"It seems I have misjudged!" exclaimed an elder. "How many years has it been since such a scene has unfolded?!"
"Ah, Nineteenth Elder, your future achievements are immeasurable!"
"After such a long time, you've actually made this old man feel a surge of excitement!"
"..."
Ji Nanjue shook her head, her gaze complex as she looked toward Su Bei on the platform, her delicate hand gripping her sleeve tightly as she took a deep breath.
Thunderous cheers echoed through the heavens and earth. Elders of the Sacred Land, their expressions surprised, stepped forward. One of them, eyes narrowed as he regarded Su Bei, let out a long sigh and slowly announced, "Sword Sect, Su Bei, wins!"
No one had high hopes for Su Bei in this competition.
Yet, to think, this man in the Mid Stage Refining Void had truly defeated twelve challengers in broad daylight on the platform!
One against twelve!
The moment his announcement ended, the already shocking cheers suddenly intensified!
However, given their strength, they shouldn't be able to stop him unless something unexpected happened.
At Wuhua Palace's encampment, Lin Duo, seeing Ling Ran's particularly unsightly expression, tried to comfort him, "So what if Su Bei fought twelve at once? After all, he's just a trivial Refining Void cultivator, never destined for the true limelight. As for this 'number one sect' title, the Sword Sect can't even make it into the top five!"
"..."
Ling Ran snorted coldly and said in a detached tone, "I hope we meet this Sword Sect in the first round of the Ten Great Sects finals. Otherwise, there might not be another chance..."
「...」
Su Bei sheathed his Qingping Sword, hung it at his waist, and with a flicker of his figure, returned to the Sword Sect's encampment.
"Elder Su!!"
"Elder Su is so strong!"
"SOB! Elder Su, you are my idol!"
The Sword Sect Disciples surrounded him almost instantly; even the most composed among them showed a trace of excitement on their faces.
Mo Xingjian walked over to Su Bei, laughing heartily, and gave him a heavy pat on the shoulder, exclaiming, "Good lad, you did well! This battle really made this senior brother's blood boil!"
"..."
Even Li Ziyu, who wasn't particularly fond of Su Bei, nodded, his gaze toward Su Bei filled with complex emotions.
This battle had forced him to acknowledge Su Bei's strength!
Just then, Su Bei suddenly felt a palpitation in his heart.
Then, his ear suddenly ached, as if a delicate, soft hand had grabbed it tightly.
"HISS— Senior Sister, it hurts, it hurts..."
Su Bei inhaled the faint fragrance that wafted to his nose and turned to look at the stunningly beautiful face beside him, an amused, teasing voice entering his ear, "You smelly brat, you think you're the best, huh? Why didn't you just die up there on the stage? Are you cursing me in your heart right now?"
Wenren Pingxin looked at Su Bei with a cold smile, tugging fiercely on his ear, not letting go until tears nearly streamed down Su Bei's face.
"How would this junior brother dare to curse Senior Sister? In this junior brother's heart, Senior Sister is like a goddess! All-knowing, all-understanding..."
"..."
Su Bei wished for nothing more than for Wenren Pingxin to quickly release his ear.
——And so, this great hero of the Sword Sect, who had single-handedly fought twelve Refining Void cultivators, just wilted like that.
Mo Xingjian watched Su Bei's pleading gaze fixed on him, smacked his lips with a helpless expression, then blinked and said softly, "Second Senior Brother seems to be in a fierce fight... I'll go take a look!"
"..."
The group of Sword Sect Disciples watched this scene, all covering their mouths and snickering.
Wenren Pingxin turned her head and glared at the Sword Sect Disciples. In an instant, each of them sat up straight, no longer looking in Su Bei's direction.
Then, Wenren Pingxin cleared her throat and, while still pinching Su Bei's ear, mimicked Su Bei's tone of voice, saying, "'Senior Sister doesn't know anything, doesn't understand me at all, and she's still over there shouting!' With my, Su Bei's, strength, forget twelve people, I could take on even one hundred and twenty for you to see! Hmm? Is that what you're thinking in your heart, you little brat?!"
"..."
Su Bei paused, coughed lightly, his mind busily trying to string words together, considering how to respond to Wenren Pingxin.
Before he could figure out what to say, he felt a sudden pain in his waist!
"Alright, Su Bei, you've really grown bold, haven't you? You're even hesitating?!"
"..."
Releasing the jade-like hand that had grabbed Su Bei's ear, she bit her red lip and fiercely pinched Su Bei's waist.
Su Bei quickly turned, dodging her second 'attack'!
"I won't do it next time!"
"Hmm? You're still thinking about a next time? Are you planning to fight someone at the Half-Step into Dao Integration next time?!"
Su Bei forced a smile; how could that be possible?
He lifted his head to meet her eyes but saw not the anger he had expected, but a gaze that was gentle and full of concern.
On her mature face, faint traces of sweat from her earlier tension were visible.
Su Bei opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but found himself speechless. He then quickly stepped forward and, to her slightly surprised look, gently held her in his arms. He buried his face in her dark, silky hair, deeply inhaling her fragrance, and stayed that way for a long, long time.
Wenren Pingxin rested her head on his shoulder and whispered softly, "Don't be like this anymore. Senior Sister worries about you..."
Although she knew that flowers raised in a greenhouse wouldn't grow strong, how could she bear to truly let him face the storms alone?
Su Bei gently helped her sit up and looked carefully at her face, "I won't do it again!!"
For some reason, as Su Bei gazed at her, a faint, almost imperceptible blush rose on Wenren Pingxin's face. She cleared her throat, subtly pushed him away, and said, "Alright. Xi Qingyi is still on the competition stage. Senior Sister will go take a look."
"..."
She turned and headed towards the only remaining stage in the tenth competition area.
The cheers didn't last too long, because in the tenth competition area, there was still one more thrilling fight!
A Half-Step into Dao Integration battle!
Su Bei calmed his slightly restless heart. Watching the graceful figure walking not too far away, he took a deep breath and thought to himself: Su Bei, you're truly courting disaster! What are you thinking? That's the Senior Sister who raised you with her own hands!
After calming the tumultuous meridians within his body, just as he was about to find his few spendthrift disciples and tend to his injuries, he was suddenly stopped by Dan Wulan.
She stood there, expressionless. Her purple dress accentuated her well-defined, upright figure, with ribbons cinching her slender waist. Her long hair flowed, her countenance indifferent, as pure and beautiful as snow.
——Just quietly gazing at him like this.
Su Bei felt somewhat embarrassed. Had she seen him hugging Wenren Pingxin just now and felt upset or jealous? When had she become as temperamental as Xiao Ruoching?
Just as he was about to explain, he saw her walking towards him. Then, to Su Bei's surprise, she took out a Qi Blood Pill from her storage ring and put it into his mouth.
Her slender, jade-like fingers, slightly cool to the touch, gently brushed across Su Bei's lips.
"Don't show off."
It was the usual indifferent remark, as if saying one more word would cost her money.
Although she didn't say much, Su Bei could read a thousand words in her eyes.
Perhaps only she knew how damaging Su Bei's seemingly heaven-covering sword strike was to his meridians. It was just like that night on No-Sword Peak, under a sky full of fireworks, when blood had flowed unceasingly from the corner of his mouth.
She turned and left.
Su Bei stood there, stunned, the Qi Blood Pill in his mouth gradually melting and merging into his meridians.
...