With the referee's announcement, the entire arena erupted into thunderous cheers.
At the Five Elements Dao Sect's seating area, Duan Xianxing excitedly hugged Li Nanzhu and Jiang Yifan beside him. "We won! We actually won!"
Jiang Yifan rarely didn't push him away, while Li Nanzhu held Suisui. The little skeleton's soul fire jumped happily, and an excited light flickered in its eyes. "Second senior brother is too powerful!"
Even Feng Qingping directly grabbed Feng Weilan's hand, her excitement knowing no bounds.
Mu Wenyan quickly flew onto the stage, supporting Zhu Yinxi's swaying form. "Second Junior Brother, hold on."
Zhu Yinxi forced a smile, though a trace of blood spilled from the corner of his mouth. "I'm... fine..."
On the other side, medical cultivators from the Sword Heart Sect also rushed onto the stage to treat the unconscious Pei Ji. Immortal Venerable Ling Xiao stood on the observation deck, watching the scene with a complex gaze.
"Master..." Qi Yunze said softly. "Second Junior Brother..."
"He did very well," Ling Xiao's voice was somewhat hoarse. "Perhaps I pushed him too hard."
Zhao Wufeng sighed deeply. "He did his best."
On the arena, Zhu Yinxi forced himself to cup his hands toward the Sword Heart Sect members. "Fellow Daoist Pei... is a worthy opponent."
These words caused a flicker of emotion to cross the faces of the Sword Heart Sect disciples.
Le Changxi's eyes were slightly red, Li Nanyi clenched his fists, and even the habitually cold Lin Shuang showed a complicated expression.
Cang Dongqing stood at the very back of the group, her smile no longer sustainable. She stared fixedly at the jade flute in Zhu Yinxi's hand, a strange glint passing through her eyes.
"Let's go." Mu Wenyan supported Zhu Yinxi as they walked toward the Five Elements Dao Sect's seats.
Just as they stepped off the arena, Zhu Yinxi could no longer hold on. He spat out a mouthful of blood and collapsed forward.
"Second senior brother!" Li Nanzhu cried out in alarm.
Jiang Yifan moved quickly, catching Zhu Yinxi. "Pills."
Feng Qingping immediately took out the prepared healing pills and fed them to Zhu Yinxi.
Mu Wenyan said in a heavy voice, "Back to the residence first."
Inside the Five Elements Dao Sect's residence, Zhu Yinxi sat cross-legged, spiritual energy circulating around his body.
Mu Wenyan withdrew his hand seal after checking him, his expression softening slightly. "It's all right. The injuries aren't too severe."
"I knew it!" Duan Xianxing slapped his thigh. "Second senior brother is so powerful, how could he be fundamentally harmed by an attack of that level!"
Li Nanzhu, holding Suisui, finally breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good... but second senior brother still needs to regulate his breathing properly."
Zhu Yinxi opened his eyes, the corners of his mouth curving upward. "It's no matter. I'll be recovered... by tomorrow." He looked at Jiang Yifan. "Fourth Junior Brother, how was your match?"
Jiang Yifan remained expressionless. "They forfeited."
"Huh?" Duan Xianxing's eyes widened. "Who forfeited?"
Feng Qingping explained with a smile, "Fourth senior brother's opponent conceded immediately. After all, considering his performance in the previous matches..." She gave Jiang Yifan a meaningful look. "The opponent likely didn't want to repeat Wen Qianhui's mistake."
Li Nanzhu chuckled. "So for the Golden Core stage matches, second senior brother is first and fourth senior brother is third?"
"Indeed," Mu Wenyan nodded. "The results are perfect."
Everyone showed looks of joy.
Duan Xianxing pulled out several jars of spiritual wine from somewhere. "Come, come, let's celebrate!"
"Seventh Junior Brother!" Feng Qingping snatched a wine jar away. "Second senior brother is still healing, and our little junior sister hasn't even had her coming-of-age ceremony yet!"
Zhu Yinxi, however, showed a rare smile. "It's fine. A small drink won't hurt."
Even Li Nanzhu nodded vigorously. Since coming to this world, she hadn't had a single drop of wine, and she really wanted to try it.
In the end, Mu Wenyan made the decision to let Li Nanzhu have a little, but limited her to only a quarter of a cup. Any real drinking would have to wait until after her coming-of-age ceremony.
The group sat in a circle, the atmosphere uncharacteristically relaxed.
After a few rounds of drinks, the conversation gradually turned to the day's matches.
"Speaking of which..." Feng Qingping said thoughtfully. "Why did Pei Ji suddenly change his mind and proactively swear a Heavenly Dao oath?"
Mu Wenyan took a small sip of spiritual tea. "Did you all notice that there was an extra person behind Immortal Venerable Ling Xiao today?"
"Do you mean... Qi Yunze?" Li Nanzhu's eyes shifted as she spoke.
A flash of surprise crossed Jiang Yifan's eyes. "Was it actually him?"
Mu Wenyan nodded slightly and continued. "Correct, it was Qi Yunze. From what I know, this person is upright and quite unique within the Sword Heart Sect."
"Indeed." Feng Qingping nodded. "Rumor has it he is a once-in-a-thousand-years genius of the Sword Heart Sect, possessing a clear sword heart."
Duan Xianxing took a gulp of wine. "No wonder he's different from the rest of that lot at the Sword Heart Sect!"
"So..." Li Nanzhu spoke hesitantly. "It was he who convinced Pei Ji?"
Mu Wenyan nodded. "It's highly likely. The sword technique Pei Ji used today was vastly different from his usual style; it must have been under Qi Yunze's guidance."
"In that case..." Duan Xianxing suddenly slapped the table. "This Qi Yunze is actually quite interesting! Tomorrow I'll head over to the Sword Heart Sect's side and see if I can get in touch with him!"
"No!" Feng Qingping and Li Nanzhu shouted in unison.
Feng Qingping directly flicked Duan Xianxing's forehead. "Have you forgotten about Cang Dongqing?"
"Ouch!" Duan Xianxing covered his head. "Of course I remember! I'll be careful!"
Li Nanzhu held Suisui, her face full of worry. "Seventh senior brother, that Cang Dongqing is truly dangerous..."
"I know, I know!" Duan Xianxing waved his hand. "I promise to stay far away from her!"
Mu Wenyan contemplated for a moment. "It's not entirely out of the question..." He looked at Duan Xianxing's expectant gaze and added, "But someone must accompany you."
"I'll go!" Li Nanzhu volunteered. "I can have Suisui keep watch."
Jiang Yifan suddenly spoke. "Inappropriate."
Everyone was startled.
They saw Jiang Yifan take out a green jade pendant from his storage bag. "Wear this. It prevents divine sense probing."
Duan Xianxing took the jade pendant, moved to the point of tears. "Fourth senior brother! You're so good to me!"
Jiang Yifan turned his face away. "Noisy."
Zhu Yinxi coughed lightly. "Caution is paramount."
"Don't worry!" Duan Xianxing patted his chest. "I guarantee the mission will be accomplished!"
Feng Qingping shook her head helplessly. "That temperament of yours..."
The topic shifted back to the upcoming matches.
Mu Wenyan set down his teacup. "Tomorrow marks the beginning of the Nascent Soul stage matches, which will last for twenty days."
"That long?" Duan Xianxing said in surprise.
"When Nascent Soul stage cultivators fight, it often takes days," Feng Qingping explained. "Not to mention the time needed to repair the arena and recover spiritual energy."
Li Nanzhu thought for a moment. "Who are the participants?"
"Each of the Eight Sects has two or three," Mu Wenyan said. "If Eldest Senior Sister were here, she would certainly secure a high ranking for us."
At the mention of their eldest senior sister, everyone's expressions dimmed slightly. Zhu Yinxi lightly stroked his jade flute. "I wonder how she is faring where she is."
Mu Wenyan nodded. "Indeed. During the Nascent Soul stage matches, you all can rest well and prepare for the team battle."
In the quiet of the night, everyone returned to their rooms to rest.
Li Nanzhu held Suisui but found herself unable to sleep.
Qi Yunze's figure kept appearing in her mind. In the original story, the description of this male lead was 'a clear sword heart, like ice and jade.' So why was he with someone like Cang Dongqing?
And... could a person who cultivates the Heartless Dao truly feel emotion?
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