“Ah!”
Xiao Rongyu was caught in that awkward moment where her old strength was spent and her new strength had yet to form, leaving her no choice but to take Zhu Lan’s Frost Palm head-on.
The frigid chill instantly invaded her body.
Xiao Rongyu let out a muffled groan, attempting to forcefully circulate her spiritual energy, which had become stagnant and sluggish under the influence of the cold.
Zhu Lan naturally refused to let this opportunity slip by and lunged forward with her sword.
Once Zhu Lan came within a certain range, a charming smile suddenly bloomed on Xiao Rongyu’s face.
“Little sister, you’re still too young.”
The hair on Zhu Lan’s neck stood on end.
A terrifying spiritual pressure was fast-approaching from behind — it was the whip Xiao Rongyu had dropped earlier!
“Ugh!”
Zhu Lan was struck by the whip and collapsed in pain.
However, she was instantly struck by a wave of shock — ‘No, that wasn’t a whip at all!’
The thing that had attacked her was actually a snake-shaped Spirit Pet!
The creature coiled itself around Xiao Rongyu’s shoulder, flicking its tongue.
The crowd below cheered at the sudden reversal!
“Xiao Rongyu is the best!”
“Xiao Rongyu, we love you!”
Because of the existence of Yushou Peak, the Sect Grand Competition allowed the use of Spirit Pets.
For most disciples of Yushou Peak, their strongest combat power came from their companions.
However, Ye Feng and Zhu Lan were clearly exceptions.
Zhu Lan’s Spirit Pet egg had yet to hatch, and Ye Feng simply didn’t need the help of one.
The situation was dire now.
Zhu Lan had been bitten by that snake-shaped Spirit Pet.
An unbearable pain radiated from her calf, and the circulation of spiritual energy throughout her body became incredibly difficult.
Zhu Lan decisively used the cold Qi from her Frost Palm to cover the wound, slowing the spread of the toxin.
Though doing so made her already stagnant energy even harder to move, she had no other choice.
Xiao Rongyu watched as Zhu Lan struggled to stand, looking as though a gust of wind could knock her over.
Feeling certain of her victory, she even blew a kiss to the disciples outside the ring.
“Wooooooooh! Arghhhhh!”
“Xiao Rongyu, whip me!”
“Xiao Rongyu, step on my face! I’m begging you!”
The crowd descended into chaos once more over a single kiss.
“How about it? Little sister, my Spirit Pet’s toxin is no ordinary thing. If you don’t get the antidote within the time it takes for one incense stick to burn, you might actually die!”
Xiao Rongyu walked over to Zhu Lan’s side and playfully tilted her chin upward.
“Just admit defeat, and you won’t have to suffer this physical pain. Sister will give you the antidote immediately. After all, I can’t bear to see such a beautiful sister in pain. My heart aches for you too!”
Despite her terrible situation, Zhu Lan actually began to laugh, leaving Xiao Rongyu stunned.
“I haven’t lost yet. Since you dared to get this close to me, I could knock you out of the ring at any moment.”
Zhu Lan didn’t feel that Xiao Rongyu was a bad person.
Since the woman hadn’t finished her off while she was at her weakest, Zhu Lan offered a word of warning in return.
“Hmm?”
Seeing how serious Zhu Lan looked, Xiao Rongyu retreated several meters.
However, she immediately felt ridiculous for her own behavior.
“Little sister, you’re at the end of your rope. You can’t fake that. Is it possible you can still use a trump card?”
“Try me and find out.”
Zhu Lan had been gathering her spiritual energy for a long time, and she finally had enough to cast the Seven Killing Arts once.
Xiao Rongyu giggled.
“Very well. I’ll use my strongest move as well. If I lose to you, I’ll accept it gracefully.”
“Bring it on!”
“Watch closely, sister! SOUL-SNATCHING LASH!”
The Spirit Pet on Xiao Rongyu’s shoulder transformed back into a whip glowing with purple light.
After a brilliant flash, it flew forward like an unstoppable cannonball.
Outside the ring, the Sect Master of the Tianyan Sect had just raised his teacup when he felt an ominous premonition.
“METEOR!”
Xiao Rongyu’s vision instantly turned pitch black, as if stained by ink.
Then, a white light at the far end began to expand….
Just as Zhu Lan was about to unleash the Seven Killing Arts, the Sect Master appeared outside the ring in an instant.
Once again, he shrouded the stage in a warm, yellow spiritual energy, causing the disciples outside to lose sight of the battle.
The two moves collided on the stage.
The Seven Killing Arts obliterated Xiao Rongyu’s attack with ease, surging forward with a force that could crush anything in its path.
However, when the dust settled, Zhu Lan was the one lying on the ground.
Xiao Rongyu, though dazed, was still standing on the stage relatively unharmed.
“Xiao Rongyu wins…”
“No,” Xiao Rongyu interrupted the Elder with a complicated expression, “I lost.”
Zhu Lan’s final trump card was truly a killing move.
If she had been hit by it, she would have been crippled for at least several months.
Zhu Lan had held back.
The Elder could naturally see that Zhu Lan had pulled her punch at the last second, but the final result showed Xiao Rongyu standing while her opponent was incapacitated.
“Zhu Lan wins.”
The spirited Sect Master appeared in the center of the ring and announced the final result.
Zhu Lan forced herself to stay conscious.
Hearing the result, she grinned and finally breathed a sigh of relief.
She had been gambling, and fortunately, it had paid off.
She was, however, surprised by the Sect Master’s personal arrival.
The Sect Master had a complicated look on his face.
“Are you also from Yushou Peak?”
But because the matter was settled, Zhu Lan no longer had the strength to hold on.
She lost consciousness and fainted.
The Sect Master remained silent.
The Seven Killing Arts had reappeared.
These youngsters really didn’t care about the consequences; he, an old man, had to be the one to clean up after them.
“Xiao Rongyu’s strength is remarkable. She will enter the losers’ bracket.”
Essentially, everyone had one chance to enter the losers’ bracket — provided their strength was recognized by the Elders.
It was a very rare occurrence.
…
Zhu Lan slowly woke up, feeling a tall figure sitting beside her.
“You’re awake?”
Zhu Lan was exhausted and sleepy, unable to even open her eyes.
She nudged her head against the pillow, found a more comfortable position, and closed her eyes again.
She must have woken up too fast; she thought she saw the male protagonist by her bed.
“Now that you’re awake, get up. I’ll help you clear your meridians.”
Ye Feng’s tone wasn’t heavy.
He rarely saw Zhu Lan just as she was waking up.
Her eyes were dazed, completely devoid of her usual cleverness.
She looked soft and fluffy, making him want to tease her.
Ye Feng reached out and pinched Zhu Lan’s cheek.
It was soft and warm.
“Time to get up.”
“Mmm…”
Zhu Lan whimpered twice and turned her head to keep sleeping.
She was so tired.
The last time she felt this exhausted was when the male protagonist chased her through the Secret Realm for most of the day.
She didn’t even want to open her eyes.
She had just been having a wonderful dream.
She dreamt that she had stepped on Ye Feng, and no matter how she punched and kicked him, he didn’t stop her.
‘Curse it, why haven’t humans evolved the ability to continue a dream!’
Seeing Zhu Lan fall back asleep, Ye Feng didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
He sat by her side for another 30 minutes.
Once the time was up, he picked Zhu Lan up like a little chick.
The latter finally woke up and began to struggle, demanding that Ye Feng put her down.
“Now that you’re awake, come over here. Your behavior the other day was too risky. If you don’t receive proper treatment and conditioning, you might suffer permanent aftereffects.”
Ye Feng carried Zhu Lan outside the door before finally setting her down.
“Now, circulate your spiritual energy and see if there is any discomfort.”
Zhu Lan rubbed her eyes and tried to move her Qi.
As expected, she felt a strange sense of sluggishness throughout her body.