Chapter 28: Provocation—She’s Too Arrogant!

Today was a free sparring session. Early in the morning, the sparring arena was already packed with disciples.

Among them were some familiar faces, but most were strangers to Lian Mu.

The arena was vast and divided into several sections. Some disciples had already started dueling, swords flashing as they clashed.

“Look! It’s Senior Sister Luo!”

“She’s amazing! I wonder if she’ll finally win against Senior Brother Zuo this time. They’ve already fought three matches to a draw!”

A crowd gathered around one of the sparring rings, watching as two figures clashed before swiftly separating to adjust their stances.

Elsewhere, some disciples were flying through the air on their swords, exchanging blows with practiced skill.

After watching for a while, Lian Mu realized that not everyone here was a new disciple.

She maneuvered through the crowd until she finally reached an open space, where she spotted Guan Shize nearby.

Guan Shize noticed her as well and walked over, lowering his voice. “You actually showed up today instead of skipping class? Something on your mind?”

Lian Mu: “…”

“There are a lot of people today, and many unfamiliar faces.”

Guan Shize explained, “Today is free sparring session. Senior brothers and sisters who joined earlier also come to participate. We new disciples can use this as a chance to observe and learn from them.”

Lian Mu was uninterested. “Oh.”

“…Oh?”

Guan Shize was confused. “Aren’t you curious about the senior disciples’ duels?”

“Not really.” Lian Mu had already taken a look around. “I’m just a little tired.”

She had stayed up all night hunting magic beasts, to the point that her hands had cramped up. By the time she returned, she was barely able to keep her eyes open, but since there was a class today, she rushed over anyway.

She hadn’t expected the session to be a free sparring event involving the entire peak, with no elders in sight.

Seeing that no familiar instructors were present, Lian Mu felt reassured. She bid farewell to Guan Shize, found a comfortable spot, and leaned against a tree to take a nap.

Meanwhile, high above, a group of elders observed the disciples’ matches, all quite satisfied with what they saw.

Murong Yi was among them. Watching his disciples eagerly engaging in duels, he felt gratified.

Especially Guan Shize—despite skipping class twice in the past, he had been performing well ever since he was beaten up. A promising talent.

Murong Yi turned to another elder beside him and said, “They’re improving by the day. This batch of new disciples is quite good—even the ones in the back rows aren’t far behind.”

Just as he finished speaking, a thought struck him.

Scanning the sparring grounds again, he failed to spot a certain delinquent disciple.

Just as he assumed she had skipped class again, he caught a glimpse of a familiar face… fast asleep under a tree.

Murong Yi: “……”

Alright, at least she bothered to show up for class today.

“Is she one of your disciples too?” A nearby talisman cultivator elder chuckled. “Looks like she had a good dream. It’s rare to see such a relaxed disciple on Hanlai Peak.”

Murong Yi didn’t deny it and merely said lightly, “She has some skill, but her only flaw is laziness.”

She never took sparring seriously, always dodging around just to conserve energy.

If Guan Shize was a proper and promising talent, then Lian Mu was a wildly unruly but unexpectedly thriving… rogue seedling.

An alchemy cultivator elder commented, “Laziness is easy to fix. With your sword cultivator methods, just give her a beating.”

Murong Yi: “……” Do they think he hasn’t tried?

No, it’s just that Lian Mu was too slippery and thick-skinned. Beating her made no difference whatsoever.

Every time he got mad enough to strike, she slipped away like an eel. After a few rounds under his hand, she even gained experience—she could now take his moves head-on.

Just from her reflexes alone, Murong Yi could tell that if she was willing to train seriously, she wouldn’t be inferior to anyone.

But Lian Mu simply refused. As long as Murong Yi didn’t push her, she would slack off as much as possible, as if executing one extra move would cost her life—textbook level bare-minimum effort.

Since so many people had gathered today, the elders discussed and decided to put some pressure on all the sword cultivator disciples, using this as an opportunity to test their abilities.

After reaching a decision, Murong Yi immediately flew his sword to the center of the sparring grounds.

The disciples, seeing an elder arrive, quickly stepped forward to greet him, while those still engaged in sparring hurriedly unleashed their finishing moves to wrap up their fights.

Murong Yi announced, “In a few days, the new disciples will have their entrance re-examinations, and the selection for the sect’s tournament spots will soon begin. Since everyone is already here today, the new disciples may pick a senior brother or sister to spar with for guidance.”

The moment he finished speaking, the new disciples immediately grew excited, while the senior disciples remained indifferent.

Murong Yi left them to it and, before leaving, glanced under a tree—Lian Mu was still asleep.

Picking up a pebble, he flicked it from his fingertips, striking Lian Mu right in the forehead.

Lian Mu, who had been dreaming of single-handedly storming the Star-Plucking Tower and getting rich overnight, suddenly felt a sharp pain on her forehead. She opened her eyes, saw nothing, and then… closed them again.

Murong Yi from a distance: “……”

Expressionless, Murong Yi walked over, grabbed Lian Mu by the collar, and lifted her up.

Lian Mu opened her eyes again and saw Murong Yi’s face: “……”

For a moment, she thought she was in a nightmare. Seeing Murong Yi about to raise his fist, she snapped to attention and immediately stood up straight. “Elder, what brings you here?”

Murong Yi: “If I hadn’t come, were you planning to sleep here all day?”

Lian Mu looked up at the warm sunlight and tried to argue, “No, I’ve only slept for less than half an hour.”

Murong Yi pointed at the sparring disciples. “Pick one.”

Lian Mu hesitated. “This… isn’t appropriate, is it? Elder, I’m still young, I’m not in a hurry to find a Dao companion.”

Murong Yi smiled. “…I meant pick one to spar with.”

Lian Mu wanted to protest further, but Murong Yi shot her a look, and she had no choice but to scurry off to the sparring ground to find an opponent.

Of course, she found none.

The senior disciples weren’t interested in fighting new disciples and paired off among themselves.

A few lucky new disciples managed to get a match, but they were instantly defeated within a few moves—utterly outclassed.

This was the way of sword cultivators—never going easy on any opponent, not even their own juniors. They only recognized strength, not status.

With no opponent to fight, Lian Mu blended into the crowd and joined Guan Shize in watching others spar.

“The fifth match already, and still no winner. Senior Brother Zuo and Senior Sister Luo are evenly matched—I wonder who will take the second sword cultivator spot for the next sect tournament.”

“I think Senior Brother Zuo is about to lose. Senior Sister Luo has the upper hand.”

“Let’s wait and see. I’ve heard Senior Brother Zuo’s strength surges when he’s on the brink of defeat. The outcome isn’t set yet.”

On the central sparring platform, a senior sister was locked in an intense battle with a senior brother.

Lian Mu and Guan Shize also watched the fight, but soon they got sidetracked and started whispering about something else.

“How exactly does the sect tournament work?” Lian Mu muttered to Guan Shize. “A few of my friends keep mentioning it.”

Guan Shize was surprised that Lian Mu didn’t even know this. He explained, “The sect tournament is a competition jointly hosted by the Four Great Sects every fifty years to encourage exchange and sparring among disciples.”

“There are seven rounds in total. Each sect sends a team of 505 disciples, including the top five cultivators—usually the most talented disciples recruited in the past hundred years. Besides them, there are three secondary leaders who guide the teams, usually body cultivators or sword cultivators.”

Lian Mu pointed at the sparring ground. “So they’re fighting for a secondary leader spot?”

Guan Shize nodded. “Yes. The official selection hasn’t started yet, but by now, everyone has a rough idea of who’s strong enough.”

“The selection for the next tournament will begin after we new disciples officially enter the sect, to give everyone a chance. But the top five have already been chosen.” Guan Shize’s expression was full of admiration. “They all have heavenly or single spiritual roots—true prodigies.”

Determined, he said, “I hope I can pass the re-exam and join the next tournament, even if I’m just part of the main team. I want to contribute to our sect’s honor.”

“We have so many heavenly spiritual roots. Maybe we can win first place,” Lian Mu remarked.

Guan Shize gave her a meaningful look. “First place… is too difficult. Our Gui Xian Sect has placed last for nine consecutive tournaments. Not to mention the scheming Wunian Sect, we can’t even match Chixiao Sect, let alone Qingxuan Sect.”

Lian Mu: “Are they that strong?”

“Qingxuan Sect is incredibly strong. Their new disciples always have higher talent than the other sects, and they’ve held the top position among the Four Great Sects for 400 years. Chixiao Sect has many body cultivators and powerful backing, ranking just below Qingxuan.”

Guan Shize continued, “As for Wunian Sect, they used to be last until we took their place. Then they started playing dirty tricks and dragged us down with them. Chixiao Sect also teams up with Wunian Sect to rob us midway and cause trouble behind the scenes.”

Lian Mu shook her head. “Those two sects are the worst.”

For years, the sect tournament rankings had barely changed—Qingxuan Sect always first, Chixiao Sect second, while Wunian Sect and Gui Xian Sect took turns at the bottom. Gui Xian Sect lost more often, constantly targeted by Wunian Sect and raided by Chixiao Sect like a fat sheep.

The two of them were whispering away, completely immersed in their discussion, when the match in the arena finally ended.

Zuo Jue did have a final burst of strength, unleashing a sword strike at full power—but he was still slightly weaker. Luo Qianxue deflected it with two moves.

Cheers erupted from the crowd as Luo Qianxue sheathed her sword and respectfully thanked her opponent.

Zuo Jue, unfazed by his loss, calmly put away his sword and clasped his hands in salute with a smile. “Thank you for the lesson, fellow cultivator. Let’s spar again someday.”

The crowd quieted for a moment. Then, suddenly, a voice rang out, loud and clear—

“These two are both too weak.”

Luo Qianxue and Zuo Jue: “?”

Everyone else: “……?”

A stunned silence fell over the arena.

Lian Mu, still engrossed in conversation with Guan Shize, suddenly noticed the quiet.

She stopped talking and glanced at Guan Shize, her eyes asking: What just happened?

Guan Shize was equally clueless. But since nobody else dared to speak, he didn’t either. He just shook his head and replied with his eyes: I have no idea.

However, in the eyes of others, their exchanged glances took on a different meaning, as if they were looking down on the senior disciples on stage.

Luo Qianxue looked over at them. “New disciples?”

Lian Mu replied, “Yes. Senior Sister, do you need something?”

The crowd collectively gasped.

“Hiss!”

This new disciple was way too arrogant!

Guan Shize sensed something was off and wanted to stop Lian Mu from speaking. She always spoke carelessly, her voice cold and indifferent, carrying an unintentional hint of provocation.

But just as he uttered a single syllable, Lian Mu had already thrown out a full sentence.

In an instant, the gazes around them shifted.

Yet Lian Mu remained oblivious, staring straight at Luo Qianxue, waiting for her next words.

Luo Qianxue was provoked by Lian Mu’s audacious tone and frowned slightly. “Come here. Let’s have a match.”

Zuo Jue turned to Guan Shize. “Are you her companion? Let’s go to another dueling arena.”

Guan Shize: “…”

What the hell just happened?

He couldn’t figure it out and turned to Lian Mu beside him, but she didn’t move.

Lian Mu said, “Senior Sister, go find someone else.” Why was she suddenly challenging her for no reason?

Guan Shize also didn’t move. He followed Lian Mu—if she wasn’t going, then neither was he.

Luo Qianxue thought she was deliberately looking down on her and laughed in anger. “What? Afraid to spar with me? Got no guts?”

Lian Mu replied without hesitation, “Nope.”

Guan Shize immediately followed suit and said to Zuo Jue, “Senior Brother, me neither.”

He wasn’t about to brawl with his senior brother for no reason. He was still recovering from getting beaten up by Elder Murong last time.

Might as well just suffer a little embarrassment and be done with it.

Zuo Jue: “…”

Guan Shize feigned composure, but the senior brothers and sisters across from them were practically glaring daggers at them.

Honestly, being shameless felt pretty good. No wonder Lian Mu always lived so carefreely.

Luo Qianxue: “…!”

Lian Mu didn’t want unnecessary conflict with her senior sister. “Senior Sister, I’m busy today. I’ve got urgent matters, so you should find someone else.”

After finishing, she grabbed Guan Shize and immediately made a run for it.

The gathered disciples turned to look at Luo Qianxue. Her expression wasn’t great. “…”

It seemed inevitable that these two would clash again.

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Murong Yi had just finished discussing the sect tournament with a senior talisman cultivator when he glanced back and noticed that no one was sparring in the dueling arena anymore—everyone had gathered around the center.

Curious, he flew over on his sword and hid in a secluded spot to observe.

And then he saw Luo Qianxue challenging Lian Mu.

For a moment, Murong Yi doubted his own ears. “?”

Lian Mu picked the strongest opponent right away?

That didn’t seem like her usual lazy style.

He continued watching and quickly realized—of course, it wasn’t Lian Mu who initiated the challenge. Luo Qianxue was the one who called her out first.

This Lian Mu… she just couldn’t go anywhere without stirring up trouble.

Murong Yi had no intention of intervening. Instead, he sat back to watch, curious to see what confidence Lian Mu had to provoke Luo Qianxue.

But what he didn’t expect was that Lian Mu didn’t care about saving face at all. She outright admitted defeat in front of everyone.

And Guan Shize even followed her lead.

At this moment, Murong Yi had only one thought: This troublemaker is corrupting a good seedling.

Thinking back to how a large number of disciples had suddenly skipped class to nap and wander around Yinxiang Peak, Murong Yi suddenly realized something.

Wasn’t that exactly what Lian Mu always did?

“…”

So this troublemaker had already been leading others astray, and even Guan Shize wasn’t spared.

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