Chapter 58: There’s Always Someone Stronger — Gathering of the Talented

Early the next morning, all disciples participating in the Immortal Sect Grand Tournament were to gather at Cold Arrival Peak.

Lian Mu had dreamt all night—slaying magical beasts until dawn. When she got up, she could barely tell dream from reality, only snapping out of it when Green Bean pinched her.

After packing her things, Lian Mu stepped out. Ever since messing with that guy last night, things had been much quieter. The ground was blanketed in white—apparently, it had snowed again through the night.

On the narrow path leading to the other peaks, there were footprints of varying depth, already lightly covered by fresh snow—must have been left a while ago.

There was still an hour until the gathering. Lian Mu walked while chewing on a Spirit-Replenishing Pill, completely unhurried.

Today was even colder than before. The surrounding bamboo had all been coated in a layer of frost. Yet the bamboo hut diagonally across from hers remained untouched—not even the roof had any snow.

The person from before was probably back.

Out of curiosity, Lian Mu glanced over a couple more times—on the stone steps in front of that hut, someone had placed a snowman, barely palm-sized.

Lian Mu was just passing by and normally didn’t care for such things, but this snowman was truly hideous. Its crooked shape and misshapen features were such an assault on the eyes that she couldn’t ignore it.

She bent down, scooped up some snow, and casually crafted a proper snowman, placing it next to the ugly one in stark contrast—a blatant show of her superior sculpting skills.

Feeling quite satisfied, she clapped the snow off her hands and moved on.

—

Cold Arrival Peak — a sea of people.

All disciples were required to wear their sect uniforms today. The crowd could be roughly split into four colors: sky-blue for Chi Xiao Sect, white for Qing Xuan Sect, green for Gui Xian Sect, and yellow for Wu Nian Sect.

Lian Mu spotted the Gui Xian Sect disciples at a glance and quickly blended in.

The three second-seat disciples from Gui Xian Sect included two sword cultivators and one talisman cultivator. The other sword cultivator was Luo Qianxue, while Lian Mu didn’t know the talisman cultivator. He seemed cold and distant, clearly disliking interaction with sword cultivators. After a quick greeting, he rejoined the group of talisman users.

Guan Shize was there too, part of the formation team. Unfortunately, he’d been randomly assigned to the team with the second-seat talisman cultivator and couldn’t be in Lian Mu’s group, though he still managed to chat with her beforehand.

After the second-seat disciples and formation teams entered, it was time for each sect’s chief disciple to appear. The elders of the four major sects were seated on the platform, and at the command, the processions began, led by Gui Xian Sect’s chief disciple, as was customary.

Since they were from her own sect, Lian Mu didn’t pay them much attention. After Xu Xianxing and the others completed the formalities, they joined the Gui Xian Sect’s second-seaters.

“Senior Sister,” Xu Xianxing greeted, exchanging a look with Luo Qianxue before standing next to Lian Mu.

“You’re here early today,” he patted her shoulder. “That’s rare.”

Lian Mu: “……”

Ji Mingyue stood on her right and whispered, asking how long the effect of her new pill lasted. Wen Yun squeezed in next to her as well, leaving Bai Li Que no choice but to stand behind.

Guan Shize, who was awkwardly squeezed out: “……” Where was he supposed to stand?

The four chief disciples had surrounded Lian Mu completely. When Guan Huailin arrived and saw the scene, he was genuinely surprised.

“Junior Sister,” he approached, “I didn’t expect the second-seat sword cultivator to be you. You’ve grown even stronger.”

Before the tournament, he’d been busy with other things. He only knew Luo Qianxue had made second-seat, but not who the other was. Seeing the lineup today, it was all familiar faces.

Lian Mu replied modestly, “I can’t compare to Senior Brother’s natural talent.”

Guan Huailin smiled warmly, “There’s no need to be polite between us. It seems you’re already acquainted with the other four chief disciples—that’s good. I was worried there’d be friction, but it seems I was overthinking it.”

Lian Mu nodded. She wasn’t quite sure what he meant, but nodding always worked.

For some reason, she couldn’t shake the feeling that this senior brother… was kind of putting on an act?

Not exactly fake, but more like he wore a polite mask whenever he spoke.

They weren’t particularly close, so after some idle chatter, they each went their separate ways.

—

The next to enter were the chief disciples of Wu Nian Sect. Leading them was a man in a long-sleeved yellow robe, refined and gentle in appearance—clearly an artifact refiner. Behind him trailed a scowling young man who swept his gaze over the Gui Xian Sect group—and immediately locked eyes with Lian Mu.

He stared wide-eyed.

Lian Mu met his gaze, spotted the swelling on his neck, and smiled slightly.

The young man glared fiercely, gave a cold snort—which was promptly heard by the artifact refiner leading the group, who grabbed his arm and forced him to calm down.

“Lian Mu, you know Shen Wuxie?” Wen Yun asked coolly beside her.

Lian Mu looked away. “Who?”

Wen Yun: “The one who was just staring at you. He’s from the Shen family, a clan of talisman cultivators. He’s also the Wu Nian Sect leader’s nephew.”

“Not really,” Lian Mu said after a moment. “We met once. I messed with him last night.”

Wen Yun’s eyes went wide: “He lives near you and you didn’t tell me sooner? You should’ve called me when you went after him!”

“…You’ve got a grudge against him too?” Lian Mu couldn’t help but sigh. Wen Yun really did seem to collect enemies wherever he went.

Wen Yun whispered, “It’s not like I started it. That Shen Wuxie’s been arrogant since he was a kid—offending everyone because of his background. In the entire Western White Tiger region, he’s got the sharpest tongue. When we fought as kids and he lost, he actually cried for his parents to come beat me.”

Ji Mingyue, who overheard, chimed in: “…All you noble clan brats this childish? Didn’t your parents train you from a young age?”

Wen Yun refused to admit to being childish. “He was childish. I didn’t go crying to anyone.”

The group carried on their conversation without caring in the slightest that the Wu Nian Sect was standing nearby.

Hearing his name come out of someone else’s mouth, Shen Wuxie instinctively turned his head—only to see that it was the sword cultivator from last night. She was chatting with his old arch-enemy, looking quite chummy.

Shen Wuxie was furious. It was only after returning last night that he realized—how could there be wild scorpions in such a freezing, snowy place? It had to be something that sword cultivator raised herself, and she’d even acted clueless, tricking him into getting stung.

No one had ever dared treat him like that before.

He immediately changed positions, edging closer to the Gui Xian Sect’s group. But when he clearly saw who was standing next to the sword cultivator, he froze.

“Where’d you run off to again?” A hand grabbed his collar. Shen Wuxie turned and saw it was Tang Wuxun, their team’s Artifact Refiner and leader.

Shen Wuxie shrugged off his hand. “I’m just switching spots. Leave me alone.”

Tang Wuxun frowned and stared at him for a moment. Seeing that Shen Wuxie looked totally unrepentant and wasn’t about to budge, he clenched his fist inside his sleeve, then finally turned and walked back to his original position.

Next up was the entrance of the Chixiao Sect.

Lian Mu and Wen Yun were chatting, while Baili Que stood off to the side, teaching them to recognize key figures.

Wen Yun didn’t care much about the people from Chixiao Sect, but Lian Mu immediately spotted the blue-robed sword cultivator at the front. She had striking features and carried a crimson sword that made her stand out dramatically.

To be precise, Lian Mu was staring at the sword.

Baili Que said, “That’s Lu Feishuang of the Lu Clan, the lead sword cultivator and team leader of Chixiao Sect. The sword in her hand is called ‘Breaking Rainbow,’ one of the Ten Famous Swords.”

Wen Yun blinked. “A famous sword in the hands of someone so young?”

Xu Xianxing chimed in, “Only two, actually—Lu Feishuang from Chixiao and Ying You from Qingxuan Sect. They’re the only ones holding famous swords. One’s the young master of the Lu Clan, the other’s a sword-dao prodigy. Of course they get the best gear.”

“These two were both orphans,” Baili Que added. “Their lives should’ve been miserable, but they lucked out. One got adopted by the Lu Clan’s patriarch, the other was taken in by a Qingxuan Sect elder.”

Lian Mu fell silent. “……”

She’d started out in hell too—so why didn’t she have that kind of luck?

She sighed inwardly: Turns out the key to a smooth path in life isn’t your background—it’s your luck.

Lu Feishuang led the Chixiao Sect to their designated spot. As expected, their sect had a ton of body cultivators. Aside from the top five cultivators, about 80% of their formation squad were bare-armed, exuding fierce auras and solid resolve—not even flinching in the snowy cold.

The last group to enter was the Qingxuan Sect. As soon as they appeared, the other three sects all turned to look.

As the leader of the Four Great Sects, they naturally drew the most attention.

Lian Mu looked over too, wanting to identify the Alchemy Cultivator from the Feng Clan—would be useful for future scheming. The moment she looked up, her eyes landed on the white-robed young man at the front. Handsome and cool in demeanor, a lock of silver hair fell beside his temple, making him stand out among the other top cultivators.

Her gaze instantly locked onto the sword in his hand. She’d seen its image before in the library: the famous sword Feihong—“Flying Swan.” Its sheath and blade each had half of the engraved image of a swan stepping through snow. It was top-tier.

Before she could get a better look, a sharp pain struck her foot.

Someone had stepped on her.

Lian Mu turned her head—and saw a familiar face. She was standing right at the edge, just beside the Wunian Sect’s team. Baili Que had just walked off, and everyone else was distracted watching the Qingxuan Sect. Someone had snuck over and stomped her foot in the chaos.

She recognized him—it was Shen Wuxie, the one she had pranked yesterday.

Having succeeded, Shen Wuxie didn’t lift his foot. Instead, he looked smugly at Lian Mu and said, “You’re the one who released the scorpion yesterday, right? Don’t play dumb. I figured it out long ago.”

The next moment, Lian Mu yanked her foot back and kicked him squarely in the knee.

“So what if I did?”

“Argh!” Shen Wuxie howled in pain. “You… You actually dare… Do you know who I am?”

Refusing to back down, he lifted his left leg to retaliate. Lian Mu was no coward—she stuck out her right leg to fight him.

The two of them didn’t move from their positions. Standing on opposite sides of the red line, they viciously kicked at each other’s legs beneath the surface—kicking, stomping, brawling in secret.

While everyone else was still watching the Qingxuan Sect’s top cultivator, Wen Yun was the first to notice the commotion. He turned and saw Lian Mu and Shen Wuxie locked in a covert leg battle.

His eyes lit up. Pretending he knew nothing, he caught Lian Mu’s eye while Shen Wuxie was looking down.

Lian Mu immediately got the hint, and her attacks intensified, forcing Shen Wuxie to speed up. Just as he gathered strength to deliver a strong kick and knock her over, Lian Mu suddenly withdrew.

Shen Wuxie’s leg kicked through the air—and in that split second, Wen Yun slid in with a sweeping tackle, taking him down.

For a moment, Shen Wuxie was completely dazed as he hit the ground and got a mouthful of snow. It was only then that he spotted Wen Yun crouching nearby, clearly the one who ambushed him.

But Wen Yun stood up quickly, feigning complete innocence. Lian Mu rushed over and gave Shen Wuxie another hard kick before retreating just as fast.

The fall made such a loud noise that others turned to look, only to see the Wunian Sect’s top Talisman Cultivator lying on the ground for some unknown reason.

The top cultivators of the other three sects all looked over as well.

At the front of Gui Xian Sect’s formation, Guan Huailin turned his head and blinked in surprise.

Qin Yuan also noticed and turned with Xin Wanbai.

When Xin Wanbai saw who was around Shen Wuxie, he immediately understood: “……”

No need to ask—just looking at Lian Mu and Wen Yun’s “shocked” expressions, it was obviously them.

Of course, no one else knew. Wunian Sect’s top Body Cultivator Yuan Wuxu kindly helped Shen Wuxie up and patted the snow off him. “Cold weather, slippery ground. Be careful not to fall.”

Shen Wuxie: “……”

So many people were watching that he couldn’t even say he’d been ambushed. It was just too embarrassing.

He glared viciously at Lian Mu, but she pretended to be blind and looked off in another direction.

However, as she turned her head, she just happened to meet a pair of amber eyes. The person looking at her showed visible shock and confusion.

“You…”

Lian Mu didn’t recognize him and had no idea why he was looking at her like that, so she didn’t respond.

Baili Que returned, pulled her toward the center to get her away from the Wunian Sect members, and took her original spot himself.

“Cousin.”

Upon hearing the familiar voice, Baili Que frowned and looked toward the speaker. “…You came too.”

He sized the other person up and noticed that he wasn’t among the chief disciples.

Baili Yu stared fixedly at him and pointed at Lian Mu. “Cousin, you know her?”

Baili Que didn’t have much affection for this cousin. The last time they met was during the Gui Xian Sect’s entrance trial—Baili Yu was also participating, and they just happened to travel a short stretch of road together.

“She’s my friend.”

Baili Yu couldn’t believe it. “She’s the sword cultivator who ambushed me during the entrance trial! And you actually became friends with her?”

Baili Que was stunned for a moment. He hadn’t expected that Lian Mu was that person. “…”

Looks like he had underestimated Lian Mu’s strength.

“I told you long ago—there are plenty of people in this world stronger than you,” Baili Que said expressionlessly. “You act too arrogantly, your temperament is rash, and you tend to underestimate others. Even if someone wins by ambush, you can only accept it.”

“But…” Baili Yu still wanted to argue.

“You should remember—losers have no right to criticize the actions of the winner.”