Maybe because that fight with Bai Li had been so exhilarating that Fu Yan broke through so smoothly to mid Orifice Opening stage.
Only when she slowly pushed herself up from the ground did she really sense the power of her new realm. She felt that if she had faced Zhou Zhenlie with the same cultivation level back then, she would never have been as battered and miserable as before.
Sensing that Fu Yan’s aura had completely stabilized, Bai Li glanced over, her gaze mild and cool.
“Thank you for the guidance, Senior Sister. I’ve stabilized. Let’s continue.”
Fu Yan lifted her eyes to meet Bai Li’s. Her clear gaze held a subtle, indescribable smile.
Bai Li nodded without saying anything more.
And so, this match that had nearly ground the spectators’ patience to dust finally started up again. The two of them once more faced each other on the stage, swords in hand, letting the warm sunlight spill over their bodies.
“It’s finally starting. This is honestly the most drawn-out match I’ve ever watched. If it weren’t for Senior Sister Bai, I would’ve left ages ago.”
“Who wouldn’t? Does Fu Yan really think that just because she broke through to mid Orifice Opening, she can go head-to-head with Senior Sister Bai? If she’s going up there with that mindset, then she’s way too naive.”
“With Fu Yan at mid Orifice Opening now, can she at least get into the top sixty?”
“Not likely… but hard to say. We’ll see after the finals.”
“Hurry up, the match is officially starting again. Looks like Fu Yan’s still choosing to make the first move!”
…
Her thoughts were the same as before. In a match like this, Fu Yan absolutely could not afford to be passive. Once she got suppressed, she’d never get another chance to strike. So her figure flashed, and she burst forward, arriving in front of Bai Li in an instant.
With the boost from mid Orifice Opening, her speed had climbed yet again. This time she slashed out in a blur.
Seeing this, Bai Li merely twisted her toes against the floor. Her flowing skirt drew a perfect arc through the air as she turned. Her right hand lightly pinched her Moon Sway sword, turning sideways to meet the incoming Linglong Broken Sword.
A sharp rasp exploded by both their ears.
The airflow on the arena roared as it collided. Fu Yan and Bai Li’s blades scraped past each other, their long black hair whipping up in the wind as their gazes met at sword’s tip.
For a split second, Fu Yan felt her heart skip a beat. It was as if everything around her went unreal, the world falling into silence. In that vast space, only she and Bai Li remained.
Fu Yan: “…”
That feeling came without warning and disappeared just as quickly. By the time she snapped back to herself, the two of them had already separated, distance opening between them as their hair fell back down.
Fu Yan didn’t stop moving. She spun around sharply.
“Wuhuan Sword, First Form—Phantom Sword!”
She muttered under her breath and unleashed her Wuhuan Sword again. Just as Bai Li had said earlier, this time Fu Yan no longer blindly chased speed and power. Instead, she swept quickly around Bai Li’s perimeter.
Bai Li still didn’t move, as if simply waiting to see when she would actually attack.
Fu Yan’s mind stirred. She suddenly rushed in, true essence surging violently from her body. She gripped the Linglong Broken Sword tight. The sharp blade seemed about to tear the air itself, thrusting straight toward Bai Li in front of her.
Seeing this, Bai Li lifted Moon Sway between two fingers. Her true essence flowed along her fingertips into the sword. It looked like she intended to shatter Fu Yan’s sword art in a single blow.
But just as their blades were about to collide, Fu Yan’s figure suddenly shifted.
The powerful, fierce strike that had been hurtling straight at Bai Li abruptly unraveled the instant Bai Li met it, dissolving into nothing. Fu Yan herself flashed past and appeared on Bai Li’s right side.
Everyone saw it clearly this time. That last sword had only been a feint. Fu Yan’s real intention was to attack from the right.
For a moment, the crowd erupted in shock.
“Why do I feel like Senior Sister Bai has been deliberately guiding Fu Yan’s sword all this time? She hasn’t gone all out from the very start.”
“Exactly. And when their swords brushed just now, there was a second where I swear it looked like they were flirting mid-fight. Ugh… I’m sinful!”
“What the hell?”
“Look, Fu Yan used the first form of the Wuhuan Sword again. This time it’s even fiercer than before. Sure enough, once she broke through a stage, her strength shot up.”
“Something feels off. No way… that last sword was actually fake, and she really wanted to strike from the right. But that’s not right—once you unleash a sword move, can you really just pull it back that easily?”
“That’s what you don’t get. The Wuhuan Sword is ever-changing. What you see might not be real. Otherwise why would it be called the Wuhuan Sword?”
“Ah? Then did Senior Sister Bai not see through it either? What now? Can Senior Sister Bai still block Fu Yan’s real attack?”
…
Everyone seemed to hold their breath, eyes glued to every movement on the arena, afraid to miss even a heartbeat of the action.
The instant Fu Yan landed, she tapped the floor with her toe and dashed toward Bai Li again. Her powerful blade swept across the arena like a storm.
It all happened in the blink of an eye. Bai Li had just committed her sword in the wrong direction and seemed to have no time to twist aside. Even though everyone knew she wouldn’t lose, they still couldn’t help but clench their fists in worry.
At the critical moment, Bai Li did not urgently twist to dodge. Instead, she calmly turned her hand behind her back. Moon Sway slid down with that motion, naturally blocking at her side.
Fu Yan’s sword tip scraped past.
Bai Li just stood there, one hand effortlessly catching her attack. In the next heartbeat, her figure flickered. With a light flick of her wrist, she directly knocked the Linglong Broken Sword from Fu Yan’s hand.
A metallic clang rang out as the broken sword fell to the ground.
Fu Yan: “…”
“I lost.”
Fu Yan took a breath, then finally raised her head to say it to the supervising elder at the side.
The elder paused, then announced to the crowd,
“Bai Li wins. One point.”
Fu Yan said nothing. She bent down to pick up her Linglong Broken Sword, then finally looked over at Bai Li and smiled.
“Thank you for your guidance, Senior Sister. I gained a lot from this match.”
She had known from the start how big the gap in strength between her and Bai Li was. So even after breaking through to mid stage, she had never overestimated herself. There was nothing to be disappointed about. On the contrary, she had clearly seen a lot of her own shortcomings.
Overall, she had gained quite a bit from this fight.
In fact, Fu Yan still had not used the second form of the Wuhuan Sword. After all, there were still the finals ahead; it wouldn’t do to expose all her cards too early. Besides, the second form wouldn’t be able to do anything to Bai Li anyway.
Seeing that Fu Yan could still smile so easily, Bai Li, who had just sheathed her sword, was momentarily taken aback. Fu Yan’s mental state surprised her.
For those with exceptional talent, it was common for so-called geniuses to reject failure, to let it warp their dao heart. Bai Li had thought that someone like Fu Yan, who had been on a nonstop winning streak up to now, would need time to walk herself out of this loss. She hadn’t expected it to barely affect her.
Her dao heart seemed as unwavering as ever.
She did not grow arrogant from victory, and she did not sink into despair from defeat. Someone like this was destined to walk very far on the path of cultivation.
Sheathing her sword completely, Bai Li nodded to Fu Yan and then turned to step off the arena. Fu Yan followed right behind.
Only after the two of them left the stage did the crowd around finally snap out of it.
“We all knew Junior Sister Fu was going to lose, but why do I feel like that was still an amazing match? Also, let me just say—Senior Sister Bai was insanely cool!”
“I cried when Senior Sister Bai blocked Fu Yan’s Wuhuan Sword with one hand. But Junior Sister Fu was incredible too.”
“She should be able to make it into the top fifty this year.”
“No way, she just entered the inner sect two months ago. This is also her first ranking tournament, and she can already make it into the top fifty? In a way, doesn’t that mean her talent’s already catching up to Senior Sister Bai’s?”
“Who knows…”
…
Soon, the last day of the five-day preliminaries came to an end. Fu Yan sat quietly, listening to the announcement of the finals arrangements.
The finals were divided into four groups.
Those with full points from straight wins formed Group One. Those within three points of full formed Group Two, and so on down for Group Three and Group Four.
Tomorrow would be the Group Four finals. The top three of each group would advance into the next group to continue competing. In other words, only those who placed in the top three of their group would have a chance to keep climbing.
Because Fu Yan had lost one match to Bai Li, she was placed into Group Two. Bai Li, of course, was in Group One.
Fu Yan also saw Tong Zhen’s name in Group One. Honestly, Tong Zhen was quite lucky. Aside from facing Li Yanwei, who had ranked ninety-eighth last time, in her first match, all her other opponents had been disciples ranked below one hundred.
So she had breezed through with straight victories into Group One.
“Fu Yan, you’re so unlucky. How did you end up facing Senior Sister Bai in the last round? Otherwise you would’ve totally made it into Group One too. Your strength is way higher than mine!”
Tong Zhen grumbled on Fu Yan’s behalf as they ate.
Fu Yan merely smiled, took a slow sip of soup, then looked up at Tong Zhen.
“The final rankings of Group Two will probably be around one hundred to two hundred. That’s pretty good. Besides, it’s not like I have no chance to enter Group One.”
Tong Zhen blinked, then suddenly realized.
“Right. As long as you get into the top three of Group Two during finals day, you’ll be fine. I believe you definitely won’t have a problem.”
Fu Yan couldn’t help laughing.
“And why do you believe in me that much?”
“Huh?”
Tong Zhen looked completely lost. She set down her chicken leg and stared at Fu Yan in confusion.
“It’s not that I believe in you. It’s that you already have that level of strength in the first place.”
She said it as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
For a moment, Fu Yan had nothing to say.
Seeing that Fu Yan had fallen silent, Tong Zhen seemed to think of something else in a hurry.
“I watched your match with Senior Sister Bai today too. It was so good. Both your sword styles were so graceful and beautiful, and you both had such presence.”
Fu Yan wasn’t sure where she was going with this and gave her a puzzled look.
Tong Zhen suddenly put on a pitiful yet envious expression.
“Cultivating the sword is really amazing. I want to practice the sword too. Do you think I’m suited for it?”
As she spoke, she had clearly already pictured herself brandishing a sword, and she started giggling foolishly to herself.
Fu Yan: “…”
“Tong Zhen.”
Fu Yan called her name.
Tong Zhen had to drag herself back from her daydream.
“Mm?”
“Promise me, don’t ever give up on your own path, okay? With your physique, not cultivating the body would be a complete waste.”
Fu Yan looked at her quietly, sincere and earnest.
Tong Zhen let out a little whimper.
In the end, she did give up on the idea of learning the sword and continued on her body cultivation path.
After returning, Fu Yan stuck to her routine, sitting in meditation and cultivating through the night until dawn broke.
Today was the Group Four finals. To be honest, those matches held no interest for Fu Yan anymore. So instead of going to Main Peak, she went alone to the inner sect’s mission hall.
Now that she had reached mid Orifice Opening stage and had the Wuhuan Sword, she at least had some means of protecting herself. But she couldn’t just stay cooped up in the inner sect forever.
On the path of cultivation, if you wanted solid, steady progress, you couldn’t avoid life-and-death battles. So after some thought, Fu Yan decided that once the ranking tournament ended, she would go down the mountain to temper herself.
Might as well pick up a mission and earn some spirit stones while she was at it.
The inner sect mission hall was more than twice the size of the outer sect’s. From the outside it already looked rich and grand. This was Fu Yan’s first time here since entering the inner sect.
As soon as she stepped inside, she saw that the vast main hall was lined with mission boards. From the supervising elder she learned that inner sect missions were divided into five difficulty tiers: blue, white, green, red, and purple.
She went straight to look at the purple missions. Almost all of them clearly stated that only disciples at peak Orifice Opening stage could accept them. Obviously nothing she should be chasing at her current level.
So she skipped past purple and went to the red mission section. Most red missions were team missions, requiring cooperation, and one’s cultivation could not be below mid Orifice Opening stage.
After a moment of thought, Fu Yan decided to look for a red mission.
After quickly scanning down the boards, her gaze finally settled on a task that seemed suitable.
Escort Squad.
Difficulty: Red
Requirement: Cultivation must not be lower than mid Orifice Opening stage.
Reward: Five thousand lower-grade spirit stones, two Vitality Pills, and one Harmony Qi Pill.
Details: On the tenth day of the fifth month, at Luanjin Fort, one thousand miles north of Shuiling Sect, an important shipment needs to be delivered to Chaoyang City. Along the way, the route passes through Shadow Forest and the Shifting Sand Gobi. Please note: Shadow Forest is extremely dangerous, with third- and fourth-rank demonic beasts frequently appearing. The Shifting Sand Gobi is plagued by horse bandits, among whom there may be experts at peak Orifice Opening stage.
The reward even included a Harmony Qi Pill. That was one of the best pills for breaking through to the Integration stage, exceedingly precious. It also showed this red mission was far from ordinary.
It was a team mission—not only Shuiling Sect disciples, but also disciples from other sects could join. Most likely ten or a bit more people would be gathered to make up the escort squad.
Fu Yan stared at the mission description for a while, weighed her options, and finally decided to take it.
Having made up her mind, she took the mission slip to the elder in charge of the hall to register, then turned and left.
The tenth of the fifth month was still ten days away. There was no need to rush.
After Fu Yan left, she didn’t notice that a gaze had fallen on her departing back. That person had been inside the mission hall from the very beginning, so he had seen perfectly clearly which mission Fu Yan had accepted.
He soon let out a soft laugh and turned to fly quickly off in another direction.
In a quiet room on one of the inner sect peaks…
“What did you say? Fu Yan finally accepted a mission to go down the mountain?”
Water Liuqing’s voice held a note of delight as she looked at the person in front of her, the corners of her mouth curling up.
“Yes. I saw it with my own eyes. She took the Luanjin Fort escort squad mission.”
The man thought for a moment, then reported word for word.
Water Liuqing let out a cold little laugh.
“Good. I was afraid she’d keep hiding in the inner sect. Now this will be much easier.”
Because Fu Yan had crippled Zhou Zhenlie, Zhou Wunan naturally wouldn’t let it go. As an inner sect elder, he couldn’t act openly, so dealing with Fu Yan fell to his disciple, Water Liuqing.
Ever since Fu Yan had rejected the life-and-death challenge last time, Water Liuqing had understood that this girl was not as brainless as she’d assumed. If Fu Yan stayed in the inner sect, it really would be difficult to find a clean chance to strike.
But since Fu Yan couldn’t sit still and insisted on going down the mountain, then what happened afterward would be entirely up to her.
Thinking this, Water Liuqing couldn’t help but laugh.
“Alright. If I remember right, Shuiling Sect only has three slots for this escort squad. Go accept the other two.”
She gave her order calmly.
“Senior Sister Shui,” the man said suddenly, “there’s only one slot left. Someone else took the mission before Fu Yan did.”
Water Liuqing froze for a second. For some reason she had a bad feeling this wouldn’t be so straightforward.
“Who?” she asked, lifting her eyes.
The man hesitated a moment, then finally said three syllables.
“Big Senior Sister.”
If it had been an ordinary disciple, it wouldn’t have mattered. But when Water Liuqing heard his answer, her brows knit tightly.
“You mean…”
“Bai Li?”
