Chapter 155: Barehanded Against the Blade
A Dream of Fleeting Life

“Huh? Venerable Elder Mei is stepping in personally? Lian Mu’s luck is unreal. Rumor has it that Mei, the Venerable Elder of the Crimson Sky Sect, created her own Drunken Immortal Sword Art and has never lost a challenge. Anyone who’s fought her ends up convinced of her strength. But Lian Mu’s just a second-seat sword cultivator—she’s really worth Mei’s time?”

“She probably didn’t even have time to take her medicine. Without the Ji Clan’s secret elixirs, she’s still just at the level of a Three Spiritual Root. She’s going to get wrecked.”

Beneath the Biyun Platform, all eyes were fixed on Lian Mu and Mei Chengyu, waiting for the match to begin.

“She…” Lu Feishuang narrowed her eyes. “Is she drunk?”

Lian Mu had just taken a swig of wine. At first, she stood firm, but after a few steps back, her stance turned unsteady.

“That doesn’t make sense,” Xu Xianxing said, puzzled. “Lian Mu can really hold her liquor. Last time we drank together, she downed a thousand cups without getting tipsy. How’s she drunk after just one sip this time?”

“Instead of asking that,” Bai Li Que said flatly, “maybe ask why Venerable Elder Mei made her drink before the match. That wine… it didn’t look ordinary.”

Ji Mingyue frowned slightly. “A Dream of Fleeting Life… that name sounds familiar. I think my master mentioned it once.”

Over on the Azure Profound Sect’s side, Ying You noticed the situation on the platform and raised a hand to summon Fengyun Yi.

“Did you bring any Sobriety Pills?”

Fengyun Yi blinked. “Why would I carry something like that around…”

Ying You pulled out his Team Leader badge. “Find a place and refine some Sobriety Pills. I’ll cover the cost.”

Fengyun Yi didn’t quite get what he was after, but did as told anyway. Nearby, Jiang Yuechen and Gu Qingyu exchanged confused glances.

On the platform, Mei Chengyu smiled as she looked at Lian Mu, not yet making a move. “Just praised you a moment ago, and now you can’t even stand straight?”

Lian Mu steadied her footing. Her sword flashed from its sheath, but the tip pointed downward as she used it to support herself. She closed her eyes briefly.

“…”

So dizzy.

Not the kind of dizziness from being drunk, but… flashes of images sped past her eyes, too fast to grasp. Every time she tried to focus on the details, a sharp ache throbbed in the back of her head.

This Venerable Elder’s wine—something was definitely off.

Lian Mu forced herself to stop chasing those fleeting visions. She raised her sword and pointed it at Mei. “Senior, make your move.”

Mei Chengyu charged forward with her sword. “Just don’t collapse before I’m done.”

As soon as she drew her blade, the crowd below caught sight of its gleaming green hue. Someone couldn’t help but laugh.

“She switched swords? That thing’s hideous!”

“No, it’s the same one,” said Yuan Huai, the top artifact refiner of the Azure Profound Sect. “But it’s been upgraded—from seventh grade to fourth.”

At his words, the crowd fell silent in shock.

An upgraded sword meant that Lian Mu’s weapon had a rare fluid grade—capable of evolving. To jump from seventh to fourth grade… she must’ve used a high-grade demonic beast crystal core.

“Wait, could she have gotten the Mirror Guardian Beast’s crystal core from the last match at the Returning Immortal Sect?” someone speculated.

High-grade demonic beast crystal cores were rare enough—but one from a beast in the Molting Stage? Practically priceless. So far, each of the Four Great Sects only possessed one. And yet, the Returning Immortal Sect had given theirs to a second-seat sword cultivator?

But a crystal core alone wasn’t enough. Upgrading a fluid-grade Spirit Artifact required a master-level artifact refiner. Someone powerful had to be backing Lian Mu.

Yuan Huai couldn’t help glancing in Xu Xianxing’s direction. “…”

Could it be him?

Xu Xianxing had managed to reverse-engineer a prototype of the Pearl-Seeking Device all on his own. Among his generation of artifact refiners, he was already considered a prodigy.

“Who would’ve thought the Returning Immortal Sect had such hidden dragons and crouching tigers? I thought their sect had long since…” Yuan Huai said.

“This generation of the Returning Immortal Sect may seem easy to deal with on the surface, but every one of them is a tough nut to crack,” Ying You replied, eyes fixed on the stage where Lian Mu was exchanging blows with Mei Chengyu. A slight frown creased his brow.

“Their team members are either from secluded clans we can’t get intel on, or they’re complete unknowns with no background to trace. The only ones we can confirm as scions of true Immortal Sect families are Bai Li Que and Wen Yun,” Ying You continued. “Bai Li Que always lingers in Jiang Yuechen’s shadow—not much of a threat. But Wen Yun is from the foremost body cultivator clan. None of the other body cultivators in this tournament can match him. He’s a real problem.”

“The next round in the Illusion Realm—we’ll need to tread carefully.”

Yuan Huai said, “It’s that mysterious Lian Mu we really need to watch out for. It’s not just her—the sword she wields… there’s something off about it. I can’t quite put it into words, but it’s eerie.”

He glanced toward the Biyun Platform, then scanned the expressions of the other artifact refiners. They were all focused on the sword’s advancement in grade. That made him start to doubt himself.

Was it just his imagination?

When Lian Mu drew her sword just now, he could’ve sworn he sensed a trace of demonic beast aura.

“Hey, Xu Xianxing—was that sword of hers refined by you? Have you already worked with Spirit Artifacts approaching the roaming tier?”

Xu Xianxing was watching the match intently when Yuan Huai cut in. He turned around and grinned. “Aren’t you the famed successor of Master Yuan Gui? I’m just a no-name refiner from the sticks—wouldn’t dare show off in front of you.”

Yuan Huai: “…”

Xu Xianxing clearly wasn’t going to answer. Yuan Huai had no choice but to drop it for now and turn his attention back to the match.

On the Biyun Platform, Mei Chengyu and Lian Mu had already exchanged three moves.

Even in her drunken state, Mei Chengyu’s footwork was steady. But her movements were completely erratic—her longsword danced wildly, seemingly without any pattern. At first glance, it looked like utter chaos.

Lian Mu was forced to the edge of the platform. Just as she was about to fall, she gathered spiritual energy in her palm and drove her scabbard into the ground, breaking through the surface by force.

She caught Mei Chengyu’s sideways strike with her left hand, twisted her blade through the narrow space beneath Mei Chengyu’s arm, and sent Wealth Bringer flying. Then she stepped onto the upright scabbard, launched herself into the air, flipped over, and landed just in time to catch the sword by its hilt.

The force of that step completely shattered the scabbard, leaving a dent at the edge of the Biyun Platform.

Before Lian Mu could even turn around, a gust of wind struck her back. She instinctively dodged to the side, only to realize the wind was a feint—Mei Chengyu’s sword was waiting right there for her to run into.

In a split-second reaction, Lian Mu grabbed Mei Chengyu’s sword with her bare hand.

Mei Chengyu’s eyes widened in surprise. “You… really are a fearless little calf.”

“Young one, you’re not a body cultivator. Catching a sword barehanded is a very bad habit,” Mei Chengyu said, twisting her wrist to force Lian Mu to let go. “If it had been anyone else, that hand of yours would be useless now.”

Lian Mu took the chance to put some distance between them. “I knew Venerable Elder wouldn’t cripple my hand—that’s the only reason I dared.”

Mei Chengyu chuckled. “On the dueling stage, you’re supposed to forget who your opponent is and fight with all you’ve got. That’s the rule for sword cultivators. The fact that you’re bold enough to factor in identity makes you smarter than those stiff-headed sword nuts.”

“And didn’t Venerable Elder also go easy on me because I’m a junior?” Lian Mu said, catching the overhead strike. “If you’d really forgotten identity, I probably would’ve lost on the first move.”

“I like you, kid. Whose disciple are you?” Mei Chengyu asked, even as her strikes grew faster.

“Murong Yi is my master,” Lian Mu replied.

“He taught you to catch people’s swords with your bare hands?”

Lian Mu hesitated for a moment, then said nothing and continued to parry.

Meanwhile, high above, Murong Yi—watching the match—quietly closed his eyes. “…”

The other Venerable Elders all turned to look at him, their gazes meaningful. “Murong, was that your doing?”

Murong Yi’s face was expressionless. “…It wasn’t me.”

He wanted to know too—where had that little rascal picked up all this bizarre nonsense? He’d already thought her habit of casually tossing away her sword was outrageous enough. Who would’ve guessed she’d dare to catch a blade barehanded today?

Three Heavenly Spiritual Roots, and she thinks she’s all that?

Shang Liu’s expression remained calm as he looked down at the two figures exchanging chaotic blows. “That crazy woman hasn’t changed a bit in ten years. It’s bad enough she loves to drink, but she even forces liquor on the juniors before a match. Just one mouthful of that stuff, and your Returning Immortal Sect’s second-seat sword cultivator has already lost half her strength.”

“Still, even with only half her strength, to be able to go toe-to-toe with Cheng Yu—that’s not something just anyone can do,” sighed the Venerable Elder of Crimson Sky Sect. “In some ways, they’re very alike. Cheng Yu must have noticed it too. If Lian Mu were in Crimson Sky Sect, Cheng Yu would definitely take her as a disciple. What a pity.”

Murong Yi: “…” Did they think he was dead or something?

Murong Yi said coldly, “Then go ahead and keep pitying her.”

“Lian Mu really is a lot like that crazy woman,” Shang Liu continued. “Her moves are a mess, completely undisciplined. That woman’s always drunk, so chaos is expected. But Lian Mu’s like this even when she’s sober. Doesn’t the Returning Immortal Sect teach their disciples swordsmanship?”

Murong Yi shot back, “That’s none of Azure Profound Sect’s business. You’d do better worrying about how your so-called Sword Bone Genius is going to survive the next Illusion Realm.”

“You’re right, I overstepped,” Shang Liu replied without the slightest change in expression. “But don’t forget what the Returning Immortal Sect once promised.”

The other Venerable Elders looked confused, clearly not following the conversation.

Murong Yi narrowed his eyes. “So you’re saying, in the next Illusion Realm…”

“I don’t know. We’ll see,” Shang Liu said with a faint smile. “I’m just giving you a reminder. You, and the Returning Immortal Sect behind you.”

Murong Yi’s smile faded, his gaze darkening. The hand hidden in his sleeve clenched tightly as he muttered, “I don’t need your reminder.”

With that, the sword cultivator Venerable Elders of Azure Profound Sect and Returning Immortal Sect parted on bad terms, leaving only the people from Crimson Sky Sect and Clear Thought Sect hovering in the sky.

On the platform below, Mei Chengyu had tried several times to force Lian Mu to show her true strength, but Lian Mu slipped away each time like a slippery eel.

Two drunkards brawling on stage, neither of whom liked to follow proper sword forms—every move they made defied expectations. But the chaos was so overwhelming, there was nothing useful to be learned from watching.

“Why are you dodging me?” Mei Chengyu asked.

Lian Mu: “…”

She didn’t know why, but every time Wealth Bringer and Mei Chengyu’s sword clashed, strange images flickered through her mind, disrupting her focus. That’s why she kept dodging.

“Venerable Elder, I can’t keep going.”

Mei Chengyu replied, “Your trial isn’t over yet.”

She thrust her sword toward Lian Mu’s waist, but Lian Mu twisted away. In the process, the bell-shaped alchemy furnace hanging at her waist fell to the ground.

The bell hit the floor with a crisp chime.

Mei Chengyu looked down, her hand pausing mid-motion. “That bell—where did it come from?”

Realizing the alchemy furnace had fallen, Lian Mu quickly scooped it up and stuffed it into her spatial pouch.

“It was a gift from my Master, Venerable Elder,” she said in a voice low enough for only the two of them to hear.

“You’re not just…” Mei Chengyu blinked, then frowned slightly as if something clicked. “Impossible. He’s been dead for years. How could someone as young as you be his disciple…”

“Venerable Elder Mei, my Master isn’t dead. He’s alive and well,” Lian Mu said, sensing that Mei Chengyu might be onto something and instinctively hiding the truth about Feng Tianche. “It’s my Master’s Master who was that grandmaster. As for the rest… I’d appreciate it if Venerable Elder could keep it to yourself.”

Mei Chengyu composed herself and withdrew her sword. “I see.”

“That’s enough for today,” she said. “Next time, don’t be late again.”

Finally, she let her go.

Lian Mu beamed. “Many thanks for your guidance, Venerable Elder.”

She was about to sheath her sword when she remembered—she’d crushed the scabbard underfoot. With no other choice, she shoved Wealth Bringer into her spatial pouch.

Watching her struggle to stuff the sword in, Mei Chengyu fell silent. “…”

The disciples below were completely baffled. “Why did it end so suddenly?”

Just moments ago, Venerable Elder Mei had insisted the trial couldn’t end yet. Then the two started fighting, and before long, they just… stopped?

Mei Chengyu turned to face the gathered disciples. “This young friend Lian Mu—I’ve tested her myself. She has rightfully earned first place in this trial.”