Yun Wuchen shrank his neck and suddenly whispered.
"Woof..."
The entire Tianyan Sect residence fell so silent that a pin could be heard hitting the floor.
The teacup in Yun Xuanji's hand shattered as it hit the ground.
Yun Xingyan stumbled, nearly losing his footing.
The other senior brothers retreated three steps in unison.
The old man’s face turned from red to blue, then blue to white, and finally became as black as the bottom of a scorched pot. He raised his discipline ruler with a trembling hand. "You... you..."
"Master, please calm yourself!" Yun Xuanji lunged forward. "Junior Brother, he’s... he’s..."
"His brain isn't working right because he's been struck by too much lightning during deductions!" Yun Xingyan quickly chimed in. "You know how he gets when he's nervous..."
"So he barks like a dog?!" the old man roared, slamming the discipline ruler onto the table. "How did I end up with a disciple like you!"
Yun Wuchen looked ready to burst into tears. "I—I just get nervous and—"
"And stutter!" the old man shouted, his beard twitching with rage. "I didn't tell you to bark like a dog!"
Yun Wuchen curled into a ball. "I-I'm sorry..."
The old man took a deep breath and suddenly turned to the other disciples. "You lot! Starting today, take turns bringing him to the market to talk to strangers!"
"Huh?" The senior brothers wailed in unison.
"Each of you must make him speak to at least ten strangers every day!" The old man ground his teeth. "If I catch him barking like a dog in front of outsiders again..."
He cast a sinister glare at Yun Wuchen. "Once we return to the sect, you'll spend a month living and eating with the mountain-guarding spirit hounds in the back mountains!"
Yun Wuchen’s face turned deathly pale. "N-no, Master... please..."
Meanwhile, at the Five Elements Dao Sect residence.
"Hahaha! That’s just too funny!" Duan Xianxing slapped the table, laughing hysterically as he relayed the news to Feng Weilan.
"I doubt Yun Wuchen was just being eccentric; he was likely collecting information," Feng Weilan remarked quietly after listening. "The Money Hexagram and tortoise shell divination are both deduction methods of the Tianyan Sect."
Li Nanzhu had an epiphany. "So those seemingly ridiculous actions..."
"He was observing my combat style." She narrowed her eyes. "No wonder he said we should be friends at the end..."
Duan Xianxing’s eyes widened. "Wait! Little Junior Sister, are you saying..."
"He was gathering intelligence for the Tianyan Sect," Jiang Yifan said coldly. "He acts shy and stutters, but in reality, he’s deeply calculating."
Li Nanzhu shook her head. "No, the stuttering is definitely real..."
Everyone looked at her in confusion.
"But Senior Brother Jiang is likely correct," Li Nanzhu explained. "The Tianyan Sect's deductions require a vast amount of information to be effective. All those seemingly meaningless actions..."
"Were all aimed at finding a better way to defeat us!" Duan Xianxing stood up abruptly.
"We must re-evaluate the threat posed by the Tianyan Sect," Mu Wenyan added somberly.
And so, both sides reached a marvelous misunderstanding...
Coincidentally, the atmosphere over at the Sword Heart Sect was surprisingly similar to that of the Five Elements Dao Sect.
"So, the Tianyan Sect has essentially surrendered?" Zhao Wufeng listened to the reports from several elders, his face devoid of expression.
"Yes. Yun Wuchen even mentioned wanting to be friends with the Five Elements Dao Sect..."
"I should have known those people couldn't be relied upon." Immortal Venerable Ling Xiao snorted coldly. "Who knows what Xiaoyaozi calculated this time to provoke such a reaction from them."
Zhao Wufeng rubbed his brow and waved his hand, dismissing the other elders. Only the two of them remained in the great hall.
"Junior Brother, what do you think we should do next?" Zhao Wufeng sighed, clearly worried by the rapid rise of the Five Elements Dao Sect.
Ling Xiao didn't speak. Instead, he toyed with a communication jade slip in his hand as if waiting for something. Seeing this, Zhao Wufeng didn't press him and waited in silence.
After the time it took for a stick of incense to burn, the jade slip in his hand finally glowed with a faint light. Ling Xiao swept his divine sense through it and finally broke into a smile.
"As for what's next... I have a solution."
"Congratulations to Seventh Senior Brother and Little Junior Sister for making it into the top four," Feng Weilan said with a smile.
"We can relax now. No matter the final result, one of us is guaranteed a spot in the top three!"
"Are you really that confident?" Feng Qingping teased.
"Of course! Look at who we are!" Duan Xianxing raised his head proudly. "Just wait, we’re bringing home that first-place trophy!"
"Very well. We’ll be counting on you two to rack up some points for us."
"As for the upcoming schedule..." Mu Wenyan scrolled through the messages on his communication jade slip.
"Little Junior Sister is matched against Mo Yu of the Xuan-yang Sect, and Seventh Senior Brother is against Qinghe of the Hehuan Sect."
Everyone was somewhat surprised by the news.
"Qinghe actually made it to the top four? How impressive," Li Nanzhu remarked with genuine admiration.
"It could be said she has good luck," Zhu Yinxi noted, reviewing the records. "The strongest direct disciples in the Foundation Establishment stage were all matched against the two of you. Her remaining opponents were of similar strength to her own. It's only natural she could fight her way here by giving it her all."
Jiang Yifan spoke up. "The most troublesome part is her illusion techniques. That direct disciple from the Beast Taming Sect fell for them and walked right off the arena on his own."
"Is Qinghe really that strong?" Feng Qingping mused. "It seems we underestimated her back in the Blackwater Marsh."
"Well, she didn't really have to do much back then." Li Nanzhu pulled out her communication jade slip. "I suspect the Hehuan Sect might want to forfeit again. Seventh Senior Brother, what do you think?"
"I agree with you; let's have a proper fight," Duan Xianxing said, turning uncharacteristically serious. "Even if we're collaborators, there’s no need to take it this far. Besides, we’ve come this far. If the opponent forfeits, people will say our Five Elements Dao Sect didn't earn our victory fairly."
"Furthermore..." Duan Xianxing stroked his chin. "I haven't encountered many illusionists yet. It’ll be good to get a feel for their tricks before the team battles."
"I'll message Senior Sister Rong right away." Li Nanzhu tapped the jade slip and quickly sent the message. A moment later, the slip glowed again—clearly a reply from Rong Yuying.
"What did she say?" Duan Xianxing leaned in.
"A proper fight, of course!" Li Nanzhu pushed Duan Xianxing’s head away. Seeing this, Suisui immediately spat a puff of ice mist into his face.
"Augh! You little brat, Suisui!"
"Alright, stop messing around. We need to look at Little Junior Sister's opponent."
"Right, right!" Duan Xianxing stopped joking and looked at the jade slip.
Mu Wenyan frowned slightly. "Mo Yu. Fifty years old, right at the age limit for the competition."
Jiang Yifan said coldly, "This man specializes in battles of attrition. The direct disciples from both the Beast Taming Sect and the Water Moon Sect were defeated by him."
Duan Xianxing curled his lip. "Isn't that just using age to cheat? He’s practiced for thirty years longer than us! His combat experience and worldly knowledge far exceed ours."
Li Nanzhu was thoughtful. "No wonder he could overcome every obstacle in his path..."
"That's not all," Feng Weilan reminded her from the head of the bed. "He always starts by appearing weak, only counterattacking once his opponent's spiritual energy is exhausted."
Zhu Yinxi gently stroked his jade flute. "He is a master of the Black Tortoise Heart-Guarding Sutra. His defensive power is staggering."
"Little Junior Sister, your spiritual energy reserves..."
Li Nanzhu flashed a cunning smile. "If that’s the case, then I have nothing to fear."
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