“The match begins!”
Fu Yan was jolted back to herself by the steward elder’s shout from below. She steadied her mind and only then realized the fight on stage had already started.
Bai Li held the Yueyao Sword in hand, casually breaking apart every one of Liu Xu’s attacks. Liu Xu grew more and more flustered and winded, until after less than ten moves, the outcome was decided.
Bai Li, without any suspense, won the first bout.
After several rounds of rotation like this, the fights progressed quickly. Before long only three people remained on the stage: Bai Li, Yu Heng, and Chen Jun. The Shui Ling Sect’s once‑a‑year ranking tournament had finally reached its most exciting finale.
“First round, Bai Li versus Chen Jun!”
As the words fell, a wave of disappointment rippled across the stands.
“I knew it. They’re definitely saving Senior Sister Bai and Senior Brother Yu Heng’s match for last. I only came to watch those two fight it out!”
“Yeah, yeah. Last time they sparred it was just a light exchange, neither of them went all out. I wonder if Senior Sister Bai can still keep first place in the inner sect this year.”
“She should be fine. I feel like Senior Brother Yu Heng is strong, but compared to Senior Sister Bai there’s still some gap.”
“Alright, alright, just watch the match. Senior Sister Bai versus Knife‑Obsessed Chen Jun is obviously worth watching too, okay?”
“Look, it’s already starting!”
“…”
Chen Jun wasn’t called knife‑obsessed for nothing. His long saber really was terrifying. Even Lin Zihao, last tournament’s third place, had lost to that blade this time around.
Facing the man opposite her, Bai Li didn’t show the slightest hint of carelessness. A full year had passed—until the very end, you could never afford to underestimate anyone.
Chen Jun didn’t waste words. He had been longing for this battle with Bai Li for a long time, and he was naturally going to bring out his very best condition.
In the blink of an eye, the two figures on the arena moved at once. One sword, one saber, clashed together in an instant. Their strength was so overwhelming that even the protective formation around the arena began to distort.
As soon as they separated, Chen Jun showed no sign of stopping. He spun his saber around and slashed again. This strike was clearly no ordinary move—Fu Yan, sitting far off on the outer edge of the stands, could feel a terrifying pressure from it.
No wonder that later in the novel Chen Jun would comprehend Blade Intent. His saber really was frightening. With Fu Yan’s current strength, if she had to face him, she couldn’t see the slightest chance of victory.
On the stage, Bai Li had no intention of dodging. Her hands flew through a string of seals, her body leaning slightly forward. The Yueyao Sword rose high, hanging above her, then followed her gesture and shot toward Chen Jun.
With a boom, a deafening explosion rocked the arena.
Just when everyone thought the match might already be over, they saw that the two figures on stage were still locked in battle. Saber and sword collided again and again, sparks flying.
“What, it’s not decided yet? Has Senior Brother Chen Jun gotten this strong? He’s actually fighting Senior Sister Bai to a standstill!”
“Ahhh, I’m so hyped! I thought Senior Sister Bai was guaranteed to win, but now it doesn’t feel so certain. It looks fifty‑fifty!”
“Not necessarily. The killing move Senior Sister Bai just used was the same one from last year’s tournament. She must have other trump cards this year.”
“True. I thought the match between Senior Sister Bai and Senior Brother Yu Heng would be the highlight, but this fight is insanely good too!”
…
In just a short time, another dozen or so exchanges passed. At last, Chen Jun finally started to fall into a disadvantage. Everyone watching tensed up, afraid to blink and miss that inevitable deciding instant.
Fu Yan, seated in the stands, also frowned slightly. She believed Bai Li would win, but Chen Jun’s performance was beyond her expectations. It looked like he really wasn’t far from comprehending Blade Intent.
Just then, the fierce exchange on stage finally came to a halt. Bai Li and Chen Jun both pulled back, widening the distance and standing opposite each other, sword and saber held one‑handed, buying themselves a brief moment to breathe.
No one had expected this match to be such a slog. The one suffering the most, however, was probably Yu Heng waiting below.
He had been absolutely determined to take first place this time, with Bai Li as his only true opponent. But now, Chen Jun’s displayed strength stirred a faint dread in him.
Looking at the two people onstage, Yu Heng wasn’t sure he had full confidence to beat either of them.
Thinking of this, his fists clenched so tightly that it seemed he could crush a stone to powder.
The two still fighting, of course, had no idea what Yu Heng was thinking. Chen Jun raised his eyes to Bai Li. His cool gaze was filled with unshakable resolve. The corners of his lips lifted slightly as he gripped his long saber in both hands again.
If this next strike still couldn’t win, Chen Jun knew that even if he lost, he’d be convinced.
The next moment, everyone saw Chen Jun slowly lift his long saber with both hands, raising it before his forehead. A surge of ferocious true essence exploded from his body.
The ambient spiritual energy in the air rushed toward his saber, gathering around it. In an instant, it was like Chen Jun had been drawn into a vortex, terrifying currents of power swirling around the blade.
The suffocating aura drew gasps from the crowd.
“No way, Chen Jun still had a trump card? This move looks insane. Can someone in late Open‑Light stage really pull this off? Don’t tell me he’s already stepped into Great Perfection?”
“Impossible. But that saber strike is terrifying.”
“Ahhh, what do we do? I don’t want to see Senior Sister Bai lose, sob!”
“Shut up. Until the very end, you never jump to conclusions about a fight.”
“Right, right, I was talking nonsense!”
“…”
While everyone’s gaze was locked on Bai Li, she also quickly formed a seal. This time, the Yueyao Sword hovered gleaming right in front of her. Her expression shifted slightly, and the blade began to spin rapidly. True essence surged out from within her body.
“Blade of the Firmament!”
Chen Jun fixed his eyes on her and was the first to move, stepping forward. With a leap, his long saber hacked down as if descending straight from the heavens, chopping directly toward Bai Li.
“Ripples of Water!”
In the next instant, Bai Li reached out and drew her sword. Her whole person flowed forward like entering water, smooth and natural, plunging straight into the heart of Chen Jun’s saber momentum.
For a moment, everyone present unconsciously held their breath, eyes wide, staring unblinkingly at the arena.
In the span of a heartbeat, the entire platform began to tremble faintly. From afar, even the space above it seemed to warp. From that alone, one could imagine how terrifying that clash had been. Two breaths later—
Sword sheathed. Saber lowered.
The arena returned to stillness. Everyone stared at the two figures still standing on the platform, their faces full of disbelief.
“Was that… another draw?”
“No way. It’s not going to be that dramatic, is it?”
Just as the crowd was struggling to accept such a result, the steward elder slowly walked up onto the arena. Facing everyone, he announced:
“Bai Li wins.”
The crowd: “???”
Fu Yan also froze for a moment, then quickly understood. Bai Li had already broken Chen Jun’s killing move just now. Once your strongest technique was cracked, losing was only a matter of time. There was no need to drag the fight out any further.
Some of the older, more experienced disciples could see this clearly. Only those with shallower strength were still completely baffled by the outcome.
After the elder finished his announcement, Chen Jun hugged his long saber to his chest and walked off the arena without looking back.
Since it was a three‑person rotation, there would be a half‑hour break before the next round. For cultivators, half an hour passed in a blink.
Soon, the next match started.
This time it was Yu Heng versus Chen Jun. The two fought fiercely for dozens of rounds before finally deciding the outcome. Yu Heng was defeated; victory went to Chen Jun.
With that result, this year’s ranking was basically clear. According to the rules, however, Bai Li and Yu Heng still had to fight their match.
This was originally the most anticipated battle, but after the previous two, everyone’s earlier excitement had mostly faded.
After all, Yu Heng had lost to Chen Jun, and Chen Jun had lost to Bai Li. This final match was essentially decided before it started.
Still, a fight was a fight.
As expected, the result surprised no one. Bai Li won. Yu Heng, though unwilling, could do nothing to overturn fate.
Thus, the Shui Ling Sect’s annual inner sect ranking tournament drew its final curtain, and every inner disciple’s rank was freshly defined.
Reordering the rankings wasn’t a major task. That very night, everyone’s wooden identity tokens updated automatically with the new inner sect ranking list.
Back in her wooden hut, Fu Yan’s expression shifted slightly as she took out her own identity token. With a wisp of spiritual power infused, the ranking information appeared before her eyes.
First place: Bai Li.
Second place: Chen Jun.
Third place: Yu Heng.
…
Forty‑seventh place: Fu Yan.
Seeing Bai Li’s name at the top and her own position, Fu Yan finally smiled in satisfaction and put the token away.
Since Tong Zhen had already left the Shui Ling Sect and wasn’t truly counted as a sect disciple anymore, her name naturally wouldn’t appear in the updated rankings.
With the inner sect tournament finally over, there wasn’t much point in staying inside the sect any longer. On the path of cultivation, if you truly wanted to grow stronger, you still had to go out wandering and temper yourself.
Fu Yan took out the mission booklet she had received from the Mission Pavilion last time and read it over carefully once more. After confirming there were no problems, she put it away again.
It was time to prepare to head down the mountain to Luanjin Fort. If she delayed any longer, the mission would probably be over by the time she arrived.
Having made up her mind, Fu Yan stopped overthinking it. For once, she didn’t sit and cultivate through the night. Instead, she lay down and enjoyed a rare, proper sleep.
She slept soundly all night.
Early the next morning, Fu Yan packed her bundle with simple efficiency. She even spent a few hundred low‑grade spirit stones at the cafeteria to trade for a fair amount of food. She could already go half a month without eating if she chose, but you could never have too much food in reserve.
Before going down the mountain, she hesitated, then decided she should at least say goodbye to Bai Li. Aside from Tong Zhen, Bai Li was the only person she really knew in the inner sect, and they had grown quite close these last few days.
She just hadn’t expected to make the trip for nothing.
The place was empty.
