"You?!"
Upon hearing Zhou Taiping's heartless remark, Xie Chenkun immediately became furious.
Zhou Taiping sneered and reminded, "Don't forget, similar situations have occurred in previous Four Sects Martial Meetings. Didn't your Heavenly Sword Faction say the same thing back then?"
Upon hearing Zhou Taiping's words, Xie Chenkun's dark and stormy expression, which was on the verge of exploding, suddenly froze.
He remembered that in prior Four Sects Martial Meetings, when a disciple from the Blood Sword Sect fought fiercely with his opponent and depleted a great deal of True Yuan, it was Zhou Taiping who suggested giving him more time to rest, but he and Beixue Mountain Villa, as well as Mingyue Valley, had refused.
Thus, the chief disciple of the Heavenly Sword Faction managed to easily defeat the Blood Sword Sect disciple later on.
Xie Chenkun's expression turned mixed, fluctuating between green and white, and he no longer firmly held the idea of letting Mu Jinyu rest well before battling Dao Wuming...
Sigh, this is karma, what goes around comes around!
Xie Chenkun regretted how ruthless he had been back then!
Seeing Xie Chenkun's expression, Zhou Taiping felt quite pleased and even a bit vengeful.
He still remembered the bet he made with Xie Chenkun yesterday.
Mu Jinyu's strength was evidently quite formidable. Allowing Mu Jinyu to recuperate for a few days might lead him to unleash his potential again and defeat Dao Wuming.
If that happened, he would have to compensate the Heavenly Sword Faction by letting them cultivate in the Blood Essence Pool for a month, a loss he couldn't afford!
Zhou Taiping chuckled, clapping Xie Chenkun on the shoulder, and teasingly comforted, "Although your disciple expended much energy in the previous battle, due to the rules, there's no way he can take a few days to adjust. However, the regulations of the Four Sects Martial Meeting allow those who have greatly depleted their True Yuan during a fight have an hour to recover..."
With that, Zhou Taiping glanced at Mu Jinyu, who appeared extremely weak and pale, and kindly smiled, saying, "Considering your state, I'll postpone your battle with my disciple for a while. After an hour, you can fight with Dao Wuming, so that you won't say I'm being unreasonable..."
"Hahaha..."
After speaking, Zhou Taiping laughed heartily, his laughter filled with satisfaction, no less than Xie Chenkun's from when he saw Mu Jinyu return alive with the Bi Fang Cauldron.
Afterward, Zhou Taiping, unconcerned with Xie Chenkun's extremely ugly expression, lifted his foot and quickly moved to Dao Wuming's side, whispering to him.
He knew Dao Wuming's personality; he disliked taking advantage of others, and he was persuading Dao Wuming not to hold back when fighting Mu Jinyu next.
At first, Dao Wuming was reluctant to continue battling Mu Jinyu, but after hearing that Zhou Taiping had gambled a month's cultivation time in the Blood Essence Pool with Xie Chenkun and that the results of the Four Sects Martial Meeting would affect the distribution of resources among the Four Great Sects for the next ten years...
After being persuaded both emotionally and logically, Dao Wuming reluctantly agreed to fight Mu Jinyu next.
After receiving Dao Wuming's confirmation, Zhou Taiping contentedly returned to the spectator seat. Seeing the desolate square, his face froze, and he began commanding people to clean up the area.
Xie Chenkun, his face ashen, watched Zhou Taiping's frenzied movements. Supporting Mu Jinyu, he led him to an empty resting spot.
He continuously comforted himself inwardly that even if Mu Jinyu lost later, his own sword was only a Medium Grade Spirit Treasure anyways. Losing to Zhou Taiping wasn't too bad. At the very least, Mu Jinyu had obtained the Top-Quality Spiritual Treasure, the Bi Fang Cauldron, which was quite worthwhile!
After repeatedly convincing himself, Xie Chenkun finally didn't feel as aggrieved.
But he still harbored some regret.
Not regretting the bet with Zhou Taiping, but not betting on the results of the Sword Mountain Fiery Sea from yesterday...
Jian Ruyan approached Mu Jinyu and knelt beside him. Seeing his extremely pale face, which showed no signs of recovery despite using Life Source Energy, a trace of heartache flashed in her eyes. Her tone, softer than usual, asked:
"How are you feeling now? Is it hard to heal?"
Mu Jinyu glanced at Jian Ruyan and shook his head. "I'm fine. I didn't sustain any serious injuries. The current weakness is just due to the loss of several mouthfuls of Essence Blood in refining the Treasure Ding, which isn't something that can be quickly replenished."
"I see..."
Hearing Mu Jinyu's words, Jian Ruyan understood that although he wasn't seriously injured, this weakness would take several days to recover from.
Worry flashed across her eyes as she asked, "Are you still going to battle Dao Wuming later?"
"Of course." Mu Jinyu replied without hesitation. "Though I'm somewhat weak now and my combat ability has significantly decreased, I could still laugh last in such a situation earlier. How could I fear just Dao Wuming?"
"Since I've come this far, I won't be satisfied without taking the first place!"
Mu Jinyu declared resolutely.
His pale face, due to excitement, flushed slightly with an unusual redness!
Xie Chenkun, sitting nearby, nodded approvingly upon hearing Mu Jinyu's words. He then added, "Don't put too much pressure on yourself. If you really can't hold on later, just surrender early. We won't blame you..."
"Alright." Mu Jinyu knew that more words were pointless, so he just responded and didn't take Xie Chenkun's words to heart.
Seeing Mu Jinyu lying uncomfortably on the ground, Jian Ruyan, after some thought, blushed slightly. Extending her legs, she sat in front of Mu Jinyu, then lifted his upper body and let his head rest on her legs, hoping he would feel more comfortable.
"Huh... you..."
Mu Jinyu, somewhat dizzy, only realized after the fact that he was lying on Jian Ruyan's legs and felt both flattered and embarrassed.
This was the first time, despite their long acquaintance, Jian Ruyan showed such care for him.
The time when Jian Ruyan was tricked into washing his dirty clothes on Yinlong Mountain didn't count!
Jian Ruyan felt somewhat awkward having Mu Jinyu's head on her lap.
However, she remained calm and said, "Don't think too much about it. I just want you to rest well and adjust your state so that you'll have no regrets, whether you win or lose against Dao Wuming later!"
While speaking, Jian Ruyan also began to gently massage Mu Jinyu's temples.
Looking up at Jian Ruyan's gentle face, Mu Jinyu felt like he had returned to the time when he first descended from Yinlong Mountain and met Wen Rou, living together with her for some time...
At this moment, Jian Ruyan bore a striking resemblance to Wen Rou.
In both appearance and actions, they were identical.
Mu Jinyu could hardly distinguish whether she was Jian Ruyan or Wen Rou...