Back in the wooden hut, Fu Yan naturally had no idea someone was already watching her.
After putting away the newly accepted mission, she quickly returned to cultivation.
Whether it was for going down the mountain to temper herself, or for her group’s finals the day after tomorrow, Fu Yan had to push her strength as far as she possibly could.
So whenever she had time, she would start cultivating again. In a world where the weak were prey to the strong, nothing was more important than power.
She ran through the Frost-Quenching Body Art over and over again. Only today did Fu Yan finally feel as if she were about to touch the threshold of the first stage. Thinking of that, the stern expression on her face slowly eased.
For the entire next day, Fu Yan did not go up to Zheng Peak Arena to watch Group Three’s finals. She stayed in her room, drilling the two moves of the Wuhuan Sword until they became more and more familiar.
Of course, she hadn’t forgotten the jade slip of insights Bai Li had gifted her either.
These past days, Fu Yan had tried repeatedly to resonate with her Linglong Broken Sword, but there was no reaction at all. She’d tried dozens of times and still couldn’t figure out where the problem lay.
Cultivation time always slipped by in a blur, and soon it was the day of Group Two’s finals.
Early that morning, Fu Yan woke from meditation. As usual, she changed into her inner sect robes and, following the sound of the bell from Zheng Peak Arena, slowly made her way to the competition grounds.
The rules for the finals were simple. They would still draw lots to determine opponents, then eliminate layer by layer until the top three were decided.
Most disciples had been sorted into Groups Three and Four. Group Two and Group One held what could be called the cream of the inner sect, so their numbers weren’t huge.
Because of that, the draw didn’t use number tokens tied to identities this time. They simply drew names directly for each match.
Very soon, the first match began.
A deep, powerful voice boomed from the stage.
“Group Two finals officially begin. First match: Chen Chen versus Xu Wei!”
As the words fell, Fu Yan saw two male disciples quickly leap onto the arena. After saluting each other, they began the opening battle of the day.
Though the Group Two finals weren’t as spectacular as Group One’s, they were still more than worth watching for most ordinary disciples. The stands all around the arena were quite full.
Fu Yan casually glanced back at the spectator stands and immediately caught sight of a familiar figure. Tong Zhen was waving at her, as if cheering her on.
Fu Yan smiled and nodded back.
For some reason, after greeting Tong Zhen, her gaze swept over the entire spectator area again, as if searching for someone. Yet that person never appeared.
She paused slightly. She didn’t quite understand why she was suddenly hoping to see Bai Li here. With Bai Li’s strength, these fights held no meaning for her at all; she really had no reason to come.
Maybe… she just wanted Bai Li’s acknowledgment.
Fu Yan thought that over. She had to admit she was pretty stubborn about some things.
Steadying her mind, Fu Yan quickly tossed those inexplicable thoughts aside and focused again on the arena.
Before long, the fight on stage came to a close.
“Next match, Fu Yan versus Yun Changxue!”
Her name was finally called from the stage. Fu Yan walked straight up onto the arena and began her own Group Two finals journey.
Overall, Fu Yan’s strength was already within the top hundred. By noon, she’d fought two or three matches and won them all with ease. One opponent even admitted defeat the moment he stepped on stage, so she barely had to exert herself.
“Next match, Liu Mingze versus Cheng Kuang!”
Just as Fu Yan smoothly wrapped up another victory, the presiding elder at the side promptly called the names for the next bout. She hadn’t paid much attention at first, but on her way down from the stage, she brushed shoulders with that same Liu Mingze.
“I’ll be waiting for you.”
Liu Mingze shot her a leisurely, toying look as they passed. His voice was low enough for only the two of them to hear.
Then he stepped onto the arena without another word.
Fu Yan paused, glanced back at him, and immediately understood his meaning.
Liu Mingze was provoking her.
Back in the rest area, Fu Yan heard people around her discussing Liu Mingze.
“It’s actually Liu Mingze. Why is he in Group Two? That doesn’t make sense. I thought he was in Group One.”
“Liu Mingze? Who’s that, what’s the big deal?”
“You don’t know him? I remember last year he was the biggest dark horse. He went from outside the top five hundred and fought his way straight into the top hundred, finally securing rank fifty-eight. He was basically a legend in our inner sect last year.”
“Wow, he’s that strong? Rank fifty-eight… him showing up in Group Two really is surprising.”
“I know why. His luck was bad in the preliminaries—he ran into Blade Maniac Chen Jun and lost a match, so he couldn’t get into Group One. I watched that fight. Senior Brother Chen Jun completely crushed him. It was miserable to watch.”
“Aiya, why is Group Two so terrifying this year? First we get the monstrously talented Junior Sister Fu Yan, and now another Liu Mingze appears. I thought I still had a shot at breaking into the top three and entering Group One, but that’s totally impossible now.”
“Forget it, forget it. Looks like the top hundred has nothing to do with me again this year. Now it’s just a matter of seeing whether Senior Brother Liu Mingze or Junior Sister Fu Yan takes first place in Group Two.”
“You’re getting me all worked up. I can’t wait to see when those two will face off.”
“…”
After listening to the gossip, Fu Yan finally understood why she’d been provoked.
In Liu Mingze’s eyes, she was probably the only one in Group Two worth taking seriously.
Thinking that, Fu Yan turned her gaze onto the arena.
Liu Mingze had just stepped onto the stage and was completely suppressing his opponent from the start. The other disciple didn’t even have a chance to catch his breath, yet Liu Mingze didn’t finish him off. It looked like he was using his opponent as a punching bag.
What surprised Fu Yan even more was that Liu Mingze was also a body cultivator. His physical strength was incredibly fierce; his fists were like an impenetrable shield. His opponent’s attacks couldn’t break through his defense at all.
That naturally made Fu Yan think of Tong Zhen. She felt Tong Zhen’s physique should be even stronger than his, and Liu Mingze’s mentality was far too easily shaken.
An unstable mind meant countless openings.
“My heavens, Senior Brother Liu Mingze’s offense is so overwhelming. He’s not giving the other guy any chance to counter.”
“He’s venting. After getting crushed by Senior Brother Chen Jun that day, Liu Mingze must have been burning up inside. He needs someone to take it out on.”
“But this is still a proper competition. How can he go that far? I really hope I don’t draw him later. If I do, I’ll just surrender on the spot.”
…
Soon, the disciple on stage completely failed to withstand Liu Mingze’s unrelenting barrage. Realizing he had no chance to win, he quickly conceded, ending the match.
As Liu Mingze stepped down, he glanced again in Fu Yan’s direction, a mocking smile tugging at his lips.
He clearly looked like he was begging for a beating. That was the first thought that flashed through Fu Yan’s mind when she saw his expression.
Fu Yan really couldn’t be bothered with this type of person. But no matter what, they would cross paths eventually. Since someone was in such a hurry to get beaten, she saw no reason to be polite.
Aside from this little episode, Group Two’s finals proceeded quite smoothly. Before long, there were only three people left: Fu Yan, Liu Mingze, and Xu Wei.
That also marked the official start of the final three-way showdown.
First match: Liu Mingze versus Xu Wei. Liu Mingze wins.
Second match: Fu Yan versus Xu Wei. Fu Yan wins.
After half an hour of rest, only Fu Yan and Liu Mingze remained for the final bout of the day.
This was the fight everyone present had been looking forward to the most.
As they watched the two of them slowly walk onto the arena, the crowd below immediately started buzzing, debating who would claim first place in Group Two.
“What do I do? I’m weirdly excited. I’ve been waiting for this fight since this morning, and they just had to drag it out until the very end.”
“Exactly. I suspect the presiding elder did it on purpose, arranging things so they couldn’t meet until the last possible moment.”
“I think so too. This match is basically the grand finale for Group Two.”
“Look, look, they’re already on the arena. I can feel the faint killing intent from here, hahaha!”
Just as everyone was getting worked up, someone on the spectator stand suddenly rushed to the front and shouted at the top of his lungs.
“Come, come, don’t miss out! The grand showdown of Group Two—last year’s biggest dark horse versus this year’s biggest dark horse! Who will take first place? Who do you think will win? Bets start at fifty low-grade spirit stones, place your bets, no take-backs! If you wanna bet, hurry up!”
The crowd: “…”
They were stunned for a heartbeat. But once they processed what he’d said, a whole bunch of people hurried over to join the fun.
“I’ll put down a hundred low-grade spirit stones on Junior Sister Fu Yan to win!”
“Me, me! One hundred low-grade spirit stones on Senior Brother Liu Mingze!”
“I’ll add two hundred…”
“One thousand on…”
“…”
Fu Yan and Liu Mingze were already about to begin, but the commotion on the stands was so loud she couldn’t ignore it even if she wanted to. She turned her head and stared at the people frantically placing bets, momentarily at a loss for words.
What left her even more speechless was that she seemed to spot that brat Tong Zhen in the crowd. Tong Zhen swaggered as she pulled out a big bag of spirit stones from her storage ring and tossed it onto the pile.
Her voice rang out loud and clear.
“I’m betting on Fu Yan! Two thousand low-grade spirit stones!”
Fu Yan: “…”
With gambling this blatant, Fu Yan had originally thought the presiding elder would step in to stop it.
Unexpectedly, the elder acted as if nothing were happening. Completely unbothered, he simply called out lazily:
“All right, let the match begin.”
Forget it. Fu Yan couldn’t be bothered to care. She turned back to Liu Mingze instead. Though she was confident she could beat him, she also knew this fight wouldn’t be easy.
“Looks like everyone’s really looking forward to our match, Junior Sister Fu,” Liu Mingze said with a sudden laugh, his gaze on her like that of a hunter spotting prey.
Fu Yan smiled back, unruffled.
“In that case, Senior Brother, how about you just surrender now? Then my friend can walk away with a nice little profit.”
Her tone was mild, and she hadn’t even bothered to call him by name, as if she didn’t really remember who he was.
Anyone with a normal temper would be furious at that, and Liu Mingze was no exception.
“Then I’m afraid I’ll have to disappoint you. Your friend is destined to lose that bet.”
He was angry, but not stupid, and he wasn’t about to start throwing a tantrum mid-fight. What he enjoyed most was crushing his opponent’s confidence in battle.
“Please give me your guidance, Junior Sister Fu.”
They exchanged a brief bow.
The match officially began.
Liu Mingze slowly crouched, fists clenched, looking ready to launch himself at her at any moment.
Fu Yan didn’t dare be careless. She tightened her grip on the Linglong Broken Sword, thinking about how to open her offense.
She had watched Liu Mingze’s earlier matches, but they had never crossed blades directly. She still didn’t know exactly how tough his defense was.
With that in mind, Fu Yan made her move.
She flashed forward in a blur. Her sword swung down with explosive power, striking straight toward Liu Mingze.
He made no attempt to dodge. Instead, he stepped forward and met the sword with a fist. Steel met steel, and he didn’t fall into the slightest disadvantage.
Fu Yan had no intention of locking horns with him for long. Seeing that she was about to be forced back, she quickly withdrew her sword and spun away, narrowly avoiding his counterpunch.
She turned and refused to give him any chance to breathe. True essence burst from within her as she charged again, sword lashing out. Liu Mingze stomped down hard, bracing himself, and met her with his palm.
A powerful gust of force surged between them, kicking up sand and grit from the stage floor. Fu Yan’s sword strikes rained down like a storm—fast, fierce, and relentless—yet he blocked every one.
For a moment, the onlookers held their breath.
“No way. That defense is insane.”
“Liu Mingze really is a body cultivator. His defense is downright monstrous. No matter how sharp Junior Sister Fu Yan’s sword is, she can’t even scratch him.”
“Yeah, if this keeps up, it’ll be bad for Junior Sister Fu Yan. A fight like this burns a lot of true essence. Liu Mingze can just drag things out until she’s spent.”
“What? I bet on Fu Yan to win—am I gonna lose? My poor spirit stones, I saved those by scrimping and scraping…”
“Not necessarily. Junior Sister Fu Yan hasn’t used the Wuhuan Sword yet.”
“Right, the Wuhuan Sword is so powerful. It should be able to break Senior Brother Liu’s defense, right?”
…
As Fu Yan continued her assault, Liu Mingze smiled calmly.
“I must admit, your swordsmanship is impressive, Junior Sister Fu. Sharp and precise. But against me, you’re still going to lose today.”
Fu Yan ignored the provocation.
Her flurry of attacks had given her a decent feel for his defense. She abruptly stopped pressing forward and instead leapt back, opening some distance between them.
In the next instant, she raised her sword.
She unleashed the Wuhuan Sword’s First Form.
On the opposite side, Liu Mingze clearly sensed the change. This time he didn’t just turtle up. He stomped down, body sinking low.
In that moment, he was like a tiger waking from slumber, ready to pounce and tear its prey apart.
“Tiger Descends the Mountain!”
With a low roar, Liu Mingze lunged straight at Fu Yan.
She charged to meet him, her Phantom Sword strikes crashing head-on into his martial technique.
The power in the air seemed strong enough to rip the very vacuum apart. For two breathing beats, the clash remained deadlocked. Then the Wuhuan Sword’s First Form slowly began to give way.
With a heavy bang, Fu Yan was sent flying, slamming onto the arena floor. The Linglong Broken Sword was knocked from her grip and skittered two meters away.
The crowd exploded.
“As expected, Junior Sister Fu Yan is going to lose. Even the Wuhuan Sword can’t do anything to Liu Mingze. There’s no point in continuing this fight.”
“True… but I believe that given time, Junior Sister Fu Yan will definitely surpass him. Her only weakness is that she hasn’t cultivated long enough. Her talent should surpass his by far.”
“Well, then that’s that. Group Two’s first place is decided.”
Just as everyone thought it was over, Fu Yan suddenly sprang back into the air.
She reached out a hand.
“Linglong Sword!”
With a sharp whistling sound, the Linglong Broken Sword flew back into her palm.
Seeing that she intended to use the Wuhuan Sword’s First Form again, Liu Mingze laughed.
“So stubborn. I already told you, the Wuhuan Sword is useless against me. Fine, I’ll crush your confidence one more time.”
He turned into a tiger again and shot straight toward Fu Yan, who hovered in midair.
Fu Yan didn’t dodge.
She raised her sword and charged in.
When they clashed this time, Liu Mingze immediately sensed that something was wrong.
This wasn’t the same Wuhuan Sword as before.
He felt as if he’d been thrown into a giant meat grinder. Countless razor-sharp blades swept past his body, one after another. In his disbelieving eyes, those blades shredded his defenses and all their force crashed straight into him.
He spat a mouthful of blood and flew backward, hitting the stage hard a second later.
The sudden reversal sent the crowd into an uproar.
“I… I’m not hallucinating, am I? Junior Sister Fu Yan actually turned it around and beat Liu Mingze?”
“It… looks like it. How is that possible? Wasn’t the Wuhuan Sword useless against him? How did it suddenly break his defense?”
“Because that wasn’t the Wuhuan Sword’s First Form, Phantom. It was… the Wuhuan Sword’s Second Form, Phantasm.”
“What? Less than two months, and she already comprehended the Wuhuan Sword’s Second Form? Isn’t that talent downright monstrous? That’s terrifying.”
“Seriously. I’ve got goosebumps.”
…
Liu Mingze, once knocked down, never managed to get back up.
The presiding elder finally walked onto the stage. After looking at Fu Yan with a faint smile, he announced the result.
“Fu Yan wins.”
With that, Group Two’s finals came to an end.
Fu Yan took first place in Group Two and successfully advanced to Group One.
In the stands, joy and sorrow mixed together. Those who had bet on Fu Yan were naturally delighted—they’d just made a nice profit.
Fu Yan ignored all of that. Once the finals ended, she left Zheng Peak Arena directly, heading back toward the inner sect.
Tong Zhen hurriedly chased after her. She ran up in high spirits, shaking three big sacks of low-grade spirit stones right in front of Fu Yan.
“Hahaha, Fu Yan, you were amazing. I knew you’d win. Look, thanks to you, I just made all of this—three thousand low-grade spirit stones!”
If she hadn’t known that pulling out mid-grade spirit stones would scare everyone silly, Tong Zhen would’ve taken out a thousand mid-grade stones on the spot. In the end, she settled for low-grade ones.
Fu Yan: “…”
“Here.”
Tong Zhen suddenly thrust one of the bags at her, grinning.
“I know I won this myself, but without you I wouldn’t have won the bet. Take this thousand—you can accept it with a clear conscience.”
“Thank you.”
Fu Yan didn’t stand on ceremony. She knew Tong Zhen was sincerely giving it; refusing would just feel distant.
Tong Zhen could be considered the first friend she’d made.
“You’re welcome.”
Tong Zhen chuckled twice and put away the remaining two bags.
After a moment’s thought, she said,
“Tomorrow is the last day of the ranking tournament. I wonder how well we’ll place in the end.”
“I don’t know.”
Fu Yan smiled casually and stored away the spirit stones.
“No matter the rank, we just do our best and leave no regrets.”
Tong Zhen shook her head helplessly.
“Why do I suddenly feel like your mindset is exactly the same as Uncle Wu’s? Like you’ve already lived forever.”
Fu Yan almost laughed out loud. She had lived two lifetimes already, after all.
“Who’s Uncle Wu?”
“Huh?”
Tong Zhen jumped in fright and hurriedly pretended to be clueless.
“What Uncle Wu? Did I say ‘Uncle Wu’?”
Fu Yan smiled and was about to tease her a bit more when she suddenly sensed something.
She whipped around, staring into the darkness behind them.
The quiet night and the silent forest revealed nothing out of place.
“What is it? What are you looking at?” Tong Zhen was confused. She turned around as well, but saw nothing unusual.
Fu Yan paused.
She couldn’t just say she’d felt someone looking at her, so she brushed it off.
“It’s nothing. Let’s go back to the inner sect.”
Tong Zhen didn’t press the issue and just nodded.
The two of them walked off, their figures slowly receding into the distance. Snatches of their conversation still drifted back.
“Oh, right, I forgot to tell you. After the ranking tournament ends tomorrow, I’m planning to go down the mountain to train.”
“You’re leaving the mountain?”
“Yeah. If I don’t go out and temper myself, how am I supposed to get stronger?”
“What? You’re not strong enough already?”
“…”
Their voices grew faint, then disappeared entirely.
A white figure slowly stepped out from the black forest.
Under the clear moonlight, Bai Li watched the direction Fu Yan and Tong Zhen had gone, her clear eyes flickering slightly.
The first time she’d met Fu Yan, the girl had only been an outer sect disciple with utterly mediocre aptitude. Though Bai Li had given her an opportunity, she suddenly understood something now.
Even without her, Fu Yan would still have shone brilliantly.
She couldn’t deny it—she saw hope in Fu Yan.
Hope for their entire Northern Min Region.
Two years ago, Bai Li had met cultivators from the Central Capital. Only then had she realized how narrow her vision was… and how small the vision of the entire Northern Min Region truly was.
Someone like her, hailed as a once-in-centuries genius here, would be nothing worth mentioning in the Central Capital.
In the eyes of those monstrous talents, they were like ants, barely clinging to life.
How terrifying was the outside world really? Bai Li didn’t know, and she didn’t dare imagine it too clearly.
She didn’t know how far she could walk on the path of cultivation.
Would she one day step out of the Northern Region and go somewhere broader?
All of that was unknown.
Every cultivator yearned to go higher and farther. Bai Li was no different.
But could her talent really support that ambition?
She didn’t know.
Now, however, Bai Li saw hope in Fu Yan.
She knew that as long as Fu Yan was given enough time, the girl would soon catch up to her.
And then, surpass her by far.
Perhaps one day, Fu Yan would become someone she could only look up to.
