Hu Jiapin’s expression was uncharacteristically solemn. Ten years ago, both he and Qin Yangling had just broken through the third bottleneck as direct disciples. They had encountered each other at the Martial Arts Competition. At that time, Qin Yangling could already use the Yin-Yang Calamity Wave Mirror, though he couldn’t summon as many ice mirrors, nor were they as large. Only through clever tactics had Hu Jiapin managed to defeat him.
Another decade had passed. Although Qin Yangling had yet to break through the fourth bottleneck, his cultivation and combat experience were far beyond those of the inexperienced disciple he had been. If Hu Jiapin from ten years ago were to face the current Qin Yangling, he probably wouldn’t fare much better than Zhao Min.
Today’s Lei Xiuyuan was probably at about the same level as Hu Jiapin had been ten years ago, right?
After much deliberation, Hu Jiapin finally decided he should act like a proper senior brother. He opened his mouth to warn him, “Xiuyuan, the Yin-Yang Calamity Wave Mirror might not be easy to deal with. You should…”
He looked at Lei Xiuyuan and saw his face was cold, but his eyes held a hint of strange fervor. This expression was familiar to Hu Jiapin. Over the past three years of cultivating together in the Dan Cave, Lei Xiuyuan always had this look in his eyes before their sparring matches. Lei Xiuyuan was the kind of person who harbored an unyielding pride deep in his heart, refusing to bow down even if it meant being crushed to pieces. Although he usually tried to maintain a calm and rational demeanor, Hu Jiapin knew that what Lei Xiuyuan desired most was to compete against strong opponents, to act recklessly within the allowed boundaries. That was just who he was.
Hu Jiapin shrugged and swallowed the rest of his words. It was quite possible that this young man would gradually surpass him. He had only recently broken through the fourth bottleneck, while Lei Xiuyuan had already become a direct disciple.
He recalled True Person Guangwei’s admonition in the Dan Cave: “Do you know how your temperament differs from Xiuyuan’s? His desire to compete is the most intense, and that is his cultivation mindset, using all his abilities to make himself stronger. As a senior brother, you’re carefree all day. Where is your cultivation mindset?”
Ah, how frustrating, Hu Jiapin frowned.
Suddenly, a cold yet soft hand grasped his. Hu Jiapin held that hand tightly, pressing it against his cheek. The black-veiled woman’s delicate and cool voice softly sounded, “Young Master Ping, your mood is unstable. Is something troubling you?”
Hu Jiapin closed his eyes, and after a long while, he said softly, “Just stay with me.”
“Since you’ve returned, why not go see the Master?” She knew that Hu Jiapin’s failure to pay respects to True Person Guangwei was improper and would inevitably lead to another scolding. She understood Hu Jiapin all too well; all reproaches and lectures were useless to him. Some disciples improved with more scolding, but he only got worse. He needed to be coddled and humored to show any improvement.
Hu Jiapin shook his head, “I want to wait until I break through the fifth level of tranquility before returning to see Master. Amu, will you come with me?”
“Whatever you command, I shall follow.”
“I’m not ordering you. What do you think?”
“Why ask again? I’m already here.”
Hu Jiapin chuckled and kissed her icy fingertips.
Inside the massive earth wall beneath the arena, Zhao Min’s entire body was enveloped in Five Elements spiritual energy, still unconscious. The cold poison in her body was severe. The Yin-Yang Calamity Wave Mirror used a combination of three types of spiritual energy, making the ice more difficult to cure than ordinary water-element cold poison. Every moment left untreated meant another moment of suffering for this female disciple.
Li Fei leaned against the earth wall, staring blankly at Zhao Min’s pale face. Su Wan was consoling her nearby, and Deng Xiguang was also chattering about something, but she hadn’t heard any of it.
Suddenly, a hand grasped her shoulder. A strong hand patted it a couple of times. Li Fei raised her head in a daze to see True Person Chongyi smiling kindly at her. “Don’t worry about your senior sister. She’s tougher than old bamboo in winter.”
Li Fei’s throat tightened as she said softly, “That Qin Yangling, it was I who…”
She had considered that Qin Yangling, having been driven down from the Cloud Sea, would surely harbor resentment. But when Senior Sister Zhao Min was severely injured, she realized how naive she had been. Qin Yangling had only been away from the Cloud Sea for a year, and after that year, he could still return as a direct disciple. Having lost face, he had become even more fearsome and troublesome than before, just like Zhenyun Zi from years ago. Their actions could only be described as “evil,” yet there was no justice to suppress them. Some elders even looked at Qin Yangling with admiration, praising him for mastering the Yin-Yang Calamity Wave Mirror to such a degree, and even regretting that he had been driven down from the Cloud Sea for that “minor incident.”
It turned out that this world truly didn’t distinguish between good and evil; it was merely one force overpowering another.
True Person Chongyi smiled and said, “What’s the matter? Do you regret it? Would you rather have watched him abuse others while you just stood by?”
Li Fei remained silent for a moment, unsure of what to say.
“As long as you can live with a clear conscience, that’s enough. When you do something and feel satisfied, that’s a good thing for you. Today, Qin Yangling got his revenge, and he feels satisfied too. When you have the power to return everything from today, you’ll be the one feeling satisfied. Li Fei, there’s no need to think so complexly. We cultivators transcend the mundane world, yet we cannot completely detach from it. We struggle for fame, for profit, and some simply for the satisfaction of their various desires. These are all cultivation mindsets. You hate those who hurt and humiliated you and even regret it, but there’s no need for that. Even immortals can’t make medicine for regret. What’s done is done. Be decisive and never regret. That’s what it means to be a disciple of Chongyi.”
True Person Chongyi patted her shoulder once more, then passed through the earth wall to Zhao Min’s side. He released a gentle light of Five Elements spiritual energy from his sleeve to heal the cold poison in her body.
Li Fei lowered her head, pondering his words. Suddenly, she heard Riyuan’s voice by her ear: “This little immortal does have some character. I like what he said.”
Is he awake again? Didn’t he just wake up two days ago?
Li Fei bowed to True Person Chongyi through the earth wall, then turned to nod at Su Wan and Deng Xiguang, linking arms with Su Wan. “I’m fine now, thank you both. Let’s continue watching the competition.”
Both Su Wan and Deng Xiguang looked uneasy. Deng Xiguang even forced a bitter smile and said, “Senior Sister Zhao Min was injured so badly, I’m feeling even less confident now. Junior Brother Lei… uh…”
Li Fei couldn’t help but look up at Lei Xiuyuan. He was saying something quietly to Hu Jiapin, a faint smile on his face. It was as if he hadn’t taken the shocking battle earlier to heart at all.
The more he showed this kind of expression, the more it indicated he was forcing himself to be strong inside. Li Fei clenched her fists tightly, then slowly relaxed them. She smiled again, “We should just watch quietly.”
Riyuan seemed very interested in the Martial Arts Competition. He had been flying high up, eyes wide open, looking around everywhere, his big ears constantly twitching. Li Fei whispered, “Haven’t you noticed that you’ve been waking up more and more frequently lately?”
He replied indifferently, “Naturally. The demonic energy that was shocked and agitated by your original spiritual energy is gradually subsiding. After some more time, I’ll even be able to temporarily leave the host and wander around. Hmph! That’ll be much more enjoyable than following a fool like you!”
“Leave me? Aren’t you afraid of being discovered?” Li Fei clicked her tongue.
Riyuan sneered, “Stupid question!”
At this moment, the dozen or so arenas below suddenly began to move, gradually merging into one enormous stage. There weren’t many disciples who had broken through the third bottleneck, to begin with; even counting the entire Cloud Sea, there might not be more than two hundred. The further along the bottlenecks, the fewer the disciples. The significance of the competition had shifted from selecting new talents to purely showcasing the disciples’ cultivation progress to the elders.
A morning of competition had already eliminated more than half of the participants. The remaining disciples would compete in this merged giant arena to determine the top ten of this group. It was said that the elders would have various rewards for the top ten of each group, perhaps miraculous pills or maybe some magical treasures, causing great anticipation.
Two disciples had already begun their duel in the massive arena, with dazzling lights from high-level immortal techniques flashing everywhere. Countless ordinary disciples below watched in awe. Li Fei had wanted to watch quietly, but Riyuan kept mumbling beside her. One moment he would praise, “That Earth Lord’s Body Protection is beautiful!” and the next he would curse, “Idiot! They expose their back to you, and you fall for it and chase?”
“Not fast enough! Not vicious enough! Ah! If real combat were this hesitant, they’d have died countless times already! These disciples are still too green, lacking the experience of life-and-death struggles. Every move shows caution and hesitation. How can they fight like this?”
Riyuan kept grumbling, but he seemed very engrossed and interested, his ears constantly twitching. Li Fei didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Well, watching the competition while listening to Riyuan’s criticisms might help her gain some combat experience.
However, as he said, the disciples’ fights inevitably showed caution. They had to protect themselves while being careful not to hurt others, which inevitably made them restrained. The kind of uninhibited, life-or-death combat seen in the East Sea Trial Grounds never appeared here.
After three consecutive battles, suddenly, True Person Dongyang flew into the arena riding his gourd. It seemed the next match would be judged by him. He took out a booklet from his sleeve, looked down at it, and announced loudly, “Lei Xiuyuan, Qin Yangling!”
It’s Lei Xiuyuan’s turn?! In an instant, everyone’s gaze focused on these two. Qin Yangling’s previous battle had been swift and decisive, not to mention ruthless. The disciples in their hearts still hoped for something exciting in the Martial Arts Competition; constantly throwing around immortal techniques softly was quite boring.
Qin Yangling, expressionless, was the first to descend from the clouds. He raised his eyes to look at Lei Xiuyuan, then pointed at him—a second blatant provocation! The disciples immediately erupted in excitement.
As Lei Xiuyuan was about to descend, his sleeve was suddenly grabbed. Li Fei held onto him tightly, saying nothing, not knowing what to say.
He chuckled softly, raised his hand to caress her cheek, and asked gently, “Have you decided what reward to give me?”
Li Fei smiled bitterly. Suddenly, her hand felt light. Lei Xiuyuan had gently freed himself from her grasp. In the blink of an eye, he had landed in the arena, his tea-white disciple robe swaying gracefully, exuding composure.
True Person Dongyang looked at these two disciples, seeing Qin Yangling’s face full of cold smiles and Lei Xiuyuan’s indifferent expression, quite different from the usual demeanor of competing disciples. He immediately frowned and said, “Listen well, the purpose of this competition is to learn from each other, not to willfully harm your fellow disciples. Especially you—”
He looked at Qin Yangling. He strongly disliked how this person had just used the Yin-Yang Calamity Wave Mirror to freeze Zhao Min. Although strength was paramount in the world of cultivation, someone who didn’t understand even the most basic principles of being a decent person could never achieve greatness.
“If I discover any intentional harmful behavior, regardless of who wins, this match will be immediately invalidated!”
As soon as True Person Dongyang finished speaking, he rode his gourd to soar into the air. In the next moment, Qin Yangling raised his hand, and countless huge ice mirrors densely filled the entire arena, even more numerous than when he had faced Zhao Min.