Chapter Thirty-Five: The Unforgettable White Lotus

Elder? Important matter? Fang Li's brows furrowed almost imperceptibly.

They were looking for her right after the fight? And through an unfamiliar disciple? A hint of doubt crossed her mind, but she couldn't delay the summons from the sect elders.

"Which elder? Where is he?" she asked.

"It's Elder Liu from the Discipline Hall. He's waiting in the side hall over there," the disciple said, pointing to a corridor on the side of the main hall with certainty.

The Disciplinary Hall? Fang Li's doubts deepened.

But she didn't say anything more, just nodded: "Lead the way."

The disciple in charge turned and led the way, with Fang Li following behind him.

The two walked one after the other through the edge of the noisy training ground and headed toward the relatively quiet corridor.

The corridors were winding and the light was somewhat dim.

They walked for quite a while, but didn't see any side halls, let alone Elder Liu.

Fang Li slowed her pace: "Where exactly is Elder Liu?"

The disciple in charge paused, his back seeming to stiffen for a moment. He turned around, a hint of apology and confusion on his face: "Strange... Elder Liu did indeed tell me to come here to find Senior Sister... Perhaps I misheard the location? Senior Sister, please wait a moment, I'll go ask again..."

As he spoke, he turned and walked back.

Fang Li stood there, watching his slightly hurried back, her eyes slowly narrowing.

Are you playing with her?

Did they deliberately lure her away from the ring? Why?

Just then, from the direction of the main arena, the referee elder's booming voice, imbued with spiritual power, clearly rang out, penetrating the corridor:

"Next round, the draw results for matchups in the C-class arena: Fang Li of Qingming Peak will face Wang Zheng of Tianji Peak!"

Wang Zheng?!

She turned her head sharply towards the arena, her pupils contracting rapidly!

Wang Zheng! That infamous guy among the inner disciples! He's at the peak of the early Foundation Establishment stage, with a powerful physique and an extremely brutal and ruthless fighting style!

He loves to "mistake" in fights, leaving his opponents either dead or crippled! In his previous life, several talented disciples fell victim to him, and when the sect investigated afterward, they always dismissed the matter with excuses like "injuries are inevitable in fights" and "it wasn't intentional"!

In a flash, Fang Li connected all the clues.

"**! Su Wanqing! She's definitely that persistent white lotus flower. First, she tried to lure me away with a fake summoning, perhaps intending to do something underhanded. After failing, she directly influenced the draw results, assigning Wang Zheng, that jinx, to me! She just wants to use Wang Zheng to rightfully cripple me on the arena!"

Fang Li's eyes instantly turned icy, and an uncontrollable rage suddenly surged up!

She quickly took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the urge to immediately go and settle accounts with Su Wan.

The most important thing now is to deal with the current crisis!

[Host! Emergency! Wang Zheng! That reckless mad dog who fights like a madman!] The system's voice also became agitated, speaking rapidly.

"Commander, stop talking nonsense! Immediately check Wang Zheng's detailed information, weaknesses, usual moves, and fighting style! Hurry!" Fang Li ordered urgently in her mind, her eyes fixed on the direction where the Chiyang Peak disciples were gathered, searching for that dangerous figure.

[“Data retrieval in progress… Wang Zheng, peak early Foundation Establishment stage, specializing in physical techniques, possesses high physical strength, humanoid beast warning! Weakness… old injury detected in his right knee! His signature moves are ‘Stone-Splitting Fist’ and ‘Yin Wind Claw’. His fighting style is reckless and bloodthirsty, preferring to trade blows and fight to the death! He relies on his thick skin to withstand attacks, then closes in and launches a fatal blow! We suggest that the host… uh… do you have enough budget? The new ‘Golden Bell Shield Trial Card (Beginner)’ in the shop! It can withstand three full-force attacks from an early Foundation Establishment stage! Only 998! Host, please consider it?”]

Fang Li ignored its sales pitch, quickly digesting the information with a serious expression.

The gap between Foundation Establishment and Qi Refining is already huge, and the latter is also skilled at using underhanded tactics.

An old injury to the right knee? The Stone-Splitting Fist? The Yin Wind Claw? These are all ruthless moves for close combat.

She's only at the eighth level of Qi Refining; a head-on confrontation would be like sending her to her doom.

The moment Tongzi read out the names "Wang Zheng", "Yin Fengzhao", and "Su Wanqing".

On the high platform, Shen Yunzhou, who was talking quietly with the sect leader, suddenly tightened his grip on the teacup, and his eyes turned icy cold.

"Su Wanqing? It's her again? How dare she resort to such underhanded tactics time and time again? She's truly courting death!"

Xie Chen's usual gentle smile vanished instantly, replaced by a cold, sharp glint in his eyes.

"Wang Zheng? Su Wanqing? Using the sect competition to target the person he has his eye on? Really... how audacious."

The corners of his lips curved into a smile again, but it was as cold as ice.

"Bang!" Ji Qianqiu slammed his fist on the jade table in front of him, causing the cups and saucers to bounce around.

He jumped to his feet, his large, round eyes glaring at the lottery table, his anger practically spitting out: "Wang Zheng? Which bastard arranged this lottery! Dare to let that piece of trash touch a hair on Fang Li's head! I'll tear him apart right now!"

Even Ye Wuyang, who seemed detached from the situation and hovered high above the clouds, appeared to move slightly in his blurry figure.

A faint divine thought swept across the direction where Wang Zheng was standing below the stage, then withdrew, leaving only a comment so soft it was almost inaudible, carrying undisguised contempt: "Yin Wind Claw? A lowly trick."

On the high platform, several peak masters and elders also noticed this match where the strength of the opposing sides was vastly different and one side had a bad reputation, and their reactions varied.

Ling Xiaozhi, the peak master of Lengyou Peak, frowned, his face displeased: "Wang Zheng? This boy is wicked. There may be something fishy about this lottery."

Granny Yao, the peak master of Ling Shu Peak, narrowed her eyes and sniffed as if she had smelled something: "Hmph, there's a sour smell and a hint of conspiracy in the air. This old woman has a very keen nose! The little girl has probably been targeted."

The peak master of Lianyu Peak, Huo Duan, had a booming voice, filled with the excitement of watching a spectacle: "Hey! An eighth-level Qi Refining cultivator fighting an early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator? And it's that mad dog Wang Zheng? This is going to be interesting! I bet that girl can last ten moves!"

The peak master of Illusionary Spirit Peak, the Elder of Ten Thousand Beasts, was scratching a chubby, yellow-haired spirit beast in his arms when he heard this. He looked down and asked, "Chirp? Ah Huang said that the chaotic energy on that little girl smells a bit sweet but is also a bit scary."

Master Qingxuan of Yixing Peak, however, had his eyes shining and his immortal face showed excitement: "Wonderful! Crisis is opportunity! In the last battle, I observed that this woman has excellent character and wisdom. She is a fine talent for my talisman array path! Wang Zheng? Hmph, just the right whetstone!" The more he looked at Fang Li, the more satisfied he became.

Below the platform, Fang Li was quickly devising a strategy.

The difference in cultivation level is too great; a direct confrontation would undoubtedly result in defeat. We must outsmart them.

Wang Zheng has a pre-existing injury to his right knee, which inevitably limits his mobility.

The Yin Wind Claw technique is insidious, but there's a subtle retreating motion before it strikes...

"System, what's the win rate in the simulated battle?" she asked in her mind.

The system quickly calculated: ["Head-on confrontation win rate 0.5%, utilizing terrain win rate 3%, attacking the right knee win rate 10%, combining talisman tactics win rate 15%... Host, shall we surrender?"]

"That's enough." Fang Li's eyes were firm: "As long as we have a chance of winning, that's fine."

She walked to the preparation area and began to regulate her breathing.

Just as she closed her eyes to concentrate, a shadow fell over her.

Fang Li opened her eyes and saw a tall man standing in front of her with a malicious smile on his face.

"Junior Sister Fang, please guide me in the next match." Wang Zheng's voice was hoarse, and his eyes were like those of a venomous snake: "I heard that Junior Sister is agile, so you'd better be careful. Senior Brother... sometimes can't control himself."

As he spoke, he deliberately clenched his fist, making a cracking sound from his knuckles.

Fang Li calmly replied, "Thank you for the reminder, Senior Brother. I will also...do my best."

Wang Zheng chuckled, and before turning to leave, he suddenly turned back and gave her a malicious and provocative smile, lowering his voice to say, "Don't worry, I'll take good care of my junior sister."

Fang Li stared blankly at his retreating figure, her fingers tightening slightly.

Su Wanqing, is that all you've got?

Let me see who gets the better of whom.