CHAPTER 53
The Unremarkable Ling Mountain Tournament
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"Sis Qinghan, give Shiyu another one!"
"No way! You already had one! This was bought for Qinghan by our Master!"
"Shiyao saw it clearly—you paid for it yourself! Just give her one!"
Li Shiyu held her own sugar-coated hawthorn, refusing to eat a single piece, insisting on having Ye Qinghan's instead!
Meanwhile, Su Cheng had also pulled out some leftover grocery money from his secret stash to buy Dongfang Jue a sugar-coated hawthorn too.
【Why does this feel like babysitting? Fine, Li Shiyu is just a little airhead.】
【Isn't Dongfang Jue a female general? A heroine among women?】
"Hehe, thank you, Master Su." Dongfang Jue beamed like a flower, her eyes holding a familiar look that stirred something in Su Cheng.
The Demoness, the Princess, and the Saintess—each family head carrying a child, blending into the bustling marketplace like any other.
If Ye Qinghan alone had been enough to draw attention earlier, now three stunning beauties gathered together attracted countless onlookers.
But these three heroines all wore swords, and the heads of families standing beside them looked like trouble waiting to happen.
"Master, care to try Qinghan's candied hawthorn?"
"Haha, your master won't compete with you for that." Su Cheng chuckled, ruffling the fox-like head.
Ye Qinghan selected an inn that looked quite grand. Although Ling Mountain had accommodations prepared within the city, since they were out for fun, Ye Qinghan didn't want to stay too close to the other contestants.
"Elder Shi, Shiyu wants to stay with Sister Qinghan!"
"Sister Qinghan, Jue'er wants to stay with Master Su!"
"Dongfang Jue, you better believe I'll kill you!"
The three guardians exchanged knowing smiles, each resigned to their own predicament. They ended up booking separate rooms for themselves, while the three girls shared a large room.
At home, these three little tyrants were untouchable. Only Li Shiyu was slightly less formidable, occasionally forced into cultivation sessions.
"Good evening, Master." Ye Qinghan stood at Su Cheng's door, performing her greeting with impeccable decorum—a display that left the other two parents utterly dumbfounded.
Elder Shi glanced at his attendant beside him, his gaze seeming to say: Look at that—now that's a well-behaved child!
The attendant rolled his eyes inwardly, thinking: Your kid's got nothing on my princess!
Inside the large room, three girls in nightgowns giggled and played. Though Ye Qinghan didn't particularly care for Dongfang Jue, at least she didn't harbor any ill intentions.
As long as she kept her distance from the Master, the rest didn't really matter.
Li Shiyao edged closer to Dongfang Jue, her gaze fixed intently on the girl's chest before suddenly blurting out,
"Dongfang sister, you're not a boy, are you?"
The room fell deathly silent. Then, Ye Qinghan's laughter echoed through the room!
"Li Shiyao! Don't run!"
"Hey, stop! Dongfang… No, wait! Sister Qinghan! Save me! Stop tickling me!"
Ye Qinghan watched as Dongfang Jue straddled Li Shiyu, both of them piled on top of each other, the scene carrying a hint of sensuality.
Su Cheng and the guard's rooms flanked the children's room on either side, while Elder Shi's room was directly opposite. With Su Cheng and that guard who looked anything but ordinary present, nothing untoward should happen.
The girls played until midnight before finally falling asleep. But separated only by a thin wall, Su Cheng was driven to distraction. Every word he uttered was crystal clear to Ye Qinghan—and to her as well.
The next day, the girls dressed and groomed themselves before preparing to head to Ling Mountain for the martial arts competition.
The elimination rules were quite standard, though Ye Qinghan had two matches scheduled for the first day—or more accurately, Ye Qinghan and Ye Xiaohan.
The spectator stands buzzed with lively discussions about the championship favorites, countless prodigies from prestigious clans standing below, each radiating confidence.
Ye Qinghan had assumed his fame was sufficient—his feat of single-handedly annihilating an entire sect was unparalleled among prodigies. Yet, despite the uproar, there remained no concrete evidence.
The favorites for the championship were inevitably the scions of the major families from the Five Domains, naturally including renowned orthodox sects like the Heavenly Dao Pavilion and Holy Mountain!
The Heavenly Dao Pavilion had consistently performed well in past tournaments, with their competing disciples almost always securing top ten finishes.
"Contestants, enter!"
As the voice of an unnamed elder echoed through the arena, the spectator stands erupted in cheers!
"Miss Shiyao! I love you!"
"The Holy Maiden truly is heaven's chosen one! That beauty! She's totally my type!"
Li Shiyu ascended the circular arena in a white gown, barefoot and untouched by worldly dust, appearing like a celestial being descended from the heavens.
"Holy Mountain, Li Shiyu."
On the other side stood a minor sect from the Western Regions. Little did they expect to face a powerhouse like Li Shiyu! Their faces were already grim as they stepped onto the stage…
How incredibly unlucky!
Li Shiyao ranked in the top 15 of the championship leaderboard and was number one on the beauty rankings! Even Ye Qinghan, with her naturally alluring charm, ranked behind Li Shiyao on the beauty list!
As for the championship rankings, Ye Qinghan wasn't even on the list…
"Hold on!"
Li Shiyao slowly unstrapped her small backpack and placed it at the edge of the arena. Her expression was adorably dazed, and her movements were utterly charming.
"Alright… bring it on!"
Li Shiyao grinned cheerfully, seemingly taking this duel completely lightly.
At the signal, Li Shiyao—who had cultivated Immortal-tier techniques—instantly unleashed her full power. When she didn’t attack, she was an ethereal maiden; when she did, she resembled a little madwoman…
Ye Qinghan watched with keen interest. Li Shiyao’s cultivation of Immortal-tier techniques had indeed made her significantly stronger! It was nothing short of a quantum leap!
"This girl has cultivated Immortal-tier techniques and has already reached the Golden Core stage!" Dongfang Jue couldn't help but marvel. Though he'd been intensifying his own cultivation lately, he still wasn't sure if he could defeat that little fool, Li Shiyao.
"Hmm, she's much stronger than last time." Ye Qinghan's eyes crinkled with amusement. Her gaze never left the combat arena, nor did her body leave Su Cheng's embrace. She merely responded casually.
This duel was infinitely more intense than the one before the initiation ceremony. That junior cultivator facing Li Shiyao managing to withstand so many of her attacks was surprising enough!
"By the way, how come you're still at Foundation Establishment?"
"What? You want to spar with Qinghan?"
"I'm just curious—why is your cultivation progressing so slowly?" Dongfang Jue rolled her eyes. Whenever Ye Qinghan spoke to her now, she seemed ready to punch her at the slightest provocation…
"Too busy fawning over my master."
It wasn't entirely her master's fault, though. Ye Qinghan felt helpless too. Ever since practicing the cultivation technique her master had given her, her cultivation level and progress were nothing like those of ordinary practitioners!
It took immense effort and several days of seclusion before she finally achieved a mid-Foundation Establishment Breakthrough…
Ye Qinghan felt her current strength could likely hold her own against a mid-stage Core Formation cultivator! Though her cultivation base remained firmly at mid-stage Foundation Establishment.
Meanwhile, Dongfang Jue had already advanced into the Golden Core Stage, his strength vastly surpassing what it had been before.
She wasn't participating in the martial contest today, though. Truthfully, she hadn't paid much attention to Ling Mountain's contests. She'd only come to see Ye Qinghan and Su Cheng, and to take a stroll while she was at it.
"Doesn't Master Su urge you to cultivate?"
"Urge me? My master only reminds me to eat more, sleep early, and rise early. Cultivation? That's not important at all."
"Master Su treats you so well. Jue'er is truly envious of you. You can't even imagine what it's like to have someone constantly urging you to study, urging you about marriage, urging you to cultivate. Everything feels rushed and hurried—what a feeling that must be!"
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