Sunset Shines on the Great Banner, Loli Wind Rustles

The morning wind on the Sword Plaza today blew fiercer than usual.

Green and yellow banners, straight sword bamboos, every strip of sleeve and robe... all rustled and flapped in the strong wind, giving a tense feeling of a storm brewing before it arrives.

Xiao Ran's words were like a stone cast into water, stirring ripples in the hearts of the assembled disciples. The ripples spread swiftly, turning into crashing waves in the blink of an eye.

Among the sparse crowd, a few Inner Sect Disciples who itched for action and were eager to move took another look, sizing up the young shishu on the platform.

Could the Sword-Wielding Elder have actually picked a genius with a special constitution?

No one dared to make a move.

But someone dared to speak.

A middle-aged disciple with the air of a seasoned veteran made a slight bow to Xiao Ran and probed with a hint of deference: "I heard that Uncle-Master Xiao is skilled in life skills like construction and farming. Could it be that today's competition is about—"

Xiao Ran, hands clasped behind his back, shook his head and cut the man off directly.

"I don't have that kind of free time. Today, we only compete in combat talent."

The man paused, thought for a moment, then put on a troubled expression and asked, "But Shishu, you..."

"Two methods of combat."

Xiao Ran held up two fingers.

"First option: limit Cultivation Level, fight as mortals, only comparing Body Art or swordsmanship, and restrict the spiritual tools used to mortal-grade."

"Second option: no limit on Cultivation Level, no limit on spiritual tools, no distinctions, no rules—fight however you like, as long as no lives are taken."

The Sword Plaza fell silent.

Only the wind howled fiercely.

Before the crowd could think it over, Xiao Ran added:

"I'll wait here for one hour. If no one answers the challenge, then don't ever set up this kind of boring arena again."

The wind whistled and rustled.

His words landed with weight! A few disciples who had come to watch immediately scattered, spreading Xiao Ran's words to every mountain peak and every corner of the Inner Sect.

One stone stirred a thousand ripples!

The Inner Sect Eighteen Peaks instantly erupted into an uproar.

"A boring arena? Are you sure that Direct Disciple said that?"

"Two options for the challenger to choose from? I thought the Direct Disciple would limit Cultivation Level and only compete in sword arts and Body Art!"

"Why is a mere mortal so arrogant? Could he be hiding his strength..."

"Or is the Sword-Wielding Elder hiding in the shadows, secretly helping him?"

"How could that be—I just heard from Master Boyun that the Sword-Wielding Elder has gone out on business and won't return to the sect for three days!"

"Deliberately creating an alibi while secretly stuffing the Direct Disciple with secret spiritual tools, letting him fight above his level!"

"Can't rule that out, but I still think Uncle-Master Xiao is hiding his strength. You didn't see his expression just now—how could a mortal have that kind of bearing?"

"Could it be a bluff? Deliberately offering two choices, either to elevate himself or hint that he's armed with a sharp weapon, forcing the challenger to pick the first option."

"You have a point. In any case, we can only watch. Don't act rashly. Senior Sister Jiang and Junior Brother Ye are definitely more anxious than us. Besides, there's still Uncle Chen as the touchstone. Whether he's a mule or a horse, we'll see his true form soon."

"Whatever the case... there's a good show today!"

Similar discussions were taking place on every mountain peak.

Little Qiong Peak.

The female cultivators had just learned that Jiang Chuyan was joining Sword-Wielding Mountain to become the Sword-Wielding Elder's precious disciple's disciple. Before they could cheer and hold a farewell party, they heard an even more explosive piece of news.

Chuyan's direct master, the mortal Direct Disciple of Sword-Wielding Mountain, Xiao Ran, had descended upon the Sword Plaza right at the start of the first day of the Disciple Challenge.

"What a domineering man. Could he be hiding his strength?"

"No wonder even the senior sister had to bow and call herself his disciple!"

"Quick, go call the senior sister!"

"Where is the senior sister? She was just packing her things..."

"The senior sister went to the Main Peak to handle the peak-transfer procedures."

"She's at the Main Peak? Let's go see too!"

"Let's go, let's go!"

Hundred Herbs Peak.

In the medicine fields, there was a rustling sound, like snakes moving.

Chunwa and Qiuchan were weaving through the medicinal plants, heads down, catching bugs... and pulling weeds, completely unaware of what was happening on the Main Peak.

Each of them held an Iron Yak in one hand and a Nine-Star Ladybug in the other, until they suddenly bumped into a pair of slender, straight, soft, and warm calves.

Looking up, it was none other than their master, True Person Yinyue.

"Your Senior Brother Xiao Ran is currently accepting disciple challenges on the Main Peak Sword Terrace. Would you two like to go cheer him on?"

The two girls scratched their heads, picked up the hairpins that had fallen into the grass, and put them back on, replying casually:

"What do you mean... 'our' Senior Brother Xiao Ran?"

"Master, if you want to go see him yourself, just go. No one said elders can't watch. We still have weeding to do!"

"Besides, Master, no matter how much you stare, he's still someone else's disciple."

"If you ask me, instead of coveting another's disciple, you'd do better to treat your own disciples kindly. Couldn't you stock up on more candied hawthorn sticks from the Imperial City?"

True Person Yinyue's face darkened, and she said sternly:

"Today, you will clear every weed from the entire mountain. Only when the weeding is done will you eat."

The two girls shot up, their little heads barely rising above the medicinal field. A frog-shaped hairpin and a cicada-shaped hairpin stood out vividly among the herbs, as if alive.

"We're off to cheer for Senior Brother Xiao Ran right now!"

Sword-Tempering Mountain.

Inside a certain Profound Crystal Stone cave.

Gao Shi wore a Vision Obscuring Ring, methodically grinding swords on several pieces of Profound Crystal Stone of different textures, striving to simultaneously ensure the blade's sharpness, toughness, and the precision of its spiritual patterns.

It was an extremely complex process.

Gao Shi's ears and eyes paid no heed to the world outside; he merely repeated the same motion endlessly, appearing meticulous and highly professional.

But his mind had long since wandered off somewhere, his secretly amplified divine sense scouring the surrounding peaks.

"Master, the Xiao Ran Junior Brother you care about has unexpectedly appeared on the Main Peak Sword Terrace, awaiting disciple challenges."

"What business is that of yours?"

From the cave's ceiling came a cold, dry, aged voice.

True Person Moxia was in another cave dwelling, repairing and maintaining the Mountain-Guarding Grand Array.

It was a mountain-guarding task shared by Master Boyun, Huangfu Qun, and True Person Moxia after the Sect Leader went into secluded meditation.

"Don't you want Junior Brother Xiao Ran to visit Sword-Tempering Mountain? If he's severely injured on the arena, who knows how long he'll need to recover before he can come."

"None of your concern."

"The Sword-Wielding Elder went out this morning, and the disciple challenge isn't being presided over by Senior Brother Chen, but by Senior Brother Luo Sheng. This disciple feels it's necessary to go cheer for Junior Brother Xiao Ran, to prevent any foul play."

"Luo Sheng isn't the kind of person you think. He also passed the disciple challenge. If Xiao Ran can't even get through a disciple challenge, he has no business coming to Sword-Tempering Mountain."

"This disciple feels that Junior Brother Xiao Ran daring to come so early might mean he's hiding extraordinary strength. Isn't Master at all curious?"

"Of course I'm curious. But what does that have to do with you?"

"..."

Main Peak.

The wind on the Sword Terrace grew stronger.

A quarter-hour after Xiao Ran's appearance, thousands of Inner Sect Disciples had gathered on the Sword Terrace, a dense sea of heads.

It was as grand as a concert, yet not lively—instead, there was a desolate air, like "the setting sun shines on the great banner, horses neigh and the wind sighs."

Xiao Ran glanced at the jade slips scattered on the ground, then swept his gaze over the crowd.

He could be sure that among the disciples who had submitted challenge jade slips, all except Chuyan were present. He just couldn't tell who was who—he hadn't even picked out Ye Fan Great Emperor.

Besides the Inner Sect Disciples, there were also many Inner Sect Instructors present to watch, along with important figures from the Subsidiary Sects under Zongzhi Mountain.

Even Lin Yunzi had come, but due to his humble status, he dared not greet Xiao Ran openly, only bowing and cupping his hands from within the crowd.

The crowd filled every blind spot from all directions, a dark mass like every blade of grass turning into a soldier, yet utterly silent, with only the howling wind scraping past their ears.

This inevitably made Xiao Ran nervous. He closed his eyes, listening to all things, resonating with heaven and earth, and only then steadied his mind, maintaining his aloof persona.

Suddenly! He felt a weight on his shoulders.

He snapped his eyes open and turned his head—

Chunwa and Qiuchan had somehow perched themselves on his shoulders.

One on the left, one on the right, their bottoms half-sitting, half-dangling.

Their chubby little hands stroked the back of Xiao Ran's head like elders, while their four short, plump legs swung back and forth, their soft heels rhythmically tapping against Xiao Ran's chest.

What had been a tense arena suddenly turned comical.

Setting sun on the great banner, little lolis in the wind...

The lofty, cold persona Xiao Ran had painstakingly built up crumbled in an instant under those four swinging little legs, which even provided a ticklish massage effect.

"What are you two doing!"