Won't Even Give Me a Hundred Spirit Stones

The uncles turned to look at her with gazes as sharp as razors, filled with condemnation. They looked as if they wanted to skin her alive. Zhu Yao wanted to cry but had no tears. *Everyone, please don't be like this! Isn't the primary goal of this competition friendship first, competition second? I really didn't mean to ruin the match.*

Just as she was being stared down by those predatory gazes, a white figure flashed and stood protectively in front of her. The terrifying pressure coming from all directions instantly vanished without a trace upon seeing this figure.

"Master!"

It was indeed her savior of a master.

Yu Yan's face remained cold as he cast a faint glance at her.
"It's almost dark."

He waved his sleeve and, without a word of explanation, carried his disciple back to Yulin Peak. By the time everyone reacted, it was already too late.

Zi Dan stared blankly in the direction the two had vanished, breaking into a cold sweat. *Grand Martial Uncle! How can you shield her so openly? Why did you leave this mess for me to clean up? Are you even a real man?*

He let out a deep sigh and collected himself. Who else but him was responsible for cleaning up after the Sect Master? He just had to accept his fate!

"Ahem! In this match, Xiao Yi is the winner. In this Sect Grand Competition, he takes first place in the Qi Condensation group."

Once these words were spoken, the crowd in the arena finally began to buzz with discussion.

Xiao Yi suppressed the churning blood in his chest and forced himself to stand up and bow:
"Thank you, Sect Master."

Wang Cizhi stood up and left the arena. This result was expected. He had indeed lost this match. Indeed, he was still not strong enough. He looked up in the direction Zhu Yao had left, a hint of disappointment rising in his heart. Recalling the scene of that massive spiritual sword falling, his brow couldn't help but furrow.

Just as Zi Dan was about to announce Xiao Yi's reward, he was interrupted by the high-pitched cry of a Luan bird nearby.

Seated upon the Luan bird was the only female Soul Transformation Venerable—Venerable Feng Yi. She slowly stood up, her movements simple yet as graceful as a fairy's. With a light lift of her left hand, Xiao Yi, who was kneeling on the ground, suddenly floated into the air and landed in an open area right below the high platform.

"Is your name Xiao Yi?"

The voice was ethereal, sounding like that of an immortal.

Xiao Yi felt as if the sky were falling, each word striking heavily against his heart. He immediately knelt down.
"This disciple... is indeed Xiao Yi."

Feng Yi's phoenix eyes narrowed slightly. After a moment, she continued:
"Are you willing to join my lineage?"

Xiao Yi was stunned. Not only him, but everyone present couldn't believe their ears. A Soul Transformation Venerable wanted to take a disciple. Moreover, she was the only female Soul Transformation Venerable, and it was said she had never taken a disciple before.

Seeing that Xiao Yi hadn't reacted for a long time, Feng Yi's brow furrowed:
"You are unwilling?"

"No, this disciple is willing."

Xiao Yi was choked with joy and emotion. He could only bite his lip hard to keep his tears from falling. He had originally thought that by taking first place, he might be allowed back into the inner sect. He hadn't expected to receive such a grand opportunity. Indeed, life was still treating him well. He slowly bowed, performing the most respectful kowtow.

"Disciple pays respects to Master."

Feng Yi nodded. With one hand forming a seal, a beam of light shot straight into Xiao Yi's forehead, leaving behind a Luan bird imprint.

He was actually a direct disciple. Everyone gasped in unison.

While all of this was happening, Zhu Yao was being carried back by her master like a puppy. She had no idea what had happened to Xiao Yi.

The moment they reached the mountain peak, she put on a pitiful, innocent face and looked at her master.
"Master... I really didn't mean to interfere! I don't know why I did that at the time!"

"I swear it's the truth!"
Zhu Yao raised a hand to swear to the heavens. She wasn't stupid enough to not know it was a one-on-one match.

"There must have been something wrong with that giant spiritual sword."

"The moment I saw that spiritual sword, I felt something was off."

"What you did was not wrong!"
Yu Yan replied.

"Right, it wasn't my fault. Ah! Eh? Master, what did you just say?"

Her master looked at her helplessly, with a hint of disdain on his face.
"What he condensed was the Void Spirit Sword."

"That was Sword Intent,"
Yu Yan said indifferently.

"Sword Intent!"
Zhu Yao was shocked.
"Sword Intent! Isn't that something only those at the Golden Core stage and above can cultivate?"

"Theoretically, yes."
Yu Yan frowned. Sword Intent was hidden so deeply that even Soul Transformation cultivators would find it very difficult to detect. "For him to summon Sword Intent, he must possess some extraordinary rare treasure."

This was a statement of fact, not a question.

"No wonder he reached the Great Perfection of Qi Condensation so quickly."

"He is not at the Qi Condensation stage!"
Yu Yan gave her another look as if she were stupid.
"That rare treasure not only... but can also conceal sword Qi. It can hide his cultivation base as well. Currently, his cultivation should be at the mid Foundation Establishment stage."

Zhu Yao widened her eyes. Mid Foundation Establishment! Heavens! This wasn't just a simple story of overcoming difficulties; this was a plot assisted by the heavens.

A spark of realization flashed in her mind. She finally understood why she felt he was a bit strange. Based on her experience, this was clearly the treatment reserved for protagonists in novels!

"Master, do you know what kind of rare treasure it is?"

The protagonist is bullied from childhood, accidentally obtains a rare treasure, levels up at a dizzying speed, and steps into a glorious life. The more Zhu Yao thought about it, the more she felt it perfectly matched Xiao Yi.

"Although I do not know the name of that rare treasure, it certainly provides immense assistance to his spiritual roots. That is why his cultivation has risen so rapidly. Furthermore, it allowed him to comprehend Sword Intent across realms."

Yu Yan frowned and turned to look at his foolish disciple.
"Sword Intent cannot be compared to a spiritual sword. Normally, spells simply cannot resist it. But what you summoned was Heavenly Lightning. Although it cannot compare to a Lightning Tribulation, it is still the purest force in the world. That is why it could shatter the Sword Intent."

"Master, you mean..."
Zhu Yao froze.

"If you hadn't summoned that Heavenly Lightning, that brat would be a corpse by now."

Zhu Yao's face turned pale in an instant. A wave of dread washed over her, quickly taking over her entire body. To think that by some twist of fate, she had actually saved that brat's life. Although she knew that behind every rising protagonist lay countless cannon fodder paving the way, she really hadn't expected someone close to her to become one of them.

Seeing his disciple remain silent for a long time, Yu Yan reached out to touch her forehead.
"No need to worry. Although he has the fortune of being blessed with a rare treasure, your fortune is no less than his."

Her heaven-defying affinity with Lightning Spiritual Energy was something even a rare treasure couldn't compare to.

Zhu Yao was silently worrying about the safety of that brat. She nodded absentmindedly. The more she thought about it, the more uneasy she felt. Just a simple competition had almost cost a life; what would happen in the future?

"Master, do you think that brat—I mean, Wang Cizhi—will be alright?"

Yu Yan frowned deeply. Why did she care so much about the safety of an outsider?

He recalled how his foolish disciple had chatted so happily with that boy earlier. Their expressions were very intimate. Even looking down from the high platform, he had felt uncomfortable, as if he were being left out.

"He is Zi Dan's disciple. If anything happens, his master will take care of it."

He looked at her helplessly, then gave her a look of concern.

Zhu Yao pouted. *Not your kid, so you don't care?* It was just a competition, yet that person had dared to use a move that could take a life. Who knew what would happen in the future? To be safe, even if he had someone protecting him, he could still be stabbed in the back by Xiao Yi. After all, she knew that Xiao Yi had a twisted mindset.

"Master, do you have any defensive magical treasures you can lend me?"

Yu Yan's domineering expression instantly dropped to sub-zero. The thought of her borrowing his magical treasures only to give them to that boy made him even more uncomfortable.

"I don't have any!"

Even if he did, he wouldn't give them. He had no interest in raising someone else's disciple. His own disciple was already hard enough to raise.

"Ah! Eh? Master! Didn't you say that the higher a cultivator's cultivation, the more treasures they have?"
*Master, don't lie to me.*

"These are all external things. Cultivation must rely on one's own strength."

"Master!"

"Go to rest early. In a few days, I will teach you a new spell."

With that, his figure flashed and he vanished without a trace.

"Stingy, narrow-minded, completely heartless!"

Zhu Yao stood there venting. *You wouldn't even give me a single one of your hundred spirit stones. Pfft! I despise you, so stingy!*