75 - Confession (Ying Cheng)

Chapter 75: Overflowing Winnings (Deepwater Extra) At that moment, the curtain on the other side of the Jade Pavilion was suddenly swept aside. A girl with a somewhat cherubic face walked in slowly. Du Ming's spatial pouch contained over a thousand high-grade spirit stones, and he walked with a noticeable, trembling unsteadiness. As far as he knew, Yan Jue had never shown any interest in betting or such things. Yet just moments ago, for some unfathomable reason, Yan Jue had given him more than a thousand high-grade spirit stones. Moreover, it was to place a bet on her winning her own match that afternoon. How strange... Du Ming staggered his way to the betting table. The disciple next to him quickly stood up and asked with a smile, "Is this friend here to place a bet as well?" "Today, there's only one match on the board: the Water Cloud Sect's Yan Jue against the Mu Yin Sect's Duan Lu Xi... So are you betting on Duan Lu Xi or...?" Du Ming replied, "Ah, I'm betting on Yan Jue." There were so few betting on Yan Jue that this match had surprisingly high odds. Bai Chu Li scoffed, "Just how out of the loop are you? I suggest you bet on Senior Sister Duan instead, so you don’t lose everything." "Exactly, Yan Jue has already had two strokes of luck. She won't get another." "And you must be unaware, just yesterday Senior Sister Duan Lu Xi advanced to the Fusion Realm." Du Ming persisted, "Uh, I still want to bet on Yan Jue." Quickly placing the thousand plus high-grade spirit stones on the side marked "Yan," Du Ming completed the registration and hurried away. --- In short order, it was the third round of the Five Dragon Summit that afternoon. The sun was blazing high. Wearing her dawn-colored Taoist robe, Yan Jue arrived early at the Five Dragon Plaza. She had gambled her entire fortune on herself... When Yan Jue asked Du Ming to place the bet, there was a bit of a gamble involved. Earlier that morning, she received a brief note from Duan Lu Xi telling her that he had broken through to the initial Fusion Realm. Yan Jue believed that if she were up against Senior Brother Duan, it wasn’t entirely hopeless for her. All she needed was to give it her all. The golden formation in the sky began to ripple, and Yan Jue quickly made her way to her stage. Just as Yan Jue approached the martial stage, someone tapped her on the shoulder. Turning around, she saw Duan Lu Xi in a teal Taoist robe, hair tied high, sporting an elegant demeanor and smiling at her. "Junior Sister Yan, today we've finally come face to face." Yan Jue, still thinking about her earlier bet at the Jade Pavilion, quickly put on a smile, "It's truly a fated encounter to meet you here." Duan Lu Xi continued, "Junior Sister Yan, I owe you an apology." Yan Jue inquired, "Oh?" "It's because I broke through to the Fusion Realm this morning… I felt particularly confident about my odds, so around noon, I went to the Jade Pavilion and placed a bet of 50 high-grade spirit stones on myself to win." Yan Jue responded, "...Oh, it’s no problem." Duan Lu Xi encouraged, “Do your best, fight well." "I don’t feel that much pressure," Yan Jue replied. After some mutual flattery, Yan Jue and Duan Lu Xi ascended the martial stage together, stationing themselves on the north and south ends. The glaring sunlight made Yan Jue break a sweat, her robe fluttering in the breeze. She gazed at Duan Lu Xi, resplendent in green, and beads of cold sweat began forming on her forehead. Claiming not to be nervous would be a lie... She had wagered over a thousand high-grade spirit stones at the Jade Pavilion, after all. Above the Five Dragon Plaza, golden ripples spread steadily outward. The audience buzzed with excitement. Since Yan Jue had become quite renowned within the Five Dragon Sect, and many had also placed bets on her at the Jade Pavilion today, her match attracted particular attention. "Just standing here, I can already feel Senior Brother Duan's aura." "A cultivator of the Fusion Realm against one at the Opening Brightness Realm—it's obvious how this will end for Yan Jue." "Let’s hope Yan Jue doesn't meet too miserable an end, haha." The melodious sound of a bell marked the start of the match. Duan Lu Xi raised his hands, instantly summoning the celestial sword "Mu Xi." The dark green bronze greatsword hovered leisurely in the sky, silently exuding explosive potential. Yan Jue squinted slightly. She had seen Duan Lu Xi wield Mu Xi before. It was a tremendously large sword, heavy and razor-sharp, and Yan Jue knew well its awe-inspiring power. Furrowing his brow, Duan Lu Xi formed hand seals and shouted, "Whirlwind Sword Technique!" The bronzed greatsword swung powerfully through the air, accompanied by gusting wind, its dark green sword energy dispersing like hidden rays. Yan Jue deftly dodged the sword energy, leaping through the grand sword aura with agility. By noon, Yan Jue had already analyzed her advantages over Duan Lu Xi. His bronze greatsword’s strength lay in its immense power; anything hit by it was doomed. Her advantage lay in her agility. As the bronze greatsword "Mu Xi" roared toward her, Yan Jue employed her "Instantaneous Steps," withdrawing tens of paces, her robe rippling dramatically in the gust. Bai Chu Li, watching from beneath the stage, bit her lip nervously at the spectacle, unable to suppress a shout, "Go, Senior Brother Duan! Go, Senior Brother Duan!" Yan Jue: "..." With hands forming seals, Duan Lu Xi softly called out, "Quaking Earth!" A pale blue light enveloped Mu Xi, swelling instantaneously to the height of two men. Thunderous booms akin to rolling thunder reverberated as it descended from the sky. The audience below staggered, buffeted by fierce winds that nearly knocked them off their feet. Yan Jue froze; she had seen Qi Xian Qing use this sword technique before. Without hesitation, she summoned the North Sea black iron hanging on her neck: "Ten Thousand Swords Skill!" The golden black iron shattered into countless small swords, forming a protective shield in front of Yan Jue. "Boom!!!" The earsplitting crash followed. In the sunlight, Mu Xi launched attack after attack, creating massive craters in the martial stage. Yan Jue flipped and dodged, jade-green sword beams flashing through the air. The brilliant sunlight was blinding, sweat trickled down her cheeks, and fine red scratches began to appear on Yan Jue's pale face, blood mingling with sweat as it dripped. The audience soon noticed something amiss. On the stage, the girl's demeanor was unyielding. Her slender body flipped through the air, yet she was not in any hurry to attack! Whenever Mu Xi's sword beam and energy neared Yan Jue, they were invariably blocked by a golden radiance, as Duan Lu Xi moved forward a step, stomping hard with his right foot, "Soaring Dragon Sword Technique!" ... The Soaring Dragon Sword Technique descended as Mu Xi transformed on the stage into a gigantic dragon, its roar echoing as it charged towards Yan Jue. Rolling on the ground, Yan Jue formed hand seals; Mu Xi clashed once more with the North Sea black iron, jolting her chest painfully with its mountain-crumbling force. Half a steaming cup of tea's worth of time had passed since the match began, and Duan Lu Xi stood in place, brow furrowed, silently reciting his sword technique, commanding Mu Xi in a repetitive cycle of attack and retreat. Mu Xi's movements had completely slowed down. In truth, a significant reason Yan Jue dared to place her bet at the Jade Pavilion was her realization that Duan Lu Xi seemed to underestimate the importance of physical training... Every attack drained spiritual power, and Duan Lu Xi's resources appeared on the verge of exhaustion. Yan Jue knew her agility far outstripped Mu Xi's clumsy strikes. Watching as Mu Xi’s movement slowed mid-sky after the Soaring Dragon Sword Technique lost momentum, the sword suspended in midair, she seized her chance. In an instant, all eyes below widened in astonishment. The blood-streaked girl suddenly rose from the ground, steadied herself, and with the "Instantaneous Steps" transformed into a swift shadow in the air, she burst through Mu Xi's defenses. From midair, she landed a solid kick on Duan Lu Xi. Senior Brother Duan, I apologize… With a breathtaking flip, she hurled him off the stage. At the same moment, Bai Chu Li, watching from below, felt her heart nearly stop in shock. Duan Lu Xi’s body shot off the stage... just as if her thousands of high-grade spirit stones flew away with him. A burst of exclamation erupted from the crowd below. "Whoa!!!" As Bai Chu Li fainted, eyes rolled back, the realization hit. --- After Yan Jue wrapped up her match, she went to a nearby stall to buy Duan Lu Xi a skewer of roasted flame meat. After all, she frequently relied on Duan Lu Xi, and kicking him off the stage during the match felt a bit awkward. Munching on the roast meat, Duan Lu Xi complained, "Are you even human? I remember you were just at the initial Opening Brightness stage during our last task together. How do you progress so fast? I've already reached the Fusion Realm, yet I still lost to you..." Turning his head, he stared at her incredulously, "Don't tell me... you've also reached the Fusion Realm?" Yan Jue awkwardly laughed, "I've also reached Fusion Realm level. Please forgive my earlier offense." Duan Lu Xi remarked, "It's no big deal. If anything, it helped me identify my weaknesses. My Mu Xi may have great attack power, but it's lacking in speed. I'll have to work on that in the future." --- When Yan Jue returned to her dormitory at the Water Cloud Sect, she saw Du Ming approaching with an armful of glittering spirit stones. Du Ming said, "Come on, Yan Jue, let's head inside and count our winnings." Yan Jue smiled and went inside with Du Ming, counting the high-grade spirit stones in their possession. The high-grade spirit stones were stored in a designated storage artifact, emitting a faint golden glow. Because there were still so few betting on Yan Jue for this third-round match, the odds were extraordinarily high. She had wagered over a thousand high-grade spirit stones, practically her entire fortune, and now she had over ten thousand high-grade spirit stones. Yan Jue tucked all these spirit stones into her spatial pouch and took out a portion to give to Du Ming for running the errand. Du Ming exclaimed, "Wow, Yan Jue, how did you know you were definitely going to win?" For this, Yan Jue had no particular secret. Being adept at analyzing the situation on the battleground is always advantageous. As dusk settled in, Du Ming left, and Yan Jue took out the "Spirit Candle Fruit," preserved in millennium ice, and set out on her way. --- Yan Jue followed the mountain path and soon arrived at the back mountain. When she and Qi Xian Qing were drawing blind boxes in the room last time, Qi Xian Qing mentioned that this Spirit Candle Fruit had the ability to enhance spiritual power, but it required prolonged consumption to have any effect. Yan Jue had an idea in mind. Holding the Spirit Candle Fruit, she crossed a steep mountain path, parted the underbrush, and arrived at a clearing. The sky was already quite dark, and a cool mountain breeze brushed her face. This was where she once underwent her tribulation. Having been struck by heavenly lightning, the place was teeming with spiritual energy. Yan Jue first thawed the millennium ice, then extracted the Spirit Candle Fruit and took a bite. Juice splattered forth abundantly, and the fruit's taste was both sweet and sour, delightfully fresh. After consuming it, she did feel a slight increase in spiritual energy being absorbed into her body without her noticing. Only the fruit core remained. Yan Jue buried the core in the ground, cast a Water Manipulation Spell, and conjured a massive sphere of water in the air. Streams flowed continuously to water the seed. She also took out some spiritual replenishment essence purchased at the Five Dragon Market and sprinkled the light blue powder over the soil. Stepping back, Yan Jue waited patiently. About half a cup of tea later, a delicate light green sprout emerged from the soil. As time passed, the replenishing essence gradually infused the land with spiritual energy, and the entire patch of ground began to mist. Driven by its growth, the sprout struggled to break through the earth, gradually maturing into a small tree about half a person's height. It continued to grow vigorously, reaching maturity after about an incense stick worth of time. Yan Jue couldn't help but marvel at how effective the spiritual enrichment essence from the Five Dragon Market was, reducing a plant's growth cycle by a year. Fully ripened, lush red Spirit Candle Fruits hung from the tree. Yan Jue picked a few, savoring them thoroughly before collecting the seeds. She then took a hoe from her spatial pouch and began tilling the land. Once her work was done, she buried all the seeds in the soil. The potent effects of spiritual herbs couldn't be used repeatedly on the same ground due to significant corrosive impacts. After the first application of spiritual herbs, one needs to wait about seven days before applying more. Thus, Yan Jue simply planted the seeds here and let them grow naturally. Satisfied with her work, Yan Jue harvested the remaining Spirit Candle Fruits from the tree, stowed them in her spatial pouch, and left the clearing. --- Late at night, by the cliff. Inside a cave, behind a curtain of water, a glimmer of blue light flickered, "Fool! Useless!" "Didn't I tell you to guard this cave? Do you have any idea how many treasures I had hidden inside?!" "Where have those treasures gone?" Chu Fu, silently cursing the Mo Zun’s foolishness in his heart, still kneeled and replied, "You said you needed to recuperate for a few days and didn’t want me at the cave." After all, Mo Zun losing his treasures was a huge blow to him. The secluded nature of this cliff led Mo Zun to believe no one would ever find this spot. Yet now, not only were his treasures gone, but even the millennium qilin egg had been stolen! But having recently inhabited a new body, he was still unfamiliar with the virtuous paths' arts, and his energy hadn't recovered. The celestial arts giving vision throughout the world hadn’t been mastered fully, so he couldn’t constantly sense anyone tampering inside the cave. Who could it be... Could it be that on one of Chu Fu's prior visits, someone had inadvertently spotted him? Never mind, fortunately, that wasn’t his entire stockpile… Mo Zun instructed, "Never come back here again. I'll tell you a new location. If you need me, go there directly."