Seeing Su Yi’s resolute stance, Elder Zhao knew he could no longer let Zhao Qian indulge her stubbornness. Stepping forward to smooth things over, he urged, “Qian’er, the Young Manor Lord acts entirely out of goodwill and with the sect’s greater interests in mind. How can you be so unreasonable? This pill is priceless and by no means harmful; taking it offers only benefits and no harm whatsoever. Hurry and thank the Young Manor Lord, swallow the pill, and do not delay the business at hand!”
Hearing this, Zhao Qian felt trapped, caught in a hopeless dilemma.
Refusing would mean publicly spurning the Young Manor Lord’s goodwill and making her look guilty; swallowing it would damage the demonic soul and force it into slumber...
Just as her mind was locked in fierce turmoil, the demonic soul’s voice resonated in her sea of consciousness once more, tinged with a cold, resigned finality: 【We cannot refuse any longer! Now that this brat has pushed matters to this point, Su Jing’s divine sense is likely already locked onto this place! Backing out of the fight or rejecting the medicine right now is no different from admitting our guilt! You must take this pill! And you must fight this match!】
【But Senior, you...】 Zhao Qian felt a sudden wave of panic. Only after following the demonic soul all this time did she realize how deficient she truly was; without its guidance, she had no confidence in anything she did.
【No matter!】 the demonic soul cut her off, its voice weak yet fierce with strained resolve.
【At most, I will fall into a deep slumber for a time, unable to assist you temporarily. With your current strength, dealing with that Tantai Yunzhi should be more than enough! Remember, once you take the pill, suppress your spiritual energy as much as possible. End the battle quickly to minimize the activation of its medicinal power! Once the secret realm opens, this venerable one will have ways to awaken!】
With the demonic soul’s consent, Zhao Qian knew there was no turning back.
Taking a deep breath, she mustered every ounce of strength to swallow the humiliation and fury boiling within her, reaching out to take the Demon-Cleansing Soul-Nourishing Pill from Su Yi’s hand, its refreshing medicinal fragrance drifting into the air.
“Thank you... for your kindness, Senior Brother.” Feigning joy as she spoke the words, she placed the pill into her mouth and swallowed it under the watchful eyes of the crowd.
Once the pill reached her stomach, a gentle yet pure medicinal power instantly melted, surging into her four limbs and hundreds of bones, nourishing her meridians and divine soul.
Yet amid this comforting warmth, Zhao Qian distinctly “heard” an exceedingly faint, agonized groan echoing from the depths of her sea of consciousness.
【This pill... its power is so pure, so fierce!】
Immediately afterward, the distinct connection between her and the demonic soul turned faint and hazy, fading until it was almost undetectable.
Senior... truly fell into a slumber!
An unprecedented sense of emptiness and intense hatred surged into her heart! It was all because of Su Yi! All because of him!
She jerked her head up, her gaze shooting toward Su Yi like poison-laced daggers, but she quickly suppressed it by force. Instead, she turned her eyes to her most important objective today—Tantai Yunzhi! All her fury and all her humiliation needed an outlet right now!
Opposite her, watching Zhao Qian swallow the pill, Su Yi finally felt a heavy weight lift from his chest.
It worked! At least during the Foundation Establishment secret realm, this demonic soul wouldn’t be able to stir up any trouble.
Nothing could go wrong in the secret realm, after all. The Stalactite Body Tempering Fluid was the most suitable body-tempering material he could think of for Gongsun Lin, and missing it meant it would be nearly impossible to come by again.
With that in mind, he gave a satisfied nod, taking a few steps back to clear the stage, and looked toward Gongsun Lin.
However, Gongsun Lin’s gaze was cold enough to freeze him to death.
‘Sigh, I still need to explain things to Junior Sister before entering the secret realm. The Adorable Lin Spirit is simply too terrifying,’ Su Yi thought to himself.
On the other side, Tantai Yunzhi also felt Zhao Qian’s palpable hostility.
She clenched her fists, undisguised anger flashing in her clear azure eyes.
This Zhao Qian truly was an ungrateful wretch. Senior Brother Su treated her so kindly, yet just now she dared to glare at him like that!
‘If it were me, I would etch Senior Brother’s kindness into my heart,’ Tantai Yunzhi thought, biting her lip. She felt it wasn’t worth it for Su Yi, and she even felt a twinge of jealousy toward Zhao Qian.
Although she likewise had no idea why Su Yi had stepped in to save her back then, she was at least deeply grateful. But Zhao Qian’s behavior... she truly felt Su Yi’s efforts were completely wasted on her!
Senior Brother’s kindness was squandered; Zhao Qian was utterly unworthy of it! Today, she, Tantai Yunzhi, would teach this Zhao Qian a lesson on how to respect a benefactor!
She would also let Su Yi see that Zhao Qian was not worthy of such treatment!
This battle was inevitable!
...
With an order from the referee Elder, the matches to contend for the positions of commander and vice commander officially commenced.
No one contested Su Yi’s position as commander. For one, his status was exalted enough to guarantee the spot by default; for another, widespread rumors had already circulated that Su Yi had fought on equal terms with Murong Yue of Ancient Sword Mountain while she suppressed her cultivation.
And who was Murong Yue? She was an existence on par with Divine Might Manor’s Eldest Senior Sister Gongsun Lin! Su Yi had fought her to a draw in the very sword dao she excelled in. Add to that his mind-boggling talent, and he was arguably the foremost cultivator below Foundation Establishment. Naturally, no one dared challenge him.
As time passed and several rounds of fierce battles played out across the martial stage in the center of the square, only two figures ultimately remained.
On one side stood Zhao Qian in a goose-yellow dress, suppressed anger smoldering between her brows; on the other stood Tantai Yunzhi in simple white robes, a resolute light gleaming in her azure eyes.
Below the stage, the spectators’ excitement had reached a fever pitch. One was an Elder’s granddaughter who recently had an ambiguous relationship with the Young Manor Lord; the other was the only champion accepted into Divine Might Manor in decades, even if burdened by a unique physique.
In any case, this battle was bound to be extraordinary.
“Let the match begin!”
The moment the referee Elder’s voice fell, a cold light flashed in Zhao Qian’s eyes. She knew full well that she had to end this fight swiftly, minimizing the circulation of her spiritual energy as much as possible so as not to accelerate the activation of that damned pill inside her and inflict irreversible damage on the sleeping demonic soul.
“Azure Heaven and Yellow Springs.”
Letting out a sharp cry, she showed no restraint whatsoever, unleashing this supreme technique she had only recently mastered right from the start.
She had witnessed how utterly helpless Tantai Yunzhi had been against this technique that day. No matter what, did Tantai Yunzhi think she could break it in such a short time?!
Forming hand seals with both hands, the dual wood- and water-attribute spiritual energies within her surged forth and intertwined.
In an instant, a hazy, pale green mist carrying an eerie, sweet, fishy scent billowed outward from around her, spreading like a miasma of clouds as it swiftly engulfed the space toward Tantai Yunzhi.
Wherever the mist passed, even the hard bluestone slabs of the martial stage emitted faint sizzling sounds, corroded into pitted spots!
Rate on N.U.
