The situation of the Golden Osmanthus Challenge changed drastically the next day.
The brilliant Snow Phoenix of the Mu family was defeated by Lin Fuqing in the most humiliating way and had no face to fight again. The next day, news spread that Mu Qingxue was in seclusion, and the disciples of the Mu family were in a panic.
Fang Chiqi’s inner core was removed and his life was in danger. The second son Fang Zhilong was afraid of falling into the hands of the calamity star, and so he also gave up the competition the next day.
In just one competition, the future heirs of the Vermillion Qilin and Snow Phoenix families were defeated. This allowed the stable and unglamorous Black Dragon Gu family to become the beneficiary. This shocking news spread throughout the immortal realm overnight, and on the next day, during the morning session, another shocking news broke out.
Xia Tinglan, the shijie of Furong Pavilion, gave up the competition and was personally recruited by Fang Tinghai to join the Fang family to treat Fang Chiqi.
This caused another huge uproar.
Since the Golden Osmanthus Challenge was of great significance, everyone began to speculate on what price the Fang family master had offered to make Xia Tinglan give up her qualification. Moreover, Fang Chiqi had already become a waste with no inner core. Even if he was saved, he would only become a useless person who could not cultivate. In a noble family, according to common sense, he should have been decisively abandoned.
Many people couldn’t help but shake their heads and sigh. “It seems that Patriarch Fang really loves his son very much.”
Only Lin Fuqing and Fang Zhiyuan, who secretly visited the Fang family last night, could guess the reason why.
At this time, the morning light was dim in the inn. Fang Zhiyuan was leaning against the window with his eyes narrowed, holding a cup of wine. “Fang Tinghai thought that half of my inner core was still sealed in the same spot, and Fang Chiqi could still be saved. I guess the situation was urgent last night, so the old man gritted his teeth and spent a lot of money to ask Xia Tinglan to come…How unexpected.”
At this moment, Lin Fuqing was already in a state of desperation. “Okay, okay, I know you’re happy. Drink less…I beg you.”
When they came back last night, they found a single lamp still on in the inn. Their martial brothers and sisters had been so worried that they hadn’t slept. Thus, once they returned and told them what had happened, Ye Huaguo refused to rest, not stopping until she refined Fang Zhiyuan’s inner core back into his body overnight.
This was by no means an easy task. Even though Fang Zhiyuan had a miserable life since childhood and had been tortured in his previous life, the pain was still agonizing.
But this guy was stubborn and continued to scold Ye Huaguo, never mind that he was sweating profusely in pain. He didn’t dare use harsh words, but still shut up when he noticed that the girl’s eyes had turned red and she had started crying.
Lin Fuqing had been holding him, and after half a night, Fang Zhiyuan’s cold sweat had soaked into his clothes. This made him so distressed that he didn’t know what to do. Thus, when morning arrived, he’d relented and allowed him to drink a little wine, not only to cheer him up but also to help him relieve the pain.
But if Fang Zhiyuan drank more, he was afraid he would…
While Fang Zhiyuan was still drunk and out of it, he decisively snatched the wine cup away, raised his sleeve and drank the remaining sip. “No more. Lie down on the bed and go to sleep.”
Fang Zhiyuan frowned. “How can I sleep in broad daylight?”
Lin Fuqing said, “Listen to me.”
—Having said that, Lin Fuqing still ultimately failed to urge Fang Zhiyuan to go to bed well.
It was because a visitor ended up disturbing them.
It turned out that at noon that day, Ye Huaguo had faced off against Xuanyuan Yi, the eldest disciple of Sword Valley and a genius famed for his swordsmanship.
Before getting on stage, she was so scared that she cried and her legs shook. But after she got on stage, she fought with Xuanyuan Yi for hundreds of moves, lasting a full hour without losing the upper hand.
Finally, the referee had no choice but to rule the battle a tie, leaving the audience utterly dumbfounded.
Thus, after the battle, Xuanyuan Yi approached Lin Fuqing. Sitting upright, he said, “Little Immortal Lord Lin, you must know that the master of our Sword Valley, the current Sword God of the Immortal Realm, is surnamed Ye.”
Lin Fuqing: “I know.”
Xuanyuan Yi said sincerely, “You also know that your Fairy Ye also has the surname Ye.”
Lin Fuqing: “I do know.”
So Xuanyuan Yi patted his chest proudly. “She and our Valley Master were from the same family eight hundred years ago!! A real man should not be fussy about trivial matters. From now on, she is our Valley Master’s biological daughter whom he met by chance!!”
Lin Fuqing: “…”
…Was this how a real, not-fussy-about-trivial- matters man should be used?
You’re looking for a young valley master for Sword Valley. Does your Sword God Ye know?!
On the edge of the bed, Fang Zhiyuan sat with his legs propped up in an untidy manner, scolding with a smile. “Go away. Everyone knows that your Sword God Ye has been missing nearly a hundred years. If you want to recognize her as his daughter, ask him to climb up Xuyun Peak to recognize her in person!”
His face was still a little pale, but he was very energetic, not showing any signs of fatigue or weakness. Outsiders would never have imagined how much pain he’d been in last night.
Lin Fuqing gave him a warning look. “It’s none of your business, just stay calm.”
Since one way was blocked, Xuanyuan Yi found another way. Putting on a serious expression, he said, “Little Immortal Lord Lin, from today’s battle, I can see that Fairy Ye is a rare genius in the way of the sword.”
“Indeed.” Lin Fuqing saw that he was thirsty and raised his sleeve to add tea for him. “Huaguo has a very good aptitude for using swords.”
Xuanyuan Yi tilted his head back and gulped down the tea, then pointed at himself and said, “Unfortunately, I am the best sword master in Sword Valley, and I am also a genius in swordsmanship.”
Lin Fuqing: “..…”
He patted his chest proudly again. “A real man should not be fussy about trivial matters. From now on, Fairy Ye is my half-sister!!”
Fang Zhiyuan rolled over from the bed and kicked Xuanyuan Yi out with an expressionless face.
………
The disruption to the Golden Osmanthus Challenge left only a few Golden Core cultivators remaining. In the next few days, the Xuyun disciples faced relatively easy opponents, and even Song Youdou had won two battles.
Shen Xiaojiang, on the other hand, was still fighting hard at the bottom. He was very energetic, unwilling to become discouraged even after facing a loss. Lin Fuqing greatly admired his tenacity.
With half of his inner core freshly refined back into his body, Fang Zhiyuan’s condition was much diminished. Even so, he was used to fighting furiously, and unafraid of injuries, he still continued his winning streak.
This went on for several days without any major setbacks.
As for the backstage…
Lin Fuqing and Fang Zhiyuan had been prepared to face attacks from the Snow Phoenix and Vermillion Qilin families, but unexpectedly, everything was calm.
There was a rumor that Immortal Sovereign Lu had summoned Mu Hong and Fang Tinghai into the Golden Osmanthus Palace. It was unknown what he’d said to them, but when they came out, their faces were pale.
In a blink of an eye, the Golden Osmanthus Challenge was already half over.
Xun Mingsi was paired with the little demon boy from the Western Regions, Shentu Linchun.
Lin Fuqing raised his eyebrows at this, but didn’t say much, only saying, “It’s rare for a music cultivator to encounter another music cultivator in a fight, so cherish the opportunity.”
Xun Mingsi smiled and said, “Mingsi knows. Do the two shixiong want to come and listen?”
Lin Fuqing said, “Of course.”
In fact, even if Xun Mingsi didn’t invite them, Lin Fuqing would definitely go.
It was partially to show support for Xun Mingsi, and partially because Shentu Linchun was the head of the Senluo Stone Palace of this generation.
The Senluo Stone Palace was located in the Western Regions, bordering the demon clan. It believed in an ancient evil god that was half human, half demon. Each generation was jointly ruled by a man and a woman.
However, when the immortal calamity came, the yin qi corrupted nearly all the disciples of Senluo Stone Palace, turning them all insane.
It wasn’t until much later that Lin Fuqing learned that the immortal calamity didn’t just cause yin qi to pour down from the sky, as everyone saw.
It also gushed up from the ground.
A huge abyss marked an area where the Senluo Stone Palace met the demon clan territory. It was named the Yin Abyss because yin monsters often roamed within its chasm. Legends has it that a great war broke between ancient immortals and gods there, causing bones to pile up and making it inhabitable.
On the day of the Immortal disaster, the yin qi in the Yin Abyss suddenly erupted and gushed out, not only causing heavy casualty in Senluo Stone Palace but also turning most of the demons crazy.
The land in the far west had since become dead silent.
That was until Lin Fuqing fell into the abyss. He sat in the darkness for eighteen days and finally gained enlightenment in demonic cultivation.
The sudden enlightenment triggered the rules of heaven and earth, and red lotuses burst out all over the cold abyss, blazing like fire. And among the crimson lotus, Lin Fuqing sat cross-legged with his eyes closed like an immortal god in an ancient scroll.
Under the dual influence of the rules of heaven and earth and the instinctive yin qi in the bodies, the corrupted cultivators and crazed demons all gathered there in chaos.
Lin Fuqing displayed three thousand magical powers, one by one, and red lotuses sprouted behind him with every step.
Nine days later, the corrupted cultivators and demons gradually regained their sanity and worshipped Lin Fuqing as their king. Yin Abyss was renamed Red Lotus Abyss, and the Demon Lord Lin Fuqing built a city of bones beside it. At the same time…
He created a formation to suppress the surging negative energy underneath the ground.
Those immortal sects who cursed the demonic cultivators would never know that it there was no Demon Lord Lin Fuqing and no Snow Bone City, the entire immortal world would have continued to remain in a state of chaos and fear, where cultivators could become contaminated by yin qi and turn demonic.
But the immortal and demonic cultivators were at odds, and many of the demonic cultivators hated the immortal sects. Therefore, Demon Lord Lin never told anyone about his painstaking efforts.
If there was anyone in Snow Bone City who knew that truth, it was Shentu Linchun, who had become possessed and stayed in Snow Bone City for a time.
Of course, these were all just old things from the previous life.
But in this life, if Lin Fuqing wanted to prevent the calamity, he must take into account the Yun Abyss to the west of Senluo Stone palace.
Therefore, he must meet Shentu Linchun.
When Lin Fuqing, Fang Zhiyuan and Xun Mingsi arrived at the competition site, the sun was shining brightly and the sky was a cloudless blue.
In such weather, they thought that they would be able to see the Little Demon Boy’s glittering clothes from a distance, but reality was much different from their expectations.
Everyone knew that Shentu Linchun liked jewelry and beautiful jade, and he liked to adorn himself with a wide variety of glittering accessories. Even his pipa, a contracted natal immortal weapon named Little Spring Thunder, was decorated so gorgeously in a way rarely seen in the immortal world.
In the past few days, Shentu Linchun fully displayed his wild and arrogant attitude, playing music that made his opponent’s ears bleed. It was clear that he was a young maniac.
But today, Shentu Linchun stepped on stage wearing a simple dark red robe, his long hair braided into a bun, and looking significantly more normal when compared to his usual color look.
Opposite him, Xun Mingsi was dressed in a fluttering blue robe, forming a sharp contrast with Shentu’s red robe.
He raised his hand, and in a flash, his zither Que Ting materialized. Then he lowered his brows and said in a gentle voice, “Xuyun Xun Mingsi, please enlighten me.”
“You are too polite, Immortal Xun.” Shentu Linchun smiled, revealing his jade-like teeth. “It is hard to find a soulmate in music cultivation. I have been waiting for this battle for a long time.”
He was a charming young man.
And his smile was both beautiful and cute.
In the audience, Lin Fuqing felt his scalp tingling, and he whispered to Fang Zhiyuan, “Something isn’t right.”
—The Little Demon Boy he knew wouldn’t be so cute.
Fang Zhiyuan hummed in agreement. “Is it possible that he is also…”
Lin Fuqing said, “Let’s observe first.”
Shentu Linchun lightly took out a pipa from his qiankun bag. The pipa had a pear-shaped body with a curved neck and four upright strings. It was not decorated at all, revealing the simplest, most common style.
Someone among the spectators below murmured:
“This…isn’t Little Spring Thunder?”
“Has Little Demon Boy changed his personality? Not only has he changed his clothes, but he no longer uses his precious pipa?”
Xun Mingsi’s face turned slightly blue, and a strange feeling rose up in his heart.
He had told his senior brother a few days ago that this kid decorated his instrument too extravagantly, and he didn’t like it. Unexpectedly, in today’s battle, the Little Demon Boy actually brought out such a plain pipa.
And this pipa…
If it was a magical weapon that had a contract with its master, it would have been stored in its master’s sea of consciousness like his Que Ting and would only reveal its form once summoned.
But this pipa was taken out from Shentu Linchun’s qiankun bag, which indicated that this an ordinary immortal weapon. This…?
Xun Mingsi was confused. Could it be that the Little Demon Boy looked down on him and was deliberately trying to humiliate him?
When he thought of this, even with his good manners, he couldn’t help feeling a little unhappy.
The next moment, Xun Mingsi gently stroked the strings of the guqin and played the first note. He was not too arrogant and played the song Traveling in the Mountains and Seas.
Traveling in the Mountains and Seas was a common song in Liuhua Continent. Its passionate tune was often played at the beginning of competitions among disciples of aristocratic families, or at banquets before traveling to slay demons and monsters, and its purpose was to encourage the courage and aspirations of youth.
But in a music cultivator’s hands, it became a standard offensive song.
The spiritual energy of heaven and earth was infused into the strings, creating music that could move people’s souls and thoughts, and condensing a heroic spirit that rose straight to the sky.
In response, Shentu Linchun held the pipa in his arms and plucked the strings.
As soon as the first note came out, Lin Fuqing let out a light “eh”.
The mood of the song played by the Little Demon Boy was completely opposite to that of Xun Mingsi. The mood was desolate and the meaning was sad.
This was a rare occurrence. Generally speaking, music practitioners seldom employed completely opposing styles when composing music during a battle.
The reason was simple: both practitioners could easily be thrown off by the other’s melody, leading to discomfort and mental exhaustion on both sides.
But Shentu Linchun was arrogant enough to defy convention. He even lifted his head and smiled at Xun Mingsi.
“Hey…Immortal Xun might seem cold and aloof, but it turns out you’re quite formidable. Come, listen to my tune.”