Chapter 25: An Uninvited Guest

By the time Lin Wuming realized he might have overacted a bit… it was already too late.

The first round of the competition had ended.

Only eight contestants remained—undeniably the crème de la crème, all with exceptional musical skills.

Yet despite that, almost every gaze in the audience was locked onto Lin Wuming.

For one simple reason.

He’d shown off way too hard.

If he had acted cool and then gotten eliminated, people might’ve laughed it off—just a flashy fool.

But no.

He had the skill to back up the flair.

He hadn’t even looked at the score beforehand and still advanced—now that was something worth talking about.

Having stopped his performance, Lin Wuming finally became fully aware of the attention bearing down on him.

He couldn’t help but want to slap himself across the face.

“Show off again, I dare you! Look where it got you!”

Now how was he supposed to wrap this up quietly?

No matter what, as soon as he claimed the reward, he needed to escape ASAP.

Hide in the inn for a few days until the buzz died down.

He’d already failed a task once due to bad luck—he couldn’t afford to mess up the current ones too.

Even if he couldn’t get the top-tier rewards, he had to at least avoid the lowest outcome.

Taking a deep breath to refocus, Lin Wuming readied himself for Round Two.

***

The second round was a solo knockout battle.

Eight contestants drew lots to form four pairs.

Each pair would perform a personal best piece, directly competing to determine a winner.

From eight, they’d narrow down to four—then two—until only one would enter the final showdown.

Lin Wuming didn’t even care who he drew.

“Whoever tries to stand between me and those three mid-grade spirit stones… they’re going down.”

As luck would have it, his opponent in this round turned out to be the weakest of the eight.

Within a few dozen breaths—before Lin Wuming even got serious—the opponent realized he was outmatched and withdrew in shame.

With his win secured, Lin Wuming began scanning the field, evaluating the remaining contestants.

The other three matches were still ongoing.

At a glance, no one looked particularly threatening—until…

His eyes landed on a woman in red.

She was playing a zither.

The music she produced was clear and piercing, forceful and intense.

Every note felt like an attack, a relentless pressure that overwhelmed her opponent.

Sure enough, not long after, the scholarly-looking man across from her couldn’t take it anymore.

He stood up and fled, half-crying, utterly defeated.

“This woman… might actually be dangerous…”

Lin Wuming stroked his chin.

Though he disliked her relentless style, he couldn’t deny it—she had skill.

The moment she gained the upper hand, she locked in and pushed ruthlessly until her opponent was drained and broken, left with no choice but to surrender in despair.

The earlier auditions were just a warm-up.

Now that the true one-on-one duels had begun, people’s real level was finally coming to light.

***

Watching her too was Elder Zhong Xiao of Wanle Palace—his expression darkened.

There was something off about this red-dressed woman.

He had personally reviewed the participant list, ensuring all contestants were competent but not elite enough to cause trouble.

“Is this woman even on the list?”

He asked, frowning.

His disciple froze for a moment and hurriedly began cross-checking names.

***

Meanwhile, the next round was about to begin: four players into two.

Lin Wuming was just preparing to perform again when he felt a gaze on him.

Looking up, he saw it was the red-dressed woman.

Mo Xiaoyue was truly surprised.

This guy didn’t look serious at all—could he be the contestant Wanle Palace sent?

If so, then the fact that the competition didn’t start until he arrived finally made sense.

That meant… this guy was her target.

Yes—Mo Xiaoyue had come here for one reason only:

To defeat Wanle Palace’s disciple, make them lose face publicly, and avenge her master.

By the time the disciple finished verifying the list, the second round of duels had already ended.

The red-dressed woman was even more vicious this time.

Her opponent didn’t even get a chance to breathe.

He was crushed from start to finish.

“Elder.”

The disciple whispered.

“I checked… that woman… she’s not on the list. She’s an imposter!”

“I knew it!”

Zhong Xiao’s expression turned grim.

Her last opponent had been a young disciple of Wanle Palace with solid skills—yet he’d been defeated so thoroughly?

This impersonator clearly wasn’t someone to take lightly.

“Stop the match!”

He stood up abruptly and interrupted just before the final round could begin, staring straight at the woman in red.

“Miss, entering under someone else’s name… don’t you think that’s against the rules?”

He didn’t even try to hide the accusation.

The force of his presence radiated out, causing the woman’s face to turn pale.

‘I’ve been found out.’

Mo Xiaoyue bit her lip.

But she wasn’t surprised—it had always been part of the risk.

Just then, a far more powerful aura surged across the entire venue, dwarfing Zhong Xiao’s presence several times over.

“Elder Zhong, bullying a junior like this… is that all you’re good for?”

A woman in blue silk robes stepped gracefully into the center of the arena and came to stand beside Mo Xiaoyue.

“Master!”

Mo Xiaoyue instantly relaxed, looking joyfully at the woman beside her.

“Chu Biyue!”

Zhong Xiao’s face went pale with shock.

This wasn’t just anyone.

She was the sect leader of Tianyin Sect, one of the Six Great Righteous Sects.

She was also someone the Demon Empress had once defeated—well, in terms of musical skill.

In actual power, she hadn’t even had the qualification to duel the Empress.

“Wanle Palace put on such a grand event, and now you’re stopping people from participating? Afraid of losing face?”

“What’s the matter? Can’t handle losing?”

“We all know who really can’t handle a loss here.”

Zhong Xiao’s face turned darker and darker as Chu Biyue advanced.

“Chu Sect Leader, if you keep meddling like this, don’t blame us if the Empress herself comes knocking!”

“Hah! Trying to scare me?”

Chu Biyue let out a cold laugh.

Her aura pressed down harder, making Zhong Xiao almost gasp for air.

“Your so-called Empress—how long has she been missing now?”

“All this time, Wanle Palace still hides behind her name, yet no one’s seen her.
Don’t tell me… she’s already dead?”

“You—!”

Zhong Xiao was fuming.

But Chu Biyue wasn’t some reckless rogue.

She knew what she was doing.

Yes, she feared the Demon Empress.

But that Empress had vanished for years now.

Rumors had long since begun circulating.

This event was also a test from the Six Great Sects, probing for any signs from the demon side.

Even if the Empress were still alive, she couldn’t go up against both the Righteous Sects and the Buddhist Orders alone.

So Chu Biyue was gambling—betting that Wanle Palace wouldn’t dare strike back.

And if she succeeded in humiliating them now, this would be the perfect chance for revenge for her master’s defeat.