On the stands, disciples of Xianyun City shouted, "Senior Sister Miao! Smash that blinding brat! He's asking for it!"
"That's right!"
"Senior Sister, teach him a lesson!"
Miao Qingfeng ignored them, her eyes coldly fixed on Yu Xinghe.
Yu Xinghe's face flushed crimson instantly. His previously carefree demeanor turned timid. He stammered, "You...you're Miao Qingfeng?"
Miao Qingfeng's delicate brows furrowed, her arm trembled, and the longsword in her hand hummed.
Yu Xinghe was about to ramble on when he suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.
He shuddered, turning around in confusion to meet a pair of icy eyes.
It was his master.
Yu Xinghe: "..."
Shen Gurong rested his elbow on the window frame, his wide, sky-blue bamboo-patterned sleeves fluttering slightly in the wind. His expression was indifferent; even from a distance, Yu Xinghe could see the coldness in his master's eyes through the thin silk gauze.
Shen Gurong's expression was stern, thinking: You dare to admit defeat and see what happens?
Mu Zhe: "..."
Yu Xinghe's survival instinct kicked in; he inexplicably felt that if he disgraced Liren Peak, his master would definitely tear him apart.
He timidly withdrew his gaze, gripped his sword tightly, and gave a slight bow: "Please enlighten me."
Miao Qingfeng's brows finally relaxed, and she charged forward with her sword.
A moment later, Shen Gurong closed his eyes in a pitiful state, turning his head to ask Mu Zhe, "How long has it been since he practiced swordsmanship?"
Mu Zhe glanced at Yu Xinghe, who was being beaten and running around the arena, and chuckled inwardly, but didn't show it on his face. He said gently, "Since he entered the Dao, he's been practicing only sporadically. Every time he practices, he complains of being tired. Reaching the Foundation Establishment stage is already his limit."
Shen Gurong: "Doesn't the Sect Leader care about him?"
Mu Zhe frowned: "The Sect Leader has been extremely busy these past few years and hasn't had time to manage him. A few years ago, he secretly went home and was injured when he returned..."
At this point, Mu Zhe suddenly paused.
Since leaving the Sword Tomb, Mu Zhe had been forcing himself not to think about those memories that didn't belong to him, treating them as a false illusion.
Now, for some reason, he suddenly recalled the sea of swords at Jiu Xi Sword, where Yu Xinghe seemed to have mentioned something about "the entire nation being slaughtered by the enemy"...
Seeing Mu Zhe suddenly fall into deep thought, Shen Gurong was about to ask again when the duel on the platform had already concluded.
Yu Xinghe had indeed lost, but at least he had held on for a quarter of an hour, not suffering a crushing defeat.
Yu Xinghe had already stepped down from the platform, bowing slightly, even displaying a somewhat refined gentlemanly air.
"Thank you for your guidance."
Miao Qingfeng returned the bow, said nothing, and descended from the platform, returning to the stands amidst the cheers of Xianyun City.
Yu Xinghe sheathed his sword and shouted towards the stands of Liren Peak, "Senior brothers, Xinghe did his best!"
The senior brothers shouted, "Xinghe did very well!"
"Xinghe, with that outfit, you've already won!"
"It's alright! We only lost by a narrow margin!"
Everyone else: "..."
Your Xinghe was been completely dominated, unable to fight back at all, right?
This is considered a narrow loss on Liren Peak?
The senior brothers of Liren Peak didn't care and happily welcomed their "narrowly defeated" junior brother back to the stands.
Wen Liubing announced, "First match, Miao Qingfeng of Xianyun City wins."
"Next match..."
After that, the matches took place among other sects, with a few disciples from Liren Peak occasionally joining in.
The disciples of Liren Peak had an exceptionally good mentality. If they won, they cheered as if they had won the championship; but if they lost, even if they were quickly knocked off the stage, they would call it a "narrow defeat," offer some consolation, and then continue watching the arena with glee, completely unaffected.
Disciples from other sects watched with astonishment.
No wonder Liren Peak was so reclusive; they should really go and cultivate Buddhism.
Shen Gurong, feeling drowsy, drank two cups of wine mixed with pear blossom honey that Mu Zhe had poured for him, and listlessly withdrew his gaze from the arena.
He turned back, his eyes reddening, and mumbled, "Why do I hear noises outside?"
Mu Zhe said calmly, "Master must be drunk."
Shen Gurong had only drunk two cups, but his alcohol tolerance wasn't very high, and he was somewhat skeptical, "Really?"
He was about to turn around to get more wine when his waist went limp, and he collapsed. Mu Zhe swiftly knelt down and caught him in his arms.
Shen Gurong had intended to lie down on the mat and take a nap. He drowsily closed his eyes and said casually, "I want to sleep. Call me before you go on stage."
Mu Zhe responded, half-carrying him onto the mat and draping a crane-feather cloak over him.
Once Shen Gurong was breathing evenly and asleep, Mu Zhe coldly walked out of the small pavilion, where he saw Xue Manzhuang hopping around on the first floor, trying to fly up to the second floor.
Seeing him, Xue Manzhuang angrily said, "It's you again?! You wicked person who breaks up lovers!"
Mu Zhe bowed to him expressionlessly and said, "The Demon Lord wants me to take the Young Master upstairs."
Upon hearing this, Xue Manzhuang snorted and said, "I don't want to see my father! He'll definitely stop me from going to find the beauty!"
Seeing that he was about to fly upstairs but was blocked by the barrier he had set up, Mu Zhe could no longer bear it and stepped forward respectfully, saying, "Excuse me."
With that, he grabbed Xue Manzhuang by the back of his collar, forcibly transforming him into his true form, and seemingly respectfully but actually forcibly carried him up to the pavilion.
Upstairs, the Demon Lord, dressed in magnificent robes, held a jade cup in his hand, a slight smile playing on his lips, slowly and deliberately watching the arena outside the window, and said calmly, "Liren Peak does have quite a few rising stars; Sect Leader Xi has truly done a good job of training them."
Xi Guxing remained expressionless.
Just now, the disciples of Liren Peak lost more than they won, while the demon disciples won quite a few. The Demon Lord's words were blatant sarcasm, yet his face remained completely sincere, as if he were genuinely praising them.
Xi Guxing thought to himself, "Anyone who didn't know better would think you weren't a phoenix, but an old fox who had cultivated for a thousand years!"
He gave a forced smile: "The disciples were just playing around; there's no need to care about winning or losing."
Feng Yun from Fenglu City also smiled brightly: "I'm quite looking forward to seeing that guy named Mu Zhe. It's said that while hunting savage beasts, he even hunted down a Core Formation leader beast. Truly a young hero."
Xi Guxing, who had just been saying he didn't care about winning or losing, thought expressionlessly, 'When Mu Zhe comes out, he'll 'kill' you all.'
Just then, Mu Zhe arrived, carrying Xue Manzhuang: "Sect Leader."
Xi Guxing's eyes brightened slightly.
Mu Zhe, just in time. Draw your sword.
Mu Zhe was about to speak when Xi Guxing's gaze startled him. He hesitated for a moment, and Xue Manzhuang, uncontrollably, burst from his palm, fluttering away.
The Demon Lord, who had been elegantly drinking, saw Xue Manzhuang and his expression immediately changed.
With a wave of his hand, he forcibly pulled Xue Manzhuang, who had managed to fly a few steps, back to him, where he landed with a "chirp" in his palm.
The Demon Lord gripped him tightly, gritting his teeth, "You've caused trouble again!"
Xue Manzhuang: "Chirp! Chirp!"
Daddy, beauty!
Demon Lord: "..."
Mu Zhe said calmly, "During the Chanwei Assembly, Liren Peak is a mixed bag. The young master is still recovering from serious injuries. Going out alone would be dangerous. I beg the Demon Lord to consider the young master's safety."
In short, keep him from causing trouble.
The Demon Lord pinched Xue Manzhuang's phoenix beak, silencing his smacking lips, and forced a smile: "Exactly."
The Demon Lord's entire life's reputation had been utterly ruined by this foolish son!
Xi Guxing watched with a clear conscience, still drinking wine and eating pastries, inwardly praising, "Truly worthy of Mu Zhe."
Xi Guxing was very satisfied.
Mu Zhe inadvertently glanced at Xi Guxing again, and unconsciously shuddered, feeling something was off.
He bowed, rose, and went to the inner room.
Inside, Shen Gurong was curled up in his crane-feather cloak, only half his head visible. His hair ornament, once tied up, was askew, and his white hair lay disheveled on the mat.
Mu Zhe tiptoed over and gently removed the cloak, making him more comfortable.
Seemingly sensing someone's presence, Shen Gurong let out a muffled groan, then reached out and accurately grabbed Mu Zhe's hand.
Mu Zhe was startled and instinctively tried to pull his hand back.
But as soon as he moved, Shen Gurong suddenly said in a trembling voice, "No..."
Shen Gurong gripped his hand tightly, murmuring, "No, I'm scared."
Mu Zhe stared at him, stunned.
Shen Gurong seemed to be having a nightmare, clinging tightly to Mu Zhe's hand. The cloak had loosened and fallen down, and a single tear slowly welled up from the corner of his eye.
"I'm so scared, how can you leave?"
He kept repeating "I'm scared" and "Don't go," his voice growing increasingly anxious, as if he might wake up at any moment.
Mu Zhe quickly grasped his hand, gently patting his back, softly comforting him, "Don't be afraid, don't be scared."
Shen Gurong whimpered, seemingly lost in another dream. He shuddered, suddenly gasping and snapping his eyes open.
His pale pupils were clear; for a moment, Mu Zhe almost thought he could see.
But quickly, the clarity vanished, leaving only a dazed look. A layer of mist welled in his eyes, which he blinked gently, slowly sliding down the corners of his eyes.
Shen Gurong clutched his chest, taking a few shallow breaths before finally regaining his senses.
"Mu Zhe?"
His voice still trembled slightly. Mu Zhe snapped out of his daze and quickly stepped forward to put the ice silk around Shen Gurong's neck. "I'm here, Master."
Shen Gurong sat up, rubbed his temples, and frowned. "What time is it?"
Mu Zhe poured him a cup of tea. "Just past noon."
Shen Gurong took a sip, thought for a moment, and said, "Weren't you going to go on stage?"
Mu Zhe glanced at the arena outside the window. It seemed it was almost his turn, so he nodded.
Shen Gurong said, "Then go ahead."
Seeing that his expression didn't seem as bad as before, Mu Zhe nodded in agreement, took the Jiu Xi sword, and left.
Stepping out of the pavilion, the Jiu Xi sword asked, "Does your master have a demon in his heart?"
Mu Zhe paused, frowning. "What?"
"Over the years, I've seen too many people's demons. As long as someone has something painful or regretful, I can easily draw out their demons," Jiu Xi said. "Someone like your master, once he enters my sea of consciousness, I don't need to draw them out; he'll drive himself into demonic possession."
Mu Zhe's expression hardened, and he snapped, "Nonsense!"
Jiu Xi felt a little wronged: "I'm not wrong. I can sense his demons even without getting close to him…" Mu Zhe pursed his lips, his voice lowering slightly: 'Don't talk nonsense.'
Jiu Xi was extremely stubborn, believing only himself and never others. He snorted and said, 'I've heard about your master these past few days. He's been in the Mahayana stage for so many years, and everyone in the Three Realms says he's halfway to sainthood, just one opportunity away from ascending. But in my opinion, he's probably unable to ascend because of his inner demons. And without eliminating those inner demons, he can forget about becoming a saint.'
Mu Zhe was somewhat stunned, thinking that although his master appeared aloof and cold on the surface, he was actually quite cheerful and flamboyant. How could he have inner demons?
What nonsense is this sword spouting?
While he was lost in thought, on the distant dueling platform, Wen Liubing announced: 'Seventeenth match, Mu Zhe of Liren Peak, facing Su Fangyi of Fenglu City.'
Mu Zhe finally composed himself, expressionless, and stepped onto the dueling platform, sword in hand.
Fenglu City, having lost a life at Liren Peak, was already seething with resentment. Whenever they saw anyone from Liren Peak, they would shout and yell, telling them to get down there.
However, upon seeing Mu Zhe approach, they dared not shout. Only a few bold and arrogant ones still cried out, "Junior Sister, you must win this match!"
Mu Zhe's opponent was a female cultivator. She wasn't very lucky; she was matched against Mu Zhe in her first match.
However, Su Fangyi didn't feel discouraged or hopeless. She fearlessly stepped onto the dueling platform, cleanly and crisply cupping her fists in a respectful greeting, exuding heroic spirit.
"Mu Zhe, I've long admired you. Please enlighten me."
Shen Gurong, who was lazily leaning against the window frame in the pavilion, watching from below, became interested.
He wanted to see if his disciple, facing such a beautiful female cultivator, would be like that spineless Yu Xinghe, succumbing to her allure before the fight even began.
He was filled with anticipation when, in the blink of an eye, a chorus of gasps erupted from the stands below the arena.
"Ah—"
Shen Gurong looked closely and saw that in the blink of an eye, Su Fangyi had been knocked off the arena.
Shen Gurong: "..."
A deathly silence fell over the surroundings. Even Xi Guxing hadn't expected Mu Zhe to be so swift and decisive, defeating Su Fangyi in a single blow.
Su Fangyi was one of the most outstanding disciples of Fenglu City, a rare female sword cultivator in the Three Realms. If she were to encounter anyone other than Mu Zhe, her cultivation would likely crush most of them.
But fate is fickle; destiny is also a form of cultivation.
Su Fangyi struggled to her feet, leaning on her sword. Even though she had prepared herself, she hadn't expected to lose so humiliatingly.
This was also the first match in this Chanwei Tournament to end so quickly.
Her cheeks flushed crimson, her fingers gripping the sword hilt tightly, her knuckles turning white.
The people of Fenglu City were already silent; even those who had shouted earlier dared not speak.
The surrounding stands remained silent.
In this silence, Mu Zhe, without changing his expression, clasped his hands in a respectful bow: "Thank you for your guidance."
Su Fangyi thought he was deliberately humiliating her and almost burst into tears, but she forced herself to hold back, clasping her hands in a bow as well, saying, "Thank you... for your guidance."
Having said that, she turned and returned to the Fenglu City stands.
The people of Fenglu City immediately came forward, hurriedly comforting her.
"That Mu Zhe is a monster, his cultivation is extremely powerful, Junior Sister, don't take it to heart."
"Yes, I also heard that his cultivation is about to reach the Nascent Soul stage, losing to him is not shameful!"
Su Fangyi bit her lip tightly, her eyes filled with tears as she looked at Mu Zhe, who was walking off the dueling platform not far away: "I will defeat him."
Everyone was stunned. Su Fangyi raised her hand and wiped away the tears that hadn't yet fallen from her eyes with her fingertips. She flicked her finger and said coldly, "What he can do, I can do too."
The others quickly said, "Junior Sister is still young; she'll definitely surpass him soon."
As they were talking, a shout came from the direction of Liren Peak.
The people of Fenglu City looked grim, gritting their teeth as they said, "They must be showing off..."
Before they finished speaking, Yu Xinghe shouted, "Mu Zhe! You clueless idiot!"
Mu Zhe stopped beside the stands, frowning. "What?"
Yu Xinghe grumbled, "Couldn't you at least put on a show? At least exchange a few blows with someone! You just swept them off their feet with one sword strike..."
"On the dueling platform, is it permissible to hold back?" Mu Zhe said coldly. "A loss is a loss, a win is a win. When you were swept off your feet just now, did that person hold back?"
Yu Xinghe puffed out his cheeks. "But you'll never find a Daoist partner like this!"
Mu Zhe glared at him, truthfully saying, "I'm not looking for her as a Daoist partner."
Su Fangyi: "..."
Su Fangyi gripped her sword hilt again, so angry she felt like she was about to grind her teeth to powder.
Yu Xinghe was probably shocked by Mu Zhe's words about being destined to never find a Daoist partner, and was completely speechless. He stammered, "Ah...but...you, she..."
Mu Zhe frowned: "If you had used the time you spent watching female cultivators to practice your sword, you wouldn't have been defeated so easily this time."
Yu Xinghe: "..."
Yu Xinghe was utterly at a loss for words. He glared at Mu Zhe: "Just you wait, when you grow up, no female cultivator will want to marry an idiot like you."
Mu Zhe scoffed, completely ignoring his words.
Mu Zhe's sword strike was astonishing. Normally, the people in the stands would have applauded and cheered, but this time, no one cheered.
The crowd exchanged bewildered glances.
Su Fangyi stood up and, under everyone's gaze, looked at Mu Zhe, proclaiming loudly, "Mu Zhe, see you in the Lonely Goose Secret Realm four years from now. I will definitely defeat you."
Mu Zhe frowned at her: "Who are you?"
Su Fangyi: "..."
Su Fangyi nearly drew her sword, angrily shouting, "You, surnamed Mu! You've gone too far!"
This time, she had misunderstood Mu Zhe.
Since stepping onto the dueling platform, Mu Zhe's mind had been focused on Shen Gurong's tear and the inner demon Jiu Xi had mentioned. He was single-mindedly focused on finishing the match and returning to see his master, completely forgetting what his opponent looked like.
The senior disciples of Liren Peak couldn't stand it anymore. They tugged at Mu Zhe's sleeve and whispered, "Brother Mu, don't make too many enemies. Su Fangyi has quite a few followers here. If you don't want to get yourself sacked, you'd better keep quiet."
Mu Zhe belatedly realized that Su Fangyi was the one he had just swung his sword at. He had no intention of humiliating her, so he glanced at her indifferently and nodded, saying, "Alright, I'll be waiting."
Su Fangyi snorted, her expression softening slightly. Just as she was about to utter another harsh remark, Wen Liubing impatiently said, "Ugh, so annoying, enough with the nonsense—next round."
Su Fangyi: "..."
Everyone: "..."
Do all you from Liren Peak...talk like this?
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