Chapter 46

For disciples of the Guiyuan Sect, the Inner Sect Tournament, held once every ten years, was the liveliest event of all.
In the square atop Qingxu Peak, rows of arenas had been set up. Senior disciples were busy applying the finishing touches to the defensive arrays around each stage.
“Who d’you think is taking the crown this time? Don’t tell me it’ll be Xiaoyao Peak again. They’ve snagged the top spot for, what, three straight tournaments?” One disciple chatted as he worked.
“No way,” his companion waved a hand. “Peak Lord Su hasn’t taken on any new disciples in years, except that six-year-old girl a decade back. She’s only sixteen now, right? That little junior sister is totally pampered by her brothers and sisters, soft as a marshmallow, barely ever leaves the mountain. Who even knows if she’ll show up?”
“True, true, can’t let Xiaoyao Peak hog all the glory. I bet the title’s coming to our Yuding Peak this year.”
“No way. Xuandan Peak’s fielding an incredible new junior, my money’s on him.”
Elsewhere near one of the rings, Yang Jun from Tiezhu Peak was cross-checking the roster of contestants.
Ye Hangzhou slipped up behind him and slung an arm over his shoulders. “Lemme see that!”
Yang Jun shot him a look. “Why are you here so early? It’s not like you can compete this time.”
Ye Hangzhou was the last champion. The top ten finishers in every inner sect tournament always get recognized and rewarded by the sect. After that, they’re excused from future competitions.
“I’m just here to keep an eye on my little junior. It’s her first time seeing the grand tournament, she only joined the sect ten years ago.”
As he spoke, a girl of sixteen or seventeen stepped out from behind him.
She was slender-waisted and graceful, her brows arched and hair like clouds, calm eyes shining with starlight. A thin red robe flowed around her, not a trace of makeup, her movements bright and unrestrained, a natural-born beauty, impossible to miss.
It had been ages since Yang Jun last saw Mu Xue. Who could’ve guessed that the scrappy little girl, always in plain clothes and pigtails, would turn into this elegant stunner almost overnight?
“So Xiao Xue’s in this year’s tournament, huh?”
“When is Xiaoyao Peak going to drop this tradition?” Yang Jun chuckled at Ye Hangzhou. “Back when you competed, Senior Brother Fu stared at me from the crowd the whole time. I was so tense I screwed up. That’s why you beat me. Now it’s your turn to babysit your junior, huh?”
Ye Hangzhou gave him a shove. “A loss is a loss, don’t blame it on my senior brother! Want to go another round with me later?”
“Fine, fine, whatever. Everyone knows anyone from Xiaoyao Peak is untouchable, nobody’s going to risk hurting your little junior.” Yang Jun turned to Mu Xue. “No pressure, Xiao Xue. We’re all sect brothers and sisters here. If things don’t go your way, just surrender early, you’ll be fine.”
Mu Xue dipped her head politely and agreed with a smile.
Ye Hangzhou added, “At Xiaoyao Peak, we live up to our name, carefree to the core. Glory and ranks mean nothing to us. Just get up there, have some fun, maybe stretch your legs, don’t sweat the standings.”
Mu Xue tilted her head. “But didn’t you take first place, senior brother?”
Ye Hangzhou looked smug. “That’s just ‘cause everyone in my year was slacking, so I lucked into the championship. Ha!”
Meanwhile, Yang Jun, whose “skills were slacking,” apparently, just glared at him, face dark as a storm cloud.
The tournament was already in full swing.
Above the arena, dragons and serpents clashed, phoenixes cried. Thunder, fire, and lightning lit the sky; true flames roared; the ground shook; blades flashed; swords danced; and spell after spell dazzled the eyes.
Every arena was packed with eager spectators.
Ding Lanlan, meanwhile, was expertly controlling two life-sized humanoid puppets and just barely scraped a win against a senior from Tiezhu Peak. Knowing she couldn’t hold the stage for long, she hopped off to rest.
“Where’s Xiao Xue?” she asked Yuanzi, who came to help her down.
Yuanzi and Xia Tong had both joined the sect during the outer sect trials their third year. Yuanzi and Ding Lanlan both apprenticed under Biyou Peak, while Xia Tong went to Xuandan Peak.
“She’s... probably over there, see?” Yuanzi pointed toward a nearby ring.
Suspended over that particular arena were: an enormous, white-tiger puppet with fierce, round eyes; a massive iron cauldron; and one giant leaf fluttering in the air.
Confused spectators pointed at the spectacle. “Hey, what’s going on over there? Why are all three Xiaoyao Peak bigshots hovering overhead?”
“You must be out of the loop! Peak Lord Su’s newest little disciple is competing this year. The senior brothers and sisters are all out, making sure she doesn’t get hurt.”
As Ding Lanlan approached the stage, a senior, tied up tight in red rope, was thrown from the ring.
“Zhang Er Ya, victory in match eight!” the referee’s voice rang out.
The crowd erupted in boos and groans.
Yang Jun sat beside Ye Hangzhou, perching atop his tree leaf. “You tricked me good! Does she look like she needs anyone worrying about her?”
Ye Hangzhou beamed, watching Mu Xue rack up win after win, prouder than if it were his own record. “What I meant was, I’m mostly worried she’s too young and might accidentally hurt someone else. Haha!”
On the platform, Mu Xue, just sixteen or seventeen, wielded a red cord that moved as she willed, tangling up challengers faster than they could blink. Her eight powerful opponents didn’t even get a chance to strike before she casually swept them all off the stage.
Slender and charming in her red robes, she stood tall and alone on the ring. Raising her pale, luminous wrist, the cord flowed into her skin and reshaped itself into a gold-red floral tattoo on the back of her hand.
The crowd buzzed in astonished debate, nobody dared to step up and challenge her again.
According to the tournament rules, competitors could advance by accumulating points with multiple wins. But anyone who defended the ring for ten consecutive matches was granted a direct ticket to the finals.
Lin Yin, a Xuandan Peak disciple who’d always clashed with Mu Xue, grumbled loudly beneath the ring. “She’s got zero real skill, just coasting on the sect’s favoritism and cheating with that artifact. It’s not fair to all the brothers who worked their butts off training!”
Mu Xue grinned at her. “Why don’t you come up, Senior Sister Lin? I promise I won’t use the Immortal-Binding Rope against you.”
Lin Yin arched her brows, leaping onto the stage. “You mean it?”
Mu Xue’s smile sparkled. “Of course I do.”
The moment the judge’s start signal sounded, the red rope darted like a spirit snake, shoop!, tying Lin Yin up like a dumpling and dumping her off the platform.
“Match nine, Zhang Er Ya wins!” came the verdict.
Lin Yin struggled out of the loosened ropes, jumped to her feet, and pointed at Mu Xue, face red with rage. “You! That’s cheating!”
Mu Xue looked perfectly innocent. “The rules never said you can’t use artifacts, or that you can’t lie. Where’s the violation?”
Lin Yin stamped her foot and nearly burst into tears, though thankfully, she didn’t bawl like she used to as a child.
One of her junior brothers consoled her for a moment and then jumped up onto the ring.
Mu Xue recognized him; they’d joined the sect the same year and trained under Xuandan Peak’s master, Kong Ji, alongside Lin Yin. Among their cohort, he was considered the most gifted.
He bowed to Mu Xue. “Xiaodan Peak’s Xiao Changge, requesting a match.”
Down below, Xia Tong nudged Ding Lanlan and the others. “Senior Brother Xiao is seriously strong, at last year’s Xiumu Butterfly Trial, he displayed the ‘Rainfall Benevolence’ technique and absolutely stunned the crowd.”
"What's this ‘Rainfall Benevolence’ thing?" A few curious faces crowded closer.
"I only found out later, too," Xia Tong said. "Back when our batch joined the sect, this senior brother's cultivation really stood out. They said his temperament and talent were both out of this world, half the elders fought over taking him as a disciple. Our Xuandan Peak’s headmaster was the one who finally snatched him up."
"So he's really powerful?"
"He must be," Ding Lanlan chimed in. "Aside from him, I heard there was one other kid in the 'Snowbloom in Winter' stage, calm and steady, but not that gifted. Then there was a 'Wildfire' prodigy with sky-high talent but the self-control of a wild dog. So our guy was hands-down the top pick that year."
"Xuandan Peak, huh. How strong can they get anyway?" A few others muttered off to the side.
"All they do is brew pills and farm spirit plants. They'd get creamed if they had to fight anyone from Xiaoyao Peak, the sword sect."
"Snooze-fest. Guess that girl’s gonna take her ten-up win streak straight to the finals, huh."
Up on the dueling platform, Xiao Changge's face remained unreadable as he silently formed a hand seal.
In an instant, as if spring came to life, countless supple branches burst from the earth. They shot upward in a rush, sprouting leaves and spreading their canopies, and within the blink of an eye, a lush, thriving forest covered half the platform.
A fine rain fell from above, and Xiao Changge blended seamlessly into the living woods, protected within the thicket. Even if Mu Xue unleashed her Binding Immortal Rope now, she’d have a hell of a time catching him.
"Junior sister, I’m about to make my move now." Xiao Changge warned with a smile, shifting his hand seals. Instantly, countless vines coiled and twisted around each other, spiraling across the ground like green dragons and racing toward Mu Xue.
Anyone touched by them would end up worse off than if they'd been caught by the Binding Immortal Rope. Instant, total lockdown.
Mu Xue dove away, dodging as rain-soaked vines churned after her with relentless will, water and clouds roiling at her heels.
Countless hardwood branches morphed into razor-sharp lances, slicing the air with fierce whistling, firing at Mu Xue from all directions and forcing her into a desperate retreat.
She twisted in midair, drawing a slender three-foot sword. The moment that blade appeared, its brilliance flashed: a silver meteor, cold as a frozen lake, outshining the stars and setting thunder rolling through the sky.
Sword-light shimmered and split, blooming into a five-petaled plum blossom. More blossoms exploded forth, thousands upon thousands of icy flowers in a blizzard, sweeping across the stage to meet the rain-drenched forest head-on. The momentum was ferocious, slicing apart brambles and boughs alike.
For a moment, it was a world of halves: on one side, rain gave birth to an endless verdant forest; on the other, wild wind and driving snow, plum blossoms blooming with icy pride, equally unstoppable, completely at odds.
At first, the spectators had all thought Mu Xue was just some arrogant kid, showing off with clever tricks she’d somehow picked up. But now, watching her in real combat, unafraid, unyielding, swordwork so sharp it took their breath away, techniques flowing like poetry, they finally had to admit she was the real thing.
"Told you, a Xiaoyao Peak disciple is never a coward, only ever a badass."
"Don’t let the 'junior sister' thing fool you. Did everyone already forget how Senior Miao used to terrorize the place back in the day?"
The older senior brothers visibly flinched at the memory, sneaking a look at the iron pan still hanging over their heads. Childhood nightmares, unlocked.
Miao Hong’er slid over to Fu Yun’s side. "That kid’s 'Nine Plum Blossom Sword', she’s learned your moves by heart."
Fu Yun watched the match with calm eyes. "I never thought she’d master it like this. Honestly, her sword intent is a little different from mine."
"You wield the gentleman’s sword. Hers has all the fury of a blizzard and the elegance of wintry blossoms." Miao Hong’er shook her head. "I don’t get it. We raised her so carefully, but she always fights like she’s ready to throw her life on the line."
Back on stage, the gentle forest of spring warped into the full fury of summer. Black clouds boiled overhead. Thunder crashed. Rain pounded down, relentless and wild.
"Oh no," Ye Hangzhou shot to his feet, "Junior sister... she's kind of terrified of thunder."
"Afraid of thunder?" Yang Jun echoed blankly.
On the deluge-wracked platform, Mu Xue seemed frozen for a heartbeat. She stared up at the crackling sky, letting the rain batter her face. Crazy vines had already twisted themselves up to her ankles before she finally responded, hand rising to form a strange, clipped seal, cold and determined.
"Is the ground... shaking?"
"What the? Why’s the stage moving?"
Every dueling platform had protective arrays set at its four corners; no spell cast within could spill over to the outside. So even with thunder shaking heaven and rain pouring down in there, the stands outside were bone dry. Not a drop to be seen.
But right now, for some reason, the earth was trembling. Suddenly, a tiny crack split open in the platform, and out popped a little iron puppet’s head. It looked left, looked right, then stretched its spindly arms and clambered fully out, scampering toward center stage.
Ding Lanlan knew these puppets well, her aunt and Master Ding, head of the peak, made her practice the basics with these models all the time. Just pop a spirit stone inside and the thing could lug cargo or run simple errands for you.
Before she could even wonder why Mu Xue was whipping out a barrage of tin puppets, holes burst open across the stage, left, right, everywhere. Dozens of puppets poured out like a metal tide, swarming over the forested floor and leaf litter, surging straight for Xiao Changge.
Xiao Changge fought to defend himself with twisting branches, block this one, fend off that one, but he was still just a ten-year sect newbie, not exactly a battle veteran. The sudden onslaught left him flailing, arms and legs outstretched as puppets swarmed him, hoisted him into the air, and toted him off in a flustered heap.
"Xiao Xue! No maiming people!" Ye Hangzhou yelled.
Mu Xue brought her fingers together and made a gesture, signaling the puppets to retreat. Obediently, they hustled Xiao Changge all the way to the edge of the ring, then chucked him off.
Xiao Changge landed on the ground, dazed for ages before he managed, "Incredible. I concede."
He gave Lin Yin an apologetic look. "Sorry, senior sister. I couldn't beat her either."
Lin Yin stomped her foot. "Forget it, forget it, I’m not gonna argue with her."
Mu Xue collected her tenth win and stepped down from the stage. Ding Lanlan met her at the bottom, eyeing her up and down for a moment before giving her arm a sharp twist.
Mu Xue yelped, “Hey! What was that for, Senior Sister Lanlan?”
Back when Ding Huirou used to praise Mu Xue all the time, Ding Lanlan never really bought it. But after what she just witnessed, she finally understood why their teacher always boasted about Mu Xue’s artifact skills. With even the most basic puppets, Lanlan barely made three or five before she got bored and lazy with the repetition.
But watching Xiao Xue perform today, she realized her own paltry efforts didn’t even come close, Xiao Xue’s level was at least ten times higher. Lanlan could barely manage two humanoid puppets in a fight before she got overwhelmed. But Xiao Xue? She flawlessly controlled dozens of intricate little puppets all at once without breaking a sweat.
“Okay, you’ve totally won me over today. From now on, you’re my benchmark!” Ding Lanlan said upfront, then couldn’t help feeling a little jealous and gave Mu Xue another forceful pinch.
Mu Xue went to sit in the stands to rest, while Ding Lanlan and Yuanzi headed off to compete in their own arenas. Xia Tong, who hadn’t signed up for this tournament, kept Mu Xue company, chatting beside her.
“I always thought we alchemists stood no chance in tournaments like these. It’s more proper to just behave and brew pills beside a furnace.” Xia Tong handed her some candy from her stash. “But watching you spar with Senior Brother Xiao today really knocked me out of that mindset. I realize now, I was just making excuses for myself.”
Mu Xue crunched on the candy, shrugging. “Don’t worry about it. My Master always says, ‘There are three thousand paths on the Dao, they all lead to the same place.’ If fighting’s not your thing, don’t force it.”
As they were deep in conversation, Yuanzi came back, face in her hands, looking utterly defeated. She was still new, her cultivation base not high, so she’d quickly been knocked out of the competition, and picked up a nasty bruise, her cheek puffed up like a steamed bun.
“Let me see that. I’ve got medicine,” Xia Tong immediately checked her injury and dabbed some cream from Xuandan Peak on her swollen face.
A burly, square-jawed senior brother hurried over to them.
“Sorry, sorry! On the stage, I lost control for a moment. Hitting such a new little junior sister… that’s totally my bad.”
He scratched his head, pulled a bottle out from his robes, and offered her some injury ointment. “Here. For the bruise.”
Yuanzi shook her head. “No need, I’m already covered.”
The senior brother hesitated a bit, then brought out a box. Inside was a whole tray of glittering lotus-root pastries. “My mom sent these when she heard about the tournament. Please, let me make it up to you, Junior Sister.”
Yuanzi glanced at Xia Tong and Mu Xue, then they all exchanged looks, each pushing the box toward the other. In the end, Yuanzi accepted it, blushing furiously.
No sooner had that senior brother left than the girls burst out laughing and teasing each other.
“Well, look at you, Yuanzi!” Xia Tong teased. “All grown up and pretty now, senior brothers are already bringing treats just for you!”
Mu Xue was grinning at that when a young disciple from who-knows-which peak shyly walked over.
The young man, cheeks tinged red, stammered, “J-Junior Sister… I, uh… I watched your fight just now. I, it was amazing.”
He only managed half his words before sticking a bright red fruit into Mu Xue’s hand and fleeing the scene at record speed.
Not long after, another senior brother strolled up, confidently presenting Mu Xue a blooming wildflower. “I’m Xuan Ji from Qingxu Peak. I really admire you, Junior Sister Mu, and hope we can become friends.”
Cultivators or not, most of this year’s batch were still hot-blooded teenagers, just at that age where you’re all hormones and high hopes, and it’s so easy to catch feelings right in the middle of the action.
Mu Xue stared blankly at the flower and fruit in her hands, while her friends and senior sisters poked fun at her from every direction.
It was spring in the mountains, with peach blossoms in full, blushing bloom. A breeze swept the pink petals down, scattering them across her shoulders.
Somehow, this scene felt familiar from a distant memory, but until now, it had never really reached her heart.
And now suddenly, those feelings overwhelmed her all at once.
“Xiao Shan, didn’t I bring back a basket of mountain plums yesterday from that Yan family guy? Where’d they go?”
“All wormy. Couldn’t eat ’em. I tossed them out.”
“Oh, I see.”
“Master, I picked these tree grapes for you today, just to tempt you a bit. Aren’t they sweet?”
“Mm, very sweet.”
“Aren’t Xiao Shan’s picks always the tastiest?”
“Yeah, Xiao Shan’s are delicious.”
“There were so many thorns on that tree. My hand’s all scratched up.”
“Really? Let me see.”