After Faking Her Death and Fleeing, the Emotionless Daoist Master Regretted It - Chapter 29

Chapter 29: Continuous Victories – The Protective Shizun

Rong Jiangzhu saw her Junior Sister’s resolute attitude and said no more.

Since ancient times, the path to achieving Dao via the ruthless path had been the most difficult. She only wished her Junior Sister could realize her wish someday.

At this moment, cultivators gathered like clouds on Yanwu Peak.

Su Lingqing, as the disciple of Venerable Lingxiao, was the center of attention.

Countless eyes fell upon her. There was envy, longing, and admiration, as well as scrutiny and a subtle, indefinable jealousy.

Initially, she was a little nervous, but as soon as she remembered that her every move outside, to some extent, represented Shizun’s face, she quickly calmed down.

No matter what, she absolutely couldn’t lose face for Shizun!

At the fifth quarter of the Mao hour (5:45 AM), the drawing of lots began.

A giant lot-drawing cylinder appeared on the light screens surrounding the nine-story pavilion.

Su Lingqing looked up and saw the cylinder spin dozens of times like a top, then suddenly disappear with a boom. Columns of battle information then appeared on the light screens one by one.

Due to the large number of participants, the first round of the trial was divided into three sessions.

She quickly found her name in the list for the first session.

Arena Ten: Su Lingqing of Xuantian Peak versus Wang Miao of Fu Peak (Talisman Peak).

Her opponent in the first round was a Qi Refining Level Eight cultivator, the same as her.

The moment Wang Miao saw the battle information, he quickly ascended the arena. Su Lingqing was a little slower. The instant she stepped onto the arena, her opponent had already launched his attack.

At that moment, dozens of talismans flashed brightly, raining down on her like a deluge.

The cultivators watching the trial started to discuss this scene.

“If I remember correctly, isn’t the arena trial supposed to start only after both parties are on the stage and have exchanged courtesies?”

“Yes, Wang Miao’s action can be described as petty and despicable!”

“Unfortunately, the sect rules don’t explicitly stipulate this matter, so he can’t be punished for it…”

“The activated talismans all appear to be supreme-grade Tier One, each strike is equivalent to a full-force attack from Qi Refining Level Ten. Senior Sister Su is probably in danger…”

The arena space was limited. Su Lingqing faced the attack head-on, with no way to avoid it.

According to the trial rules, stepping off the arena meant defeat.

Wang Miao’s purpose was clear: force her to jump off the arena to evade the attack. That way, she would escape danger, but the first round of the trial would also be declared a failure.

Su Lingqing naturally wouldn’t allow this to happen. Therefore, faced with the dense talisman attacks, she chose to confront them head-on.

The Flowing Light Sword was instantly summoned. The girl held the sword in her right hand, and the defensive-oriented Jade Sea Tidal Heavens sword technique was instantly performed, forming a sky full of sword light.

Accompanying a series of loud roars, the sword light touched the attacks transformed by the talismans and was rapidly annihilated. Under the continuous execution of the sword technique, another layer of sword light was instantly generated, linking together endlessly.

After a moment, the enemy’s offensive gradually weakened.

Su Lingqing seized the opportunity to shift from defense to offense. The sword’s momentum suddenly changed. She sequentially executed the Shadowy Light and Silent Moonfall sword techniques, quietly approaching her opponent.

By then, Wang Miao’s clothes were stained with bl00d and he had multiple injuries due to being affected by the overwhelming sword light from the previous wave of attacks.

When he realized the crisis was upon him, it was already too late. A sharp long sword was held against his neck. If he moved even a fraction of an inch more, his life would immediately be in peril.

“I admit defeat!”

Wang Miao was filled with resentment, uttering these words almost through gritted teeth. Losing the chance to compete for a slot, the hatred revealed in his eyes was almost undisguised.

The victor was determined. Su Lingqing put away the Flowing Light Sword and did not attack further.

The defeated opponent walked down the arena with his head bowed, the hatred in his heart growing stronger. He secretly gathered a bloody light in his palm, planning to launch a sneak attack when the girl was unprepared. Just then, above the auspicious clouds, a streak of sword light containing chilling murderous intent pierced the air and instantly struck his body.

Wang Miao’s brow cracked open with a bloody hole. His breath ceased instantly, and he fell straight to the ground.

The sudden change caught the surrounding cultivators off guard. They gasped in surprise, then, upon recovering, rushed to distance themselves from the corpse lying on the ground.

At the same time, a slightly cold voice reached everyone present.

“Wang Miao lost the trial, harbored resentment, and attempted to launch a sneak attack on a fellow disciple. His death is well-deserved. All of you should take this person as a warning and strictly abide by the sect rules!”

As these words fell, Yanwu Peak instantly fell silent.

Those who had not yet finished their trials subconsciously paused their combat, all looking up towards the clouds.

Limited by their strength, they couldn’t clearly see the figures above the auspicious clouds, but the voice they had just heard was all too familiar to the cultivators—it was none other than Venerable Lingxiao, the leader of the Daoist sects and highly revered within the sect.

In just a moment, the cultivators unanimously replied with a resounding “Yes.”

In fact, Wang Miao’s previous action was extremely subtle. Besides the elders on the auspicious clouds, very few cultivators on the peak had noticed it in advance.

Even so, no one doubted the Venerable’s words. They all believed her implicitly, which demonstrated the depth of Ling Yunyue’s prestige in the sect.

Su Lingqing walked off the arena, her eyes fixed on the clouds. Although she couldn’t clearly see Shizun’s figure, she could intuitively sense and confirm Shizun’s general location.

Shizun had saved her once again.

Through this incident, she also understood that fellow disciples could sometimes become true enemies.

If she was lucky enough to win a slot and the subsequent trial against the Heavenly Fire Sect cultivators, she would not only be wary of cultivators from other sects in the secret realm but also guard against some of her own fellow disciples.

After a long time, Su Lingqing retracted her gaze, her heart slowly calming down. She began watching the combat trials of others below the arena.

Not far away, Chi Wanyun looked at the girl, hesitating whether to approach.

By this time, she had discerned that the girl had unusual feelings for her Shizun.

It was likely an intuition among those of the same kind. She loved Senior Sister Xu unrequitedly, and Junior Sister Su felt the same way towards Venerable Lingxiao.

In her eyes, they were sharing the same unfortunate fate.

However, if one were to scrutinize, there was still a difference… Senior Sister Xu was truly cold and ruthless towards her, while Venerable Lingxiao was quite protective of her disciple…

Chi Wanyun hesitated for a long time. The thousands of words in her heart ultimately transformed into a sigh.

In matters of the heart, no matter what others said, it was futile. She herself was deeply entangled, so what position did she have to advise Junior Sister Su?

Su Lingqing was unaware of Chi Wanyun’s inner thoughts. At this moment, her attention was fully drawn to the combat trials on various arenas. While observing, she also gained a slight understanding of combat techniques.

After about two incense sticks’ worth of time, the first round of the trial was declared over.

Half of the participants were eliminated. The giant lot-drawing cylinder reappeared on the light screens surrounding the nine-story pavilion.

As before, the cylinder spun dozens of times and disappeared with a boom. New battle information immediately appeared.

The second round of the trial had two sessions. Su Lingqing quickly found her name in the first session.

Her opponent this round was Ning Qiaor, from Beast Taming Peak, a cultivator at Qi Refining Level Nine, one minor realm higher than her.

The two synchronously stepped onto the arena. After exchanging courtesies, the trial began.

Ning Qiaor instantly summoned five spiritual beasts, intending to drive them to surround and attack the girl from different directions.

However, the moment the incantation was performed, she realized something was wrong.

The spiritual beasts, usually exceptionally obedient, refused to follow her commands. The moment they were summoned, their bodies trembled, and they huddled on the arena like quails, motionless.

At this time, Su Lingqing’s attack had already arrived. The Illusory Shadow Tracking sword technique was instantly performed, multiple sword shadows alternating, difficult to distinguish between real and fake.

Ning Qiaor, her mind distracted, failed to dodge in time and was instantly approached by the girl. The sharp long sword was held against her neck from a distance.

She forced a wry smile and helplessly admitted defeat.

As she left the arena, looking at the five spiritual beasts that were gradually returning to normal, Ning Qiaor’s confusion intensified. She couldn’t help but transmit a message to the girl, asking: “Forgive my presumption, but did Junior Sister carry a treasure that can restrain spiritual beasts?”

Hearing this, Su Lingqing was initially confused. Then, as if realizing something, she slowly understood and replied cautiously: “It is not a treasure, but it does have a certain restraining effect on spiritual beasts.”

Ning Qiaor nodded with a smile: “Thank you for informing me, Junior Sister.”

With the confusion in her heart resolved, the slight frustration from losing the trial also dissipated.

She had registered to participate in the selection with an attitude of letting nature take its course and did not harbor any dissatisfaction towards the girl because of this.

Su Lingqing walked off the arena, constantly recalling the event that just transpired.

The only thing that could make the five spiritual beasts react like that was the little Phoenix. But Xiwu was clearly left on Xuantian Peak…

If she were to say that Xiwu having stayed with her caused her to carry a trace of the Phoenix divine beast’s aura, then why did the spiritual crane that brought her here earlier have no abnormal reaction?

Just as she was completely puzzled, a clear voice suddenly reached her ear.

“Sister, I’m right beside you.”

Hearing Xiwu‘s thought transmission, Su Lingqing was utterly astonished.

The little Phoenix had not acknowledged her as its master, so she couldn’t reply via thought transmission. Yanwu Peak was crowded. If she spoke rashly, it would certainly attract attention, so she could only remain silent.

The little Phoenix seemed to have guessed the girl’s concern and continued the thought transmission: “Xiwu used the Phoenix clan’s innate stealth divine ability and won’t be discovered by anyone. Originally, Xiwu only planned to watch Sister silently from a distance, but in the previous round, that bad guy almost harmed Sister. Xiwu was worried about similar things happening again, so I came over directly.”

These words completely resolved Su Lingqing’s confusion.

At this moment, the cultivators who had been closely observing the girl’s trial were discussing continuously.

“Those five spiritual beasts were already considered top-tier among Tier One. What kind of treasure could make them so afraid?”

“Treasures that can directly suppress spiritual beasts are extremely rare. I haven’t heard of any before.”

“In my opinion, it’s mostly a gift from the Venerable. I heard that when Senior Sister Su was brought back to the sect by the Venerable, she was only at Qi Refining Level Five. Now, only half a month later, she has already broken through to Qi Refining Level Eight. Even with her exceptional innate talent, she couldn’t have done it without the Venerable’s help.”

“That’s not right. The cultivation path strictly advises against hastily boosting growth. If one’s foundation is unstable, no amount of external help will work; it will only backfire in the end. Ultimately, it’s because Senior Sister Su’s own talent and comprehension are sufficient.”

“What Senior Sister Liu said is very true. Over the years, countless people have wanted to become the Venerable’s disciple, but all failed. Only Senior Sister Su succeeded. This point alone puts her far beyond our reach.”

The continuous discussions reached Su Lingqing’s ears. At this moment, she had no time to ponder, as the third round of lot-drawing had already begun.

This round of the trial had only one session. Five thousand participants remained.

She drew a Qi Refining Level Ten cultivator from Zhen Peak (Formation Peak). As soon as the trial began, she was trapped inside a formation.

Above the auspicious clouds, Ling Yunyue looked at this scene. A subtle change appeared on her indifferent face, and the jade-like fingers hidden in her sleeve quietly clenched.

Beside her, Sect Master Rong Jiangzhu secretly observed her expression and lightly coughed.

“If I’m not mistaken, Lingqing has a protective spiritual pattern left by Junior Sister on her. Even if she can’t break the formation, she won’t be harmed. Junior Sister, you are allowing concern to disrupt your judgment…”