The Grand Competition: Zhen Aoyu’s Downfall

In short order, the grand competition escalated into its most fervent stage.

According to the original storyline, Zhen Aoyu had preemptively conspired against Xia Yi, orchestrating his downfall and the crippling of his cultivation.

Devoid of Xia Yi as a formidable adversary, Zhen Aoyu effortlessly secured a spot among the top four in the grand competition.

The four finalists of the competition earned the privilege of selecting a Dao Protector to accompany them into the Starlight Secret Realm, where they would undergo a Starlight Baptism to enhance their innate aptitudes.

As per the original narrative, Zhen Aoyu had, of course, chosen his master, Fei Miaoyun.

Within the secret realm, he conspired with Grand Elder Guang Pengyi to stage an elaborate charade of profound master-disciple devotion.

Fei Miaoyun remained utterly oblivious, completely taken in by her ‘good disciple,’ and was even deeply moved when she believed he had ‘risked his life’ to desperately break through Foundation Establishment and save her.

Determined to thwart Zhen Aoyu, that deranged male lead, Xia Yi was resolute: he would absolutely not permit these events to unfold as they did in the original storyline.

“Next up, Spirit Sword Peak’s Zhen Aoyu

Versus

And Spirit Sword Peak’s Xia Yi!”

The moment the elder officiating the competition declared the next match-up,

The entire martial arts arena erupted into an instant frenzy.

Rather than witnessing a squabble between ‘pecking chickens’ (TL Note: A Chinese idiom referring to a fight between weak or unskilled opponents), the spectators much preferred the spectacle of ‘immortals clashing’ (TL Note: A Chinese idiom meaning a fierce battle between powerful individuals).

As the inaugural duel between two disciples at the Ninth Layer of Qi Condensation, Xia Yi and Zhen Aoyu commanded intense attention.

“The match begins!”

No sooner had the referee’s command echoed than

Zhen Aoyu immediately unleashed a billowing black mist that engulfed the entire arena.

This sudden shroud rendered the events within completely indiscernible to all onlookers.

Within the obscuring smoke, Zhen Aoyu advanced towards Xia Yi, a faint smile playing on his lips.

“Senior Brother Xia, perhaps we could have a word?”

Xia Yi remained silent, his gaze fixed intently on Zhen Aoyu’s every subtle movement.

“There’s no need for such tension, Senior Brother; I, your junior brother, bear no ill will.”

Seeing Xia Yi’s sword pointed directly at him, Zhen Aoyu had no choice but to halt his advance.

“I have nothing to discuss with you!”

“Aren’t you being a bit too aloof, Senior Brother?

I’m aware that you harbor feelings for my master. What if I told you I could help you win her over, and for only a minuscule price? How does that sound?”

Zhen Aoyu was brimming with absolute confidence in this proposition.

Ever since he had acquired the formidable cultivation technique, the Absolute Resentment Heavenly Art (TL Note: A cultivation method that uses resentment to strengthen one’s cultivation),

he had realized anew the extraordinary destiny that Fei Miaoyun, his master, possessed.

As a ‘person of destiny’ crucial for his Foundation Establishment, the more profound Fei Miaoyun’s resentment towards him at the moment of her death, the more stable his Dao foundation would become.

What, then, could possibly be a more perfect scheme than to have a beloved person killed by their own enemy, manipulated by insidious whispers?

Over the years, through his deliberate or unwitting machinations, his master had clearly begun to harbor inappropriate feelings for Xia Yi.

Yet, Xia Yi, due to the presence of Pei Yunxiang, had consistently remained indifferent towards Fei Miaoyun.

This stagnation had caused the cultivation progress of Zhen Aoyu’s Absolute Resentment Heavenly Art to be agonizingly slow; otherwise, he wouldn’t still be at only the Ninth Layer of Qi Condensation.

Thus, the day before the grand competition, his patience finally wore thin. He resolved to eliminate Xia Yi, that meddlesome senior brother.

He would then find a new accomplice, and Guang Pengyi, that old, unsightly, lecherous fool of a pig, seemed perfectly suited for the role.

Regrettably, Xia Yi had disrupted his initial plans. He had never anticipated that Xia Yi could endure the potent effects of a medicine that even a Core Formation demonic beast would struggle to resist.

What’s more, he had coincidentally even cured Fei Miaoyun of her poisoning.

Nevertheless, it mattered little. At the very least, until concrete evidence surfaced, that foolish woman, Fei Miaoyun, would never suspect him.

All he needed was to restart his efforts. After all, so many years had already passed.

He wouldn’t mind waiting a little longer; despite Fei Miaoyun’s foolishness, she was undeniably a maddening enchantress.

If not for the peculiar nature of the Absolute Resentment Heavenly Art, he would have long since claimed Fei Miaoyun for himself, never having waited until this very moment.

Furthermore, after the ‘pink incident’ (TL Note: Refers to a previous event involving a potent aphrodisiac, likely leading to suggestive or embarrassing situations) from yesterday, he refused to believe Xia Yi could maintain his usual composure.

“Senior Brother, h—!”

Yet, in response to his confident proposition, Xia Yi offered only the sharp retort of a sword.

“Whoosh!”

With a single, decisive stroke, Xia Yi cleaved through Zhen Aoyu’s obscuring mist, once again revealing the arena’s scene to the eager eyes of the spectators.

Had Zhen Aoyu not reacted with incredible speed, that sword would have done far more than merely graze his nose.

“Hmph! You refuse a polite toast only to drink the bitter forfeit!” (TL Note: A Chinese idiom meaning to reject a friendly offer and suffer the consequences.)

Zhen Aoyu let out a cold snort, then resorted to his old trick, and the black mist once again permeated the entire arena.

Both were at the Ninth Layer of Qi Condensation, but today, he would make Xia Yi witness the true might of the Absolute Resentment Heavenly Art!

Just as the audience had finally caught a glimpse of the arena, the view was once again obscured.

“What in the world is Zhen Aoyu playing at? He’s like a turtle, just spewing black gas and hiding! We can’t see a thing!”

“Right? And shouldn’t the referee intervene?”

“A perfectly good match, and we can’t see anything! Damn it! Refund our money!”

Though the spectators below remained blind to the events, the referee and the assembled elders possessed an unobstructed view of everything unfolding within the dense mist.

Leveraging the purifying effects of his spiritual energy, Xia Yi dispelled the mist’s disorienting properties.

He could now clearly discern Zhen Aoyu’s rapid movements within the swirling vapor.

Xia Yi unleashed a sword strike that seemed to anticipate Zhen Aoyu’s every move, effortlessly disrupting his attempted sneak attack.

Zhen Aoyu, mistaking it for mere coincidence, launched another assault.

This time, however, Xia Yi would grant him no opportunity to react.

With a swift downward cleave, he severed Zhen Aoyu’s attack, then seamlessly followed with an upward thrust, sending Zhen Aoyu soaring through the air.

The entire sequence of movements was executed with breathtaking speed and precision, as decisive and clean as a black-eyed Martial God General.

As Zhen Aoyu fell in defeat, the verdant mist shrouding the arena finally dissipated.

What emerged before the bewildered crowd was Xia Yi, standing tall, his sword pointed directly at Zhen Aoyu, who lay prone on the ground.

For a fleeting moment, the spectators were utterly baffled, unable to comprehend what had just transpired.

“What just happened? How did Zhen Aoyu lose?”

“I have no idea.”

“I didn’t get a clear view either, but I swear I saw Senior Brother Xia Yi execute some incredibly slick, powerful combo that sent Zhen Aoyu flying like a mere cockroach.”

“That’s still not clear enough for you?!”

“Elaborate on that combo…”

“This Zhen Aoyu is just plain weak!”

“Exactly! He acted like a turtle the entire time, just spewing that murky black mist, and in the end, wasn’t he still instantly defeated by Senior Brother Xia Yi?”

“If you’re weak, practice more…”

…

“Xia Yi, victorious!”

It wasn’t until the referee’s declaration of the victor’s name that Zhen Aoyu finally snapped out of his daze, reeling from Xia Yi’s lightning-fast and ferocious combo.

Zhen Aoyu found it impossible to believe that he had been defeated so utterly and effortlessly.

He was clearly the chosen one, possessing a cultivation technique as formidable as the Absolute Resentment Heavenly Art; why, then, was he the one who had lost!?

He was the ‘most diligent’ among them all!

Having cultivated the Absolute Resentment Heavenly Art, shouldn’t he have been able to effortlessly crush those self-proclaimed geniuses beneath his heel?

In the end, was he the clown all along?

The sheer magnitude of this discrepancy shattered Zhen Aoyu’s sanity. His eyes fixed on Xia Yi’s retreating back.

Astonishingly, Zhen Aoyu activated the Absolute Resentment Heavenly Art and launched a treacherous sneak attack towards Xia Yi!

“Watch out!”

Before the referee on the field could even intervene, it was Fei Miaoyun, who had been intently observing Xia Yi, who lunged forward and sent Zhen Aoyu flying.

Under Zhen Aoyu’s utterly disbelieving gaze, he was blasted by his own master, Fei Miaoyun, into a state of severe injury and unconsciousness.

“Yi’er, are you alright?”

Yet, before Fei Miaoyun could even fully comprehend the gravity of her actions,

the anxious voice of her senior sister, Pei Yunxiang, reached her ears.

In that instant, the entire arena erupted into an uproar.

“Zhen Aoyu has brazenly disregarded the competition rules and deliberately attempted to murder a fellow disciple! Effective immediately, his status as a sect disciple is revoked, and he shall be handed over to the Law Enforcement Hall for appropriate punishment!”

The referee elder had never imagined Zhen Aoyu would dare to commit such an egregious act of violence right under his very nose.

Fortunately, Fei Miaoyun had intervened in time, preventing Zhen Aoyu from succeeding; otherwise, the elder himself would have faced considerable trouble.

Watching Zhen Aoyu being escorted away by the Law Enforcement Hall, Fei Miaoyun’s eyes were filled with an inscrutable complexity.