Page 17

Before this, Ye Qinghui had always believed Ye Qingyun had snatched off his mask because a Charm Demon was controlling him at the time. But now that he thought about it, the whole affair was riddled with doubts.

First, the Specialized Mask was a Middle-Grade Magical Artifact. It not only blocked outside air but supplied a steady stream of oxygen. Why had Ye Qingyun claimed he could not breathe and hastily taken off his mask?

Second, if the Charm Demon had controlled Ye Qingyun, how had he brought Ye Qinghui back safe and sound, with his Inner Core completely unharmed?

Something was wrong at every turn.

Ye Qinghui had always been pure of heart and unwilling to suspect others of malice. Though troubled, he had never considered that Ye Qingyun might have colluded with the Charm Demon to swindle him out of his Inner Core. Now that Ye Zhenzhen had said it aloud, the truth suddenly became clear. He froze where he stood, chills running through him.

"If Qingyun tricked me out of it, I'll go ask him to return my Inner Core." He stood stunned for a long while before finally releasing his clenched fists and speaking with weary resignation.

[It's too late, Eldest Senior Brother. Ye Qingyun has already fused your Inner Core with his own. His cultivation jumped straight from Foundation Establishment Late Stage to Nascent Soul Late Stage.]

[Ye Rufeng and Ye Qingyun have long been in league with Immortal Venerable Shen and the others. They covet your Innate Sword Bone and even intend to usurp Father's position as sect leader.]

[Do you know why the Charm Demon was able to run rampant for so long? Dabie Mountain lies within the Kongtong School's territory. If the Kongtong School had wanted to act, how could they have let her harm so many people?]

Ye Zhenzhen's analysis struck Ye Qinghui like a jolt of enlightenment.

Every last bit of it had been a conspiracy planned long ago. The good brother he had believed would bare his heart to him was a venomous snake lurking in the gutter.

"I'm going to make Qingyun explain himself." Anger appeared on Eldest Senior Brother's usually calm face, a rare sight.

[Don't ask him, Eldest Senior Brother. They won't admit it. You'll only beat the grass and startle the snake, letting them know we suspect them. If cornered, they might do something that harms the sect.]

[Why don't you secretly knock Ye Qingyun out and take your Inner Core back?]

Ye Zhenzhen opened her round eyes wide and stuck her little tongue out at Eldest Senior Brother. The wicked deserved a taste of their own medicine. If they could not demand it openly, they could take it back in secret. It was her senior brother's Inner Core to begin with.

"No!" Ye Qinghui refused outright. "He may have wronged me, but I cannot wrong him. Since he has already fused our cores, only the divine artifact Xuandu Glazed Hammer can separate them. Taking my Inner Core back blindly would cost him his life."

Truly, there was a reason the beautiful and powerful ended up tragic. If he had a little less devotion to doing what was right, if his heart were just a little harder and more ruthless, how could he be the one who suffered? It would probably be someone else.

Yet not only did Ye Qinghui reject her plan to reclaim his Inner Core, Father and Mother disagreed as well. Everyone in the sect was too upright, too kind and softhearted. No wonder they would eventually be framed and their sect destroyed. Ye Zhenzhen could not understand their principles; she pitied their misfortune and fumed at their refusal to fight back.

She suddenly thought of her Third Senior Brother, Ye Qingchuan. If he were here, he would raise both hands and feet in support of taking the Inner Core back directly. The wicked had to be dealt with on their own terms. Being good would never change them.

[Then do you have the Xuandu Glazed Hammer?]

"No. They say the divine artifact will appear during the Divine Descent after the Immortal Sects Grand Tournament. I can search for it then. Once I find the Xuandu Glazed Hammer, I'll look for a chance to separate my Inner Core from Qingyun's."

[But Eldest Senior Brother, without your Inner Core, how will you compete in the upcoming Immortal Sects Grand Tournament?]

"I'll form a new core."

Ye Zhenzhen: ...

[And how many years will that take? Forming a new core is almost unheard of. Even with your extraordinary talent, the Immortal Sects Grand Tournament will have started long before you finish!]

As those inside struggled with the problem, a commotion rose outside.

Disciples representing Cloudsky Sect's various peaks had come to petition their sect leader, Ye Ruheng. They wanted Ye Qingyun of Inkcloud Peak to take Ye Qinghui's place in next month's Immortal Sects Grand Tournament.

"The Immortal Sects Grand Tournament comes only once every five years. Cloudsky Sect's reputation and standing in the Cultivation World are at stake. We cannot let others look down on us and make us a laughingstock."

"First Senior Brother still has his Swordsmanship, but his cultivation does not even reach Qi Refining. However brilliant his swordplay, he cannot bring out enough power to harm an opponent. I'm afraid he'll be knocked out of the arena within a round or two."

"Senior Brother Qingyun has reached Golden Core Late Stage, and his Swordsmanship is outstanding. He can surely win our sect a place in the top three."

One disciple after another stepped forward to make their case. Ye Qingyun stood quietly to one side, listening without a word.

The moment he saw Ye Ruheng and the others emerge, he rushed to the front of the crowd. With a sharp sweep of his sleeve, he declared righteously, "Enough of this nonsense! First Senior Brother has an Innate Sword Bone. No one can match his Swordsmanship. How can you compare me to him?"

"I have no intention of replacing Eldest Senior Brother." He knelt before the sect leader, his face full of righteous conviction. "Senior Brother Qinghui and I have spent many years together. He has generously taught me swordsmanship and saved my life from a Demon Beast. To me, he is closer than a brother. Please stop pressing this matter and driving a wedge between us." He began playing on their emotions, as though his reluctance to replace Eldest Senior Brother in the tournament sprang from fear of causing a rift with Ye Qinghui.

He truly was a schemer. After so many years together, he knew Ye Qinghui's temperament inside out.

In the original book, hearing those words had prompted Ye Qinghui to step forward without hesitation and say, "Junior Brother Qingyun, don't worry about me. We are both Cloudsky Sect disciples. Protecting the sect's honor comes first. Take my place in the Immortal Sects Grand Tournament."

[Keep pretending. No one in the whole sect puts on a better act than you.]

[You need to have reached at least the Golden Core stage to compete in the Immortal Sects Grand Tournament. You were stuck at Foundation Establishment and couldn't break through. Then you tricked Eldest Senior Brother out of his Inner Core, reached Golden Core, and set your sights on stealing his place in the tournament too.]

[If you want to take Eldest Senior Brother's place in the Immortal Sects Grand Tournament, just say so. Instead, you act as though you're being forced into it. You want to be a whore and put up a chastity arch in your own honor.]

Rankings

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Transmigration into a Book

Power Fantasy

Cannon Fodder

Doted-On Darling