134 - Divine Mastering Dragon System

Chapter 135: Framing In less than half a day, the entire city had heard of it. With most of the city's cultivators gathered at the various arenas, rumors spread like ripples, growing wilder with each retelling. Soon enough, stories of two sects conspiring with the demon clans in the northern residences and claims that Taixu Sect would stop at nothing, even colluding with demon cultivators to win, were rampant. After three consecutive matches in one day, Huai Ye descended the stage, weary, only to be greeted by the crowd's outlandish speculation. She glanced up at the elegant seats on the second floor, where her master was watching her with a serene smile. Li Huo wasn't in any rush to investigate the situation. Dusk would soon fall, and as the fervent discussions gradually subsided, he remained seated. "Master," the young girl approached him from behind. The bearded man smiled, pouring her a cup of tea and offering some snacks. "Hungry? You did excellently today." Surprisingly indifferent towards the food, Huai Ye frowned. "Master, did something happen?" "No need to worry. Your junior sister went along with the disciples of Tianji Sect. They haven't gotten to the bottom of it yet, but everything will be fine," Li Huo reassured her, munching on a piece of pastry as he spoke. Huai Ye hesitated but ultimately just bowed and took her leave. There was still one more match that night, and Li Huo planned to stay a while longer. The bustling streets of Qingyuan City were filled with people. The moment Huai Ye stepped out the door, countless gazes converged on her, more prominently than in the past two days. The attention felt like prickling needles against her skin. Her sharp hearing caught the buzzing of conversations, overwhelming her senses. Irritated, she shook her head, trying to clear her mind, but the pressing crowd blocked her path. Reaching out to part them, her eyes fell upon a familiar face whose feet seemed rooted to the ground. Turning to face her was the second disciple of Taixu Sect's elder, Bai Jing Huan. He snorted coldly. This was the same person who previously led a team to block the exit in the Hun Yuan realm, relying on numbers to seize others' gains, clashed with Yu Cang Mountain's disciples, and almost fatally injured Qian Dani. Noticing that all the idlers nearby were disciples of Taixu Sect, Huai Ye tilted her head. "Brother Bai... would you mind stepping aside?" "Xianzi Huai, you're too gracious. How could I, dare to claim such a title?" Bai Yan chuckled. Though two years younger than Huai Ye, he was burly and towered over her, exuding a condescending air as he looked down. Misguided by his unfounded pride, his mocking tone intensified. "We're not on good terms. There's no need for pleasantries." "Since you know I'm just being polite, why don't you just scram?" Huai Ye retorted lightly. "We aren't friends. If it weren't for you injuring my junior sister last time, who knows where you would've ended up like a bunch of garlic heads." Her demeanor was so nonchalant that it momentarily made Bai Yan doubt his own ears. He had to admit, Huai Ye's face was indeed praiseworthy, but instead of showing anger, her calm disdain incensed him further. "You! I speak nicely, and you just—" Huai Ye interrupted him, "You're rambling, do you want pleasantries or not?" "Fine, I've long had enough of you," Bai Yan signaled to his fellow Taixu Sect disciples, who quickly moved in, tightening the circle around Huai Ye. Unperturbed, Huai Ye instinctively licked her back teeth, scanning the group. She didn't recognize any of them as people she had previously fought. In total, there were seven, with only one female cultivator among them. All seemed like simple-minded muscleheads, much like Bai Yan. Taixu Sect's female cultivators may not favor her, but they wouldn't be immature enough to pick a fight in broad daylight before a match. Even in the city street, where Huai Ye caught many eyes, people recognized the Taixu Sect disciples and stopped to watch, effectively surrounding them. Coldly observing the mob, Huai Ye noted their hesitance, despite their provocations. Although they outnumbered her, none dared to strike first. Her notorious reputation preceded her, and if she retaliated, suffering a few bruises would be getting off easy. "Are we fighting or not? If not, don't block my way," Huai Ye said impatiently, flexing her fingers restlessly, waiting for them to make the first move. Finally, the female cultivator charged with balled fists. Clearly, all seven were body cultivators—a path many had chosen due to Huai Ye's influence after she clinched the championship five years ago. With roughly 30 Taixu Sect disciples present, Bai Yan likely gathered all the body cultivators here. Yet drawing weapons would be excessive; still, they had calculated their approach well. As the female disciple lunged with a quick punch, her defenses wide open, Huai Ye sidestepped, delivering a kick to her chest and sending her flying into a spectator, both tumbling down in a heap amidst curses. Without giving the others a chance to react, Huai Ye unleashed a flurry of punches with lightning speed on each of them, infusing her blows with thunderous spiritual energy that crackled with golden electricity. The proximity and swiftness made it hard for the eye to follow. The onlookers, dazzled, didn't even manage to raise their guard as Huai Ye bulldozed through all of them. It wasn't clear how she managed it; perhaps some form of thunder magic. In a blink, her fist landed on their faces, delivering a dull pain that seemed to shatter their nose, reverberating through to the back of the skull. Before they could lose consciousness, waves of sharp pain and a numbing sensation swept over them. Leaving them dazed with brain-searing pain, Huai Ye stretched her arms, loosened her tense muscles, and looked down at the clutching their faces and crouching in defeat. "Still want to fight? I'm on a tight schedule." Bai Yan hadn't expected such a swift turn, reeling from the punch imbued with thunder spiritual power. Vision blurred and nose bleeding, he absorbed the impact, grumbling in pain while pointing accusatorily at Huai Ye. "You damn—ah!" Huai Ye regarded him with puzzlement. Wasn't he the one just floored? For all his bravado, he seemed only good at running his mouth... She twisted his finger, which had been aimed at her, feeling the precarious fragility of his bones. "Junior Sister Huai Ye! What are you doing!" Sensing a change, Huai Ye released his hand before significant damage could be done, aware of the delicate line she mustn't cross to avoid giving Taixu Sect ammunition against her. With a swift reversal, she sent the boy sprawling again, subduing the others with a fierce gaze that cowed them into submission. A bunch of fools trying to brawl in the street. Even surrounded by seven Jindan cultivators, Huai Ye wasn't worried. If the commotion grew too loud, patrol disciples from Tianji Sect would intervene, and private fighting risked disqualification. Huai Ye understood Bai Yan's ploy, attempting to entangle her in trivial troubles. He knew her prowess well—victory wasn't assured, even when outnumbered. Such spontaneous brawls rarely allowed restraint, chaos serving his agenda. Provoked enough, she'd unwittingly inflict grave injuries. Then Taixu Sect could twist the narrative however they pleased. Yet, while advantageous to Taixu Sect as a tactic, on a personal level, it wasn't as simple. The risk of becoming seriously injured for uncertain rewards was considerable. Bai Yan only dared because of his noble family heritage as Bai Jing Huan's second disciple, banking on Huai Ye's reluctance to hit him hard. Others were understandably hesitant. With a kick to another attempting to rise, sending him tumbling again, Huai Ye irritably turned away. "So, Brother Zheng, what do you want?" Zheng Yi Wen had been taken aback by her expression of annoyance after witnessing her downing the group with lightning-fast moves. He approached timidly but quickly flashed a smile, holding her arm with concern, "Junior Sister, take it easy. No need to cause more trouble." "If you're worried about me hurting them, why watch without stepping in sooner? People might mistake you for trying to be a hero rescuing a damsel," Huai Ye replied with a wry smile, brushing off his hand. When it came to Zheng Yiwen, she had once harbored ill intentions toward Huai Ye in the Hun Yuan realm, daring enough to lace her food with a love potion. Had it not been detected by He He, who knows what might have happened—though it was unlikely that dog of a man would have gained any advantage over her; it was more likely she would have harmed her innocent fellow disciples present. He He had taken the hit for her, leaving him unwell for several days, and Huai Ye felt guilty about it to this day. Naturally, she didn't have any cordial feelings toward Zheng Yiwen. Zheng Yiwen caught the fleeting smirk on Huai Ye's face and felt slighted, quickly explaining, "A moment of panic, Junior Sister moves too swiftly, I didn't even have time to intervene." Seeing Huai Ye's disinterest in his words, Zheng Yiwen felt defeated, his heart quickening slightly. Ever since that day in the Hun Yuan realm when he foolishly attempted that scheme, Huai Ye's attitude toward him had cooled significantly. It seemed she knew of his sabotage, but without proof, she hadn't pursued it further. He swallowed nervously, forcing a smile, "It's not worth letting them fall into Tianji Sect's punishment, you see…" Huai Ye chose not to engage with them further and turned on her heel to leave, stepping over Bai Yan on her way. The boy nearly had a finger broken by her, his wrist left sore, and he looked at the slim, unimposing woman with horror, as if she were a force of nature. Before anyone knew it, she had vanished, and Zheng Yiwen assumed she was returning to her quarters to follow up on the day's events. He exhaled slowly and helped Bai Yan to his feet. Zheng Yiwen was thoroughly dismayed by Bai Yan's pitiful state but still had to offer several apologies to him. Young Master Bai, unable to bear the pain, was sweating profusely. Recognizing Zheng Yiwen, he shoved him angrily, his voice strained, "Where were you?" "You were the one who insisted on confronting her here. I warned you about Huai Ye's ruthlessness, but you ignored me. Now you're blaming me?" Zheng Yiwen cautiously glanced around, wary of prying eyes on the busy street. Leaning close to Bai Yan, he whispered, "My master sent word, everything's in place. The rest is up to you." Calming down a little at his words, Bai Yan said, "…I understand. Our master is in seclusion. We’ll handle it." Huai Ye hurried to the northern residence where Yu Cang Mountain disciples stayed, finding it empty. Apart from those still competing, her fellow disciples were nowhere to be seen. She paused, considering something, and hesitantly made her way to the Taixu Sect's quarters down two avenues. She heard voices before she even entered. Pushing the door open, she saw Xiang Shiyan standing coldly at the courtyard's edge, with Mu Hua tensely confronting two elders of the Taixu Sect. Despite being younger and only at the pinnacle of Jindan level, Mu Hua, as the sole disciple of the Tianji Sect's Great Elder lineage, held her own against the renowned Taixu elders. "It's merely a routine check. This could be important. The innocent have nothing to worry about," Mu Hua argued, suggesting it would be in everyone's best interest to resolve things swiftly. Despite her reasoning, the elders stood firm, citing Bai Jing Huan's seclusion as a reason against Tianji Sect's intrusion. No matter how Mu Hua pleaded, they wouldn't budge. Xiang Shiyan and his three young disciples stood by, amused onlookers. Another team from Tianji Sect had already left, brushing past Huai Ye earlier, likely searching Yu Cang Mountain's quarters by now. Not that they had anything to hide; even if they did, Xiang Shiyan and Long Ruiqing had already cleaned up. Heaven knows the Tianji Sect wouldn't find a trace of demonic energy, not even with their precious artifacts. The calm-looking woman among them bore a hint of sarcastic amusement. Huai Ye, puzzled, joined her with trepidation. Unexpectedly, Xiang Shiyan frowned slightly, shifting uneasily. Huai Ye tensed. Her rapport with her teacher had grown distant since returning from the secret realm, leaving her feeling awkward. She asked stiffly, "Master, is your back aching?" Xiang Shiyan stayed silent, only shaking his head and straightening up. Huai Ye was unaware of the specifics, having only heard snippets of gossip. Anxious, she decided to ask Xiang Shiyan directly, only to be interrupted by a loud crash behind her. Turning to see Bai Yan kicking open the gate, she watched him advance, clutching his still-weak hand. He glared at Huai Ye and shouted, "Senior Sister Mu Hua, no need to focus on us Taixu Sect. Perhaps you should investigate them!" With that, he signaled with his chin to Mu Hua, as his lackeys scurried over with a cloth bundle. Catching the accusatory tone, Mu Hua frowned slightly and retorted, "I wondered which celestial warrior graced us, but it's only Junior Bai... I've been eagerly waiting for your guidance since morning, so do hurry before others start questioning Taixu Sect's conscience." Bai Yan scowled and barked, "Open it." The Taixu disciple unfurled the cloth before everyone, revealing an arm, pale and bloated, devoid of life—as if a piece of two corpses. Mu Hua instantly noticed the scorched marks on it, absent from the rest of the bodies. "This is the work of thunder magic. The lingering thunder spiritual power remains within. Should we not compare it with someone's spiritual vein to expose who dismembered two demonic cultivators in Qingyuan City without reporting to the Immortal Palace?" Despite the throbbing pain in his hand and head, Bai Yan managed to gloat slightly. "And, private dueling is strictly forbidden by Tianji Sect. I was assaulted by Yu Cang Mountain's Huai Ye. Now, my hand is fractured. I seek justice from Senior Sister Mu Hua." What an idiot. Huai Ye rolled her eyes, seeing through his transparent scheme. She wouldn't fall so easily into a trap like this. Though she appeared ruthless in her responses, she had held back. Should they call Tianji Sect to arbitrate, there'd be little evidence of serious injury. Likely, a mere warning would suffice, without risking her competition qualifications. As for the demonic cultivators—she hadn't done it, but then Huai Ye paused. All eyes on her, they overheard her murmuring revelation. "I did encounter a demonic cultivator yesterday." Author’s Note: Here I am! Seventh consecutive update day! Today, someone asked why there's such a fondness for aloof, ascetic masters paired with rebellious demon disciples in Cho Kingdom. I fell silent, contemplating the mind twist. Initially, He He was conceptualized as the master in this story—the world's mightiest, a joy-seeking master with a cool, earnest young disciple. Then, the young disciple suffered rigorous refinement under wicked, immoral masters and their dubious friends. Though the final version retained traces of a mischievous master, it was ultimately too harsh a concept that I discarded. Thanks to the little angels who sent me tips and nourishment fluids between 2022-07-85 22:35:12 and 2022-07-20 01:49:42~ Thanks to the angel who sent the mine: Mountain Rain Coming 1; Thanks to the angel who nourished with fluids: Hot Pot Boiled Egg 38 bottles; I truly appreciate everyone's support and will continue to work harder! No pop-up ads on this site, permanent domain (xbanxia.com)