Chapter 54 The plot to murder today must be explained.

Wen Xun stomped heavily on Lin Shuyue's foot, "It seems that no matter how many years have passed, your mouth is still as irritating as ever."

Lin Shuyue staggered back in pain, but still grinned roguishly, as if Wen Xun's anger was nothing more than a tickle to him.

He rubbed his foot, which had been stepped on, and said with a hint of teasing, "Wen Xun, after all these years your temper is still as fiery as ever, but I like you just the way you are."

Wen Xun glanced at him coldly, the talisman in his hand shimmering slightly, clearly ready to unleash its power. His tone was icy: "Lin Shuyue, I don't have time to waste on your nonsense. Are you going to tell me the clues about the Mirror Moon Flower or not?"

Seeing Wen Xun's serious expression, Lin Shuyue finally toned down his joking attitude. He sighed and took out a jade slip that glowed faintly from his pocket: "The clue is in here, but the Mirror Moon Flower is not so easy to find, and as you know, I, Lin Shuyue, never do unprofitable business."

"Give it to me." Wen Xun reached out his hand.

"Wen Xun, are you really sure?" Lin Shuyue still wouldn't give up and pressed on with another question.

"Why are you spouting so much nonsense?" Wen Xun said impatiently.

Lin Shuyue tossed the jade slip over, which Wen Xun caught steadily. He scanned it with his divine sense, his brows furrowing slightly. The clues recorded in the jade slip pointed to a place called "Youxu".

"Youxu?" Wen Xun murmured softly, raising his eyes to look at Lin Shuyue, his eyes full of doubt. "Where is this? Are you sure the Mirror Moon Flower is there?"

Lin Shuyue shrugged, his tone relaxed: "I didn't say he was definitely there, it's just that the clues point there. But knowing Gu Zhinan's personality, even if there's only a sliver of hope, he'll still go, right?"

Wen Xun remained silent for a moment, carefully put away the jade slip, and said coldly, "Thank you. You can leave now."

Lin Shuyue didn't leave. Instead, he took a step closer and said in a tentative tone, "Xiao Xunxun, are you in such a hurry to get rid of me? I did you a big favor, so you should at least treat me to a cup of tea, right?"

Wen Xun frowned, the talisman in his hand flashed again, and the chill around him intensified: "Lin Shuyue, don't push your luck."

Lin Shuyue knew when to stop, and helplessly shrugged: "Alright, alright, I'll leave. But as you know, Xiaoxun, I, Lin Shuyue, am not some great philanthropist. There are conditions to helping you this time."

Wen Xun coldly asked, "What are the conditions?"

Lin Shuyue's lips curled into a sly smile, and a glint of light flashed in his eyes: "As for the conditions, I haven't thought them out yet. You can owe me for now. I'll come to you when I've thought them out."

After saying that, he turned and left. Wen Xun watched his retreating figure, speechless.

However, looking down at the jade slip in his hand, he realized that no matter what, this guy had done their Qingyuan Sect a great favor.

…………

The atmosphere on the training ground was tense. Yin Lisheng looked solemn and focused, not daring to slack off in the slightest.

This is Qingyuan Sect's first battle, and his opponent is Lu Yanci's disciple. No matter what, he cannot lose, he cannot bring shame to his master, and he cannot bring shame to Qingyuan Sect.

"start!"

At the referee's command, Yin Lisheng, without hesitation, raised his longsword and charged forward like an arrow released from a bow.

However, his opponent, Lu Mimi, stood motionless, as if she were a clay or wooden sculpture.

Yin Lisheng was filled with doubt and thought to himself that if he didn't make a move soon, his sword would slash his neck.

Ten inches... five inches... three inches... Lu Mimi still didn't make a move.

Then, just as Yin Lisheng's sword was about to touch Lu Mimi's neck, Lu Mimi finally moved—he fell straight backward, lying motionless on the ground, as if he had fainted.

Yin Lisheng froze on the spot, his mind blank: "?"

Yin Lisheng was bewildered, the elder acting as referee was bewildered, the disciples watching the match were bewildered, and no one could understand what Lu Mimi was doing.

"Referee—" Lu Yanci's voice drifted over, "Ten counts have passed, it's time to announce the results of the match."

"Ah, right," the elder suddenly came to his senses, "I declare Yin Lisheng of the Qingyuan Sect the winner of this duel!"

According to the rules of the Immortal Sect Grand Competition, if a player falls off the stage or remains on the ground for more than ten seconds, they are considered to have lost.

Having won without a fight, without even a single move, Yin Lisheng felt somewhat frustrated.

"Alright, alright, don't be angry," Qiu Nan pulled him down. "No matter what, winning is a good thing, and Immortal Venerable Huaiwei is watching."

Yin Lisheng looked up and met Fu Yunshu's gaze. Seeing his master's handsome face, his mood calmed down a little.

"It's alright. Although we don't know what Lu Mimi is up to, the next opponent is always normal," Yan Shuangwan comforted her.

However, if she had a chance to do it all over again, Yan Shuangwan would never have said that. She never expected that she would be such a jinx.

Because the opponents Yin Lisheng encountered next—Lu Xiaohei, Lu Baibai, Lu Daju, etc.—were all disciples of Lu Yanci, and without exception, they all lost to Yin Lisheng in the same way.

Yin Lisheng exploded.

He ran to the floating platform of the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion in a fit of anger and questioned Lu Yanci: "Pavilion Master Lu, I don't know what grudge Li Sheng has against you that makes you want to play tricks on me like this."

"How could I be playing games?" Lu Yanci counted on his fingers.

"Look, you drew the lot yourself. The fact that you can always accurately match my disciple can only mean that I am destined to meet Immortal Venerable Huaiwei."

Yin Lisheng's face turned even redder, she was furious.

Lu Yanci continued with a smile, "Moreover, the Immortal Sect Competition only stipulates that the contestants must stop when they reach a point on the stage and cannot cause any death. Everything else is up to the two sides to decide. Those children did not break the rules, and didn't young friend Yin still win?"

"You—" Yin Lisheng wanted to argue with Lu Yanci again, but a slightly cool hand stopped him.

It is Fu Yunshu.

"Li Sheng," Fu Yunshu shook his head at him, "Don't get angry."

"Master..." Yin Lisheng looked at Fu Yunshu with some grievance, his dog-like eyes drooping, losing their usual sparkle.

Tianji Pavilion is skilled in divination, and he didn't believe it was really such a coincidence that he was matched with Lu Yanci's disciple in several consecutive matches.

Fu Yunshu patted Yin Lisheng's hand, gave him a reassuring look, and then looked at Lu Yanci.

"Sect Master Lu," his gaze had lost the gentleness he had shown when looking at Yin Lisheng, instead becoming incredibly sharp, "I wonder... how many more disciples of yours will be participating?"

"Thank you for your concern, Immortal Venerable," Lu Yanci said, feigning regret. "It's a pity that I only have a few disciples, and they have all been defeated by young friend Yin. I'm afraid the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion's journey in this Immortal Sect Competition will have to end here."

“Is that so?” Fu Yunshu said with a forced smile. “That’s a real pity.”

Having received confirmation from Lu Yanci, Fu Yunshu did not linger and left with his entourage.

He ruffled Yin Lisheng's hair. "Go on, do your best in the competition."

"Yes!" Yin Lisheng nodded vigorously.

I was so happy when Master patted my head again!

"The first match of the Foundation Establishment stage, round of 16 to 8, features Yin Lisheng of the Qingyuan Sect against Ji Hanyu of the Zhongzhou Ji Family—"

Hearing this, Yin Lisheng, who was chatting with Qiu Nan and others in the waiting area, looked puzzled. "Ji Hanyu, why does that name sound so familiar?"

Yan Shuangwan lowered her head in thought, "Does that sound familiar?"

Qiu Nan scratched the back of his head blankly, "Now that you mention it, I feel like I've heard that name somewhere before."

Duan Xuan, who was not far from them, chuckled and raised an eyebrow, saying, "I say, do all the people of your Qingyuan Sect have such bad memories? Do you still remember what happened in Yuzhou City back then?"

Upon hearing this, Yin Lisheng and the others remembered that this Ji Hanyu seemed to be the arrogant and domineering disciple of the Ji family in Zhongzhou. They had heard that his uncle was Ji Yuanbai, the head of the Ji family.

"After that incident, Ji Hanyu was punished by the head of the Ji family and placed in confinement. She was only released recently," Duan Xuan explained.

Qiu Nan and Yan Shuangwan also joined the discussion.

"I was wondering where this nobody came from."

"I remember that kid used to dislike Li Sheng, right?"

"I suppose he..."

Then came the sound of wood being crushed.

"Can't you guys show me a little respect?!"

Yan Shuangwan turned around and saw a man whose face was as black as the bottom of a pot. She asked in confusion, "Fellow Daoist, why are you so angry?"

The man's face darkened further. "You've gone too far!"

Duan Xuan sighed, realizing that the people of Qingyuan Sect not only had bad memories but also poor eyesight.

She whispered a reminder: "This person is Ji Hanyu, whom we were just talking about."

Qiu Nan glanced at Ji Hanyu casually, "Oh, it's you."

Ji Hanyu: "..."

Ji Hanyu was furious. He stepped forward to argue, but the elders of the Nine Yang Sect looked over at that moment.

"Ji Hanyu of the Ji family of Zhongzhou, if you don't come up now, it will be considered that you have automatically forfeited."

Ji Hanyu turned around and realized that Yin Lisheng had already entered the arena at some point.

Ji Hanyu: "..."

Ji Hanyu's face turned ashen. She gritted her teeth and leaped onto the arena, her eyes fixed on Yin Lisheng as if she wanted to devour him alive.

He held a long sword in his hand that gleamed with a cold light, its blade faintly radiating spiritual energy, clearly no ordinary weapon.

"Yin Lisheng, today I will show you the consequences of offending me, Ji Hanyu!" Ji Hanyu said coldly, her tone ruthless.

Yin Lisheng remained calm, lightly waving the Duanyuan Sword in his hand. The sword light was as cold as frost. He said indifferently, "Fellow Daoist Ji, please."

"start!"

At the referee's whistle, Ji Hanyu made the first move, her longsword flashing as she aimed directly at Yin Lisheng's face. Yin Lisheng dodged the attack easily, then thrust his own sword forward, colliding with the opponent's sword energy and creating a shockwave.

After exchanging several blows, Ji Hanyu gradually felt the pressure. Yin Lisheng's swordsmanship was extremely sharp, each strike carrying a fierce sword aura.

Ji Hanyu was secretly on guard; Yin Lisheng's strength far exceeded his expectations.

“Fellow Daoist Ji, if this is all you’ve got, you probably can’t beat me,” Yin Lisheng said calmly.

Upon hearing this, Ji Hanyu's expression turned even uglier. He was already burning with anger because of the humiliation he had just suffered, and now that Yin Lisheng had treated him with such contempt, he could no longer suppress his anger.

"Yin Lisheng, you're courting death!" Ji Hanyu roared, his spiritual energy circulating within him, and lightning seemed to flicker on the longsword in his hand.

"The Ji family's Nine Heavens Sword Technique?" Yin Lisheng became interested. "I've long wanted to see it for myself. I want to see if it's as powerful as the rumors say."

"Then you'll regret it!" Ji Hanyu rushed forward.

After several rounds, Fu Yunshu above couldn't bear to look and closed his eyes.

Compared to Ji Yuanbai's Thunderous Nine Heavens Sword Technique, Ji Hanyu had only learned the basics at most, which was completely inadequate.

"Are there any other younger members of the Ji family in this generation?" Fu Yunshu asked.

Song Wenzhuo replied, "The Ji family had already shown signs of decline in recent years. If it weren't for the extraordinary talent of Ji Yuanbai, they probably would no longer be the overlord of Zhongzhou."

The translation is: Apart from Ji Yuanbai, none of them are any good fighters.

Fu Yunshu recalled his conversation with Ji Yuanbai at the Yin family ancestral hall years ago.

He had asked Song Wenzhuo about it a while ago. Although Song Wenzhuo had not given up looking for clues over the years, he still hadn't found anything and came up empty-handed.

Fu Yunshu looked towards the Ji family's floating platform, and was relieved that Ji Yuanbai hadn't come today.

Ji Hanyu, who is below, is already at a disadvantage, and it's only a matter of time before she loses the game.

"I heard that Ji Hanyu made some boastful remarks before the competition, saying that he would teach Yin Lisheng a lesson. But what happened? Is this all he's capable of?" A short, fat disciple in the audience sneered, snapping his folding fan shut with a snap, his face full of disdain.

"That's right. He doesn't even know his place. Yin Lisheng is a rising star of the Qingyuan Sect. How can he compare? His mediocre Nine Heavens Sword Technique is nothing compared to Patriarch Ji's. How dare he show it off?" A tall, thin man next to him chimed in, shaking his head exaggeratedly.

"I think he's been driven crazy by being locked up in solitary confinement. He thought he could show off as soon as he got out, but he got slapped in the face as soon as he stepped on stage." A female disciple covered her mouth and chuckled, her eyes full of mockery.

On the floating platform of the Ji family, several elders of the Ji family had faces so gloomy they could drip water, yet they dared not lash out. They watched Ji Hanyu being steadily defeated on the arena, their hearts filled with helplessness and anger.

"This Ji Hanyu is used to being spoiled and doesn't cultivate properly. Today he has disgraced the entire Immortal Sect Competition," an elder reprimanded in a low voice.

"Hmph, he even made our Ji family a laughingstock. We must punish him properly when we get back." Another elder was so angry that he blew his beard and glared.

These words reached Ji Hanyu's ears without exception. His eyes turned bloodshot, and he finally made a decision.

"It seems the Nine Heavens Sword Technique isn't all that powerful," Yin Lisheng said with some disappointment. "Fine, I don't want to waste any more time with you. Take this!"

Yin Lisheng raised his sword and charged forward, aiming straight for Ji Hanyu's throat. A fierce glint flashed in Ji Hanyu's eyes, and she swung her long sword sharply, barely managing to block the attack, but her body was still shaken and forced to retreat repeatedly.

His face darkened, his heart burning with rage, and he could no longer tolerate this humiliation.

"Yin Lisheng, you forced me to this!" Ji Hanyu gritted his teeth, a hint of madness flashing in his eyes. He suddenly pulled out a pitch-black jade talisman from his pocket. The talisman was covered with strange runes, and black energy swirled around it.

Upon seeing this, Yin Lisheng frowned slightly, a sense of foreboding rising in his heart. Although he didn't know what the jade talisman was, its chilling aura made him instinctively feel danger.

"Ji Hanyu, you've gone mad!" Yin Lisheng said coldly, "The Immortal Sect Competition forbids the use of evil artifacts, you're courting death!"

Ji Hanyu sneered, her eyes filled with madness: "Seeking your own death? Hahaha, Yin Lisheng, today I'll show you the consequences of offending me, Ji Hanyu!"

He suddenly crushed the jade talisman, and in an instant, black energy soared into the sky, transforming into a gigantic black dragon that lunged at Yin Lisheng with bared fangs and claws. The black dragon possessed immense power and destructive force, as if it wanted to devour the entire arena.

Yin Lisheng's expression changed, and he swung the Duanyuan Sword in his hand, trying to block the black dragon's attack. However, the black dragon's power far exceeded his expectations. The sword energy was completely devoured as soon as it made contact, and he was also flung to the ground by the black dragon's tail, spitting out a mouthful of blood.

The black dragon caught up again. Yin Lisheng was startled and quickly retreated, but the black dragon was even faster and was already close to his face in the blink of an eye.

The audience around the arena gasped in surprise, no one expected that Ji Hanyu would use such an evil magic weapon in the Immortal Sect Competition.

The disciples of Qingyuan Sect changed their expressions drastically, and Qiu Nan, Yan Shuangwan, and others almost rushed onto the arena to save Yin Lisheng.

However, the arena was surrounded by a barrier, preventing them from making a move.

"Ji Hanyu, you're asking for death!" Fu Yunshu's eyes flashed with cold light, and he had already formed a spell to break the barrier, preparing to save the person.

However, just as the black dragon was about to devour Yin Lisheng, a black figure acted even faster than Fu Yunshu.

A dark figure flashed onto the arena like lightning, blocking Yin Lisheng's path. The man held a black longsword in his hand, its light as sharp as thunder. It was also the Nine Heavens Sword Technique, but with a single, gentle swing, he cleaved the black dragon in two.

—It is Ji Yuanbai.

Ji Yuanbai didn't turn around, but looked coldly at Ji Hanyu, his tone carrying a hint of icy chill: "Ji Hanyu, do you know what you're doing?"

Ji Hanyu's face was pale, and the jade talisman fragment in her hand fell to the ground with a crisp sound. "Uncle... Uncle..."

Fu Yunshu rushed up at this moment and fed Yin Lisheng a pill.

“Patriarch Ji,” Fu Yunshu helped Yin Lisheng up, his voice as cold as ice, “your Ji family must give me and my disciple an explanation for what happened today.”

Ji Yuanbai turned around and cupped his hands, saying, "Of course, the Ji family will definitely give Immortal Venerable Huaiwei and..."

He stopped, his gaze fixed on Yin Lisheng's face, his eyes surging with emotion.

Fu Yunshu was taken aback, realizing he had forgotten about this. He helped Yin Lisheng to leave, but Ji Yuanbai's voice came from behind him.

"Immortal Venerable!"

Fu Yunshu turned around and saw that the Ji family patriarch, known as the "Demon Clan's Nightmare," was actually shedding tears.

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Author's note: Goodnight [heart]

The next chapter will be titled "My Origins," probably [doge emoji]