363-377

Chapter 363 An Unprecedented Situation

When Su Yang returned to the hotel, Liu Lanzhi appeared before him with a panicking face.

\"Su Yang! We have an emergency!\" she cried out loud. \"The Million Snakes Sect… they—-\"

\"I know. They accused us of killing one of their Sect Elders, right?\"

\"Not just any Sect Elder! He's a Great Sect Elder! That's something akin to their ancestor! And how can you remain calm in this situation? What if the Xie Family gets involved with this? We'll be doomed regardless of whether we are guilty or not because the Million Snakes Sect is an Elite Sect! All Elite Sets are automatically protected by the Xie Family!\" Liu Lanzhi said to him.

\"Calm down and think about this for a moment. Do you really think anybody is going to believe their nonsense? Who are we? A low-tier Sect with only a hundred disciples and is on the brink of destruction. What can we possibly do to a Cultivator at the Heavenly Spirit Realm, much less kill one?\"

Liu Lanzhi immediately became speechless. As much as she hates to admit it, the Profound Blossom Sect is currently in a state so weak that they cannot harm anybody, much less a Heavenly Spirit Realm Cultivator from an Elite Sect.

\"Now that you realize the actual situation, just sit back, relax, and watch as the Million Snakes Sect make a mockery out of themselves.\"

\"However, now I can't help but wonder who was really behind the Great Sect Elder's death.\"

\"And what are you going to do once you know? Thank him? All I need to know is that this person has helped us greatly by killing an expert from the Million Snakes Sect, even if it was unintentional,\" said Su Yang with a mysterious smile on his face.

\"However…\" Liu Lanzhi frowned and said, \"Even if nobody believes the rumors the Million Snakes Sect is spreading, they are still convinced that we are at fault. Sooner or later, they will come to us for revenge.\"

\"Have you forgotten about our Alliance with the Heavenly Swan Sect and the Burning Lotus Sect already? What about that person protecting our Profound Blossom Sect from the shadows? Even if the Million Snakes Sect wants war with us, what can they do to us?\"

\"I haven't forgotten, but it's always better to be cautious. After all, who knows what the Million Snakes Sect still have hidden in their sleeves.\"

\"Of course. Anyway, why don't we do something to lessen your worries a little bit?\" Su Yang suddenly said.

\"Eh? Like what?\"

Su Yang showed a smile and said, \"Now that I am a Sect Master, I have an obligation to cultivate with the other Sect Master, right? It'll have a bad look on the Sect if the Sect Master falls behind with the other disciples in Cultivation, after all.\"

Liu Lanzhi was speechless for a moment before showing a smile. \"And here I thought you have forgotten about your duties, Su Yang. Come with me. The other Sect Elders are busy trying to have a breakthrough after consuming the Earth Advancement Pill, so we have plenty of time to play.\"

A few moments later, Liu Lanzhi dragged Su Yang into an empty room before locking the door.

Meanwhile, in the outside world, besides the news of Great Elder Ren's sudden death, another shocking information was spread around the city like wildfire.

\"What did you just say? The Heavenly Swan Sect has made an announcement that they have formed an Alliance with the Profound Blossom Sect?\" Lord Xie almost couldn't believe his ears when he heard the news.

\"Are you sure about this?\" He asked again.

\"This subordinate is positive of this information, as it was spread by the Sect Master herself.\"

\"What's going on? Why so sudden? Are they trying to protect the Profound Blossom Sect from the Million Snakes Sect? But why would they do that?\" Lord Xie could feel a headache coming soon.

\"Wait a moment… Su Yang has a young sister at the Heavenly Swan Sect, who also has quite a reputation within the Sect. Perhaps she's the one who made this happen? No, even if she's the most talented disciple in the sect, she shouldn't be able to make such a grand decision.\"

No matter how much Lord Xie pondered, he was unable to understand the Heavenly Swan Sect's decision to form an Alliance with the Profound Blossom Sect of all places.

However, that was not the end of his suffering, as a mere hour later, the Burning Lotus Sect also announced that they will be forming an Alliance with the Profound Blossom Sect.

For two Elite Sects to willingly form an Alliance with the same place, it was already unprecedented, much less to a small place like the Profound Blossom Sect.

And as expected, hearing that both the Heavenly Swan Sect and the Burning Lotus Sect has formed an Alliance with a small and relatively unknown Sect has shocked the entire world — or as far as it spread.

This also prompted many Sects, both big and small, to start investigating the Profound Blossom Sect, as they all wanted to know what was so special about them that attracted two Elite Sects. However, after gathering all of the information and researching every little detail, it only confused the people even further, as the Profound Blossom Sect is truly nothing more than a small sect that practices dual cultivation — nothing less, nothing more. Hell, they don't even have any noticeable achievements in the Cultivation world. What's more, they are currently on the brink of destruction after being raided by the Million Snakes Sect. It's already a miracle that they are still operating after all that.

\"Even the Burning Lotus Sect has formed an Alliance with the Profound Blossom Sect? As far as I'm aware, they have little to no connections with each other!\" Lord Xie frowned.

Because of these three Sect's alliance, the power balance in this world has become unstable, hence why Lord Xie is trying to figure out a solution. Furthermore, once the Million Snakes Sect is stripped of their status as an Elite Sect, this power balance that has existed for over a thousand years will truly crumble.

Of course, Lord Xie was not the only one scratching his head over the Profound Blossom Sect's Alliance, as the Million Snakes Sect are also trying to comprehend the situation.

Chapter 364 This Has to Be a Conspiracy!

\"Sect Master! We have an emergency! We have an emergency!!!\"

\"What is it?\" Fu Kuan looked at the Sect Elder that urgently called for him with a frown, clearly still angry about Great Elder Ren's death.

\"It's the Heavenly Swan Sect! They… they formed an Alliance with the Profound Blossom Sect!\" The Sect Elder revealed the news to Fu Kuan, whose eyes widened with shock upon hearing that.

\"What?! Impossible!\"

\"It's true! Bai Lihua, their Sect Master, has announced it herself just now! They said that the Profound Blossom Sect is now under their protection, as they have formed an Alliance with each other!\"

\"Those bastards! Because of Great Elder Ren's death, they dared to side with the Profound Blossom Sect despite knowing that it'll offend us!\" Fu Kuan cursed loudly.

\"What about our feud with the Profound Blossom Sect? Are we still going to war with them?\" The Sect Elder asked him with a worried expression.

Although the Million Snakes Sect is known to be a top powerhouse even among the Elite Sects, without Great Elder Ren, they are now in the middle if not the bottom of the rank among the Elite Sects.

If the Million Snakes Sect still wants to wage war with the Profound Blossom Sect that is now protected by the Heavenly Swan Sect, a top Elite Sect like them, they will certainly have a lot of casualties. What's more, they might even not come out to be the victor of the war.

\"We will!\"

After a moment of hesitation, Fu Kuan declared with his eyes bloodshot.

\"Although we will have some casualties, we won't lose! Even if we have to reveal to the world our trump card, we will destroy the Profound Blossom Sect and the Heavenly Swan Sect!\"

\"What?! Our trump card?! But that's for the Xie Family…\" The Sect Elder was shocked by Fu Kuan's unwavering resolve to fight the Profound Blossom Sect.

\"So what?! We can just delay our plans for another few years! It won't make any difference! The Profound Blossom Sect, however, must disappear as soon as possible!\"

\"But once the Xie Family learns of our trump card, they will surely pay closer attention to us! Once they happen, our plans might leak!\"

\"You don't have to worry about that.\" Fu Kuan said with a fierce voice. \"There are only very few individuals within the sect that know of the plan. If there's any suspicion from any of them, I will eliminate them without hesitation.\"

\"Yes, Sect Master!\" The Sect Elder bowed, as he was afraid that if he tried to convince Fu Kuan any more, it'll make it look like he's trying to protect the Profound Blossom Sect and be eliminated by Fu Kuan.

However, literally an hour later, the news of the Burning Lotus Sect forming an Alliance with the Profound Blossom Sect also spread, causing the Fu Kuan to stomp the ground in anger, nearly destroying the entire floor.

\"Fuck! Not just the Heavenly Swan Sect but even the Burning Lotus Sect is trying to fuck with me?!\" Fu Kuan couldn't help but curse loudly. \"This has to be a conspiracy! The Elite Sects must be trying to get rid of the Million Snakes Sect, and Great Elder Ren's death has influenced them to finally move!\"

\"What should we do now, Sect Elder? Even with our trump card, it'll be near impossible to fight with two Elite Sects at the same time without Great Elder Ren. Not to mention there's also that Immortal at the Profound Blossom Sect.\"

\"...\"

Fu Kuan was speechless. He's never felt this cornered before, not even during the many life-or-death situations that he's been in before.

\"Give me some time to think about it…\" Fu Kuan finally said after a few minutes of silence.

The Sect Elder nodded and left Fu Kuan alone.

Meanwhile, inside one of the rooms at the Snow Crystal Hotel, Liu Lanzhi dropped onto the bed with an exhausted expression and a body covered in sweat.

\"Haaa… haaa… haaa… Su Yang… just how are you this good at dual cultivation? It's almost like you have thousands of years of experience.\" Liu Lanzhi asked him while breathing heavily.

After just one hour of dual cultivation, Su Yang has completely drained her body of its energy and Yin Qi. It was a record for Liu Lanzhi, who has always been the one to exhaust her partners first.

\"And compared to our first time doing cultivation at the Inner Court Disciple Examination, your Yang Qi has increased significantly in quality. In fact, it's so rich that even I cannot tell its quality properly anymore. If we continue to cultivate, I should enter the sixth level of the Earth Spirit Realm next week! It's no wonder why the disciples' cultivation base exploded!\" Liu Lanzhi exclaimed while she looked at his Yang Qi that was overflowing out of her pink hole.

\"I read a few books about dual cultivation, that's all.\" Su Yang said to her with a mysterious smile on his face.

\"Hmph! If you can become so experienced just by reading books, then every disciple would have been as good as you!\" Liu Lanzhi snorted after hearing his obvious farting.

Sometime later, Su Yang said to her, \"By the way, I have something to tell you. It's regarding the future of the Profound Blossom Sect.\"

\"Hmm? What is it?\"

\"I plan on making the Profound Blossom Sect a mixed Sect,\" he said.

\"Mixed? What do you mean by that?\" Liu Lanzhi tilted her head with a puzzled look, as she has never heard of this before.

\"It's as it sounds. The Profound Blossom Sect will split its disciples into two different sections in the future. One side will practice dual cultivation, whilst the other side will practice normal cultivation. Of course, the Sect itself will remain as one place.\"

\"May I ask why you would want to split the disciples?\" Even if it will completely change the Profound Blossom Sect and its legacy, Liu Lanzhi did not immediately refuse his idea and kept an open mind.

Su Yang nodded and proceeded to explain to her the reason behind his idea.

Chapter 365 The Day Before the Tournamen

\"If we remain as a Sect that merely focuses on dual cultivation, unless we allow those who have abandoned us to return to the sect, I am afraid that even I cannot revive the Profound Blossom Sect in a short time, as only a very small amount of Cultivators are willing to dual cultivate.\"

Because dual cultivation is generally an unacceptable practice and usually disdained by most Cultivators, it will be hard to gather disciples that are willing to dual cultivate in a short time. In fact, the Profound Blossom Sect has existed for over a hundred years yet it only had a measly few thousand disciples before they all left. If the Profound Blossom Sect wants to survive in the Cultivation world, especially since they are currently in the spotlight, they will need as many disciples as possible in the shortest time.

\"Absolutely not! I will not allow those betrayers to return to the Sect under any circumstances, even if I will die without them!\" Liu Lanzhi greatly opposed the idea of letting the disciples who left them to die during the Million Snakes Sect's invasion to return to the sect.

\"They abandoned us when we needed them the most, and most of them have already joined other Sects by now. Even if they come begging at our entrance, I will not allow them to return!\"

Su Yang nodded and said, \"Then we can only split the Profound Blossom Sect into two sections. Although the dual cultivation disciples will come slowly, they will eventually return to its normal numbers.\"

After a moment of silence, Liu Lanzhi spoke, \"But we have one problem… The majority of the cultivation techniques in the Profound Blossom Sect are for dual cultivation — even if we put into account the techniques given to us by Senior Immortal, it won't be enough for the normal disciples.\"

\"It's just a few techniques, you can let me worry about that,\" said Su Yang. \"I happen to know somebody who is willing to donate some cultivation techniques to us.\"

'What? Who is generous enough to donate cultivation techniques?' Liu Lanzhi raised her eyebrows in surprise and wondered inwardly.

Of course, there was nobody in this world that was generous enough to donate cultivation techniques to another sect. As for how Su Yang will be getting the cultivation techniques, he will only have to write down some of the techniques he'd read in his previous life. Even if he hasn't learned these techniques, he will still be able to pass them down to others as long as he remembers its content, which is a feat that can only be achieved by true Cultivation experts, as cultivation techniques are generally profound and hard to remember all of its contents.

\"Then it's decided. The Profound Blossom Sect shall be a mixed sect starting today. I speak with the Sect Elders regarding this matter once they finish their closed cultivation,\" said Liu Lanzhi a moment later.

Su Yang nodded.

-

-

-

For the next two weeks, Su Yang and the Profound Blossom Sect remained inside the Snow Crystal Hotel. When he's not cultivating with Liu Lanzhi, Su Yang was with the disciples. When Liu Lanzhi and the disciples were busy cultivating his Yang Qi, Su Yang would give lectures to the Junior Disciples.

There were also days when Wang Shuren visited him under the guise of business regarding the Alliance. Of course, Liu Lanzhi was aware of the true reason for her visits.

Two weeks passed by in a flash, and the Regional Tournament would officially begin tomorrow.

The night before the Regional Tournament, Liu Lanzhi gathered all of the disciples that would be participating in the Regional Tournament to give them some advice regarding the tournament.

\"The Regional Tournament will start tomorrow, and it will go on for a total of seven days. Although our opponents have not yet been announced, don't be surprised if we get matched with an Elite Sect, as everything is randomized.\" Liu Lanzhi said to the disciples.

\"Once we know our opponents and it's time for us to go onto the stage, you will be able to choose a weapon of your style that will be supplied by them, as it is forbidden to use personal weapons.\"

\"I am well aware that most of you have little to no experience with combat since we only focus on dual cultivation and more than half of you were Outer Court disciples before coming here, so I am aware of your disadvantages. However, don't be discouraged and fight with everything you've got. And it's okay to lose. Don't push yourselves too hard and don't do anything dangerous or too risky. Although killing is prohibited, accidents will happen, as at least one or two deaths occur at every tournament.\"

\"Sect Master Su, while you are also participating, do you have any words for the disciples?\" she turned to ask him later.

Su Yang nodded and looked at the disciples before speaking, \"Although we have 11 participants, not all of us will need to fight. While the maximum participants each Sect can bring is 20 people, there will only be 10 rounds, so at most only 10 people will have a chance to fight. Additionally, one person can also fight all ten rounds.\"

\"As for myself, I won't be fighting with opponents that I know you girls can win. If we somehow get matched with an Elite Sect or opponents you cannot win against, I will deal with all of them so you can fight without any worries.\"

\"With that being said, unlike Sect Master Liu, I won't accept any of you losing, especially after all of the efforts I have put into you girls, do you understand?\"

\"Yes!\"

The girls responded with a confident smile on their faces, which baffled Liu Lanzhi.

'Why do they look so confident? Did they do something else besides cultivation that I am not aware of?' Liu Lanzhi pondered inwardly.

\"Also, our main purpose in the Regional Tournament is to show off so people will have a reason to approach us when we start recruiting new disciples again. That's why I want you to fight with the intent to shock people.\" Su Yang said a moment later, dumbfounding Liu Lanzhi.

'Is that why he made us participate in the Regional Tournament despite our current situation?!' Liu Lanzhi cried inwardly as she finally realized the truth behind Su Yang's intent on joining the tournament.

Chapter 366 Sect Masters' Gathering

After they finished giving advice to the disciples, Liu Lanzhi said, \"Although the tournament starts tomorrow, we might not have to participate on the same day depending on the time of our matches. The Sect Masters will gather early in the morning tomorrow to receive a few words from the Xie Family. We should also learn the identity of our opponents while we are there.\"

\"This is all I have for today. Prepare yourselves until we return with more news tomorrow.\"

The group dispersed soon later, and the disciples all went to prepare themselves mentally.

The following day, Su Yang and Liu Lanzhi left the hotel early in the morning and headed to the place where the tournament will take place — the Snowfall Colosseum that was in the center of the city.

The Snowfall Colosseum was a massive place that could fit millions of people with ease, and in the center of this place was a large arena that alone could fit over a thousand people.

And currently gathered on this large arena are the Sect Masters from all of the Sects that will be participating in this year's Regional Tournament, and there were over 200 of them. In other words, over 200 Sects were participating in this year's tournament, which is twice as much as the previous tournament that only had 100 Sects participating.

This sudden rise in participants was probably caused by Xie Xingfang, who was rumored to be appearing to see if there will be any prominent young men that might catch her interest.

\"Su Yang, don't look to the right, the Sect Master of the Million Snakes Sect is glaring at us.\" Liu Lanzhi whispered to him after she noticed his gaze that was filled with disdain.

However, Su Yang ignored her advice and turned to look at Fu Kuan directly in the eyes with a smile on his face. He even waved at him and said, \"How's the Million Snakes Sect coping with that old man's death? I hope they are doing fine.\"

Su Yang directly provoked Fu Kuan with Great Elder Ren's death, immediately flaring Fu Kuan's eyes with killing intent.

\"Thank you all for coming here today and for participating in the Regional Tournament this year.\" Lord Xie suddenly appeared before them.

\"Your Majesty!\"

All of the Sect Masters there immediately bowed to greet his presence after noticing his figure — all except one young man, who was casually standing there with a calm expression.

But luckily for Su Yang, because everybody there had their heads lowered, they didn't notice him, except for Lord Xie, who merely ignored him.

\"Raise your heads. I will now explain a few things regarding this year's tournament. Take a look to your right at the lottery box.\" Lord Xie said as he pointed to the box standing in the open a few meters away from them.

\"Each Sect will pick a piece of paper in there, and whoever has the same number shall fight in the first rounds today. And since there's an odd number of participants, there will be one blank piece of paper inside, which will waver your Sect from participating in the first round.\"

\"You can pick your numbers later. For now, allow me to explain the rules and rewards ahead of time.\"

\"First of all, each Sect will only be able to send a maximum of ten disciples onto the stage. If you have more than ten disciples participating, the rest will be benched until the next round.\"

\"Once you have picked your ten disciples, they will be sent onto the stage one at a time until one side no longer has anyone left to fight. Of course, as long as they can still fight, they may participate in more than one fight, even fighting all ten opponents alone.\"

\"Now I shouldn't have to mention this but killing is obviously prohibited during the tournament, as every disciple participating are geniuses among geniuses. It would be a loss for everyone if even one of these talented individuals were to perish over some competition. Even if it's an accident, if your Sect causes another's death, there will be a penalty for 10 million Spirit Stones.\"

\"We have to pay 10 million Spirit Stones even for an accident?!\"

The Sect Masters there were dumbfounded after hearing Lord Xie's words, as such a rule has never existed before today. Why would he suddenly make such a rule?

'Che…' Fu Kuan coldly snorted inwardly. He had a feeling that Lord Xie created this rule just in case the Million Snakes Sect gets matched up with the Profound Blossom Sect and starts killing them by 'accident'.

Of course, little did Fu Kuan expect that Lord Xie had the opposite intentions, as this rule and penalty was created to protect the Million Snakes Sect just in case they run into Su Yang, who might slaughter all of their disciples by 'accident'.

As for Su Yang, he merely shook his head after hearing this rule. 'Do you really believe that I would indiscriminately kill their disciples just because of our situation?'

\"Now onto the reward for this year's Regional Tournament.\" Lord Xie continued a moment later. \"If your Sect places in the 4th to the 10th place, the Xie Family will award you each with 500,000 Spirit Stones, 5 Spirit-grade Spiritual Treasures of your choosing, and allow your Sect to borrow 1 Earth-grade Cultivation Technique of your choosing from my Xie Family's treasury for 10 years.\"

\"For the third place, you shall be awarded 2 million Spirit Stones, 2 Earth-grade Spiritual Treasures of your choosing, and borrow 3 Earth-grade Cultivation Technique of your choosing for 10 years.\"

\"For the second place, you shall be awarded 5 million Spirit Stones, 1 Heaven-grade Spiritual Treasure of your choosing, and borrow 1 Heaven-grade Cultivation Technique for 10 years.\"

\"As for the first place… you shall be awarded 10 million Spirit Stones, 2 Heaven-grade Spiritual Treasures of your choosing, borrow 2 Heaven-grade Cultivation techniques for 10 years, and will have the privilege to send up to three disciples from your Sect to Cultivate in the Celestial Pond for seven days!\"

\"The Celestial Pond!\"

Most of the Sect Masters there expressed a shocked expression after hearing the name 'Celestial Pond', almost as though they couldn't even believe their ears.

\"Celestial Pond? What's that?\"

However, neither Liu Lanzhi or Su Yang have heard of this place before, so they only raised their eyebrows slightly, silently wondering why the other Sect Masters were acting so surprised.

Chapter 367 The First Day of the Regional Tournamen

\"What's this Celestial Pond?\" Su Yang asked Liu Lanzhi, who quickly shook her head.

\"I also don't know. But seeing how the other Sect Masters have reacted to its name, it should be something extremely valuable,\" she said to him.

Meanwhile, the Sect Masters there were staring at Lord Xie with gazes filled with excitement, as this is the first time the Xie Family is willing to open the profound Celestial Pond for the public.

However, Lord Xie was not finished speaking, and so he continued, \"Furthermore, if you placed first place, the Sect Master and one disciple of your choosing will be invited to dinner with my Xie Family.\"

When the Sect Masters heard this, their eyes widened with shock.

Lord Xie smiled upon seeing the Sect Master's expressions and continued to speak, \"Of course, this was proposed by my daughter, Xie Xingfang.\"

Almost all of the Sect Masters tightly grasped their hands into fists from sheer excitement. If they take the first place, they will be able to bring their most talented male disciple to share a dinner table with Xie Xingfang, essentially hooking them up.

Lord Xie snorted when he saw the excitement on these Sect Master's expressions, and he laughed inwardly, 'This dinner was only brought up because my daughter is confident that Su Yang will take first place. As if a mere disciple could possibly defeat someone who could kill a Heavenly Spirit Realm Cultivator.'

\"Now that I have said everything I needed to, you may start picking your numbers from the box.\" Lord Xie said to them a moment.

The Sect Masters nodded and began lining up at the box before each of them retrieved a piece of paper from it.

Sometime later, when everybody there had picked their number, Lord Xie spoke, \"Who picked the blank paper?\"

A few moments later, someone raised his hands.

\"You drew the blank paper?\" Lord Xie looked at Su Yang with wide eyes.

Su Yang showed him the blank piece of paper in his hands with a smile on his face. \"Does this mean we get to sit out in the first round?\" he asked a moment later.

After a moment of silence, Lord Xie nodded. \"You don't have to participate in the first round and will directly enter the second round.\"

Su Yang nodded, and since there was nothing else to do, he returned to the hotel with Liu Lanzhi soon afterward.

\"Che. How lucky of them. I'm sure there are many people here who hoped they matched with the Profound Blossom Sect.\"

\"Even if they managed to enter the second round, that'll be as far as they go.\"

\"Indeed. Having luck will not get you far if anywhere in this tournament.\"

The Sect Masters there sneered at the Profound Blossom Sect's luck, believing that they'd just dodged a deadly strike and managed to live another day.

Meanwhile, Liu Lanzhi relayed the news to the Disciples and Sect Elders.

\"What? We don't have to participate in the first rounds and get to automatically enter the second round?\"

The disciples were dumbfounded by the news, as they have been anticipating the tournament for the entire night only to be told that they'll have to wait another day before they can truly participate.

\"With that being said, I advise you all to watch the others fight later today. This way, you will have a better understanding of their power before fighting them,\" said Liu Lanzhi.

The disciples quickly nodded. They were already going to watch the tournament even if Liu Lanzhi didn't mention it.

A few hours later, everybody from the Profound Blossom Sect made their way to the Snowfall Colosseum, where hundreds of thousands of people were already gathered.

\"I have never seen this many people in one place in my life before…\"

The junior disciples were in awe at the scene.

If one looked from a distance, the Snowfall Colosseum would seem like a black ocean, especially outside the colosseum, where thousands of people are still trying to enter.

But luckily for the Profound Blossom Sect, as participants, they were allowed to enter through the backdoor of the colosseum without needing to wait like the masses.

A few minutes later, the Profound Blossom Sect arrived in the area that is only meant for the participants and took a seat there.

\"Brother! Over here!\"

Su Yin immediately waved at him after seeing his group. The Heavenly Swan Sect had purposefully reserved some seats for them.

\"That's the Profound Blossom Sect? More than half of them are little kids!\"

The Heavenly Swan Sect Disciples were dumbfounded to see so many children in a place meant for adults such as the Profound Blossom Sect.

\"Apparently these children make up half of their entire Sect after their incident with the Million Snakes Sect,\" said another disciple.

\"No way… How are they still considered a Sect with that little amount of disciples?\"

While the Heavenly Swan Sect disciples mumbled to each other about the Junior Disciples, the Profound Blossom Sect took their seat.

\"Where's the Burning Lotus Sect?\" Liu Lanzhi asked after realizing their absence.

\"They are over there.\" Su Yin pointed to the stage, where two groups of people were gathered on two different sides.

\"They are in the first match? Who are their opponents?\" Liu Lanzhi raised an eyebrow.

Because they left the place immediately after picking their number, neither Su Yang or Liu Lanzhi knew about the schedule.

\"The Golden Altar Sect.\" Bai Lihua suddenly responded.

\"Greetings, Senior Bai.\" Liu Lanzhi respectfully bowed to Bai Lihua, who was the Sect Master of the Heavenly Swan Sect.

Bai Lihua nodded, and she continued, \"By the way, we are matched with the Golden Eagle Sect, a mid-grade place.\"

She then looked at Su Yang and said, \"One more thing. Although we have formed an Alliance, if we have to fight each other during this tournament, my Heavenly Swan Sect will not go easy on you, so don't take it to the heart if you lose.\"

\"I can say the same words to you,\" Su Yang replied with a smile on his face.

Chapter 368 Celestial Pond

\"By the way, what's the Celestial Pond?\" Su Yang asked Bai Lihua after sitting down.

\"The Celestial Pond is something that exists within the Celestial Mountain, where the Xie Family's Ancestor is rumored to be in closed cultivation. As for the Celestial Pond itself, it is a small pond that contains some kind of heavenly water that is naturally filled with Profound Qi. It is also rumored that if you cultivate there, your cultivation speed will increase by 100 folds. In other words, if you cultivate there for 7 days, it'll be akin to cultivating for 700 days.\" Bai Lihua explained to him.

\"How can something that amazing exist in this world?\" Liu Lanzhi expressed astonishment after hearing that. She now understands why all of the Sect Masters were so excited about it.

\"Yes, it's an amazing place that defies the heavens. However, it will require about 100 years to restore its Profound Qi after a month of cultivation in the pond.\" Bai Lihua continued.

\"100 years for a month of cultivation?! And the Xie Family is willing to give 7 days to the winner of this tournament? That's almost too generous even for them.\" Liu Lanzhi said.

Bai Lihua nodded. \"Indeed it's too generous of them. In fact, a few of the Sect Masters believes that the Xie Family is somehow aware of the outcome of the tournament, hence why they are willing to give out such an award.\"

\"You mean the Xie Family knows who will win this tournament and purposefully picked this reward as a gift for them? That sounds a little bit too ridiculous.\" Liu Lanzhi raised her eyebrows.

After all, why would the Xie Family do something like this when they can directly give access to the Celestial Pond without using the tournament as an excuse?

\"Who knows. It's also possible that the Xie Family is feeling extremely generous this year. It's just a conspiracy at the end of the day.\" Bai Lihua shrugged.

'Celestial Pond, huh…' Su Yang mumbled to himself.

Within the Four Divine Heavens, there were many locations that are similar to this Celestial Pond, and they are mostly occupied by the strongest households.

'Even if it cannot compare to the ones in the Divine Heavens, it should greatly assist my cultivation at its current level.' He nodded to himself.

After waiting around for half an hour, two figures appeared on the platform that was near the arena, where luxurious seats were arranged.

\"His Majesty, Lord Xie, has arrived!\"

\"Her Highness, Princess Xie, has arrived!\"

The guards around the colosseum shouted loudly when their figures appeared, and everybody in the colosseum instantly stood up and lowered their heads towards their direction.

Lord Xie casually waved his sleeves before sitting down on one of the luxurious seats while Xie Xingfang, who was wearing a veil on her face sat beside him.

\"That's Fairy Xie? This is my first time seeing her!\"

\"Although she has a veil covering her face, I can tell that she's a peerless beauty underneath it!\"

\"Look at her fair skin and flawless figure! She's no doubt a peerless beauty!\"

Nearly everybody in the colosseum was looking at Xie Xingfang at this moment, as she rarely shows up in public if ever.

\"Are you sure that you want to be here? If your body suddenly…\" Lord Xie looked at her with worried eyes.

If Xie Xingfang did not beg him to allow her to appear today, he would not have allowed her to leave the house because of the condition of her body.

\"I'll be fine, father. If anything happens, Su Yang is here,\" said Xie Xingfang as she turned to look at the direction of Su Yang.

\"...\" Lord Xie narrowed his eyes at Su Yang, who was casually surrounded by beauties on all sides.

A few hours of silence later, Lord Xie turned to look at the old man that was standing near the stage and nodded his head.

The old man noticed Lord Xie's signal and quickly stepped onto the stage.

\"Thank you to everyone for coming here today. I, Zi Dong, will be the referee today. Before we start the first match of the day, allow me to explain a few rules.\"

\"First and foremost, killing is prohibited in the arena. Even if it's an accident, if you kill your opponent, your Sect will be fined for 10 million Spirit Stones!\"

\"10 Million Spirit Stones?!?!\"

The spectators were dumbfounded by this new rule. 10 Million Spirit Stones is an astronomical amount of wealth even for Elite Sects, much less the rest. If they kill someone today, they will definitely go bankrupt. Once that happens, the Sect will no longer be able to support its disciples and collapse.

\"Won't this new rule put unnecessary pressure onto the participants, restricting their full prowess? If I were them, I would be too scared to fight!\"

\"Right? Accidents are bound to happen. 10 million Spirit Stones is simply too harsh of a punishment.\"

The spectators whispered their concerns to each other.

\"For the second rule, the participants are prohibited from using personal weapons and treasures to avoid unfairness.\"

Unlike Martial Techniques that require one's talent to master, wielding a powerful treasure to overpower your opponent does not require such a thing, hence why the tournament prohibited the use of personal weapons.

After all, if one can enter the stage with a powerful weapon that cannot be revealed, what point would be left for a tournament of skills?

\"Three, the participant must have the protective charm that was given to them before they enter the stage, as this will allow them to fight without worrying about accidentally killing each other. Unless your opponent is in the Heavenly Spirit Realm, they will not be able to inflict any deadly injuries onto your body. Additionally, I will be watching very carefully just in case anything goes wrong, so fight to your heart's content.\"

\"These are the three major rules of this tournament. And without further ado, allow me to introduce the participants for the first match today — Golden Altar Sect and Burning Lotus Sect!\"

After Zi Dong introduced the two parties, the Burning Lotus Sect and the Golden Altar Sect stepped onto the stage, causing the spectators to explode with excitement.

Chapter 369 First Match

After the Burning Lotus Sect and the Golden Altar Sect stepped onto the stage, their disciples stared at each other with a fierce gaze, and their aura was emitting a profound feeling that seemed as though they were ready to fight at any second.

Each side had a total of twenty disciples, the maximum amount one Sect can bring.

However, there was a clear distinction between the disciples of each Sect.

Although the disciples of the Golden Altar Sect were emitting an impressive aura that made them seem powerful and profound, the disciples of the Burning Lotus Sect emitted a domineering pressure that made the spectators feel as though they were ants looking at real mountains — huge and impossible to dominate.

\"As expected of the Burning Lotus Sect and their disciples. 15 out of their 20 participants are at the Earth Spirit Realm. It must be the Earth Advancement Pills.\" Lord Xie looked at the Burning Lotus Sect with narrowed eyes, feeling as though they have been growing too powerful too quickly.

If the Burning Lotus Sect continues to grow at this rate, they may surpass the Xie Family in a few decades if not years.

\"Father, were the Burning Lotus Sect always this powerful? As far as I was aware, they are only wealthy. But now they have so many disciples at the Earth Spirit Realm!\" Xie Xingfang expressed her astonishment after seeing their line-up.

\"I wouldn't be surprised if most of their disciples are already at the Earth Spirit Realm by now because of the Earth Advancement Pills.\" Lord Xie shook his head.

\"Earth Advancement Pills? What's that?\" Xie Xingfang asked.

\"You were in seclusion during the last few weeks so it's not surprising that you don't know about the Earth Advancement Pills that have the ability to help a Cultivator at the peak of the True Spirit Realm reach the Earth Spirit Realm with guaranteed success.\" Lord Xie casually explained it to her.

\"A mythical pill like that exists?!\" Xie Xingfang's eyes widened from shock behind her veil.

\"Apparently.\" Lord Xie shrugged. \"It was only discovered some time ago.\"

As Lord Xie and Xie Xingfang chatted with each other, they watched the disciples from the Burning Lotus Sect and the Golden Altar Sect fight each other.

\"Damnit! Why have we encountered so much misfortunate as of lately?! Not only was one of our Sect Elders slaughtered by someone, we got matched with the Burning Lotus Sect in the first round?!\"

The Sect Master of the Golden Altar Sect cursed inwardly as he watched his disciples lose to the disciples from the Burning Lotus Sect.

In fact, with the vast disparity between their cultivation bases, it was not even a decent competition between the two Sects — it was pure domination.

\"Holy shit! The Burning Lotus Sect has only sent out 3 people so far but the Golden Altar Sect is already on their 9th disciple! One more and the Burning Lotus Sect wins this round!\"

The spectators roared with excitement as the Burning Lotus Sect dominates the Golden Altar Sect with ease.

\"The Golden Altar Sect has just lost their 10th disciple on the stage! It's the Burning Lotus Sect's victory in the first match today!\" Zi Dong announced the results after the Golden Altar Sect's last disciple fell to the arena floor unconscious.

\"This is weird… although it's not weird for the Burning Lotus Sect to have so many Earth Spirit Realm Cultivators because of the Earth Advancement Pills, where did they obtain those Martial Techniques? I know most of their Martial Techniques but I did not recognize some of the Martial Techniques they have displayed today!\" Lord Xie narrowed his eyes with a pondering expression.

\"What's wrong with that? There are new Martial Techniques discovered every year.\" Xie Xingfang said to him.

\"Yes… but… those techniques fit their style perfectly. It's almost like these techniques were created specifically for them.\"

It was not just Lord Xie who noticed this. Bai Lihua turned to look at Su Yang with suspicious eyes and asked, \"Those Martial Techniques used by the disciples of the Burning Lotus Sect were at least of the Earth-grade. Did you give the techniques to them?\"

\"Maybe.\" Su Yang said with a slight smile. \"However, they were barely able to control the techniques.\"

\"What about your disciples? How's their progress with the techniques?\"

Hearing his question, Bai Lihua spoke with a smile on her face, \"The Heavenly Swan Sect is not one of the top Elite Sects without a reason.\"

After the Burning Lotus Sect finished their match, the next match immediately began. However, unlike the Burning Lotus Sect that swept through their opponents with ease, it took twice as long for the others to end their match, and this continued for the next ten matches.

Sometime later, Bai Lihua suddenly stood up and spoke, \"Get ready. We are next.\"

The twenty participants immediately stood up before being led away by Bai Lihua.

\"Don't forget to watch me closely when I am on stage. I will see you later, Brother.\" Su Yin waved at him as she left with Bai Lihua, and surrounding her was a feeling of confidence.

A few minutes later, Zi Dong announced the next match.

\"For the next match, we have the Heavenly Swan Sect and the Golden Eagle Sect!\"

\"The Golden Eagle Sect is truly unlucky to have matched up with one of the top Elite Sects in their first match.\"

\"I would give the Golden Eagle Sect ten minutes before they lose.\"

\"I am willing to bet 10 Spirit Stones that they won't last five minutes!\"

The spectators began betting on the results.

\"Who wants to go first?\" Bai Lihua asked her disciples.

\"Me!\"

Pretty much all of the disciples raised their hands simultaneously.

\"Me! Me! Me! Sect Master, let me fight first!\" Su Yin shouted, showing her enthusiasm to fight.

Hell, maybe she just can't wait to show off her abilities to Su Yang.

Bai Lihua couldn't help but smile after seeing Su Yin's enthusiasm and bright expression. \"Okay, you can go first.\"

\"Thank you, Sect Master!\" Su Yin quickly bowed to her before running towards the stage.

Chapter 370 Peerless Genius Su Yin

\"The Golden Eagle Sect has sent out Yao Chang, who is at the 5th level of the True Spirit Realm!\" Zi Dong announced.

A few moments later, a small figure could be seen walking onto the stage, and Zi Dong spoke with excitement, \"The Heavenly Swan Sect has decided to send out their youngest disciple, Su Yin, who is also a part of the one of the four Great Families! Whilst being at the young age of 15, she has achieved the peak of the True Spirit Realm! Truly a genius of the famous Su Family!\"

\"Su Yin of the Su Family…?\" Xie Xingfang raised her eyebrows. \"She's Su Yang's younger sister? As expected of someone related to him. Her talent is quite frightening, even surpassing mine if not for my Heavenly Constitution!\"

\"What kind of divine medicine did they feed this young girl? She was barely at the True Spirit Realm one year ago!\" Lord Xie also expressed his surprise.

However, after looking at Su Yin for a few more moments, Lord Xie noticed a hint of power within her that belonged to the Earth Spirit Realm.

\"She's already entered the Earth Spirit Realm and is only suppressing her cultivation to the True Spirit Realm!\"

'I entered the Earth Spirit Realm when I was 16 years old, and that is mostly because of my Heavenly Constitution that allows me to absorb Profound Qi much faster than average Cultivators. For her to achieve this feat without a divine body, not to mention her relationship with him, I can't help but envy her slightly…' Xie Xingfang sighed inwardly as she watched Su Yin's body explode with power and easily knock her opponent unconscious.

\"What a powerful technique executed by Su Yin just now! It's explosive power instantly knocked Yao Chang unconscious despite the defensive technique he'd used! If I had to take a guess, that was a Heaven-grade technique!\" Zi Dong shouted with excitement.

\"To perform a Heaven-grade technique so flawlessly at such a young age, her future is limitless!\"

\"What is the name of that technique? It's so devastating!\"

\"As expected of the Su Family's number one genius! As long as they have her in their family, they will become the best of the four Great Families with ease!\"

The spectators exploded with praises for Su Yin and the Su Family after witnessing Su Yin's astonishing talent and display of skills.

After winning her first match, Su Yin turned to Su Yang's direction and waved at him with a bright smile on her face.

\"What do you think? It only took her a single week to master the second form of the Seven Heavenly Forms to that degree.\" Bai Lihua looked at him from the stage with a smug look on her face and spoke to him using Spiritual Sense, acting like it was her own achievement.

\"It's decent, I guess.\" Su Yang responded with a nonchalant expression.

\"Hmph. Keep acting like everything is not worth mentioning in your eyes.\" Bai Lihua coldly snorted before ignoring him.

While Su Yin's progress may appear astonishing in the eyes of the Cultivators in this world, it could only be considered mediocre in the Four Divine Heavens.

After defeating her first opponent, Su Yin decided to remain on the stage and continued to fight the following rounds.

\"Second Heavenly Form — Heavenly Spiral Fist!\"

Su Yin punched her first outward, sending an enormous amount of Profound Qi at her terrified opponent while twisting the air around him.

And unfortunately for Su Yin's opponent, who was only at the 7th level of the True Spirit Realm, he was helpless against her strike and flew out of the stage after being struck while spinning in the air uncontrollably.

\"Who's next?!\" Su Yin proudly stood on the stage and shouted. Although she just fought her 8th fight in a row, she was still breathing calmly.

\"At this rate, none of us will have a turn…\"

The other Heavenly Swan Sect disciples sighed.

\"The disparity between the participants for this year's Regional Tournament is as wide as Heaven and Earth. In the previous years, we would have at most 1 or 2 participants that are at the Earth Spirit Realm. However, there are over a dozen of them this year, and most of them are from the same place.\" Xie Xingfang showed a bitter smile underneath her veil.

Although she was happy for these talented disciples' achievements, it made this year's tournament a little bit too one-sided and boring for her.

\"And this is all caused by the Earth Advancement Pill. It's almost cheating — no, it's basically cheating.\"

\"Indeed. However, there is nothing we can do about it as the Earth Advancement Pill had appeared at the wrong time. Perhaps the next Regional Tournament will be more competitive when everyone has access to the Earth Advancement Pills.\" Lord Xie said to her.

\"The Burning Lotus Sect has 15 participants at the Earth Spirit Realm. Unless another Sect has the equal prowess or some unforeseen event occurs, they are pretty much guaranteed second place in this tournament.\"

\"Only second? Who would be first then?\" Lord Xie asked her.

\"The Profound Blossom Sect, of course.\" Xie Xingfang immediately answered with a smile on her face.

\"...\"

Lord Xie merely shook his head with a bitter smile on his face. Although he did not want to admit it, the Profound Blossom Sect is almost guaranteed to win first place for this Regional Tournament.

Sometime later, Su Yin walked off the stage after defeating her 10th opponent, beating an entire Sect by herself, which has only been achieved two other times ever since the tournament first began, and each time it was achieved by a peerless genius that would become a famous expert in the future.

\"Wow… Senior apprentice-brother's younger sister is really amazing…\"

\"It's hard to believe that she's at the same age as some of us…\"

The Junior Disciples from the Profound Blossom Sect showed astonishment on their faces after witnessing Su Yin's domination on the stage.

Chapter 371 Unfaithful Bastard

\"Your little sister… what terrifying talents…\" Liu Lanzhi mumbled with wide eyes. Even though she already knew that Su Yin was a talented individual, it was still surprising to witness the extent of her talents in person.

A few minutes later, the Heavenly Swan Sect returned to their seats.

\"What do you think of my performance just now, brother?\" Su Yin asked him with a cheeky smile on her face.

\"It was pretty decent,\" he calmly responded, somewhat praising her.

\"Good job, Su Yin.\" Bai Lihua suddenly appeared behind her with a satisfied expression. \"I knew you would not waste the Earth Advancement Pill. However, even without the pill, I am confident that you would've displayed similar brilliance on the stage.\"

Because Su Yin is the Heavenly Swan Sect's most talented disciple, it was only natural that Bai Lihua would have given Su Yin the only Earth Advancement Pill they had at that moment.

\"By the way, where is the Burning Lotus Sect? I thought they would come here after winning their match.\" Liu Lanzhi suddenly asked.

\"They returned to their hotel immediately after their match to prepare for their next match. They seem pretty serious about winning this year's Regional Tournament. I don't blame them. Considering their current position, they have the highest chance of taking first place this year.\" Bai Lihua said.

\"If I had a dozen more Earth Spirit Realm participants than my competitors, I wouldn't be able to take this tournament as seriously as the Burning Lotus Sect.\" Liu Lanzhi could not understand why the Burning Lotus Sect was being so cautious despite being miles ahead of everyone else in the tournament.

\"They have their own worries,\" said Su Yang with a mysterious smile on his face.

After the Heavenly Swan Sect's match, there were only a few more matches remaining for that day.

A few hours later, it was time for the last match.

\"For the final match of the day, we have the Million Snakes Sect and their opponents, the Azure Cloud Sect!\"

\"The Azure Cloud Sect, huh? Although they are not an Elite Sect yet, they have some talented disciples that rival even top geniuses from an Elite Sect.\" Bai Lihua said. \"They're not bad, but unfortunately for them, the Million Snakes Sect is their opponent.\"

When the disciples from the Million Snakes Sect walked onto the stage, Su Yang narrowed his eyes.

\"These bastards…\" he mumbled with a hint of anger in his eyes.

\"What's the matter, Su Yang?\" Liu Lanzhi asked him after noticing his unpleasant expression.

\"They are all poisoned,\" he quickly responded.

\"What?\"

Liu Lanzhi and Bai Lihua turned to look at him with wide eyes.

\"What do you mean by that? They look perfectly healthy to me.\" Bai Lihua said to him after taking a look at the Million Snakes Sects' disciples.

\"Have you ever heard of the Spirit Conversion Poison?\" he asked them.

They quickly shook their heads.

\"It's a unique type of medicine that allows one to obtain enormous strength by sacrificing their own cultivation. Once someone consumes this type of medicine, their prowess will rise to a new height for the next few days, but their cultivation base will slowly dissipate. Additionally, their lost cultivation base can never be restored even after the medicine loses its effects.\"

\"What? Won't they become crippled if their cultivation cannot be restored?\" Liu Lanzhi covered her mouth from shock.

\"If what you say is true, they are breaking the rules by using external help for strength and will be disqualified. However, if you can tell, surely Lord Xie can see it too. If that's that case, why is he not saying anything?\" Bai Lihua expressed her doubts.

\"He's not saying anything because he is just like you — unaware of it. By the way, it's not something you can see with your eyes.\" Su Yang shook his head.

\"Then how can you tell?\" Bai Lihua frowned.

\"Simple. I smelled it.\"

\"Smell?\"

Bai Lihua lifted her eyebrows. How can he possibly smell their bodies from so far away? Not even dogs can do that.

\"Albeit faint, when someone consumes the Spirit Conversion Poison, their body will emit a unique odor that is a little sweet and flowery. Of course, if you are not experienced with the poison, you will not recognize it.\" Su Yang explained.

\"If that's the case, why don't you report it to the Xie Family and have them disqualified?\" Bai Lihua said.

\"Because it'll be more entertaining to see them lose even with their little tactic.\" Su Yang said with a mysterious smile on his face.

\"Lose? You actually think the Million Snakes Sect will lose to the Azure Cloud Sect? Even without the support of this 'poison', the Million Snakes Sect can easily win this match.\"

However, Su Yang did not respond and merely continued to smile.

\"Hmm?\" Su Yin suddenly noticed a familiar-looking figure on the stage and immediately pointed to her. \"Elder Brother, look over there! That girl standing behind the Sect Master of the Azure Cloud Sect! It's Sister Yu'er, your fiancee!\"

\"What?!\"

Everybody from the Profound Blossom Sect turned to look at Su Yang and the beautiful girl on the stage with a shocked face when they heard the word 'fiancee'.

\"Oh? Is that why her face seemed so familiar when I first saw her?\" Su Yang was pleasantly surprised to learn that his fiancee was also participating in this tournament. If Su Yin did not remind him, he would never have realized it.

\"S-Su Yang… you had a fiancee?\" Liu Lanzhi was shocked to the core to learn this information. To think she'd slept with a man who already has a fiancee and enjoyed it.

\"Apparently.\" He shrugged.

\"You joined the Profound Blossom Sect when you already have a fiancee? You unfaithful bastard…\" Bai Lihua was speechless.

\"Calm down. Don't look at me like I am a villain without knowing the full story.\" Su Yang frowned after seeing Bai Lihua look at him with a disgusted expression.

Chapter 372 Impossible!

\"Due to some circumstances, I lost all of my memories before becoming a disciple at the Profound Blossom Sect, and only recently did I recover these memories. And while I indeed have a fiancee, it was all decided by my family, which I am no longer a part of, so we no longer have any relationships. In fact, we have never really spoken to each other before.\" Su Yang calmly explained the situation to the people around him, who showed a variety of expressions from doubt to surprise.

\"Oh, right… I nearly forgot about that…\" Liu Lanzhi showed a bitter smile after recalling that she was supposed to hide that fact.

\"To think our senior apprentice-brother has been suffering from anemia before he even became a disciple of the Profound Blossom Sect. If he didn't tell us that, I wouldn't have realized that myself even in a hundred years.\" Sun Jingjing showed a dumbfounded expression.

Fang Zhenlan nodded and spoke, \"He sure doesn't act like someone who is anemic.\"

\"Right? Just his techniques in bed screams decades of experience.\" Sun Jingjing mumbled out loud.

\"...\"

Her words immediately caused the people around her to look at her with wide eyes, seemingly in disbelief of her shamelessness.

\"Still, the girl that is currently on the stage seems a bit different than how I remember her, almost like I am looking at a different person. Even her cultivation base is...\" Su Yang voiced his puzzlement.

\"It's been over a year since you last saw her, it's normal for her to look different,\" said Su Yin.

\"Hmmm…\" After a moment of pondering, Su Yang said, \"Anyway, that's my story. We used to be engaged with each other, but that is no longer the case. I'm sure that she also feels the same way.\"

\"I am not so sure about that, Elder Brother.\" Su Yin suddenly said.

\"What do you mean by that?\" Su Yang raised his eyebrows in a puzzled manner.

\"Ever since the last time you visited us, Sister Yu'er started coming to our place frequently, and she would always ask us if there is any news of you. If I have to take a guess, I think she's worried about you.\"

\"How is that possible? We have barely exchanged words, and in my memories, she would always look at me with a disgusted expression, almost like the idea of being with me would make her puke!\"

\"I don't know what else to say, Elder Brother. Why don't you speak to her yourself?\" Su Yin asked him.

\"I have already abandoned the life I had before the Profound Blossom Sect. Anything that has happened before then… I have nothing to do with it anymore.\" Su Yang shook his head.

A life that he did not personally lead, he would rather leave it behind. And luckily for him, he has no real attachments in that life.

\"However, if she approaches me, that will be a different story,\" he continued.

While Su Yang explained his story, the last match of the day has already begun.

After he was finished with his explanation, the Azure Cloud Sect was already on the verge of losing with only two participants left.

\"Oh! And that's another disciple down for the Azure Cloud Sect! Meanwhile, the Million Snakes Sect still has 7 disciples that can participate! Although I hate to announce the results before the very end, the chances of the Azure Cloud Sect coming back at this rate is near impossible!\" Zi Dong expressed his thoughts to the spectators.

\"However, looking at the Azure Cloud Sect's side, none of them look defeated! In fact, they are actually smiling! Have they already given up, or is there another reason why they are all smiling right now?!\"

Although the Azure Cloud Sect is down to one disciple whilst their opponent still has 7 disciples that can enter the arena, none of the disciples were disheartened. They were all smiling, almost like they were confident that they would win!

\"Disciple Hong, it's your turn.\" The Sect Master of the Azure Cloud Sect turned to look at her beautiful face and said.

Hong Yu'er nodded and approached the stage.

\"You can do this, Senior apprentice-sister Hong!\"

\"Beat them up for us!\"

Her fellow disciples cheered for her.

Before entering the fighting zone, Hong Yu'er grabbed an ordinary sword from Zi Dong.

A few moments later, Hong Yu'er calmly stood before her opponent, who was at the peak of the True Spirit Realm.

\"Hey, beauty. Why don't we make a deal? If you promise to have some fun with me after this, I will let you beat me up and earn some face for yourself,\" said the disciple from the Million Snakes Sect.

\"...\"

However, Hong Yu'er remained nonchalant even after hearing his words.

\"Then don't blame me for whatever is about to happen!\"

The disciple's face immediately fumed after being ignored by her.

\"Begin!\" Zi Dong started the match a few seconds later.

The moment the match started, a profound yet cold light flashed within Hong Yu'er's eyes, and the sword in her grasp disappeared for an instant.

\"AHHHHH!\"

Her opponent that was standing a dozen meters away suddenly collapsed on the floor while clutching the area that was between his legs.

\"Eh? Are you okay?\" Zi Dong was puzzled at first.

It was not until he noticed that his pants getting soaked in blood did he realize the situation.

\"Doctor! Get me a doctor!\" Zi Dong shouted loudly.

A few moments later, two doctors appeared on the stage and checked on the young man's condition.

When the doctors realized the problem, their bodies trembled in fear.

\"What happened to him?\" Zi Dong asked them.

\"C-Castrated! He's been castrated!\" The doctor exclaimed in a horrified voice.

\"What?!\" Zi Dong immediately turned to look at Hong Yu'er, who was calmly standing there like it was none of her business.

'If I recall correctly, this young lady should only be at the peak of the True Spirit Realm! There's no way that someone at that Cultivation level would be able to cut flesh while inside the defensive array that is surrounding this arena, much less castrate that young man! What did she just do?!' Zi Dong pondered with a serious expression.

Meanwhile, Su Yang was standing up at this moment with a shocked expression on his face as his eyes stared at Hong Yu'er's beautiful face.

\"That sword technique! Impossible!\"

Chapter 373 Vanishing Sword Dance

\"What's the matter, Elder Brother? Is there something wrong with Sister Yu'er's sword technique?\" Yu Qin was startled when Su Yang suddenly stood up and shouted.

Even the disciples at the Profound Blossom Sect were dumbfounded to see Su Yang acting so surprised, something they've never seen before.

\"Her sword technique… it's called Vanishing Sword Dance; it's a sword technique meant for war-like situations.\" Su Yang mumbled.

\"Vanishing Sword Dance? I have never heard of it before.\" Su Yin said.

It is only natural that Su Yin does not know about the Vanishing Sword Dance as it is a technique that did not originate in this world. As a matter of fact, besides Su Yang, there are only 2 other individuals who know of this sword technique, but neither of them have the capability to pass this technique down, since they have long passed away.

\"Although it's not exactly the same technique, it was definitely created from it, almost like a modified version...\" Su Yang pondered how Hong Yu'er obtained the Vanishing Sword Dance technique.

\"Is there something special about this sword technique? Judging from your reaction, it's not something simple.\" Liu Lanzhi asked him with an intrigued expression. She wanted to know what could possibly cause Su Yang to make such an expression.

\"It's… It's a fascinating sword technique — so much so that I was mesmerized by it.\" Su Yang said with a smile that was filled with a solemn feeling.

Meanwhile, near the stage, Zi Dong explained the situation to Lord Xie and Xie Xingfang, who was surprised after hearing her name.

\"Hong… Did you just say Hong Yu'er?\" Xie Xingfang asked. \"That Hong Family?\"

\"That's right. She's the daughter of 'that' Hong Family.\" Zi Dong nodded nervously after feeling an unpleasant feeling coming from Xie Xingfang.

Lord Xie looked at Xie Xingfang at the corner of his eyes and sighed inwardly.

'Hong Yu'er… Su Yang's fiancee before he joined the Profound Blossom Sect…' he thought inwardly.

Since they researched Su Yang's life, it was only natural for them to know of her existence.

\"So what should we do about this incident, Your Majesty?\" Zi Dong asked him a moment later. \"The Million Snakes Sect is asking for an explanation.\"

\"...\"

After a few moments of silence, Lord Xie spoke, \"It is indeed an unfortunate event, but accidents are bound to happen. It's not like she killed him — he'll be fine.\"

\"He'll be fine?\" Zi Dong raised an eyebrow. He cannot imagine how any man can be fine after losing their manhood that makes them a man.

Sometime later, after Zi Dong explained the situation to the Sect Master of the Million Snakes Sect, they continued on with the tournament.

\"I apologize for the delay, but the tournament shall be resumed now.\" Zi Dong announced to the spectators.

\"Don't kill her, but I want an arm or leg from her.\" Fu Kuan said to the next participant with an angry face.

\"Don't worry, Sect Master. I will avenge my fellow disciple.\"

A few moments later, a tall man with a domineering pressure and a long spear stood before Hong Yu'er.

\"You did a good one to my junior just now, you little bitch.\" He glared at her.

\"Are you also asking for the same treatment?\" Hong Yu'er spoke in a calm yet cold voice.

\"You can try it. But just know that it might cost you an arm or leg.\" The disciple said with a frown on his face.

\"The match starts now!\" Zi Dong announced a few moments later.

\"Purple Snake Strike!\" The disciple thrusts his spear the second the match starts, and an image of a giant purple snake flies towards Hong Yu'er at a quick speed.

\"How boring.\"

A cold glint flashes in Hong Yu'er's eyes, and the sword by her side trembles.

\"Vanishing Sword Dance, First Dance; Cleaving Strike.\"

The next second, the giant purple snake that was flying towards her splits in half.

\"Impossible!\" The disciple's eyes widened with shock as he watched his Earth-grade technique disappear.

However, Hong Yu'er was not finished.

\"Vanishing Sword Dance, Second Dance; Flickering Strike.\"

The sword by her side disappears for an instant, and a near-invisible sword strike flies at the disciple at the speed of light.

\"Ahhhhhh!\"

The Million Snakes Sect's disciple immediately fell to the floor like the previous disciple and screamed in pain as one of his arms lay a few feets away from him.

\"This bitch! Who is she?!\" Fu Kuan gritted his teeth as he watched his own disciple writhing in pain on the stage.

However, no matter how much he pondered, he cannot imagine why Hong Yu'er was being so brutal and merciless to their disciples. It was almost like she had a grudge with them.

\"D-Doctor!\" Zi Dong stood there staring in silence for a moment before shouting for the doctors again.

\"Holy shit! This beautiful fairy is a brutal one!\" The spectators were shocked by Hong Yu'er's decisive strikes.

\"As long as she doesn't kill them, they won't have to pay the Spirit Stones! What a genius idea!\"

\"But her actions will surely offend the Million Snakes Sect. What is she thinking? Why is she doing this?\"

While the spectators speculated, Zi Dong silently waited for Lord Xie's response to the situation.

\"Do you think she's doing this for Su Yang because of his feud with the Million Snakes Sect?\" Xie Xingfang mumbled.

\"It will be problematic if she is…\"

Lord Xie rubbed his temples and spoke, \"Losing a limb is akin to dying to some Cultivators, I cannot allow her to offend the Million Snakes Sect like this, especially since she's related to Su Yang.\"

After a moment of silence, he continued to speak, \"One million Spirit Stones. That will be the punishment for inflicting crippling injuries starting now.\"

Zi Dong nodded and proceeded to announce this new rule to everybody.

\"D-Disciple Hong! What do you think you are doing? Aren't you being a little bit too cruel to them? Even if they roughed our disciples up a little bit, crippling them is a bit…\" The Sect Master of the Azure Cloud Sect couldn't help but worry for her and the Sect.

\"Even if you are from the Hong Family, we cannot afford to offend the Million Snakes Sect!\"

\"Don't worry, Sect Master. I know what I am doing.\" Hong Yu'er calmly said to him before returning to the stage for her next match.

Chapter 374 Not Only Beautiful but Also Dangerous

\"What is the meaning of this, Gu Guanting?!\" Fu Kuan pointed at the Azure Cloud Sect's Master with a fuming expression and trembling fingers. \"When did my Million Snakes Sect offend you to deserve this brutality?! Or are you trying to start a war with us?!\"

However, Gu Guanting acted as though he did not notice Fu Kuan and said to Hong Yu'er, \"I hope you know what you said is true, or this will trouble not just us but your fellow disciples, too.\"

\"Gu Guanting! Are you ignoring me?! How dare you!\" Fu Kuan continued shouting at him, who eventually responded.

\"Calm down, Fu Kuan. It was only an accident, and I have already reprimanded my disciple for it.\"

\"Accidents?! Are you telling me to believe that she accidentally crippled not just one but two of my disciples in a row?!\"

\"Although my disciple is slightly more talented than the others, she has trouble controlling her strength. I will compensate for your losses later.\" Gu Guanting spoke calmly.

\"I don't want—\"

\"Sect Master Fu Kuan, please send out your next disciple.\" Zi Dong quickly interrupted him, as he did not want to delay the tournament any further.

Fu Kuan gnashed his teeth and turned to look at his disciples. \"Who wants to go next?\" he asked them.

\"...\"

However, none of them raised their hands even many seconds later, it was almost like they were afraid to face Hong Yu'er after witnessing her brutal performance.

Seeing this, Fu Kuan's body trembled in anger.

But before he could speak, somebody finally raised his hand.

\"I will enter the stage.\"

Fu Kuan frowned when he realized who just spoke and said, \"You are the only one here that has reached the Earth Spirit Realm. Are you sure that you want to waste your strength right now?\"

\"That young lady is more than meets the eye. I have a feeling that nobody else here will be able to defeat her.\"

\"I can also tell that she's hiding more power than she's showing. However, that makes it more important for you to save your strength for the time being. Even if the others cannot defeat her, they can at least exhaust her.\" Fu Kuan said to him. \"We still have a few disciples left. If they cannot defeat her by then, I will let you enter the stage.\"

The disciple nodded and took a step back.

Fu Kuan then pointed to one of the disciples and said, \"Get on the stage.\"

\"Yes, Sect Master…\" Although he was feeling bitter, the disciple reluctantly stepped into the arena.

\"Begin!\"

Zi Dong started the match a few moments later.

The second the match started, Hong Yu'er rushed towards the disciple, who did not expect her sudden movements and tripped backward.

And since she was prohibited from crippling them, Hong Yu'er did not use her sword for this round, using only her bare hands.

Of course, despite using no weapons, Hong Yu'er easily overpowered the poor disciple from the Million Snakes Sect, beating him until he cried for mercy.

\"Please! Have mercy!\"

\"If you have the energy to speak, you should give up!\" Hong Yu'er spoke as she punched the disciple a few more times.

\"My Sect Master will kill me if I do that! I'd rather let you beat me until I am unconscious than give up!\" The disciple said.

\"Then I will beat you up until you give up or fall asleep!\" Hong Yu'er began beating him even harder after saying those words.

\"Ah! Have I done something to have offended this fairy?! Why are you treating me like this?\"

The disciple asked her with a crying face.

\"Hmph!\"

However, Hong Yu'er merely snorted in response and continued beating the disciple from the Million Snakes Sect.

\"...\"

The spectators were shocked by Hong Yu'er brutality, and some of them even turned their eyes away from the stage. Of course, while some people are scared of Hong Yu'er, there were many more that admire her strength at this moment, even finding it dazzling.

\"Good heavens, this fairy is not only beautiful but also dangerous as hell! What did the Million Snakes Sect do to offend her?\"

\"Whatever it was they did, it is safe to say that they have touched her reverse scale!\"

\"She's just like a god of war! Fierce and merciless!\"

Not just the spectators but even Su Yang and the people around him were dumbfounded by Hong Yu'er.

\"Senior apprentice-brother… your fiancee… is kind of scary…\" Sun Jingjing said to him with wide eyes.

Su Yang smiled bitterly and said, \"I also didn't know that she would be like this… but she reminds me of someone.\"

If he had married to this brutal beauty, who knows if he would even survive their first night together.

\"But the Sister Yu'er I know isn't normally like this…\" Su Yin suddenly said with a worried expression on her face. \"She seems to be angry at something, and she's taking it out on the Million Snakes Sect.\"

Meanwhile, near the stage, Fu Kuan was staring at Hong Yu'er with red veins in his eyes.

He then turned to look at his disciples and said, \"I don't care about the one million Spirit Stones penalty! I want her to become a cripple starting today! Do you hear me?!\"

\"Yes, Sect Master!\"

Although most of the disciples knew that it was impossible for them to harm Hong Yu'er, much less cripple her, they nodded their heads regardless.

Sometime later, another disciple from the Million Snakes Sect falls unconscious after receiving a beating from Hong Yu'er.

\"This Hong Yu'er… she's too cruel of a person to be with someone as gentle as Su Yang. I'm afraid that she might kill him in his sleep if he annoys her even slightly.\" Xie Xingfang shook her head.

Lord Xie only looked at her with raised eyebrows and remained silent. But in his head, he thought the two of them would actually make a good pair. Of course, he was afraid that Xie Xingfang might beat him up like Hong Yu'er beating her opponents if he'd said that out loud.

'If only you were there to witness him decapitating Great Elder Ren,' he sighed inwardly.

Chapter 375 Devil's Empowermen

\"Ahhh! S...Stop! I give up! I give up!\"

The disciple before Hong Yu'er shouted loudly after receiving her beating for many minutes straight.

\"Hahaha! This fairy has finally managed to make one of them surrender before knocking them unconscious!\"

The spectators burst with cheering after Hong Yu'er's grand achievement.

\"The Million Snakes Sect can only send one more disciple to the arena after this one! The Azure Cloud Sect has managed to crawl back from an impossible situation, and it's all because of this fairy!\"

\"Which family is this fairy from?! How come I have never heard of such a shocking character before?!\"

\"That's Fairy Hong Yu'er from the Hong Family! Although they do not bear the title of a 'Great' family, they sure as hell have the capability to compare with them! In fact, they have close relationships with one of the Great Families, the Su Family!\"

\"If I recall correctly, Fairy Hong is currently engaged to the Young Master of the Su Family.\"

\"That would be Su Yuhan, right? It's been a while since I last heard of him.\"

\"It's not just you. There hasn't been any news of him for almost a year now; it's like he'd suddenly disappeared from this world.\"

\"The last I heard about him was regarding some kind of injury he'd received, so that's probably why he's been so silent.\"

While the spectators spoke with each other, Fu Kuan looked at his last disciple and said with a fuming expression, \"I don't care if she's from the Hong Family! She dared to humiliate our Million Snakes Sect in front of so many people and the Xie Family, I want her dead! Do you hear me, Mao Yijun?!\"

He then extended his arms and secretly handed a red pill to Mao Yijun.

\"This is a divine pill that will significantly boost your strength for a short period of time. It is something I personally discovered a few years ago and have never revealed to the public. It will also disguise your Profound Qi, making it look natural and unchanged, almost like it's your normal strength. But in reality, your strength is actually much higher than it appears!\"

\"The Million Snakes Sect will have to surrender 10 million Spirit Stones if I kill her.\" Mao Yijun said with a serious expression.

\"I don't care! Although it will hurt us for some time, it will be worth it if I can get rid of a monster like her, who will surely threaten us in the future if we allow her to grow stronger!\"

While Fu Kuan is still clueless about Hong Yu'er's reason for targeting them, he was sure that she will become an incredible Cultivator in the future given her monstrous talents, something he cannot allow to happen.

If he does not take care of Hong Yu'er today and she becomes that powerful figure, who knows what she will do to the Million Snakes Sect. However, judging from her actions and animosity she has shown them today, it is very likely that she will try to destroy them if given the chance.

After a moment of silence, Mao Yijun nodded and stealthy swallowed the red pill.

The instant he swallowed the pill, Mao Yijun could feel his Dantian expand and fill with Profound Qi.

\"What a profound pill! What a refreshing feeling! I can get used to this feeling!\" Mao Yijun showed a wide smile after feeling an immense amount of power rushing into his body. If he had to take a guess, his cultivation level would be comparable to someone at the ninth level of the Earth Spirit Realm, nearly a whole realm higher than his actual strength.

After stretching his muscles that were screaming for action, Mao Yijun stepped onto the stage.

Hong Yu'er's calm expression changed for the first time after sensing Mao Yijun's aura.

\"Devil's Empowerment, huh? I didn't think that this kind of pill would exist in this world, too.\" Hong Yu'er mumbled in a low voice.

Mao Yijun frowned when he heard her words. How did she figure out that he'd taken a pill? Didn't Fu Kuan just say that it's impossible to tell?

\"Don't worry, I won't say anything.\" Hong Yu'er showed him a mysterious smile. \"After all, even if I don't do anything, you will still lose.\"

\"Look! Fairy Hong is actually smiling! What do you think caused her to smile?\"

Many spectators were immediately enchanted by her smile.

\"Devil's Empowerment…\" Su Yang also noticed the situation.

\"What did you just say?\" Bai Lihua turned to look at him after hearing its ominous name.

\"They are playing dirty as usual. Devil's Empowerment, it's a pill that will increase your cultivation level to the peak of its realm for a short time before its backlash that will rob you of all your cultivation and kill you. That disciple is currently feeling its effects.\"

\"What? But he's clearly still at the first level of the Earth Spirit Realm.\" Bai Lihua said to him.

\"You will understand once he starts using his techniques.\" Su Yang didn't bother to explain.

Bai Lihua did not say anything else and turned her head to focus on the stage, where Zi Dong just announced the start of the final fight for the day.

\"Where are you going?! Aren't you going to beat me up like you did to my fellow disciples?!\"

Mao Yijun chased after Hong Yu'er, who immediately began running the opposite direction at the start of the fight.

\"Like I'd said, I will win even without lifting a single finger against you.\" Hong Yu'er said as she continued to evade Mao Yijun like she's running away from a bug.

Hong Yu'er's actions baffled the spectators and confused them at the same time, as all of them had expected her to beat Mao Yijun up from the start like the previous fights.

\"What's Fairy Hong doing? Why is she avoiding Mao Yijun?\"

\"Maybe she's trying to recover some strength before confronting him? After all, she's been fighting without rest.\"

They all speculated the reason for Hong Yu'er's weird behavior.

Chapter 376 You Killed My Disciple!

'Damn it! Damn it all! Why am I unable to catch up with her?! I should have prowess comparable to someone at the peak of the Earth Spirit Realm right now, yet I cannot catch someone who is at the True Spirit Realm?!' Mao Yijun cried inwardly as he continuously chased Hong Yu'er around the stage as though it was a game of cat and mouse.

\"Is Sister Yu'er trying to stall time and let the pill kill him?\" Su Yin mumbled loudly.

\"Not only that, but when he dies, she will not be blamed for his death, as we have all witnessed that she hasn't touched him at all,\" he said.

\"How long do you think it will take before the pill takes that disciple's life?\" Liu Lanzhi asked him.

Su Yang narrowed his eyes at the Mao Yijun for a moment before speaking, \"His eyes are already bloodshot. I will give him 10 more minutes before his life runs out. Of course, that is if they only run around. If that disciple starts using techniques, it will shorten that time.\"

Indeed, after 5 more minutes of running around, Mao Yijun noticed that there was blood coming from his nose, and he stopped chasing Hong Yu'er for a moment.

\"Do you dare to fight me?!\" Realizing that he might not catch Hong Yu'er, Mao Yijun shouted at her out of desperation. \"Or are you going to continue evading me like an insect?! The Azure Cloud Sect is only at this level!\"

\"Are you trying to provoke a baby with those words?\"

Hong Yu'er did not fall for his provocation and continued to remain a certain distance away from him.

\"You are at the peak of the Earth Spirit Realm right now whilst I am only at the True Spirit Realm. Only an idiot with an early death wish would fight you under such unfavorable conditions.\"

\"Then don't blame me if I accidentally kill you!\" Mao Yijun roared as his body suddenly exploded with an enormous amount of Profound Qi, shocking the spectators.

\"Father, this is…\" Xie Xingfang turned to look at Lord Xie, who was staring at Mao Yijun with a frown.

\"Something isn't right. He's clearly only at the first level of the Earth Spirit Realm, yet he's exuding power that far exceeds that.\"

Xie Xingfang nodded and said, \"Fourth… no, it is comparable to the fifth level right now.\"

After a moment of silence, she asked him, \"Are you going to stop the fight?\"

He shook his head. \"No, I want to see what the Million Snakes Sect is trying to do.\"

\"But if there's an accident…\" Xie Xingfang showed a worried expression. Although she might not like Hong Yu'er, she did not want Su Yang's fiancee to die while in their presence.

\"Don't worry, I am watching closely. If I sense even the slightest sign that she might be in danger, I will personally protect her.\" Lord Xie said.

Even if he doesn't do anything, he was confident that Su Yang would not let his fiancee die before him.

\"Let's see if you can dodge these attacks!\" Mao Yijun shouted.

\"Thousand Snakes Strike!\"

\"Flying Purple Serpent!\"

Mao Yijun tossed one technique after another at Hong Yu'er, hoping it would hit her. But alas, Hong Yu'er gracefully dodged all of his technique with ease.

\"Is this all the Million Snakes Sect has to offer? It's a miracle that you guys managed to become an Elite Sect at your level.\" Hong Yu'er casually scoffed at him.

'How can this be?! None of my attacks are hitting her still! I need to use more strength!'

Thinking that, Mao Yijun released even more Profound Qi.

\"Cough!\"

However, a few moments later, he suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood. A few more seconds later, blood also flowed from his ears.

\"It looks like your time is almost up.\" Hong Yu'er stopped moving after noticing Mao Yijun's state.

\"What did you do to me?!\" Mao Yijun looked at her with bloodshot eyes. He was convinced that Hong Yu'er did something to his body without him noticing.

\"Me? I didn't do anything to you. You did this to yourself.\"

\"Bullshit!\"

\"Devil's Empowerment, that was the medicine you took before our fight even began. It will significantly increase your strength for a short time but at the same time poison your body. After consuming the pill, you are fated to die.\"

\"Y-You are lying! Why would my Sect Master feed me poison?!\" Mao Yijun refused to believe her words — that his own Sect Master would harm him.

\"Why would I lie to you? There's no reason for me to do that. In fact, I can sense another poison in your body besides the Devil's Empowerment. If I recall correctly, it should be the Spirit Conversion Poison.\"

Hong Yu'er shook her head and continued, \"If only you stopped after consuming the Spirit Conversion Poison, you would not have to lose your life but only your future as a Cultivator. Not even an Immortal can save you now.\"

Mao Yijun turned to look at Fu Kuan with a devastated expression. However, before he could even open his mouth to ask questions, his body began falling, losing his life before it even touched the floor.

Mao Yijun's sudden collapse surprised many people, and Zi Dong quickly shouted, \"Doctor!\"

Sometime later, after checking Mao Yijun's pulse, the doctor spoke while shaking his head, \"His Dantian is cracked and empty, almost like a dried-up well, and his Spiritual Veins are snapped. It's unfortunate, but he's dead.\"

\"What?!\"

Not just the spectators but even Fu Kuan was shocked by Mao Yijun's death.

'Was it the pill?!' Fu Kuan cried inwardly.

Since there are only a few Devil's Empowerment available, he did not properly test the pill, hence why he couldn't have known all of its effects.

'This is not good! They cannot know that I was the one who gave him the pill!'

Thinking this, Fu Kuan immediately went onto the stage with an enraged face and pointed at Hong Yu'er while shouting, \"You! You killed my disciple! How dare you kill him! What did he do to you to deserve this?!\"

Chapter 377 Seeking for Justice

\"Nonsense! There's no way my disciple could have killed your disciple!\"

Azure Cloud Sect's Master Gu Guanting jumped onto the stage and defended Hong Yu'er.

\"Everybody here has witnessed the match — my disciple did not even touch your disciple!\"

\"I don't know how she did it, but I am certain that she killed my disciple!\"

\"Bullshit! Where's your proof?!\" Gu Guanting shouted in anger.

Although 10 million Spirit Stones is an astronomical amount of wealth, the Azure Cloud Sect can survive without it. However, Hong Yu'er's reputation and safety is another story. If she takes the fault for Mao Yijun's death, the Million Snakes Sect will definitely go after her, especially after how she basically slapped their entire sect in the face in front of millions of people today.

\"Proof?! What proof do I need other than how she's been cruelly beating my disciples today?! She clearly has a grudge against us for whatever reason, and she finally couldn't resist her urges and killed one of them!\"

Fu Kuan then turned to look at Lord Xie and bowed to him, \"Your Majesty, this subordinate seeks justice for his disciple! After watching their performance today, I am certain that the Azure Cloud Sect is harboring some kind of malicious intent towards the Million Snakes Sect! Not only did they smear dog shit on our faces in this friendly tournament but they also killed one of our most talented disciples! Our Million Snakes Sect has never done anything to offend them! We do not deserve any of this!\"

Lord Xie narrowed his eyes at Fu Kuan and sighed inwardly, 'As expected of Fu Kuan, he's a sly man with a glib tongue.'

However, before he could even say anything, Gu Guanting also stepped forward and said, \"Your Majesty! There are millions of people here that have watched my disciple's every movement! There's simply no way that she could have killed him without being noticed at all! Although I cannot explain her unnatural behavior today, I am willing to bet with my position of Sect Master on the line that she did not kill him! There must be another reason why Mao Yijun collapsed!\"

After a few moments of silence, Lord Xie spoke, \"Sect Master Fu, I understand your frustration and sorrow, as this is truly an unfortunate event. However, I have been watching the entire time, and I did not see anything that could blame Hong Yu'er for Mao Yijun's death. With that being said, until we fully investigate the cause of Mao Yijun's death, I shall postpone my judgment.\"

\"T-Thank you, Your Majesty!\" Gu Guanting immediately showed a relieved smile and clasped his hand to show his gratitude.

However, Fu Kuan only stood there with an unpleasant expression.

\"B-But Your Majesty—\"

\"Enough. I understand that you want to resolve this as soon as possible, but until we know what caused Mao Yijun's death, there is nothing we can do. Zi Dong, I will leave this matter to you.\"

\"Yes, Your Majesty!\" Zi Dong immediately responded.

\"Since there will be no more matches after this one, I shall excuse myself for now.\"

After saying those words, Lord Xie, along with Xie Xingfang, left the arena.

Once the Xie Family was no longer present, Fu Kuan turned to look at Gu Guanting and Hong Yu'er and said, \"Don't even think for a second that this is over! You killed my disciple, and the Million Snakes Sect has never failed to repay our debts!\"

\"We are leaving!\" Fu Kuan quickly turned around and began walking out of the arena with his disciples.

During this entire time, the spectators were silent. But once the Million Snakes Sect exited from the colosseum, they grew rowdy.

\"Good heavens! The Azure Cloud Sect actually defeated the Million Snakes Sect, kicking them out on the first day! This is something nobody here expected! It's unprecedented!\"

\"The Million Snakes Sect has always been arrogant and unbearable. I cannot imagine what they are feeling after today's embarrassing defeat!\"

\"Not only that, but it was sheer dominance from the Azure Cloud Sect's side! And this was all made possible by Fairy Hong!\"

\"Brother, I am worried about Sister Yu'er. What if the Million Snakes Sect goes after her because of what happened today?\" Su Yin asked him.

\"Knowing the Million Snakes Sect and their vengeful nature, that's very likely.\" Liu Lanzhi sighed.

\"If you are worried about your fiancee, why don't you ask the Azure Cloud Sect to join the Alliance?\" Bai Lihua suddenly suggested. \"This will make the Million Snakes Sect think twice before they actually decide to do anything.\"

\"Don't worry. I have a feeling that she will be fine even without our help. With that being said, getting the Azure Cloud Sect to join us is not a bad idea. I will talk to them when I have the chance,\" said Su Yang.

A few moments later, Zi Dong spoke loudly, \"Congratulations to all of the winners today! We will be conducting another lottery for your next match shortly after this. As for the spectators, thank you for coming today, and we shall see you again tomorrow for the second day of the Regional Tournament!\"

\"Well, let's see if we will get a chance to fight tomorrow.\" Su Yang said as he stood up.

Sometime later, all of the Sect Masters whose sect won today gathered at the same place.

After everyone picked their number, Zi Dong began writing down the matches for tomorrow.

\"Who picked the blank this time?\" Zi Dong suddenly asked.

A tall and bulky middle-aged man raised his hand a second later.

When the other Sect Master realized the identity of this man, they all heaved a sigh of relief.

\"Thank heavens nobody will have to fight the Burning Lotus Sect for tomorrow's match.\"

\"Right? Getting matched with the Burning Lotus Sect is akin to having an automatic loss…\"

Now with the Burning Lotus Sect out of these Sect Masters' minds, they all focused on their next opponents.

\"Yellow River Sect… do you know about this place?\" Su Yang asked Liu Lanzhi about their opponents for tomorrow.

\"They are a pretty famous place that is only three hundred miles away from our own place. Although they cannot be compared to an Elite Sect or the Azure Cloud Sect, they will be a worthy opponent for us.\"

\"I hope so, or it'll be too boring.\" Su Yang said with a smile.