Chapter 25

After the banquet, the seven were escorted back to their previous lodgings. They rested for the night, with the competition scheduled to begin the next day.

They were led to a large venue. In the center, a patch of empty land was enclosed by a tall fence, a bit too high for Xiao Ai to see over. After some pleading, she finally got Fatty to lift her up. A Xu, who was about the same height, wasn’t so lucky. Driven by burning curiosity, he kept jumping up, trying to catch a glimpse inside.

Surrounding the area were towering spectator stands, like those in a colossal football stadium. But instead of a green field, the center was just bare, yellow earth. When the wind blew, dust kicked up everywhere, making the place look filthy. That was all there was inside. On the raised platform outside the fence, however, various makeshift shelters had been set up. Some people had even brought over beds and were lounging comfortably.

"So fancy!" Xiao Ai, perched on Fatty's back, couldn't help but exclaim as she spotted a few women lounging on soft couches.

Su Heng scoffed at this. Seeing the envious looks on Xiao Ai and Fatty's faces, he scolded with exasperation, "No ambition. This is nothing special."

Jing Yuan quickly patted his friend's shoulder to calm him down. Xu Haoyue, however, felt a bit frustrated. They'd been stuck in this time period so long her phone was almost dead. With all these interesting things around, she couldn't even take any pictures.

A Xu was now pestering Little Wu with idle chatter. He really didn't want to fight that shapeshifting snake-person. Just thinking about it felt terrifying—dizzy, nauseous, wanting to throw up. Wait, that sounded like morning sickness. Xiao Ai couldn't help but interrupt A Xu's indignant rambling.

"Hey, A Xu, remember that movie we watched as kids? A snake crawled into a woman's belly, and later she gave birth to a child. A Xu, you better not let that snake get anywhere near your stomach!"

A Xu was jolted by Xiao Ai's words, a memory flashing back that made him desperately cover his abdomen. Now he really didn't want to go on stage. Xiao Ai gloated and laughed at him, then followed everyone to the very front row of the spectator stands. Red and white flags were planted ahead, flapping and billowing in the wind.

Everyone sat on the platform, looking down at the huge crowd below, their own excitement rising with the atmosphere. The seven of them cheered and clapped along with the locals, the scene incredibly lively. After the long speech finally ended, things were about to begin.

The man in the middle announced the participants' names. Unfortunately, the first one called was Xiao Ai.

Xiao Ai wasn't exactly scared, just disappointed she wouldn't get to spar with that handsome guy. She'd even changed into a set of lightweight clothes today. While still not as convenient as their martial arts uniforms, it was much better than those floor-length skirts. Under everyone's gaze, Xiao Ai strode confidently to the center of the arena, waiting for her opponent to appear.

Yesterday, guided by Youyou, Xiao Ai had caught a distant glimpse and knew her opponent was tall. But she never imagined he would be this enormous. As he walked forward, his waist was almost twice as thick as hers, and his arms and legs... with every step he took, Xiao Ai felt the ground tremble. She swallowed nervously, wide eyes darting toward Youyou.

"So tall? Holy crap! Are you kidding me?"

Su Heng instantly decoded the mix of emotions in Xiao Ai's gaze and relayed them to Youyou. Youyou sat awkwardly beside him, using his sleeve to wipe cold sweat from his temple.

Xu Haoyue looked down with some worry, unable to resist poking Jing Yuan to ask, "Xiao Ai's opponent looks so... that. Can she actually win?"

Jing Yuan replied uncertainly, "Uh, sh-she probably can!" A Xu and Little Wu, however, weren't so worried. They rushed to the front, cheering loudly for Xiao Ai. Xiao Ai grimaced as she turned to face her opponent. Jia Fengluo was tall and burly with dark skin, yet she wore a white dress. As someone who valued appearance, Xiao Ai found it unbearable. Mimicking Jia Fengluo's gesture, she gave a perfunctory cupped-hand salute.

After exchanging formalities, both assumed their stances. Jia Fengluo raised her hand and produced a finely carved silver whip. Xiao Ai clenched her fists in front of her chest, pressing her body down firmly while suppressing the fear in her heart.

"C-come on!" Xiao Ai shouted, trying to bolster her courage. Meanwhile, her martial brothers and Xu Haoyue began yelling, "Go, Xiao Ai!"

Youyou had no idea what "go" meant, but he couldn't help joining in. Facing Xiao Ai, Jia Fengluo gave a cold sneer. With a flick of her hand, the silver whip shot toward Xiao Ai's face like it had eyes, leaving a trail of silver light. Xiao Ai hastily leaned back to dodge. But the whip immediately changed direction, sweeping toward her.

Xiao Ai had no choice but to drop to the ground and roll again, abandoning any pretense of grace. Her opponent swung the whip with lightning speed, leaving Xiao Ai no time to evade. She took a few unfortunate hits on her arms and legs, but thanks to the distance, much of the force had dissipated, and it wasn't too painful.

She scrambled to her feet and quickly ran in a wide arc around Jia Fengluo, turning the match into a chase around the field. As they circled the training ground, everyone stared in stunned silence. Jia Fengluo, furious, shouted, "What are you playing at? If you don't dare to fight, then don't step into the ring."

Noticing that Jia Fengluo was slowing down, Xiao Ai realized that cultivators like her had terrible stamina. She made a face at her and taunted, “Mind your own business? This is how I want to fight, got a problem? Is there a rule against running?”

“You...” Jia Fengluo was speechless with rage. She flicked her silver whip forward, kicking up a wave of sand with such force that even Xiao Ai was startled, nearly stumbling and falling.

“Hey, Xiao Ai, be careful! Don’t run so fast!” Youyou shouted anxiously from the high platform. Xiao Ai quickly regained her balance, rolled sideways to evade the whip, then lunged forward to grab it.

Xiao Ai snickered, wrapping the silver whip twice around her hand and engaging in a tug-of-war with Jia Fengluo. Though Jia Fengluo was tall, she lacked physical strength and wasn’t a power-type cultivator. Surprisingly, she was evenly matched with Xiao Ai, who was much smaller. The whip was pulled back and forth between them.

Jia Fengluo felt a flutter of unease as her opponent kept reeling in the whip, drawing closer. Despite Xiao Ai being so much shorter, combined with the fact that she couldn’t use any of her techniques right now, Jia Fengluo began to wonder if this was part of Xiao Ai’s strategy. Fear crept into her heart, and she couldn’t help stepping back.

In the moment Jia Fengluo retreated, Xiao Ai dashed forward, leaping straight at her. Caught off guard, Jia Fengluo was knocked down. Angrily, she tried to get up, only to find her legs and arms pinned by Xiao Ai.