Silence.
A deathly silence hung over the arena; all the disciples and elders stood rooted to the spot in disbelief.
The elder from the Myriad Swords Sect had his mouth slightly agape, having forgotten for a moment to head onto the stage to check on the Sword Master.
The Sword Master…
Lost?
The Sword Master was defeated by a disciple no one had ever heard of?!
“Ye Feng, you’re a legend!”
Zhu Lan was the first to jump up and shout, her tone full of excitement.
Ye Feng had actually done it!
The eerie atmosphere of the arena was shattered by Zhu Lan’s exclamation, erupting into a cacophony of heated discussion.
“Whose subordinate is that? Why is he so fierce?!”
“That is Ye Feng of the Heavenly Derivation Sect! He’s the one who fought the Daozi to a draw!”
“What! How can such a monstrous talent exist in this world? Why have I never heard the name Ye Feng before?”
“Ye Feng only began to show his brilliance this year—I hear he’s a new disciple recruited by the Heavenly Derivation Sect this year!”
“Bullshit! How could a newly arrived disciple have such capability!”
The vast majority of disciples scoffed at the explanation provided by the Heavenly Derivation Sect, as this incident was too shocking for anyone to believe.
The Myriad Swords Sect elder hurried onto the stage to examine the Sword Master, only relaxing when he discovered the youth had merely fainted due to a turbulent mind and a sudden surge of Qi to the heart.
The disciples of the Yaochi Holy Land stared with wide eyes, trying to get a clear look at Ye Feng on the stage.
Finding him to be masculine and handsome, some of the older female disciples began to develop thoughts of their own.
In the corner, Su Xijin looked at the vibrant and dazzling figure on the stage, ripples of emotion stirring in her heart.
Even Su Xiyao, the Saintess of the Yaochi Holy Land, had a strange, shimmering light in her eyes as she gazed at the man leaning on his sword.
But the elders of the Yaochi Holy Land were not having as easy a time….
Dozens of old matrons split up, intent on maintaining order at the scene and preserving the face of the Myriad Swords Sect, while also dispatching elders to extinguish the budding interests of the female disciples in their own sect.
The Sect Leader of the Yaochi Holy Land took a deep look at Ye Feng on the stage before following the elders to assist with the tasks.
What was supposed to be a friendly sparring match, governed by the principle of stopping at the right moment, had turned into a completely different scenario now that a dark horse had emerged.
The faces of the Myriad Swords Sect elders were incredibly ugly, as if they had just swallowed a fly.
The Yaochi Holy Land Sect Leader had blocked the view between the stage and the crowd at the crucial moment, so no one knew exactly what had happened at the end.
To understand how the Sword Master lost to an unknown disciple from the Heavenly Derivation Sect, they would have to wait for the Sword Master to wake up.
Meanwhile, the old men of the Heavenly Derivation Sect were desperately suppressing the corners of their mouths to keep from laughing too loudly.
Ye Feng had brought great glory to the Heavenly Derivation Sect, showing off their strength right in front of the other 3 great sects.
However, holding it in and enjoying the secret satisfaction was enough, as they could bring this up to talk about every now and then for the next 100 years…
For now, the most important thing was to go and offer condolences to the elders of the Myriad Swords Sect.
Laughing too loudly was not good for unity and camaraderie; one should not do things detrimental to harmony.
“Old Bai, to be honest, we are quite surprised ourselves. Even though Ye Feng fought the Daozi to a draw during the sect tournament, we didn’t expect this…”
“Shut up!”
A Heavenly Derivation Sect elder quickly grabbed the one who was speaking.
“If you don’t know how to talk, then don’t!”
The Heavenly Derivation Sect elder smiled apologetically.
“Old Bai, don’t mind him.”
“That’s right, Old Bai. The world of today has long belonged to these young people. All we old bones can do is serve as their wings until they become strong enough.”
Although the Myriad Swords Sect elder’s face remained grim, he was a man who understood the big picture and did not let the situation escalate beyond repair.
“The path of immortality is long and arduous. The Sword Master has lacked a worthy opponent for a long time. After this exchange, he has at least learned the lesson that there is always someone better.”
The magnanimous response from the Myriad Swords Sect earned them the favor of many.
What people find most intolerable is someone who refuses to admit defeat even after being proven wrong.
“Honorable elders, in truth, it was the Sword Master who won.”
Zhu Lan walked over, supporting Ye Feng, who walked with an uneven gait.
“By the end, I was severely injured, while the Sword Master stood on the stage completely unscathed. Had we continued to fight, I surely would have lost. The elder just checked why the Sword Master fainted; it was not due to injury.”
The Myriad Swords Sect elder naturally knew that the Sword Master did not lose due to a lack of raw strength, but the result remained clear: the Sword Master had suffered a crushing defeat.
Other cultivators would not care about the process or the reasons behind it; they only knew the Sword Master had been defeated.
Seeing Ye Feng willing to exert his injured body to explain, the expression of the Myriad Swords Sect elder softened slightly.
“Regardless of how it happened, the final outcome remains the same. I believe the Sword Master will learn and grow from this—your own condition is not optimistic, so go and tend to your wounds as soon as possible.”
Having received permission, Ye Feng did not linger, letting Zhu Lan support him as they walked back toward the guest quarters.
“Fellow daoist, your body seems to be in quite a bad state. I have some Spirit Spring water here from last year.”
As Zhu Lan walked, a sweet voice rang out behind them.
It was Su Xiyao.
She handed a bottle of crystal-clear spirit liquid to Ye Feng, her eyes filled with concern.
Ye Feng looked up at her but did not react.
“Many thanks to the Saintess for your kindness!”
Zhu Lan smiled so broadly her eyes disappeared, reaching out to take the spirit liquid with a joyful heart.
It seemed that things were developing perfectly; the female lead should have already noticed Ye Feng and developed some affection for him.
Otherwise, who would come up alone to deliver medicine to a stranger?
“Ye Feng, thank the Saintess.”
Zhu Lan called out to Ye Feng beside her, but heard no reply.
“Ye Feng?”
Zhu Lan looked at him, only to see Ye Feng immediately close his eyes, feigning sleep.
“Saintess, I’m so sorry. Ye Feng’s injuries must be too severe, and he can’t talk. We will definitely come by another day to thank you properly!”
Zhu Lan felt frustrated; Ye Feng was missing such a good opportunity to grow closer to her.
Thinking of this made her angry.
She really wanted to throw Ye Feng into the female lead’s arms and let her carry him back to his room.
This Ye Feng was becoming more and more outrageous.
He was clearly injured, yet she could feel a wandering hand while she was supporting him.
Fortunately, Zhu Lan was quick-witted and pushed Ye Feng away hard when she bumped into the female lead.
She couldn’t let the female lead get the wrong idea.
Oh, Ye Feng, you unfilial son, you had better thank her properly later!
“Saintess, I injured my waist while training recently, and I have no strength left to support Ye Feng. Why don’t you do it, Saintess? Why don’t you support Ye Feng back to his quarters?”
Zhu Lan’s eyes darted around as she came up with a brilliant idea.