Victory

Qiaoqiao:???

Chapter 39 Victory

Qiaoqiao had already forgotten about the fact that she was only a substitute in this sect competition on her way here. She had never doubted her own strength; she was aiming for first place in the sect competition, a top contender for the championship, how could she possibly be a substitute?

However, that is the reality; Qiaoqiao is the only substitute from Ethereal Peak to participate in this sect competition.

"Junior Sister--"

Seeing her standing there in a daze, Fu Fengyuan wanted to say a few words of comfort, but seeing his junior sister shaking her head repeatedly, he assumed she was feeling very down. Then, after a moment of thought, she suddenly looked up and said, "I understand!"

Her senior brothers and sisters were all quite startled.

What has my junior sister figured out?

[Could it be... that I was suspended because I was too strong?]

[The reason they didn't let me play was actually to give other disciples a chance!]

Shen Ji:

Sometimes, being blindly confident like my junior sister isn't a bad thing...

At least I won't be sad about being a substitute.

Just then, a hand timidly reached out from the side, "Junior Sister Qiao, I... I can abstain. If you want to participate, you can take my place."

The disciple beside him was taken aback. This was a brilliant idea! How come he hadn't thought of it?!

Anyway, the Flowing Cloud Sect never gets good rankings. If they draw a strong opponent and can't beat them, that's fine. The worst thing is to draw an opponent of similar strength. In that case, it'll be embarrassing for whoever loses.

Unfortunately, this sect competition doesn't restrict the use of Law Treasure. Since the decline of the Flowing Cloud Sect, the disciples have not been well-off. Compared to other Law Treasure, how can the Flowing Cloud Sect compare in terms of magical treasures? Wouldn't that be humiliating themselves?

"Junior Sister Qiao, me too--"

The disciples immediately cheered, some even whispering, "How did he beat us to it?"

Shen Ji looked at these disciples with complicated expressions, their faces clearly showing that they "didn't want to go on stage and embarrass themselves," and felt deeply worried about the future of their Flowing Cloud Sect.

The elder who tried to stop Qiaoqiao was also surprised by how unmotivated his disciples were. Feeling embarrassed, he scolded all the disciples who didn't want to participate. In comparison, Qiaoqiao, a Foundation Establishment disciple, was much more pleasing to the eye than these good-for-nothing disciples who were so eager to participate.

The elder handed the jade slip to Qiaoqiao and said gently, "Qiaoqiao, you'll be the one to go this time. Don't feel pressured, just do your best."

The scolded disciple, with tears welling up in his eyes, cried out, "Elder, that's not what you just said! You clearly said, 'If you don't get a ranking, you'll have to go back to the sect and clean the outhouses for three years!' Waaah!"

Qiaoqiao took the jade slip and nodded seriously.

She was deeply moved; she hadn't expected everyone to be so eager for her to perform. She was determined to give it her all! This sect competition was her chance to shine!

She specially took out a porcelain bottle containing spiritual spring water, washed her hands, and then infused a wisp of Spiritual Qi into the jade slip.

The ink-wash-like lines, when written on the Jade Slip, formed four characters: "Fairy Bihua".

The disciples gasped in surprise; Qiaoqiao's opponent in the first round was actually that female cultivator ranked twentieth on the Azure Cloud Ranking!

This is terrible.

That person is in the Golden Core Early Stage; it's said that their paintbrush can communicate with the divine. Wouldn't Junior Sister Qiao just be offering herself up as food if she went up there?

Even the elders looked regretful. They had wanted to let Qiaoqiao gain some experience, but it seemed she would be eliminated in the first round.

Only the senior brothers and sisters of Ethereal Peak exchanged glances. It's hard to say about others; this Brushstroke Immortal...

They watched Qiaoqiao walk off the stage, their backs to the camera, filled with anticipation for what would happen next.

--

The sect competition, a martial arts demonstration on a high platform.

After the draw, the first round of competition began.

According to the number on the jade slip, Qiaoqiao was among the first to go on stage. Across from the martial arts arena, the Brushstroke Immortal also gracefully stepped onto the stage. Her black hair was like clouds, and her ink-wash style gauze dress fluttered in the wind, exuding poetic charm and ethereal beauty.

As a top expert ranked 20th on the Azure Cloud Ranking, she is not only extremely popular within the Profound Heaven Sect, but also has many supporters in the other three sects.

As soon as the competition began, a large number of people flocked to the martial arts arena, completely surrounding the area below.

"Go, fairy!"

"The fairy will surely win!"

"Beat that weakling over there to the ground!"

The crowd was buzzing with discussion.

"I'm not mistaken, am I? That disciple seems to be in the Foundation Establishment Early Stage."

"Really? A Foundation Establishment Early Stage disciple is participating in the sect competition? Which sect is so outrageous? Is there no one left in the sect?"

"Who else could it be besides the Flowing Cloud Sect?"

"Hahaha, Foundation Establishment Early Stage! Why did this cultivator have to come up here to humiliate himself? He might as well get down here already!"

The taunts from these people didn't anger Qiaoqiao, but they almost made Xiao Tingyu explode with rage. She rolled up her sleeves, ready to fight them, but her junior brothers and sisters quickly pulled her back.

Fu Fengyuan: "Second Senior Sister, calm down. It's not worth arguing with these people."

Wen Zhi: "Judging from Qiaoqiao's confident demeanor, she must have a plan to deal with the enemy."

Fu Fengyuan and Xiao Tingyu turned their heads at the same time: Are you sure?

Wen Zhi:... Actually, she wasn't entirely sure either.

In the first round, besides Qiaoqiao, Shen Ji also appeared. As always, the senior brother's luck was bad, drawing third place on the Azure Cloud Ranking. The battle should have already started by now, and most of the disciples of the Flowing Cloud Sect have rushed over to support Shen Ji.

Only the people of Ethereal Peak didn't even think twice—since their senior brother and junior sister were competing at the same time, of course they came to support their junior sister.

Even the competition for first place on the Azure Cloud Ranking wasn't as exciting as my junior sister's heartfelt words.

At this moment, Qiaoqiao stood on the high platform, her expression turning solemn.

"What's wrong, junior sister?"

"It seems we've encountered some difficulties."

"The other side does indeed have some strength--"