Chapter 181: Duel of the Twin Swords

If there was a free meal to be had, she was never one to pass it up…

This time, the flower-picking intervals between the Four Great Sects were shorter than ever, resulting in a rare spectacle— all four sects emerging from the Illusion Realm at once.

Clear Thought Sect took first place for the very first time. The entire sect team was overjoyed, with disciples grinning ear to ear, bragging about it wherever they went.

Returning Immortal Sect came in second, but they were the biggest winners overall. They had snatched Spirit Materials and spiritual plants from both Azure Profound Sect and Crimson Sky Sect, instantly becoming the wealthiest team among the four.

Crimson Sky Sect placed third, and Azure Profound Sect came in last. Yet despite their poor ranking, Crimson Sky Sect didn’t seem upset at all. Chief Sword Cultivator Lu Feishuang emerged from the Illusion Realm with a look of utter confusion on her face.

She kept glancing back and forth between Lian Mu and Ying You, unable to believe that Lian Mu had actually managed to injure Ying You so badly.

She hadn’t seen the moment they clashed. By the time she turned her head, Ying You was already coughing up blood.

“Go get the image-recording stone,” Lu Feishuang ordered, needing to know what had happened.

Meanwhile, the atmosphere between Returning Immortal Sect and Azure Profound Sect was tense and awkward. Lian Mu stood in the center of her team, surrounded by her peers, but her gaze kept drifting toward Azure Profound Sect.

Aside from Bai Li Que and Wen Yun, the rest of the Returning Immortal Sect’s chief team had only just woken up to the news of the flower-picking results. They had no idea what had gone down before that.

Xu Xianxing rolled his wrist lazily, his eyes half-lidded like he hadn’t gotten enough sleep. Still, he was in high spirits and eager to share. “The Heart Realm Trial at Penglai Sect was something else. Guess what I dreamed about?”

No one on the chief team paid him any mind. Bai Li Que was deep in thought. Ji Mingyue stared at Lian Mu, clearly puzzled, and Wen Yun, like Lian Mu, was also watching Azure Profound Sect.

Guan Huailin looked pale and kept his head down, clearly in no mood to talk. He must’ve had a rough time in the Heart Realm Trial.

Guan Shize, on the other hand, humored him. “Let me guess—you struck it rich?”

Xu Xianxing scoffed. “Wrong. My great-grandfather’s generation was already loaded. I don’t need a fortune. I dreamed that we took first place in the Immortal Sect Grand Competition, then traveled the world together, and I became a hero who saved the realm.”

He’d been lucky enough to draw a Joyful Realm, which fit his personality perfectly—over-the-top and dramatic as always.

“……”

Xu Xianxing’s smile froze. “Why aren’t you guys reacting?”

Following Lian Mu’s gaze, he looked over to see Azure Profound Sect’s chief team huddled in a tight circle. Amid the noise, he could vaguely hear the words “Team Leader.”

Lian Mu turned slightly and asked him, “Do you know what that lock of white hair on Ying You is for?”

Xu Xianxing blinked. “How would I know…”

Before he could finish, a figure flew down from the sky—Azure Profound Sect’s Venerable Elder, Shang Liu, followed by seven or eight alchemy cultivators. He waved a hand to disperse the crowd, finally revealing the scene within.

Ying You lay unconscious in Fengyun Yi’s arms, bleeding from all seven orifices. His chest barely rose and fell—he was hanging on by a thread.

Shang Liu’s face was grim as he ordered the alchemy cultivators to take Ying You away.

Xu Xianxing was stunned. He glanced at the bloodstains on Lian Mu’s robes and asked in disbelief, “That… that’s demonic beast blood, right?”

“It’s his,” Lian Mu replied flatly.

Ji Mingyue asked, “You did that? How did he end up like this? Injuries sustained in the Illusion Realm are supposed to be weakened by forty percent when you come out—it shouldn’t be this serious.”

Everyone had seen Ying You’s near-death state, and curious gazes began to drift toward the Returning Immortal Sect.

The rest of Azure Profound Sect’s chief team looked grim. After Ying You was taken away, Jiang Yuechen turned with a frosty expression and demanded, “Lian Mu, how did you find out about that?”

Under the pressure of questioning, Lian Mu tightened her grip on the white hair hidden in her palm. Her expression remained calm and aloof. “Take a guess.”

Those two words sent the Azure Profound Sect’s chief team into a fury.

Gu Qingyu charged forward, fist raised. “I don’t care how you found out. You dared to lay a hand on our Team Leader—you’re asking for death!”

Wen Yun struck back with a punch of his own. As the top of the Red Lotus Ranking, dealing with Gu Qingyu was no trouble at all. “You want to start a fight outside the Illusion Realm? Planning to skip the next match?”

Lian Mu didn’t even move. Though the situation with Ying You was indeed strange, she had never been one to save face for outsiders. She looked Gu Qingyu in the eye and said, “Doesn’t matter if you’re upset.”

Clear Thought Sect and Crimson Sky Sect stood off to the side, watching the drama unfold without interfering. No one wanted to get involved in a dispute between these two sects.

“Enough,” Shang Liu barked, voice sharp as a blade. “Qingyu, the rest of you—stand down.”

At his command, Gu Qingyu reluctantly stepped back.

Shang Liu walked up to Lian Mu. She met his gaze without flinching as he said coldly, “I know everything that happened in the Heart Realm Trial.”

Lian Mu replied, “I didn’t mean to enter it.”

“What happened in the Heart Realm wasn’t your fault. The Azure Profound Sect will settle the score with the Crimson Sky Sect themselves.” Shang Liu looked down at her from above, his gaze cold. “But I suggest you keep your mouth shut. Otherwise, the Azure Profound Sect won’t spare you either.”

Lian Mu replied calmly, “Venerable Elder Shang, that warning is meaningless now.”

Every sect had piles of image-recording stones, and by now, everyone who had seen them knew that the Azure Profound Sect’s Chief Sword Cultivator had a fatal weakness—one strand of white hair.

“You know exactly what I’m talking about.” Shang Liu left those parting words and walked off with the Azure Profound Sect disciples.

Lian Mu understood—he was referring to what had happened to Ying You, and that Begonia Mark.

“Take care, Venerable Elder Shang.” Lian Mu said lightly.

“The Azure Profound Sect really got burned this time,” commented the Venerable Elder from the Clear Thought Sect, who had come to retrieve their disciples.

Tang Wuxun turned back and asked, “What are they talking about?”

The events in the Illusion Realm could be viewed through image-recording stones, but the contents of the Heart Realm Trial were restricted—only Venerable Elders were allowed to see them, and they were forbidden from revealing anything to the disciples.

The Clear Thought Sect’s Venerable Elder smiled faintly. “Nothing important. Don’t worry about them. You finally took first place—go back and rest. Let the other sects deal with their own mess.”

Lian Mu caught the implication in his words, her eyes flickering slightly. So, the Venerable Elders of the Four Great Sects all knew she had broken into Ying You’s Heart Realm Trial.

“Lian Mu, you actually stole Chief Disciple Ying’s Flying Swan Sword!” a disciple in the crowd exclaimed after watching the recording.

The crowd was stunned. Even the Flying Swan Sword had been taken… Could it be that Ying You’s injuries were caused by Lian Mu?

Then wouldn’t that make her the new number one on the Magnolia Ranking?

“Lian Mu, it’s a real shame you’re not the Chief Disciple. There’s never been a Second Seat who topped the Fivefold Cultivation Ranking.” A Crimson Sky Sect disciple tried to stir up trouble again, throwing shade at Guan Huailin with a mocking tone.

Lian Mu replied, “Whether I’m Chief Disciple or not, what’s it to you? This year, the Returning Immortal Sect’s Chief Sword Cultivator is none other than our Senior Brother Guan.”

Guan Huailin slowly looked up at her, eyes full of helplessness and sorrow. “Junior Sister…”

This time, he had truly been useless—leading the team the wrong way, causing everyone to stumble from start to finish.

“She’s not number one on the Magnolia Ranking yet,” Lu Feishuang said coolly. “The spirit jade token didn’t say Ying You was eliminated. In fact, she exited the Illusion Realm with us. The Pangu Illusion Realm didn’t acknowledge Lian Mu as the one who defeated him.”

“True enough,” Lian Mu smiled. “But I probably got third place. Wouldn’t you say so, Chief Disciple Gong?”

Everyone turned to look at Gong Rumei, suddenly realizing he hadn’t exited the Illusion Realm with the Chief team. Which meant… he had been eliminated before the Clear Thought Sect even picked the flower.

“Chief Disciple Gong, you…”

Gong Rumei’s face was like ice. He leaned against the wall, clutching his sword so tightly his knuckles turned white. After a long pause, he spat out, “You used underhanded tricks.”

Tang Wuxun immediately stepped in to defend him. “Victory always requires sacrifice. This was just one part of the Clear Thought Sect’s overall strategy.”

Xu Xianxing clicked his tongue. “One win and now it’s all about ‘strategy’? How do you explain getting wiped out in the previous rounds?”

Tang Wuxun: “…”

Come on, we’re all artifact refiners here. Can’t we show each other a little respect?

“Because my straightforward moves don’t concern you,” Lian Mu said with a sweet smile—killing her opponent wasn’t enough, she had to twist the knife too.

Gong Rumei gritted his teeth. “Then I’ll force you to use them.”

No sooner had he finished speaking than he raised his sword and charged at her.

Everyone: !!!

Just as his blade was about to strike Lian Mu, a flash of sword light intercepted him—a silver sword etched with crane patterns blocked his attack.

Guan Huailin stood in front of Lian Mu, facing him head-on. “Don’t touch my Junior Sister.”

Gong Rumei froze, surprised he’d dared to step up.

After all, when it came to dual-sword cultivators, the world only recognized the Gong family. Only they could produce truly formidable dual-sword wielders. For someone like Guan Huailin—a “wild” dual-sword cultivator—to challenge a Gong, it was like showing off carpentry in front of a master.

“Are you looking to die?” Gong Rumei pressed harder.

Guan Huailin’s brows furrowed slightly. Suddenly, his left sword twisted and stabbed backward, striking Gong Rumei’s shoulder. With a surge from his right hand, he sent him flying.

Gong Rumei barely managed to catch himself with his sword, disbelief written all over his face. “You took medicine too?”

His strength had surged in that instant.

Watching from the side, Lu Feishuang gave a half-smile. “Looks like he’s been hiding his strength all along. Gong Rumei underestimated him.”

Shen Wusang, however, lowered his gaze, frowning slightly. “Something’s off…”

No one had expected that Guan Huailin had been holding back. That humble, long-suffering act he’d put on before—it was all a ruse. He actually had the power to go toe-to-toe with Gong Rumei.

Seeing things spiraling out of control, the Clear Thought Sect’s Venerable Elder immediately called Gong Rumei back and sent Tang Wuxun to apologize.

Tang Wuxun, who had just been basking in glory in the Illusion Realm: “?”

This time, even Tang Wuxun had had enough. With a cold face, he turned on his heel and stormed off.

The Clear Thought Sect’s Venerable Elder: “…”

What happened to everyone after the Immortal Sect Grand Competition? They all came back completely changed!

Guan Huailin’s expression was grim as he spoke bluntly, “If it happens again, I won’t let you off.”

Xu Xianxing chimed in, “Who says Senior Brother Guan isn’t fit to be Chief Disciple? Say that again, I dare you.”

No one dared make another sound—not even the people from Crimson Sky Sect.

Lian Mu leaned over and whispered to Guan Huailin, “Senior Brother, if you’ve got the strength, don’t hold back. Otherwise, people will just keep walking all over you.”

The moment he saw her, Guan Huailin relaxed, his guarded look softening into a gentle smile.

He could tell that Lian Mu had deliberately provoked Gong Rumei to give him the chance to prove himself.

He had to admit, the moment he let go of all his worries, he felt a freedom and exhilaration like never before.

“Senior Brother, you’re only a few years older than us. Don’t carry the world on your shoulders,” Lian Mu said. “No matter which path you choose—right or wrong—we won’t blame you. After all, it’s your first time being Team Leader.”

Ji Mingyue added, “Honestly, sleeping in a bed of flowers is actually pretty nice.”

Bai Li Que agreed, “I think so too. If I could nap in our sect’s spiritual herb garden, I bet even my dreams would smell like flowers.”

Ji Mingyue shot back, “…Don’t go ruining our alchemy cultivators’ herb garden.”

Still unwilling to give up, Xu Xianxing asked, “Guess what I dreamed about?”

Wen Yun mocked him, “More of your old, tired stories? We’ve heard them a hundred times.”

Xu Xianxing stomped on his foot. “Heh, what do you know?”

Watching them joke and bicker, Guan Huailin felt a sense of peace he’d never known before. He turned to Lian Mu and said, “Junior Sister, thank you.”

Lian Mu patted him on the shoulder. “We’re from the same sect. We share the good times and the bad.”

Guan Huailin said, “We came in second this round and gathered a good haul of Spirit Materials. That’s worth celebrating. I’ll treat everyone to a meal in a few days. Junior Sister, when are you free?”

Lian Mu thought for a moment. “I probably won’t have time soon—still have a few things to take care of. How about we wait until we reach the next Illusion Realm site and meet up then?”

She had to figure out the Sword Contract on Ying You as soon as possible, and she couldn’t afford to delay her plans involving Fengyun Yi either.

“The next Illusion Realm is in the Shifang Nether Soil, near the edge of the Vermilion Bird South. We might have to head to Azure Profound Sect again,” Guan Huailin said. “The food there is bland, so let’s eat out together instead.”

By the looks of it, that day wasn’t far off.

Guan Huailin added, “When the time comes, you better be there.”

Lian Mu grinned, “Don’t worry—I’ll be the first to show up.”

A free meal? No way she was missing that.