Facing the Facts
The disciples of Ten Thousand Daos Born, who were resting in the area, stared wide-eyed, their faces filled with astonishment.
Even those who were secretly watching the third arena from afar were caught off guard by this result; they simply couldn't believe what they had heard.
"In this battle, Mara Gate Su Fuyun is victorious!" Elder Luo's voice was so loud that every word clearly reached the ears of everyone present.
Dong Fuzhu thought she had misheard, and asked again, "Elder, are you mistaken? My senior sister should have won this battle!"
In her opinion, anyone with normal eyesight present should be able to tell who won and who lost.
Even after she pointed it out, Elder Luo showed no intention of changing his mind.
"Am I, a dignified Nascent Spirit Transformation cultivator, less discerning than a Golden Core junior like you? This battle is a victory for the Mara Gate." Seemingly worried about insufficient evidence, he waved his long sleeves, revealing the recording stone in his hand.
This was specially arranged by the Azure Feather Sect to ensure the fairness of the competition. Each arena was equipped with one, something Elder Luo couldn't tamper with.
The recording stone was immediately activated, and the scene of Sang Ying's previous fight instantly appeared before everyone's eyes.
The image was projected with crystal clarity, showing the two figures, one in blue and one in white, repeating their previous actions, allowing everyone to see the scene after the fighting arena was destroyed.
Su Fuyun's cultivation was insufficient, and he was violently thrown away by the shockwave, crashing to the ground after the fighting platform was damaged.
At that moment, Elder Luo moved the Image-Retaining Stone backward, capturing Sang Ying's image as well.
This time, everyone present clearly saw that after the fighting platform shattered, a figure landed before Su Fuyun.
Ignoring the blue dress, their gaze shifted upwards, and Sang Ying's face, seemingly tinged with the smell of gunpowder, came into view.
"So that's how it is! Fellow Daoist Sang fell off the dueling platform first!" someone who had finished watching the projection exclaimed.
Some people felt sorry for Sang Ying: "Actually, Fellow Daoist Sang was still within the arena's range, but she damaged the arena too badly, which is why she harmed herself."
Some people felt indignant on Su Fuyun's behalf. "So Fellow Daoist Su won! Even if she couldn't beat Fellow Daoist Sang, she didn't break the rules!"
After all, Sang Ying landed first, and Su Fuyun was knocked down first.
From the perspective of other uninvolved parties, although Sang Ying's luck was indeed bad, she had truly lost.
Amidst the cacophony of voices, Elder Luo's eyes gleamed with smugness, and he even had time to cast a pitying glance at Elder Ten Thousand Daos Born in the distance.
He knew the other party was watching him closely, but this time he didn't make a move. If they had to blame someone, they could only blame their disciple for being unlucky.
Despite Elder Luo's pity for Sang Ying's bad luck, she didn't move an inch from beginning to end. She listened quietly to the conversation, as if she wasn't the one at the center of the discussion.
Su Fuyun struggled to her feet; the defensive magic Law Artifact she carried had been damaged, and her whole body ached.
In the past, Su Fuyun would have left long ago to go back and recuperate.
But at this moment, she no longer cared about the pain; all she wanted was to fiercely mock the person who had always been pressing down on her.
It had been so many years; she had waited far too long for this day.
This seemed to be the first time she had completely defeated this person in front of everyone, and at this moment Su Fuyun felt a long-lost sense of pleasure and joy.
"How pitiful, junior sister. Even though you're so powerful, you still lost to me in the end." As if unable to suppress her joy, a few flashes of madness appeared in her eyes.
Sang Ying just looked at her like that, without the slightest hint of anger. "Do you really think you've won?"
Su Fuyun's smile vanished abruptly, "What do you mean? Junior Sister, I know you're resentful about losing the match, but this was personally decided by an elder of the Azure Feather Sect. If you're not satisfied, you can argue with this elder."
Her voice was quite loud, immediately attracting Elder Luo's attention.
The smile that had just appeared on the other person's face instantly turned icy again, "Ten Thousand Daos Born Sang Ying, are you questioning me?"
Sang Ying raised her eyes slightly and met the old man's face. "This disciple dares not, but I cannot agree with the elder's judgment."
"Ha!" Elder Luo laughed in anger. "What do you mean you don't dare? If you think I'm wrong, then produce the evidence, lest others overhear and really think I'm targeting your Ten Thousand Daos Born!"
The "others" he was referring to were naturally Elder Gu and his companion, since Elder Gu was now glaring at him with wide eyes and a fierce look.
The people on the high platform, who had been drawn to Sang Ying's swordplay, witnessed this entire turn of events.
The Sect Master Jimo remained silent, but the gray-robed elder Mara Gate to protect the new disciples spoke first:
"Fellow Daoist Gu, although your sect's new chief disciple is quite powerful, his temperament seems rather ordinary."
The gaunt elder in gray robes wore a smug expression, completely unaware of the unfriendly glare the Sect Master Jimo cast at him after he uttered those words.
"It's just a competition, losing is losing. Why are your disciples acting like they can't handle losing?" Elder Mara Gate said with a smirk, which infuriated Elder Gu, who was standing to the side.
Elder Gu originally wanted to engage in a verbal battle with him, but he immediately fell silent at Jiulian's signal.
That's true, even their master isn't worried, so why should he, a mere senior disciple, concern himself with such trivial matters?
The Elder Gu, now calmed down, sat upright in his chair, his previous agitation gone, which intimidated the elder Mara Gate.
The commotion unfolding in the stands was unknown to those below.
Their eyes were only on the indifferent-looking female cultivator in blue.
"Ten Thousand Daos Born, Sang Ying, don't waste everyone's time. If you can produce evidence, I will change my judgment. If you can't, then hurry up and move aside, lest you miss the next group's competition!" Seeing that Sang Ying remained silent, Elder Luo urged her a few times.
Feeling pleased with himself, Su Fuyun laughed and said, "Yes, Sang Ying, I know you're upset about losing the match, but a loss is a loss. Even if you act up, it won't change the fact!"
"That's well said. A loss is a loss." Sang Ying looked at Su Fuyun, a different light slowly appearing in her beautiful eyes. "So, Holy Maiden Su, have you come to terms with this fact?"
Su Fuyun couldn't help but laugh, "What do I understand..."
Her voice abruptly stopped, as the female swordsman in front of her slowly lifted the hem of her skirt, revealing the stone beneath her feet that belonged to the dueling platform.
Amid everyone's surprised gazes, Sang Ying walked down the piece of gravel. The thin stone slab was engraved with the word "dou", which was exactly the stone at the center of the competition platform!
Even more discerning individuals discovered that this thin stone slab did not actually touch the ground; although it was only a finger's width away from the ground, it was truly floating in the air!
"This..." Elder Luo was so shocked that he was speechless. He looked at Su Fuyun beside him and saw that the other party's face was even more unpleasant than his own.
"How could this be? This is impossible." Su Fuyun bit her lower lip tightly. She could clearly feel that the thirty percent of her reserved luck had been completely used up. Sang Ying should have lost to her!
Her fingernails dug into the flesh of her palm, but Su Fuyun felt no pain. She stared intently at the floating stone, her teeth almost grinding to powder.
"So, have you come to terms with this fact?" Sang Ying's voice appeared in her ear, "Even if you use tricks, you still can't win against me!"