Lu Xueqi's match was actually pretty entertaining.
Well...
Mainly because she was beautiful.
As long as someone was beautiful enough, anything they did was a pleasure to watch.
"Hey!"
"Ye Changfeng!"
An indignant voice sounded beside him.
Ye Changfeng glanced over.
Tian Ling'er stood there with her hands on her hips.
The little girl came over in a huff, her voice dripping with jealousy. "Is Senior Sister Lu pretty?"
"Very pretty."
Ye Changfeng answered honestly.
"You..."
Tian Ling'er's eyes widened.
She glanced at Ye Changfeng in surprise, then immediately dragged him aside and warned him, "Ye Changfeng, don't even think about getting any funny ideas. Senior Sister Lu already has a future husband..."
Lu Xueqi's future husband was the Azure Cloud Sect Leader.
Everyone in the Qingyun Sect knew that, so hardly anyone dared entertain such ideas about her.
Otherwise...
The Seven Peaks' Masters would be the first to object.
"I know."
Ye Changfeng nodded.
Naiqi was going to be his wife in the future.
How could he not know that?
"Good. As long as you know."
Tian Ling'er huffed, hands on her hips.
Seeing the little girl act so possessive made Ye Changfeng smile to himself...
But he didn't say anything more.
Because...
It was his turn to take the stage.
Ye Changfeng displayed the cultivation of the Yuqing Sixth Layer.
That level wasn't particularly eye-catching in the Qingyun Sect. Quite a few mid-level disciples had reached the same realm.
So...
Not many people paid attention to Ye Changfeng's match.
Only a group from Great Bamboo Peak, whom Tian Ling'er had dragged over to cheer him on, were there for him.
Not far away...
Lu Xueqi watched from across the crowd.
Actually, she wanted to come over and watch up close, too.
But...
She was afraid of exposing Ye Changfeng's identity.
So she could only suppress her little yearning and watch quietly from afar...
There was no suspense at all in Ye Changfeng's match.
Although he displayed only the cultivation of the Yuqing Sixth Layer, his understanding of the Taiji Xuanqing Dao had already surpassed that of all his peers. Naturally, no one could defeat him...
When the first round of matches ended,
True Lord Daoxuan announced a half-hour intermission.
Half an hour later,
the second round officially began.
This round was the Top 32 to Top 16.
Ye Changfeng won without the slightest suspense.
But something unexpected happened in the third round, the Top 16 to Top 8...
To Ye Changfeng's surprise, he drew Zhang Xiaofan.
The people from Great Bamboo Peak were immediately at a loss. What were the odds that Ye Changfeng and Zhang Xiaofan would end up facing each other?
As for Tian Buyi...
His face was pitch-black.
But there was nothing to be done about it.
When disciples from the same peak drew each other, they could only accept their bad luck.
In the end,
Zhang Xiaofan simply conceded.
After all, he didn't see much point in fighting his own senior brother.
Besides, he couldn't beat him anyway.
Meanwhile...
A small mishap occurred for Tian Ling'er and Lu Xueqi, too.
The two of them had drawn each other.
The match between the two great beauties attracted plenty of attention. Ye Changfeng also went over with interest to watch.
There was no real suspense in this match.
Lu Xueqi's cultivation was already far above Tian Ling'er's, and she also had the Tianya Divine Sword.
Tian Ling'er's cultivation wasn't especially high.
And her Magic Treasure, Amber Vermilion Silk, was thoroughly suppressed by the Tianya Divine Sword...
The outcome was never in doubt.
In the end...
Out of consideration for Su Ru and Ye Changfeng,
Lu Xueqi deliberately went easy on Tian Ling'er, giving her a chance to save face. She fought her for quite a while before finally knocking her back and forcing her off the stage...
Tian Ling'er was a little thin-skinned.
But she could tell that Lu Xueqi had gone easy on her, so she thanked her softly. "Thank you for showing mercy, Senior Sister Lu."
"Mm."
The Cold and Aloof Girl gave a slight nod.
As she sheathed her sword, her gaze instinctively drifted toward the foot of the stage. A young man in white stood outside the arena, watching the match. It was none other than Ye Changfeng...
"Whoosh!"
Ye Changfeng knew exactly what Lu Xueqi was thinking.
He looked right back at her without the slightest hesitation. After all, girls that age were all the same. If you didn't look at them...
They'd get upset.
But if you did look at them...
They'd shyly run away.
Still, looking was definitely better than not looking.
Just as expected.
When Lu Xueqi noticed Ye Changfeng watching her, she shyly looked away, then walked off the stage with an air of practiced coolness.
Tsk.
In front of everyone, she was the cool and aloof Lu Xueqi.
In private, she was a dazed and adorable Human-Machine Girl, as well as Ye Changfeng's very own Senior Sister Lu.
"Ye Changfeng!"
Tian Ling'er came down from the stage, looking a little dejected. She hurried over to Ye Changfeng and looked at him pitifully, seeking comfort.
"Alright, alright."
"Little Senior Sister was already amazing."
Ye Changfeng smiled and comforted her.
Tian Ling'er quickly perked up and grinned. She put her hands on her hips and declared proudly:
"I think so, too."
Soon,
the fourth round began.
This match would decide who made it into the Top 4.
All the Qingyun Disciples present grew nervous.
As for Ye Changfeng...
He was as relaxed as ever.
Once again, he won without the slightest suspense.
And at that moment,
many people in the Qingyun Sect noticed him.
Even the Seven Peaks' Masters on the high platform turned their eyes toward him.
"Hm?"
True Lord Daoxuan said in surprise,
"Is this Junior Brother Tian's disciple? He made it into the Top 4 with nothing but a Bamboo Sword?"
At that,
the other Masters all turned to look.
The young man stood tall in white, his long black hair falling over his shoulders. With a Bamboo Sword serving as his Magic Treasure, he had fought his way into the Top 4 all alone.
For a moment,
the Seven Peaks' Masters' eyes flickered.
They instinctively thought of the Green Robe Sect Leader revealed in the Heavenly Curtain. Could it be...
Was this him?
But on closer inspection...
The cultivation of the Yuqing Sixth Layer?
The Masters furrowed their brows.
Could he be hiding his cultivation in secret?
True Lord Daoxuan subtly looked toward Tian Buyi.
Tian Buyi burst out laughing.
"Senior Brother Sect Leader, this is indeed the seventh disciple of my sect, Ye Changfeng!"
As he spoke,
he subtly returned True Lord Daoxuan's look.
It was as if he were saying: I know my own disciple inside and out. He definitely isn't hiding his cultivation!
True Lord Daoxuan nodded slightly.
Soon,
the fourth round ended.
The Top 4 contestants emerged.
They were—
Qi Hao of Dragon Head Peak, Zeng Shushu of Wind Return Peak, Ye Changfeng of Great Bamboo Peak, and Lu Xueqi of Little Bamboo Peak.
On the arena,
an elder from Heaven-Reaching Peak began announcing the next match:
"Ye Changfeng of Great Bamboo Peak versus Lu Xueqi of Little Bamboo Peak."
At that,
Ye Changfeng froze for a moment.
He hadn't expected them to actually draw each other.
He instinctively looked toward Lu Xueqi in the distance.
"Whoosh!"
Lu Xueqi looked back at him, too.
For a moment,
the two of them stared at each other.
There was no trace of hostility in their eyes. Instead, something strange flickered between them and vanished.
Lu Xueqi recalled their conversation the night before.
Ye Changfeng had said...
If the two of them really did end up facing each other, she should hit him as hard as she could.
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