Chapter 13: Sect Grand Competition

The next morning.

At the Piaomiao Sect Martial Arts Arena, the sound of drums shook the sky, and there was a sea of people.

A huge bluestone arena stood in the center of the square, and the surrounding stands were already packed. The atmosphere was enthusiastic, yet it carried a murderous aura akin to a judgment.

“They’re here, they’re here! Wu Yan (Inner) is here!”

Following a cry of surprise, the crowd automatically parted to create a path.

Wu Yan (Yan) carried a long sword on her back and walked slowly.

She did not wear the elaborate ceremonial dress that symbolized the Chief Disciple today. Instead, she wore a simple moon-white practice uniform with tightened cuffs and her long hair tied up high.

That steady aura caused the originally noisy discussions around her to instantly quiet down.

“Tch, putting on an act. Let’s see how she uses that flashy style of hers to deal with Senior Brother Zhao later.”

……

Malicious whispers followed her like shadows.

Wu Yan (Inner) floated beside Wu Yan (Yan), baring her teeth in anger. “Listen! Listen! These damned things, they actually dare to say that about me! Little Wu Yan (Yan), you must beat the people who come onto the stage until they are looking for their teeth on the ground. Let them see how powerful I am!”

Wu Yan (Yan) turned a deaf ear. She took steady steps, her toes lightly tapping as her figure floated onto the arena like a falling leaf.

On the high platform.

Xia Lingshuang looked down at her from above, her eyes cold and calm. Beside her, Yu Qingyao and several Elders sat upright.

“Wu Yan (Inner), are the rules clear to you?” Xia Lingshuang asked.

“Clear.” Wu Yan (Yan) cupped her hands, her voice distinct.

“Good.” Xia Lingshuang waved her sleeve. “The Grand Competition begins. Who will come first?”

As soon as she finished speaking, a figure jumped onto the arena impatiently.

“Jujian Peak, Li Hu, Golden Core Stage, Eldest Senior Sister, please grant me your guidance!”

This was a burly man holding two pitch-black giant axes. His spiritual power was heavy, a typical strength-type body cultivator.

Speaking of Jujian Peak, it was a strange place. Although the name Jujian Peak contained the word for ‘sword,’ the peak actually preferred to recruit body cultivators whose physical fitness far exceeded that of normal cultivators.

According to their Peak Master, “If your physical fitness isn’t good, how can you swing a sword, and how can you rush to the front lines to strike Demonic Cultivators?”

As a result, Jujian Peak was filled with various body cultivators. Some used axes, some used hammers, and some even held a large tripod to smash people.

“I heard that Eldest Senior Sister was injured not long ago? This Junior Brother will not be polite then!”

Li Hu did not test her at all. He came up with a full-strength strike.

“Mountain Splitting Axe!”

On the arena, Li Hu’s giant axe, capable of splitting mountains, swung down with the force of ten thousand catties.

Wu Yan (Yan) stood in place, her white clothes fluttering in the fierce wind. She did not even draw her sword from its scabbard. At the moment the giant axe was about to hit her, her toes tapped lightly, and her figure was like a piece of willow catkin blown by the wind, sliding sideways without a hint of effort.

“Piaomiao Sword Arts first式—Whisking Dust.”

The scabbard in her hand lightly tapped and led Li Hu’s wrist at the numbing point.

“Bang.”

A muffled sound. Li Hu’s burly body was thrown out as if by his own strength, drawing a pathetic arc and falling heavily below the arena.

The entire place was deathly silent. One move, light and casual, extremely graceful.

However, from an angle the crowd could not see, Wu Yan (Yan)’s fingers holding the sword suddenly tightened, her knuckles turning white.

Pain. That seemingly easy dodge just now had agitated her old injury on her back.

The residual Demonic Chi was like a startled poisonous snake, biting hard into her spine. Cold sweat instantly soaked the clothes on her back, but she used spiritual power to evaporate it instantly, maintaining an outward appearance of calm and collectedness.

“Next.”

Her voice was cold, and she remained as upright as a pine tree.

With Li Hu’s defeat, the disciples who originally thought they could take advantage of the situation became solemn.

Li Hu was a body cultivator, and his cultivation was at the beginning of the Gold Core Realm. Among the younger generation of the entire Piaomiao Sect, he could be considered an outstanding talent, but now he couldn’t even take a single move from Wu Yan (Inner).

Under heavy rewards, there will surely be brave men.

Just as most people were hesitating about whether to go up to the arena, a young cultivator dressed in blue, holding a cold and shining long sword, stood on the arena.

“It’s Senior Brother Zhao Wuji!”

“The Number One of the Inner Sect! It’s said he has already touched the threshold of the Golden Core Stage!”

The Zhao Wuji before them was undoubtedly a genius.

At only twenty-four years old, he had already touched the threshold of the Golden Core Stage.

Although Wu Yan (Inner) was only nineteen, her strength at the Golden Core Stage was already quite monstrous, but the deepest impression everyone had of her was her image as a Female Devil who bullied men and women and used dirty tricks constantly.

“Junior Sister Wu.” Zhao Wuji cupped his fists, his expression solemn, with a hint of respect for the strong in his eyes. “You are very strong. If you were at your peak, I might not be able to defeat you. But now, for the glory of the Sect Grand Competition, I have to fight while your injuries are not yet healed.”

“Too much nonsense. Draw your sword.”

“Excuse me then!”

Zhao Wuji said no more. He pointed his spiritual sword, and his entire spiritual power erupted instantly.

“Myriad Swords Return to Origin!”

In an instant, dozens of azure sword lights split off, spreading behind him like a peacock opening its tail, then turning into a rain of swords that filled the sky, forming an airtight sword formation that blocked all of Wu Yan (Yan)’s paths of retreat.

This move was brilliant, grand, and carried an aura that crushed everything.

Why did all these people like to use their ultimate moves right from the start?

Wu Yan (Yan)’s pupils shrank slightly. even if she were at her peak, winning against Zhao Wuji would probably require a good deal of effort, let alone how she was now.

She might really lose.

In fact, losing was not a bad thing. As one of the few Golden Core Stage cultivators in the sect, no matter how she lost, the Five Sects Tournament would always include her.

Losing this battle would merely mean losing her status as the Chief Disciple and her qualification as the leader of the Piaomiao Sect team.

But just as this thought appeared, every emerald bamboo she had cut down in the bamboo forest and every pain in her arm after swinging her sword appeared before Wu Yan (Yan)’s eyes.

They were all shouting in her heart.

I don’t want to lose!

She did not retreat half a step. Instead, she took a step forward against that rain of swords.

At that moment, she gave up all defense and poured all the spiritual power in her body, along with that will to seek life through death, into the long sword in her hand.

She and the sword seemed to merge into one, turning into a white flash of light.

“Ethereal Sword Arts, Sixth Form: Delusion Breaker.”

If the heart is as clear as ice, the sky falling will not startle it.

Clang—!

A white sword light, pure to the extreme, was like a white silk ribbon. With an extremely tricky and determined angle, it instantly tore through the azure sword shadows that filled the sky.

On the high platform, the expressions of several Elders changed.

“This girl’s sword heart is actually so pure?” An Elder with white hair and beard looked at Wu Yan (Yan)’s move and could not help but praise.

Xia Lingshuang did not speak, she only looked at that white figure, feeling somewhat shocked.

This kind of pure swordsmanship could only be practiced by someone who was single-minded and dedicated to the Tao.

There was no earth-shattering explosion, only the sharp whistle of Sword Chi cutting through the air.

The scene seemed to freeze at this moment.

The dust cleared.

Wu Yan (Yan) maintained her sword-striking posture, her figure slender and stretched. That long sword stopped steadily half an inch before Zhao Wuji’s throat, the Sword Chi blowing Zhao Wuji’s hair into a wild frenzy.

And Zhao Wuji’s sword had pierced through Wu Yan (Yan)’s left shoulder. Blood meandered down her white clothes, like a red plum blooming in the snow, tragic and determined.

The winner was decided.

Zhao Wuji’s face was pale as he looked into those close, calm, and waveless eyes. He had lost, lost completely.

He lost not only to the sword move but also to that elegance and boldness of being willing to stake everything in a desperate situation.

“I… lost.”

Zhao Wuji bitterly retracted his sword and bowed deeply.

Wu Yan (Yan) slowly returned her sword to its scabbard. The severe pain in her left shoulder caused her vision to blacken for a moment, and her figure swayed slightly as if she were about to fall. But she immediately used the scabbard to touch the ground, forcibly supporting her body, her back still standing straight.

The wind blew, lifting her blood-stained hem.

The entire arena was silent.

No matter what, they could not imagine that the former Wu Yan (Inner), who used any means possible to achieve her goals, including drugging and deception, would now win against Zhao Wuji with such upright moves.

“Ouch, that hurts me to death! Little Wu Yan (Yan), hurry up and find some medicine to put on the wound. I don’t want my perfect body to leave a scar because of your reckless behavior.”

Beside her, Wu Yan (Inner) exaggeratedly raised her sleeve to wipe the wound on Wu Yan (Yan)’s left shoulder, her words filled with dissatisfaction. “If you ask me, to deal with this kind of brainless brute, why didn’t you just use a Blood Escape to get behind him and then pierce his heart with one sword? Why make the fight so troublesome.”

Wu Yan (Yan) ignored Wu Yan (Inner). She took a few deep breaths, then ignored the pain in her left shoulder and coldly scanned the spectator stands.

“Now, who else wants to come up?”

After speaking, the entire field was silent.

After a long while, only Wu Yan (Yan) remained standing on the arena.

Although the current Wu Yan (Yan) looked fragile, who would dare to bet that she didn’t have a hidden killing move?

On the high platform, Xia Lingshuang looked at that blood-covered figure that still stood tall. Her fingers tightly gripped the armrest, and a crack appeared in the ice in her eyes.

After a long time, she slowly stood up, her voice carrying a hint of complex emotion that even she herself was unwilling to admit.

“Since no one dares to continue challenging Wu Yan (Inner) on stage, then I announce—this battle, Wu Yan (Inner) wins!”