Fairy Nan wore a knowing smile, and An Lingran simply stopped explaining, turning her face back toward the stage.
Yes, she admitted she admired her Junior Brother a little, but in the end, they were worlds apart — one an immortal and the other a mortal.
Many reality-based problems could not be easily changed by a marriage contract or one person’s feelings.
An Lingran could not explain these reasons to Fairy Nan either.
She could not easily tell others about the engagement; otherwise, the private matters between her and her Junior Brother would only become more muddled, making it difficult for everyone to back out in the end.
So, An Lingran simply ignored Fairy Nan.
‘If you think I like He Qiu, then so be it.’
Besides, An Lingran had come to the martial arts arena today primarily to watch He Qiu’s first battle.
Although she did not believe He Qiu, at Level 1 of the Spirit Realm, could easily defeat Zhou Hang at Level 4, analyzing the details of the battle and tutoring He Qiu afterward was something very meaningful and necessary to her.
Her Junior Brother, He Qiu, was still a budding cultivation rookie who lacked much combat experience.
These were things she, as his Senior Sister, needed to guide him through patiently.
Furthermore, if her Junior Brother became depressed after a defeat, it was exactly the moment he would need his Senior Sister, An Lingran, to comfort him and help him overcome the low point of his first failure.
It was nothing.
Everyone failed, and An Lingran would not look down on He Qiu for it.
After all, she had watched He Qiu’s efforts and growth bit by bit.
For her, knowing that her Junior Brother had ‘given it his all’ was enough.
Wasn’t there a saying, “Thirty years in the east, thirty years in the west, do not look down on a poor youth”?
An Lingran believed that with the courage and will He Qiu showed last night, even with a Wasted Spirit Vein, there would always be a way for him to grow in the future.
If Junior Brother He Qiu truly could persist, the path of cultivation was long, and An Lingran would not mind waiting a few years for him.
With the youth showing such a precious and determined resolve, what was the harm in keeping the marriage contract and waiting a few more years for her fiancé to prove himself?
At that thought, An Lingran smiled faintly and continued to wait for her Junior Brother to enter the arena.
—
It was getting late.
The Elders and disciples from both the Inner and Outer Gates who were supposed to be in the audience had arrived and taken their seats.
It was time for the contestants to make their appearance.
“Hey, it’s your turn.”
In the back of the crowd, a senior noticed the time and patted He Qiu on the shoulder, signaling for him to go up for the first round.
As soon as He Qiu stepped out of the crowd, the attention of the audience focused entirely on him.
Whispers and snickers rose in layers.
Today, He Qiu was dressed in a clean, white-and-green cultivation robe.
He had an upright posture, but his sleeves were empty; he had not even brought a sword.
This was the point the audience discussed most.
A Sword Cultivator entering the stage without a sword — did he intend to fight barehanded like a body cultivator?
What about the high-grade Level 7 Sword Art bestowed by the Saintess?
Had he practiced his sword techniques for one week for nothing?
They could not understand He Qiu’s actions; they simply found it absurd and comical.
On the other side, a tall Sword Cultivator disciple also stepped onto the stage.
“First round: He Qiu of the Inner Gate, Level 1 Spirit Realm, Sword Cultivator, Void Spirit Vein… versus Wang Mang of the Outer Gate, Level 2 Spirit Realm Peak, Sword Cultivator, Wind Spirit Vein.”
Unlike what An Daosheng had disclosed, He Qiu’s first opponent was not Zhou Hang.
This meant there would be more than one match.
However, it did not matter.
At Level 2 of the Spirit Realm, He Qiu would not feel too much psychological pressure.
After the two walked onto the stage, He Qiu followed etiquette and cupped his fists in a salute. “Please, guide me.”
“Hmph…”
Although Wang Mang was disdainful, he still cupped his fists and returned the salute.
At the same time, the man serving as the referee did not waste time and announced in a booming voice, “Begin the match!”
As soon as the words fell, Wang Mang drew the sword at his waist and lunged toward He Qiu.
He had no grudge against He Qiu; he simply wanted to finish the match and get selected for the Inner Gate.
Therefore, he decided to settle this quickly and deal with this rumored “nepotism hire” of the Inner Gate.
*Whoosh!*
The blade left its scabbard, casting shadows of light and steel as Wang Mang swung his sword in a straight strike.
The former came with aggressive momentum, but He Qiu merely leaned to the side.
The cold blade swept past the tip of his nose, and the Sword Qi eventually struck the ground, carving a deep gash.
“So slow…”
He Qiu couldn’t help but criticize under his breath.
But when these words reached Wang Mang’s ears, they were filled with mockery.
A single sentence ignited his pride. “You bastard!”
The man growled.
The Spirit Veins throughout his body surged, and several gales surrounded his sword as his speed suddenly increased by several levels.
‘Is this the Wind Spirit Vein?’
He Qiu’s eyes widened and his muscles tensed as his attitude became serious.
However, he still did not summon his Sword Spirit.
*Whoosh!*
A sudden sword strike erupted, accompanied by gale-force Sword Qi, passing right by He Qiu.
*Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!*
Wang Mang followed up with a triple slash, all of which He Qiu skillfully dodged.
He did not even move much, only tilting his body or leaning his head back.
Even as Wang Mang’s speed increased, He Qiu did not panic at all.
It wasn’t that He Qiu was arrogant; it was just that the other man was simply too weak…
“Damn it! Weren’t you supposed to be trash? How do you have this kind of reaction speed?”
Unable to land a hit, Wang Mang began to panic.
An inexplicable sense of humiliation flooded his heart, making his swordplay increasingly erratic.
As a fellow Sword Cultivator, to be played with like this by someone who did not even carry a sword…
It was too embarrassing!
“Die!”
Accumulating all the Spiritual Energy in his body, Wang Mang took a step back.
Then, a hurricane suddenly enveloped him as he dove toward He Qiu at high speed with his sword.
This was his most confident finishing move!
If this strike did not hit He Qiu, then Wang Mang basically had no chance of winning, as the other boy already crushed him in terms of speed alone.
Therefore, Wang Mang had to land this strike!
Diving forward, his sword tip aimed at He Qiu’s chest.
Wang Mang could see it — he clearly saw that He Qiu had not had time to dodge!
“Die!”
Seeing his sword about to pierce He Qiu’s chest, Wang Mang smiled.
He did not believe He Qiu could dodge this time.
Then, in the next second, he froze.
He could not smile anymore because he did not even realize what happened in that split second before He Qiu’s figure suddenly vanished and reappeared beside him.
“Still… too slow…”
There was no need to draw a sword.
Against the charging Wang Mang, He Qiu only needed to sidestep and give him a light push.
Due to the inertia of the wind-assisted acceleration, the latter would fall headfirst into the ground.
The plan was simple.
*Thud!*
Exactly as He Qiu expected, Wang Mang missed his target and slammed headfirst into the stone surface of the arena.
His face was bruised and swollen, and he fell unconscious, knocked out by his own powerful momentum.
For a moment, the entire venue was silent.
Everyone was stunned.
He Qiu, the Level 1 Spirit Realm trash, had beaten Wang Mang, a Level 2 Spirit Realm Peak, with his bare hands?
Wang Mang had not even landed a single hit from start to finish, and He Qiu had ended it with a light push?
Furthermore, He Qiu, a fellow Sword Cultivator, had not even used a sword.
No wonder.
No wonder he had come on stage with nothing but the wind in his sleeves — he was so confident that he did not need a sword to win!
“Hey, what’s going on? Am I seeing things…?”
“I don’t know! I couldn’t even see the kid’s movements!”
“Damn it, is that speed even human?”
“You call this trash? Who started that rumor? That’s way too malicious!”
Everyone was stunned, as if their worldview had been refreshed.
While a Level 2 Spirit Realm Peak like Wang Mang was not considered powerful in the Longyin Sect, no one present dared to say they were confident enough to fight him barehanded and emerge completely unscathed.
They could not do it, which was why they were surprised, shocked, and incredulous.
At the same time, feeling the shocked gazes of the crowd, He Qiu turned around and watched everything quietly.
He blinked his eyes in confusion, feeling that the scene before him was a bit surreal, like a dream.
This match…
It was too easy!
Sister Yun Qing had not lied to him; he really did have the strength of the Level 3 Spirit Realm.
‘Wait, was I always this strong?’
Compared to Wang Mang, He Qiu felt he was indeed very formidable.
But even so, his Senior Sister and Master had always maintained a pessimistic attitude toward him.
Why was that…?
His brows unfurrowed as He Qiu nodded, somewhat understanding.
As expected, the Xueyin Lineage was a place of hidden dragons and crouching tigers!
To them, his current level was probably far from enough.
That must be why his Senior Sister and Master always looked at him with regretful expressions.
Yes, that had to be it.
“The winner of the match, He Qiu of the Inner Gate!”
With the referee’s announcement, He Qiu won the first victory of his life.
In a daze, he caught sight of the silver-haired woman in the audience with a look of astonishment.
He pursed his lips into a smile and waved to his Senior Sister, for he had not let her down after all her care these past few days.
‘Look, Senior Sister, I did it!’
—
PS: Almost at the top of the summer rankings!
Go, everyone!
Also, this book will be officially released on June 19.
On that day, there will be a massive 20,000-word update, and we will move to a three-chapter daily schedule!
Go, go, go!