Chapter 109: Chapter 44: My Sword Could Never Be Thrust at My Senior Sister!
On the way back to Yuqing View, Shi Liuli still lingered on the memories.
After all, this was her first time venturing so far for fun.
Luo Yan, however, was burning with impatience. Not only because he needed to confirm the location of the Heaven-Mending Stone but also because he had learned of the news “one hundred thousand demons attacking Penglai.”
Despite carrying the mission of Heaven-Mending and having to infiltrate this sect to obtain the Heaven-Mending Stone, the care from everyone in the Heavenly Craft Workshop, as if from kin, was still etched in his heart.
He had feelings for Yuqing View!
Yet, just as they were about to reach Yuqing View, the Kunlun Mirror suddenly said with a sigh:
“The location of the Heaven-Mending Stone has returned to Yuqing View; it’s no longer possible to confirm it.”
“It’s okay,” Luo Yan stated calmly, “I’ll inquire later who has recently returned to the sect.”
“Moreover, regarding the ‘one hundred thousand demons attacking Penglai,’ I also need to discuss this with Master…”
He paused and suddenly frowned,
“Wait a moment. Such a major event can’t possibly be unknown within the view.”
“How am I going to explain the source of my information if I go and tell them?”
The Kunlun Mirror asked in confusion:
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“Why don’t you just honestly say you overheard it while passing by…”
“Why would I have the ability to eavesdrop?” Luo Yan counter-asked.
“That’s not by using a formation…” The Kunlun Mirror began, then quickly realized.
To maintain his false persona, Luo Yan had always concealed his true strength from the Heavenly Craft Workshop.
For instance, claiming he didn’t acquire the Postnatal Five Elements Great Extermination Divine Light when he actually did in Pavilion.
Or forcefully denying he obtained the Five Poisons Golden Silkworm Gu at the Five-Zhi Archipelago.
And such as Luo Yan’s Qi Refinement progress, Formation skills… In short, everything was understated.
Every time he reported to his Master, he added to his Synchronization Value, reveling in the deceit.
If he were to speak the truth now, Elder Shi Ding would inevitably question him, and his cover would be blown.
“Forget about it!” Luo Yan made a decision, “We have to trust that Penglai Jade Pure View can withstand these disaster risks! How can such a huge conspiracy go unnoticed by the view? Are all those Elders who practice Art Calculation hopeless?”
“What if no one has predicted it?” the Kunlun Mirror deliberately argued, “What if you don’t speak up and it leads to Yuqing View suffering a heavy blow; what then?”
“If Yuqing View has fallen to the point where it depends on a mere Foundation Establishment disciple like me to survive, then isn’t its demise inevitable sooner or later? I might as well take the opportunity to confirm the location of the Heaven-Mending Stone, or even personally attempt to seize it, rather than dying alongside Yuqing View.”
The Kunlun Mirror was speechless, almost forgetting that he was actually a spy lurking in Yuqing View.
“If Yuqing View is untroubled, then I will continue to lurk,” Luo Yan finally resolved, “After all, it’s impossible for me to be at a loss. That’s that!”
The Kunlun Mirror had nothing to say in response.
Upon returning to the Heavenly Craft Workshop, as Miss Shi had previously predicted, their early return had caught Elder Shi Ding while he was still irritated, and he immediately decreed a one-year confinement for both individuals.
Aside from this, Luo Yan wasn’t too harshly reprimanded, knowing full well he couldn’t control his daughter—if not even himself, how could he expect his disciple to?
Consequently, Luo Yan and Shi Liuli were confined within the Heavenly Craft Workshop, strictly supervised by their fellow disciples, forbidden from leaving for a year.
Yet, after three days of confinement, they heard that Elder Shi Ding had cooled off, changing the confinement period from one year to one month…
Setting aside Yuqing View for the moment, Luo Yan, taking advantage of the confinement, used his previous save to go to Shushan and impersonate Ling Yunpo, continuing the great competition in Shushan.
To this day, having overtaken Duan Fenhai, who held the second seat on the Immortal Sword Ranking, and Lin Duanshan, who held the third, even the arrogant higher-ups of Shushan wouldn’t be foolish enough to keep thinking of him as merely “the younger brother of the Weed-Cutting Sword Immortal.”
Aside from the Weed-Cutting Sword Immortal himself, no one was confident in defeating the Po Yun Sword Immortal.
It was probably for this reason that the following random processes seemed “too random,” featuring Sword Immortals who were beyond the fortieth seat and lucky enough, as well as those ranked in the top ten who were almost powerhouses.
For Ling Yunpo, without utilizing his other trump cards and solely based on his swordsmanship strength, he was roughly between the Tenth and Twentieth Rank.
But with his trump cards, not even strong individuals like Duan Fenhai and Lin Duanshan were his match.
In a sense, these two did not lose to Ling Yunpo, but to Qiu Changtian…
Guan Shanyue had lost to An Zhisu in the previous competition segment, leading all three veteran powerhouses to be defeated early in the drawing of lots and eliminated from the top ten, to the surprise and astonishment of the audience.
After several rounds of victory, Ling Yunpo’s final opponent was only one person left.
An Zhisu.
In the final segment, Senior Sister An stood in the arena with a beaming smile.
Previously, her courteous smile often carried a kind of stubborn determination and a cold indifference that kept people at a great distance.
But now, she smiled warmly and happily.
Ling Yunpo stepped into the arena, bowed respectfully to Senior Sister An under the watchful eyes of the crowd, and then said,
“I concede.”
“Wait a moment!” An Zhisu’s smile immediately faded, replaced by an unanticipated panic.
She had planned to control her strength, fight a guiding battle with her junior brother, and then appropriately let him win, but Ling Yunpo’s preemptive resignation disrupted all her plans.
Rustling discussions began among the surrounding crowd, but not all were hostile curses; it was a strange, mixed noise.
“Are you sure you want to concede?” One of the Nascent Soul Elders hosting the sword contest lowered the height of his Sword Light slightly, asking with a peculiar expression on his face.
You must realize that the convention of giving way to fellow sect members is not the tradition of Qingluo Peak.
Qi Sha True Person Su Jian, even when up against his fellow disciples, would show no mercy; if he needed to break a Life-bound Sword Artifact, he would do so without hesitation.
It was precisely because of his ruthless attitude that all the various peaks’ factions, which had strong expectations for his strength and sought to win him over, eventually backed down.
If you are to form an alliance, at the very least, you need to show the attitude of how you treat an ally.
If he could be ruthless to his own brothers, how could one expect him to treat his allies?
After Su Jian went into seclusion, An Zhisu generally inherited his battle style: merciless towards enemies, decisive in killing, and leaving no room for bargaining.
But Ling Yunpo seemed to be different…
In response to the Nascent Soul Elder’s query, Ling Yunpo simply nodded, then turned around and said gravely,
“Even if I were to unsheathe my sword, I would not face my senior sister in combat.”
Then he left the arena.
There was silence around the final battleground; no one expected this Po Yun Sword Immortal, who had fought his way to the finals with a tough style, to choose to concede so unhesitatingly.
Was it because he admitted he could not defeat An Zhisu?
No, according to what he said, it seemed he was unwilling to compete with his senior sister for the position of chief disciple…
For a moment, everyone was at a loss for words; regardless of whether they believed what he said or not, their expressions were all complex.
“Junior Brother Ling is indeed a gentleman.” Lin Duanshan commented from the seats opposite the field.
Given his staunch character, the term “gentleman” was an extraordinary commendation indeed.
“I won’t comment on his character, but his strength is truly peculiar.” Duan Fenhai said, frowning.
First was the Dense Fog Forbidden Law; the higher-ups of Shushan had reached a consensus that the dense fog generated by that Tenth Rank Water System Flying Sword (presumably the Qing Ping Sword) was undoubtedly of a Forbidden Technique Rank.
The second was the Lightning Forbidden Law; although the outside world attributed it to a Forbidden Technique sealed within the Nine Heavens Thunder Execution Sword, Duan Fenhai did not agree.
He felt that the Lightning Forbidden Law would certainly be used under the cover of the Dense Fog Forbidden Law, and Ling Yunpo was clearly trying to conceal something.
“What does Po Yun Sword Immortal think?” Lin Duanshan was noncommittal and simply turned his head to ask Guan Shanyue.
“I think he’s quite interesting,” Guan Shanyue responded leisurely, “far more interesting than his senior sister.”
Duan Fenhai shook his head, just about to speak when he heard Guan Shanyue say softly again,
“However, this is not necessarily a good thing…”