Tournament (5)

As the final victor of the competition, the junior disciple would ordinarily have no shortage of people coming forward to befriend and curry favor with him.

After all, in the cultivation world, strength was one's right to speak. Building good relations with the strong could not only raise one's own standing, but might also bring much aid on the road of cultivation ahead.

However, this time was indeed a special case. The long-standing grudge between the Heavenly Sword Sect and the Azure Rock Sect had seemingly been declared settled for the time being after Tan Yin's victory over Wang Rong.

Yet anyone with even a little discernment understood that the Azure Rock Sect would never swallow this insult so easily and let the matter rest.

To loudly celebrate the junior disciple now would undoubtedly be to place oneself atop the crest of the storm. If that earned the Azure Rock Sect's resentment, would that not harm both others and oneself?

What was more, in the eyes of many cultivators, this competition had merely been a diversion to liven up the Flower-Appreciation Gathering, something to watch for amusement amid the bustle.

The true hosts of the Flower-Appreciation Gathering had always been Medicine King Valley.

Offending the Heavenly Sword Sect or Azure Rock Sect was one thing, but stealing the host's thunder and provoking Medicine King Valley was planting a ticking bomb for oneself.

Cultivators walked the world battling heaven and wrestling fate; injuries were as commonplace as daily meals. Thus, healers were everyone's wet nurses—best not offended if one could avoid it.

Being dragged back from the gates of hell when one's life hung by a thread was a life-saving grace, a debt of towering gratitude! They might not be much in a fight themselves, but how could anyone dare gamble that no highly cultivated expert owed them a favor?

Cultivation required navigating human ties and worldly affairs too; it was not as simple as burying one's head in hard practice. For a great power, casually wiping out a small sect or killing a few ants far beneath them in cultivation to repay a life-saving debt and settle a great karmic entanglement was a tremendous bargain!

Anyone who could not see even that much was destined not to go far on this road.

After receiving treatment, the junior disciple still kept unconsciously sneaking glances toward Gu Yueyao. In his eyes hid a trace of barely noticeable shyness and irrepressible joy.

He had always been terribly inarticulate. When excited, he often stammered even during ordinary conversation, let alone when facing Gu Yueyao, whom he had admired for so long.

At this moment, joy and nervousness tangled within him, leaving him utterly clueless as to how to express the tidal emotions surging through his heart.

In truth, apart from wanting wholeheartedly to win honor for his sect, he had also entered this competition with a small private motive: he had hoped to put on a good showing before Gu Yueyao.

Now, although he had finally won the competition as he wished, he still felt that his victory lacked glory.

After all, Senior Brother Tan Yin had been unable to enter the finals due to his injuries, and he had won just like that. It carried somewhat the flavor of picking up a bargain. This thought made him look at Gu Yueyao with even greater caution, as though afraid she might look down on him for it.

As for Gu Yueyao, she merely returned the junior disciple's gaze with a polite smile, her eyes otherwise undisturbed.

While methodically treating the other injured people, she quietly assessed the junior disciple.

She truly had no particular feelings for him, but what she needed was not a lover with hearts in harmony, but a capable and virtuous partner.

The Heavenly Sword Sect had always had a clean reputation and excellent standing in the cultivation world. This undoubtedly earned the junior disciple quite a few points.

The junior disciple himself was still young, and his actions could occasionally be impulsive, but from their previous interactions, he was fairly obedient and lacked that arrogant, overbearing recklessness of youth.

This competition also showed that he possessed a certain degree of strength. He was thick-skinned and sturdy, making him convenient for conducting certain experiments, and his fondness for her was obvious. That being the case, there would be no need to spend too much time deliberately cultivating feelings.

Still, a person's character could not be fully seen through in a short time. Further observation was needed, though from what she had seen so far, he was not bad.

For the moment, Gu Yueyao made a note of the junior disciple in her heart.

While Gu Yueyao focused on treating the wounded, the body cultivator who had made the final four was like a child forever brimming with curiosity, chattering endlessly and asking about this and that.

One moment, he curiously asked Gu Yueyao about the principles behind her healing methods; the next, he offered his own thoughts on the match that had just ended. From time to time, he also inquired about curious tales from other sects. His enthusiasm was so overwhelming that those around him could barely fend it off.

He had entered this competition purely because he longed for the strong. He sincerely hoped to exchange blows with powerful cultivators and improve his own strength through it.

In his imagination, a competition that gathered top experts from every sect would surely have many outstanding young talents participating.

Yet after actually taking part, he discovered that reality fell somewhat short of his expectations, and his heart filled with confusion.

After he had poured out all his doubts earlier, his senior brothers had merely shaken their heads and smiled upon hearing his questions, without explaining the reason. This left him even more at a loss.

"Because the truly formidable ones have to go home and inherit their millions in family wealth. There's no turn for them to marry into someone else's family."

Lin Huaixu had not forgotten the excuse he had used when suggesting Shen Yuxi come along. Taking the opportunity, he brought Shen Yuxi over to find someone to examine his condition. The Valley Master was busy treating Tan Yin and Wang Rong, the two severely wounded patients, and could not spare the attention, so they had no choice but to seek out Gu Yueyao.

The moment they arrived, they happened to hear the body cultivator speaking of his confusion with a baffled expression. Shen Yuxi subconsciously and kindly gave him the answer in his heart.

The body cultivator's surname was Liu and his given name Yang; he was a disciple of the Nether Martial Sect. Straightforward by nature, he possessed immense passion for cultivation, especially an almost obsessive fixation on crossing hands with masters.

Although he had discovered during this competition that there were fewer formidable contestants than he had expected, leaving him with a small measure of disappointment, his battle with the Heavenly Sword Sect's junior disciple had made him cry out in delight.

The junior disciple's unique fighting style had stirred a different kind of wave amid the battle patterns he was accustomed to, and he had found it immensely satisfying. Therefore, from the bottom of his heart, he was willing to befriend the junior disciple.

It had to be said that fighting the junior disciple really did bring an unusually exhilarating feeling.

The junior disciple had been born with a robust body, thick-skinned and tough-fleshed, with physical qualities far beyond ordinary people. Yet he had not been content with that. Instead, he had opened another path, cleverly forging a unique road of cultivation that combined sword and body.

He had incorporated the varied throwing techniques of body arts into sword techniques in a wondrous way. After ceaseless study and tempering, he had ultimately developed a distinctive fighting style unlike any other.

Once he entered combat and launched an attack, he was as fierce as a raging storm. One astonishing chain of attacks followed another, like the rolling Yangtze surging on without end. These attacks were not merely a stacking of force; they also contained exquisite technique, constantly disrupting the balance of an opponent's limbs and leaving them unable to organize an effective counterattack amid their panic.

The power brought by that burst of offense truly could not be underestimated. Even seasoned masters would need to raise twelve parts of their spirit when facing such a sharp onslaught.

How could such a distinctive skill not exist in the original work? That doesn't seem right. I remember there should have been a character like this, but he doesn't seem to belong to the Eldest Senior Brother arc...

Shen Yuxi muttered inwardly. He felt that the junior disciple's skills and character setup were familiar, but he could not recall their exact source for the moment.

"Junior Brother Li Huai's technique is indeed superb. Did he create it himself?" Lin Huaixu's voice sounded at just the right moment.

He understood his Second Senior Brother far too well and knew that his unreliable precognitive ability had gone intermittently faulty again.

During the match just now, his Second Senior Brother had probably been immersed in something else and barely paid attention. Lin Huaixu thus tried to bring up keywords that might spark his Second Senior Brother's inspiration, hoping to help him part that veil of fog.

Li Huai? It can't be the one I'm thinking of, right? A character from the newest series is already appearing this early? Shen Yuxi was jolted. He had been too busy shipping couples just now and had truly not paid much attention to the matches of the "background character" cast.

Upon hearing that name, his already puzzled feelings gained several more layers of surprise.

"It was self-created. In my early years, I followed the path of body tempering like Senior Brother Chen. But I was truly too dull-witted to grasp its essence, so I switched to sword cultivation.

"My sword is not a heavy sword, so its destructive power cannot compare to my Eldest Senior Brother's; but compared with a light sword, it is also slower. When I encountered agile enemies, I simply could not apply effective pressure. Thinking back to the methods of subduing enemies in body arts, I decided to give it a try. It felt fairly good after I tried it, so I persisted."

The junior disciple, Li Huai, had an honest, guileless expression and sincere eyes as he explained in earnest.

Damn, it really is you—the fourth of the "Seven Sons of Soaring Wind," Prison Dragon Sword Li Huai. You appeared this early? And was this your personality at the beginning? Shen Yuxi could not help crying out inwardly.

He had finally dug Li Huai's identity out of the depths of his memory, but he had never expected Li Huai to appear here and now, nor for his personality to be utterly unlike what Shen Yuxi remembered.

The original Song of the Nine Domains was a vast series of novels. The protagonists of every installment differed completely, and the timeline was never explicitly marked. Readers could only rely on certain specific events that linked the stories together to infer the approximate chronology.

As the newest installment, Song of the Nine Domains: Boneborn Sorrow also began at the latest point in the timeline of the entire series.

I remember the "Seven Sons of Soaring Clouds" storyline beginning much later. But then again, even if the main plot hasn't arrived, the characters still have to live their lives. I never expected Li Huai to be Tan Yin's junior brother. Is your Heavenly Sword Sect some kind of spawning ground for supporting male characters? Shen Yuxi tried to persuade himself to accept this unexpected setting.

Lin Huaixu did not know exactly what his Second Senior Brother had been thinking, but from his reaction, he vaguely understood that his Second Senior Brother knew far more than he and the Sect Master had imagined. His eyes darkened like ink for an instant, then returned to normal in the blink of an eye. In that fleeting moment, he had already made his calculations.

The corners of Gu Yueyao's lips lifted slightly into a perfectly measured smile. Her bright gaze settled on Li Huai as she said softly, "Junior Brother Li is a heaven-sent talent. While continuously improving yourself, you do not forget to review the old and gain the new, blending body-tempering arts into sword cultivation. Such intelligence and diligence truly make you a model for our generation."

Caught off guard by such praise from Gu Yueyao, whom he admired, Li Huai suddenly felt as though a current of electricity shot from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head, and he instantly lost his composure. A blush swiftly spread over his cheeks, red and scorching like ripe apples.

He hurriedly waved his hands in embarrassment and stammered modestly, "Young Valley Master, you flatter me. Cultivation ought to be this way; these are merely my duties. I only did what everyone else does. There is truly nothing special about it..."

He lowered his head, not daring to meet Gu Yueyao's eyes. Joy and nervousness filled his heart, as if he were holding a lively little deer that leapt and thumped wildly within his chest.

Watching everything unfold from the side, Shen Yuxi could not help complaining inwardly. Damn it, I knew your personality should have been a little more unhinged. So that's it—you're pretending to be well-behaved in front of her. Tsk, tsk, what a fine older-woman-younger-man romance setup. Interesting. I ship it!

As Shen Yuxi muttered inwardly, he also thought with some frustration, So Eldest Senior Brother really isn't planning to struggle one last time? He's giving up that easily?

Though he knew perfectly well that Chu Shihan could not possibly know Gu Yueyao had originally been meant to become one of his many wives, he still could not help directing his resentment toward Chu Shihan.

Chu Shihan, who had long since learned everything from Shen Yuxi's Heart Voice, replied inwardly, No thanks. Not necessary. It was intentional.

What followed were various entertainments: games and performances of all shapes and sizes, dazzling enough to leave the eye unable to take them all in.

The most interesting was the "Treasure Hunt Alchemy" event—

Within the sea of flowers, colorful spirit butterflies danced gracefully. Their light forms fluttered through the air, their wings shimmering with dreamlike radiance. These spirit butterflies were not merely a beautiful sight; they also carried crucial clues for the treasure hunt.

The participants each displayed their abilities, chasing and luring spirit butterflies among the flowers. Once they successfully caught one, they could obtain a mysterious clue from it. Those clues pointed toward obscure, hidden corners throughout Medicine King Valley, where priceless alchemy ingredients were concealed.

Using the treasures they found as primary ingredients, participants could also pick suitable supplementary ingredients from the blossoming sea of flowers on-site. They would then hand those ingredients over to the alchemy disciples who had long been waiting, and the disciples would refine pills according to the materials provided.

So long as the medicinal properties of the ingredients did not obviously clash to the point that a pill could not be formed, the participants' ingredients would be used as the foundation, with minor adjustments and corrections made on that basis.

But if the materials submitted by a participant had serious problems that made alchemy impossible, they would be eliminated. At the same time, they would still receive a healing pill as a participation prize, as a gesture of goodwill.

The clues carried by the spirit butterflies would not be written plainly, either. They used all manner of coded language and required sufficient learning to decipher. If participants truly did not know, they could also seek a help-request task from a Medicine King Valley disciple; upon completing the task, they could request assistance from people outside the event.

For those uninterested in such activities, Medicine King Valley had also considered everything carefully and specially prepared custom spirit chess for them to relax with.

Spirit chess was a game popular among cultivators. The pieces reflected their player's Spirit Root and spiritual power attributes, creating effects of mutual generation and mutual restraint. Playing against different people produced entirely different characteristics, making it endlessly enjoyable.

Participants paired off in twos and sat quietly on opposite sides of the board, engaging in one brilliant spirit chess match after another. As the pieces collided, spiritual power rippled outward; within those silent contests, wisdom and strategy were displayed to the fullest.

For a time, laughter and cheerful voices echoed through every corner of Medicine King Valley. Everyone was wholly immersed in the joyful atmosphere, utterly unaware that time was quietly slipping away like a murmuring stream.

Amid everyone's laughter, conversation, and idle chatter, dusk slowly spread from the horizon, and the setting sun gradually sank westward.

Nine Domains Encyclopedia:

○ Nether Martial Sect

A mid-sized sect and a body-cultivation sect.

Originally named the Longevity Academy, its ancestor had merely wanted to temper his body. By chance, he successfully achieved Qi Induction and embarked upon the path of cultivation. He opened a small school intending to teach martial students in an ordinary manner, yet somehow it inexplicably became a cultivation sect.

Later, a clever disciple finally figured out that they were not practicing martial arts but cultivating immortality, and with a grand wave of his hand, changed the name to something edgy and melodramatic. But even now, compared to a cultivation sect, their way of thinking still leaned more toward that of ordinary mortals.