With the arrival of Elder Zhao, the area surrounding the arena was already packed with Divine Might Manor disciples.
Seeing Elder Zhao constantly looking at Su Yi with the gaze reserved for a prized son-in-law, Gongsun Lin gritted her teeth in secret. Yet seniority and order had to be respected; aside from when she was in front of Su Yi, she was always a model disciple who adhered strictly to decorum.
As the Eldest Senior Sister of Divine Might Manor, she naturally had to lead by example.
Elder Zhao’s behavior did not escape Tantai Yunzhi’s notice either. She knew Su Yi’s background made him an incredibly coveted prize, so she could understand Elder Zhao and his faction. What she truly could not fathom was what Su Yi saw in Zhao Qian.
It was just like when Su Yi had overcome all objections to bring her into Divine Might Manor—he always did things beyond everyone’s expectations.
When such a thing happened to her, she was naturally overjoyed, and she would support Su Yi’s choices if it involved anyone else. But when it happened with someone she loathed, she could only feel that the other person was utterly unworthy.
“Young Manor Lord, the competition is about to begin, so let us pause here for now. Allow this old man to show you how my granddaughter performs today,” Elder Zhao said with a smile.
During their conversation just now, Su Yi’s words had hinted at an interest in Zhao Qian at every turn. Even though Elder Zhao had no idea why Su Yi had suddenly gone blind—taking a liking to his granddaughter despite having a gem like Gongsun Lin right beside him—this was an exceptional development for him, and one he was more than happy to encourage.
As for today’s contest, he did not believe his granddaughter could lose. After all, she had reached Foundation Establishment before, and her mastery over spiritual energy was leagues beyond that of ordinary disciples. Letting those disciples serve as foils to make Zhao Qian shine was killing two birds with one stone, and it would give Su Yi a good show.
“Wait, there is no rush.”
Just as the matches were about to begin, Su Yi suddenly stood up and walked toward Zhao Qian under the watchful eyes of the crowd, holding an exquisite jade box in his hands.
Gongsun Lin and Tantai Yunzhi’s eyes both narrowed at the sight. Gongsun Lin’s gaze darkened, and she muttered under her breath, “Damn you, damn you, damn you, damn you! Zhao Qian, you deserve to die!”
“Heavens! Giving a gift before the match—Senior Brother Su Yi is far too romantic!”
“Senior Sister Zhao Qian is so fortunate!”
Faced with the crowd’s jeering and cheering, Zhao Qian had an instinctive urge to back away. Her gut told her that Su Yi would never make things easy for her.
When Su Yi stopped before her and opened the lid of the box, a refreshing medicinal fragrance immediately wafted through the air, invigorating the spirits of everyone present.
“Junior Sister Zhao Qian,” Su Yi began, his voice gentle yet ringing clearly across the entire square. “The punishment in the Profound Ice Prison before was rather severe. I hear that cold qi can erode divine sense, so I imagine you have yet to fully recover. This Demon-Cleansing Soul-Nourishing Pill is superb at nourishing the soul and solidifying one's foundation. With the secret realm just around the corner, you had best take it to ensure a swift recovery.”
His words sounded entirely high-minded and considerate, yet a subtle gleam flickered deep within his eyes.
This Demon-Cleansing Soul-Nourishing Pill was indeed a rare spiritual medicine, but its nature was supremely pure and masculine, possessing an inherent suppression against demonic qi.
Once ingested, the medicinal power would surge directly into the sea of consciousness along with the flow of spiritual energy, expelling external forces while purifying and calming the mind. In the game, when players wanted to rescue an NPC on the verge of being possessed, they could administer this pill to deliver a devastating blow to any demonic soul lurking within. And that was Su Yi’s true objective.
Deep within Zhao Qian’s sea of consciousness, an illusory figure shuddered violently. 【Just as I suspected!】 The demonic soul’s voice resonated with lingering dread and fury. 【This brat has been probing all along! The rumors earlier, the public gift of medicine now—it’s all aimed at this venerable one! It’s fortunate I didn’t fall into his trap and let Zhao Qian go to that meeting, or who knows what tricks he would have had up his sleeve!】
Down below the stage, Elder Zhao’s eyelids twitched at the sight.
This pill was a versatile panacea of substantial value, useful even to certain Golden Core cultivators. Thus, he hastily stepped forward. “Qian’er, why haven’t you thanked the Young Manor Lord for his generosity?”
Hearing this, Zhao Qian furrowed her brow slightly, forcing herself to sound calm as she replied, “Thank you for your concern, Senior Brother. However, with the competition about to begin, taking medicine right now might be unfair to the other participants. It would be better to wait until after the matches...”
“Junior Sister worries too much,” Su Yi interrupted with a chuckle before she could finish, though he sneered internally.
He had long since deduced the crux of the matter: the reason no demonic qi could be detected was that the demonic soul was exceptionally cunning, using Zhao Qian’s sea of consciousness as its hiding place.
As long as it refrained from actively revealing demonic qi or teaching Zhao Qian demonic techniques, it was virtually impossible to detect without forcibly searching her soul.
Subjecting someone to a soul search indiscriminately was completely out of the question; it would inflict immense trauma on the spirit, not to mention that Zhao Qian was the granddaughter of an Elder.
‘Zhao Qian is truly audacious,’ Su Yi thought to himself. ‘To dare let such an evil entity dwell in her sea of consciousness—is she not afraid of being possessed?’
Zhao Qian’s refusal now only further corroborated his suspicions. While this pill was a tremendous tonic for ordinary cultivators, it was deadly poison to a demonic soul.
To ensure the demonic soul suffered as much as possible, his pill was of exceptionally high quality, costing him nearly one hundred High-grade Spirit Stones.
This pill had to be swallowed by Zhao Qian during the contest!
After all, the crucial factor was that the pill required spiritual energy to be fully activated. Under normal circumstances, if Zhao Qian deliberately suppressed the medicinal effects, the demonic soul might find a way to neutralize it. However, the moment she circulated her spiritual energy with all her might during a duel, the medicinal power would drive straight in, striking directly at her sea of consciousness!
And the higher the quality, the faster it would take effect!
With that in mind, Su Yi’s expression turned solemn as he declared in a clear voice, “This pill is by no means forbidden. For Junior Sister to compete while bearing injuries would be the true unfairness.”
His gaze swept across the crowd below the stage, carrying an imposing aura. “What do you all think?”
The disciples looked at one another and nodded in agreement one after another. Even Tantai Yunzhi gave a gentle nod, though a faint, imperceptible gloom flitted through her eyes.
Seeing this, Elder Zhao hurriedly sent a secret voice transmission: 【Qian’er, the Young Manor Lord is showing goodwill before everyone. How could you brush off his gesture? Swallow the pill at once!】
Zhao Qian was instantly caught in a dilemma. Just as she hesitated, the demonic soul’s voice rang out again, tinged with urgency: 【Repeat after this venerable one!】
Hearing this, Zhao Qian suddenly found her footing. Forcing herself to remain calm, she struck a righteous posture, repeating sentence by sentence after the demonic soul: “Luck is also a part of strength. If an opponent encounters me in a weakened state, that is their fortune.
“Today, Senior Brother is here to bestow medicine upon me, but what about the future? In everything I, Zhao Qian, do, I seek only a clear conscience. I will not take this pill before the contest.”
Spoken with resolute conviction, these words actually drew looks of admiration from many disciples.
Su Yi’s brows knitted slightly upon hearing this. ‘A dignified excuse indeed,’ he mused inwardly. It did not sound like something Zhao Qian, who lost her wits whenever her temper flared, could come up with. It had to be the demonic soul coaching her behind the scenes.
Meanwhile, the chatter below the stage began to swell.
“Senior Sister Zhao makes a good point... but the Young Manor Lord is acting with good intentions as well...”
“That pill clearly isn’t an ordinary item. Why would Senior Sister Zhao turn it down?”
The situation fell into a momentary stalemate. Although Zhao Qian’s argument that “luck is also a part of strength” sounded quite backbone, it seemed exceedingly feeble under Su Yi’s forceful “concern” and Elder Zhao’s implicitly urgent gaze.
Su Yi sneered internally, but his face remained a picture of unquestionable resolve. His gaze swept over the eager disciples below the stage, his voice calm and powerful: “The Foundation Establishment secret realm concerns the interests of our sect; it is not child's play.
“If anyone defeats Junior Sister Zhao Qian by fluke merely because she is injured and seizes the position of vice commander, I, Su Yi, will be the first to refuse to acknowledge it! This vice commander must be someone who commands universal respect, and moreover, someone at the absolute peak of their strength!”
His gaze was sharp, carrying the dignity of the Young Manor Lord. “Does anyone have any objections to this?”
The disciples below glanced at each other. Who would dare cross the Young Manor Lord at a time like this? All of them tactfully shook their heads, indicating they had no objections.
Tantai Yunzhi also gave a slight shake of her head. With her head bowed, however, her slightly long bangs obscured her azure eyes, hiding her expression from view.
Rate on N.U.
