Jiang Huai finally met the participants of the Five Regions Grand Competition.
He represented the Eastern Region alone. Since each region had two participants, some would inevitably get a bye. The Northern Region envoy on stage exchanged a look with Jiang Huai. After some discussion, it was Jiang Huai who proposed that he be given two lots, as if he were representing two people.
This way, he could also claim a second-place reward.
His arrogant declaration surprised many participants, but upon reflection, it seemed plausible if it were him.
Among the participants of this Five Regions Grand Competition were many of Jiang Huai’s old acquaintances.
The Western Region naturally included Su Qingyi and Bai Li.
Central Province was represented by Ji Qingxuan and the Second Prince, Ji Qingmo.
The Southern Region had Qin Ziyi from the Qin family and Mu Jianyun from the Mu family. Jiang Huai had sparred with both of them during his previous visit to the Mu family in the Southern Region, and had even shared drinks with them at Mu Jianghe’s banquet.
The Northern Region was represented by the First Prince, Ji Huan, and a cultivator in a green robe. The cultivator looked kind and benevolent, more like a scholar. Jiang Huai heard his name, Lin Qing, while drawing lots.
He was at the Eighth Realm First Level in cultivation.
This cultivator named Lin Qing was not from the Northern Region’s royal family. He was a rogue cultivator from within the Northern Region, but since he belonged to the Northern Region, he was given this opportunity.
The Five Regions Grand Competition had four matches a day, and all the lots had been drawn. Jiang Huai had two matches on this day alone: the first against Mu Jianyun of the Mu family, and the second against Su Qingyi.
The battlefield for the Five Regions Grand Competition was vast, not just a small arena. The spectator seats were for watching the live broadcast of the battlefields, while the actual arena was located in an independent small world within Life Source Island, where the Life Divine Tree was situated.
In the small world where the Life Divine Tree resided, the spiritual qi was nearly twenty times that of the outside world, giving cultivators more opportunities to display their Daoist magic and sword techniques. Jiang Huai was already aware of these rules. If his sea of qi had not yet been repaired, these rules would have been a huge disadvantage to him, as he would be unable to absorb spiritual qi from the outside. However, now that he was in peak condition, he was naturally fearless.
He and Mu Jianyun soon arrived at the entrance to the small world. Their figures entered the small world simultaneously. The rules for victory were simple: one party completely losing the ability to fight, voluntarily surrendering, or dying were all valid conditions for determining the winner.
The small world was an island covered in dense forest.
Jiang Huai did not underestimate his opponent. He drew the Yening Sword and faced Mu Jianyun. Mu Jianyun had also drawn his sword, but there was a trace of bitterness in the corner of his eyes. He had sparred with Jiang Huai before and would rather have faced the Mahayana First Level Princess from the Central Province than fight Jiang Huai, whose sword techniques were too bizarre.
Jiang Huai held back slightly and discussed the Mu family’s sword techniques with Mu Jianyun. After the time it took for an incense stick to burn, Mu Jianyun looked at Jiang Huai, who remained composed, and a thought of surrender occurred to him. However, this was the Five Regions Grand Competition, so he had to brace himself and continue fighting Jiang Huai. To his exasperation, Jiang Huai was using the Mu family’s sword techniques, and even better than Mu Jianyun.
Jiang Huai’s sword moves were unhurried, not pressing too hard. Mu Jianyun was slightly surprised, but saw Jiang Huai’s lips move as he transmitted a message to him: “We can slowly discuss the Mu family’s sword techniques. With the twenty times spiritual qi in this secret realm, it would be a waste not to absorb it.”
Mu Jianyun was stunned for a moment, and then his eyes twitched. So, he simply stopped using spiritual qi and fought Jiang Huai with physical strength instead. His sea of qi spun wildly within his body, greedily absorbing the pure life spiritual qi of this world, which was more refined than the spiritual qi outside, with almost no impurities, and could be perfectly refined.
Mu Jianghe, watching from below, was initially confused. He remembered that Jiang Huai had defeated Mu Jianyun in the time it took for an incense stick to burn last time. Why was he now so polite and leisurely practicing swordsmanship with him? But when he saw the spiritual qi in this world surging into their bodies as they sparred, while they didn’t use any spiritual qi at all… he understood instantly.
Mu Jianghe felt both amused and helpless.
Initially, Mu Jianyun felt a bit ashamed, wondering how the Five Regions Grand Competition had turned into a cultivation ground for the two of them. But as he gradually discovered that Jiang Huai was also teaching him better ways to use the Mu family’s sword techniques, he became serious. Jiang Huai taught him patiently.
They continued to spar for a full hour, and Mu Jianyun’s sea of qi was completely replenished, even to the point where he could prepare to break through a minor realm bottleneck. He let out a long sigh, “Thank you for your guidance, Brother Jiang.”
“You’re welcome.”
“I surrender.”
“Alright.”
Mu Jianyun left the secret realm, and Jiang Huai welcomed his next opponent, Su Qingyi.
Su Qingyi was wearing a gorgeous long dress today. Earlier, she had appeared cold to everyone. Now, she wagged her fox tail and looked at Jiang Huai, “How about we just sit here quietly for an hour, and I’ll surrender after my spiritual qi is replenished?”
“Alright.”
“I want to eat grilled chicken wings.”
“So many people are watching… it might not be a good idea to grill them, right?”
“Hah, you’re already shameless enough to absorb spiritual qi in this secret realm, why worry about that?” Su Qingyi tilted her head. Jiang Huai figured she was right, so he calmly set up a barbecue grill. Su Qingyi meditated and cultivated by the side until her spiritual qi, which was at the Body Integration third level, was fully replenished and she was about to break through a minor realm before standing up. Jiang Huai had already placed the sizzling, crispy, tender chicken wings on a plate. Su Qingyi happily shouted “Surrender” and then ran off with all the chicken wings from Jiang Huai’s plate.
Jiang Huai angrily chased after her, “Leave me two!”
In the end, he snatched back two from Su Qingyi, one for Bai Li, and one for himself. Bai Li happily sat with him in the spectator seats, watching the next match.
The next match was between Ji Huan and the Second Prince of Central Province, Ji Qingmo. Ji Huan’s tongue had naturally grown back. The discord between Central Province and the Northern Region was not a recent issue. Their match was not as relaxed and carefree as Jiang Huai’s two “slacking” matches. In the dense forest of the secret realm, their Daoist magic surged, and their sword moves were insidious. However, Ji Qingmo had not yet reached the Mahayana realm, and could only retreat under Ji Huan’s onslaught. Yet, due to his pride, he refused to surrender. Ji Huan struck with great force, and blood stains bloomed from his clothes.
This scene made the cultivators below slowly recall that the Five Regions Grand Competition had always been exceptionally bloody, not the sightseeing tour approach that Jiang Huai had taken. In the end, Ji Qingmo exhausted all his spiritual qi and used up all his Daoist magic. He didn’t even have a single intact piece of skin on his body. He fell into a coma due to excessive blood loss. This match was won by Ji Huan.
Ji Nianchen was already waiting outside the secret realm and was slowly healing Ji Qingmo’s injuries with his spiritual qi. He held his son in his arms. Ji Qingmo slowly opened his eyes and spat out a mouthful of blood. Before he could say anything, Ji Nianchen gently shook his head, “No need to blame yourself, you did very well.”
The last match of the day was between Qin Ziyi of the Qin family in the Southern Region and Ji Qingxuan from Central Province.
The two were not familiar with each other. Ji Qingxuan did not want to waste any more time, so with a cold expression, she calmly drew her sword and ended the battle within the time it took for an incense stick to burn.
In the Five Regions Grand Competition, losing one match did not mean immediate elimination. The losers would still compete against other losers, and everyone would inevitably have one match against each other. Bai Li’s match against Lin Qing was scheduled for tomorrow.
Jiang Huai once again led the skipping Bai Li back to the courtyard. Bai Li needed to rest well. Jiang Huai had realized an interesting conclusion: before he truly committed bad deeds, he was more enthusiastic about them than the girls around him. But after having done many bad deeds, the girls around him were likely to be more enthusiastic than him, which was a clear reversal of the offense and defense law.
Bai Li had a sword discussion match tomorrow, so Jiang Huai would just sleep with Bai Li tonight. After coaxing Bai Li to sleep, he left the room. Bai Jin in the courtyard was looking up at the bright moon in the sky, as if waiting for Jiang Huai.
Jiang Huai’s heart skipped a beat. He inexplicably wondered if Aunt Bai was going to invite him for dual cultivation.
“Little Huai, wait.” Bai Jin indeed spoke, so Jiang Huai stopped and came to sit obediently in front of Bai Jin, looking at her cheeks. He heard her softly say, “I visited your Master yesterday.”
“Oh?”
“What do you think about setting your wedding date for early next summer?”
“Okay, okay.” Jiang Huai nodded obediently.
Bai Jin nodded gently and said nothing more. Jiang Huai hesitated, “Is there anything else?”
The wind slightly disheveled Bai Jin’s silver hair. She was wearing a thin black nightgown, and her smooth, delicate, plump pink shoulders were revealed. The neckline slightly exposed a curve of soft flesh. Jiang Huai suddenly recalled the moments of tasting ( ) by her chest in the past, and the scenes of him bullying Bai Jin when he was infatuated flashed through his mind. He had been dazed at the time, but he remembered everything… He remembered Bai Jin’s gasps and pleas for mercy, but he also remembered how she gently held him in her arms and comforted him after he was exhausted, as if coaxing a child.
Then there was the night before they parted from the Snake Clan. That night, together with Bai Li and Bai Jin, Bai Li was nestled in Bai Jin’s arms. After bullying Bai Jin, he could then take advantage of Bai Jin’s lubrication to bully Bai Li’s buttocks. Damn it, stop thinking!
Bai Jin still gazed at him gently for two seconds, then shook her head, “No, that’s all.”
“Then I’ll go back…?”
“Yes, go ahead.”
Jiang Huai stood up and slowly walked out the door.
A hint of disappointment arose in his heart. He started overthinking, wondering if Bai Jin was disgusted with him again. No, no, or was Bai Jin waiting for him to speak first? No, no, Bai Jin was such a mature and steady woman, perhaps she would feel shy if he spoke first. Perhaps those days were just coincidental moments of joy, which was why she was so tolerant of him, leading to her body’s craving. Now that it had quietly cooled down, she naturally wouldn’t think about it anymore.
Jiang Huai overthought for a while and walked to the door. When he looked back at Bai Jin, he suddenly noticed that Bai Jin was no longer sitting upright. She now had her arms crossed, her legs crossed beneath her skirt. Her previously gentle eyes now seemed to show a trace of… grumbling?
