Ask Mistress Again

The morning sun rose, and once again, the area before the City Lord's Mansion was packed with people.

There were thirty-three cultivators who had signed up for this Ascension Gathering. One of them had received a bye in the first round, and by sheer coincidence, it was Wu Cheng.

Today was the second round. Wu Cheng's match had been scheduled as the first, and everyone had arrived early. They all wanted to witness for themselves what sort of bearing this young man, famous throughout the city for so long, possessed.

Wu Cheng's opponent was Liang Hong, the only son of the Liang Family, another major household in the city. He was, of course, also a renowned genius of Chuyun City, though his momentum was still somewhat weaker than Wu Cheng's. Since he hated You Su intensely as well, he and Wu Cheng could be considered friends.

The two faced each other from afar at the center of the arena. Liang Hong showed no fear. Although he knew he might not be Wu Cheng's match, he still had to wonder whether this was the only chance he would ever get in his life.

The bronze drum sounded. Sunlight shone over the empty arena. Wu Cheng drew his sword and ended the match with lightning speed.

The Sky Guard Sect was not a sword sect. The Way of the Sword was merely a branch within the sect, and most disciples focused on spellcraft. Wu Cheng was no exception. Yet today, he did not even use a single spell, insisting on taking victory with one sword strike, as though he were competing with You Su, who had ended his battle just as swiftly yesterday.

His battle made everyone present understand that even among geniuses, there were still differences in rank. It also made it clear to everyone that the person who ultimately stood upon the Ascension Gathering's stage could only be one of two people: You Su or Wu Cheng.

Qi Daodong's expression remained unchanged as he gently stroked his white beard, looking as though everything had long been within his expectations. He paid no attention whatsoever to the Liang Family Head's livid expression. Even City Lord Liu and Gu Yao could not help nodding in praise.

Though such a match was astonishing, it lacked much of the pleasure of watching. Ordinary people still preferred the evenly matched battles that followed. At the same time, they began anticipating what dazzling performance You Su would give in the final match.

In the afternoon, it was You Su's turn to compete.

Before leaving, You Su had told his junior sister that he would be fighting someone, and that whoever was stronger would have a greater chance of obtaining the qualification to attend lectures. He had also specifically reminded Ji Lingruo to keep resting and not sneak out to watch his match.

Ji Lingruo rolled her pretty eyes and said that she had never planned to go anyway. You Su would defeat those people with effortless ease, so there was nothing worth watching.

If he wanted her to watch him display his might and show off before everyone, then reveal that disgusting expression of Wow, Senior Brother is amazing, he could forget it.

Under the audience's fervent gazes, You Su walked to the center of the arena. His opponent today was named Gao Li. He was only a year older than You Su, but he was already the strongest person under thirty in the Wind Thunder Fist Sect. He was also the junior brother Sheng Ziling had been determined to trample underfoot.

In truth, You Su did not know him at all, because the two had neither grievances nor any contact. You Su could sense that this quiet and steady opponent was a true cultivator, and he consequently developed a little more respect for him.

The facts proved that Gao Li was indeed no mediocrity, and was far stronger than Sheng Ziling. You Su was not the sort of person who deliberately looked down on his opponents. It was only that Sheng Ziling had been so irritating yesterday that he had shown no mercy and killed the match in an instant. Facing Gao Li, You Su deliberately reined in his sword force as he met the latter's vigorous, whistling fists. The two became locked in a back-and-forth struggle. It looked like a genuine exchange of techniques, with neither of them focused solely on victory.

Only when Gao Li's fist, brimming with force, was deflected by You Su did he decisively clasp his fists and admit defeat. Only then did this splendid clash truly come to an end.

The audience watched with great enjoyment, yet could not help comparing it with Wu Cheng's match that morning. Both opponents had been formidable, but the ease with which the victors had won was worlds apart. As for whose hands the final lecture qualification would fall into, everyone already seemed to have an answer in mind.

You Su did not care about any of this. After asking what time his match would be tomorrow, he left the arena.

It was not yet dark when he reached home, and his junior sister was still resting.

Taking advantage of the early hour, You Su meditated and regulated his breathing for a while. When the sun began to set, he walked to Mistress's door.

Yesterday, he had already asked his junior sister whether she was willing to go to the sacred mountain. Today, he still had to ask Mistress.

By his count, Mistress had already gone ten days without making a sound. In truth, that length of time was not particularly long over the past eight years. The longest stretch You Su had recorded had lasted a full forty-four days.

You Su did not know how Mistress, who constantly claimed to have no cultivation, had managed to practice Grain Avoidance for so many years. Perhaps she had eaten some rare heavenly treasure or miraculous pill.

But You Su always felt that Mistress was as ethereal as an immortal. She was not an immortal, yet the feeling she gave others surpassed that of one. Thus, You Su had always believed Mistress's words without question. Someone like her would never deceive anyone, just like a pure white lotus that could not give birth to the slightest speck of filth.

You Su hesitated for a while, but in the end, he knocked on the door.

"Mistress?"

He waited for quite some time before Mistress's cold voice finally drifted out. Yet compared to before, it carried an even more ethereal quality:

"What is it?"

Somewhat awkwardly, You Su smoothed the wrinkles in his clothes, not even knowing what he was nervous about.

"You Su has a question to ask Mistress."

The instant the words left his mouth, You Su regretted it a little. This opening sounds exactly the same as last time. Could Mistress be secretly wondering why I have so many questions?

"Ask," Mistress replied crisply.

"Mistress... do you want to go to Mount Henggao?"

"What prompted you to ask that?"

"Um... An immortal master from the sacred mountain recently came to Chuyun City. He is an outer sect steward of the Xuanxiao Sect, and he has a qualification in his hands to attend lectures at the Xuanxiao Sect. I want to compete for it."

"You really want to enter the Xuanxiao Sect?" Mistress's voice rarely showed some fluctuation, clearly taking an interest in the answer to this question.

"It isn't that I want to enter the Xuanxiao Sect. Attending lectures won't change my sect affiliation; I will still be a disciple of the Mandarin Sword Sect. Although You Su is blind, his heart is not. Without my master, I would not be who I am today. How could I possibly enter another sect and take another master while he is away traveling?" You Su hurriedly explained. Afraid that he had not said enough, he continued, "You Su wants to attend the lectures only to learn different things, meet different people, and, while he's at it, experience the grandeur of the sacred mountain and see the pinnacle of this world. My master said that when he returns, he will surely shake the Five Continents with his fame. Naturally, You Su must also work hard enough to be worthy of bearing the name of his disciple."

Mistress seemed to be digesting his words. After a brief silence, she gave her answer:

"I want to."

Delight blossomed across You Su's face, and he lightly clenched his fist.

What he had been most worried about was that Mistress would not want to leave the Mandarin Sword Sect, instead remaining here to wait endlessly for his master, whose return date was unknown. Fortunately, everything was proceeding smoothly according to his plans, as though the day when his junior sister and Mistress would be healed were already tomorrow.

"Thank you, Mistress."

"There is no need to thank me. If you truly want to attend the lectures, then fight for it."

"You Su will certainly do his utmost."

With that, You Su bowed and withdrew. He raised his head toward the west. His blurred vision happened to meet the last ray of sunset as it faded away, and his heart surged with boundless hope.

To be honest, I feel that this competition section is pretty dull and not very interesting, but I can't jump straight to the finals, so I can only keep things a little plain for now. After the competition ends, there will be fewer of these easygoing scenes, and the plot will become more thrilling too. Sob, if you like it, please add it to your bookshelf and help me keep my readership numbers up. Please!! This is really important to me!!