Chapter 19: Truth Comes Out?

Being flung into his own camp and inadvertently slaying hundreds wasn't Yu Cao's idea of fun. Though uninjured, the impact stung like hell. The blow, however, seemed to have knocked some sense into his previously muddled mind.

As he rose from the blood-soaked earth, drenched in the lifeblood of his own men, his indifference was as chilling as the air around him.

His eyes narrowed on the woman and her group, who were trying to slip away unnoticed. The realization hit him like a bolt of lightning – he had been toyed with which boiled his blood with fury.

"YOU IDIOT, LI YI! OPEN YOUR EYES! THAT WOMAN IS PITTING US AGAINST EACH OTHER!" Yu Cao's roar echoed across the battlefield, filled with both anger and revelation.

Li Yi, upon hearing this, turned sharply. His gaze fell upon the retreating figures, fueling his rage. "HOW DARE YOU SCHEME AGAINST ME YOU BITCH!!"

Jun already steps ahead in his strategy, had moved to create distance at the first sign of hostility. He knew well that these young masters, despite being spoiled since young, were no fools and would soon piece things together.

Feeling the pressure mounting, Yinling turned to Jun, her voice tinged with urgency, "What do we do next?"

Flashing a confident smile, Jun gestured towards Li Chen, who appeared puzzled.

Pointing to himself he chuckled nervously "Umm Do you want me to deal with those people?".

Seeing him act innocently in this moment angered Jun "Look I may not know who you are but you're obviously hiding your strength, you were able to dodge that mammoth coming at us like nothing while we almost died".

"On top of that, you have managed to stay calm in front of every danger we have encountered which no normal person can unless they have the strength to handle it, do good on your deal, and help us!"

Being told off by this little lady a head smaller than him made him feel weird. Although he has been yelled at while out exploring, it has come from people of taller stature or strength, not from such a weak frail girl.

Looking at the two people in the distance, he has no recollection of these two people, 8-star cities he does not put in his eyes. There are millions of these 8-star cities scattered just throughout Sky Domain.

He himself comes from the main city of Sky Domain called Sky Palace. After 8-star cities come 9-star cities, 10-star cities, Saint Level cities, and finally Holy Level cities. Of course, Sky Palace reigns supreme over all of these, so it's simple to see why he doesn't put them in his eyes.

As for their plea for help "You must think so highly of me, but you have the wro-" he was going to continue but saw the piercing gaze of this woman, he knew she already figured it out.

Shaking his head he replied "Well... seems I can't hide it anymore, if you want my help then fine, I already planned to defeat these arrogant fish"

Li Chen took a few steps forward, and In a sudden twist, the aura of a laidback person was slowly disappearing and with this, an arrogant domineering aura exploded. 

Li Yi and Yu Cao seeing this weak homeless person walk out exclaiming to defeat them wanted to laugh but they quickly shut up noticing his demeanor change. 

"Who are you?" Li Yi demanded although they didn't know this person, just his aura alone seemed to suppress them a bit. 

Shaking his head a bit, he didn't want to talk to these people and quickly disappeared out of sight. 

Li Yi seeing this felt his blood run cold, quickly looking around, he turned just in time to see his rival having his chest caved in and thrown away in an instant.

Fear overwhelmed him and without noticing, was already running away. After only 3 steps, he felt a pain like no other coming from his manhood and felt his vision go dark.

The onlookers could only watch in stunned silence as Li Yi suffered a fate that left all the men instinctively crossing their legs in sympathy. Jun, despite his current form, couldn't help but react similarly.

Jun taking advantage of this rare moment analyzed his movement technique and instantly memorized thanks to his epiphany.

Li Chen, with a hint of pride and a smug smile, waited for Jun's assessment. "So... does this count as helping you?"

Jun, masking his surprise at Li Chen's sudden appearance behind him, replied with a nonchalant tone, "It's passable, I guess...".

Li Chen's curiosity was further piqued by Jun's stubborn demeanor. His experience in Sky Palace had exposed him to many so-called saints, but none had the unique allure of these two. In his eyes, they shone with a brilliance that made the saints he knew seem dull in comparison.

Suddenly, he felt his cultivation rise and return to normal. Feeling this, Li Chen knew this competition was over. Seeing the results of his hard work, he nodded in satisfaction, as for those two wastes he just solved, who cares.

"Hahaha, it seems the winners of this competition have already been decided!" The city lord's booming voice resonated over the crowd, capturing everyone's attention.

The announcement left the remaining thousands in stunned silence. A brave voice emerged from the crowd, voicing the confusion everyone felt.

"But... there are still thousands of us left. How can the competition be over?"

Already expecting this question he answered proudly "Don't worry everyone, from the performance I just saw, out of the grace of my heart, I decided to end this earlier to see less bloodshed"

His words were met with mixed reactions. Some cultivators knelt in gratitude, having been resigned to their fates in this deadly game. Others, skeptical, awaited further explanation.

"Since I have decided to end this competition earlier, I will now announce the winners" the city lord continued. "In fifth place, we have LI YI!! hahahah – poor bastard didn't see it coming. Maybe his prize can mend more than just his pride."

Men in the crowd winced empathetically, crossing their legs. Jun, despite not being physically male, felt a phantom twinge.

Li Chen, catching Jun's reaction, raised an eyebrow but quickly refocused on the city lord's proclamation.

"In 4th place, we have YU CAO!!, can someone check on him to see if he is breathing"

"In 3rd place, we have LI CHEN!!, although you may be wondering why you get such a low ranking, we will discuss this later" 

"Coming in 2nd place, we have LIN YINLING!!, by the Gods where did this beauty come from?! From now on you can proudly proclaim yourself an inner disciple of Sky Palace so please take care of me"

Everyone still alive became envious but could understand. On the battlefield, she proved her worth by killing dozens or close to one hundred people who provoked her, never did she attack anyone which is respectable.

Some could not accept this outcome and roared "WTF HOW CAN THIS WITCH WIN WHEN I CAN EASILY KILL HER"

Without warning his head exploded into a blood mist "You dare question my decision, who gave you the courage you filth" said the city lord in a rare moment of seriousness.

Continuing, he arrived at first place "Little lass, you should count yourself lucky, from now on you are considered a world noble with many benefits, please remember to put in a good word for me"

Jun on his end was puzzled "How in the f did I win?" Thinking about it, with his epiphany still in play he analyzed everything and concluded a rumor he heard.

If the rumor of the Sky Palace elder being here, then that means that guy called off the competition early. As for the reason... just thinking about it made his heart drop.

How was he going to explain to them that he's not a woman but a man?? Would this Li Chen guy accept such an end? 

Feeling desperate, he walked his way to Yinling and fell on his knees, hugging her "Yinling... please help me"

Seeing Jun like this confused her, shouldn't he be happy since they accomplished their goal and managed to join the most prestigious place on the continent, why the sudden desperation?

"With this, I announce the first ever martial arts event of Skybound Gardens is over" With that statement, the city lord disappeared and the elevators to get out descended.

Jun started feeling desperate, should he tell him and get it over with, or should he drop some hints slowly?

Looking at Li Chen with his hand extended, he knew it was now or never.

Readying his voice, he spoke...

"I'm a guy..."