As they spoke, they spotted Lin Yunshao.
Then all of them froze.
After a long moment, one of them muttered.
"Strange. Sending Chen Luo out for the first match made sense. He was strong enough, and he really did have a blood feud with Daoist Poisonfeather. But for the second... why send out a girl who hasn't even grown up yet?"
By then, someone had also figured out Chen Luo's identity and spoke up.
"She's the youngest junior sister of the Five Aggregates Temple, the one who escaped with the Heaven-Piercing Sword. She hasn't risen to prominence as dramatically as he has over the years, but she's earned herself the name First Snow Sword..."
"Cut the crap. I just want to know how strong she is."
"Among martial artists... probably second-rate."
At that, someone immediately burst out cursing.
"Then she's useless at the Tianyuan Conference! What is the Heaven-Piercing Sword trying to do?"
Someone beside him considered it for a moment before speaking.
"Maybe... he wants to trade pieces?" "You trade pieces after the other side moves. Who the hell has ever done it first? Besides, didn't we send Daoist Poisonfeather out first precisely to draw Chen Luo down and prevent this?"
"...Then what do you suggest?"
"If he wants to trade pieces, why don't we just send anyone out?"
"The problem is, if the Heaven-Piercing Sword has some trick that lets this First Snow Sword win a match... he could concede afterward without ever fighting. That would go against our orders from above..."
"Then what do you suggest? We..."
At that point, their leader made his decision.
"Send Gui Bieli."
Someone immediately objected.
"Isn't that overkill? Gui Bieli was supposed to deal with the Heaven-Piercing Sword. If you send him out now, then the third match..."
But before he