Everyone looked at Sect Master Yan and could not help asking, "There seem to have been a lot of disciples infected by Devil Qi in the Beast Taming Sect lately. Are you certain it has all been cleared away?"
Sect Master Yan gave them a reassuring look. "Let me share a piece of news with you all-the Vermilion Bird has already appeared in the world."
At that moment, the Vermilion Bird lying in Tang Yao's sea of consciousness lazily opened one golden eye. He knew nothing of the Moon Worship Cult's affairs, as he had been recuperating in egg form at the time.
"That brat Linyu got hold of some Vermilion Bird Li Fire from somewhere, and every disciple infected by Devil Qi has been tempered by the Li Fire. There should be no problem."
Everyone nodded with some delight. None seemed surprised by the news that the Beast Taming Sect had a divine beast.
"Excellent. The divine Vermilion Bird is precisely the bane of these evil things."
"Lord Vermilion Bird did not emerge last time. This time, he will surely be a great help."
Tang Yao teased him in her mind: Lord Vermilion Bird, you'll have to put in some serious work this time.
"Naturally." The Vermilion Bird narrowed his eyes slightly. "These things are what I hate most."
Still, Tang Yao could not quite understand. Why had they appeared near the Azure Cloud Sect?
After thinking it over, she finally asked aloud, "Why did they choose to appear at a mission site near the Azure Cloud Sect?"
"A provocation?" Jiang Yueyan picked up her question uncertainly. Their eyes briefly met, then quickly parted once they realized who the other was.
Jiang Yueyan deeply regretted his quick tongue.
Just as Tang Yao was feeling awkward, Xiao Rong appeared beside her at some point, her voice puzzled. "You two know each other?"
"No," Tang Yao replied.
Hearing her say no stirred anger in Jiang Yueyan. It was as though he alone was splitting hairs while the person involved had long since put it out of her mind.
He deliberately stepped closer, the jade pendants at his waist clinking crisply with his movements. "Fellow Daoist Tang?"
With his hand wrapped in gauze, Chu Song looked back and forth between the two with a strange expression.
Tang Yao gave a light cough and changed the subject. "Master, I think we really should pay attention to why they appeared near the Azure Cloud Sect. Could it have been a ploy to lure the tiger from its mountain? After you left that day, did anything valuable go missing?"
Ren Linfeng nodded. "What you suggest is not impossible. I'll check shortly. The four great sects must also strengthen their defenses immediately and send elites to investigate in secret."
"Unless necessary, it would be best for the disciples not to go out."
"All right, everyone, hurry back to your sects and make the arrangements!"
The other three sect masters all left with furrowed brows, the complete opposite of how they had looked upon arriving. The younger generation exchanged farewells, apart from Jiang Yueyan and Tang Yao.
They followed their respective masters away in turn.
To avoid causing panic among the disciples, Sect Master Ren told only the other personal disciples about the matter, leaving the inner and outer disciples uninformed. He also secretly arranged for an elite force to investigate.
Everything in the sect continued as usual. Tang Yao still went to the Martial Practice Hall every day to train and taught a few disciples whenever she had time. Before she knew it, the day of the new disciple tournament had arrived.
The disciples were brimming with enthusiasm, rubbing their fists and flexing their legs, ready to show their skills. Yet they shared an unspoken understanding: every new disciple who drew Tang Yao as an opponent chose to surrender.
For two days straight, Tang Yao had barely arrived before she was informed that she had won, then returned to catch up on sleep.
As a result, the senior brothers and sisters mocked these new disciples as the most spineless intake yet.
They were rather wronged, really. It was not that they lacked backbone. After all this time, they had discovered that they simply could not beat Senior Brother Tang!
Wouldn't going up there just mean taking a beating...?
By the third day, the square was still packed with disciples, their voices a boiling clamor of discussion. The rising sun dyed the clouds gold and red as Tang Yao yawned and continued drawing lots.
Her fingertips lightly rubbed the lot token in her hand. She lifted it for a look, and there, clearly written upon it, was "Mu Shixue."
At the sight, Tang Yao raised her brows slightly and looked toward the nearby crowd.
Mu Shixue stood surrounded by several disciples, her green robes swaying, her features as lovely as a painting. Her almond-shaped eyes held undisguised excitement.
As though sensing her gaze, Mu Shixue turned to look at Tang Yao from afar. Their eyes met, and the corners of her lips lifted slightly before she suddenly broke into a radiant smile.
"Senior Brother Tang... I think Senior Sister Mu has been acting strange lately." Meng Qi had come over at some point, his voice worried.
Tang Yao turned to look at him. Seeing his conflicted expression and not knowing what he wanted, she could only follow his lead.
"Are you worried Mu Shixue will trip me up?"
Meng Qi scratched his head, lowered it, and spoke in a voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz. "No, I'm worried you'll beat Senior Sister Mu too badly..."
Tang Yao: "..."
"If Senior Sister Mu does something really out of line, could you go easy on her for the sake of being fellow disciples...?" Meng Qi's head was nearly lowered to the ground. He knew these words were strange, and he also hoped his senior sister could return to how she had been before.
Tang Yao waved a hand. "All right, all right. It's a spar between fellow disciples. We'll stop short of going too far. Even if you hadn't said anything, I wouldn't strike to kill." She took hold of Meng Qi to pull him up.
She silently wiped away sweat. She felt as though he would drop to his knees the next second.
Once Tang Yao agreed, Meng Qi immediately straightened up with a smile and thanked her over and over, then headed to the waiting area.
The next match was Tang Xin against Meng Qi.
Tang Yao sat in the spectator stands. She had not watched any matches over the past two days, so this counted as the first one she had watched.
The match soon began.
Tang Xin wore a fitted blue-green outfit and held a slender sword, its edge gleaming with a piercing chill. Her movements were light, her swordsmanship fierce. Meng Qi fought steadily, focusing on defense with nimble footwork.
"Junior Sister Tang's swordsmanship has improved again!" someone below the platform exclaimed in admiration.
"Meng Qi is good too. He looks clumsy, but he's actually as steady as a boulder."
Tang Xin soon noticed that Meng Qi was somewhat distracted, as though thinking about something. She seized an opening and flicked his sword hilt away with one strike, ultimately winning.
The match ended quickly. When the referee announced that the next match would be Tang Yao against Mu Shixue, the crowd instantly erupted, their cheers piercing the clouds.
The vast majority of those present today had come to watch this match between the Azure Cloud Sect's chief disciple, who had landed in the position out of nowhere, and Mu Shixue, the most gifted of the new disciples.
"Tang Yao against Mu Shixue? Now we're in for a good show!"
"Junior Sister Mu is the cream of this intake. I heard she's learned swordsmanship exceptionally well."
"Tang Yao may have been stealing the limelight among the new disciples lately, but that doesn't mean she'll win, does it?"
"..."