A meteoric rise to fame

"Why did Junior Sister Mu end up like this? Could it have been Tang Yao just now?"

"Why did Senior Sister Mu suddenly faint? Senior Brother Tang had better give us an explanation!"

She was just sitting in the arena, yet blame came falling from the sky.

Tang Yao sat beside Mu Shixue with her sword in her arms and sighed.

The referee swiftly came up to examine Mu Shixue, confirming that she had merely fainted and was in no serious danger. Yet the small remainder of Devil Qi had inexplicably vanished, as though it had never appeared.

Tang Yao was somewhat taken aback. She remembered that there should still have been a trace of Devil Qi left inside Mu Shixue.

Was it gone?

Several elders promptly came up to check on her as well. Elder Yun crouched down and rested his fingertips on Mu Shixue's wrist. "Her spiritual power is somewhat disordered." He closed his eyes and examined her more closely, but found nothing else.

Among the disciples below, some breathed a sigh of relief, while others could not believe it.

"How could... wasn't it Tang Yao?"

"As long as Senior Sister Mu is all right!"

Meanwhile, the referee immediately announced the result.

"Tang Yao versus Mu Shixue! The winner! Tang Yao!"

The new disciples below instantly erupted into thunderous cheers, startling many of the senior disciples, who all looked as though they had seen a ghost.

Was Tang Yao this popular among the new disciples?

"Senior Brother Tang! Your reputation is well deserved! The victory everyone hoped for!"

"Senior Brother, aaah! You're the most handsome!"

"Honestly, without Senior Brother Tang, I'd still be stuck on the first form!" One disciple wiped away his tears.

A senior disciple beside him swallowed, poked him, and quietly asked, "He teaches you too?"

The new disciple nodded vigorously as he cried.

"Can I still sign up?" the senior disciple asked, his face solemn.

The new disciple: "?" You're trying to steal my spot?

"No!!"

The other disciple shook his head regretfully. It seemed he would have to visit the new disciples' martial training hall next time.

The competition continued. For the next match, the referee announced Tang Yao versus Tang Xin.

Tang Xin was still basking in the cheerful atmosphere when she abruptly turned to stone, the smile freezing at the corners of her mouth.

Tang Xin: ?

Who's fighting Tang Yao? Me?

Is there even any point?

She simply did not enter the arena. Looking at Tang Yao, who sat casually inside, she raised her hand in surrender. "I concede."

After a moment of silence, quite a few people voiced their firm support. Wouldn't going up there mean getting roasted by fire? Roasted into charcoal, at that. Besides, these two were brother and sister. Going up there would just mean going through the motions and putting on a show for them. Better to end it outright!

Tang Yao: "..."

Tang Xin's perpetually unchanging face was now holding back laughter as she said to Tang Yao, "Did you hear that? I certainly don't want you burning me into charcoal."

Tang Yao: "?" Slander!!

She had roasted Mu Shixue with her sword because there was Devil Qi on her!

Wait, what? Who could restore her lifelong innocence?

At last, the Azure Cloud Sect's new disciple competition drew to a close. As its champion, Tang Yao shot to fame. In particular, news of the Crimson Flame Sword's emergence spread throughout the Eastern Continent. The Tang Household, whose precarious position meant it could be dragged out of the five great aristocratic clans at any moment, rose with the tide as a result.

After returning that very night, Tang Yao told Sect Master Ren that there might be something wrong with Mu Shixue. If she woke up, he had to question her thoroughly. After all, only she knew exactly what had happened.

On the third day after the Azure Cloud Sect's new disciple competition ended, Tang Yao stood before the sect's mountain gates, gazing at the rolling mountain ranges in the distance.

"Senior Brother, are you really going back to the Tang Household?" A clear voice came from behind her. Tang Yao turned to find several new disciples looking at her wistfully.

"Yes, it's my father's hundredth birthday." Tang Yao put away her sword and smiled faintly. "Work hard on your cultivation."

"Don't worry, Senior Brother! We definitely won't slack off!" the boys and girls answered in unison, their eyes filled with admiration.

In just these two short days, Tang Yao's reputation had spread through the cultivation world like wildfire.

At the Azure Cloud Sect's new disciple competition, he had not only defeated Mu Shixue of the Golden Core Realm, but also earned the recognition of the Crimson Flame Sword, ranked third on the sword rankings. The news shook the entire cultivation world.

People instinctively overlooked the unfavorable rumors about Tang Yao from before. In the face of absolute strength, everything else was empty.

"Brother." Tang Xin hurried down the mountain path, followed by several Tang Household guards. "Everything is ready. We can leave."

Tang Yao's gaze swept over the familiar faces from her memories behind Tang Xin. These were all elite guards of the Tang Household. She remembered that, in the original text, even when the female lead returned to the Tang Household, no such arrangements had been made.

"Father sent them?" Tang Yao lowered her head slightly and asked softly.

Tang Xin said, "Father said you're the Tang Household's hope now, and your safety must be assured. The Tang Household's flying boat will arrive shortly."

The Tang Household had once been a glorious cultivation clan.

Over the past few decades, it had steadily declined, its resources continuously eaten away and its position precarious. Countless lower- and middle-ranking aristocratic clans wanted to pull the Tang Household down and take its place.

A short while later, a flying boat descended before them. The lingering sunlight spilled over its weathered hull. Its once-exquisite cloud reliefs had been eroded by time until they were indistinct.

Tang Yao raised her head to look up at the colossal vessel. It resembled an aging general: though its armor was battered, one could still sense the valor with which it had once galloped across the sea of clouds.

"Young Master, please," the guards said with lowered heads.

Tang Yao lightly tapped the ground with her toes. Spiritual power surged from her calves as she leaped aboard and stood at the bow, her sleeves fluttering. Turning back, she smiled at everyone. "Everyone, don't miss me!"

After seeing Tang Yao's flowing sequence of movements, many disciples below called out, "Senior Brother! So handsome!"

"We'll miss you..."

"Show-off." After a moment of speechlessness, Tang Xin climbed aboard using the stairs beneath the flying boat.

The flying boat slowly rose and set off, traveling through the sea of clouds. Tang Yao stood at the bow with her eyes closed, feeling the breeze against her face.

"Aren't you going back to rest?" Tang Xin walked over to Tang Yao's side and asked.

Tang Yao opened her eyes. "Let's go." As she spoke, she gazed at the churning clouds in the distance, and a fiery-red cloud suddenly entered her sight.

"Wait, what's that?"

"Hmm?" Tang Xin followed Tang Yao's gaze and saw a patch of red sunset cloud flickering in and out of sight among the clouds. She was about to answer when her brows suddenly furrowed. "No, that cloud is moving!"

That "red cloud" was approaching them at an astonishing speed. It was no naturally formed cloud at all.

Tang Yao narrowed her eyes slightly. It was another airship.

"On guard," Tang Yao said gravely. Though her voice was not loud, spiritual power carried it throughout the flying boat in an instant.

The Tang Household guards swiftly took their positions, and the defensive formation lit up with a faint glow. Tang Xin stood beside Tang Yao, her hand gripping her sword hilt. "It seems Father's concerns were right."

Tang Yao nodded, and flames in her palm instantly condensed into a sword.

It seemed her performance in this competition had left some people unable to sit still.

The "red cloud" drew closer and closer, finally revealing its true appearance.

It was an airship, crimson from end to end and lavishly decorated, with a ferocious beast's head carved into its bow.

Airships of this kind usually flew flags, but this one's seemed to have been deliberately removed.

The airship had already closed to within a hundred zhang. A middle-aged man in brocade robes stood at its bow, wearing a black mask. Behind him stood more than ten elite fighters, each with a powerful presence. Even the weakest was at the Foundation Establishment Late Stage.

"Tang brat, I trust you've been well." A mocking voice rang out from the airship opposite them.