"Your cultivation has improved quite a bit," Zi Mo Xiāndì's voice echoed in Yun Jin's mind.
Yun Jin smiled humbly. "Not much, not much. My cultivation might have only doubled at most."
Only…
Doubled at most.
Zi Mo Xiāndì fell silent. She had trained all the way to the Immortal Emperor level, a genius among geniuses. Yet her cultivation spanned thousands, even tens of thousands of years.
If she remembered correctly, it had only been half a month since Yun Jin disappeared. A mere half month. Yet she felt Yun Jin's Yin-Yang aura was far denser than when she had left, millions of times stronger.
"Could it be… a breakthrough? No, impossible."
Zi Mo Xiāndì shook her head instinctively. She had tried to comprehend the Yin-Yang Law herself. It had been incredibly difficult. Even after endless years, she had only grasped a fraction.
Could Yun Jin's talent really surpass hers by hundreds or thousands of times?
"Your Yin-Yang Law… has it progressed?" Zi Mo Xiāndì asked cautiously. She could sense that Yun Jin's white hair contained an extremely dense Yin-Yang aura. But she was no longer the Immortal Emperor of old, and she could not probe further.
"A slight improvement, a slight improvement," Yun Jin said with a cheerful smile.
Zi Mo Xiāndì instinctively wanted to probe Yun Jin's deepest thoughts. She wanted to know whether Yun Jin's words were true.
But this time,
She received nothing but blankness.
Zi Mo Xiāndì was stunned. She excelled at mind-probing techniques. Truth or lie, nothing could escape her. Half a month ago, she could still vaguely glimpse Yun Jin's inner thoughts. Now, she could detect nothing. Zi Mo Xiāndì said no more.
Yun Jin ignored her and strode arrogantly toward the central plaza.
-
The central plaza.
The martial arena was in full swing.
It was already the second round of the individual battles.
Yue Zhao smiled at his opponent. "Senior Brother, sorry, my skill is poor. I still only know one move. If you can handle it, I'll admit defeat."
The opponent grew increasingly tense.
Yue Zhao's words sounded humble.
But in the first round, his one strange explosive move had instantly knocked someone off the arena! Though being instantly killed by Wushuang Sect disciples had become normal, the opponent still wanted to resist.
The battle began.
The disciple rushed directly toward Yue Zhao.
In the first round, Yue Zhao's opponent had chosen a defensive technique to withstand him but had been instantly defeated.
This time,
He planned to take the initiative. If he could close the distance before Yue Zhao's move was ready, he might have a chance.
Soon,
He reached Yue Zhao.
Yue Zhao seemed unprepared. The disciple's face lit up. Could he become the first person to defeat a Wushuang Sect disciple so far? He would gain overnight fame, becoming the ultimate idol of all sect disciples! He raised his palm, striking at Yue Zhao.
Yue Zhao did not dodge, his lips curling slightly with a worried expression.
"Not right!" The disciple's heart skipped a beat.
But it was too late. The instant his attack landed, a violent explosion rang out.
A powerful force flung him off the arena! He lay dazed on the ground, every part of his body aching.
"Senior Brother, take a pill quickly." Yue Zhao rushed forward, forcing a pill into his mouth while speaking. "Sorry. When I actively used my skill, I could control the force a little. You suddenly rushed forward before I was ready, and my skill triggered passively. I didn't control it properly and hurt you."
Yue Zhao was genuinely apologetic.
The disciple coughed up a mouthful of blood and fainted.
Yue Zhao looked innocent.
He hadn't said anything wrong, right?
He had even given a pill immediately. It couldn't be his fault, could it? Yue Zhao looked helplessly at the others. He had really tried his best.
After a moment of silence, a fellow disciple carried the unconscious disciple away. Though he had been given the pill in time, there was no serious injury.
Yet watching Yue Zhao's expression, everyone felt uneasy. Was his cultivation technique a bit… unfair? Active offense didn't work, passive defense didn't work. It was like he was forcing them to lose!
Soon, all battles in this round ended.
Wushuang Sect faced no internal conflict this time. All three disciples advanced to the looped tournament.
The lone fourth disciple looked troubled.
What did this mean? That he would be consecutively crushed by these three before taking fourth place? Why not skip the process and just give the awards now?
As that strange silence settled in, music suddenly drifted through the air.
Yue Zhao trembled. That tune... it was way too familiar!
A crimson silk ribbon fell from the sky, unfurling into a grand carpet. Flowers bloomed along its length, decorating it in a trail of color.
And to the melody of Smiling Proud Wanderer—
Yun Jin made her dazzling entrance.
No one was surprised.
Their only thought was—
Of course it's her!
Who else but Yun Jin, or someone from Wushuang Sect, would pull off something this ridiculous?
Lin Xiao narrowed his eyes. As he looked at Yun Jin's white hair, his heart skipped a beat. Just half a month ago, her hair hadn't been like that. It was white now... and she was even stronger.
Before, Lin Xiao could still vaguely sense Yun Jin's strength. Now, she'd hidden it completely. If she didn't want to reveal it, no one could see through her anymore.
But that only made her even more terrifying. Everyone knew Yun Jin was growing stronger. No one knew how strong she'd actually become. And that was the scariest part.
Yun Jin looked pleased with their reactions. She walked a few steps, then paused every now and then, making sure everyone got a good look at her brand-new look. Finally, she reached the end of the crimson carpet, reluctantly withdrew it, and smiled brilliantly at Lin Xiao.
"Pavilion Master Lin, long time no see. I've missed you. Have you missed me too?"
Lin Xiao ignored the comment, raising an eyebrow. "Sect Master Yun, this white hair of yours is quite a novelty."
Yun Jin sighed. "No choice. Too many troublesome matters. My disciples, one by one, have no sense of restraint. They could have been satisfied with a normal first place. But this time, all three entered the looped tournament. Are they trying to take the top three?
Pavilion Master Lin, don't you think, with their arrogance, leaving no face to other sects, a Sect Master like me should worry a bit?
Really, thinking of how high-profile they are outside keeps me awake. See, my hair has all turned white from worry." Yun Jin sighed dramatically.
The audience looked like they'd just swallowed bitter herbs.
She had come specifically to twist the knife again.
Arrogance? High-profile?
Even all the other Wushuang Sect disciples together could not match Yun Jin alone!
"You three, apologize to everyone," Yun Jin scolded, looking at Yue Zhao and the other two.
The three disciples quickly apologized.
Listen to what they said.
"Sorry, we shouldn't have instantly killed you."
"Sorry, we should have been satisfied with first place and not taken all top three spots."
Their "apologies" only made it worse.
At this point, even their humility was pure provocation.