On Heaven-Reaching Peak, at the Spectator Stands
Sixteen light screens flickered and played in all directions, ensuring audiences in every area could see the matches they wanted.
Among these sixteen screens, the battle between Ye Luqing and Ying Qianqian against Cheng Han and Li Xinru wasn’t conspicuous.
After all, the cultivation levels of these four weren’t very high, and the fight scenes weren’t particularly spectacular.
Most people watching this match were drawn by the novelty of the dual Formation Cultivator team. Once Ye Luqing activated the Marrow Mist Array, making it impossible to see the specific details, the majority of the audience shifted their attention to more intense matches, such as those involving Lian Tianliu or Chu He.
However, as time passed, some of these light screens dimmed, then formed new ones.
After a while, fifteen of the initial sixteen screens had dissipated, replaced by new scenes from the second round.
The only screen from the first round still lit was the one showing Ye Luqing’s battle.
“Huh? Why hasn’t Senior Sister Ye’s match ended yet?”
Someone looked over curiously.
Word spread from one person to ten, and soon it caught the attention of the disciples present.
Outside the Mist Array was a low-level skirmish between Formation Cultivator Ying Qianqian and Talisman Cultivator Li Xinru, while the scene inside the mist was unclear to everyone.
Furthermore, the light screen broadcasts only had visuals, no sound, leaving everyone momentarily puzzled.
Even some elders on the high platform were curious about what was happening.
“Elder Wen, would you go inside and take a look?”
One of the elders who had helped construct the maze asked.
The female cultivator addressed as Elder Wen, who was at the Spirit Transformation Stage, nodded. As one who had built the maze’s formations, she could immerse her divine sense into it and see exactly what was going on.
Moreover, she was an elder of Azure Sky Peak, so checking on Ye Luqing and Ying Qianqian, the Peak Lord’s Direct Disciples, was only fitting.
In the next moment, she closed her eyes, her Primordial Spirit leaving her body and entering the corridor where Ye Luqing, Cheng Han, and the others were.
As soon as she entered, she heard an unspeakable, seductive sound coming from within the mist.
She peered into the mist curiously. With her Spirit Transformation Stage cultivation, the Marrow Mist Array couldn’t obstruct her probing gaze at all.
In the next instant, all of Ye Luqing’s and Cheng Han’s little actions were fully taken in by her.
Elder Wen was stunned at first, then her old face immediately flushed red. She returned to reality with a strange look in her eyes.
“How is it, Elder Wen?” the lead Spirit Transformation elder asked.
Elder Wen coughed twice, inwardly pondering how to phrase this.
After all, there were many guest contestants from Outer Sects participating in the sect’s Grand Tournament. Letting outsiders know such a thing would definitely be bad.
She couldn’t help but marvel at Ye Luqing’s audacity—directly doing that to her opponent in broad public view. If any curious Void Comprehension Divine Lord had probed, they would have been exposed.
“Ye Luqing has taken the opponent’s main attacker hostage and is using this time to apply formation boosts to herself,” Elder Wen said vaguely.
Hearing this, the Spirit Transformation elders responsible for the Duo Tournament, who had also built the maze, were all taken aback before immediately understanding Ye Luqing’s intent.
This was indeed a loophole in the current Duo Tournament rules, one they simply hadn’t considered before.
After all, the advantage gained from resting after subduing an opponent in the first stage wasn’t great, because the opponent in the next stage, after their own victory, could also rest and prepare in their new corridor.
Furthermore, the team arriving first could use the terrain to make some preparations, even set up an ambush. Theoretically, that was actually better than preparing in the previous stage.
It was just that Ye Luqing and Ying Qianqian were a dual Formation Cultivator team, a situation where their time gain was indeed greater than other duos.
“We can’t let them keep boosting their formations forever. How will the later matches even be fought?” a Spirit Transformation elder frowned.
“Let me handle it,” Elder Wen, who had just investigated the corridor, quickly said.
This kind of scandal was enough for their Azure Sky Peak to know; there was no need for other elders to find out.
“Then we’ll trouble you, Elder Wen,” the lead elder slightly nodded.
————
Within the Corridor, Second Stage
“It’s so quiet in the corridor. Not a single opponent. It’s completely different from the first match,” Du Ze said.
His team had encountered Confucian Cultivators from Scripture Peak in the first round. They had fought while the opponents loudly chanted scriptures, making his head still buzz.
“Many thanks, Junior Brother Du. I’m fully recovered,” Lin Zhaoyang, standing nearby, said.
During the wait for their tardy opponent, the injuries he sustained in the first match had been completely healed by Du Ze’s formations.
“Senior Brother Lin is too kind. It’s simply what a team should do.”
Du Ze chuckled.
As the Head Disciple of the Inner Sect of Azure Sky Peak, although his cultivation was only at Golden Core Peak Stage, no small number of disciples came to ask him to partner for the Duo Tournament.
Among them, this Lin Zhaoyang, a True Disciple from Myriad Arts Peak, was the person he ultimately chose.
A mid-Nascent Soul Stage Spell Cultivator True Disciple as the main attacker, and a Golden Core Peak Stage Formation Cultivator as support—in terms of lineup, they were considered a favorite to win.
But Du Ze didn’t dare expect victory; just reaching the Top Four would be good enough.
“Our opponent for this stage hasn’t finished yet?”
Lin Zhaoyang looked at the tightly shut door, doubt rising on his face.
A closed door meant the match wasn’t over yet. Otherwise, even if the opponents didn’t actively come, they could go to the previous stage to find them.
Over a quarter of an hour had passed since their first victory, and they had even recovered to their peak condition, yet the opponent’s side still hadn’t finished.
“Yeah, they probably ran into an evenly-matched opponent.”
A fight lasting this long meant they were likely exhausted.
Thinking this way, their own chances of winning the second match were quite good.
‘If I’d known the opponent would be this slow, I would have set up a grand array earlier…’ Du Ze grumbled inwardly.
With the bolstering of his formation artifact, having over a quarter of an hour was enough time to set up a Profound-Tier grand array.
But he hadn’t known they would have so much preparation time, so he didn’t bother expending the True Qi and mental energy to set one up, since being interrupted halfway through was also troublesome.
However, the next moment, a tremor like an earthquake came from the tightly shut door.
Lin Zhaoyang’s eyes narrowed, and he spoke:
“Prepare yourself, Junior Brother Du. The opponent is coming.”
————
Watching the surrounding walls gradually collapse, Ye Luqing sighed.
It wasn’t hard for her to see that the elders outside were pressuring her to hurry into the next stage.
Thinking this, she directly tossed the already limp-bodied Cheng Han to the ground and, together with Little Ying, walked towards the direction of the next stage.
Now, with the boosts almost fully applied, the Infinite Soul Entangling Formation she had inscribed on her Ancient Vine Swordheart Sheath was also fully charged and ready to be activated at any moment.
“Little Han!”
Li Xinru let Ye Luqing and Ying Qianqian pass directly, darting to the side of Cheng Han, who lay on the ground trembling ceaselessly.
She gently helped Cheng Han up, her face full of heartache as she looked at that familiar, flushed jade-like visage.
Strands of hair clung to her face, a picture of utter exhaustion.
“Idiot, why didn’t you surrender?!” Li Xinru said with aching heart.
“Sorry, Xiaoru… I’m sorry…”
Cheng Han deeply lowered her head, the rims of her eyes slightly reddening.
She had deceived her close friend, been played within the palm of that She-Devil Ye Luqing’s hand.
Pulling over Li Xinru’s hand, Cheng Han traced the path Ye Luqing had just “caressed” on her body, using her friend’s hand to go over it again.
She wanted to overwrite the sensation of Ye Luqing’s fingers with Li Xinru’s touch, yet it always felt like something was missing.
“I’m sorry Xiaoru… I… I love you…”
Her mouth spoke sincere, heartfelt words, yet her body had been fractured by Ye Luqing’s touch.
Li Xinru’s pretty face immediately blushed, not knowing how to respond for a moment.
“Little Han, what… what’s wrong with you, suddenly saying something like that.”
She and Cheng Han were indeed close friends, but usually they just joked around; their relationship had never reached this level.
“It’s nothing… let’s just leave first. I don’t want to stay here.” Cheng Han covered her eyes with one hand, her powerless voice carrying a slight tremor.
“Let’s go back to Myriad Arts Peak together…”
“Help me… help me forget this battle…”
