Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
“Oh yes, as for the name list for the competitions…” Lou Hong’s eyes twinkled. He said expectantly, “It’ll be easy to arrange for disciples who are training their Qi and establishing their foundations, but as for those in the Golden Core stage… it’ll be quite difficult.”
“You’re thinking about asking Yi Qing to participate!” Lonemoon jumped. He suddenly guessed what Lou Hong was thinking.
Lou Hong smiled and nodded. He began to look more excited. “Yi Qing is the disciple of you two Supremacies. He has power that is out of the world. The trip to the mystic realm had already allowed him to form his core through an epiphany. He’ll definitely help our sect win the Golden Core-”
“No!” Before Lou Hong could finish speaking, Lonemoon interrupted him. “There is no need for him to prove anything. He’s not going to participate in any competition.” Lonemoon had the clearest picture of Yi Qing’s cultivation level. He was already halfway to becoming a Nascent Soul. If he participated in the competition, given his cheater personality, he would probably become a Nascent Soul and quickly become a Soul Formation cultivator.
“Supremacy…” Lou Hong did not expect Lonemoon to reject his idea. Afterall, this was the perfect opportunity for them to win the battle and make a name for themselves. He stared blankly at Lonemoon and objected, “But my sect belongs to-”
“Lou Hong!” Lonemoon’s expression darkened. “We joined Honesty Sect and naturally want to help you. Whatever we can do for you, we would. But Yi Qing… Please remember that he’s Shen Ying’s only disciple. That’s all. Nobody can harbor any ideas on him, or else…” He looked at Lou Hong with a strangely fierce expression. He emphasized on each word as he said, “If people really came here, you might not be able to withstand it.”
Lou Hong started. He felt a chill at the bottom of his chest and an unspeakable fear rose in his throat.
Without saying more, Lonemoon patted his shoulder, turned around and walked away.
—————
Lonemoon was right. After he got rid of the sword array, the Divine Heavens Sect sent a huge group of disciples over to help Honesty Sect organize the competition. What’s more, each of them brought their own equipment and resources.
Outside the gates of Honesty Sect, they set up a mountain peak all on their own and began to set up the competition grounds. As they did so, more disciples came to help them without Lou Hong’s invitation. Some of them even took the initiative to look for Lou Hong to brief him on all the preparations that needed to be done for the competition. They provided the manpower and the resources, and they did all of these things passionately at that. It was almost as if Divine Heavens Sect was the one organizing the competition and not Honesty Sect.
When the time for the competition came, the sect master of Divine Heavens Sect, Dong Wu, personally led a team of disciples in. This improved the Honesty Sect’s reputation. The other sects sent many disciples over as well, just as they had guessed. Their purpose for coming was not purely to participate in the competition. For the first two days, more than half of the sect masters tried different ways and means to find out more about the sword array
He had been a sect master for many years after all. Lou Hong did not accede to their requests, neither did he reject their requests. He entertained them as best as he could and then excused himself. As for earning as many spirit stones as he could, somehow he felt the need to ask Supremacy Lonemoon about every step.
This was clearly a competition among the sects, yet nobody was putting in any real effort in the competition. Instead, Honesty Sect – who had spent a lot of effort in preparing for the competition – was getting better than average results.
In particular, Lou Tao, the disciple in the foundation establishment stage, had made it easily to the finals.
Lonemoon really meant it when he said he was not interested in the competition. From the beginning to the end, he did not interfere at all. Instead, he cooped himself up in the Invincible Peak. On the last day of the competition, as the different sects fought for the championship, he dragged Shen Ying and Yi Qing down to wander about.
They were the only two Soul Formation Supremacies in the sect afterall. If they did not at least show their faces for a competition as big as this, it would not be appropriate.
When the three of them arrived, the various sect masters who were backstage all got to their feet. Perhaps they had heard earlier that Lonemoon was the one who set up the sword array. They were exceptionally friendly toward him.
Lonemoon was very familiar with environments like these. On the way up the stage alone, he had already taken advantage of a number of people. He took his seat toward the right of the stage, just next to the sect master of Divine Heavens Sect, Dong Wu.
They talked about random topics. Father Niu had a sly smile on his face that made him look a bit like a fox. Shen Ying, on the other hand, sat quietly by his side.
Not long after they got seated, the final competition began. Lonemoon stopped the conversation and looked around him. The Qi Refinement competition was starting. There were two cultivators on the stage – one female and one male – from Red and Green Sect and Blackheaven Sect, respectively. They looked relatively young, especially the female cultivator. From her looks, Lonemoon guessed that she was only about 16 years old.
Lonemoon frowned. She looked familiar, yet he could not figure out where he had seen her before.
That Qi Refinement round ended very quickly . The female cultivator from Red and Green Sect used an explosive pill to blow the opposition off the stage. Maybe it was coincidental – the sect master of the Red and Green Sect was seated not far away from them.
The female cultivator walked happily off the stage toward her Red and Green Sect. Before she even reached them, her eyes brightened and she looked over at Yi Qing with an excited expression.
Lonemoon’s heart jumped. Suddenly, he recalled where he had seen the lady before. She was the one who came out of the mystic realm together with Yi Qing. From what he heard, she had grown up together with Yi Qing. Yi Qing was the one who saved her in the mystic realm.
So… from the lady’s expression, she was looking to sell her soul to Yi Qing to repay him for saving her life?
His heart began to race as he nudged Shen Ying excitedly. Rejoicing in her troubles, he said, “Hey, Shen Ying, do you see that lady over there?” He pointed to her right and said, “She looks like your love rival!”
“Ah!” The fruit that Shen Ying was about to bite down on slipped out of her hand. She looked at him, confused.
“Tell me, how do you feel?”
Shen Ying tilted her head and glanced in the direction he was pointed. She looked back at Chef, who was looking very normal. “What?”
“What what?” Lonemoon rolled his eyes. “I didn’t know Chef was that charming.” That girl is obviously in love with him!
“Is that right?” Shen Ying stared blankly back at him, then looked at the two teenagers, as if trying to study their relationship. She did not look in the least bit jealous.
Chef, on the other hand, stepped forward and looked at his two companions suspiciously as they whispered to each other. “Master?” What’s the matter? Why were they whispering to each other and leaving him out of the conversation? He subconsciously turned to where they were looking and saw the lady in the pink robes. She looked very familiar to him.
The girl’s expression brightened and she even flushed a little. Excitedly, she clenched her fists by her side and walked over to them.
“Look, she’s coming over! She’s coming over! She’s coming to steal your man.” Lonemoon looked on with interest.
As the lady got closer and closer, she got more and more excited. Just as she approached them, she scurried over toward Yi Qing with a bright smile on her face.
Then… she pushed Yi Qing aside and hugged Shen Ying.
Shen Ying, “…”
Lonemoon, “…”
Yi Qing: “…”
