Everyone followed the sound to see a girl with cyan hair striding confidently toward the arena.
The disciples of Azure Sky Peak quickly parted to make a path.
“Who’s that? Is she one of our Azure Sky Peak disciples?”
“Senior Sister Ying Qianqian is following her, so she must be from our Azure Sky Peak.”
The red-robed young man at the front was momentarily stunned, then his eyes widened in an instant.
“Senior Sister Ye! What are you doing here?”
Du Ze, the Head Disciple of the Inner Sect, had long been a veteran of Azure Sky Peak. He had even joined the sect three years before Ye Luqing.
This Senior Sister Ye was like a divine dragon, seen only by its tail. She spent far more time at Heavenly Sword Peak than at their own Azure Sky Peak. Many new disciples had no idea who this Second Senior Sister of Azure Sky Peak was.
Only old-timers like him could recognize Ye Luqing, but… had Senior Sister Ye always had this kind of personality?
In Du Ze’s memory, Senior Sister Ye was always hiding behind Chief Xiao of Heavenly Sword Peak. Even when she returned to Azure Sky Peak, she seemed socially anxious and would run away at the sight of people.
Nevertheless, he still held full respect for Azure Sky Peak’s Second Senior Sister. As a fellow Arrayist, Du Ze deeply understood Ye Luqing’s profound accomplishments in the Formation Arts Lineage.
If this Second Senior Sister were to step in, perhaps she truly could defeat Heavenly Sword Peak’s Pei Ruyi.
Ye Luqing ascended the arena, and Ying Qianqian followed, looking somewhat uneasy.
The Azure Sky Peak disciples were unaware of Ye Luqing’s amnesia, but Ying Qianqian knew.
Besides, Senior Sister Ye’s cultivation level had even fallen to the Golden Core Stage. Facing a Sword Cultivator, who was naturally adept at lethal combat, even a fight against someone at the same level would likely be difficult.
Seeing Ye Luqing step onto the arena, Pei Ruyi’s gaze on the other side turned cold.
“So, Senior Sister Ye has some backbone after all.”
She stared at Ye Luqing, her tone laced with a pointed edge.
Ye Luqing felt a bit creeped out by Pei Ruyi’s stare. According to the original storyline, she shouldn’t have much intersection with this Heavenly Sword Peak disciple.
What’s more, she felt a strong sense of déjà vu from Pei Ruyi. Whether in attire, bearing, or tone, the other party seemed to be deliberately imitating Xiao Qingxuan.
Could she be some fangirl of Xiao Qingxuan?
“Since you’ve accepted the challenge, let me test your Formation Arts, Senior Sister Ye!”
Without waiting for Ye Luqing’s reply, Pei Ruyi raised her longsword and charged.
An overwhelming, pent-up Sword Intent burst from her body instantly, and the aftermath of earth-shattering Sword Qi instantly swept outside the arena.
Her figure turned into an afterimage, darting forward nearly ten yards in a flash.
The fierce, ruthless, and fast traits of a Sword Cultivator were vividly displayed by Pei Ruyi.
The spectators below broke into a cold sweat. The Golden Core Stage male Sword Cultivator who had just knocked their Azure Sky Peak disciples off the arena was already powerful enough. Now that Pei Ruyi was making a move, her imposing momentum was several times stronger than his.
“Wait!”
Ye Luqing suddenly raised a hand, signaling Pei Ruyi to stop.
Pei Ruyi stabbed the ground with one foot, grinding to a halt. Her expression was displeased, yet remained cold.
“What is it?”
Ye Luqing looked at Pei Ruyi with some speechlessness and spoke.
“I don’t think I ever said I’d fight you?”
Pei Ruyi frowned.
“Did you not say you were taking up Heavenly Sword Peak’s challenge?”
Ye Luqing shook her head and spread her hands.
“I said a Direct Disciple of Azure Sky Peak was taking it up.”
Upon hearing this, Pei Ruyi glanced at Ying Qianqian at the edge of the arena, then glared menacingly at Ye Luqing.
“What do you mean? Don’t tell me you’re going to make the third Direct Disciple of Azure Sky Peak fight.”
She had always disliked Ye Luqing, who constantly clung to Senior Sister Xiao and only knew how to look pitiful when things went wrong.
A cowardly personality, clinging on like plaster. Using her slight talent in Formation Arts and that foxy little appearance to seduce Senior Sister Xiao.
If Senior Sister Xiao hadn’t stopped her, she would have thrown Ye Luqing off Heavenly Sword Peak long ago.
And now, this person was using a Junior Sister, a whole grade younger and at the Golden Core Stage, as a shield. Her impression of Ye Luqing worsened even further.
Today, come what may, she was going to teach Ye Luqing a lesson. She would show Senior Sister Xiao just how useless Ye Luqing truly was, so she would come to her senses and realize that she was the most suitable one to be by Senior Sister Xiao’s side!
“S-Senior Sister Ye, I can do this.”
Ying Qianqian also stepped onto the arena. Although her whole body was trembling, the light in her eyes was incredibly resolute.
Even if she was no match for a Heavenly Sword Peak Sword Cultivator, she would stand by Senior Sister Ye’s side.
“What are you thinking?”
Ye Luqing pouted. How could she possibly let Little Ying go up?
A gentle breeze swept by as she used a spell array to send Ying Qianqian down.
“I mean I’m taking up the Heavenly Sword Peak challenge on behalf of Senior Sister Bai He, our Azure Sky Peak’s Head Direct Disciple.”
Ye Luqing raised an eyebrow, looking at Pei Ruyi with amusement.
You wanted to challenge a Direct Disciple? Come on, come on. Do you dare to face Senior Sister Bai He at the Spirit Transformation Stage?
“You…”
Pei Ruyi paused, stunned. Ye Luqing had indeed said a Direct Disciple would fight, but she hadn’t specified which one.
The logic held up, true, but this was far too shameless…
“After not seeing you for a few days, Senior Sister Ye has become rather silver-tongued,” Pei Ruyi let out a cold snort.
“It’s called being eloquent,” Ye Luqing corrected.
“Senior Sister Bai He has already broken through to the Spirit Transformation Stage and is now an Elder of Azure Sky Peak. Naturally, she wouldn’t make a move against us disciples.” Pei Ruyi wasn’t falling for Ye Luqing’s trick at all. She had come to storm the peak today specifically for Ye Luqing.
“Save your effort trying to use Elder Bai to pressure me. This is a matter between juniors. I must fight you today.”
Pei Ruyi lightly tapped the arena floor with one foot, gliding back to her original position and raising her three-foot blade.
She truly did want to defeat Ye Luqing to prove herself, but it absolutely had to be done in an upright, honorable way.
Only then could she return to Senior Sister Xiao’s line of sight.
“Watch the sword!”
Pei Ruyi drew her sword and lunged forward. To the crowd, a streak of cold light flashed across the sky, its speed somehow even faster than before.
What a swift sword!
“Hold on!”
Pei Ruyi instantly halted her momentum, now less than three yards from Ye Luqing.
“See, you’re getting impatient again,” Ye Luqing said leisurely.
“What is it now?”
A vein bulged on Pei Ruyi’s forehead as she stared coldly at Ye Luqing.
She knew Ye Luqing had a slow and unruffled personality, but she hadn’t expected her to cause so much trouble today.
“You, a Nascent Soul Sword Cultivator, bullying me, a Golden Core Array Cultivator—winning would hardly be a glorious feat, would it?” Ye Luqing said slowly.
She didn’t want to fight Pei Ruyi, for two reasons.
First, her cultivation level had fallen. The only offensive technique she had learned was the Profound Yellow Mountain-Suppressing Art. Her other mastered arrays were mostly support-oriented, so she likely wasn’t Pei Ruyi’s match.
Second, there was no benefit to defeating Pei Ruyi.
Given the other’s aggressive and obsessive attitude, it would probably knock her health insurance card flying. Not just no benefit, she’d get a body full of injuries.
“Golden Core?”
Pei Ruyi frowned slightly, then scanned Ye Luqing with her spiritual sense, discovering that the other’s cultivation level had at some point dropped to the Golden Core Stage.
Ye Luqing’s previous level was Late Nascent Soul, two minor realms higher than Pei Ruyi’s own current level.
Sword Cultivators had no special advantage in spiritual sense, and she hadn’t carefully probed Ye Luqing’s level earlier, so Pei Ruyi had overlooked this.
Upon realizing this, Pei Ruyi’s gaze grew even colder.
She wasn’t interested in Ye Luqing’s affairs, but she had heard in the afternoon that Xiao Qingxuan had urgently departed for Illusion God Sect.
“So that’s how it is…”
“Senior Sister Xiao is at the critical juncture of breaking from Half-Step Spirit Transformation to Spirit Transformation, yet she went to Illusion God Sect… And it’s still because of you…”
Falling from Nascent Soul Stage to Golden Core Stage was probably due to damage to the Primordial Spirit. That must be why Xiao Qingxuan had gone to Illusion God Sect, a sect known for its mastery over the soul.
Pei Ruyi’s loathing for Ye Luqing, who dragged Senior Sister Xiao down, grew a little sharper. But the other was indeed right.
Nascent Soul beating Golden Core. Sword Cultivator beating Array Cultivator. Winning would be nothing to be proud of.
If the path of the weaker defeating the stronger was blocked, that didn’t mean she had no other backup plan.
Today, she absolutely had to make Ye Luqing lose face utterly.
