Chapter 18: Inner Sect Competition
In the early morning, the mountains were shrouded in mist.
The inner sect competition was starting today.
The competition was held at Juejian Peak, a place where inner disciples often sparred or dueled with swords. There were many seats prepared for spectators, and the matches on the platform were displayed in real-ti on a projected light screen for other disciples to observe the details of the duels.
Luo Qingyu got up early because she knew Jiang Huai was participating in the inner sect competition today. She wore a black dress, and Jiang Huai had taught her how to tie her hair into two pointy cat ears. Luo Qingyu took great care in dressing up that morning, her bright eyes shining.
Master Chu Xianning, however, wore a simple white robe, her black hair tied with a white ribbon, her deanor elegant and calm, her cheeks still seemingly touched with a faint frost. The three of them set off towards Juejian Peak and took their seats in an open spot.
The sect master personally presided over the drawing of lots for the competition. Jiang Huai’s lot was later in the order. He sat quietly next to Luo Qingyu, watching the disciples below duel with their swords.
Luo Qingyu wasn’t interested in their swordplay because her own talent for swordsmanship was extrely high. Watching those disciples was like watching children play house, so she lazily leaned on Jiang Huai’s shoulder like a cat basking in the sun.
Jiang Huai’s presence at the competition attracted many glances.
News of his participation in the inner sect competition had spread, as had the news of his broken engagent. But at this mont, Luo Qingyu was leaning against him, looking so gentle and obedient.
Jiang Huai was almost falling asleep in the spectator seats.
The sword cultivators of the Tianxuan Sect mostly practiced the Tianxuan Thirteen Swords because this technique could be adapted in many ways according to the individual, leading to various paths of cultivation: using quick swords, thin swords, soft swords, heavy swords, each with different thods.
The Tianxuan Thirteen Swords were the foundation of the Tianxuan Sect, and how much one could comprehend from the sword manual depended on personal insight. But generally speaking, they all looked quite similar.
Jiang Huai had also practiced the Tianxuan Thirteen Swords, but only for a short ti. Later, he followed his master and learned her Silver Radiance technique for a period.
Jiang Huai took out a handful of sun-dried peanuts from his storage ring and started peeling them for Luo Qingyu. He ate one, and Luo Qingyu ate one. Occasionally, when his fingertips touched Luo Qingyu’s lips after biting off a peanut, Luo Qingyu would playfully bite him back.
It wasn’t until Jiang Huai saw Wen Wanwan take the stage that he beca a bit more interested. He sat up straighter and watched the light screen intently, only to realize that Wen Wanwan seed to be looking at the spectator seats, searching for soone. When he lowered his head, he t Wen Wanwan’s slightly resentful gaze.
Jiang Huai discreetly averted his eyes and silently peeled another peanut to feed to Luo Qingyu.
Luo Qingyu seed to notice Wen Wanwan’s gaze too. She looked at the beautiful woman on the platform and quietly reached out to hold Jiang Huai’s arm tightly.
Wen Wanwan had ranked 601st in the last inner sect competition.
The rankings of the inner sect competition were not always accurate and were only a rough estimate. But a rank of six hundred and one was sowhat dangerous, considering there were only six hundred and eighty-two inner disciples. And Wen Wanwan seed to have bad luck, as she drew an opponent ranked fourteenth in the inner sect, a female cultivator.
The female cultivator did not carry a sword or blade. Instead, she had a slender jade flute in her hair. She took down the flute, and her black hair cascaded down, partially covering her fair cheeks.
This female cultivator was a music cultivator.
There were only a few music cultivators in the Tianxuan Sect, and this sect was almost extinct because music cultivators primarily cultivated the soul. Cultivation level was not as important; they mainly used spiritual energy with lodies to cast spells, requiring a high talent for the soul.
She held the jade flute, brought it to her lips, and spiritual energy accompanied by the lody transford into swords, swirling around her.
Wen Wanwan held her sword, standing straight, her sleeves fluttering in the wind.
In the ti it took Jiang Huai to peel six peanuts, Wen Wanwan was defeated.
The sword qi had been around her, unavoidable, only deliberately dissipated by her opponent. Therefore, she could only bow her head in defeat and step down from the platform.
Jiang Huai continued to eat peanuts. After nearly three or four hours, he saw Wen Wanwan take the stage again, this ti against a cultivator ranked in the three hundreds, a sword cultivator.
Jiang Huai felt that Wen Wanwan’s talent for swordsmanship was actually quite good; she just didn’t spend enough ti practicing because she had to complete many sect tasks every month to exchange for spirit stones and find dicinal herbs to save her sister’s life.
If she took on dangerous tasks that could hone her sword intent, it would be better, but she dared not take those risks. Not because she feared pain, but because if sothing happened to her, there would be no one left to take care of her sister.
This ti, it took Jiang Huai eighteen peanuts to peel before Wen Wanwan was defeated again.
She tried hard, so much so that her robe was slashed with a sword wound, and blood flowed down her white clothes, staining her shoulder and back red. Her opponent softly expressed regret, and she shook her head, indicating it was alright, and slowly walked down, her eyes slightly dim.
Her cultivation would rank in the top ten in the outer sect, but in the inner sect, it was indeed not enough. However, if she went to the outer sect, she would lose the cultivation resources of an inner disciple, so she had to grit her teeth and persevere.
Jiang Huai thought for a mont, took out a white jade bottle, and handed it to Luo Qingyu, ruffling her hair, “Go give her this healing dicine.”
“Okay,” Luo Qingyu obediently stood up, walked down from the spectator seats, and ran to Wen Wanwan’s side.
While handing over the porcelain bottle, she also sized up the woman in front of her. Perhaps beautiful won always had the habit of comparing themselves with other beautiful won. Luo Qingyu stared at her for a while before softly saying,
“Senior Brother Jiang Huai asked to give you this healing dicine.”
Wen Wanwan was montarily stunned, looking at Luo Qingyu before softly thanking her and taking the bottle. Luo Qingyu then hopped back to Jiang Huai’s side to continue watching the inner sect competition with him.
After another hour, it was Jiang Huai’s turn to almost fall asleep on Luo Qingyu’s shoulder. Her body was soft and fragrant, making it easy to doze off. He yawned and finally heard his na called on the platform.
His opponent was Wen Wanwan.
Jiang Huai was taken aback, scratching his head and asking Luo Qingyu,
“Did I hear that right?”
“Yes, it’s Wen Wanwan.”
“Help send a spiritual ssage to the elders saying I forfeit this match.”
Luo Qingyu agreed and soon her soft voice spread throughout the dueling grounds.
“Senior Brother Jiang Huai said he forfeits this match.”
The disciples below looked puzzled.
Wen Wanwan was considered one of the weakest cultivators in the inner sect and had just been injured. Jiang Huai had co to participate in the inner sect competition, but now he was forfeiting the first match. What did he an?
The crowd was confused and buzzing with speculation, but soon the elder started the next round of draws.
The inner sect competition lasted all day until sunset. There was one last match to go, and Jiang Huai was asleep on Luo Qingyu’s lap.
Luo Qingyu sat properly with her legs together, allowing Jiang Huai to lie on her lap. Her hands were on his cheek, shielding him from the light until his na was called on the platform. Luo Qingyu shook Jiang Huai’s body, and he woke up to hear her say,
“Senior Brother Jiang Huai, it’s your turn to go on stage.”
Jiang Huai sat up abruptly, stretched lazily under the watchful eyes of the crowd, yawned, and walked onto the platform. His opponent also slowly took the stage, but when Jiang Huai saw who it was, he paused.
“You are…”
Jiang Huai felt the disciple opposite him looked familiar. He seed to rember him, but he had a slight face-blindness and couldn’t recall at the mont. However, he was sure they knew each other.
The disciple opposite him wore a black robe and seed even younger than Jiang Huai. He had many sword wounds on his body, and even the front of his robe was scorched. There was a cut on his face, and he looked quite battered.
“Senior Brother Jiang Huai…”
The disciple opposite him slowly spoke, his voice filled with guilt. “I… have let down your expectations.”
Jiang Huai paused, thinking he rembered who it was.
“Are you Zhao Shiyi?”
“Yes,” Zhao Shiyi replied with a bitter expression, nodding slightly.
“How did you end up like this?” Jiang Huai was puzzled.
“I’ve lost the first two matches…”
Zhao Shiyi’s voice grew increasingly ashad, and as he spoke, he began to cough, spewing out a large patch of blood. Jiang Huai quickly took out a bottle of healing pills and walked over to him.
“Take a healing pill first.”
Zhao Shiyi instinctively wanted to shake his head and refuse, but Jiang Huai said firmly, “Listen to .”
So, Zhao Shiyi obediently took the pill while Jiang Huai slightly furrowed his brows.
The inner sect competition was mostly about sparring, and although accidents can happen with swords and sabers, most disciples had so restraint. Just sparring wouldn’t result in injuries as severe as Zhao Shiyi’s. Jiang Huai could tell at a glance that he had many wounds.
“Have people from Alchemy Mountain been troubling you again recently?” Jiang Huai inquired.
Zhao Shiyi shook his head.
“No… it’s just that I encountered soone from Alchemy Mountain in the sparring just now. I was simply no match for them.”
“Alchemy Mountain again…”
Jiang Huai’s gaze drifted for a mont, looking at the other’s face with a hint of helplessness.
He knew Zhao Shiyi because he had stood up for him in the past.
Zhao Shiyi was one of the first cultivators to move from the outer sect to the inner sect after Jiang Huai proposed reforms to the sect master. He practiced diligently, almost to the point of not sleeping or resting, always working hard on his swordsmanship, cherishing the opportunity to beco an inner disciple.
But the inner disciples already had their own cliques and mostly looked down on these background-less outer disciples. Zhao Shiyi practiced quietly on his own, without any grudges with these inner disciples.
That was until a mission distributed by the inner sect had him working with a few disciples from Alchemy Mountain to collect spiritual herbs. Together, they killed a late-stage Foundation Establishnt beast. He contributed the most and was also the most injured, but when they returned to the sect, the other four disciples claid he had been a burden and had hardly contributed, so he received only a tiny portion of the reward.
Unwilling to accept this, he made a scene at the Hall of Enforcent, but without any evidence, he was turned away.
In anger, he cursed the Alchemy Mountain disciples involved in the mission at the entrance of the Hall.
The sect forbade infighting, and the Alchemy Mountain disciples seed to laugh it off. But from that day on, they started coming to his door daily, challenging him to spar. He could refuse, but the insults from the Alchemy Mountain disciples were too vile to ignore. After accepting the challenge, he ended up with two broken ribs under official supervision.
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