The thousands of spectators below the stage were completely dumbfounded.
Eight top experts at the Qi Condensation stage, plus four Tier Two demon beasts.
They didn't even last fifteen minutes before getting thoroughly beaten into the ground?!
Is this Junior Sister Bai even human?! Why are we all at the Qi Condensation stage, but your combat power is on a completely different level from ours?!
Are you literally punching Tier Two demon beasts and kicking top-eight contestants?!
Jiang Ye looked around the arena stage.
The few contestants still writhing on the ground immediately froze when they saw the “female demon’s” fiercely savage gaze sweep over them.
They hurriedly cooperated by staying flat on the ground and groaning loudly.
Meanwhile, not a single demon beast could be seen anywhere on the stage.
It wasn't because Jiang Ye had slaughtered them.
Instead, as soon as the fight started, the disciples of Beast-Taming Peak saw their precious demon beasts getting hurt.
Scared out of their minds, they recalled all their demon beasts back into their beast-taming rings at lightspeed.
They feared that if they were a second late, this living King of Hell would slaughter them on the spot and carry them back to Sword Peak's kitchen for a late-night meal.
Jiang Ye looked at the NPCs playing dead all over the floor, then glanced at the deacon who was still standing there dazed.
He sighed, saying speechlessly,
“What's the verdict? Does them lying on the ground playing dead mean they haven't surrendered yet?”
“Fine then. I'll reluctantly give each of them another beating.”
Saying that, Jiang Ye rolled up his sleeves again.
Whoosh!
The eight “critically wounded and dying” prodigies on the ground popped straight up off the floor with kipping maneuvers in unison.
“We surrender! We surrender!!”
“Senior Sister Bai is invincible! Stop hitting! Stop hitting!”
The deacon's eyes twitched wildly. Only then did he snap back to his senses, hurriedly announcing at the top of his lungs:
“The winner of this round!”
“Sword Peak, Bai Zhirou! Winner of first place in this outer sect tournament!!”
Rumble!!
The disciples of Sword Peak grew flushed with excitement, their eyes red as they roared and cheered wildly.
Even many disciples from the other two peaks joined in, cheering loudly alongside them.
In the world of cultivation, strength always reigned supreme.
Bai Zhirou, using absolute violence to crush everything and effortlessly take top honors, naturally earned the fanatic admiration of countless disciples.
Jiang Ye stood right in the center of the heavily damaged arena stage.
He slowly spread his arms, taking in the wild cheers of the thousands in the audience.
He admitted it—he was just a simple man.
He didn't have many hobbies, except loving this exact feeling.
As the old saying went:
Achieving success and not flexing is like wearing fine silk at night—what's the point if nobody sees it!
...
On Sword Peak's Dharma Boat.
The atmosphere at this moment was slightly suffocating.
Qi Linger pulled out a formation plate and casually activated a sound-isolating barrier.
She swallowed hard and spoke with difficulty, “Have you guys noticed... Junior Sister Bai's state is a bit strange?”
Gu Changqing hurriedly nodded in agreement. “Right! Ever since she encountered that peak Foundation Establishment demon beast, she's been like... a completely different person.”
Gu Qingxue knitted her delicate brows slightly.
She pondered for a good while before slowly speaking, “Indeed. Whether it's her fighting style or her speech habits, everything has become far more...”
“Heroic!”
“Arrogant!”
“Decisive!”
The three of them blurted out simultaneously, each saying a different word.
Clearly, there was zero tacit understanding among the three of them, and their views on Bai Zhirou were on completely different wavelengths.
The atmosphere instantly froze into awkwardness.
The three looked at one another in silence.
Gu Changqing scratched his head, turned around, and asked, “Eldest Senior Brother, what do you think?”
Everyone turned around in unison.
Only to see Ye Jinghong standing alone in a corner of the Dharma Boat.
He tossed his long sword high into the air over and over again, spun around quickly, opened his hands wide, and caught the falling blade with a reverse grip as it descended.
Relying on his Golden Core stage reaction speed, he managed to catch the sword every time.
However, no matter how one looked at it, the display carried a clumsy, comical feel, lacking any of the calm elegance and flair Bai Zhirou had shown on the arena stage.
Everyone: “...”
Watching this pathetic attempt at imitation, everyone cringed so hard their toes curled inside their boots.
Gu Changqing's mouth twitched wildly. “Eldest Senior Brother... what on earth are you doing?”
Ye Jinghong stopped what he was doing and answered with utmost solemnity:
“I am practicing the 【Aristocratic Technique, Form Two】.”
Gu Changqing couldn't hold it in anymore. “...What practical use could this lousy sword move possibly have in real combat? Isn't it just a simple backstab?!”
Ye Jinghong cast him a disdainful glance.
Hands behind his back once more, he gazed up at the sky at a forty-five-degree angle.
“Nay, nay.”
“In ancient times, a Sword Saint practiced drawing his sword relentlessly for ten years, ultimately splitting the heavens with a single strike upon mastery. Today, I, Ye Jinghong, relentlessly practice catching a sword with a reverse grip. My future achievements will surely be immeasurable!”
“Did you see how stylish and effortless Junior Sister Bai looked executing it on stage? That unbridled swagger and heroism make her a role model for our generation!”
Everyone: “...”
He was hopeless.
Refusing to give up, Gu Changqing asked again, “Did you really not notice that Junior Sister Bai was in an odd state today?”
Ye Jinghong pondered for a moment before nodding earnestly.
“Indeed, there is something different.”
“What's different?”
“She lacked a bit of heroism.”
The group collectively rolled their eyes, choosing to completely ignore Ye Jinghong's grand delusions and continue discussing serious matters.
Qi Linger's expression turned grave. “Though, looking at Junior Sister Bai, her soul seems completely intact and harmonious. It doesn't look like she's been possessed by some old monster.”
Gu Qingxue nodded in agreement. “Yes. If she were truly possessed, Master would definitely have noticed something amiss and wouldn't let her run wild like this.”
Gu Changqing added, “Besides, in the cultivation world, no one has ever heard of possession taking place while still preserving the original host's soul intact.”
The group fell silent once again.
Then, all together, they turned their heads to look at the smug, arrogant “Bai Zhirou” on the arena stage.
Gu Qingxue sighed softly. “Forget it. Once the tournament ends, let's just go ask Junior Sister Bai directly tonight.”
...
The battle for the top ten was still ongoing.
The top eight contestants actually hadn't suffered any serious injuries earlier. After receiving a heavy slap to the face from Jiang Ye on stage, their minds instantly cleared, and they all strategically chose to lie down and play dead.
Even Du Ziteng, who had been lifted by the collar and relentlessly slapped by Jiang Ye, looked bruised and swollen, but in reality, his injuries were purely superficial.
On the contestants' resting boat, Jiang Ye relaxed on a wooden rocking chair with his legs crossed, happily sipping a cup of spirit fruit juice with a straw, utterly content.
He looked just like those wicked upperclassmen who went back to watch freshmen undergoing military training while eating chilled watermelon right beside them.
However, he wasn't watching the matches below the stage. Instead, he was looking at the latest popup window on his game panel:
【Adventure Quest: Azure Mystic Sect Outer Sect Tournament】
【Current Progress: 100%】
【Settling Rewards...】
【Congratulations on obtaining: Earth-grade Low-Rank Technique: 《Great Wasteland Sky-Imprisoning Kick》; Tier Two Nine-Patterned Qi-Replenishing Pill 10; Tier Two Nine-Patterned Body Tempering Pill 10】
Jiang Ye nodded with satisfaction. It seemed he would have a better way to “coax her to sleep” in the future.
With a flip of his hand, a pill bearing nine pill-patterns appeared in his palm.
As expected of game rewards—everything produced was of top quality.
Pill ranks ranged from Tier One to Tier Nine, corresponding to the nine major realms, while pill quality was categorized by one to nine pill-patterns.
Nine was the pinnacle. Pills of this quality were completely free of pill toxins and several times more potent than ordinary pills.
Pills below three patterns were considered trash pills. Such pills contained excessive pill toxins that required cultivators to spend vast amounts of time refining out. Otherwise, accumulated pill toxins could impair one's cultivation at best, or destroy their meridians at worst.
Therefore, any cultivator with even a slightly wealthy pocket would choose pills with more than three patterns.
The reason Bai Zhirou's physical body was able to reach the “Copper Skin Realm” so quickly, besides her talent, was thanks to those few Tier Two Nine-Patterned Body Tempering Pills.
“Too bad I can't craft pills right now. In the future, I'll probably get ripped off by Alchemists...”
Jiang Ye muttered. Immediately after, another notification popped up on the panel:
【Perfect Clear, Triggered Extra Reward: Earth-grade Peak Technique 《Mystic Gang Sword Body Manual》】
【Effect: Tempers the physical body, condenses sword gang, combining attack and defense into one】
“A pity it isn't a talent trait, but dropping a body tempering technique is decent enough.”
Meanwhile, at the main arena stage, the audience's enthusiasm took a cliff-like plunge.
It was as if they had just experienced a thrilling hand-to-hand brawl, shuddered, and then collectively plunged into a completely disinterested post-climax sage mode.
Rate on N.U.
