He had heard plenty of stories about Lu Xingyao before, and knew he and the Master didn’t get along. But now that he’d actually seen them, he realized those were all just rumors.

The word was that Lu Xingyao came to challenge the Master to a duel every day, and each time, he would leave in high spirits.

The Master didn’t seem to mind him, either. The two fought with fiery intensity, their battle lust palpable.

He had just come out of seclusion today and happened to see it. Watching from a distance, he didn’t dare get any closer.

But when the Master stopped fighting, his face was filled with a gratified smile.

The smile was dazzling, so radiant it was refreshing to the soul.

It had been a long time since Bai Yang had seen such a smile.

’He felt a pang of jealousy. He silently hoped that Senior Uncle Gu would win today’s match.’

"Gu Qingyuan hasn’t arrived yet?"

Lu Xingyao, a Longsword strapped to his back, asked bluntly, "I’ve been waiting for him for half a month. Is he planning to delay further?"

"Don’t be impatient, Mr. Lu," the Sect Master explained with a smile, though inwardly he was cursing Gu Qingyuan out again. "Junior Brother Gu just had something to attend to, so he’ll be delayed a bit."

"Oh? It seems Gu is quite confident about today’s match if he has the time to attend to other matters."

Lu Xingyao’s lips curled into a humorless smile, and the Longsword on his back began to hum.

’Gu Qingyuan’s behavior is a clear sign he doesn’t respect any of us.’

His battle lust ignited in an instant. ’He’d just have to see for himself how powerful Gu Qingyuan truly was.’

He sat down with a flourish, his simmering anger impossible to ignore.

Song Wanning simply smiled without a word. She gracefully took a seat, then took out some snacks she had prepared. In front of everyone, she began to enjoy them in a slow, deliberate manner.

’She knew perfectly well what Gu Qingyuan was doing. Today was supposed to be the day Ye Chuxue was released from the Erosion Wind Cave.’

’Such "deep affection between master and disciple"...’

...

When Gu Qingyuan arrived at the Martial Arts Arena with Ye Chuxue, countless pairs of eyes immediately fell upon them.

Probing, curious, mocking, contemptuous...

The varied stares made Ye Chuxue deeply uncomfortable.

She pressed her lips together tightly, finding the whole situation ironic.

’Gu Qingyuan’s affection for me is a testament to my own charm.’

’Why should these people look at me this way?’

Her expression darkened, but she held her head high and strode confidently behind Gu Qingyuan toward the front of the high platform.

"GASP, am I seeing things? Wasn’t Ye Chuxue sent to the Erosion Wind Cave for punishment? How did she advance her cultivation?"

"Unbelievable! Just unbelievable! Anyone who goes into the Erosion Wind Cave comes out a wreck. But she’s not only perfectly fine, she even advanced a stage! How infuriating is that?"

"Hmph, so what if she’s powerful? She’s fooling around with her own master. Who knows what kind of methods she used to advance?"

"True. And look at how protective Grandmaster Gu is. It’s like he’s afraid people *won’t* notice his illicit love for his disciple!"

"He’d even abandon a competition this important to go pick her up. It must be true love!"

"..."

The spectating disciples were green with envy over Ye Chuxue’s advancement in cultivation.

Song Wanning, who had been snacking, stopped chewing. Her eyes narrowed dangerously.

Heh.

’As expected of the Heavenly Dao’s favorite daughter.’

’Even after I took the stone, Ye Chuxue still managed to advance in there. It’s only to the Late-stage Foundation Establishment, a far cry from the Golden Core Stage she reached in her past life, but it’s still incredibly annoying.’

Song Wanning stared at Ye Chuxue’s figure, a mysterious smile playing on her lips.

"So, Gu went to pick up his lover!"

Lu Xingyao shot Gu Qingyuan a glance, contemptuously tearing away his pretense of propriety.

His face darkened. "Watch your words, Lu Xingyao. I was merely bringing my disciple back."

"Don’t pretend, Gu. Is there anyone out there who doesn’t know that you, Gu Qingyuan, are involved with your own disciple? Everyone is wishing you both the best, you know."

Hearing this sarcastic taunt, the spectating disciples couldn’t help but laugh.

’In private, was there anyone who hadn’t condemned their disgusting behavior? Blessings?’

’Lu Xingyao really knew how to cut deep!’

Even the Sect Master’s cheek twitched. ’Lu Xingyao isn’t usually so sharp-tongued, is he? Why are his words so vicious?’

"My personal affairs are none of your business."

With a grim expression, Gu Qingyuan settled Ye Chuxue into his own designated seat before turning and leaping onto the Martial Arts Arena.

"Enough talk. If you want to fight, then let’s fight!"

"Fine! I’ve heard for a while now that Gu no longer needs to live off others. Today, I’ll see for myself just how capable our Lord Gu truly is."

Lu Xingyao’s words were calculated to strike where it hurt most. He leaped onto the Martial Arts Arena, drawing the Longsword from his back in a fluid motion.

His aura surged, seeming to pierce the heavens.

Tension hung heavy over the arena like gunpowder smoke, while those on the high platform were lost in their own thoughts.

Ye Chuxue stood arrogantly behind the seat that had belonged to Gu Qingyuan. Though she remained silent, her expression betrayed her desire to see Song Wanning shocked, furious, and jealous.

’She would make Song Wanning understand that no matter how much she was suppressed or plotted against, she could always make a comeback!’

Song Wanning’s smile didn’t reach her eyes.

’I hope she can still look so smug in a little while.’

...

On the Martial Arts Arena, Gu Qingyuan and Lu Xingyao had already begun their battle.

Both were at the Mid-stage Nascent Soul realm, their combat power immense. The highest-level Defensive Array had already been raised over the Martial Arts Arena. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

As the two figures moved, the disciples below craned their necks, their eyes glued to the arena with excitement.

A duel between Nascent Soul Stage cultivators was a rare sight.

"Go, Grandmaster Gu!"

"Grandmaster Gu, you’re the best! Take him down!"

The crowd shouted with passionate fervor, fervently hoping for Gu Qingyuan to win.

However, neither of the two combatants could hear these shouts.

The last rays of the setting sun spilled across the Martial Arts Arena, its shimmering Array Patterns casting the two upright figures in long, drawn-out shadows.

Gu Qingyuan struck first. He swung his Red Rabbit Longsword, runes flowing along the blade with a faint hum.

With a lift of his hand, a golden sea of mountains instantly surged toward Lu Xingyao.

It was the third form of the Supreme Sword Technique: Classic of Mountains and Seas.

Within this sea of mountains, countless bizarre and fantastic phantoms, like a pack of vicious beasts, roared and lunged forward.

Lu Xingyao, clad in robes whiter than snow, held his Longsword vertically before his chest. Like a bolt of silk, it deftly entangled the attacking phantoms. With a simple sidestep, he dispelled the ferocious attack.

The beasts pounced on empty air, dissolving into resentful wisps of Spiritual Energy.

With a slight twist of his wrist, Gu Qingyuan sent the Red Rabbit soaring into the sky, letting out a piercing, drawn-out cry.

A flash of sword light then multiplied into countless sword phantoms in mid-air. The phantoms shimmered, and in the space of a single breath, they interwove to form a complex set of Array Patterns.

The Array descended, enveloping Lu Xingyao on the stage.

"GASP! He turned his sword into an Array? Grandmaster Gu is incredible!"

"Yeah! Arrays are already complex and difficult to learn, but Grandmaster Gu actually combined the two! Is he even giving others a chance to live!"

"I told you Grandmaster Gu would be fine, and you didn’t believe me! Now watch how he takes care of Lu Xingyao!"

"Hahaha, Grandmaster Gu is mighty!"

The disciples below erupted in an instant, cheering with renewed confidence.

On the high platform, the faces of the Sect Master and several elders were also alight with excitement. They secretly clenched their fists, silently cheering him on.