Requiem

In the stands.

"Feeling the pressure now?" the Old Heavenly Master asked with a smile, looking at his disciple who had arrived only in the final two minutes.

Zhang Lingyu nodded solemnly. Although he did not think much of Wang Bing, the information Shen Ye had revealed during that battle was truly terrifying.

It was nothing like the rumors from yesterday—that he had learned Spirit Binding and General Dispatching at a glance. On top of that, he had even developed a more powerful method from it.

Even Zhang Lingyu, whom the world called a genius, felt a powerless sense of being left far behind by such talent.

"Pressure is a good thing. If you stand too high among those your age, it becomes easy to lose sight of yourself!" As the Old Heavenly Master spoke, he turned his gaze toward the other side. "Actually, I'm even more curious about the next match!"

"Feng Baobao versus Hua Yue?" Zhang Lingyu glanced at the matchup chart and said softly, "That girl who follows Zhang Chulan around is indeed quite unusual."

Stroking his beard, the Old Heavenly Master said, "That girl's eyes are bright yet restrained. There seems to be a power hidden within her that even I cannot see through. As for that Hua Yue girl, she is even more inscrutable. Like that young layman, she is shrouded in mist from head to toe!"

Before Zhang Lingyu could speak, Old Tian beside them exposed him. "Senior Brother, you don't need to explain so much. Do you think your junior brother doesn't know you? You just like watching young girls fight, don't you?"

The Old Heavenly Master's lips twitched slightly. "Junior Brother, you're being naughty again. Be careful, or I'll toss you off the stands."

"Haha, I'll stop, I'll stop!"

On the other side of the stands, Zhang Chulan was diligently kneading someone's shoulders and back. "Sister Bao'er, you'll definitely win your next match, right?"

Feng Baobao thought about it seriously. "Don't know."

Zhang Chulan nearly lost his mind. "How can you not know? If even you lose, then I'll definitely lose too!"

"Alright, Chulan, stop making things difficult for Baobao." Xu Si shrugged. "That's a tribe passed down from ancient times. Who knows what trump cards they might have? Rather than carrying that mental burden, it would be better to go have a good fight!"

After the break, the two women stepped into the arena.

Feng Baobao opened her eyes wide and stared intensely at her opponent.

Hua Yue, meanwhile, recalled Shen Ye's warning: "That girl's weakness is her soul. But her soul seems rather strange. If you attack it directly, it might backfire. The best method is to soothe her soul instead!"

After the Longhu Mountain priest announced the start of the match, Feng Baobao charged toward her opponent at top speed.

An assassin against a sound wielder—once she closed the distance, victory was guaranteed!

"So fast!" Hua Yue's pupils contracted slightly. Feng Baobao's speed had truly exceeded her expectations.

Though surprised, Hua Yue's hands did not slow in the slightest.

Requiem!

The moment the first note entered Feng Baobao's mind, her steps suddenly faltered. Like a drunk person, her straight path forward abruptly veered to one side.

Seeing Feng Baobao sway more and more severely, Zhang Chulan shouted, "Sister Bao'er, pull yourself together!"

At the sound of his voice, the drowsiness in Feng Baobao's mind instantly faded somewhat. She forced open her heavy eyelids, adjusted her direction, and charged at Hua Yue again.

However, as Requiem continued to play, Feng Baobao slipped back into a drowsy state.

"Bao—" Zhang Chulan was about to shout again when a hand suddenly settled on his shoulder.

"Zhang Chulan, don't wake her!"

"Brother Ergou!" Zhang Chulan looked at the newcomer in surprise and defended himself. "I know outside assistance is a bit unsporting, but the people from Longhu Mountain never said it wasn't allowed!"

"That's not what I mean." Wang Ergou looked toward the two women below. "That girl is soothing Feng Baobao's soul!"

"Soothing... her soul..." Xu San and Xu Si immediately recalled what Wang Ergou had privately told them at the bonfire gathering two days ago. "You mean she's helping Baobao?"

Wang Ergou nodded. "Compared to the outcome of one battle, I think Feng Baobao's condition is more important, isn't it?"

"Sister Bao'er's... soul..." Zhang Chulan asked in confusion, "What are you talking about?"

"It's about what happened on the day you were walking your bird. We'll explain it later," Xu Si brushed him off.

"Looks like we owe little brother Shen Ye a huge favor this time," Xu San said seriously.

Looking at Feng Baobao sprawled out below, sleeping soundly, Zhang Chulan sighed. "Looks like I can only rely on myself now!"

Night, rear mountain.

Under the moonlight, four figures gathered together.

"We couldn't find you during the day, but now you've called us out at night. Go on, what is it?" Dou Mei, who looked like a middle-aged aunt, asked.

"I just think that with the Eight Unique Skills appearing in the world, we should take action!" Xia He said with a smile, licking her red lips.

"The Eight Unique Skills? So you've set your sights on Shen Ye." Gao Ning, dressed as a fat monk, suddenly understood.

"Tell me, can't you restrain yourself a little?" Shen Chong, who looked like a corporate executive, sighed helplessly. "I know Shen Ye is exceptionally handsome, but he's still young!"

Xia He snorted. "Don't tell me none of you have any thoughts about him. For all I know, while I was gone during the day, you were already planning to have me win him over."

"Uh..."

Seeing the three of them freeze, Xia He's mouth twitched. "So you three really were talking about me behind my back while I was gone!"

"But that's fine. Since everyone has their eyes on him, why don't we start acting now?"

"Now?" Dou Mei frowned. "Even if we make a move, shouldn't we wait until the Grand Heavenly Offering Ritual is over? There's a high chance he'll take first place, and then we can get the Heavenly Ascension Talisman, the champion's prize, along with him!"

"By then, we won't be the only ones watching him!" Xia He narrowed her eyes. "Don't forget, he crippled Wang Bing during the day. That idiot brought it on himself, but the Wang Family has never been fond of reason!"

When the three fell silent, Xia He continued to tempt them. "A bird in the hand is worth ten in the forest! Besides, the Heavenly Ascension Talisman is nowhere near as useful to us as Spirit Binding and General Dispatching. As long as we obtain Spirit Binding and General Dispatching, we can use that ability to secretly control the Northeast Shamanic Immortal Family among the Ten Elders! Then our All-Nature..."

"That's enough! Strengthening All-Nature is something the leader should worry about!" Shen Chong shook his head. "We only need to do what he assigned us to do!"

Gao Ning said unhurriedly, "Isn't the Wang Family targeting him exactly what you want? When the time comes, you can play the beautiful woman saving the hero, and let him see the ugliness of the righteous path while you're at it!"

Dou Mei teased, "Don't be so impatient. Wait two more days, and you can have him."

"Hehe, fine then." Xia He forced a smile as she grumbled inwardly, Once the competition ends, I can't be bothered to care about him anymore. Though he really is handsome!