The Young Lady Only Wants to Cultivate Immortality Chapter 50

The Challenge Order, burning with dark flames, illuminated the words ‘Heavenly Peace’ on the Divine Martial Pillar, causing them to flicker dimly and brightly, much like the flickering light in Heavenly Peace Abode Master Qiu Fanbo’s eyes.
She gazed at the Challenge Order hovering directly before her, seemingly buzzing, recalling if she had ever seen such a thing during her hundreds of years of cultivation.
It seemed not. Not only had she never received one, she had never seen anyone else receive one either.
A gust of wind howled past, and the dark flames on the Challenge Order suddenly reignited, burning fiercely. The trailing firelight made the Challenge Order resemble a military banner on a mortal battlefield, wildly dancing and crackling with a fierce sound.
Zhao Shan watched all of this in astonishment, his eyes wide with disbelief, his expression appalled.
It was as if he couldn’t believe what was on the high platform was real. He hadn’t seen wrong, had he? It was a Challenge Order?
That newcomer, just because no one chose her to enter a cave dwelling, she dared to issue a Challenge Order to a Abode Master?
Zhao Shan was not surprised that no one chose Shi Qingqian. He had exerted effort behind the scenes for this, telling the other cave dwellings that Shi Qingqian was a powerful yet arrogant and perverse newcomer, one with low moral character who didn’t even put other sword cultivators or even Abode Masters in her eyes.
He had even added a warning: if anyone chose Shi Qingqian, they would be going against him, Zhao Shan, and the entire Heavenly Peace Cave Abode.
But he never expected Shi Qingqian to be not only arrogant but also brainless, that just because no one chose her, she would be crazy enough to challenge a Abode Master.
And she chose their Heavenly Peace Cave Abode. Could she know about the things he had done?
That shouldn’t be possible. He had inquired about Shi Qingqian’s background; she was a newcomer who had just entered Mystic Crane Mountain, and she had no powerful backing among the Twelve Cave Abodes.
How dare she?!
Zhao Shan recalled the nonsense he had fabricated for Qiu Fanbo about Shi Qingqian looking down on her. That was just to make Qiu Fanbo give Shi Qingqian some trouble when she met her later.
He never, ever imagined that Shi Qingqian actually harbored such a thought.
Qiu Fanbo hadn’t sought trouble with her; she had actually come knocking herself, as if she didn’t think much of Abode Masters.
A commotion erupted among the crowd. The previous silence was shattered by exclamations of ‘It’s a Challenge Order!’, and the entire Tian Teng Mountain was like boiling water, with abnormally fervent discussions everywhere.
Not only were they in an uproar of shock, but the masters of the other eleven cave dwellings were also more astonished than the last.
When the Challenge Order first appeared, the Abode Masters thought Shi Qingqian was going to challenge an elder from one of the dwellings.
Even challenging an elder would have been shocking enough, for a newcomer to be so arrogant.
When they saw the Challenge Order heading towards them, the masters of the medical cultivator cave dwellings even thought they had accidentally inhaled something while refining medicine that morning, causing hallucinations.
Zeng Bilan, the master of Twin Fields Cave Abode, was seated right next to Qiu Fanbo. When the Challenge Order shot forth just now, she thought it was coming for her.
But she quickly realized it wasn’t. They were spiritual arts cultivators, and the newcomer clearly intended to choose a sword cultivator.
She looked at the Challenge Order, so close at hand, wondering if the newcomer was nervous and had used the wrong talisman.
A newcomer who had just entered Mystic Crane Mountain was going to challenge a Abode Master? On what grounds?
Although the newcomer wasn’t challenging their spiritual arts cultivators, Zeng Bilan, as a fellow Abode Master, felt as if she too had been slighted.
If this newcomer wasn’t mentally deranged, then she simply thought too highly of herself. Overconfidence was arrogance.
She silently gazed at the dark flames on the Challenge Order, and couldn’t help but admit that this newcomer was formidable. Just this spell-igniting technique could possess such immense power. Looking at the spiritual arts cultivator cave dwellings, this level of strength was among the best.
What a pity. If this person had chosen spiritual arts cultivation, she definitely would have accepted them. She wasn’t like Qiu Fanbo, who was narrow-minded and couldn’t stand to see others stronger than herself.
The mountain wind howled, and the sparks swirling around the Challenge Order scattered upwards.
On the Floating Cloud Lotus Platform, the three Peak Masters watched the recent turn of events with varied expressions.
Jiang Qiuchun had originally felt that Shi Qingqian was targeted by those narrow-minded sword cultivators because she was too high-profile. She thought that after this incident, Shi Qingqian would reflect on herself, tuck her tail between her legs, and pray that the sword cultivators would set aside their prejudices and accept her three years later.
She never expected this newcomer could be even more high-profile.
“Mystic Crane Mountain has never had a newcomer directly challenge a Abode Master,” Jiang Qiuchun remarked with a chuckle. “The longer you live, the more you see, indeed.” She said that this matter had nothing to do with their spiritual arts cultivators, and she was happy to watch the sword cultivators’ spectacle.
Ye Bingfeng’s face was grim, lost in thought. Shan Xinci, beside her, didn’t just show surprise; she seemed somewhat moved.
She withdrew her scrutinizing gaze from the white figure on the Immortal Rainbow Platform, and turned her head to look at Jiang Qiuchun: “Yes, it has. Thousands of years ago, the same thing happened on Mystic Crane Mountain.”
“Hm?” Jiang Qiuchun was puzzled. How would Shan Xinci know about something from thousands of years ago?
Hearing this, Ye Bingfeng also withdrew her gaze and looked at Shan Xinci, but there wasn’t much surprise on her face; she seemed to know about it.
Shan Xinci had not personally experienced that event from thousands of years ago: “My Master told me about it before.”
After saying this, she pointed to the azure sky above them, and then continued: “Back then, that individual also did the same thing.”
Jiang Qiuchun was surprised: “Saint Venerable Dao Rong? How could that be?” She found it hard to believe that someone as calm and steady as Saint Venerable Dao Rong would do something so audacious and ostentatious.
Shan Xinci looked at Shi Qingqian on the Immortal Rainbow Platform, unsure if she was speaking of Shi Qingqian or Saint Venerable Dao Rong: “Everyone has a time when they are young and reckless.”
However, the circumstances weren’t entirely identical. It was said that back then, the Twelve Cave Abodes vied to recruit Saint Venerable Dao Rong, but Saint Venerable Dao Rong said he would only choose those who could defeat him.
Thus, he eventually joined the sword cultivator’s path. He didn’t replace any other Abode Master, but instead focused on arduous cultivation.
Jiang Qiuchun still found it incredibly hard to believe. However, she had only met Saint Venerable Dao Rong once after becoming a Peak Master, so she certainly didn’t know much about him.
Yet, just that one time, Saint Venerable Dao Rong’s aura, like that of a reclusive immortal, left a deep impression on her. She found it hard to imagine him ever having a young and reckless phase.
He seemed as if he was always meant to be like the Primordial Stone of Kunlun Mountain, standing there for tens of thousands of years, providing a beacon-like guidance to all his followers.
Ye Bingfeng, who had been silent until now, looked at the person on the Immortal Rainbow Platform with a complex gaze. She suddenly spoke: “After Saint Venerable Dao Rong, there was another individual who, upon first entering Mystic Crane Mountain, also issued a Challenge Order during the new disciple selection.”
Jiang Qiuchun and Shan Xinci both looked at Ye Bingfeng. From their puzzled expressions, it was clear neither had heard of this.
“That individual was even more arrogant than Saint Venerable Dao Rong. She issued a Challenge Order to Saint Venerable Dao Rong, who was already a Peak Master at the time.”
“Ah?” “Ah!”
Two exclamations of surprise rang out. For something to make two Soul Transformation Realm Peak Masters simultaneously cry out in astonishment, it was indeed no ordinary matter.
Jiang Qiuchun could barely believe what she heard. Such an audacious newcomer existed? She pressed: “What happened next?”
Ye Bingfeng frowned slightly: “Lost.”
Jiang Qiuchun wasn’t asking about that; she naturally knew the newcomer would lose: “How did Saint Venerable Dao Rong deal with that newcomer?”
The furrow in Ye Bingfeng’s brow deepened a bit: “Took her as a disciple.”
Shan Xinci’s brow twitched. She hadn’t known about this: “Saint Venerable Dao Rong had a disciple? How come no one ever heard about her later? Where is she?”
Ye Bingfeng seemed disinclined to say more: “It happened thousands of years ago. That individual never broke through after reaching the Golden Core-Nascent Soul stage. When her lifespan ended, she ascended.”
She really was ignorant and fearless, Jiang Qiuchun thought. Only because Saint Venerable Dao Rong was merciful could he accept her as a disciple. Usually, cultivators who failed a challenge would have their cultivation dissipated, forced to start over from scratch.
Jiang Qiuchun lowered her gaze, looking down. The newcomer below wasn’t facing someone as benevolent as Saint Venerable Dao Rong.
Below the Immortal Rainbow Platform, Lan Fushang heard Gu Jingyang say that after a Challenge Order failed, the challenger’s cultivation would be dissipated by the opponent. She anxiously wanted to warn Shi Qingqian not to be impulsive, when suddenly, a pain shot up her leg.
She looked down. At the spot on her left leg where A’Ling was gripping her skirt, A’Ling’s tightened hand had pinched her flesh.
“A’Ling, what’s wrong?” Lan Fushang took A’Ling’s hand, looking at her somewhat unusual expression.
A’Ling snapped back to reality, saw the hand gripping hers, and realized she had been unconsciously pulling on Lan Fushang’s clothes. She quickly released her grip.
Facing Lan Fushang’s concern, she didn’t know what to say. She only felt a sense of panic in her heart.
Why did Shi Qingqian have to pick the one Abode Master out of so many Abode Masters? The person she chose to challenge was precisely the master of Heavenly Peace Cave Abode. She just felt that this matter was connected to her. Moreover, she thought of the incident at Qile Mountain back then. This Shi Qingqian seemed to have a habit of meddling in others’ affairs, without even asking if she needed it.
“Is there any way to stop this?” A’Ling turned her head, looking past Lan Fushang to Gu Jingyang.
Gu Jingyang still looked utterly shocked, gazing at the Immortal Rainbow Platform with worry in her eyes alongside the shock. She didn’t know why Shi Qingqian had become so impulsive, although she also hadn’t anticipated that none of the sword cultivator cave dwellings would choose Shi Qingqian.
She was clearly so strong.
What could be done? The Challenge Order had been issued. Gu Jingyang felt terribly distressed, letting out a heavy sigh: “Unless the challenged person refuses the Challenge Order.”
But even if they didn’t fight, in the eyes of others, refusing the challenge meant already losing, and they would be scorned by everyone.
No sooner had Gu Jingyang’s words fallen than the Challenge Order hovering in mid-air was shattered to dust by a sudden, fierce golden light.
The shattered talisman dust floated everywhere with the wind, and wherever it settled, it was as if a silencing spell had been cast; the uproar instantly ceased.
Everyone fell silent, watching the scene before them.
Heavenly Peace Abode Master Qiu Fanbo had accepted the challenge!
Qiu Fanbo calmly rose from her seat on the Peerless Floating Throne. Her gaze was unreadable, whether disdainful or mocking. If she didn’t teach this arrogant newcomer a lesson, then this dignified sword cultivator Abode Master would truly be seen as being afraid of a novice cultivator.
The presiding cultivator was originally just there to officiate this cave dwelling disciple selection competition, but she hadn’t expected such a sudden turn of events. Seeing that the Heavenly Peace Abode Master, who had been issued the Challenge Order, had already risen to accept, she looked up towards the sky, towards the Floating Cloud Lotus Platform, for help.
This kind of situation was not something a mere cultivator like herself could presumptuously decide whether to continue.
After rising, Qiu Fanbo also looked towards the Floating Cloud Lotus Platform, awaiting the Peak Master Ye Bingfeng’s words.
Her attitude was respectful, her bowed body almost level with the ground. Ye Bingfeng was not only the Peak Master of the sword cultivators but also her Master. Accepting this challenge was not just about her own reputation, but also Ye Bingfeng’s prestige.
Ye Bingfeng’s expression remained unchanged. She manifested a sword. The sword swiftly wove sword flowers in the air, moving so fast it was a blur. In just an instant, the sword energy formed a massive, transparent, spherical barrier, enveloping the entire Immortal Rainbow Platform.
“Permitted.” Ye Bingfeng retrieved her manifested sword. That single, simple word was like the ringing of a Chaotic Stone Bell, shaking one to the core.
All the newcomers below the Immortal Rainbow Platform collectively trembled. Lan Fushang even more painfully clutched her chest.
Gu Jingyang activated a spell, casting a soundproofing barrier over Lan Fushang, to prevent any subsequent sounds imbued with powerful inner energy from jarring her heart and lungs.
“No, no, I’m fine.” Lan Fushang glanced at the transparent barrier around her, knowing it would consume a lot of Gu Jingyang’s true spiritual energy, and quickly tried to refuse.
But before Gu Jingyang could speak, A’Ling spoke first: “You’d better stay inside. Look at the sword energy barrier created by that Sword Cultivator Peak Master; it’s precisely to prevent the fighting inside from affecting the newcomers.”
As she spoke, she wasn’t looking at Lan Fushang. Her gaze remained fixed on the Immortal Rainbow Platform, on that slender white figure.
After Ye Bingfeng spoke, the presiding cultivator quickly got into character, and in a voice like a booming bell, announced that the Challenge Order was activated.
“Today, Shi Qingqian, a cultivator from the Soaring Rainbow Tower, has issued a Challenge Order to Heavenly Peace Abode Master Qiu Fanbo. The Abode Master has accepted the challenge, and the Challenge Order is activated. This battle is dangerous; spectators encountering danger should withdraw themselves. With the Challenge Order activated, life or death is not considered. The outcome will be determined by one side surrendering or dying. There are no other rules. If both parties have no objections, you may begin.”
A’Ling shot to her feet. She’s looking for death! No rules, life or death not considered! If Shi Qingqian wants to die, can’t she find a quiet place to do it?!
At her movement, Lan Fushang and Gu Jingyang beside her also simultaneously rose, anxiously looking at Shi Qingqian on the high platform not far away.
Gu Jingyang also disregarded everything else. She shouted loudly at Shi Qingqian: “Qingqian, Abode Master Qiu will surely know when to stop! If you can’t win, just surrender! Please be careful!”
She hoped Qiu Fanbo would show mercy, and not ruthlessly kill Shi Qingqian because of a moment of impulsiveness. She had heard that this person was not open-minded, and moreover, Qingqian and A’Ling had recently had a conflict with people from Heavenly Peace Cave Abode because of Lan Fushang.
No sooner had Gu Jingyang finished speaking than she saw Shi Qingqian look over and nod slightly towards her. Gu Jingyang felt a little relieved, only hoping that Qingqian would surrender early if she couldn’t win, and not get too seriously injured.
A’Ling actually wanted to curse a few words, but when Shi Qingqian’s gaze landed on her, the sarcasm that had reached the tip of her tongue was somewhat unspeakable. What was up with that look in her eyes? Why was it so unsettling?
A’Ling turned to ask Lan Fushang: “Quick, check if there’s anything on my face?” She kept feeling that Shi Qingqian was looking at her, and yet not looking at her. What could be on her face that was worth such a look?
Lan Fushang was suddenly asked this, and seeing A’Ling’s serious expression, thought she was unwell somewhere, and quickly leaned closer. She also tilted A’Ling towards the sunlight, pressing her head close to meticulously check A’Ling’s face for any abnormalities.
To let her see more clearly, A’Ling slightly lowered her head.
“A’Ling, are you feeling unwell somewhere? I don’t see anything on your face.” There were no wounds, nor any tiny strange creatures.
Hearing Lan Fushang say this, A’Ling vigorously wiped her face. There was nothing. What was Shi Qingqian playing at, looking at her so many times this morning?!
She irritably looked up at the Immortal Rainbow Platform. Shi Qingqian had already turned her body, and she could only see her slender back.
Suddenly, A’Ling noticed Shi Qingqian’s hand, hanging by her side, clenching tightly, and it seemed to be trembling slightly.
A’Ling’s brow furrowed slightly. Now she knows fear. Good. It’s good that she’s afraid; if she can’t win, she should just surrender early.
Shi Qingqian squeezed her eyes shut and clenched her hands tightly, as if doing so could crush the scene she had just witnessed. Liars. Saying they were just neighbors.
If they were just neighbors, how could they be so intimate under the gaze of everyone?
Just now, what were they doing? Was A’Ling kissing Lan Fushang?
What was their relationship?!
Shi Qingqian suppressed her anger, not turning back to look. They were clearly people she had just met, so why could she be so intimate with a stranger?!
Qiu Fanbo also noticed Shi Qingqian’s clenched hands. A chuckle escaped her lips: “Little friend, if you’re afraid, you can surrender. I can pretend this never happened.”
Shi Qingqian heard the voice and lifted her head, looking at Qiu Fanbo with not a trace of warmth in her eyes.
Qiu Fanbo’s eyelid twitched. Strange, why did she suddenly feel a strange sense of unease?
Before she could figure out why, the person opposite had already manifested a sword.
Looking at the ordinary iron sword that could be exchanged for a few spirit stones at an outer sect blacksmith, Qiu Fanbo felt that even if she won, she would be mocked by the other three dwellings for bullying the weak.
She summoned two excellent spirit swords from thin air, and said to Shi Qingqian: “Choose one. Don’t worry, these are top-tier divine swords that don’t recognize masters, so others won’t say I’m bullying the weak.”
Qiu Fanbo was speaking the truth. It wasn’t that she had suddenly become noble and virtuous. It was simply that the iron sword in Shi Qingqian’s hand was too shabby, so shabby that engaging with such an iron sword would feel like defiling her own status.
Shi Qingqian glanced at the spirit swords hovering before her. It was just a glance, her eyes calm and unruffled, as if she were looking at a pile of scrap metal.
She flipped her palm. The iron sword in her hand broke free from its restraint, leaping into mid-air. Its blade swept back, aimed at the person on the other side of the Immortal Rainbow Platform.
This action was self-evident. Shi Qingqian was directly initiating the battle.
“Good, very good,” Qiu Fanbo sneered inwardly. She truly doesn’t know what’s good for her. In that case, don’t blame me for not holding back.
Everything was Shi Qingqian’s own doing!
Qiu Fanbo chose one of the swords, the Dragon Abyss Sword. This sword had a hilt made from the bones of a West Sea Flood Dragon and a blade of Tai’a Profound Iron. Whenever it was activated, it seemed as if a dragon’s roar echoed nearby.
Tai’a Profound Iron was a top-tier material for forging swords. Other swords might be praised as ‘cutting iron like mud’ as their highest commendation, but Tai’a Profound Iron could shatter iron into dust.
Ordinary profound iron encountering it would be like an egg hitting a rock, or an ant trying to shake a tree.
Qiu Fanbo felt that she wouldn’t even need much inner energy. Just using the Dragon Abyss Sword alone could destroy Shi Qingqian’s broken piece of scrap metal.
She wielded the Dragon Abyss Sword without any unnecessary moves, simply advancing with the momentum of a flood dragon entering the sea, heading straight for Shi Qingqian’s dilapidated iron sword.
The dragon’s roar howled through the wind. Although Lan Fushang was protected by Gu Jingyang’s soundproofing barrier, her heart still felt as if something had seized it, and she found it difficult to breathe.
A’Ling also felt somewhat uneasy, her heart pulled taut by a thin thread to her throat. She nervously looked at Shi Qingqian, hoping this fool would know to dodge, and not to hit an egg against a rock.
Contrary to expectations, while everyone was worried for Shi Qingqian, not only did she not evade, but she instead activated her iron sword and went straight towards the sound of the dragon’s roar.
It’s over, A’Ling thought. Who knows how many iron swords Shi Qingqian has for her to keep hitting an egg against a rock like this.
With a ‘clang’, the two swords clashed. Without surprise, one sword fell.
The strong wind generated by the sword energy collision swept up gravel from the ground.
Qiu Fanbo, who was in the midst of it, hurriedly activated a spell, summoning a barrier to prevent the gravel from getting into her eyes.
Her Dragon Abyss Sword’s sword energy was famously potent. She hadn’t expected that merely clashing with a broken iron sword could stir up such a violent wind.
As she was about to activate a spell to break through the natural barrier of wind before her eyes, those outside the Immortal Rainbow Platform, unaffected by the strong winds within, had already clearly seen the situation on the platform.
Shi Qingqian’s iron sword was actually fine!
It was Qiu Fanbo’s Dragon Abyss Sword that had fallen to the ground!
Shi Qingqian’s iron sword spun freely around her a few times, before happily returning to her palm.
The three on the Floating Cloud Lotus Platform were the first to see the result. Their expressions varied, but one thing was the same: they no longer held the certainty they had just minutes ago regarding Shi Qingqian below.
Originally, all three had been certain that Shi Qingqian was doomed to lose this one.
A’Ling had also clearly seen the situation on the platform. She tilted her head, asking Gu Jingyang hesitantly: “Is that really just an ordinary iron sword?”
Gu Jingyang shook her head: “I don’t know anymore. But judging by the current situation, even if it is just an ordinary iron sword, it’s certainly not ordinary in Qingqian’s hands!”
“This is impossible!” Qiu Fanbo exclaimed, looking at the Dragon Abyss Sword on the ground. The shock in her eyes was tinged with ferocity. “How could this be? Did you cheat? What did you do to my Dragon Abyss Sword?”
This was her Dragon Abyss Sword, which she was so proud of. It had taken her hundreds of years of effort to refine this one blade.
Her eyes wide with disbelief, she stared at the person opposite: “What did you do?”
She refused to believe that in a clash of two swords, her Dragon Abyss Sword would lose. It had to be something Shi Qingqian did.
A flicker of annoyance crossed Shi Qingqian’s calm, unruffled eyes. She directly activated her iron sword to strike out again, wanting to quickly end this life-and-death battle.
Qiu Fanbo was almost pierced through the shoulder blade by Shi Qingqian’s iron sword. She rolled to evade, and from thin air, summoned her natal magic artifact—the Underworld Breaking Sword-Halberd.
Ye Bingfeng slightly furrowed her brow. Jiang Qiuchun raised an eyebrow halfway and gave Shan Xinci a meaningful smile.
Shan Xinci understood the deeper meaning behind her smile. A sword cultivator who had lost in the way of the sword, now relying on magic artifacts to fight—with such a level, how could she even have the nerve to be a sword cultivator Abode Master?
Many of the newcomers below the platform also expressed dissatisfaction about this, especially those who had just been chosen by Heavenly Peace Cave Abode.
Since they had chosen sword cultivation, it was because sword cultivators, with just one sword, could move mountains and overturn seas, remain unfazed facing thousands of enemies, and at higher levels of sword mastery, a single burst of sword energy could break through a vast army.
Just like Sword Cultivator Peak Master Ye Bingfeng, with just a single sword’s energy, she could enclose the Immortal Rainbow Platform and protect the newcomers below from the sword energy generated by the fight.
Zhao Shan heard the surrounding discussions and clenched his hands into fists. If it weren’t for the large crowd, he would definitely beat those newcomers who were slandering his Master until they lost their teeth.
And those who had just been chosen to enter Heavenly Peace Cave Abode, once this matter was over and they returned to the dwelling, he would be the first to make them regret it!
With a ‘thud’, Qiu Fanbo fell heavily onto the Immortal Rainbow Platform, her hair disheveled and looking utterly disheveled, clutching her palm that had been cut by sword energy.
The Underworld Breaking Sword-Halberd was surrounded by the illusory clones manifested by Shi Qingqian’s iron sword, losing its ability to continue fighting.
Qiu Fanbo lay prostrate on the ground, trembling all over. She wanted to cry but couldn’t. She had actually lost just like this. A mouthful of hot, bloody taste welled up from her throat.
The presiding cultivator’s eyes trembled as she looked at the person on the ground, unsure whether to ask the Heavenly Peace Abode Master, who had been so high and mighty just a quarter of an hour ago, if she wished to surrender.
Suddenly, she felt as if her head had been lightly tapped, and then a voice sounded in her ear.
She couldn’t help but twitch her ears. After hearing the instruction, she immediately announced a temporary halt to the competition. She stepped forward to ask Qiu Fanbo if she wanted to surrender.
Qiu Fanbo naturally refused to surrender. In this situation, there was no retreat left except to fight to the death for a win or loss.
Just as she struggled to get up, the presiding cultivator, who seemed to be helping her up, quickly whispered the instruction she had just heard to Qiu Fanbo.
“Venerable Cai Yun wants you to surrender now. She will handle the rest.”
Qiu Fanbo looked at the person beside her in surprise, then raised her eyes to glance at the Floating Cloud Lotus Platform. Ye Bingfeng was looking down at her.
“My Master… she wants me to surrender?” Qiu Fanbo was surprised. She thought that given Ye Bingfeng’s character, she would have wanted her to die on the Immortal Rainbow Platform, saving her from disgracing her name.
Part of the reason she didn’t surrender was precisely this. Since Ye Bingfeng had spoken thus, Qiu Fanbo immediately agreed. If she could live, she didn’t want to die either.
After helping the person up, the presiding cultivator loudly announced: “In this Challenge Order, the former Heavenly Peace Abode Master Qiu Fanbo concedes and surrenders. Shi Qingqian is victorious. According to the Challenge Order regulations and Mystic Crane Mountain’s cave dwelling customs, the position of Abode Master is transferred. Shi Qingqian will assume the role of Heavenly Peace Abode Master, effective immediately.”
The crowd had not yet recovered from the shock of Shi Qingqian defeating Qiu Fanbo. Hearing this, they simply couldn’t believe it. It ended just like that?
Shi Qingqian truly became the new Abode Master just like that?
A’Ling stared with her mouth half-open at Shi Qingqian on the high platform. She just became a sword cultivator cave Abode Master?
Not long ago, weren’t they still sitting together below the platform?!
A’Ling was stunned. So even though she entered Mystic Crane Mountain ten years early, she still couldn’t catch up to Shi Qingqian’s sky-leaping cultivation speed?
And what was her cultivation level now, exactly? How could she so easily defeat even a Abode Master?
A’Ling turned to ask Gu Jingyang.
Gu Jingyang gripped the hem of her skirt in her hand. The shock in her heart was even stronger than A’Ling’s.
After all, at Hongjian Academy, she had always been compared to Shi Qingqian. She admitted Shi Qingqian was more talented than her, but she never expected the gap between them to be so vast.
“Hiss—”
Lan Fushang sharply gasped, and A’Ling and Gu Jingyang simultaneously turned their heads to look.
“Hm?” Gu Jingyang’s eyes widened. Why was there a hand in hers?
She looked at Lan Fushang in confusion: “How is your hand in mine?”
Lan Fushang gave a wry smile. After A’Ling had pinched her leg just now, she saw Gu Jingyang unconsciously clutching her skirt, and worried she might accidentally pinch her leg flesh, so she slipped a finger into the skirt fabric that Gu Jingyang was gripping.
As a result, Gu Jingyang was too engrossed in watching, and directly gripped her hand through the skirt.
She couldn’t pull her hand out. Just now, her hand bones were suddenly squeezed, and the pain made her gasp sharply.
Gu Jingyang awkwardly withdrew her hand.
A’Ling pulled Lan Fushang’s hand over, and while gently rubbing the reddened spot where she had been pinched, she said: “Gu Jingyang didn’t do it on purpose. She was probably just shocked. By the way, Gu Jingyang, do you know what Shi Qingqian’s cultivation level is now?”
Gu Jingyang shook her head. Shi Qingqian’s cultivation was higher than hers. Cultivators could discern the cultivation level of those below them, but not those above.
“However, you can ask her yourself.” Gu Jingyang raised her chin, gesturing for A’Ling to look behind her.
A’Ling raised an eyebrow halfway and tilted her head slightly. Her heart gave a fierce jump. Shi Qingqian was standing right beside her, no one knew when, her face dark, looking utterly terrifying.
She just asked about her cultivation level, it wasn’t like she cursed her behind her back. Though she had certainly cursed her often enough.
Shi Qingqian looked at A’Ling’s hand, watching the hand of another being gently kneaded by hers, then her gaze swept to the owner of that hand, her eyes somewhat cold.
“Golden Core-Nascent Soul stage.”
Lan Fushang knew Shi Qingqian’s voice was clear and cool, but the coldness in her words still sent a shiver through Lan Fushang, and a chill surged through her organs.
Especially the coldness in that recent gaze, made her feel as if all the blood in her body was about to freeze over.
Was this the power of a Golden Core and Nascent Soul cultivator? This soul-stirring ability… made her want to run far away.