Chapter 200: Heavenly Secret Pavilion – The Spirit Eye Sees Destiny

Three fireballs transformed into fiery birds, forcefully intercepting the Golden-eyed Woman’s water spirit technique before charging toward the water mirror and evaporating it. One of the fireballs split into dozens of flames, sealing off the sky and cutting off any escape route.

Even if she used the Wind Shadow Art to slip through the fire wall with the wind, the searing heat would still injure her.

The Golden-eyed Woman took a few steps back, finding herself completely surrounded.

She could no longer rely on her Spirit Artifacts. With a Spirit Beast present, the use of Spirit Artifacts was severely restricted. A single misstep could result in significant damage—too costly a risk.

The Golden-eyed Woman quickly assessed the situation. She considered breaking through the encirclement using pure spiritual force. It would be a heavy drain, but she had no other choice.

Just as she was about to unleash her spiritual energy, a sharp pain suddenly stabbed through her abdomen. She couldn’t gather her power at all.

Ji Mingyue said, “I told you not to move recklessly. This poison doesn’t care who you are.”

The poison had entered her dantian, suppressing her spiritual energy. If she tried to force it, the poison would flow with her energy into her meridians, spreading throughout her body.

Ji Mingyue had hidden a poison called “Spirit Seal” within the Wood Spirit Vine. Once inside the body, it blocked the spiritual channels. No matter how powerful the cultivator, there was no escaping it.

The Wood Spirit Vine was only used in dire circumstances. Ji Mingyue had hidden the poison there as her final trump card.

The Golden-eyed Woman realized what had happened. She narrowed her eyes and said slowly, “You carry such a strange poison, yet you’re unaffected… Are you from Mist Ridge?”

“Good guess. And by the way, this poison isn’t fatal, but there’s no quick cure. It has to fade naturally. I’m afraid for at least half a month, you won’t be able to use any spiritual energy.”

The Golden-eyed Woman gritted her teeth. “You got lucky.”

She had thought they were just a couple of kids. Who would’ve guessed both were freakishly talented, each with their own deadly tricks.

She gave up on counterattacking and tried to flee on foot. But as soon as she took a step, she was blocked by a wall of flame formed by the Thousand Forms Flame. This time, the fire wasn’t just in the air—flames had ignited on the ground as well, forming a ring that trapped her completely.

Lian Mu sheathed her sword. “I told you from the start, with a bit of trickery, we might just scrape out a win. You looked down on me. But everyone who’s ever underestimated me has paid the price. You’re no exception.”

From the beginning, Lian Mu had never intended to face her head-on. The Golden-eyed Woman was a formidable artifact refiner—every move she made summoned high-grade Spirit Artifacts, and her cultivation far outstripped Lian Mu’s. Fighting her directly would’ve been pure stupidity.

But this golden-eyed woman had been too confident in her own strength, so much so that she didn’t bother to hide the Four-sided Crystal Box.

Though she kept it tucked in her sleeve, Lian Mu had sensed the black aura leaking from the Demon-Locking Bag through Green Bean. Once their minds connected, she slipped the black mist into the woman’s sleeve and pinpointed the crystal box’s location.

Since the woman thought she was just a foolish brat, Lian Mu decided to play the part—acting like an arrogant child who didn’t know her limits, all to divert her attention.

The crystal box imprisoning Ji Mingyue was of a very high grade—Wealth Bringer’s sword aura alone couldn’t break it. But with the power of her Metal Spiritual Root, she could give it a shot.

After all, the Metal Spiritual Root was the chosen root for artifact forging. When combined with fire spiritual energy, it could mimic the effect of a forging platform’s melting process. Even if it only lasted a moment, that would be enough.

She infused the black mist into the crystal box to send Ji Mingyue a message. She trusted Ji Mingyue would react in time and escape.

“I underestimated you,” the Golden-eyed Woman sneered. “You’ve got some skill.”

In the distance, a group of people in dark robes arrived—it was the Flying Sea Shadow Guards. At the same time, Bai Su and Bai Lingque descended from the sky. Bai Su was carrying a man, crippled and unconscious, his three eyes tightly shut.

“But even if you beat me today by sheer luck,” the Golden-eyed Woman said coldly, “I won’t let this go. One day, I’ll come back—and you will talk.”

Just as she finished speaking, Bai Su landed gracefully and grabbed her by the collar. “So you really lost to her. With power like that, you’ve got a lot of nerve making threats.”

The Golden-eyed Woman said, “Bai Su, you can’t kill me.”

“I know,” Bai Su replied. “This is just one of your avatars. But as far as I know, when an avatar is seriously injured, the main body suffers too. Now that you’re in my hands, I hope you’re ready for some pain.”

The Golden-eyed Woman said, “You can protect her for now, but not forever. As long as our Young Pavilion Master remains missing, the Weisheng Family will keep hunting her.”

Bai Su said, “What happens later isn’t my concern. But while she’s in the Flying Sea Pavilion, she’s our guest. And we will protect her.”

Lian Mu wasn’t particularly concerned. Aside from going out to earn money, she usually stayed within the sect. Did they really think they could stir trouble in one of the Four Great Sects?

Still… why were they so certain she had seen the person they were looking for?

She quickly sifted through her memories, and a suspicion began to form in her mind.

The Flying Sea Shadow Guards took away the Golden-eyed Woman and the three-eyed man. Even if it was just an avatar, she was in for several rounds of torment.

Bai Su looked over at them. Seeing that Ji Mingyue and Green Bean were both unharmed, he let out a breath of relief. “You’re both okay?”

“I’m fine,” Lian Mu replied. The injuries on her body had already been healed by the Wood Spirit Vine. “They seemed to know you. Do you know where they’re from?”

Bai Su’s gaze turned somber. After a pause, he said, “From the eastern shore of the Azure Dragon Sea, where the Spirit Eye sees through heaven and earth. They’re from the Heavenly Secret Pavilion.”

“Heavenly Secret Pavilion? The most mysterious of the Two Pavilions and One Tower?” Ji Mingyue asked.

Bai Su nodded. “Yes. The people of the Heavenly Secret Pavilion all belong to the Spirit Eye Clan. It’s said that those born with a golden eye on their forehead can glimpse the secrets of fate. And those with both eyes golden… can see through a person’s weaknesses.”

“Heavenly Secret Pavilion has always stayed out of the power struggles among rogue cultivators. They came to Flying Sea Pavilion before, asking me about someone, but I turned them down. I didn’t expect them to come back again. That’s not like them at all… Did you offend them somehow?”

“No,” Lian Mu replied. “But it might have something to do with someone I met once. He had a third eye on his forehead—also a talisman cultivator who told fortunes.”

“I only met him once in passing. Just a stranger on the road.”

She couldn’t even recall his face now, let alone where he might be.

Bai Su frowned. “Whether you’ve met him or not, don’t tell them anything. Getting tangled up with the Heavenly Secret Pavilion is never a good thing.”

Lian Mu nodded slightly. “Understood.”

“This time, it was our Flying Sea Pavilion’s fault for poor oversight. We appreciate your understanding,” Bai Su said. “As compensation, I’ll give you a Flying Sea Divine Token. From now on, whether I’m here or not, you can bring this token to seek help from Flying Sea Pavilion. Whatever it is, we’ll do our utmost to assist.”

Lian Mu accepted it without changing expression. Truthfully, she wanted to say they were planning to make a big score and disappear—chances were slim they’d ever be back.

But since the money hadn’t come in yet, Lian Mu had to play along like she’d be a regular visitor. She nodded solemnly. “You’re too kind, Pavilion Master Bai. It was nothing, really.”

“Pavilion Master Bai, about the final match of the Beast Fighting Arena—what do you think we should do next?” Now that everyone was back, Lian Mu returned to the main issue.

What she needed most right now was Refined Jade, not some Divine Token.

Bai Su recalled the matter. “Your last match wasn’t finished. Now that General Bean has returned, why not rest for a couple of days and then redo the final round?”

Lian Mu hesitated for a moment, then decided to tell the truth. “Mm… That might not be possible.”

“Why not?”

“Gong Yu’s Spirit Pet is dead.”

Its head had been eaten. Not even Flying Sea Pavilion could bring it back.

Bai Su froze, silent for a long moment.

“That flame beast… is dead?”

An Extreme-Grade Flame Beast—only she and Bai Lingque in the entire Flying Sea Pavilion had the strength to kill one. How could it…

“Strictly speaking, I broke the rules,” Lian Mu said. “The situation was urgent. To prevent it from escaping and hurting others, I killed it. Gong Yu was also affected—his life or death is uncertain. He was your arena’s star, and I killed his Spirit Pet without permission. You’re not going to hold that against me, are you?”

The flame beast had lost control early and even turned on Gong Yu. That incident was definitely connected to those two from the Heavenly Secret Pavilion.

Bai Lingque: “…”

She was clearly doing it on purpose. If you’re going to kill it, just kill it—why make a show of it?

Bai Lingque felt like she was deliberately trying to provoke him, especially since he had always supported Gong Yu.

Bai Su came back to her senses. “You did it for everyone’s safety. Gong Yu failed to control his Spirit Pet and nearly caused harm. A little punishment is only fair.”

Besides, he had been defending Linghu Meng all this time—this could be considered karma.

Still, now that his Spirit Pet was dead, the Beast Fighting Arena would have to put in serious effort to find another beast master to hold the fort.

Bai Su’s expression remained calm. In her eyes, this outcome was already acceptable.

Compared to Gong Yu, she cared more about the Beast Fighting Arena’s reputation. Beast masters could be replaced, but once the arena’s name was tainted, the losses would be immeasurable.

“Gong Yu likely won’t be able to compete again for a while. You were evenly matched in two rounds, and you’ve already proven yourself his equal—perhaps even his superior. I believe no one in the Beast Fighting Arena would dare challenge that,” Bai Su said.

“So you mean I won?” Lian Mu asked.

“That’s right. Tomorrow, I’ll have someone announce the result to everyone. Congratulations, little friend—you’ve officially taken the top spot in the Beast Fighting Arena’s advancement tournament. From now on, everyone here will remember the name ‘General Bean.’”

“Rankings don’t matter. When can I claim my prize?” Lian Mu asked.

“When the tournament ends, you can use your first-place token to enter the Treasure Pavilion and exchange it for your reward. After this battle, I doubt anyone will dare challenge you again. You can rest easy until the tournament concludes.”

Lian Mu thought for a moment and said, “About that double reward you promised—can I change it? I don’t need two sets of high-grade Refined Jade. One is enough.”

“What would you like instead?” Bai Su asked.

“Sword-forging Spirit Materials,” Lian Mu said. “Around first-grade. I’ll make a list for you.”

Bai Lingque couldn’t help but glance at her: “…”

First-grade Spirit Materials? That’s asking for a lot. Judging by her tone, she definitely wasn’t going to ask for just one or two. Some rare first-grade materials were worth more than the top prize of the tournament.

But Bai Su didn’t mind. Since she had promised personally, she would see it through. “Very well.”