69 Breaking Through the Realm (Part Seven)

◎ Bye, bye, nothing, nothing, nothing, so nothing I'm tired of it. ◎

Lou Guan frowned slightly, his scrutinizing gaze sweeping between the two, finally settling on Shui Rong'er's genuinely pained expression.

She turned around and announced in a deep voice, "In that case, Fu Ji abstains, and Lou Tinglan wins."

Ran Qinghe was truly taken aback by this result. Fu Ji had been cultivating day and night, without sleep, for the sake of the major exam. How could he just give up so easily?

She lowered her head slightly, her fine eyelashes concealing the emotions in her eyes. At that moment, a lustrous pill was placed in front of her. She looked up along the hem of her white robe and happened to meet Lou Tinglan's calm and composed expression.

"It's just a Qi Gathering Pill, which can temporarily alleviate the injury and stabilize spiritual energy."

His tone was calm, and although it was a routine action, one could still detect a hint of concern.

“No need…” Ran Qinghe subconsciously refused.

"The big exam isn't over yet, aren't you aiming for the top spot?" Lou Tinglan interrupted her, her gaze falling on her still slightly trembling right shoulder, before stuffing the pill, along with the porcelain bottle, into her uninjured left hand.

After saying that, he turned and walked towards Lou Guan without waiting for Ran Qinghe to refuse.

"Second Elder." Lou Tinglan bowed respectfully, about to say something, but Lou Guan interrupted her.

She said calmly, "Tinglan, why did you suddenly decide to take the grand exam? You have already graduated from Yunya Academy. If you want to try, there are countless secret realms within the world. You can find any one of them."

Lou Tinglan was about to speak when Lou Guan interrupted her.

"However, since we're here, let's compete until the very end. If the chief disciple of the Discipline Hall can't even win this major exam, our Discipline Hall's standing among the disciples will surely be greatly diminished."

"Aren't you right, Tinglan?"

She seemed to have seen through his thoughts long ago, anticipating that he would abstain, so she said something in advance to stop him.

Lou Tinglan cupped his hands in greeting: "Disciple...understands."

Lou Guan nodded slightly and continued, "Now that Fu Ji has left, there are very few disciples left who can defeat you. Just give it your all."

"No matter... whoever it is against."

She reached out and patted Lou Tinglan on the shoulder, as a gesture of comfort.

Suddenly, as if she had discovered something, she asked, "Have you been neglecting your cultivation lately? I feel that the mark on your forehead seems to have faded a bit?" The slender hand that had been resting on his shoulder rose again and touched his forehead.

However, before her fingertips could even touch the red mole between his eyebrows, Lou Tinglan stepped back to avoid it.

Lou Tinglan replied respectfully, "Perhaps it was due to excessive consumption of spiritual energy during the recent exam. Thank you for your concern, Second Elder."

Lou Guan smiled faintly and withdrew his arm, which had been hanging awkwardly in mid-air. "That's good. I was just overthinking it."

“Cultivation is not only about refining the spirit, but also about refining the mind. So just remember, don’t lose sight of the bigger picture for the sake of small things and let your mind be disturbed.”

"……yes."

In the preparation area, Hua Jin swiftly stopped a cat that pounced on Ran Qinghe as soon as it saw her, held it tightly in her arms, and gently patted its head:

"How can you be so reckless? Your mother's arm is injured, how can she possibly carry you?"

Ran Qinghe had already taken the pill and replied, "It's nothing serious, there's nothing to worry about for now."

But it wasn't until the words were out of her mouth that she seemed to realize something, and rolled her eyes at Hua Jin, "When did I become its mother?"

Hua Jin tapped Miao Miao's nose. "Listen to this, your mother doesn't want you anymore. She runs away every day and doesn't care about us orphans and widows."

Ran Qinghe ignored his teasing and focused on observing the situation on the field.

She was extremely anxious, but she didn't show it on her face. She was just waiting to get the Breakthrough Pill so she could return to Mortal Valley and find Ye Buchen.

Seeing that she didn't respond, Hua Jin stroked Miao Miao's big tail and said casually, "It's a pity that my strength is not enough and I have no chance to become the champion. Otherwise, I might be able to ask the elder to give me a hundred thousand high-grade spirit stones or something."

"Qinghe, if you win the championship, what do you want?"

Ran Qinghe found his question strange, but she didn't think much of it. She had already achieved her goal in this major exam, and whether she won first place or not was not important to her.

Fu Ji has already forfeited, so even if she cannot win the championship, no one will compete with her for the Breakthrough Pill. Her agreement with Lou Guan will also last until the end of this major exam.

Hua Jin continued jokingly, "If Lou Tinglan weren't in this competition, I would definitely bet on you to win. The betting games among the spectators have already gone on for several rounds, and they're all betting on Lou Tinglan. It's quite boring."

"However, according to Mingyu, Lou Tinglan seemed to have suffered a severe injury before, and her cultivation level has stagnated ever since..."

Ran Qinghe then realized the hidden meaning in Hua Jin's words, "What do you mean?"

Hua Jin smiled calmly, "It's nothing, I was just wondering why he suddenly wanted to take the big exam?"

A thought popped into Ran Qinghe's mind: Could it be that Lou Tinglan was also after the Breakthrough Pill?

But the idea was quickly suppressed by Ran Qinghe. How could that be?

Hua Jin: "By the way, a few days ago, I saw him talking to Fu Ji from afar at the entrance of the academy. They seemed to have some kind of relationship."

“Fu Ji has been cultivating like crazy lately, but he was able to give up his right to take the big exam without hesitation. Perhaps... someone is backing him up, which is why he can be so fearless.”

Ran Qinghe's heart sank. She slowly stroked the long whip hanging at her waist and turned her gaze toward Lou Tinglan.

Lou Tinglan seemed to have noticed her earlier and met her eyes without any hesitation; their gazes met in mid-air.

He still had that expressionless look, but as Hua Jin said, Fu Ji had almost risked his life for the big exam. Would he really give up so easily?

Lou Tinglan was even more peculiar. Although she couldn't figure out his thoughts, she absolutely couldn't allow the slightest change to happen.

Meanwhile, another round of exhilarating competition came to an end, and the disciples carrying the divination sticks walked past the preparation area, with only a dozen or so wooden sticks remaining in the sticks.

Ran Qinghe took the divination stick container and shook it. The wooden sticks collided and one fell to the ground.

She bent down to pick it up, examined it carefully from both sides twice, then frowned and handed it to the disciple in charge: "Is it a blank slip?"

After examining the wooden slip, the disciple in charge continued to explain, "Congratulations, Senior Sister, you have a bye this round. You will automatically advance to the next round without needing to compete."

"Because one disciple withdrew earlier, the number of disciples remaining on the field is odd, so Elder Lou Guan deliberately placed an empty lot."

Hua Jin also said, "If that's the case, wouldn't someone be getting a bye in the next few rounds of battle?"

He laughed and said, "If Qinghe had always been the one to get a bye, then the champion's position might not have gone to Lou Tinglan. Perhaps I should have placed my bet on you earlier."

Ran Qinghe didn't seem to care much and replied perfunctorily, "There's no such thing as a coincidence in the world."

But when she looked incredulously at the blank visa she had received for the fourth time, she realized that such a coincidence could really happen in this world.

The disciple in charge seemed embarrassed as well. Undeterred, he put the blank lot back into the divination tube and asked Ran Qinghe to draw one. However, the one he drew was still the blank lot.

Ran Qinghe: ...

After receiving a bye for the fourth time, unsurprisingly, Lou Tinglan was left until the end. Only she, Lou Tinglan, and another disciple from Qingxiao remained on the field.

However, she received a bye again, which means that if Lou Tinglan wins this round, then in the final round, she and Lou Tinglan will compete for the championship.

Lou Tinglan fought five battles in a row, and her spiritual energy was almost completely depleted. However, she had been recuperating and regulating her spiritual energy, and even the injury on her shoulder had been mostly healed.

The title of champion is yet to be decided.

Meanwhile, in the spectator stands, the betting that was originally one-sided has now turned into a 20/80 split between her and Lou Tinglan, with endless discussions taking place.

"Is this really not something that someone secretly sabotaged?"

"Who can disagree? Ran Qinghe is incredibly lucky. Even if she doesn't win the championship, she'll still be second place, and all the factions will be fighting tooth and nail to recruit her."

"No, no... I have to change my bet, I'll bet on Ran Qinghe!"

With the Tranquil Sword returned to its sheath, only Lou Tinglan remained on the field. He lowered his eyes and looked down at the audience with a gloomy expression, clearly not expecting this result.

His original intention was simply to stop Fu Ji for her, but unexpectedly, he became her obstacle instead.

Lou Guan smiled and said, "Tinglan, would you like to rest and recuperate first?"

Lou Tinglan shook his head and refused: "This disciple is fine."

Lou Guan announced loudly, "In the final round of the major exam, Lou Tinglan will face... Ran Qinghe."

Ran Qinghe whipped her whip and leaped onto the stage. She seemed to be in a daze for a moment, as if she had just had a fierce battle with Lou Tinglan when they first met.

It's unclear when it started, but the tension and confrontation between them have subsided, replaced by a complex web of unspoken entanglements.

"Please." Lou Tinglan bowed, and the Tranquil Heart Sword was suddenly drawn, its blade gleaming.

Ran Qinghe pursed her lips, flicked her wrist, and lashed out the whip with nearly 70% of her spiritual power. This whip was both to test Lou Tinglan's depth and to break the slightly suffocating atmosphere.

Lou Tinglan dodged to the side, and the Tranquil Heart Sword parried in the same direction. The tip of the whip collided with the blade of the sword, producing a crisp metallic sound.

Whip flashes like silk, sword light like rain; the two figures crisscrossed on the training ground, their speed dazzling.

The murmurs in the stands gradually subsided, and everyone held their breath, waiting for the final results of the crucial test.

"Is your injury still bothering you?" Lou Tinglan suddenly asked, but her swordplay didn't stop.

Ran Qinghe didn't answer, but instead asked with a hint of anger, "Why do you want to take the big exam?"

Her offensive grew increasingly fierce. Seeing Lou Tinglan remain silent, her heart sank even further. Could it be as Hua Jin had said, that Lou Tinglan and Fu Ji had already reached some kind of consensus?

"Is it for yourself, or for others?"

She had to give him a choice.

"Not for myself," Lou Tinglan finally replied, a hint of emotion that Lou Tinglan couldn't understand flashing in her usually calm eyes.

In the instant she was distracted, Lou Tinglan's longsword struck, accurately piercing the whip's tip. The whip nearly slipped from her grasp due to the shockwave of spiritual energy.

Ran Qinghe quickly retreated several steps, a dull pain shooting through her injured right shoulder. She immediately understood that Lou Tinglan hadn't held back and was truly going all out to help Fu Ji.

Her spiritual energy grew increasingly agitated, and the whip flashed in layers, attempting to completely disrupt Lou Tinglan's strategy.

However, when it comes to practical experience, the gap between her and Lou Tinglan is enormous. If this drags on, she will undoubtedly lose.

So, she wanted to take the gamble.