Chapter 93 – Advancement Arena: Gong Yu

Because of the incident with the Clear Thought Sect’s second-seat disciple, all free sparring was suspended the following day. Disciples from each sect were restricted to their designated arenas, and sparring was limited to within their own sect.

After discussion among the elders, the rules were revised: each sect would assign two elders to supervise the matches without interfering.

Under the elders’ watchful eyes, many disciples seemed to become entirely different people—suddenly disciplined, quiet, and well-behaved.

The elders sent to represent the Returning Immortal Sect were all newcomers. Lian Mu didn’t recognize any of them, and they knew little about her.

This type of sparring trial had originally been initiated by the Azure Profound Sect to evaluate disciples from other sects. Murong Yi had told her before that there was no need to participate if she didn’t want to.

Lian Mu had already been targeted once. She had a strong feeling that if she joined again, things wouldn’t go well, so she simply chose to opt out.

The Returning Immortal Sect’s core team couldn’t even assemble. Guan Huailin had returned to Xuanwu North, Xu Xianxing and Wen Yun were with the elders, Ji Mingyue had abruptly returned to Mist Ridge last night due to family matters, and Baili Que was still being pestered by his younger cousin and couldn’t get away.

Taking advantage of the time, Lian Mu decided to find a way to refine Wealth Bringer.

Ever since Xu Xianxing had mentioned that the senior brothers guarding the Shifang Nether Soil were returning to the sect, Lian Mu had felt a weight in her chest. That night, the nightmare returned.

The visions of mountains of corpses and oceans of blood made her sick, and in the dream, she couldn’t move—she could only watch as her blood flowed down the Immortal Steps.

Lian Mu knew she had to become stronger as soon as possible. Even if she wasn’t at the Returning Immortal Sect now, improving her strength could mean saving her life in a critical moment.

Perhaps sensing her emotions, Green Bean grew restless too, scurrying around the room.

Lian Mu prepared to visit the Azure Profound Sect’s library to search for books on artifact refinement. The moment she made to leave, Green Bean climbed onto her.

It had grown even more clingy than before—sticking to her nearly every second. It didn’t even hug the fluorite when it slept anymore; it just curled up beside her pillow.

Lian Mu tucked it into her sleeve and headed out the door.

The Azure Profound Sect’s library was in a remote area near the Ice Tower. Legend had it that the sect’s first Artifact Refiner had lived in the Ice Tower, so the Sect Leader had built the library nearby for his convenience.

Their library was much like the one at the Returning Immortal Sect, with access to different floors depending on one’s spiritual root. Outsiders could only enter the first two floors. Most of the books there were miscellaneous, but with some effort, Lian Mu could occasionally find something useful.

The main doors were open, and Lian Mu entered without obstruction, walking to where she remembered the refinement texts were stored.

Books related to artifact refinement were all shelved in one section. Most were common to all sects, and Lian Mu had already read them back at the Returning Immortal Sect.

She picked a few unfamiliar titles and planned to head to the alchemy section to look around.

However, just as she turned a corner, a shadow suddenly loomed in front of her—she nearly walked right into someone.

Lian Mu took a few steps back and looked up. It was the Azure Profound Sect’s team leader.

He seemed surprised to see her there, his expression frozen for a moment: “…”

Lian Mu instinctively became wary, though nothing showed on her face. Instead, she greeted him calmly, “We meet again, Team Leader Ying.”

Today, Ying You wore flowing white robes, his black hair tied high, and he held several scrolls in his arms. His features were gentle—he looked more like an Artifact Refiner than a swordsman.

He came back to himself and smiled slightly. “What brings you here, Fellow Cultivator Lian? Not going to the sparring arena?”

Lian Mu casually used Xu Xianxing as an excuse. “Helping our chief Artifact Refiner find some books. He’s busy and couldn’t come, so I came in his place.”

She asked in return, “Didn’t Team Leader Ying skip the arena too?”

“Work has been busy lately. I haven’t had time to spar with fellow cultivators,” he said. “As for what happened yesterday, it was a failure in the Azure Profound Sect’s oversight. I apologize for the conflict between our fellow cultivators.”

“It has nothing to do with your sect,” Lian Mu replied flatly—she wasn’t buying into this rhetoric.

If the Azure Profound Sect had truly wanted to intervene, the Clear Thought Sect’s second-seat sword cultivator would never have dared make a move. In the end, they were not from the same sect.

With the Returning Immortal Sect now consistently ranking at the bottom in the Grand Sect Competition and on the verge of falling out of the Four Great Sects, the Crimson Sky Sect and Clear Thought Sect were watching like hawks. Lian Mu didn’t believe the Azure Profound Sect had no intentions of its own. It just wasn’t time to show their hand yet.

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a scroll in Ying You’s hand that seemed related to internal sect affairs. Clearly, his role in the Azure Profound Sect wasn’t as simple as a mere disciple.

“Well then, since Team Leader Ying is busy, I won’t keep you any longer.”

Just as she turned to leave, she heard Ying You say, “You can take the books with you. No need to read them here.”

Lian Mu paused. “Your sect allows outsiders to take books offsite?”

But she had never mentioned this—how did he know she didn’t want to stay and read?

“I permit it,” Ying You said. “The Azure Profound Sect won’t give you trouble over it.”

Lian Mu was quiet for a moment. “Team Leader Ying, you’re quite good at reading people.”

Ying You looked straight at her. “It’s not guessing. Your sword told me.”

He pointed to the Wealth Bringer at her waist. As his sleeve fell, a slender, pale wrist came into view—on it, a tiny vermilion mole stood out against the pale skin.

From this angle, Lian Mu happened to notice it. She pressed her lips together and was silent for a moment before saying, “Seems your talent isn’t exaggerated, Team Leader Ying.”

“But… I don’t like people casually sensing my sword.” Her tone turned cold.

Ying You blinked. “You misunderstand. I didn’t mean to pry—this isn’t something I can control.”

Lian Mu glanced at him, her mood stabilizing. She said mildly, “Is that so? Then next time we meet, you’d better keep a tight leash on your sword.”

Ying You was momentarily startled, then lowered his lashes. “Sorry. I just wanted to let you know, nothing more.”

“Thanks.” Lian Mu didn’t want to make it difficult for him. He hadn’t done anything to offend her, and he’d spoken politely. “But don’t do it again.”

With that, she lost interest in visiting the alchemy section and left the library with her books.

“…”

The library was left with a single figure standing alone. The carved phoenix doors were wide open, and the breeze stirred the silver strands by his temple.

Ying You stood in place for a long time before slowly crouching down to pick up a book that had fallen.

He flipped through it, his lashes flickering slightly.

Then he placed the book atop his scrolls, adjusted his sleeves, and turned to head up to the second floor.

—

Feihai Pavilion, Spirit Material Shop

“Hello, do you have Tier-Seven Refined Jades here?”

Feihai Street had only two spirit material shops. Lian Mu was familiar with the owner of one, but they didn’t carry Refined Jades, so she came to this one.

The shopkeeper was seated behind the counter. When he heard her, he leaned forward to look at the book she handed over and squinted slightly. “Tier-Seven Refined Jade, fire-aligned, with wood-metal dual secondary affinities… That’s a tall order.”

Lian Mu: “…Is it? It’s only three criteria.”

Two hours ago, she had finished reviewing books on refining spiritual artifacts and identified three traits best suited to her. She’d then transported from the Azure Profound Sect to Feihai Pavilion, eager to find out the price.

“Tier-Seven Refined Jade isn’t hard to find. Fire affinity is common too,” the shopkeeper said, stroking his beard. “But finding one with both metal and wood as secondary affinities… that’s pure luck. Most refined jades have multiple secondary veins, but no one can say for sure which two.”

“You could buy one with a surplus of secondary veins and try to remove the ones you don’t want—but those are considered defective and don’t work as well.”

Lian Mu thought for a moment and said, “Let me try first. What’s the lowest price?”

“I don’t have any refined jade for sale,” the shopkeeper said, spreading his hands.

Lian Mu: “?”

Lian Mu: “…You talked for so long, and you don’t even have any?”

“Come on, I was just answering your question.” The shopkeeper looked lazy. “Refined jade is usually cut and used on the spot. Once a piece is cut, the main jade marrow starts leaking spiritual energy. After a while, it becomes useless and can’t be stored for long.”

“For folks like us in this business, this kind of spiritual material is the worst—expensive and hard to keep. The ones who used to sell refined jade all lost money in the end. Some even went broke. Now there’s no ready-made refined jade on the market. You’ll have to go to the spirit mine shop and cut it yourself.”

Lian Mu: “…”

So in the end, she still had to gamble.

The shopkeeper looked her up and down as she stayed silent. “Judging by your look, you don’t have much money on you, huh?”

The tone of his voice caught her attention—maybe there was another way. So she immediately said, “Boss, you’ve got sharp eyes. I really am broke. So, is there another way?”

The shopkeeper said, “Well, it’s not like there isn’t. But it might require something in return…”

Lian Mu’s hand was already in her spatial pouch, rummaging around as if ready to pull something out.

The shopkeeper cleared his throat. “Alright, I’ll tell you. You can go to the spirit pet shop, buy a spirit pet, and enter the Beast Arena’s advancement matches. For every 100 ranks you climb, you get one free jade gamble. It’s a new opportunity—they say the Arena Master’s daughter is marrying the spirit mine shop owner’s son, so they’re spreading the good fortune.”

“There’s something like that?” Lian Mu was surprised.

Bai Su hadn’t come back yet, and Green Bean was still in her hands. She’d heard that the top-ranked Beast King would get a prize, but that was too far out of reach—Green Bean could never beat those massive magical beasts. But climbing a hundred spots? If Green Bean gave it his all, maybe it was doable.

“Thanks, I just happen to have a spirit pet. I’ll give it a try.”

She turned enthusiastically to leave, but the shopkeeper called her back. “Wait!”

He beckoned her over. “I just told you this top-secret info. Don’t I get anything for it?”

Lian Mu smiled and reached back into her spatial pouch. The shopkeeper, seeing how cooperative she was, nodded approvingly.

“No need to give much. Just what you can…”

Mid-sentence, his smile froze.

Lian Mu pulled out half a broken spirit stone and gently placed it on the counter. “You already guessed I’m broke. This is all I’ve got. Please accept it.”

She rummaged some more and found a few spirit stone crumbs, which she also put on the counter.

The shopkeeper: “…”

At first, he’d assumed she was a hidden expert based on her presence—but it turned out she really was just poor.

He took a deep breath. “You’re too kind. No worries, it was my pleasure.”

Lian Mu nodded. “Okay then. You’re a good person.”

The shopkeeper: “…”

Lian Mu left the spiritual material shop and headed straight for the Beast Arena.

Apparently, today was a special day—the advancement arena was packed, with lots of familiar faces she’d seen in the open matches.

She immediately ran toward the silver-masked official, spotting the sign beside him that loudly proclaimed the joint promotion between the Beast Arena and the spirit mine shop.

Lian Mu: “…”

Ha, and he made it sound like some top-secret news? This was clearly common knowledge!

“I want to sign up for the advancement match,” Lian Mu said, pulling out Green Bean. “This is my spirit pet.”

This time it was a different silver-masked official, who didn’t recognize her. He looked up and said, “You’ll need to pay a 5,000 spirit stone deposit to enter the advancement arena.”

Lian Mu: “That much? Will it be refunded later?”

“Depends if your pet survives until the end of this advancement round. If it does, you’ll get double back,” the silver-masked man said.

Lian Mu thought about it—she didn’t even have 5,000 spirit stones right now. Looks like she’d need to go fight in the open arena again for a while.

The man noticed she wasn’t making any move to pay, so he asked, “Not signing up?”

“No money. I’ll come back later.”

She said it flat out, and the surrounding would-be contestants burst out laughing.

“Can’t even afford 5,000? What kind of spirit pet could she even raise?”

“Probably can’t even buy pet food.”

Just as Lian Mu was about to leave, a voice rang out: “I’ll pay her entry fee!”

She blinked and turned around, seeing the man she’d faced in her first match—the one whose white jade mantis had been bitten to death by Green Bean.

He looked furious, slapped his spatial pouch down on the table in front of the silver-masked official, and pointed at Lian Mu. “I’ll pay her entry fee.”

Then he glared at her. “Didn’t expect to see you here again. Perfect. I haven’t forgotten what happened last time. This time, we’ll settle things in the advancement arena. That ugly thing you raised—I won’t let it off!”

Perched on Lian Mu’s shoulder, Green Bean opened its eyes. It seemed to realize someone was insulting it and stared back angrily.

Lian Mu was surprised someone would actually pay her fee—she wanted to laugh, but the other guy looked so serious she held it in.

The man had brought a new spirit pet, which sat at his feet. It looked like a spotted dog, but its eyes glowed red, and its tail gradually transformed into a spirit-armored spike with a sharp, triangular tip.

The dog even had a collar that read “Ling Hu Meng.” No idea if that was the dog’s name or the owner’s.

Compared to that dog, Green Bean was way too small—more like a pebble than a pet.

The man opened his mouth to hurl more threats, but another masked man walked out and clapped a hand on his shoulder. “That’s enough. Don’t stoop to that level.”

Someone in the crowd recognized him. “Isn’t that… the top ranker in the advancement arena?”

“That’s him! And he has a friend?”

Lian Mu looked at the new man—tall and imposing, with a silver butterfly half-mask and a fiery tattoo that ran from his collarbone up behind his ear.

She remembered him. The top-ranked spirit pet on the leaderboard was under his command.

The silver-masked official said, “Gong Yu, your match is about to start. Why are you still here?”

“I came to find my friend,” Gong Yu replied coolly. He stood next to Ling Hu Meng, making the latter look like a broken chopstick.

Ling Hu Meng looked proud. He said to Lian Mu, “I’ve got no time for you today, but you’d better stay in this arena. One day, that ugly thing will die at my hands.”

Gong Yu gave Lian Mu a glance but said nothing. Then he patted Ling Hu Meng. “Let’s go.”

As the two walked off, the other cultivators followed them.

Lian Mu received a new jade pendant from the silver-masked official, carved with the unique opposing-pattern crest of the advancement arena.

Having randomly gained entrance, she didn’t rush into a match. Instead, she decided to watch one to learn the rules first.

She turned her eyes to the projection stone displaying upcoming matches and focused on the one with the most spectator bets. One of the fighters? Gong Yu.