As stated by the peak masters and elders, in the batch of disciples that Lu Yaoyao belonged to, there were many exceptionally talented individuals. In previous years, if one or two new disciples advanced to the top 500 rankings in their first inner tournament, they were already considered outstanding.
Wen Zixing had climbed over 700 ranks this time, not too bad for a new disciple. However, many of his peers had achieved even higher rankings, making his achievement rather ordinary in contrast. Among the new disciples, Lu Yaoyao had surged into the top 200, You Huahai was in the 500s, and Du Qianshan and Chao Muxue, along with two others, had reached the 800s and 900s.
This caused some inner disciples to secretly lament—these new junior brothers and sisters were simply too strong!
This also stirred a sense of urgency among older disciples, stirring their resolve to train even harder. They had been cultivating for ten, even dozens or hundreds of years, yet they were being surpassed by juniors who had only been training for a few years. It was embarrassing, to say the least!
“Never mind, it doesn’t matter,” Wen Zixing waved his hand, “I missed the opportunity to enter the minor secret realm this time, but I can still try again next time, or the time after that. One day, I’ll definitely get in.” They were still young; there would be a few decades until they reached the cutoff age of one hundred, so even if they missed it this time, there would be plenty of chances in the future.
Wen Zixing had fought several matches, winning some and losing the others, finally settling his ranking at around 1300. The competition around this rank was already extremely challenging for him, and it would only become more difficult as he progressed. His attempts to challenge those ten to fifteen ranks ahead all ended in failure, making it clear that further progress would be difficult. Yet, he wasn’t discouraged, and eagerly went around issuing more challenges.
Of course, he was also challenged by others. Many disciples used this tournament as a means to spar and learn from others, especially against disciples from other peaks. Even without any rewards, their enthusiasm was undeterred. Wen Zixing benefited greatly from his matches with various disciples—perhaps his cultivation would soon advance thanks to this new experience.
“Yeah, there will definitely be opportunities,” Lu Yaoyao initially hoped they could challenge for the top 100. However, once the competition began and she saw the numerous arenas and the strength of most disciples, she realized her ambition was too naïve. The gap in strength between those ranked in the top 500 and those behind was significant, and defeating the high-ranked disciples was as difficult as reaching the moon.
Among the top 100, there were quite a few at the Golden Core stages. Some of them were already over one hundred years old and would be disqualified from entering the secret realm, but the rewards and resources they would receive were substantial enough to motivate them.
Lu Yaoyao checked the rankings on the stone pillar and recognized many familiar names among the top 200. She saw the names of her senior brothers, along with other personal disciples from various peaks. When Lu Yaoyao and her friends had time, they would also watch the top 100 matches and see how their senior brothers and sisters performed in the arena. Take Lu Yaoyao’s eldest senior brother, for instance—he might be a recluse who seems to only know how to concoct strange pills and medicines, but he was actually very strong in combat, surprisingly ranked third. The second senior brother was ranked eighteenth, and the third and fourth senior brothers were also within the top fifty.
Seeing these rankings gave Lu Yaoyao a jolt. She realized she might not be able to challenge for the first rank, and maybe not even second place. Still, if her cultivation wasn’t restricted, she might have had a fighting chance. She touched her wrist, wishing her Daddy was here to lift her seal so she could compete for the first rank!
No matter how much she wished, Lu Yaoyao knew that her Daddy was still in the Devil Realm and definitely would not come. If he were coming, he would have arrived soon after receiving her letter. It was already four days into the competition, and yet there was still no sign of him.
Regardless, Lu Yaoyao proceeded to challenge the second rank. The moment her challenge appeared on the stone pillar, other disciples noticed, causing a buzz.
“Junior Sister Yaoyao is challenging the second rank!”
“Martial Aunt Lu is challenging the second rank?!”
“Can she do it?” some doubted. “Junior Sister Yaoyao is indeed strong, but she’s still so young…”
“I think she can do it. Didn’t Junior Sister Yaoyao reach the Golden Core stage at eighteen?”
“But wasn’t her cultivation restricted by His Venerable?”
In truth, a person’s true strength wasn’t just about their cultivation level, but also their experience, combat prowess, and the strength of their weapons. For instance, if two cultivators of the same level set off for a duel, the one with more combat experience would naturally have a better chance of winning.
In terms of overall strength, everyone believed that Lu Yaoyao still couldn’t compare to the second-ranked senior sister, a seasoned cultivator with a lot of battle experience. With Lu Yaoyao currently ranked around 200th, she might have a chance to enter the top 100, but the gap to 2nd was simply too vast.
However, some disciples were blindly confident. “His Venerable himself has personally taught Martial Aunt Yaoyao; she’s sure to win!”
Everyone in Guiyuan Sect knew that Lu Yaoyao was the only one, after Lu Junyang, who could go to His Venerable anytime. In fact, she received even more favor from His Venerable than Lu Junyang. It was said that she possessed a teleportation jade pendant that allowed her to transport to the East Ninth Peak as she liked.
The debate went on fervently, and in the end, everyone unanimously decided to go and watch the match.
Of course, Lu Yaoyao was unaware of this. Only when it was time for her match that she notice the densely packed audience around the arena, with more and more disciples arriving. She was puzzled for a moment; why were there so many more spectators than usual?
On second thought, it made sense for higher-ranked matches to have bigger audiences, so she wasn’t surprised anymore.
Currently ranked second was Yu Zining, the eldest personal disciple of the master of the North Twelfth Peak, specializing in sword cultivation. Being a sword cultivator, she looked as cold and sharp as a sword, exuding a piercing aura. Yu Zining’s appearance might look average among the numerous handsome men and beautiful women in the Cultivation Realm, but her cold demeanor and the icy-sharp aura she exuded made her stand out. Sang Yunsi, the number one beauty in the Cultivation Realm, was also known for her cool temperament, but that would pale in comparison in terms of Yu Zining’s icy charisma.
When Lu Yaoyao first met Yu Zining, she immediately felt a sense of closeness, because this senior sister reminded her of her Father. Her Father was also a sword cultivator, and Lu Yaoyao believed sword cultivators had a distinct quality that set them apart from other cultivators. This unique trait was shared among all sword cultivators, and yet, each and every one of them had their own uniqueness. Among so many sword cultivators Lu Yaoyao had met, only Yu Zining possessed an aura that bore a slight resemblance to Father’s sword intent.
Yu Zining stood in the arena, her robes fluttering without wind, and you could almost hear the sound of clashing swords around her. Lu Yaoyao’s kind smile gradually faded, her small face turning serious. She gripped her small wooden sword tightly, which trembled restlessly as if sensing an equally matched opponent.
For this tournament, Lu Yaoyao’s weapon was her small wooden sword, not the small-sized sword the sect had custom-made for her. This sword, which looked like a toy, was a birthday gift from her father, crafted from ten-thousand-year-old lightning-struck wood. The sword was covered in intricate patterns, seamlessly integrating attack and defense arrays. Lu Yaoyao was no longer the naive girl who thought it was merely a toy; she knew this small wooden sword was a powerful artifact comparable to the natal swords of other sword cultivators, and using this sword was a mark of utmost respect for her opponent.
Yu Zining had already refined her natal sword, named Ningshuang. Though it appeared ordinary, the sword was anything but. Sure enough, when Yu Zining saw Lu Yaoyao’s small wooden sword, she didn’t feel slighted or insulted. Instead, her cold eyes ignited with battle intent, like flames burning on ice.
But some spectators were astonished to see Lu Yaoyao holding a toy-like small wooden sword.
“Is Junior Sister Yaoyao fooling around because she knows she’s going to lose?” some wondered, seeing her with what looked like a toy sword.
“Shut up! Look closely before you speak.”
Among the crowd, those with sharp eyes could recognize the small wooden sword was made from extremely rare and valuable lightning-struck wood, inscribed with complex arrays that greatly enhanced its power. Even against Yu Zining’s natal sword, it was not inferior.
Lu Yaoyao and Yu Zining bowed to each other. Yu Zining then straightened her face and solemnly said, “You may start.”
< Previous | TOC | Advanced TOC | Next >
Translator’s note:
Some of you may have known, but the raw novel of DDDV is kind in a semi-hiatus status, with the author updating on the rate of once per month, sometimes less. This means that I will eventually run out of raws to translate, of which I will have no choice but to put DDDV into Hiatus status (no regular release, translate as new raws come out/wait until a few chapters are piled up, no extra releases nor sponsored chapters, no advanced chapters). My calculation is this hiatus will start around the end of the year/beginning of next year. The Healer Demands Payment is in a similar situation or even worse, since the author only updates once or twice per year since 2020. Both titles will enter hiatus around the same time (give or take a few weeks), so I will need new titles to translate.
Currently, I am in need of two replacement novels, and while I am about to lock in one title, I still haven’t found a suitable title for the second one… if you have a novel you want me to translate, give suggestions in the comments! Note that I am only translating female-oriented Chinese novels (no BL, no GL, no male protagonist). I am also unable to translate novels with e-sport or online game settings (too much slang T_T) and I personally don’t want to translate novels with tragedy/sad endings (I’m okay reading one, but translating a novel means I will have to live with the story and characters for 2-3 years… so I want them to have a happy end.)
Waiting for your suggestion 😉
Wants more chapters?
Click this page for the status of sponsored chapters.
Click this page for advanced chapters TOC.
You can try
The Overflowimg Fragrance Of The Fish
Or
Tian Xing Wan
Would check! Thank you~
I’d be thrilled if you picked up Phoenix Destiny or Lady Cultivator, both by 云芨. Their translations have both been on hiatus (and unavailable on their original sites) for years.
Thanks! Will check it!