't worry, I won't let you lose!”
Those words, though spoken lightly, fell like a heavy stone into Shen Chaoyue's heart with a dull thud.
She pursed her lips and gave a gentle nod.
Outside the mystic realm, Huang Siqi bluntly shot back at Li Chengzong, “I'm afraid your noble sect is going to be disappointed. Our Chaoyue's spiritual root was cured by me long ago.”
Li Chengzong sneered. “So what if it's cured? Her cultivation still has to start from scratch. Is she going to achieve Foundation Establishment in a single month?”
On the other side, Su Mingyuan wasn't getting any peace either, as Wu Lianfeng would needle him from time to time.
He glanced at the two figures squatting on the tree in the corner of the Floating Light Array Disk and scoffed, “Look at those two disciples of yours. While everyone else is searching for spiritual materials and hunting demon beasts, those two are hiding in a tree—one squatting, one lying flat, with a stupid bird perched between them. Did they come here for a trial or to play hide-and-seek?”
Su Mingyuan's face darkened. “Junior Brother, you can criticize me, but leave my disciples out of it.”
Wu Lianfeng stiffened his neck, not backing down in the slightest. “I already said it, so what?”
Seeing that they were about to fight, Xie Huairen quickly stepped in between them, pressing down on both of their shoulders. He pointed at the Floating Light Array Disk and said urgently, “Stop fighting, stop fighting! Look, a massive horde of demon beasts has surrounded them!”
Inside the mystic realm, just as the two groups were about to part ways, the sound of dense, heavy footsteps suddenly echoed from the surrounding forest, growing closer and heavier.
The underbrush shook violently, and branches snapped with loud cracks.
In the blink of an eye, countless first- and second-tier demon beasts swarmed from all directions. Their murky beast eyes gleamed with an eerie light as they trapped the people from both the Heavenly Origin Sect and the Flowing Cloud Sect in the center.
Yun Yanchen's eyes lit up. This was spoils of war delivered right to their doorstep.
He was the first to strike. His longsword left its scabbard, and a sharp arc of sword Qi swept outward, instantly slaying a first-tier demon beast.
Seeing their First Senior Brother take action, the morale of the Heavenly Origin Sect disciples soared. Drawing their weapons, they charged forward.
Having only just reached the first level of Qi Condensation, it was unrealistic for Shen Chaoyue to fight head-on. She could only remain in the rear, relying on her keen eyesight to accurately predict the beasts' attacks and support her sectmates.
On the other side, the members of the Flowing Cloud Sect were not to be outdone. Xiao Jinghe wielded his long blade with ferocious power, while the other senior brothers held their respective positions, forming a temporary back-to-back defensive line with the Heavenly Origin Sect.
Su Ye lowered his voice and asked, “Where did all these demon beasts come from? Junior Sister, should we go down and help?”
Xue Mingzhao shook her head.
She remembered this part of the original book clearly. The reason so many demon beasts were charging forward so recklessly was because there was a massive patch of spiritual plants ahead, guarded by three third-tier demon beasts.
Sensing the arrival of many cultivators, the beasts assumed they had come to plunder the spirit fields. Thus, they had rallied a horde of their underlings to block them.
In the end, the underlings would fail, forcing the bosses to join the fray themselves.
The strength of the three Thunder-Patterned Leopards was comparable to the Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment. None of the disciples from either sect had expected to run into three third-tier demon beasts at once.
It would take immense effort to barely secure a victory, leaving nearly everyone injured and their spiritual energy almost entirely depleted.
Xue Mingzhao held the Kongming Formation plate and tugged on Su Ye's sleeve. The two of them slipped away toward the front without making a sound.
Passing through a patch of shrubs, their field of vision suddenly opened up.
Hidden deep within this dense forest was a natural spirit field spanning dozens of acres, densely packed with all kinds of spiritual plants.
On several ancient trees at the edge of the spirit field, three third-tier Thunder-Patterned Leopards crouched on the thick branches, looking around. Faint purple lightning patterns rippled across their silver-gray fur, and sparks of electricity occasionally crackled from their claws.
Looking at the vast expanse of spiritual plants that had suddenly appeared before them, Su Ye couldn't help but ask, “Junior Sister, how did you know there was a spirit field here?”
Xue Mingzhao replied without batting an eye, “It was written in 《An Annotative Record of the Qingyu Mystic Realm》 given by Elder Chen. The book recorded the general location of this spirit field, so I just came over to try my luck.”
Su Ye nodded in realization, without the slightest hint of suspicion.
He secretly thought that Elder Chen was indeed warm-hearted despite his cold exterior, having even marked such secrets of the mystic realm for his junior sister in advance.
He stared at the leading Thunder-Patterned Leopard for a moment and lowered his voice. “Junior Sister, these things won't be easy to deal with. The two of us probably aren't a match for them. I'll draw them away, and you use the Exploding Talismans to blast them from the side so we don't damage the spiritual plants.”
Xue Mingzhao stopped him. “Don't worry, they'll head out on their own in a bit.”
Su Ye followed her gaze toward the distant direction where the sounds of crackling battle were still echoing, and suddenly understood. “You mean the people ahead?”
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