Reporting back

He... he actually won. Nangong Qianrou's expression was complicated. Suddenly, she felt her face burning, as if she had been slapped in the face.

Although he relied on Confucian School and Law Technique to achieve victory, his ability to defeat two fourth-rank experts also meant that he could defeat us, the Golden Roosters. We felt conflicted. We thought that after half a lifetime of hard work and cultivation, we might not be able to defeat a kid who was only at the Essence Refining Realm half a year ago.

The blow was so severe that the Jinluo members were speechless for a moment.

"We won! We won!"

Biao Biao cheered loudly. If it weren't for the need to maintain the image and dignity of a princess, she would have jumped three feet high and hopped around like a little rabbit.

The alluring young woman was overjoyed.

When he fought against the Buddhist sect, it was not surprising Buddhist School he won because of the support of the Buddhist School Censor. But this time, he defeated two fourth-rank Huaiqing warriors with pure sixth-rank martial arts cultivation. She wouldn't cheer like Lin'an did, but she was just as shocked.

"Didn't they say there was a huge gap? Why did this kid win?" The princess stared at Chu Xianglong with accusatory eyes hidden behind her veil.

Chu Xianglong's eyes widened, his mouth slightly open. He wanted to explain, but recalling the battle scene just now, he felt that any rebuttal he made would be pale and powerless.

The princess's exquisitely sculpted lips curled slightly as she silently snorted inwardly.

Cheers erupted one after another, and the common people spared no effort in cheering and praising the young man who slowly stepped ashore.

A nobleman, with a complex expression, remarked, "How many years has it been since the capital produced a young man so deeply loved by the people?"

The cheers and jubilation of the people reminded them of the Battle of Shanhai Pass, when the army returned in triumph and the people of the capital lined the streets to welcome them.

Only Wei Yuan, at the height of his power and prestige, could have accomplished this.

Another nobleman said in a deep voice, "Have you noticed that his prestige has been rising ever since the duel?"

"After all, a contest of magical powers within Buddhist School is a rare and precious opportunity, and whoever wins it will see their prestige greatly increase."

"Well, I can only say they were incredibly lucky."

"My elder brother actually won! He used my Confucian School Law Technique!" Xu Xinnian felt double the pride. He glanced at the Wang family's eldest daughter, whose face still showed shock, and said with a boastful and praising tone:

"My older brother always manages to do things that ordinary people can't."

"And I, Xu Erlang, will strive to catch up," he added in his mind.

Wang Simu nodded with a smile. She liked Xu Erlang's arrogance. It was precisely because of this arrogance that he did not pale in comparison to his cousin's brilliance and wallow in self-pity.

On the riverbank, Xu Qi'an, with Li Miaozhen in his arms, slowly swept his gaze over the excited crowd, over the astonished martial arts figures, and over the faces with their varied expressions.

He nodded slightly, then flapped his invisible wings and flew away with Li Miaozhen in his arms.

Chu Yuanzhen watched his figure disappear, a line of poetry still echoing in his mind. "Today I present this to you, who has a grievance to redress?"

This is the second half of the poem that Xu Qi'an whispered in his ear.

For a fleeting moment, Chu Yuanzhen felt as if struck by lightning, his whole body trembling inexplicably. He then loosened his grip on the sword, no longer dwelling on the outcome of the battle between Celestial Person and man.

"Today I present this to you, who has a grievance to redress?" he murmured to himself.

I have nurtured this sword for years, and the day it is drawn, its sharpness will surely be revealed, slaying gods and Buddhas alike. I originally intended to unsheathe it in the battle between Celestial Person and man, defeat Li Miaozhen, and repay the kindness of the Human Sect in bestowing upon me the sword. But I was wrong, terribly wrong. Li Miaozhen was a chivalrous and righteous person, and she should not have died by my sword. For my own selfish reasons, I killed a good person, and this will surely become a demon in my heart, haunting me for the rest of my life. Xu Ningyan was saving me.

He deliberately withheld the second half of the poem that day, foreseeing this day would come. Today, I present it to you; who has grievances to redress? This is the original intention behind my cultivation of sword intent. Chu Yuanzhen took a deep breath, his heart filled with countless emotions.

He bowed deeply to Xu Qi'an's departing figure.

"Look, Chu Yuanzhen is completely convinced of his defeat; he's even bowing deeply to Xu Yinluo."

"Xu Yinluo is truly a genius."

The public was delighted to see Xu Yinluo defeat his opponent.

"Get out of here quickly, or everyone will see me suffering from the backlash of Confucian School Law Technique, my image completely destroyed! "Xu Qi'an frantically flapped his invisible wings and returned to the capital.

He mentally reviewed the pros and cons of participating in this battle between the Celestial Person and the human:

"I have successfully reached the minor mastery stage of the Vajra Divine Skill. There will be no further progress before the fourth rank. The advantage is that my defense is comparable to, or even stronger than, a fourth-rank martial artist. Of course, my actual combat strength is far inferior."

"The 'magic book' that the great Confucian scholars gave me has five pages. One page records the Daoist School Golden Core; one page records the Buddhist School precepts; two pages record the Confucian School Law Follows Speech become law; and, well, one page was destroyed by Li Miaozhen. The loss is quite heavy. I need to find a way to go to the Cloud Deer Academy and get some more for free. I just don't know how many of these items the great Confucian scholars have in stock."

"Master Jinlian still owes me a treasure; I'll ask him for it later."

"This forced intervention in the conflict between Celestial Person and Man has been relatively successful for the Human Sect, since Luo Yuheng is a beneficiary. But for the Heaven Sect..."

Thinking of this, Xu Qi'an looked at Li Miaozhen, patted her cheek, and chuckled softly, "So beautiful, be my concubine, haha."

As soon as he finished speaking, his shoulders trembled, and he found that he couldn't exhale any air; the invisible wings had disappeared. Immediately afterward, a tearing pain surged through his brain, his vision went black, and he plummeted downwards.

In his last moments of consciousness, he held Li Miaozhen tightly in his arms, ensuring that this holy maiden of the Heavenly Sect would not be thrown to her death.

Lingbao Temple.

Luo Yuheng had no interest in cultivating Daoism today. Sometimes he would fiddle with the tea set, sometimes he would flip through the Daoist scriptures, and sometimes he would stand in the courtyard, staring blankly at the blue sky outside the wall.

Emperor Yuanjing wisely refrained from seeking her out for Daoist breathing exercises.

The disciples inside the temple were terrified, walking and speaking in hushed tones, and the Lingbao Temple was shrouded in a repressive and tense atmosphere.

Until a man in a blue robe carrying a sword silently stepped into Lingbao Temple, passing through halls and gardens, and heading deeper into the temple.

"Chu Yuanzhen is back?"

"The battle between Celestial Person and Man is over, Brother Chu. Did you win or lose?"

"Brother Chu, did you defeat Li Miaozhen?"

The oppressive atmosphere was broken when the Daoist priests from the Human Sect arrived and surrounded Chu Yuanzhen, asking him questions.

Chu Yuanzhen shook his head and said in a deep voice, "I lost."

The cacophony of voices abruptly ceased, and the Daoist priests of the Human Sect exchanged bewildered glances, as if they had lost their parents.

Ignoring the pessimistic Daoists, Chu Yuanzhen walked straight towards Luo Yuheng's courtyard. As soon as he entered the courtyard, he saw a beautiful figure, as graceful as a fairy, standing by the pond.

"Imperial Preceptor," Chu Yuanzhen bowed respectfully.

Luo Yuheng nodded slightly. "I already know the ending. You have your reasons for not drawing your sword. I won't blame you. The Human Sect borrowed the dynasty's fortune for cultivation, but they never expected their fate to be so short."

"This is ordained by Heaven; no one can change it."

I only said I lost, but I didn't say Li Miaozhen won. Should I clarify things now and tell her that Xu Qi'an was the winner? Chu Yuanzhen hesitated, feeling like he might get slapped to death by the Imperial Advisor.

Luo Yuheng looked over and, seeing his strange expression, comforted him, "There's no need to blame yourself. I told you, this isn't your fault."

Chu Yuanzhen cleared his throat and said, "Grand Preceptor, I didn't win, but Li Miaozhen didn't win either. For some reason, Xu Qi'an suddenly appeared and forcibly intervened in the battle between Celestial Person and man, defeating both me and Li Miaozhen."

"The battle between Celestial Person and Man has not yet truly begun."

P. S.: I'm ashamed of how short this chapter is. I'll update regularly from now on, so don't worry. Even if it's short, I'll still update. I've thought it through; I'd rather it be shorter than not updating on time. There'll be another chapter before midnight tonight, and it'll probably be a long one.