The sky was clear and the air was bright.
On the central Martial Arts Arena of Tianyuan City, the tense atmosphere of the first nine days had vanished, replaced by a bright and harmonious air. Winners shared drinks and conversation with those they had defeated, and those who had fallen short discussed their experiences with the successful. One could even see the group of fairies from Queyue Palace, usually cold and distant, standing before a cute Mutated White Tiger and feeding it beef bones. However, the Mutated White Tiger got a bone stuck in its throat and nearly choked itself to death.
Nearly 100 Spirit Boats hovered around the Martial Arts Arena, leaving only a single gap above the central area. Below that gap stood a high platform, where banners fluttered in the wind.
“The Champion of the Foundation Establishment Group for this Five Sects Tournament — Piaomiao Sect, Yu Qingyao!”
On the stage, the voice of the Taiqing Sect, infused with thick Spiritual Power, echoed throughout the entire Martial Arts Arena and the Spirit Boats in the air. This was followed by thunderous applause.
“The Champion of the Golden Core Group — Piaomiao Sect, Wu Yan!”
Even more enthusiastic applause broke out, causing the Martial Arts Arena to tremble slightly.
Amidst the applause, two figures ascended the high platform side by side under the watchful eyes of the crowd.
Wu Yan, on the left, had changed her usual plain white style. Today, she wore a rare, ink-black dress with gold-embroidered edges. Her dark hair was still simply tied into a low ponytail, looking incredibly capable, and a black belt outlined her slender yet powerful waist.
When the two of them reached the Sect Master of the Taiqing Sect, the white-bearded old Daoist looked at them with a smile. Two Storage Rings were lifted before them by an invisible force.
“Young friends, the rewards for the victors of this Five Sects Tournament are inside.”
Once the two of them took the rings, he continued, “You may check them. Each contains 100,000 High-grade Spiritual Stones and one Tianshu Token. The Tianshu Token has already been bound to your Spiritual Power information. Only you, personally, may use this token to go to any of the Five Great Sects’ Sutra Libraries to select a single ancient manual, or to the God Weapon Tomb to choose a Divine Weapon.”
A commotion immediately broke out below the stage.
“Wow, 200,000 High-grade Spiritual Stones and two opportunities to pick techniques and weapons! I want them too.”
“You want them? Did you forget who was kicked out of the arena right before dusk last time?”
“So what? That was my mistake. Otherwise, I would have taken it long ago!”
“Oh, so you do remember. I thought you were serious when you said ‘forget yesterday when the sun rises!'”
These were the envious bickerers.
“Sigh, it’s so good. They got first place and the rewards. Fame, fortune, and fortuitous opportunities — they have it all. This life was worth it.”
“What ‘first place’? They are just this year’s victors!”
“Isn’t the victor the same as first place?”
“How is that possible! A victor is a victor, and number one is number one. This year they can only be considered victors. I’ll take the crown when the title of the Five Sects Tournament is changed to ‘Number One.'”
“Uh, may I ask which round you fell in this time?”
“Oh, I came out as soon as I went into the first round.”
These were the jealous ones.
Wu Yan and Yu Qingyao accepted their prizes on stage without being swayed by the honor or the insults, and their calm demeanor as they descended made even the Taiqing Sect Master sigh in admiration. ‘The younger generation is truly to be feared.’
While 200,000 High-grade Spiritual Stones was a generous amount, for a sect like the Piaomiao Sect, whose Sect Protecting Array was already aging, there wasn’t much room for choice. Therefore, the destination of this reward was within the acceptable range for the Five Great Sects.
The ceremony was very short. In the end, it was just two steps: going up to receive the prize and coming down to disperse.
Consequently, each sect began to board their respective Spirit Boats, preparing to leave.
Because the Piaomiao Sect had performed brilliantly in this competition, their Spirit Boat was permitted to dock at the position closest to the Martial Arts Arena.
Just as Wu Yan was preparing to board the ship, several familiar figures walked out from the crowd.
Yu Qingyao quickly moved to block the space in front of Wu Yan. The lotus flower on the hairpin behind her head looked exceptionally beautiful in the sunlight.
“Dai Shi Kai.”
This was the name Yu Qingyao had given to the hairpin.
According to her, after completing the binding with the hairpin, she realized it had not been fully refined. It would only be truly complete when the lotus flower fully bloomed.
Wu Yan didn’t quite understand this. In her eyes, it was merely a cultivation aid and a protective artifact.
“Miss Wu!”
The first to speak was Manba. A rough man like him didn’t know how to restrain himself, and his voice was loud enough to nearly burst the eardrums of those nearby.
“Fighting you was very satisfying! Come visit us at Ten Thousand Beast Mountain when you have time. When you do, I’ll go catch nine tigers for you to ride!”
Next was Xie Wenyuan. He seemed to have come to deliver the regards of his junior brother, Li Qingzhou, as well.
“Fellow Daoist Wu, thank you. I always thought the Five Elements Dao Domain was perfect, but I forgot that even the heavens have flaws, so how could a human not? You were the one who allowed me to see my own deficiencies. I will enter secluded meditation after I return. The next time we meet, I will definitely show you a new version of myself.”
“I’ll be waiting,” Wu Yan answered seriously. For a pure seeker of the Dao like him, she did not withhold her respect.
Following them was a woman dressed in gold and white palace attire.
Ji Xuerou was not as talkative as the others. She simply glanced at Wu Yan and, for the first time, revealed a smile in front of her. “The green mountains don’t change, and the clear water flows forever. We will meet again.”
After saying this, she didn’t linger. She turned and rose on her sword, turning into a streak of light that vanished into the horizon.
Just when Yu Qingyao thought no one else would approach, a figure dressed in a light flame-yellow dress with a large abacus on her back suddenly bypassed her.
Her brownish-white shoulder-length short hair fluttered in the wind. The person muttered, “Excuse me,” as she squeezed directly in front of Wu Yan.
‘Bad, I forgot about this girl.’
“Sister Wu, I’m about to leave. You must remember to miss me — “
Bai Zhiqiu leaned in as usual. If Yu Qingyao hadn’t been pulling her back with all her might, she probably would have rubbed herself all over Wu Yan.
Wu Yan took a step back imperceptibly and said calmly, “Zhiqiu, I will miss you.”
Having received a satisfactory answer, Bai Zhiqiu finally stopped her wriggling movements. She nimbly broke free from Yu Qingyao’s restraint and grabbed Wu Yan’s hand.
“Then I’m relieved!”
Her originally light voice suddenly dropped low, and she naturally pressed a cold object into Wu Yan’s palm.
“A small gift. Keep it safe, and don’t let those old fogies see it. You will use it.”
“I’m off!”
She turned to leave, waving her hand nonchalantly behind her back.
Wu Yan quietly opened a gap in her clenched hand, only to see an ancient Bronze Fragment lying quietly in her palm.
“Tsk, next time I need to make a trap specifically to prevent Bai Zhiqiu from approaching.”
A massive roar sounded, and the Piaomiao Sect’s Flying Boat finally began to move forward. It pierced through the clouds, as if it wanted to leave everything in Tianyuan City far behind.
Wu Yan sat in the hall of the Spirit Boat, quietly drinking tea.
Everything was perfect — so perfect that she found it a bit hard to believe.
All day today, Wu Yan (Inner) had not appeared, nor had she said a single word.
It seemed that, just as she had said yesterday, she was truly angry.
But something was still wrong.
This sense of unease originating from within her heart couldn’t just be because Wu Yan (Inner) was angry.
‘What exactly is the problem?’
— Buzz! —
A sudden, urgent alarm sounded from the deck.
Wu Yan slammed her teacup down, grabbed Wu Nian, and rushed toward the deck. However, the moment she stepped onto it, the sight before her caused her to freeze in her tracks.