The biting wind stopped.
The vast Mountain Gate Plaza fell silent once more, so quiet one could hear a pin drop.
North of the Flame Platform, on the shattered stone arena, a startling scene unfolded.
Xiao Bai, a head taller than Lan Daozi, gripped Lan Daozi's throat with his left hand, forcibly pulling him down to the same height.
His sword-wielding right hand drew back, trying to free the blade from the restraint of Lan Daozi's Sword Qi...
Though he had lost half a move in swordsmanship, Xiao Bai had won an entire move in hand-to-hand combat.
Xiao Bai had won this match.
This meant that within the Snow Flame Sect, no Qi Refining Disciple could defeat Xiao Bai in a one-on-one fight.
And Xiao Bai was merely a cultivator who had only just entered the Qi Refining Realm, yet he had already swept through the entire realm.
The watching disciples, who had once been doubtful, jealous, or even resentful, finally understood. Elder Yuhu had discovered an uncut jade in the mortal world...
But the Supervisor and a few elders held different views.
Lan Daozi's talent in the sword had come from decades of unwavering, obsessive study.
Xiao Bai's talent, however, carried an air of strangeness that was difficult to explain through ordinary reasoning.
Deep down, they suddenly recalled the rumors surrounding Master Yuhu's Demon-Fiend Fusion Research!
Could this Xiao Bai, who had appeared out of nowhere... be Master Yuhu's Experiment Subject?
Supervisor Qi Shan sat in the highest seat, his face stern and silent as he concealed the shock in his heart.
In his view, the Dao Alliance needed to devise a new plan regarding Master Yuhu and her Dao companion, Xiao Bai...
Princess Fei Yue beside him was lost in thought.
She did not understand the details of the battle very well. She only knew that Xiao Bai's sword had been trapped, and that he had lost to Lan Daozi in the sword.
She suddenly regretted giving Xiao Bai a firearm.
She should have given him a weapon that looked like a sword, but turned out to be a firearm when drawn!
Then Xiao Bai could have blasted Lan Daozi's head off with a single shot...
What a wonderful idea!
She immediately instructed her attendant to write it down, so Eunuch Xiao Yan could try making one when they returned.
Wei Shanjun sat firmly on the Fishing Platform, having assumed Lan Daozi would counterattack and win.
Yet after waiting for quite some time, Lan Daozi still showed no reaction.
Wei Shanjun looked around and saw everyone else discussing Xiao Bai's victory. His expression darkened further,
Still refusing to believe it, he rose and shouted at Lan Daozi:
"What the hell are you doing? Counterattack already!"
Lan Daozi weakly raised a hand and pointed at his neck.
"My head will break off."
Wei Shanjun angrily lifted a stone through the air and chopped it cleanly in two.
"This is what it means for a head to break off! At most, your vertebrae will snap. Your head will still hang from your neck by skin and bone! After you win, your vertebrae can be reconnected!"
Xiao Bai was left dumbfounded.
Lan Daozi said helplessly:
"Martial Uncle Xiao has only just entered Qi Refining. We were merely comparing swords. There is no need to go that far, is there..."
Good heavens, you could actually do that!
Xiao Bai had clearly won, yet he felt a little disappointed.
Wei Shanjun flew into a rage, his body shaking the surrounding mountains.
"Again, again! You held back too obviously, you idiot! Do you understand respecting your opponent, respecting your Martial Uncle? Why did you make your swordplay look so pretty? I wanted you to win!"
But Lan Daozi withdrew his Sword Qi, completely giving up resistance. Spreading both hands, he said:
"This disciple truly did his best. Martial Uncle Xiao is simply too strong. If you do not believe me, Master can try him yourself."
Wei Shanjun's voice caught in his throat.
Me? If I lose, where would Sword Wielding Peak's dignity go?
"I told you long ago not to keep using that old sword... That woman only shattered it casually thirty years ago. Stop treating it like a treasure... Where is your new sword?"
Lan Daozi said helplessly:
"My new sword is too strong. I cannot suppress it to the Qi Refining Realm, and it would not help improve my sword techniques. This disciple threw it away long ago."
Wei Shanjun nearly screamed hysterically:
"What about your many sword techniques? Did you use even one thousandth of them just now? And where is that Heaven-tier Sword Technique you keep hidden at the bottom of your chest?"
Lan Daozi said:
"I am sorry, Master. This disciple was suppressed by Martial Uncle's chaotic sword strikes. I could barely keep my spiritual pressure from running wild. It would have been the same—I still would have lost."
Wei Shanjun let out a long sigh and sat back down.
"You... you still cannot shake that subconscious habit of observing your enemies. No matter how strong you become, you can only ever be an instructor."
Lan Daozi smiled.
"I do not want to teach anyone... I still want to learn swordsmanship from Martial Uncle Xiao!"
Xiao Bai was stunned, and his ears had gone numb from listening.
Could you at least give me some face?
You know a Heaven-tier Sword Technique and still want to learn swordsmanship from me?
He understood now. The rules of the match had restricted Lan Daozi's true strength.
If they fought to the death, with both at the same Qi Refining cultivation, the one who died would very likely be himself.
Of course, he was practically blessed with an Undying Body, so he might not necessarily lose. In the end, he might even outlast Lan Daozi to death...
With Balanced Five Elements granting immunity to certain spiritual poisons, automatic Blood Spirit Pill medicine and Heart-Returning Powder protecting his body, plus the Spine Gu Worm keeping him alive, Xiao Bai was just this brazen now!
No matter what, he was the one who had won the match!
Though the rules favored him, Lan Daozi had no motive to hold back. He had suffered a genuine loss.
Now that Xiao Bai had publicly defeated the Snow Flame Sect's Sword Dao Great Demon King at the same cultivation level, surely no more blind fools would come looking for trouble in the sect.
That way, he could hole up on Hundred Herbs Peak, turn a deaf ear to the affairs beyond his window, and focus wholeheartedly on living off soft white rice.
Wonderful!
Seeing Xiao Bai seemingly lost in thought, Lan Daozi, whose spiritual pressure had yet to rise, weakly raised his hand.
"Um, Martial Uncle Xiao, all the elders and disciples present have seen it clearly. Martial Uncle won... Can you let me down now?"
Xiao Bai gave him a serious look, carefully confirming that Lan Daozi was a man before reluctantly releasing him.
It had to be said that Lan Daozi's shattered sword and Sword Qi were truly impressive.
Xiao Bai could not understand the specifics of his sword techniques, so he merely said:
"Although this Martial Uncle luckily won by half a move this time, if there is time, I will still visit Sword Wielding Peak."
—And take a look to see whether Sword Wielding Peak had any gifted female disciples with crooked hearts.
He did not say that aloud.
Lan Daozi smiled, cupped his hands, and said:
"This disciple will await you with sword in hand."
Seeing the match end, Master Chun Xiao breathed a sigh of relief.
The outcome had been within his expectations, though he did feel some heartache over the bluestone slabs shattered across the plaza...
With a wave of his sleeve, he restored the broken bluestone slabs to their original places. Yet a broken mirror could not be made whole again, and the cracks would still need the disciples from the Errand Disciple Quarters to mend.
Just like his shattered heart.
"Very well. This Sect Tour Ceremony can more or less end here. Congratulations, Junior Sister Yu Hu, on obtaining such a fine match."
Master Chun Xiao turned and cupped his hands toward Master Yuhu.
As he said this, his heart was bleeding, yet he still had to appear generous before the goddess of his dreams.
His posture was like a sword, his bearing vast and powerful, like a lone wolf upon snowy plains.
Awoo—
The two old masters of ceremonies called out as well:
"The ceremony is over! All guests, rise and send off the newlyweds—"
Suddenly!
"Hold it."
A deep female voice echoed through the snowy mountains.
Everyone was startled and turned toward its source.
They discovered that the voice came from the direction of Myriad Laws Peak.
A cold wind condensed into a hazy human figure, floating above the plaza.
It was a woman... no!
The face clearly had masculine features, yet the figure wore heavy makeup and women's attire, with an androgynous voice.
Compared to this person, even an Onmyoji seemed less effeminate.
At the Mountain Gate Plaza, the disciples of Myriad Laws Peak could scarcely believe their eyes. They froze for a long while before crying out:
"Master!"
Beside Xiao Bai, Mu Yun muttered softly.
"Myriad Laws Elder... how did he become a woman?"
A declaration: this book will not take in any men, intersex people, or transgender people, nor will it have any ambiguous romance with them.
Before you continue