Jiang Ye paid no heed to the countless gazes around him.
"Wh... what's going on...?"
"Why isn't Elder Jiang moving...?"
"He looks like he's spacing out..."
"Why would he space out at a time like this...?"
"Elder Jiang isn't actually scared, is he...?"
At the sight, the disciples in the spectator stands paled, their buzzing discussions erupting like a pot boiling over.
Senior Sister Hu Lingyu, on whom everyone had pinned their hopes, had already lost.
The two from Spirit Ox Peak and Spirit Monkey Peak were both in secluded cultivation.
At this moment, in these disciples' minds, Elder Jiang of Heavenly Cloud Peak was the Innate Realm expert best qualified to face the Sakura Princess.
After all, not long ago, he had defeated Zheng Lin, fourth on the True Disciple Ranking, in this very Martial Practice Field with near-overwhelming force.
The sight of that staff crashing down, of the Fire Seal scorching the heavens, remained branded in everyone's mind. Yet they had never imagined this outcome.
At such a crucial moment.
Elder Jiang of Heavenly Cloud Peak was actually... "spacing out"?!
How could there be such a coincidence...?
At that moment, who knew how many people sighed inwardly? The flame of hope that had just kindled in their hearts was doused with a basin of cold water, left flickering on the verge of dying.
"Ah, that Sakura Princess really is too fierce..."
"Even Senior Sister Hu Lingyu lost..."
"It's understandable that Elder Jiang would be scared."
In the spectator stands, a figure as cool and sharp as a sword gazed intently at the distant gray-robed figure and murmured:
"What are you thinking about?"
A rare look of puzzlement appeared between Pei Qinghan's brows. Hu Lingyu's defeat at the Sakura Princess's hands had, in fact, been within her expectations.