Jiang Jin had never heard of a Qi-Replenishing Pill having side effects.
He took it, understanding her intention. It had to be a girl's little scheme, wanting to give him a pill she had refined with her own hands.
But... it had been so long; why did she only know how to refine Qi-Replenishing Pills? How could she ever catch up to his footsteps like this?
He put the pill in his mouth. Just as he was about to tactfully offer a word or two of advice, a burst of intense spiciness exploded in his mouth.
The shock rushed straight to the crown of his head. In an instant, his entire body felt like it was on fire. Smoke practically spewed from his seven orifices, and the spiritual energy in his meridians ran wild, nearly breaking through its shackles.
He stumbled over to the pond in the corner of the courtyard and plunged headfirst into it.
The freezing pond water enveloped his burning body.
Only after holding his breath underwater for a long time did Jiang Jin manage to suppress the spiciness that threatened to burn through his internal organs. He broke the surface, gasping for air, so furious he felt ready to explode.
Was this even a Qi-Replenishing Pill?! This was clearly poison!
Turning his head in a rage, he saw Song Yao squatting by the pond with a small notebook spread across her knees, her brush hovering in midair.
A pair of bright, sparkling eyes stared at him. “Are you alright?”
Stared at like that, the scolding at the tip of Jiang Jin's tongue instantly got stuck. He could only squeeze out two words in a raspy voice: “I-I'm fine.”
Song Yao leaned in closer. “What about other aspects? Is there anything different?”
Involuntarily led by her words, Jiang Jin calmed his mind and performed an internal inspection.
The spiritual energy surged through his meridians much more smoothly than usual. The bottlenecks that normally clogged his cultivation suddenly cleared up, and even his mental clarity seemed much sharper.
He could even clearly see the veins of the spiritual herbs in the distant herb garden.
C-Could this really be achieved by a mere Qi-Replenishing Pill? Only high-grade pills should have this kind of efficacy, right?
But before he could savor it in detail, the medicinal effect abruptly vanished, and his spiritual energy and mental strength returned to normal.
He told her the truth. Song Yao's eyes lit up as if filled with falling stars. With a snap, she closed her notebook and stood up in delight. “There really is progress! That's wonderful, thank you!”
With that, she turned and ran toward the Elixir Pavilion. Her long Daoist robe swept across the green grass by the pond, and she vanished in the blink of an eye.
Jiang Jin soaked miserably in the pond, only now snapping back to reality. Wait... why didn't she even offer to pull him up?
...
The Grand Sect Tournament began seven days before the New Year.
The matches were held in order of bone age, from youngest to oldest, with competitors drawing lots to face off in pairs.
Those under sixteen were the first to compete. The moment the lot container was placed on the high platform, a low wave of wailing erupted from the eastern side of the martial arts arena.
A crowd of disciples squeezed below the platform, each clasping their hands in prayer with terrified expressions, praying frantically to the heavens, “Please don't let me draw her, please don't let me draw her, please don't let me draw her.”
“Who is already at the Golden Core stage at fifteen? How are we supposed to fight if we draw her?”
“If I draw her, I'm done for. I'll just forfeit directly.”
“But she's a pill cultivator, and I heard her health is poor. Maybe...”
“Who cares what kind of cultivator she is! I've only just reached Foundation Establishment. Fighting her is practically suicide!”
“...”
As the one with the highest cultivation, Song Yao was the first to draw a lot. Listening to the terrified discussions around her and glancing at the lot container, she inexplicably felt like the King of Hell calling roll.
As a pill cultivator dedicated to saving lives, she really didn't want to bully them.
Unfortunately, the temptation of the Heavenly Thunder Marrow-Cleansing Pill was simply too great.
At worst, she could give them a few Qi-Replenishing Pills as compensation after the matches.
Under a crowd of terrified gazes, she reached out to draw a lot.
Suddenly, a clear, bright voice rang out from the crowd: “Wait! I want to challenge you!”
Everyone turned in unison to look. They saw Ming Ran with two swords strapped to her back, her face tense. She stomped up the steps onto the high platform, chin tilted up at Song Yao. “They're afraid of you, but I'm not!”
A low gasp swept through the crowd below, followed by a collective sigh of relief, as if they had just spotted a lifesaver.
—Ming Ran was also a maniac. She thought of nothing but practicing her swordplay all day long, grabbing anyone she could find for a fight.
Maniacs and monsters should be pitted against each other, rather than torturing ordinary people like them.
Song Yao stared at the fierce, burning sharp spirit in her eyes, momentarily dazed.
A few years ago, she had been just like this—full of pride, carrying a sword as she challenged everyone in the top ranks of the Heavenly Revelation Board one by one, brute-forcing her way to the very top.
Now, she couldn't even be bothered to touch a sword.
She withdrew her hand and nodded. “Alright.”
Since both parties agreed, they could proceed with the match.
The supervising cultivator performed a hand seal to raise a barrier, enclosing the two of them within a pale gold wall of light on the arena.
Up on Yunzuo Mountain, several elders were sipping tea and watching.
The Ninth Elder was the first to speak, his tone carrying a hint of praise. “The Ming family's girl is quite good. She recently practiced the Ming family's secret technique, the Seven Continents Twelve Swords, and has already broken through two levels. She's not to be underestimated. Besides, she's also on the verge of breaking through to the Golden Core stage.”
The Third Elder was slightly surprised. Stroking his graying beard, he said, “That secret technique is no simple feat. It uses finesse to overcome raw power, making it the perfect counter against spiritual energy suppression. No wonder she dares to challenge Lin Mu.”
“Lin Mu, on the other hand, hasn't learned any orthodox sword forms or spells. Relying solely on spiritual energy might not be enough.”
Beside him, the Twelfth Elder sneered. “How can the gap between Golden Core and Foundation Establishment be crossed so easily? No matter how strong Ming Ran's swordplay is, there is still a massive chasm of a major realm between them. Even if it's a bit of a struggle, Lin Mu will certainly win.”
The Seventh Elder frowned as he listened and abruptly stood up. “No, this won't do. That girl has a weak constitution and shouldn't take such risks. I'd better go and call her back.”
Before letting her participate, he hadn't expected there to be a child like Ming Ran in the mix.
However, before he could even make a move, a heavy thud resounded from the spiritual screen.
Ming Ran had barely even unsheathed her sword before her entire body flew off the high platform, crashing straight onto the ground.
The martial arts arena and Yunzuo Mountain fell silent at the same time.
Amidst the silence, the young girl on the high platform, dressed in a loose Daoist robe, leisurely sheathed her sword. She politely cupped her hands toward the direction where Ming Ran had flown. “Thank you for the match.”
Only after her figure completely disappeared into the entrance of the high platform did the cultivators below finally snap back to their senses.
“Lin Mu wins.”
Up on Yunzuo Mountain, the Third Elder recovered and took an embarrassed sip of his tea. “T-This chasm... is indeed not very easy to cross.”
The Seventh Elder silently sat back down as well.
He had worried for nothing.
There was absolutely nothing to worry about with this child.
Never mind her own age group; even if she went to the older division, she could still secure a good ranking.
As for Song Yao herself, she didn't feel there was anything wrong with this.
She was a Golden Core; defeating a Foundation Establishment cultivator in a single move was perfectly reasonable.
After all, when she was a Golden Core in her past life, she had even fought Nascent Soul cultivators.
Getting bogged down in a long fight would only expose her true strength.
With this display, her opponents in the next few matches conceded directly before the fights even started.
Song Yao successfully claimed the top spot in the youth division after walking up and down the platform a few more times. Her ranking on the Heavenly Revelation Board also reached a very auspicious number: 8,888.
If Song Yao remembered correctly, once a cultivator reached a rank within the top 5,000, they could register at Yong'an Tower to accept demon-hunting commissions to earn money.
However, because she had done too many bad deeds in her previous life, she had not only been blacklisted by Yong'an Tower but had also been placed on their wanted list.
Many people had commissioned Yong'an Tower to kill her, with the bounty reaching as high as eight figures.
Rate on N.U.
