270Chapter 269 will eventually be exposed for now lets just muddle through

The fighting within the formation was very elaborate.

That late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator was truly a genius. His Qi Sea might not be as perfect as the Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment, but the purity of his spiritual energy was even greater!

Therefore, when he clashed spells with a Foundation Establishment cultivator at the Great Perfection stage, he was not at a disadvantage for the time being.

But a gap is a gap; there is still a considerable difference between the late stage of Foundation Establishment and the Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment.

He wasn’t a true genius who defied the heavens, so the small difference in cultivation level caused by the other party having twenty or thirty years more cultivation time than him was difficult to make up for!

As for other means of compensation, such as magic weapons, talismans, or powerful and insidious spells that need to be hidden, as well as combat skills in the wild such as outwitting and killing, they are completely unusable inside the formation.

Therefore, in a pure clash of cultivation and magical power, after an incense stick’s time, the late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator was completely at a disadvantage until he was defeated.

However, with Hong Shao observing closely, there will be no more injuries or even disability.

“Zheng Yu won the second round.”

Hong Shao easily suppressed Zheng Yu’s final spell and waved her hand casually: “Those who draw three lots shall enter the formation to fight.”

Chu Chuanming calmly stood up.

Another late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator also stood up, his expression serious.

The two entered the fray to fight, and the result was as expected.

Chu Chuanming used the White Bird Secret Technique to easily suppress his opponent once again, defeating him in one move.

“In the third round, Chu Chuanming won.”

Hong Shao’s voice remained unchanged: “Those who draw the fourth lot shall enter the battle formation.”

The last Foundation Establishment Great Perfection cultivator and the last Foundation Establishment Late Stage cultivator got up and entered the formation.

As expected.

Han Luo, who had reached the Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment, defeated him.

Thus, the winners of the first round are Yu Xian, Zheng Yu, Chu Chuanming, and Han Luo.

“The following are the four winners of the losers’ bracket and the four winners of the challenge winners’ bracket. The winners will be randomly selected by drawing lots. This is also the final round of competition. The four winners will receive the sect leader’s reward and will be able to participate in the inner sect foundation building competition.”

Seeing this, Chen Manman said calmly, glanced at Yu Xian casually, and then waved her hand and said, “Let’s draw lots.”

These eight jade tokens, four on each side, were distributed as follows: the four late-stage Foundation Establishment winners from the losers’ bracket randomly took four tokens, and the four Foundation Establishment Perfection winners, including Yu Xian, also randomly took four tokens.

Yu Xian flipped his hand and looked at the jade slip: Two.

The final battle between the four Foundation Establishment Great Perfection cultivators and the four Foundation Establishment Late Stage cultivators ended as expected.

Yu Xian ended the battle directly with a Xuan Tian Slaying Spirit Technique.

The other three also finished quickly, and it was finally decided that Yu Xian, Zheng Yu, Chu Chuanming, and Han Luo could participate in the inner sect competition, while the others should focus on their cultivation and not waste their time.

After all, they couldn’t even defeat the four Foundation Establishment Grand Perfection experts from the Alchemy Sect, let alone the dozens of Foundation Establishment Grand Perfection experts in the Inner Sect Competition.

There’s no way they could possibly get one of the final ten spots.

It’s such a pity about Guo Pin…

Perhaps if he hadn’t encountered a freak like Yu Xian, who possessed the combat power of the Fifth Holy Son, he could have competed for a place within the top four, or even a top ten spot in the inner sect competition.

Unfortunately, his insistence on doing so backfired and harmed him.

If you’ve lost your spark and still won’t admit defeat, then who can you blame?

After all, when you’re fighting someone, you can’t expect them to hold back or back, can you?

However, although everyone had different thoughts about Guo Pin’s dismissal, a large portion of them actually felt a sense of…pleasure!

Such a powerful cultivator, a Foundation Establishment cultivator with a high chance of reaching the Golden Core stage, was now crippled. Aside from a touch of regret, they felt mostly mockery and a gleeful urge to laugh…

Hating those who have, laughing at those who don’t—this has been the way of the world since ancient times.

After the final four were chosen, Hong Shao waved her hand to dispel the formation, stepped back to her seat, and calmly sat down, saying, “The four winners stay. The rest of you, go back and cultivate diligently. Don’t be distracted by these grand competitions. They are meaningless. Cultivators should not always think about comparing themselves with others, but with themselves. Strive to cultivate, build a solid foundation, and become stronger day by day. Strive to reach the Golden Core stage as soon as possible. That is what you should be doing. Go.”

“As you command, Sect Master.”

The eleven defeated disciples, along with the other disciples watching, all bowed respectfully and turned to leave.

Only You Xiaohua remained standing in the same spot, her expression calm.

Although she did not participate in the competition to determine the winner, she was qualified to directly participate in the inner sect competition.

Hong Shao glanced at the five people and said indifferently, “In a few months, the Inner Sect Foundation Establishment Competition will begin. There will be hundreds of competitors. When you fight, if you feel you can’t resist, don’t try to fight back. Just admit defeat to avoid injury or even death! I don’t believe those Golden Core judges have better insight than me. Even with my insight, one of my people was injured and crippled. Let alone the Foundation Establishment Competition later. Hmph… Making the sect fight, disciples make enemies, and resentment grow, this kind of competition is truly meaningless…”

Upon hearing this, the five people quickly nodded and said, “We will follow the sect leader’s instructions.”

“These fourth-grade superior-quality Spirit Nourishing and Foundation Building Pills are your reward for winning this time. After consuming them, cultivate diligently and prepare for the inner sect competition in seven months.”

Hong Shao nodded lightly, raised her hand and waved, and the four bottles of precious pills flew towards Yu Xian and the other four winners.

The four quickly reached out and accepted the pills, saying, “Thank you so much, Sect Master, for bestowing these pills upon us!”

Hong Shao nodded and waved her hand, saying, “Yu Xian, stay. The rest of you, go back.”

The three men’s expressions shifted, they glanced at Yu Xian and all showed a strange look before turning and leaving.

Yu Xian crippled Guo Pin’s Qi Sea, which was no different from killing Guo Pin!

To cripple a Foundation Establishment cultivator at the Great Perfection stage in this way is a violation of a major sect rule. Even if it was unintentional, it would certainly be punished. The only question is whether the punishment will be severe or lenient…

After the three left, only four people remained in the hall.

Hong Shao, Chen Manman calmly looked down at Yu Xian from her superior position.

You Xiaohua stood calmly to the side, but although her face was calm, her eyes held a complex expression.

Yu Xian remained calm. After the three left, he bowed and said, “I have injured Senior Brother Guo. I am willing to bear the punishment for this sin.”

“Don’t bring that up.”

Chen Manman spoke first, looking at Yu Xian coldly and saying, “Li Shuxian’s disciple actually ran to the Haotian Sect, are you a spy for the Blood River Sect!?”

“This disciple is not a disciple of Senior Li.”

Yu Xian shook his head solemnly and said, “This disciple is only helping Senior Li refine a pill once. This disciple is a disciple of the orthodox Baiyun Sect, a true righteous cultivator! The sect leader can vouch for this disciple.”

“Yeah?”

Chen slowly sat up straight, her already voluptuous body appearing even more taut. Her gaze was icy as she looked at Yu Xian and said, “If you are a disciple of the White Cloud Sect, how come you’re involved with Li Shuxian, who destroyed the White Cloud Sect? And even helped her refine pills? Hmm? If you don’t tell the truth, I might… search your soul!”

“After the destruction of the White Cloud Sect, I had nowhere to go and could only temporarily become a rogue cultivator. Later, because I knew a little about alchemy, I was invited by Senior Li to participate in an alchemy competition to help her regain face. My cultivation was too low to disobey a Golden Core expert, so I had no choice but to go. That’s how the alchemy competition with my senior sister came about. This was not my wish. After the alchemy competition ended, I left Senior Li and went straight west to find my master. There I met the sect leader and was eventually brought to the Haotian Sect by him.”

Yu Xian showed no fear, only looking at Chen and speaking calmly.

Now that things have been exposed, there’s no need to hide anything anymore; just tell the truth.

As long as she doesn’t admit that she killed You Xiaocao, everything else is irrelevant to Hongshao.

Chen Manman looked at Yu Xian, his eyes flashing as he pondered.

You Xiaohua remained silent, not wanting to mention the matter of the Liancao Furnace, lest her master become suspicious.

As for Hongshao, she sat in the superior position, her beautiful face calm and expressionless, looking at Yu Xian as if she were deep in thought.

Yu Xian’s appearance did not seem to be lying.

Chen Manman once mentioned that there was a rogue cultivator who, despite only being at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, actually defeated You Xiaohua, who was already at the late-Foundation Establishment stage, in a pill-refining contest. Hong Shao was amazed by this, saying that there were indeed geniuses in pill refining among the rogue cultivators. It was a pity that they were not recruited into Medicine King Valley, otherwise, with such talent, they would surely have made further progress.

But unexpectedly, that rogue cultivator was none other than Yu Xian.

This kid… he knows alchemy?

Why did he seem so dismissive when I offered to teach him the art of alchemy?

Could it be that he… actually looks down on his alchemy skills?

That brat…

“Yu Xian.”

Hong Shao finally spoke, calmly asking, “Who taught you alchemy? Your master, Xiao Wusheng? If I remember correctly, he was only a Foundation Establishment cultivator at the Great Perfection stage, and his alchemy skills were only capable of refining fourth-grade pills at most, right? How could he teach you to refine fifth-grade pills?”

Yu Xian bowed slightly to Hong Shao and said, “Reporting to the Sect Master, my master led me into the sect and taught me alchemy. The highest I could refine was indeed fourth-grade pills. The fifth-grade pills I refined later were something I figured out and comprehended on my own, not something taught by someone else.”

“Oh……”

Chen Manman suddenly laughed and looked at Yu Xian, saying, “Then you really are a genius at alchemy, figuring out how to refine a fifth-grade pill on your own.”

“I dare not lie to the elder. I dare not call myself a genius in alchemy, but I truly mastered the fifth-grade pills by figuring out the recipes myself, without any instruction from anyone.”

Yu Xian turned to look at Chen Manman, neither humble nor arrogant.

Looking at Yu Xian’s expression, Chen Manman felt a strong urge to kick him, but she held back and rolled her eyes, saying, “Sister, you decide what to do. If he’s a spy for the Blood River Cult, things will get very troublesome later.”

“He can’t be a spy.”

Hong Shao looked at Yu Xian and smiled faintly, “His integrity wouldn’t allow him to be a spy.”

Yu Xian’s brows twitched slightly, but he didn’t speak. Instead, he turned to Hong Shao and bowed again.

“Sister, you really know him well.”

Chen said slowly, “Then forget it. If you say it’s not, then it’s not. Xiaohua, do you have anything to say?”

You Xiaohua looked up at Yu Xian, then shook her head and said, “Junior Brother Yu is more skilled. He defeated me in the alchemy contest. I have nothing to say.”

“Did he win against you fairly?”

Chen slowly revealed his displeasure and said, “He used your sister’s alchemy furnace to ruin your state of mind. Otherwise, the pills you refined might have been top-grade pills.”

Upon hearing this, You Xiaohua’s eyes narrowed sharply, and she couldn’t help but look at Hong Shao, revealing a nervous expression.

Yu Xian’s expression flickered for a moment, but he quickly returned to normal.

Only Hong Shao’s smile faltered slightly, and she said slowly, “What, what sister’s alchemy furnace? You Xiaocao’s?”

“Yes, it’s You Xiaocao’s.”

Chen slowly said, “I remember You Xiaocao died on Ascension Island, but her alchemy furnace ended up in Yu Xian’s hands. He said he bought it in the loose cultivator market. Yu Xian used that alchemy furnace to refine pills, which made Xiaohua’s heart flutter. She was bound to lose the pill-refining competition.”

“Yu Xian.”

Hong Shao closed her eyes slightly, then opened them again, her gaze cold. She looked at Yu Xian and said slowly, “I remember when you left Ascension Island, you said that you climbed the Heavenly Ladder for several days and came down without doing anything, right?”

Yu Xian looked up at Hong Shao and said calmly, “Yes, but I lied back then because I killed many people!”

Chen Manman frowned.

You Xiaohua’s face was somewhat pale.

Hong Shao looked at Yu Xian, her eyes flickering slightly. Her Dao heart, which had never wavered for many years, was now somewhat shaken!

She actually seemed somewhat unwilling to listen to what Yu Xian was about to say!

What if… Xiaocao was killed by him?

Should we kill him… or not?

“Master Uncle!”

Before Yu Xian could speak, You Xiaohua quickly said, “Junior Brother Yu has already told me the whole story. That Ascension Realm is a complete trap…”

You Xiaohua quickly recounted what Yu Xian had told her, and then said earnestly, “Actually, Junior Brother Yu actually helped Xiao Cao get revenge.”

“Yeah?”

Hong Shao glanced at You Xiaohua, then at the calm Yu Xian, and said slowly, “Mutual slaughter, a place for raising Gu… it sounds just like the truth, but how can I believe you?”

“If the sect leader doesn’t believe me, this disciple has no way to explain.”

Yu Xian shook his head and looked directly at Hong Shao, saying, “Then let’s search her soul. I will die without regret.”

Hong Shao frowned.

You Xiaohua hesitated, her eyes filled with complex emotions.

Chen Manman reached up and touched her chin, while her other hand couldn’t help but scratch her thigh…

Since the choice was no longer in her own hands, Yu Xian readily relinquished it, leaving her life and death to Hong Shao’s decision.

Although the feeling of not being able to control one’s own life and death is extremely distressing.

But there was nothing he could do; if Hong Shao wanted to search his soul, he couldn’t escape! He could only wait to die.

If they really search… then die, that will be paying for You Xiaocao’s life!

Yu Xian’s eyes were bright, showing no sign of guilt, fear, concealment, or avoidance.

He has a clear conscience! He has absolutely no guilt whatsoever!

Hong Shao looked at Yu Xian as if trying to see into the depths of his soul. After a moment, she said slowly, “Alright, the secret realm is vicious. It seems to be caused by some kind of evil formation. I will take you there to investigate in a while! And since you killed that cultivator, you have avenged Xiao Cao. From now on, this matter will not be pursued any further!”

After saying that, Hongshao took a deep breath, stood up, took a step, and disappeared without a trace.

There were more than forty people who entered the Ascension Realm back then, so the chance of Xiaocao being killed by anyone was one in forty!

And just for this one in forty chance, would you search for the soul of Yu Xian?

If the search is successful and it’s true, his death would be revenge for Xiaocao.

But what if that’s not the case? He would have been killed through soul-searching for nothing!

That Hong Shao will probably have a hard time even reaching the Nascent Soul stage! Because she will definitely develop inner demons!

Therefore, Hongshao would not gamble, even though You Xiaocao was her beloved apprentice.

Ultimately, Yu Xian was also someone she liked very much. Of course, this liking wasn’t romantic; it was the kind of liking an elder has for a younger person.

Little grass… that’s all for now.

Going to the Ascension Realm already carries the risk of death… and you insisted on going anyway, so your fate is in the hands of destiny…

Hong Shao left.

Yu Xian breathed a sigh of relief. This feeling of life and death being out of one’s control and in the hands of others, a feeling that could be decided by a single thought, was truly unpleasant!

“Hmph, sister, you didn’t even perform a soul search? If you ask me, you’re the murderer.”

Chen Manman looked at Yu Xian and sneered, “You’re just good at pretending. I saw that with Li Shuxian back then.”

“Back then, I was truly not in control of my own destiny when I was with Senior Li.”

Yu Xian revealed a helpless expression and said, “If I don’t compete in alchemy, Senior Li will not let me off the hook. But if I compete in alchemy, I will displease the elders and they will hold a grudge. So naturally I can only cover my face with a bamboo hat and speak in a hoarse voice, and I dare not show myself to anyone.”

“Holding a grudge?”

Chen slowly stood up, a hostile glint in her beautiful eyes, and said, “What, do I look like the kind of person who holds grudges?”

“It doesn’t look like it.”

Yu Xian looked at Chen Manman seriously and shook his head, saying, “Elder, your face is exquisitely beautiful, your body is like a dragon in flight, and your movements are graceful like a startled swan. You are a rare sight in the world. No matter how you look at it, you are a kind-hearted and intelligent woman. How could you be such a villain who holds grudges? I don’t know what others think, but I don’t believe it.”

“Forehead……”

Chen Manman’s expression froze on the spot.

Even You Xiaohua, who had been looking slightly nervous, was stunned and stared at Yu Xian with disbelief on her face.