◎ Inner Sect Competition Begins – Talisman Lesson Kicks Off! ◎
At one of the twelve Outer Sect arenas of the Mountain and Sea Sect, a contest of Outer Sect disciples was underway.
Silence hung in the air.
Twelve judges sat before the platforms—elders from various sects, each assigned to evaluate servant disciples from other sects.
At this moment, however, all their expressions had frozen.
Only the elder from the Mountain and Sea Sect responsible for overseeing the Clearwater Sect’s arena was the first to snap out of it.
He formed a hand seal; spiritual energy surged into the sky.
“Clearwater Sect has completed all servant tasks.”
“Rating: Upper Grade A.”
“Fast. Precise. Ruthless!”
[……]
[…………]
Succinct—and indeed fast and ruthless.
They practically finished all the competitions for the other arenas in one go. The Clearwater Sect must be insane!
All eyes turned toward the Clearwater Sect, even the projection screens shifted focus.
There stood a young woman in a green robe, looking regretful, solemn, and deeply reflective.
With delicate brows and crimson lips, her eyes sparkled like stars in the night sky, black as lacquer.
A breathtaking figure—like a plum blossom blooming in snow.
That’s Lin Shuang?
And she didn’t even appear in the first volume of Single Cultivators?
The Wandering Blossom Sect must be slipping.
A similar thought passed through everyone’s mind.
Then, clarity returned.
“That’s Lin Shuang? Ranked ten thousandth in the Clearwater Sect’s Outer Sect?”
“You’re joking—what’s her cultivation level? None of the other sects even reacted before she finished all the arena tasks…”
She snatched them all.
Now what? How are they supposed to determine rankings?
On the arena stage, Lin Shuang was holding her forehead, sinking into despair.
[Xiao Ai No. 3 Backup (Meng): Hurry up—we’re about to start the Inner Sect competition over here. If you fly your sword over, it’ll still take an hour, right?]
[Xiao Ai No. 2 Backup (Dabao): Don’t rush, Junior Sister. If we lose, we’ll just go home. The Outer Sect arena matters just as much.]
Ugh. One’s a seductive little demon, the other just keeps rushing her.
Clearly, she shouldn’t have let herself get distracted by messages right before the competition.
But once she saw them, she couldn’t help getting anxious.
And when she got anxious—her strikes became too heavy.
“My damned competitive streak…”
Lin Shuang held her forehead.
“It’s alright, Senior Sister,” Zhao Keran offered in admiration and comfort. “It’s not a waste. With this, the top three places are all ours.”
Lin Shuang opened her mouth and turned to look at her Junior Sister.
She suddenly realized that after just a few months at Zhenchuan, the younger girl had practically mastered the art of speaking quickly—at least Level 8 proficiency.
“Look, Senior Sister. The fastest arena was ours—who did it? Our Clearwater Sect.”
“The second fastest was the Sword Sect’s arena right next to us. Who handled it? Our Clearwater Sect.”
“The third fastest was Cloudsun Sect’s arena beside that one. Who completed it? Again, our Clearwater Sect.”
Zhao Keran ticked off each point on her fingers, her round face full of conviction. “All top three—ours.”
“This round is a win for you, Senior Sister.”
Zhou Xuanwu, Chen Sixin, and the others twitched at the corners of their mouths.
Absurd.
But seeing that flicker of conviction in Junior Sister Zhao’s eyes… they had no words to refute it.
Indeed.
The first principle of cultivation is cultivating the Dao heart.
Even if you ascend in cultivation, if you act with a guilty conscience, you’ll crumble into dust.
It was the Clearwater Sect’s doing—would the Sword Sect or Cloudsun Sect dare to claim credit?
Of course not.
Would the judging elders dare deny the Clearwater Sect the top three spots?
Certainly not.
Because, truth be told, they were the top three.
Zhou Xuanwu fell into contemplation. What now?
If Senior Brother Xu Rui were here, what would he say?
This was bad—he was now the oldest disciple on the stage.
He should be the one to speak up and urge the judges toward a decision.
“Mm.” Zhou Xuanwu composed himself. “Junior Sister is right. In that case, the top twelve must all be ours.”
On the stage, the adjudicating elder from Mountain and Sea Sect: “……”
Lin Shuang: “……”
Zhou Xuanwu’s eye twitched after speaking. Had he said something wrong?
Help—
“Oh, this was supposed to be an elimination round—the top six advance to the next stage.”
“Then I guess the other eleven sects… are all eliminated.”
He tried to backpedal.
Now the judges on stage stood even more rigidly.
“So now the elders will need to urgently discuss how to handle the ranking for the Outer Sect servant competition?”
Finally, the Wandering Blossom Sect’s Kong Miaoke—commentating on the battle—snapped back to herself.
All twelve judging elders from the arenas soared into the air and gathered together in a flash.
Some frowned, some still looked stunned, others were visibly angry—all of them turning to scold Elder Li Daowei of the Clearwater Sect!
[Hahahaha!]
[Sorry, I couldn’t hold back—I’m not even from Clearwater Sect.]
[A once-in-a-century spectacle.]
[Hey, Wandering Blossom Sect! You’re commentating—can you tell us what’s going on with this Lin Shuang? It’s been ages! Aren’t you supposed to have the best intel in all of Donghua Territory?]
The host, little Miao, was drenched in sweat.
She held several jade slips that had flown to her in rapid succession.
“While the elders deliberate, let’s take a moment to review the background of this Clearwater Sect disciple, Lin Shuang.”
[Finally! Quick—what’s her cultivation level?]
[Looks like at least Core Formation, right?]
In the projected image, Kong Miaoke read the information on the jade slips she had just received.
Upon reading, she nearly choked.
“According to the spirit testing records from three months ago, Lin Shuang was at the third layer of Qi Condensation… peak stage. How is that possible?!”
[What?!]
[Huh!?]
[Impossible!]
Kong Miaoke quickly flipped through four more jade slips and finally exhaled.
Wiping her sweat, she said:
“Oh, she broke through. The entry record shows she’s no longer at the third layer.”
[I knew it.]
“She’s now at the peak of the fifth layer of Qi Condensation.”
[???]
[Is the Wandering Blossom Sect conducting assessments with their feet?]
“…Mm, let’s take a look at Lin Shuang’s ultimate skill.”
Kong Miaoke from the Wandering Blossom Sect was still sweating as she flipped through the jade slips. Beside her, Zhao Ming from the Mountain and Sea Sect showed a slight change in expression.
“Lin Shuang has been in the Outer Sect for ten years. Her average score in talisman class: Lower Grade B.
Mind cultivation: B.
Sword technique class: mid-B.
Hand seals: B…”
[……]
[Her ultimate skill is… being mediocre.]
[Pfft—Wandering Blossom Sect, do you even believe this nonsense yourself? I sure don’t. Total scam!]
[All this info about Lin Shuang is clearly wrong… Wandering Blossom Sect, how dare you charge for commentary with such garbage intel?]
[Fifty spirit stones for projection access and I didn’t even finish half my cup of spirit tea before the match was over!]
[Match begins—Wandering Blossom Sect in the lead—aaaand that’s it. Clearwater Sect wins.]
[…If there are no refunds, I’m sending a complaint to the Elders’ Council of Donghua Territory!]
Zhao Ming let out a bitter laugh.
The jade slip info really wasn’t accurate.
Never mind everything else—just the Fiery Eyes, Golden Vision Technique alone, Lin Shuang had reached the 916th layer.
Hmm… She’d been gone for three months. At a rate of one layer per day, she was probably past 1,000 by now.
“Don’t worry, everyone. We’ve already sent a quick-footed Junior Sister to go interview Lin Shuang of Clearwater Sect,”
Kong Miaoke tried her best to salvage the viewership numbers for the Wandering Blossom Sect’s broadcast and pacify the audience.
Zhao Ming also glanced over toward the unremarkable Clearwater Sect arena in the corner.
By now, several figures had already moved in to surround it from different directions.
But Lin Shuang was pressing her fingers to her brow, eyes fixed on the latest messages from Xiao Ai No. 2 and No. 3.
[Xiao Ai No. 2 (Meng): Where are you? We advanced to the next round. Zhenchuan difficulty has been raised by 500 levels. Same rewards as always. Where are you? Outer Sect match took this long?]
[Xiao Ai No. 3 (Dabao): Take your time, Junior Sister. I couldn’t bear to see you get hurt from rushing. I’ll handle the Inner Sect win.]
“…”
Lin Shuang turned toward the twelve judges still deep in debate.
Waiting like this… there was no telling how long it would take.
She reached into her sleeve and pulled out the teleportation talisman Huangfu Yuan had given her before departure, keyed to his coordinates.
Lin Shuang activated it in a flash.
Her figure began to shimmer, turning transparent like flowing water.
“Junior Sister, Senior Brother Zhou…”
“I’ll leave the rest of the Outer Sect results to you. I’ll go on ahead. If anything comes up, just send a message.”
In the blink of an eye, she vanished from the stage.
The Junior Sisters from the Wandering Blossom Sect rushed up, hoping to interview her for more broadcast content.
Disciples from all sects, along with several male cultivators charmed by Lin Shuang’s appearance and abilities, also swarmed over.
“Step aside, let me speak to Senior Sister Lin first.”
“Senior Sister Lin, may I ask your current cultivation level? Do you know about the Hundred-Year Divine Potential Ranking from Wandering Blossom Sect? If you qualify, we’ll include you.”
“You look unfamiliar. I’ve never seen you at Clearwater before. Can I have your contact sense imprint?”
“Shall we dine together sometime?”
“Would you like to spar sometime?”
Those pushing through held message stones, sound recording stones, and writing instruments…
Only to find, on stage, Zhao Keran twirling both hands in different sword techniques while practicing her Dragonfly Steps.
Zhou Xuanwu was already seated in meditation, eyes closed.
Chen Sixin looked completely lost.
They were the top third to fifth-ranked elites of the Clearwater Outer Sect.
But there was no sign of Lin Shuang anywhere!
Zhao Keran smiled politely while moving through her sword forms.
“My Senior Sister was short on time. She’s already gone to the Inner Sect arena.”
“…?”
[??]
[!]
——Dearest Cousin, writing to you as if in person.
——The Senior Sister I live with… I’ve always felt she’d become the strongest female cultivator. No—rather, the fastest of the strongest.
——But somehow… she remains stuck at Qi Condensation…
Zhao Ming looked at the odd silhouette of his cousin, Zhao Keran, on stage and slowly closed his eyes.
So she was Lin Shuang all along.
So his cousin had told him about Clearwater’s top genius long ago.
But back then… he hadn’t paid attention.
Sigh.
——————
West Gate of the Mountain and Sea Sect
Elite disciples at Core Condensation stage and elders from all twelve sects were gathering.
The Inner Sect tournament was far larger in scale and far more important than the Outer Sect one.
Twelve stone seats floated high above the front of the mountain, arranged in a semi-circle.
Wandering Blossom Sect, Ten Thousand Monks Temple, Pill & Tool Sect, Engraving Gate, Mountain and Sea Sect, Clearwater Sect… elders took their seats in order based on previous rankings.
The two acting heads of the Mountain and Sea and Clearwater Sects only barely earned a seat in the middle.
—Mountain and Sea ranked fifth last year, Clearwater ranked sixth.
Before each elder’s seat floated a majestic mountain, each supporting their sect’s disciples in the audience.
Viewing angle and ranking order were all determined by standings from a decade ago.
[Once-renowned sects like Mountain and Sea and Clearwater are truly in decline.]
[Fifth and sixth. Only six move forward in the first round—Clearwater’s sixth place is dangerously unstable. Will they be eliminated today?]
[Ten years ago, they nearly lost to the newly risen Cloudsun Sect. They’re weak against them again this year…]
[No help for it. Over the past century, Clearwater has lost multiple secluded elders. How can they compare to rising sects?]
[They only have one secluded ancestor left, right? Wandering Blossom Sect still has three.]
[Everyone wants to train under powerful cultivators—Clearwater just can’t attract prodigies anymore.]
[Did you see Elder Shui Qiantan in the seats? He’s reached the Tribulation stage, but can’t ascend. What’s the point?]
[Maybe Clearwater and Mountain and Sea’s cultivation methods are flawed?]
[Legend says their sect techniques were originally complementary—once a single school…]
Commentary text scrolled rapidly across the battle-view projection.
Viewer numbers for the Inner Sect match clearly dwarfed those of the Outer Sect competition.
The Wandering Blossom Sect-sponsored projection now focused on the elders of the twelve sects.
Elder Shui Qiantan of the Clearwater Sect wore flowing white robes like a stream of water, with a massive gourd-shaped wine flask at his waist.
His face was almost entirely obscured, as if hidden behind mist.
Beside him sat Elder Yue Zhi of the Mountain and Sea Sect. With his broad shoulders, he gave the impression of a towering mountain simply by sitting still.
They occupied the fifth and sixth seats.
Most of the twelve elders were at the Tribulation stage.
But at that moment, Shui Qiantan looked visibly displeased.
“Heh, Clearwater again. Looks like you’re paired with our Cloudsun Sect for the first round.”
The elder from Cloudsun Sect wore golden robes and stroked his beard with a smile.
“Shui Qiantan, our techniques counter yours. Nothing personal.”
Cloudsun’s fire-based arts were naturally strong against Clearwater’s water techniques.
A poor start.
Even if they managed to win this round, their disciples would be exhausted—unfit for the second round.
Ten years ago, that was how they ended up in sixth place.
Shui Qiantan’s expression darkened, the water aura around him flowing more intensely.
But then his message stone vibrated inside his sleeve.
[Outer Sect Transmission Elder Li Daowei: Elder Shui, we’ve taken first place in the Outer Sect competition.]
Shui Qiantan straightened up at once, beaming.
It had been many years since he’d heard such good news.
Great!
[Outer Sect Transmission Elder Li Daowei: The remaining eleven ranks are also ours.]
“??”
Elder Shui Qiantan looked utterly stunned.
Then, right before everyone’s eyes, he dissolved into a puddle of water on his stone chair, the surface trembling incessantly.
“Eh? Did Elder Shui just go mad on the spot?”
“This is what you call shutting down. First round, and they’re up against Cloudsun Sect again.”
“Hehe, who’s the next elder to snap…”
But while the crowd buzzed, the other eleven elders were all frozen in place, wearing identical expressions of blank disbelief.
[What’s going on?]
[I’m here—Outer Sect servant matches already over? Let me check out the Inner Sect.]
[Wait, the Outer Sect finished that fast?]
From the sixth position reserved for disciples of the twelve sects, someone suddenly let out a strangled squawk.
“What do you mean you took all twelve Outer Sect rankings?”
[!]
At the Clearwater Sect’s seating area, standing front and center, was Meng Zi. He stared in shock at Lin Shuang, who had just teleported in beside Huangfu Yuan.
Counting on his fingers, he said, “So then… all twelve rewards are yours?”
“You’re so devious… Lin Shuang.”
Lin Shuang closed her eyes.
Huangfu Yuan’s temple twitched.
Too loud.
Inner Sect competitors began glaring at the newly arrived Lin Shuang.
Her green waist sash clearly wasn’t standard Inner Sect uniform.
[That can’t be right.]
[Just watched the Outer Sect battle stream—it’s true. But wait, why is the little sister who wiped out eleven sects now standing among the Inner Sect contestants?!]
[?]
[Didn’t Wandering Blossom Sect say she was only at the fifth layer of Qi Condensation…? I call BS.]
[How is this allowed? Competing in both Outer and Inner Sects? Am I seeing things?]
The Cloudsun Sect elder suddenly stood with solemn intensity.
“Hold on! Before the competition begins, verify the Inner Sect status of all disciples!”
Xiao Qi, who had just teleported over, shrank his neck.
Lin Shuang gave Meng Zi an innocent shrug.
But very quickly, monitoring lights began descending on all participating disciples from each sect.
Their waist tokens flared one by one.
Then, a strange and remarkable set of disciple profiles lit up before the crowd.
[Xiao Qi: Foundation Establishment Stage 2, top Outer Sect disciple of Mountain and Sea Sect;
Zhenchuan Trial Record: Layer 3210, Lord of the 3000 Layers.
Qualified for mid-tier Foundation Establishment Inner Sect battles.]
Xiao Qi—renowned genius of the Mountain and Sea Sect’s Outer Sect!
He’d been first place on the Single Cultivator Male Rankings for years.
Everyone had heard of him. Though surprised, they accepted it readily.
But then an even more shocking disciple profile floated into view.
[Lin Shuang: Qi Condensation Stage 5, ranked 10,123 in the Clearwater Outer Sect;
Zhenchuan Trial Record: Layer 3362, Lord of the 3000 Layers.]
“?”
A Qi Condensation disciple—top rank among all Foundation Establishment competitors in Clearwater?
[Does the Clearwater Sect really not own a proper spirit-testing stone?]
As the audience questioned it, the spirit-testing stones began descending in front of all disciples.
Before a crowd of Inner Sect competitors and observers, Lin Shuang’s designated Dantian No. 68 began operating at full force.
A soft, faint spiritual glow appeared on the testing stone—fifth-layer peak of Qi Condensation.
Qi Condensation, beyond a doubt.
“!”
On the twelve sect grandstands, disciples from other sects erupted in stunned discussion.
Only the Clearwater Sect disciples remained silent.
Their faces bore a complicated, exasperated pride.
Finally, others would know what it felt like to be crushed by a Qi Condensation disciple!
Finally, others would experience the same helpless shock, the same despair!
Wonderful.
Clearwater’s Foundation Establishment disciples—Mei Xin, Chen Xingchuan, Dao Dong—standing behind Lin Shuang as backups, all wore subtly pleased expressions.
“You all insisted on us sending our top performer from the 3000 Layers.”
Elder Shui Qiantan slowly emerged from the rippling puddle, revealing his upper body. He spread his hands toward the other elders.
Completely at ease.
And unable to stop smiling.
“…”
So he dissolved into water because he was laughing.
That’s why the surface had trembled so much.
The elders’ temples pulsed.
Elder Yue Zhi of Mountain and Sea Sect frowned as he looked toward Xiao Qi in their lineup.
They were both geniuses—so why was Clearwater getting all the spotlight?
“Don’t get ahead of yourselves. Even if she fights like someone at Foundation Establishment—so what?”
“Win your first round before you celebrate.”
“Hmph.”
Elder Shui Qiantan’s expression froze.
The disciples’ qualifications were deemed valid.
At that moment, twelve bell and drum chimes rang through the air.
“First battle, begin!”
“All sects, proceed to Yuanchuan Nine Thousand in draw order!”
“Engage in one-on-one combat!”
“The losing sect shall be eliminated immediately!”
In an instant, all disciples and the mountain-based viewing platforms were transported into the Mountain and Sea Sect’s Inner Sect trial realm via elder hand seals.
—Yuanchuan Nine Thousand Trial Realm!
“Hmm?”
Lin Shuang and Meng Zi both caught a familiar sensation.
“Clearwater and Mountain and Sea were once part of the same ancient sect.”
Huangfu Yuan held his silver handwarmer and avoided looking toward the two elders in the center seats.
“Wandering Blossom Sect and the rest are all later upstarts.”
Just as he spoke, multiple elder voices rang in their ears.
“This battle is recognized as occurring within our sect’s Zhenchuan Nine Thousand / Wanhua Nine Thousand / Fodang Nine Thousand Trials…”
“Victory updates sect records, unlocking 500 more layers.
Defeat sets you back 300 layers.”
“Give it your all!”
Lin Shuang instinctively summoned Xiao Ai.
New data was pouring in.
Every sect had their own “Nine Thousand Layer” trials?
She hadn’t known that as an Outer Sect member.
She looked to Huangfu Yuan, the ancient demon well-versed in lore. “So only Zhenchuan and Yuanchuan were the originals? The rest copied them?”
Meng Zi perked up his ears.
Huangfu Yuan’s expression was subtle. “That’s one way to see it.”
“Mountain and Sea and Clearwater were once a single sect. The sect master and elders created the Nine Thousand Layer trial—one for mountain, one for water.”
“Most of them ascended. A few remained in seclusion and later helped other sects like Wandering Blossom Sect build their own trial realms.”
Lin Shuang understood—but her expression twisted oddly.
“So…”
“So it all fits some arithmetic progression, doesn’t it?”
Meng Zi hissed through his teeth.
Mei Xin and the others were confused.
The ground rumbled. The Yuanchuan Nine Thousand Trial of Mountain and Sea Sect appeared before them.
Amidst vast mountain terrain, thousands of winding rivers crisscrossed endlessly.
Mountain and Sea Sect – Yuanchuan Nine Thousand.
Clearwater Sect – Zhenchuan Nine Thousand.
[Layer 3572: Temporarily requisitioned for the grand competition.]
[One-on-one battles. Best of three. Winners advance.]
Layer 3572.
Lin Shuang hadn’t said anything, but Meng Zi quickly calculated and nodded.
Remainder 8 when divided by 9. That matched the progression formula Zhenchuan used this year—one-on-one duels.
He looked toward Lin Shuang and Huangfu Yuan with a complicated expression.
This wasn’t “temporary” at all.
Layer 3572 had always been one-on-one—it matched the cultivation system’s nine-fold sequence.
Exactly as expected.
“I wonder if only Mountain and Sea and our sect—”
Lin Shuang shook her head. “I’m afraid it’s the same for all of them.”
“All twelve sect elders transmitted just now. Clearing this layer is equivalent to passing the same layer in your own sect’s trial.”
Meng Zi held his forehead.
Huangfu Yuan chuckled. “A trip well worth it.”
In the blink of an eye, boats appeared beneath their feet.
They were instantly teleported to their designated trial zones.
Three arenas surrounded by broad rivers appeared before Lin Shuang.
Mei Xin and the others, as substitutes, stood behind them.
Soon, six disciples from Cloudsun Sect arrived—each clad in flame-patterned robes.
Wherever they walked, steam rose from the water around them.
“You still have time to surrender.”
The lead Cloudsun disciple had reached the sixth layer of Foundation Establishment. A flame-scar marked his nose bridge.
He looked at Lin Shuang, his arrogance barely concealed.
“Whether your cultivation is real or fake—it won’t matter.”
“Under Cloudsun’s fire arts, your Water Spirit Sword will be useless.”
Seeing Huangfu Yuan holding his silver handwarmer, he sneered even louder.
“Cold body, huh? Let us cure you!”
Huangfu Yuan nodded graciously. “Much appreciated.”
The Cloudsun disciple squinted, ready to say more—but Lin Shuang held up a hand to cut him off.
“Hasn’t it started yet?”
“Why is this side moving so slowly…”
“My next Pomodoro session is about to begin.”
Cloudsun Sect: “?”
Huangfu Yuan looked down, intrigued. “Junior Sister, this Pomodoro is for—?”
“Talisman homework.”
“Hahaha! So you’re a talisman master! No wonder you could reach the 3000 layers of Zhenchuan while still at Qi Condensation!” The Cloudsun senior laughed.
[Ah, now it makes sense. She has someone backing her, throwing out Tier-5 talismans. Mid-tier Foundation Establishment wouldn’t stand a chance.]
[So Clearwater allows that kind of tactic? No wonder they’re in decline.]
You fools know nothing!
Clearwater disciples watching the projection were clearly irritated—but said nothing.
[Too bad. Cloudsun’s fire arts perfectly counter Clearwater’s Water Spirit-based talismans.]
Just as this comment floated across the screen—
A crane cry echoed. The match began.
Lin Shuang, the so-called talisman master, didn’t even pull out a brush or ink.
She was yanked onto the stage, facing Cloudsun’s arrogant lead disciple.
[Wait, she’s ranked highest of the three?!]
[! Her record in Yuanchuan Nine Thousand matches Cloudsun’s top disciple?]
Cloudsun’s top disciple looked stunned.
Then he grinned, forming a seal—instantly igniting the entire platform.
“Lin Shuang, don’t cry later.”
“Ordinary talismans are nothing compared to my fire charms—they’ll burn to ashes…”
He pulled out a thick stack of fire talismans.
Before he could finish speaking, the entire arena erupted with his flames.
[Cloudsun uses fire arts, and their fire talismans boost cultivation and sword skills—]
But that thought hadn’t even finished appearing when—
A colossal dragon-vortex of water suddenly surged up on the stage!
In less than three seconds, it sucked in all the roaring flames around Cloudsun’s disciple—and all the fire talismans he’d thrown out.
[!]
Cloudsun Senior: “?”
Not just on her platform—on the other two beside hers, the moment Cloudsun’s other disciples pulled out their talismans, the unknown vortex had swept them away—
All the fire talismans flew straight to Lin Shuang.
One by one. Piling on her still-raised broadsword tip.
“Cut the nonsense—talisman class has begun. Take this!”
Lin Shuang gave her opponent a polite heads-up.
But her sword had already struck before she finished the sentence.
[?]
[Your talisman class… uses sword strikes?!]
[“Take this”—uh, too late, already did.]
[……]
On the projection, all three Cloudsun disciples’ thick stacks of fire talismans were gone.
The roaring flames had vanished in a single breath.
Six disciples—on stage and off—stood frozen, staring in disbelief at Lin Shuang’s sword now bearing 120 neatly stacked fire talismans.
She made a soft hum, her expression visibly delighted.
“Thank you all—my talisman class is now ahead of schedule.”
The Dragon Suction Sword she learned from the Li Village was indeed effective.
Fight monsters and loot drops in one move.
One sweep—and the treasure comes to you!
“All twelve homework sets for Master Li’s talisman course are now complete.”
“……”
[……]
[……]
[!]
Amidst the stunned silence, a roar suddenly echoed from the neighboring stage.
“Lin Shuang, what the hell!”
Then came a resigned sigh.
“Junior Sister, ghostwriting assignments is not acceptable… We’re still in the middle of a match here.”
[……]
Author’s Note:
Zhao Sect Master’s Journal, Entry 49: “The ten-year tournament—I was excited, hoping to learn from other sects’ techniques, to exchange strengths and weaknesses. But it ended too fast. Senior Sister was… way too fast. I didn’t even see anything clearly.”
—Cloudsun Sect: …
—Meng Zi: …
—Zhou Xuanwu: …
See you tomorrow～
Juju’s Note:
Hi everyone! Just a quick heads-up: I accidentally skipped Chapter 49 when scheduling the posts, so Chapters 50 and 51 had to be temporarily removed to keep the Table of Contents in proper order (since it sorts based on publication date). They’ll be back soon—right after I post Chapter 49 correctly!
Thanks for your patience and understanding!