130. Baili Qingyan’s First Battle, Zhang Nini Receives a Harsh Lesson

Once Ding Desheng had departed, a fierce glint appeared in Dongmen Yong’s eyes. He shot a venomous glare in the direction Ding had left, a subtle, almost imperceptible smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

"You are nearing your end," Dongmen Yong murmured to himself. "Let yourself revel in your triumph for a while longer; after all, your time is running out..."

Elsewhere, Xie Wuji was tirelessly absorbing the gathered energy, refining it into his own. This process of assimilation was incredibly complex and tested his patience to the limit.

After a full night of cultivation, Xie Wuji realized his strength had plateaued at the bottleneck between the Golden Core and Nascent Soul stages. He could not break through; it seemed he required a specific catalyst.

Forced to cease his practice, he felt the tangible increase in his strength and overall capabilities. At the very least, he knew that if he were to face a Nascent Soul master now, he would no longer be so helpless.

"Wuji, look who’s here." A familiar knock echoed at his door. He opened it to find that morning had already arrived.

Li Dazui stood there, wearing a simple green robe and sporting a goofy, honest grin. "Morning, Boss Xie!"

"Dazui? How did you..." Xie Wuji exclaimed in surprise.

Ji Liancheng laughed, "What do you think? Because you performed such a great service, Master quietly permitted us to bail Li Dazui out. Since he had also rendered a service that commuted his death sentence, we paid a small sum, and he was released without issue."

Xie Wuji hurriedly said, "Second Senior Brother, thank you so much!"

Li Dazui’s strength as a Nascent Soul practitioner was unquestionable. More importantly, he was a loyal man. He had only been imprisoned for his gluttony, so he was no villain—merely a man with a hearty appetite.

Dongmen Yong was naturally delighted to learn that Xie Wuji had recruited Li Dazui. As a powerful Nascent Soul warrior with immense strength, Li would significantly bolster the sect’s combat capabilities.

The three-day deadline passed quickly, and the tournament roster was finalized. Eighty-seven disciples would enter the inner sect rankings. The Beast King Mountain faction had the highest number, with all twenty of their disciples advancing, while Xie Wuji’s Danxia Sect had only ten.

The disciples were eager and restless, itching to show their mettle on the arena floor.

With eighty-seven participants, one disciple would inevitably receive a bye to the second round. The Great Eunuch of the Li Kingdom had his attendants bring a massive lottery box to the center of the arena.

The arena itself was laid out in a grid of nine squares, allowing nine matches to occur simultaneously. The surrounding stands were packed to capacity.

Xie Wuji stood among the ranks of the Danxia Sect, looking around in awe at the vastness of the plaza. He had traveled to many places; having worked in Beijing in his former life, he had visited the Bird’s Nest and the National Stadium. Those massive structures had always impressed him, but the Li Kingdom had transformed this entire plaza into a sports arena. With row upon row of spectators filling the stands, the scale seemed to dwarf even two Bird’s Nest stadiums combined. Looking out, the crowd appeared as dense as blades of grass, stretching far into the horizon.

"Begin the draw," the Great Eunuch commanded. The lines began to move.

Xie Wuji stood at the back of the Danxia Sect queue. The box was filled with white stone spheres, each engraved with a number.

Xie Wuji checked his number and discovered, to his astonishment, that he was the one who had drawn the bye—number eighty-seven!

The surrounding crowd erupted in amazement.

"My god, how is he so lucky? He got a bye in the very first round!"

"Don't you know? That’s Xie Wuji, the one who caused such a stir earlier. It seems his luck truly is invincible. He just happened to disable the anti-flight formation and save so many people, and now this luck strikes again—he’s snagged the only bye. This man is destined to soar to the heavens..."

"Indeed... it’s simply enviable."

The crowd marveled at his fortune. Dongmen Jianhao patted Xie Wuji on the shoulder and said, "Well, you might as well head to the stands and enjoy the show. There’s no part for you in the first round."

"Haha, works for me!" Xie Wuji replied. The goal of the tournament was to win, and he had advanced without even needing to fight.

"Now, will the lucky number eighty-seven please leave the arena? There are eighty-six participants remaining, divided into forty-three groups. Numbers one through eighteen, please take your positions. We will begin nine matches simultaneously!" the Great Eunuch bellowed.

Dongmen Jianhao checked his number. "Well, I’m number two. Looks like I’m fighting number one."

"I am number five," Baili Qingyan said.

Baili Qingyan and Dongmen Jianhao locked eyes, a silent, intense rivalry sparking between them.

As the other disciples moved to their positions, Xie Wuji returned to Dongmen Yong’s side. Dongmen Yong laughed, "You always bring such unexpected surprises."

"Isn’t that better? Boss Xie can conserve his strength. There won’t be any byes in the next round," Dongmen Xianyun added, leaning in. "Boss Xie, you’re amazing!"

"Haha, of course! My luck is cosmically, supernaturally invincible. Who else is there?" Xie Wuji boasted.

Matches began in the distance. Dongmen Jianhao faced a disciple from Beast King Mountain who didn't look weak; he was accompanied by a "winged tiger"—a massive predator with bat-like wings that appeared exceptionally fierce.

On the other side, Baili Qingyan faced a young woman. She was lithe and pure-featured, wielding a pair of short blades.

As the starting whistle blew, nine pairs began their bouts. Dongmen Jianhao took the initiative; he didn't even open the sword case on his back, choosing instead to fight the Beast King Mountain disciple with his bare fists.

The disciple shouted in anger, "Are you looking down on me? Draw your weapon!"

"I don't need a weapon to deal with you," Dongmen Jianhao said with supreme arrogance.

The disciple roared, commanding his winged tiger to lunge at Dongmen Jianhao like a starving beast. Dongmen Jianhao did not rush to attack, instead dodging gracefully while watching his opponent with a playful smirk.

Baili Qingyan’s match was much more relaxed. The girl with the short blades said, "I am Zhang Nini of the Red Dust Valley. Please, advise me!"

"Baili Qingyan!" he shouted, and vines surged from his sleeves, instantly binding Zhang Nini in mid-air.

Almost every male disciple in the audience stood up, eyes glued to Zhang Nini.

Shamed and furious, Zhang Nini dropped her blades. "You—you shameless man! Let me go!"

"Let you go? This is my combat technique. If you concede, I’ll release you!" Baili Qingyan replied.

"Never!" Zhang Nini declared resolutely.

Unexpectedly, the vines began to tease her, causing Zhang Nini to blush deeply, her body writhing and her breathing becoming ragged.

Xie Wuji gave a thumbs-up, his eyes sparkling. "Nice!"

"Boss Xie, why are you having a nosebleed?" Dongmen Xianyun asked, confused.

Xie Wuji chuckled. "You’re still young, so you wouldn't understand. But for all the male disciples, this scene is a heavenly gift!"

Xie Wuji looked further away. Even the Beast King Mountain disciples, who were watching their own comrade being crushed by Dongmen Jianhao, had turned their attention to Baili Qingyan, cheering him on.

"Baili Qingyan of the Danxia Sect, well done! Hehehe! This is spectacular! Hehehe!"

"Look, isn't that Zhang Nini? They say she’s one of the ten beauties of Red Dust Valley, usually as cold as ice. To see her in such a state—this was worth the trip!"

The male disciples cheered wildly, leaving Baili Qingyan somewhat puzzled.

Zhang Nini let out a series of cries—soft, sweet, and enough to melt one's bones. Finally unable to withstand the situation any longer, she stammered, "I... I concede... Wu-yi... oh... ah... stop it! You bastard!"