75 - Investing in the Reborn Empress, She Actually Calls Me ‘Husband’

# Chapter 75: A Guaranteed Spot in the Top Eight, Elder Qian Might Have Made a Bet Lin Jiang seemed to understand the implications. In short, he couldn't win. So, he might as well just forfeit. It was strangely reasonable. Li Mo found himself momentarily speechless, unsure of how to counter this reasoning. With a mix of amusement and helplessness, he said, "I concede." "Thank you, Brother Li, for being lenient." Lin Jiang let out a sigh of relief. Thus, the battle for Qiongyu Peak began with a triumph. The competition was meant to showcase strength and friendship, but to everyone watching, it was mostly just friendship. Among the inner disciples: "There’s definitely something off here!" "I know Lin Jiang. He even dared to face a late-stage Rank Nine beast during the sect trials." "It’s strange, very strange indeed." Discussions arose among the inner disciples of Shenbing Peak. Wang Hao watched the young man step down from the stage with cold intent in his eyes. Ever since Wang Hu entered Ru Yi Peak, he had never left. As a result, even Wang Hao, because of his familial ties with Wang Hu, was brought in for questioning by Ru Yi Peak's law enforcement disciples for three days. It was then that Wang Hao understood the situation. Wang Hu was connected with the Demon Summoning Cult—a group so vilified that the Great Yu Dynasty had ordered their execution without trial. "Brother Wang, it's your turn to go on stage," another disciple reminded him. Wang Hao snapped back to reality and stepped onto the battle platform. His opponent was a true disciple at the Internal Breathing Jade Liquid Stage. Wang Hao's aura was similarly at the Internal Breathing Jade Liquid Stage, though he was much older and had a deeper martial arts foundation. Their exchange was intense, pushing each other to the limits. In the end, Wang Hao emerged victorious. After defeating his opponent, Wang Hao's aura hadn't retracted; his gaze cut through Li Mo like a knife. The hostility and challenge were apparent. Seeing Wang Hao like this, Li Mo felt a bit more at ease. He wouldn't have to worry about not having any fights to engage in. If every opponent simply jumped off the stage to concede, this Nine Peaks Martial Arts Gathering would be utterly dull. But surely not every match would end with his opponent conceding, right? Based on the well-known Murphy's Law, the more you hope something doesn't happen, the more likely it will occur. The next match. On the platform, two familiar faces faced each other in silence. "Brother Li." Murong Xiao gave him a shy smile. Li Mo: "......." He glanced skeptically at Elder Qian, who was in charge of drawing lots. Elder Qian took a gentle breath, equally puzzled—why did it keep picking opponents familiar with this young man? Murong Xiao was another favored disciple of Qingyuan Sect. Though only at the Vitality Stage, his semi-demonic physique and refined body training had allowed him to defeat several opponents who were at higher stages than him. Based on performance, his abilities were even higher than Lin Jiang’s. With a bit of luck, he could possibly enter the Top 16. On the high platform: "Murong Xiao, the prodigy of Purple Sun Mansion." "For this match, he should unleash his full strength, shouldn't he?" The young man in white robes looked at Murong Xiao with both admiration and a burning desire for combat. He was the leading disciple expected to excel in this generation at the Burning Jade Forest! He too bore a semi-demonic body. The title "Purple Sun Mansion's Prodigy" was supposed to belong to him! On the side of the Scarlet Whale Gang, the Blood-clad Young Master remained silent, his eyes already narrowed. He couldn’t discern the depth of that young man. Much like Ying Bing. "Hancor, what do you think?" Qian Bufan asked, turning the attention of everyone to the Elder of Shenbing Peak. It was well known that Elder Hancor was strict and inflexible, unlikely to engage in any clandestine dealings. Thus, this battle was expected to be fair. However, Elder Hancor merely shook his head: "Murong Xiao is no match for Li Mo." His assertion was quite straightforward. Even the other elders were a bit taken aback. As a master, he certainly understood Murong Xiao’s capabilities, yet he didn't hesitate to assert that Murong Xiao would lose? Given this, there could only be one possibility. Li Mo indeed possessed strength that earned Elder Hancor’s recognition. "It seems my disciple might just surprise us all," Xue Jing chuckled, turning his gaze to the battlefield. However, Qian Bufan’s voice rang out: "Murong Xiao concedes." "Li Mo wins!" This time, the elders made no comments; instead, they fell into a thoughtful silence. The spectators, including disciples from other sects, were utterly perplexed. An uproar ensued: "What? Murong Xiao conceded as well?" "Judging by how frequently he calls him Brother Li, it seems he must be very close to True Disciple Li, which is why he let him win?" "Aren’t the elders going to intervene?" "They say True Disciple Li has great interpersonal connections; I guess we’re seeing that today. Can he really enter the Top 32 relying merely on those connections?" "If there were any underhand deals, Elder Qian would know. I suspect he made a few high-stakes bets." ... The air was filled with waves of discussion and questioning. Li Mo took a deep breath: "Brother Murong, you..." "Brother Li seemed to have broken through again. I'm afraid you might not hold back in time." Murong Xiao shuddered, recalling the scene when Li Mo attacked at the Martial Arts Hall. At that time, he almost thought an earthquake had struck. "Couldn't we at least exchange a few moves for show?" Li Mo felt utterly helpless. "I... wanted a shot at the Top 16..." Murong Xiao also felt wronged. A massive piece of Whale Breath Coral Stone had been changed colors with a single strike. Even without utilizing any martial skills, Brother Li’s punch equated to an attack from the Internal Breathing Jade Liquid Stage. Just a hint of the killing force from that strike made him feel his skin tingling. Now, with the breakthrough, how could anyone withstand that? Li Mo didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Without a single fight, he advanced to the Top 32. To say it was merely due to connections seemed a bit of a stretch. There was no reasoning one could find! ... The morning competition ended with Elder Qian announcing a break. Two more rounds of battles followed. From the Top 32, the competition surged towards the Top 8. Those who emerged from the fray each had their unique strengths, showcasing their abilities. It was hailed as one of the most prestigious Nine Peaks Martial Arts Gatherings ever. Among them were contenders like Wang Hao, whose age barely met the competition's age limit, yet with robust foundations and rich combat experience. Also present were rising stars with extraordinary talents, such as Murong Xiao. Of course, Ying Bing couldn’t be overlooked. Every time she took the stage, she dominated with absolute superiority, swiftly crushing her opponents, ending each battle in record time. Naturally...there was someone even faster than her in progressing through the ranks. For instance, a certain true disciple of Qiongyu Peak who had yet to strike a blow, seemingly sponsored into the semifinals through connections... In short, the afternoon martial arts gathering was filled with intrigue. ... At Qingyuan Main Peak, in the cafeteria. Li Mo, Murong Xiao, Xiao Qin, and Lin Jiang sat together at a table eating. As Li Mo watched his three companions, heads down, shoveling food into their mouths, he felt somewhat melancholic. "Now they’re all saying I’ve been carried through by connections," Li Mo said with a hint of dejection. "Some even claim I’m throwing matches." "Do any of you have any idea what to make of this?" An entire morning of participating without competing. Being all fired up with nowhere to expend it was inexplicably frustrating. "Brother Li, if I fought against you, I might not have advanced," Murong Xiao said awkwardly. Lin Jiang nodded in agreement, still feeling as if he narrowly escaped a catastrophe: "Brother Li, even the Hundred Blossom Condensation Ointment can’t bring someone back to life..." Li Mo's mouth twitched. He looked to another companion: "Old Xiao, what about you? You’re in the Internal Breathing Stage. Surely you could at least put up a bit of a show with me?" "Huh?" Xiao Qin, his eye bruised and nose stuffed with tissue paper to stop the bleeding, looked confused. Pointing at himself with his bandaged hand, he asked, "Me?" Xiao Qin had been unlucky. He faced another true disciple in the Internal Breathing Jade Liquid Stage and engaged in a man-to-man duel. Both were injured, and Xiao Qin won narrowly but injured his right hand, rendering it temporarily immobile. Then, in the next round, he was up against Li Mo. In conclusion, as Li Mo sat with his companions, he found some solace despite the peculiar morning events.