The Inner Sect Competition officially concludes today.
Returning to the courtyard, Jiang Huai went to his small room and browsed his System Mall. He eventually picked out a pair of black strap high heels for Luo Qingyu. The pure black surface of the shoes seemed to shimmer slightly. The convenience of the System Mall was that he just needed to input the size, and the finished product would be a perfect fit.
He carried the shoes to the courtyard entrance, where Luo Qingyu was playing chess with Chu Xianning.
After the Inner Sect Competition ends tomorrow, Jiang Huai will escort her back to Qingxuan Sect the day after. He plans to go with Luo Qingyu and have a good talk with Luo Yueguan.
“The shoes are ready,” Jiang Huai said, approaching Luo Qingyu. Her chess game with Chu Xianning had just finished, and she couldn’t beat Chu Xianning. She turned around and lifted her fair, tender calf towards Jiang Huai.
Jiang Huai sat down and gently removed her socks, then carefully put on her shoes for her, meticulously tying the straps. Luo Qingyu stood up and took a few steps. The high heels accentuated the slender, long curve of the girl’s calf, making her appear taller. It seemed Jiang Huai only needed to lower his head slightly to be able to kiss her delicate pink lips.
“Jiang Huai Gege, will you take me for a walk?” Luo Qingyu hugged Jiang Huai’s arm and began to act spoiled. Her soft, tender chest pressed tightly against his hand. Jiang Huai nodded gently and then walked out of the courtyard with Luo Qingyu. They wandered around the sect for a long time until the moon hung high in the sky. When Luo Qingyu and Jiang Huai returned to the courtyard, Chu Xianning had already gone to sleep.
They sat in the pavilion. Luo Qingyu lifted her slender leg and righteously blinked at Jiang Huai, “Qingyu wants a massage too.”
***
Medicine Refining Mountain.
Tomorrow is the last day of the Inner Sect Competition.
As the head disciple of Medicine Refining Mountain, Li Qiusheng naturally possesses the finest courtyard on Medicine Refining Mountain. Spiritual Qi permeated the courtyard, and the Spirit Gathering Array was fully activated. Li Qiusheng was currently soaking in a medicinal tub, steam rising around him. A middle-aged man sat beside him.
Father and son, they had been silent for a long time until Li Qiusheng opened his eyes and said softly, “Dad, I’m done with the refinement.”
Li Xiatian turned to look at him, his expression somewhat solemn. “Tomorrow, you face Jiang Huai from Guanxue Mountain. Regardless of victory or defeat tomorrow, Jiang Huai will be a cripple from now on. Even if his Immaculate Golden Body is cultivated to the ninth major perfection, his combat power will only stop at the Nascent Soul realm. There’s no need to dwell on it too much.”
“I want to win,” Li Qiusheng said after a moment of silence, his voice tinged with gritted teeth.
“It’s your mother who has spoiled you too much,” Li Xiatian sighed. “I’ve been focusing on refining medicine all these years and neglected your upbringing. Your mother has doted on you excessively since you were young. Tell me yourself, how many Outer Sect female disciples have you harmed over the years? And every time, it was your mother who cleaned up your mess?”
“When have I ever bullied female disciples? It’s all consensual.”
“You’ve simply had too easy a life. How much of your cultivation over the years has been built up with spirit medicine? If we’re truly discussing the Sword Dao, you’re no match for Jiang Huai.”
“He’s just more talented than me. He doesn’t even put in effort during sword discussions. What is there to be proud of?”
Li Xiatian smiled helplessly. “Do you really think he’s foolish? Do you know how many heavens’ chosen have faced life-or-death situations in the secret realms he’s explored? Yet, he always returns safely with great rewards. Those rogue cultivators outside are all ruthless people. He can snatch food from their mouths, and the tempering he’s undergone is far more than yours.”
“In the path of cultivation, talent is secondary. Temperament is the most crucial. In the past, you relied on your status to oppress others. This time, you met Luo Qingyu and were completely helpless. If you want to blame someone, you can only blame your parents for being useless, unable to provoke Qingxuan Sect’s Luo Yueguan. You are not from my generation, so you don’t understand how terrifying Luo Yueguan’s methods are. She was able to ascend to the position of Qingxuan Sect Master not just because of her cultivation, but because this woman is ruthless.”
Li Qiusheng lowered his head slightly. “I know, Dad. I didn’t mean that. I’ll avoid them if I can’t provoke them, but tomorrow’s match… I don’t want to lose. Mother has already agreed to give me the sword.”
“Winning won’t bring you any glory. Why bother?” Li Xiatian sighed helplessly.
“I can’t swallow this humiliation!”
Li Xiatian looked deeply at Li Qiusheng, but in the end, he didn’t say anything more. He was his own son, after all. Experiencing some hardship and setbacks might not be a bad thing.
***
Guanxue Mountain.
In Luo Qingyu’s room.
Luo Qingyu was currently kneeling on the bed. Her dress couldn’t completely conceal the curve of her shapely snow-white buttocks. Her fair, tender calf was lifted slightly, and her body trembled lightly with unease.
This was because Jiang Huai was repaying Luo Qingyu for the spanking she owed him.
Perhaps it was because Luo Qingyu’s eyes, as she looked back at him, were too watery that Jiang Huai’s evil thoughts arose the moment he saw them. Thus, Jiang Huai covered her eyes with a black gauze blindfold.
A total of ten spanks, and it was all finished. Yet, Luo Qingyu still seemed unsatisfied. She softly whined in a spoiled tone, “I still want more…”
“No more thinking,” Jiang Huai worried he might inadvertently lead Luo Qingyu’s desires down strange paths. He picked up the quilt and covered her body. “It’s time to sleep obediently.”
Luo Qingyu could only obediently turn to her side. Jiang Huai gently removed the blindfold. Luo Qingyu’s eyes stared at him unblinkingly. Jiang Huai was almost finished with his story. He said softly, “After the Inner Sect Competition ends tomorrow, I’ll borrow Master’s Spirit Boat and go with you to Qingxuan Sect to have a good chat with your mother.”
Luo Qingyu’s lips pouted slightly. Unwillingness filled her eyes. “Then… when will we meet again?”
“It won’t be long. First, you’ll obediently learn to dance from your mother. Once you’ve mastered it, I’ll bring you here to stay for a while.”
Luo Qingyu extended her arm to him, hooking her thumb. She looked at him with a wronged expression. “Pinky promise.”
“Don’t worry, when have I ever lied to you?” Jiang Huai gently hooked Luo Qingyu’s thumb. After a while, Luo Qingyu reluctantly let go, but then she grabbed Jiang Huai’s wrist and brought his hand to her lips. She parted her lips slightly and gently bit his index finger.
“Don’t lie to Qingyu,” Luo Qingyu’s teeth left a shallow indentation on Jiang Huai’s index finger.
***
Inner Sect Competition, Third Day.
Jiang Huai woke up to the sound of a heavy downpour. Spring rain had been continuous recently, but this was the first significant downpour. He got up early and made breakfast in the courtyard. Today’s breakfast was soup dumplings.
After breakfast, Luo Qingyu and Jiang Huai went to Absolute Sword Mountain together. The rain was too heavy, and Jiang Huai’s Bamboo Bone Umbrella was struggling to cope. So, Luo Qingyu surrounded them with Spiritual Qi, deflecting all the raindrops that fell on them.
His current points were enough to rank him among the top ten in the Inner Sect. Today, he still had three matches to fight. The last match would be to determine the ultimate winner.
The rain was extremely heavy. Upon arriving at Absolute Sword Mountain, Chu Xianning gazed indifferently at the sky. A moment later, the rain within the entire sky ceased, flying off to another direction, not a single drop falling.
The disciples were stunned for a moment. With their cultivation levels, blocking the rain was a trivial matter. Why go to such lengths? A moment later, they suddenly remembered that Jiang Huai had no Spiritual Qi on him, leaving him without any means to avoid the rain.
For today’s Inner Sect Competition, the sect masters and elders of the five major mountain gates were all present. Even the Sect Master sat on the high platform in the distance. Jiang Huai glanced towards the Sect Master, who happened to be looking at him as well.
They made eye contact for a moment. The Sect Master’s eyes inevitably revealed a deep sense of regret.
The Sect Master’s name was Li Qiushan. He was a thousand years old this year, appearing as a little old man with white eyebrows and white beard. He was an Eighth Realm cultivator and had presided over the Tian Xuan Sect for three hundred years.
Because Jiang Huai had outstanding talent from a young age, the Sect Master had always treated him exceptionally well, reminding Jiang Huai to ask him directly if he ever needed anything. However, Jiang Huai had never been one to ask for favors and had never requested anything from the Sect Master.
His cultivation was crippled, a matter for which he felt no shame before the world or himself. It was a true disappointment to the Sect Master’s expectations, which was why he had meekly apologized to the Sect Master that day. The Sect Master was angry, but in the end, he only took out his anger on the evil cultivators and didn’t truly punish him at all.
The Sect Master personally presided over this Inner Sect Competition. The sky was heavily overcast, with occasional lightning and thunder in the distance. After the Sect Master announced the names of the participating disciples on the platform, the first match was Li Qiusheng from Medicine Refining Mountain against He Mu, the head disciple of Spirit Sword Mountain, ranked fifth in the Inner Sect.
Jiang Huai had no habit of underestimating his opponents, so he watched Li Qiusheng and He Mu’s match intently. Li Qiusheng’s sword technique came from his mother, Qin Wuyrou, who was once a renowned Sword Immortal of the Moon Wave Continent. However, in terms of Sword Dao and cultivation, she couldn’t compare to Chu Xianning. In their era, the only one comparable to Chu Xianning was Luo Yueguan of Qingxuan Sect.
Chu Xianning not becoming the Sect Master of Tian Xuan Sect was due to two reasons: first, she had hidden injuries, and her cultivation could only stop at the early stage of the Eighth Realm. To cultivate further would aggravate her hidden injuries. Second, she had a cold disposition and disliked handling sect affairs, so she chose to reside on Guanxue Mountain. She had never intended to take on disciples, and her encounter with Jiang Huai was a fated encounter.
Perhaps Chu Xianning felt it was a fated misfortune.
Li Qiusheng’s match concluded within the time it took for one incense stick to burn. Jiang Huai was slightly surprised. In his memory, Li Qiusheng was only at the peak Golden Core realm, but his aura today was much stronger than that of a peak Golden Core cultivator, even exhibiting the aura of a half-step Nascent Soul.
Moreover, his physical strength seemed significantly greater than that of an ordinary peak Golden Core cultivator. Even Qin Wugou couldn’t match his speed. Jiang Huai, observing his qi and blood from afar, deduced that he must have used some excellent body-tempering medicinal materials.
Thus, in the path of cultivation, besides talent and diligence, resources were also indispensable.
Li Qiusheng became the victor of that match. He glanced at Jiang Huai on the viewing platform, his eyes still filled with a challenging glint. In response, Jiang Huai simply nodded slightly, acknowledging his challenge.
Soon, his match also began. His opponent was Mu Qiuchen, the second disciple of Desolate Sword Mountain.
