Chapter 111: Demon Realm Soul Seizure (Part 4)

Xu Qianyu heard Lin Shuyue’s voice transmission: “He has reached the Yuan Ying stage! Don’t provoke him.”
Xu Qianyu was not foolish. As soon as this person came near her, she could sense something. But Xu Qianyu gripped the hilt of her sword tightly, showing no intention of backing down.

Although she couldn’t defeat someone at the Yuan Ying stage, she wasn’t completely powerless either. She wasn’t afraid of testing the difference between them in a spar.

The blue-haired youth glanced at her but didn’t respond, because a few disciples walked by behind him, casually discussing: “Why does this person have blue hair? How strange.”

Another person said, “Maybe he’s a demon cultivator or a half-demon.”
“Indeed, he doesn’t look quite human.”
The blue-haired youth turned around and looked at the three of them. “Oh? Then why do you have black hair? I think it looks just as strange.”
Before they could respond, he flicked his finger.

The protective talismans on the three cultivators shattered as easily as paper, and they were violently thrown back, crashing into wooden pillars and tumbling to the ground. The noise was so loud that everyone immediately fell silent and looked over in shock.
When he turned back around, there was suddenly another person in front of him.

This person was about the same height as him, dressed in white with a crown-like hairpin, looking scholarly. But when the blue-haired youth saw how silently he had approached, he knew he wasn’t someone to be taken lightly. He raised an eyebrow. “You want to fight me too?”
Shen Suwei subtly pushed Xu Qianyu back half a step and said, “Taking food from a young girl is not something a gentleman would do.”

The youth replied, “The cultivation world has no young girls, no gentlemen. There are only the strong and the weak.”
Xu Qianyu leaned forward and said, “You’re right. How about you compare yourself with me? Teach me a thing or two about strength.”
Only then did the blue-haired youth lower his head to carefully size her up.

A foundation-building cultivator, holding a wooden sword that he could snap with a single hand.
However, her hand on the sword wasn’t just for show, and the sword itself hummed as if in response.
It was rare for a lower-level disciple to show such battle intent, which excited him. Noticing that they were both dressed in white, he belatedly realized, “You two are from the same sect—who’s going first?”
Shen Suwei responded, “Who would you like to go first?”
“You,” the youth suddenly pushed out a palm.

He was a rare natural Gold Spiritual Root cultivator, a type of attribute with strong offensive power. Every time he struck, it released pure golden mist.
Each particle of the golden mist was like a high-speed drill, capable of shattering solid objects, showing just how terrifying its offensive power was.

Shen Suwei caught the palm with empty hands, and the water spiritual energy surrounding him immediately softened the attack, dispersing it in all directions.
The hair on his temples fluttered but remained still, and the floor beneath him cracked as did the ceiling above him.

The blue-haired youth lowered his eyes, looking at his own body. From his chest, he slowly peeled away a golden sphere, which grew larger and larger as it condensed, floating in the air.
The people around them immediately retreated a few steps. “The sword energy has externalized.”

High-level sword cultivators could turn formless sword energy into a physical form, and the more pure it was, the stronger the attack. A cultivator with pure gold spiritual roots who condensed sword energy would create a weapon that could explode like an iron cannon.

If it hit a person, it could shatter their spiritual palace; if it hit a ship, it might burn a hole through it. With such recklessness, someone had already gone to request a judgment, and Xu Qianyu had also pulled Lin Shuyue a few feet away to safety.

However, the youth grinned through clenched teeth, his eyes filled with excitement, as if he were not crafting a terrifying weapon but an exquisite piece of art, satisfied beyond measure. “Chu Linfeng.”

Xu Qianyu’s heart skipped a beat. So, this was the “One Step to Golden Core” Chu Linfeng from Qianlong Sect.
Before Xu Binglai had mentioned that the strongest person at the Flower Hairpin Competition was him.

Now it seemed that he was indeed strong, but not as quick-witted as she had imagined. I wonder how Senior Brother would fare against him.
The golden sphere floated towards Shen Suwei but was frozen halfway by an ice shell, suspending in the air.

But soon, with a sharp crack, it broke free from the ice shell.
In the blink of an eye, a shadow of a virtual sword shot out from Shen Suwei’s spiritual realm, striking right at the center of the sphere. In an instant, cold air surged toward Chu Linfeng, spreading outward, frosting everything from the floor beneath his feet to the half of the wall behind him, all covered in white frost flowers.

The onlookers behind Chu Linfeng were caught off guard, and they were all knocked to the sides.
Shen Suwei also introduced himself: “Shen Suwei.”
Chu Linfeng skeptically reached out and grabbed a crystalline object floating in the air, inspecting it closely.

He saw that the sword energy was surrounded by tiny water droplets, and in a moment, both dispersed.
It turned out that at the instant of collision, Shen Suwei’s sword energy split into countless parts, quickly wrapping around his sword energy and preventing the forceful blast from destroying the battleship.

The two were not truly in a confrontation. Chu Linfeng’s power was merely neutralized by Shen Suwei, which left him feeling somewhat displeased.
“You’re not bad,” Chu Linfeng suddenly softened his stance, extending his hand for a handshake. As he squeezed his fingers, he prepared to walk away. “I remember you. We’ll fight again another time.”

But Shen Suwei refused to let go, pulling him back. “You just ate something from my junior sister. Thank her.”
“Oh? What’s her name?”
Xu Qianyu ran over to the front. “Xu Qianyu.”
“Xu Qianyu, huh?” Chu Linfeng said, “Thank you. It’s delicious!”
Xu Qianyu jumped up and said, “Qianyu!”
There was much discussion around them. “So, this is the cultivation genius Chu Linfeng, who advanced to the Golden Core stage in just a year, and now he’s in the Nascent Soul stage.”
“Now that I see him, he’s indeed formidable, but what’s more terrifying is the violent and combative energy about him.”

“Better stay clear of him. One wrong move and you might lose half your head.”
“But the one who fought him is also quite terrifying, daring to take on Chu Linfeng’s sword energy ball. Can everyone now condense sword intent?”
“That’s a core disciple from the Penglai Sect. They’ve got some real skills.”
“Penglai is that strong now?”
“…”
The disciples of Penglai saw Shen Suwei and gathered around him, as if they had seen their pillar of support. “Senior Brother Shen.”

Shen Suwei exchanged a few words with everyone and then said, “Don’t be afraid of Chu Linfeng, but don’t provoke him either. Conserve your strength; that’s the best course. Everyone else should do the same. Follow the ship’s rules, don’t eat random things, and look out for each other.”

Once the crowd dispersed, he looked down and asked, “Have you eaten enough?”
Xu Qianyu nodded, though there was still an evident hint of displeasure on her face. Shen Suwei paused for a moment, then took out another box from his realm.

Xu Qianyu glanced at him, opened the lid, and found that it was a light yellow dumpling. She sniffed it and realized it had a different flavor from before. “It’s made from mountain apricots.”

Shen Suwei said, “Earlier, we agreed that you should inform me before making a move. If you want to fight, there will be plenty of opportunities later.”
Xu Qianyu quickly grabbed one and popped it in her mouth. She then hurriedly closed the box, urging him to put it back to avoid it disappearing again.
Shen Suwei said, “Take it. If anyone else wants some, share it.”

Xu Qianyu wasn’t usually stingy, but for some reason, she found the things her senior brother gave her to be quite precious. Seeing it disappear so quickly made her a bit unhappy. “Do you have more? How many boxes did you buy?”
Shen Suwei seemed amused. As he raised his sleeve, he gently brushed her cheek in a comforting manner.

The brief touch made Xu Qianyu’s heart skip a beat. When she turned around, her senior brother had already passed by, retreating with the person he had been talking to.

The surroundings suddenly quieted.
The reason was that a phantom image of the adjudicator had suddenly appeared where the communication wooden plaques were kept.

This “painting soul formation” was more advanced than ordinary illusionary drawing arrays. Not only could it reflect images, but it could also place a strand of the Nascent Soul cultivator’s spiritual consciousness within it. It could speak, listen, and even strike if necessary. The one currently appearing in the formation was the adjudicator’s spiritual consciousness.
Even a single strand of spiritual consciousness was enough to release a powerful oppressive force.

A man and a woman floated within it.
The man wore a robe with cloud sleeves and a long crown; the hem of his robe seemed to be touched by the clouds, and he appeared extraordinarily majestic. He was handsome, his face carrying a gentle smile.

The woman beside him was graceful and dignified, with bright eyes, adorned with jingling jewelry, holding a shimmering seven-colored glass lamp in her hand.

The two radiated brilliance like immortal figures stepping down from a painting.
Xu Qianyu stared at them for a while and felt that they looked somewhat alike.

The man smiled and said, “Greetings, young friends. I am Yin Xiangjun, the Sect Master of the Lingyue Immortal Sect, and this is my sister, Luo Shui Yuanjun. We are the adjudicators for this grand competition. This year, our Lingyue Sect has only two participants, so please rest assured. The Four Great Immortal Sects are all branches of the same family, and we will be impartial.”
Yin Xiangjun and Luo Shui must have been summoned by the commotion caused by Chu Linfeng.
The first rule announced was the prohibition of destroying the battleship, and the second was that there would be ample food and hospitality on board.

Xu Qianyu looked out of the porthole. The waves outside were huge, and thick fog had rolled in. Yin Xiangjun said that they were heading toward the Demon Domain, and the vast sea stood in their way. The ship would travel for four days and three nights, and they should be cautious of the mirage-like creatures outside. These mirages were illusions created by the combination of water mist and spiritual energy in the sea or desert, but they were incredibly dangerous.

Xu Qianyu, having experienced the Water Moon Flower realm, was familiar with this point-based competition format.

However, this time, the competition would be against disciples from other sects. The two adjudicators would act as “observers,” watching over the disciples’ life lamps.
Soon after, blue spiritual butterflies fluttered around, guiding the disciples to their resting areas.

Yu Chu remarked, “I didn’t expect the Sect Master and Elders of Lingyue to personally adjudicate. It seems this Hairpin Flower Conference is truly of a special standard.”
Yun Chu, speaking from behind, said, “That’s not entirely accurate. The adjudicators are from Lingyue, but the battleships belong to Tianshan. The communication wooden plaques were made by Penglai, and the weapons and supplies come from Qianlong. Each sect has contributed something. If you want to talk about favoritism, it’s actually quite fair in favor of their own disciples.”

Xu Qianyu removed the communication wooden plaque and noticed the Penglai lotus mark on it. She examined it closely and asked, “How could this thing favor us? Can it be used as a sword?”
Yu Chu replied, “Well, if we’re in danger, Yin Xiangjun and Luo Shui won’t just stand by and do nothing, right?”

Lin Shuyue said, “What are you thinking about? Yin Xiangjun has always been responsible for spring and mentoring younger disciples and is well-known for it. He truly has no airs about him, his cultivation has reached half-step Divine Transformation, and he often guides disciples of our sect in practicing spells—have you ever seen our Sect Leader behave like this?”
“Indeed not.”

“As for ‘Daytime Lantern’ Luo Shui, she’s a wood element spirit root healer and doesn’t have much offensive power. Healers swear an oath when they choose their path, vowing to never let anyone die without saving them.”

Xu Qianyu said, “What a pity; I originally thought the lamp she carries was a magic tool.”
“The Seven-Colored Glass Lantern is said to have miraculous healing effects and may also be able to attack, but Luo Shui Yuanjun has a calm and gentle temperament and has never acted offensively, so we cannot know for sure. Because of this, some people say she is just a vase, unworthy of being an elder of Lingyue, if not for Yin Xiangjun always keeping her by his side.” Lin Shuyue quickly added, “But I think healers are also very important.”

Xu Qianyu nodded in agreement.
Suddenly, the Spirit Butterfly in front of them split in two and led Yun Chu in a different direction, so the group had to part ways.

The rooms on the boat were shared, two people per room. Xu Qianyu and Lin Shuyue shared one, while Yu Chu was taken to the room next door.

The cabin was low, requiring them to bend down to enter, but it was quite comfortable. There were two beds, with a diamond-shaped lantern in the middle lighting the space. Xu Qianyu sat on the bed, and spiritual energy immediately flowed into his shoulders, realizing that the bed was made of a single piece of spiritual stone, abundant in spiritual energy.

Xu Qianyu lifted the bed board and the desk, finding them filled with pills and talismans, and was quite satisfied. He stored everything in his mustard seed golden pearl. He then sat on the bed to begin his meditation for the day.

Though the sect was excited, there were no formal assignments, so she did not dare to slack off.
However, perhaps due to being at sea, she felt stiff and cold, and it took several cycles of circulating spiritual energy before she started to feel warm.
When Xu Qianyu finished meditating, Lin Shuyue was still sitting cross-legged on the bed, sending a message with a spirit butterfly.

Xu Qianyu ate two mountain apricot dumplings and asked, “Do you know where Senior Brother Shen and the others are?”
“They’re all on another floor.”
“Why such an arrangement?” Xu Qianyu thought that when they traveled in spring before, disciples of the same sect were usually arranged together.

“It’s the Tianshan boat, you know. Very conservative. It’s said that their Tianshan disciples are like this too—men and women train separately, unless they are partners. When speaking, they cannot be within a few feet of each other, otherwise it’s a violation.”

Xu Qianyu lay down on the bed, propping her head up with her arm. “Why is there a blue spirit butterfly?”
“This one’s from the boat. I modified it and brought it into service. It can randomly send messages to the male disciples on the boat, so they can get to know each other through back-and-forth messages.”

Xu Qianyu was astonished and leaned over to look at Lin Shuyue’s side. She saw words appearing on the Spirit Butterfly: “Ugly creature, who’s your brother? Who wants to share the sea view with you? Disturb me while I sleep, and I’ll kill you.”

Xu Qianyu quickly looked away, pretending not to have seen it. Lin Shuyue’s face flushed slightly with annoyance, then raised an eyebrow and sent a response in defiance.
Lin Shuyue suddenly said, “Yu Chu sent a message. She says she’s a bit scared.”

“What’s wrong?”
“She says that the Tianshan female disciple she shares a room with put a scorpion on her bed.”