Lu Qingyu commented idly, “Your sect has been the same for hundreds of years, so boring.” The inner tournament was held every three years. After so many years, Lu Qingyu had grown tired of watching it. To him, the matches offered no excitement, merely child’s play.
“Mine’s much better, where life and death are at one’s discretion. Once stepping into the arena, only one person can leave alive,” Lu Qingyu’s tone was lazy, but there was a malicious smile on his lips, “Should I throw those little sprouts into a place where only one could come out alive…”
Yao Jiuxiao opened his eyes and looked at Lu Qingyu indifferently.
Lu Qingyu leisurely poured himself another cup of tea, “Human nature would be displayed in all its facets, so interesting.”
Yao Jiuxiao replied coolly, “Would you throw Yaoyao in there too?”
“…” Lu Qingyu snorted, “Boring!”
Yao Jiuxiao’s expression remained unchanged, “Chongyun told me that the devils have been causing too much trouble in the Cultivation Realm recently.”
“What? Do you think it’s my devil race’s fault?” Lu Qingyu’s gaze turned cold, “You humans have killed many of my devils, and This Venerable hasn’t even brought it up with you. You think you have the right to accuse me?”
Yao Jiuxiao remained silent. Although the reports from Lu Chongyun were biased, some incidents were indeed initiated by humans. He frowned slowly. Could the fleeting peace that had been maintained for three hundred years finally be coming to an end?
Lu Qingyu sneered, “Years ago, This Venerable made a mistake by agreeing to that ridiculous agreement, which bound my hands and feet. This Venerable always said that one day it would backfire. No matter how powerful you are, you won’t be able to stop it.”
Expecting the bloodthirsty and murderous devils to stop killing was like expecting carnivores to become vegetarians—it was simply delusional. They might be controlled for a year or two, but the more their nature was suppressed, the more terrifying the rebound would be.
“Yao Jiuxiao, you are not a god. Even if you were, some tides you simply could not reverse.”
Yao Jiuxiao responded, “There’s still room for resolution. I’ve already told Chongyun not to raise accusations to the Devil Realm. This matter ends here.” Lu Chongyun had intended to demand responsibility from the devil race—specifically, from their leader the Devil Venerable—on behalf of the Cultivation Realm, but with Guiyuan’s inner tournament imminent and some disciples raised another suspicion, suggesting demons’ manipulation, this issue had been put on hold.
Given the sensitivity of the matter, Yao Jiuxiao naturally took it upon himself to investigate. However, he found no trace of the demon race’s involvement. All clues suggested only signs of friction between humans and devils. Thus, he reserved judgment.
“Have you found out anything from the devils who had caused trouble in the Cultivation Realm?” Yao Jiuxiao knew that Lu Yaoyao had an army of devils under her command, which she ordered to capture the devils causing trouble in the Cultivation Realm. Almost every time after causing an incident, those devils would disappear, taken back to the Devil Realm. Only a few were captured by humans, but they did not reveal much under interrogation. After the Cold Mountain Forest attack, Lu Yaoyao, seeing the severity of the situation, sought advice from Yao Jiuxiao. Essentially, what Lu Qingyu knew, Yao Jiuxiao also knew.
Lu Qingyu leisurely said, “Why should This Venerable tell you?”
Yao Jiuxiao looked at him calmly for a while and then asserted, “You didn’t find anything.”
“Hand over the humans who got involved in the incidents, and This Venerable will soon find out everything.”
Yao Jiuxiao remained silent.
Lu Qingyu sneered, “You humans are so sanctimonious, prohibiting the use of the soul-interrogation technique under the claim of righteousness. You know This Venerable’s methods and still ask as if it’s nothing. What, are devils not living people to you? Hypocrites!”
Yao Jiuxiao, unfazed by Lu Qingyu’s merciless mockery, said, “These methods are too cruel and should be used sparingly unless absolutely necessary.”
“Are you teaching This Venerable how to do things now?”
“I’m merely stating the facts. Doing this too often won’t benefit you.”
“Heh.”
Yao Jiuxiao added, “Yaoyao wouldn’t agree with you.”
“She’s just a kid. Does This Venerable need her approval?”
Lu Qingyu looked Yao Jiuxiao up and down, “It seems you haven’t found anything either, Dao Venerable Hengwu, you’re just like the rest.”
Yao Jiuxiao nodded slightly, “I understand.” It seemed that this matter was indeed caused by skirmishes between humans and devils, though luckily discovered early enough to prevent irreparable damage.
Lu Qingyu’s brows showed impatience, “You’d better keep your people in check. Otherwise, you know the consequence.”
He then stood up and walked out. After obtaining the answers he wanted, he had no patience to stay any longer. If not for his daughter’s sake, he wouldn’t have even bothered with this conversation.
Yao Jiuxiao did not try to stop him. After Lu Qingyu left, he closed his eyes and continued meditating.
…
After Lu Yaoyao’s intense match with the second-ranked Yu Zining yesterday, most disciples anticipated that her ranking would be high. Even so, seeing her defeating the tenth rank still amazed them.
The top 200 disciples’ rankings this year showed major shifts from previous tournaments, with many improving their ranks by double digits. These advancements might look small, but within the top 200, it was nothing but easy. The higher-ranked disciples lack neither talent nor ability—while you improve, others are also making progress. It was a tight spot. Naturally, while some disciples moved up, others dropped in rank, facing a tough road ahead.
The seven-day tournament concluded without a hitch. Lu Yaoyao ended up ranked ninth, Du Qianshan was 697th, Chao Muxue 1883rd, and Wen Zixing 2098th. Everyone was pleased with their rankings and aimed to advance at least 500 ranks in the next tournament.
The tournament did not truly end with the main event. Next up were matches where the top 100 outer disciples could challenge inner disciples. This had little to do with Lu Yaoyao and her friends unless they happened to be matched. Typically, outer disciples would match against lower-ranked inner disciples, but sometimes bad luck prevailed, matching them with higher-ranked champions.
Lu Yaoyao and her group were unfamiliar with the selected outer disciples, as none from their batch had made it into the top 100. Li Dazhuang participated for appearance’s sake, ending up near the bottom rank.
This was understandable. Outer disciples numbered several times that of the inner disciples, so it was much harder for newcomers to stand out. They were placed in the outer sect because of their limited talent and low quality spiritual roots, relying solely on the limited resources distributed by the sect. Under such situations, it was near impossible for a new disciple who had just started to rise among tens of thousands of people.
Soon, the matching information for the top 100 outer disciples was released. Lu Yaoyao and her friends were not matched, so for the next three days, they were mere spectators. The second part of the tournament was as exciting as the first. For the outer sect disciples, this tournament was a chance to change their lives—who wouldn’t want to seize it? Consequently, they fought with all their might, resulting in fierce, exciting matches.
Three days flew by. Guiyuan Sect’s inner tournament officially ended, and the results were announced the next day. This time, twenty outer disciples successfully entered the inner sect, a considerable number compared to previous years. Conversely, some inner sect disciples were demoted to the outer sect, causing a mix of joy and sorrow in the square.
The Cultivation Realm—or rather, the three realms—was a place of fierce competition, a survival of the fittest. Lu Yaoyao also sympathized with the demoted disciples, many of whom were crying sorrowfully, but she understood that this was the rule. To re-enter the inner sect, they couldn’t slack off and needed to work even harder.
Lu Yaoyao and her friends already knew their ranks, and the official announcement confirmed them.
Next came the most anticipated moment for the disciples: the reward ceremony. The list of the top 100 disciples eligible to enter the Suhui Minor Secret Realm was announced, with Lu Yaoyao standing prominently in the third spot. In other words, only three out of the top ten were under a hundred years old.
The first place, naturally, went to Lu Junyang.
Du Qianshan and Wen Zixing were not on the list, which they had expected. Although a bit disappointed, their spirits lifted when they saw the generous rewards. Guiyuan, as the number one sect in the Cultivation Realm, was very generous toward its disciples; even Wen Zixing, who ranked the lowest among them, received three months’ worth of resources, while Du Qianshan and Chao Muxue received even more.
In addition to the sect rewards, their respective peaks also gave them substantial rewards.
What made the group even happier was that Du Qianshan was officially accepted as a personal disciple of the North Twelfth Peak!
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