Jiang Chulong was cradling a little bunny with the bloodline of the Monster Clan, fiddling with the tiny leaves on its head, when she looked up and saw Brother Li and the others, even Sister Bing, all staring at her with serious expressions.
“What’s wrong?”
“Chulong, if you win against Brother Murong, you’ll have to face Jiang Yu next.”
Li Mo’s eyes flickered with the cryptic gleam of the Heavenly Destiny Eye.
Hearing this, Jiang Chulong’s little face noticeably paled, her head hanging down like a shy little flower. It reminded Li Mo of the very first time he met her, back when she was just Beggar Little Jiang…
In the Heavenly Destiny Eye, Little Jiang’s golden destiny seemed to be shrouded in a veil of gray.
Recently, her predicament transformed into: “Afraid of facing Jiang Yu, she hesitates to draw her sword when it’s her turn in the arena. More than fearing Jiang Yu, she dreads the Sword Bone, lost to her from her mother. Since then, the gap between her and Jiang Yu has only widened…”
“How did this draw happen? What a coincidence!”
“Chulong just entered the Qianlong List not long ago, how can she be up against Jiang Yu?”
“I just brewed this horrible poison that perfectly fits the competition’s requirements, but I really hope it doesn’t come into play,” Huang Donglai said, his expression heavy.
Xiao Qian shook his head, “Little Jiang, just concede right away. Let Brother Murong fight Jiang Yu. My teacher says you don’t stand a chance.”
“Me?”
Murong Xiao pointed at himself, eyes wide as saucers.
A monk’s life isn’t worth living?
Everyone felt that Little Jiang should just give up.
But Jiang Chulong looked helplessly at Li Mo and Ying Bing.
Ying Bing’s eyes flickered with thoughts, and after a sigh, her lips parted lightly…
But Li Mo interrupted her, “I think it’s worth a shot.”
Everyone looked at him with confusion.
Jiang Yu had long since reached the level of Guan Shen Nine Apertures and hadn’t fallen from the top of the Qianlong List since he got there.
Xie Xuan couldn’t help but comment, “Actually, the gap between me and Jiang Yu grows wider year by year.”
“The first time, I only lost to him half a move. The second time, I struggled beyond ten moves before I couldn’t keep up anymore. This time, the gap might be even larger because I feel… there’s something extraordinary within him he’s gradually mastering.”
“From now on, perhaps no swordsman can defeat him.”
Setting all that aside, the mere difference in levels was enough to induce despair.
They say swordsmen can be defeated, but they can’t be knocked down.
They can’t just crash headfirst into a wall, right?
Jiang Chulong was done thinking so much and started to pump herself up.
Li Mo, meanwhile, covertly exchanged a look with Murong Xiao, the Master of Love buried deep in thought, then drifted aside:
“Brother Li, what’s your plan? Got any ideas?”
Ever since Murong Xiao entered the Buddhist path, he had become quite composed.
And it was widely known that Little Li was the idea king of the Qingyuan Sect.
Li Mo raised an eyebrow at him, “Swordsmen are all about drawing their swords when they meet an enemy, right? If Little Jiang gives up before even fighting, it’ll greatly affect her mindset.”
Murong Xiao reminisced momentarily, seemingly recalling how swordsmen were the easiest to get fired up among his opponents.
“But if there’s no life left…”
“Doesn’t matter! This is where your Master of Love steps in!”
“?”
“As long as Little Jiang’s sword cannot break through your defense, she won’t even cross paths with Jiang Yu. I’ve prepared a trick for you…”
The two chatted in whispers for a bit.
Before long, the matches began on various arenas.
Li Mo’s ended the quickest.
When Zhong Zhenyue stepped onto the stage and saw Li Mo’s serious expression, he was drenched in sweat, “Brother Li, don’t attack, it’s me!”
And jumped down from the platform.
The others from the Qingyuan Sect felt this scene was somewhat familiar, but unlike before, no one shouted “black curtain,” because everyone knew Zhong Zhenyue had no chance from the get-go.
What disappointed everyone even more was that no one was narrating on the stage for the ‘Wife Dominating Fighting Soul’ event this time.
Meanwhile, the judging panel focused more on another stage.
As the top of the Qianlong, Jiang Yu was the fifth person to defeat his opponent.
“This Qiao Songyun is a wandering swordsman, but her skills are pretty impressive, able to withstand the Crown Prince’s first strike?”
“As a woman, her horizontal training has reached perfection. She can’t just have feasted on some heavenly gourmet ramen, right?”
“What a pity, if she hadn’t run into Jiang Yu so early, she might have gone further.”
On the Jiangshan Yizhi Map, Qiao Songyun was a woman with hair covering half her face and bronze-colored skin, resembling a mini version of Guo Jing.
Confronting Jiang Yu, she even dared to launch an attack.
But in a flash, a hand appeared before her, resonating with the roar of a dragon, rapidly enlarging in her pupils. She wanted to dodge but discovered she couldn’t escape the grasp of this hand.
In her eyes, Jiang Yu’s figure vanished, almost transforming into a golden dragon. His True Dragon body enabled him to merge body and spirit effortlessly.
One of her arms budged but she held it back, watching helplessly as she was knocked off the stage.
“The True Dragon Body truly deserves its title as the peak physique in this world,” Qiao Songyun swallowed the bl**d in her mouth, her face expressionless.
Jiang Yu calmly remarked, “Horizontal training at such greatness is rare.”
As if this victory was of little consequence to him.
In truth, his gaze remained fixed on the nearby stage.
…
Jiang Chulong and Master Love’s duel was putting the audience to sleep.
“This esteemed master, could you move a little?”
“He’s cultivating the Unmoving King, a rare bodhisattva technique. No one at the Floating Temple has mastered it for hundreds of years. I heard even the Xuan Turtle Clan from the North Sea would be ashamed.”
“Whether he’s unmoving or not, why’s he just chanting? It’s making me want to jump up and smack him!”
Down below, the wealthy scions and wandering fighters were talking, but deep down, they all respected Murong Xiao’s prowess.
Few in the audience had confidence in breaking through his defenses; the key was, even if they did, it wouldn’t matter, because he’d hit back hard…
“If they can’t break through my Unmoving King body, they probably can’t break the True Dragon body either.”
Murong Xiao’s demeanor remained solemn.
The Qingye Sword struck at him, producing a flurry of sparks, yet leaving not a single mark behind.
“Hmm…”
Jiang Chulong felt a bit relieved.
Perhaps, feeling bored himself, Murong Xiao then asked, “Little Jiang, didn’t Brother Li become the owner of Wind Moon Small Residence? What does Wind Moon Small Residence do?”
Li Mo: “!”
Oh no!
“Chulong, don’t tell him!”
Jiang Chulong obediently kept quiet, but someone in the audience blurted out:
“What’s so hard to say? Isn’t it just a brothel? Master, have you ever played with beautiful girls? Hehe…”
Nearby men who’d visited the Wind Moon Small Residence wore slightly lewd grins.
Murong Xiao’s physique trembled.
…
On the judging panel, the purple-clad eunuch, Xie Yiding from the Tianshan Sword Manor, and Du Shijian served as judges.
“Old Du, what do you think?” the purple-clad eunuch inquired.
After careful observation, Xie Yiding replied, “This young girl’s swordplay is something I can’t hold a candle to, even in my prime. Moreover, her sword technique seems to… be more lethal against certain divine intents or even some Monster Clan abilities?”
“Like an eel, a snake, or something,” Old Du chuckled.
He almost mentioned something related to dragons, but the royal family is often said to possess a true dragon bloodline, so he bit his tongue.
Xie Yiding shook his head, “This Master of Love… uh, the Master of Love is from the Buddhist sect, so he certainly couldn’t have gleaned any insights from true dragons, serpentine dragons, or any bloodlines…”
“Eh, Master Xie!”
“What is it now?”
“The master has grown horns on his head!”
