“Eldest Senior Sister, she...” Feng Qingping hesitated, eventually revealing a mysterious smile. “You’ll understand once you meet her.”
Duan Xianxing and Li Nanzhu exchanged a glance, their faces filled with confusion.
“Fifth Senior Sister, stop keeping us in suspense!” Duan Xianxing scratched his head in frustration. “What exactly is her background?”
Zhu Yinxi lightly caressed his jade flute. “Special.”
“How special?” Li Nanzhu pressed curiously.
Mu Wenyan smiled and shook his head. “In short... very special.”
Jiang Yifan rarely spoke, but he added, “When the time comes... you will know.” He paused. “I hope you... are prepared.”
The tight-lipped attitude of the group only made Li Nanzhu more curious.
She recalled the few mentions of this eldest senior sister in the original text—odd behavior, some interaction with Rong Yuying, and eventually dying at the hands of Cang Dongqing...
“I remember you mentioned before, Fifth Senior Sister, that she’s currently in the mortal world?” Li Nanzhu asked tentatively.
Feng Qingping nodded. “Mhm, she went to handle some matters.” A hint of worry flashed in her eyes. “However, I’m afraid she won’t make it back in time for the team battle...”
Duan Xianxing scratched his head. “The mortal world is so far; she definitely won’t be back for a while.”
“Alright.” Mu Wenyan clapped his hands. “Stop thinking about that for now. Let’s focus on studying tomorrow’s match.”
“I originally thought about having Fourth Senior Brother hide his strength, but now everyone knows how powerful he is,” Duan Xianxing joked.
Jiang Yifan pursed his lips. “I...”
“So we need Eldest Senior Brother to come up with a new strategy. Don’t tell me I’ll become the bait?!”
Before Jiang Yifan could finish, Duan Xianxing interrupted his unspoken words.
“No need to rush,” Mu Wenyan said gently. “Let’s get some good rest first and prepare for tomorrow’s match.”
“Exactly, exactly.” Hearing this, Li Nanzhu grabbed Jiang Yifan and started pulling him toward his room. “Fourth Senior Brother, you rest well. Leave the rest to us!”
“...Okay.” Jiang Yifan nodded silently before closing the door.
“Now we just wait for tomorrow’s match.”
“Second Senior Brother, has your opponent for tomorrow been announced yet?” Feng Qingping asked.
Zhu Yinxi glanced down at his communication jade slip and gave a slight nod.
“Beast Taming Sect, Ye Gucheng.”
...
On the arena, Zhu Yinxi remained dressed in robes as white as snow, holding his jade flute.
His opponent, Ye Gucheng, wore silver-patterned black robes. A silver-white wolf-shaped demonic beast stood on his shoulder, while a green-scaled python coiled beside him.
“As expected, no one who makes it this far is a pushover.” Li Nanzhu stared at the two on stage, not letting her guard down for even a second.
In the original text, Ye Gucheng had helped Cang Dongqing obtain a treasure-hunting beast and was one of her loyal followers; she had to be wary.
“Zhu Yinxi of the Five Elements Dao Sect. Please advise.”
“Ye Gucheng of the Beast Taming Sect. Let’s begin.”
“The match begins!”
Ye Gucheng made the first move, tapping his finger lightly. “Silver Moon, go!”
The silver wolf transformed into a streak of silver light, lunging toward Zhu Yinxi. Simultaneously, the green python slithered out. “Azure Scale, trap him!”
Zhu Yinxi tapped his jade flute lightly. “Water Curtain of the Heavens!”
A deep blue water screen blocked the silver wolf from the outside. However, the python dove underground for a sneak attack. Zhu Yinxi shifted his footwork and spun his flute. “Water Dragon’s Cry!”
A water dragon surged up from the ground, blasting the python away.
The silver wolf took the opportunity to break through the water curtain, its claws aiming straight for his throat. Zhu Yinxi dodged to the side and raised his hand with another spell, actually forcing the silver wolf back!
Ye Gucheng’s eyes flashed with surprise. “He can actually handle both Silver Moon and Azure Scale at the same time...”
In the Sword Heart Sect’s seats, Pei Ji narrowed his eyes. “So far, he has only shown these two water-attribute techniques.”
Le Changxi also stared intently at the fight. “I wonder if he’s hiding his depth or if those are his only tricks.”
Li Nanyi’s spiritual energy circulated constantly; he was clearly ready to block his hearing at any moment. “His Sound-killing Technique hasn't been used yet.”
He turned to Cang Dongqing. “Junior Sister, you should be careful too. There’s no telling when Zhu Yinxi will start using that flute of his.”
Cang Dongqing gave a gentle smile. “Thank you for the reminder, Fifth Senior Brother.”
However, a cold flicker passed through her eyes. What was the point of words? A soundproofing talisman would have been far more useful than this warning.
In the end, it was Immortal Venerable Ling Xiao who interrupted their conversation.
“Ye Gucheng’s coordination of the two beasts has some merit. Observe closely so you can find a way to deal with it during the team battle.”
On the arena, Ye Gucheng commanded his two demonic beasts. “Together!”
The silver wolf became a blur of afterimages, while the python spat out a toxic mist to obscure his vision.
In the Hehuan Sect’s seats, Rong Yuying lightly waved her round fan. “This Ye Gucheng is clever, knowing to use toxic mist to block sight.”
The spirit rabbit in Qinghe’s arms shifted uneasily. “Senior Sister, how will Zhu Yinxi respond?”
Yu’er narrowed her eyes. “For an ordinary music cultivator, this would indeed be difficult to break...”
Zhu Yinxi closed his eyes to concentrate, twirling his jade flute. “Go!”
Sound waves vibrated through the toxic mist, revealing the silver wolf’s true form.
At the Tianyan Sect’s seats, Yun Xuanji suddenly sat up straight. “He can actually break the mist with sound waves?!”
The white-bearded old man stroked his beard. “This boy’s control over sound waves has reached perfection.”
“It seems he was holding back against me that day...” Yun Xuanji murmured. “Just what are these people from the Five Elements Dao Sect hiding...”
Qin Wuyan, the Sect Leader of the Beast Taming Sect, saw his expression darken slightly. “Gucheng might be in danger...”
On the arena, Ye Gucheng gritted his teeth and changed his tactics. As his hand seals shifted, the silver wolf and the green python merged, transforming into a winged giant beast that lunged forward!
This was the unique secret technique of the Beast Taming Sect, allowing a cultivator to fuse their contract beasts for a short period. The duration depended on the cultivator’s strength, and every second drained Ye Gucheng’s spiritual energy!
In the Five Elements Dao Sect’s seats, Duan Xianxing’s eyes widened in surprise. “You can even do that?!”
He immediately looked at Suisui in Li Nanzhu’s arms. Seeing this, Li Nanzhu gripped Suisui’s bone claws. “Don’t even think about it!”
Duan Xianxing coughed lightly. “Oh, what could I be thinking? I just wanted to look at Suisui!”
But clearly, neither Li Nanzhu nor Suisui bought it. The girl and the bone spirit quickly retreated, distancing themselves from Duan Xianxing.
Fortunately, Duan Xianxing was always very good at giving himself an out, quickly performing a series of cool poses.
To some observers, this looked like further evidence of the growing conflict between Duan Xianxing and the other disciples of the Five Elements Dao Sect.
Feng Qingping looked at the two and simply said one thing.
“Second Senior Brother is about to play his flute.”
Li Nanzhu and Duan Xianxing immediately stopped everything else, both moving in unison to seal their sense of hearing!
In the next second, Zhu Yinxi brought the jade flute to his lips. Among the spectators, those with experience already covered their ears, while those who hadn’t witnessed that previous match looked around in confusion at the strange behavior of others.
Soon, Zhu Yinxi gave them the answer to why people were acting that way.
“Screee—!!!”
A piercing flute note exploded. The silver-winged colossus froze, and in the next instant, it was forcibly separated back into the silver wolf and the green python!
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