Chapter 42

Anyway, as long as they weren’t embarrassed, the embarrassment would fall on others.

So what if they went to the wrong place?

No big deal.

The cultivators in the audience were dumbfounded: “Those few idiots who went the wrong way, are they from Changming Sect?”

“That’s hilarious, is Changming Sect this interesting this year?”

In their general impression, Changming Sect was the least noticeable among the five sects, so much so that it was rarely mentioned in conversations.

With this dramatic scene, they guaranteed that nothing this memorable would happen again for a thousand years.

Xue Yu had never experienced such an awkward moment. He hung his head, unable to face the odd looks from other cultivators.

In contrast, Ye Qiao appeared fearless. She nonchalantly dusted off her clothes, waved at the audience who were scrutinizing her, and smiled, looking like a leader inspecting the countryside.

“…”

“Let’s be honest, I like this kind of slightly crazy behavior.”

“Me too. Just seeing how she got up from the ground and casually waved at us, you can tell she’s thick-skinned. Isn’t Changming Sect lacking such talents?”

The person next to him nodded in agreement.

In the end, they still felt that among the five sects, Changming Sect was too well-behaved. While the other sects would fight fiercely for resources, they would leave a share for those who didn’t get any.

They’re undeniably naive.

“I heard this year their little sister is just a mid-grade foundation establishment cultivator.”

“Huh?” Someone was stunned for a moment, “Are they crazy?”

Whether Changming Sect had lost their minds or had other plans, it undoubtedly meant that this year Changming Sect was set to be at the bottom.

Everyone knew this, but it didn’t stop them from admiring the good looks of the sect’s disciples.

The five of them in their red sect uniforms looked exceptionally striking, with golden silk edges outlining clouds, making them stand out compared to the plain uniforms of the other sects.

Especially under Ye Qiao’s lead, the originally uneasy and socially anxious trio gradually walked with confidence.

Chu Xingzhi wanted to mock them as they passed by, but Ye Qiao didn’t even glance at him.

His smile faded, and when he turned to see Ming Xuan about to speak, Ming Xuan also walked past without a word.

Chu Xingzhi couldn’t smile anymore: “…”

Damn it, when they enter the secret realm, he must make Changming Sect pay!

“Ye Qiao!!” Duan Hengdao from Chengfeng Sect waved and greeted her quietly from his seat.

Ye Qiao turned her head at the noise.

And then she was blinded.

The golden sect uniform was so bright it almost hurt her eyes.

Ye Qiao suddenly found her fiery red sect uniform quite pleasing.

“Behave yourself.” The senior brother smacked Duan Hengdao on the head. He couldn’t understand how his junior brother got so familiar with the people from Changming Sect during a training trip. As a foundation establishment cultivator, he’s the most inconspicuous in the entire competition.

Yet, his junior brother’s enthusiasm was akin to a sycophant.

Duan Hengdao, holding his head, mumbled three words: “You don’t understand.” You don’t understand Ye Qiao at all.

As the secret realm opened, their group entered it amidst the excited and tense gazes of all the cultivators.

The first competition officially began.

Everyone’s positions were randomly assigned. Ye Qiao was quite lucky not to be alone; she landed in the same place as Xue Yu.

The initial feeling inside was cold, as the secret realm was in nighttime. Xue Yu immediately used his divine sense to check the surroundings, and finding no danger, they decided to sit down.

Ye Qiao had a fluffy chick on her head, her fingers forming a gun, resting her chin in a contemplative pose.

The terrain inside the secret realm was extremely complex, and a slight carelessness could lead to danger. So, they decided it was best to stay put for now.

Outside, Duan Yu frowned at the team assignments.

“Ye Qiao and Xue Yu together, that girl is only in the early foundation establishment stage; she can’t protect Xue Yu.”

Ming Xuan and the others had also landed in different locations. Qin Fanfan wasn’t worried about the other three since they were at the Golden Core stage and could protect themselves.

But Xue Yu was a pill cultivator, and if he encountered a sword cultivator, he would be easily eliminated.

Strictly speaking, pill cultivators were even weaker than talisman cultivators; they could only provide pills to teammates and were useless in fights.

Xue Yu was aware of this as well. He scanned the surroundings and spoke softly, “We should quickly find senior brother and the others.”

Nighttime beasts were especially numerous. With Xue Yu using his divine sense, they didn’t need to worry. Since it was cold, Ye Qiao bundled up her little chick for warmth.

Ignoring its angry chirps, Ye Qiao used a bamboo stick to poke at the grass, leisurely walking ahead to clear the path.

Each person carried a recording stone to transmit their situation to the audience outside, akin to a live broadcast that couldn’t be missed.

Many in the cultivation world were glued to the recordings, not wanting to miss any exciting moments.

Seeing the situation with Wenjian Sect, a cultivator whispered:

“Chu Xingzhi is going to settle scores with Changming Sect, right?”

The two sects had long-standing grievances. Before the competition started, fighting wasn’t allowed, but now, it was time to settle old scores.

“It looks like it. Changming Sect only has Xue Yu and a foundation establishment little sister. Are they going to be eliminated on the first day?”

“What a pity.” But it was expected.

Changming Sect was always the first to be eliminated. Chu Xingzhi, a Golden Core early stage cultivator, wielded a top-twenty ranked spirit sword. Only Mu Chongxi and Zhou Xingyun from Changming Sect could suppress him.

But now, they were separated.

Ye Qiao was participating in the competition for the first time and only half-understood the rules. Xue Yu kindly explained: “The main goal is to hunt beasts. The sect with the most kills wins.”

“Your identity token represents you. If it’s broken by someone, you’re eliminated. Your jade slip records the ranking of individuals from each sect.”

Xue Yu showed her the rankings, pointing out: “The first place is now Ye Qinghan.”

“Second place is Qin Huai from Chengfeng Sect.”

“Third place is Song Hansheng.”

These people were fast, having started acting as soon as they entered the secret realm.

“I see.” Ye Qiao elongated her tone, indicating she understood.

Compared to other sects that immediately threw themselves into the competition, Changming Sect’s duo seemed out of place.

Ye Qiao tossed her identity token into her storage bag. “There are still five days. Let them hunt first.”

Xue Yu surprisingly agreed wholeheartedly: “Then let’s just stay here for now.”

Elder Zhao sighed, rubbing his forehead upon hearing this exchange between the two unambitious disciples.

Xue Yu used to be a righteous and upright kid.

The bystanders in the audience whispered among themselves, “I couldn’t help but laugh. Just look at the Sword Sect with its intense battles and life-or-death situations. And now at the Everbright Sect, the scene changes completely to two old men taking a stroll.”

“? Although this description is a bit exaggerated, it’s quite accurate.”

Isn’t it?

Ye Qiao and Xue Yu were both acting so carefree, like they were on a vacation, showing no sense of urgency whatsoever.

Xue Yu really had no intention of securing any ranking, so he was in no hurry at all.

As for Ye Qiao, she knew what would happen next. The original text mentioned that during the grand competition, both the male and female leads gained great fame. And in the novel, Xue Yu was the first to be eliminated.

So it was certain that someone would come after them next. After all, alchemists were the easiest to target in a secret realm.

She needed to figure out a way to ensure that Third Senior Brother could survive until the end of the secret realm.

“Third Senior Brother,” Ye Qiao pondered for a moment and asked, “If a Golden Core stage swordsman were to come after you, how confident are you that you won’t be eliminated?”

Xue Yu lowered his eyes for a few seconds, then shrugged: “I’m just a weak and helpless alchemist.” Relying on an alchemist to fight was like expecting a sow to climb a tree.

It was understandable why Little sister was worried. In past grand competitions, alchemists were often the first to be eliminated due to their lack of self-defense capabilities.

Ye Qiao thought for a moment, then suddenly clapped her hands: “Oh, Third Senior Brother, do you have an alchemy furnace?”

Xue Yu nodded: “Yes, I do.”

The Xue family was a renowned alchemy family, and as a direct descendant, his alchemy furnaces were all of high quality. He had at least five different kinds of alchemy furnaces in his storage bag.

Ye Qiao had only asked casually, but since he actually had one, her interest was piqued: “Can I take a look?”

Xue Yu readily agreed and pulled out one of the furnaces from his storage bag for her to see.

It was palm-sized, and he used spiritual energy to quickly enlarge it. The furnace was red with intricate patterns, looking very expensive.

Ye Qiao immediately reached out to touch it, then her lips moved as she muttered with a hint of eagerness: “Wow… this thing must be heavy, right?”

Xue Yu replied, confused: “Ah? Yes, it’s quite heavy.”

Such a large alchemy furnace would weigh at least a hundred pounds if not reduced.

“Really?” Ye Qiao’s eyes lit up: “Then can we try something?”

Try something?

He was even more puzzled: “Try what?”

“It’s nothing.” Ye Qiao met Xue Yu’s bewildered gaze with a slight smile, saying: “Just follow my instructions in a moment, Xue Senior Brother.”

In the past, when entering secret realms, Xue Yu always took on the role of the commander since the other disciples from the Everbright Sect were unreliable. He had become accustomed to it over time.

When Ye Qiao suddenly said to follow her instructions, Xue Yu remembered their previous encounters in the small secret realm, hesitated for a moment, and agreed out of a strange impulse.

…

On the other side, Chu Xingzhi had just blasted a demon beast and said to his little sister: “Let’s first find the alchemists from the Everbright Sect and the Bishui Sect.”

“First crush Xue Yu’s and Ming Xuan’s identity tokens. Then the Everbright Sect won’t be able to stir up any trouble.”

Alchemists and talisman makers acted as support roles, akin to mages and healers. If both were eliminated, only three swordsmen would remain, which would be of little consequence.

Zhu You nodded, “And that Ye Qiao.”

A mere Foundation Establishment cultivator, how dare she come to the grand competition? Zhu You couldn’t understand it. Such a person was either taking a shortcut or was a trump card of the Everbright Sect. Either way, it strengthened her resolve to eliminate the opponent.

Chu Xingzhi casually nodded: “Leave it to me.” A Foundation Establishment cultivator wasn’t worth worrying about.

The secret realm’s placement was fixed, and with its limited size, he quickly found the two wandering figures.

He still remembered being ridiculed and then ignored by a few people. Chu Xingzhi didn’t hold back, attacking with a lethal strike.

Xue Yu noticed him approaching and retreated a few steps with his little sister to avoid the sword strike.

The ground was stirred up, and the fierce sword energy left deep cracks. Chu Xingzhi sneered, “Zhou Xingyun and Mu Chongxi aren’t here, right?”

“Isn’t that obvious?” Ye Qiao, showing no sense of danger, even mocked, “If they were here, would you be so proud?”

Chu Xingzhi, rarely showing anger, squinted his eyes: “Even about to be eliminated first, still sharp-tongued.”

Those who are eliminated first are always subjected to mockery. The secret realm had only just opened, and he knew that Ye Qiao would be hard to catch with her sword skills.

Moreover, a Foundation Establishment cultivator wouldn’t be useful even if eliminated, so his primary target was Xue Yu.

Chu Xingzhi gathered spiritual power, charging toward Xue Yu with a forceful momentum.

The next moment, Xue Yu, using the Wind Step technique, dodged the attack. As he turned to evade further, he found Chu Xingzhi’s foot already kicking toward his abdomen.

Although both were at the Golden Core stage, a swordsman’s methods of attack were numerous. Xue Yu quickly withdrew, but he couldn’t avoid the series of relentless attacks.

Suddenly, Ye Qiao’s voice came from behind: “Third Senior Brother, where’s your alchemy furnace?”

Alchemy furnace?

Xue Yu was stunned for a moment.

Seeing Chu Xingzhi’s triumphant smile closing in, Ye Qiao suddenly shouted loudly: “Smash him!!”

Xue Yu, seeing Chu Xingzhi charging at him in a panic, hesitated for a moment when he heard Ye Qiao’s command. Out of self-preservation instinct, he enlarged the alchemy furnace in his hand and, without hesitation, began to smash it over Chu Xingzhi’s head.

No one expected an alchemist to suddenly take such action.

With a loud bang, Chu Xingzhi’s head instantly began to ring.

Both were at the early Golden Core stage, but Xue Yu’s unexpected strike had him crashing to the ground.

Chu Xingzhi fell instantly, unable to rise, spitting out a mouthful of old blood and staring blankly as he began to question his life.

— Damn it, wasn’t it said that alchemists are all weak and helpless?!