Senior Sister, When Did You Arrive?

So, it came to fight for food.

Especially since… the creature across from it was just a weak two-legged beast.

A cultivator at the ninth layer of Qi Refining was nothing in the eyes of a second-tier demon beast — two slaps could kill such a person.

The tiger demon was now rather annoyed.

Normally, it only hunted when hungry; once full, it would not attack again.

The other demon beasts nearby were all tactful — when it ate, they stayed far away, afraid to provoke its wrath.

But this weak little two-legged creature didn’t run away.

Instead, it actually broke into its territory on its own?

Since she came, she must pay for such a foolish act.

The tiger demon swallowed the meat in its mouth and exhaled a gust of fishy wind.

The stench almost made Cao Xueyan vomit on the spot.

The smell was overwhelming.

Cao Xueyan didn’t even think about running.

In front of this tiger demon, how far could a cultivator at the seventh layer of Qi Refining run?

If she turned to flee, that massive tiger claw would probably appear above her head in the next instant.

Sure enough, the tiger demon bent down slightly, preparing to pounce.

The next second, its figure vanished, leaving only a blur behind.

When it reappeared, a mountain-sized claw was already before Cao Xueyan.

The speed and strength of a second-tier demon beast were truly formidable.

Cao Xueyan’s heart trembled — in two lifetimes, this was the first time she’d faced such a terrifying scene.

Fortunately, though she didn’t react in time, the defensive treasure she carried automatically protected her.

With a thunderous “boom,” dust rose from the ground.

According to the “smoke but no injury” principle, Cao Xueyan was still standing safely in place.

“Eh? Isn’t that Peak Master Lu?”

Elder Lin, who had been sitting on his flying boat pretending to nap while scanning below with his divine sense, suddenly opened his eyes.

Seeing the man stepping on the air before him, he said, “Why are you in such a good mood today, coming all the way here?

Could it be that among the disciples in this tournament, there’s someone who caught your eye?”

“Not at all.”

Lu Jiansheng still looked like the elegant gentleman as always, shaking his folding fan and saying with a smile, “Just passing by out of boredom.”

Elder Lin pretended to believe him and didn’t ask further.

After a while, he suddenly let out a surprised “Eh?” and sat up straight.

“How could a disciple encounter a second-tier demon beast on only the second day?

That shouldn’t happen!”

In past tournaments, many disciples struggled because they couldn’t find companions, suffering bitterly.

Most only got injured — nothing too serious.

But if they ran into a second-tier demon beast, it was a completely different story.

A second-tier demon beast had power comparable to a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

It possessed tough skin, immense strength, and often awakened innate bloodline abilities — even capable of using spells.

Ordinarily, it took at least a dozen disciples working together to bring one down.

But now, a lone disciple had run into a second-tier tiger demon.

To the latter, that was no different from a meal delivered to its door.

“This child looks familiar… seems to be the new personal disciple of Peak Master Xiao.

Ah, what bad luck — she’s about to be eliminated so early.”

Elder Lin sighed and was about to reach out to rescue her.

After all, if the girl died inside, Xiao Menglan would probably cut him in half!

But Lu Jiansheng spoke at that moment, “Wait.”

“Why?” Elder Lin asked.

“My senior sister’s disciple is quite extraordinary,” Lu Jiansheng said lightly.

“She might be able to hold on for a bit.

Let’s observe for a while.”

Elder Lin frowned.

“If it goes too far, I won’t be able to explain it to Peak Master Xiao.”

“No worries,” Lu Jiansheng replied with a faint smile and hidden intent in his eyes.

“This formation is still under my control.

If she’s truly in danger, I can remove her safely without breaking the rules.”

“…Alright then.”

After some thought, Elder Lin withdrew his hand.

Below, Cao Xueyan was locked in a fierce battle — or rather, being one-sidedly beaten.

Her magic tools blocked several strikes, giving her time to pull out a formation disk — the “Heavenly Earth Array.”

She placed spirit stones onto it, and an earthen-yellow formation spread beneath her feet.

Earth-elemental spiritual energy surrounded her body, and faint illusions flickered around her.

The tiger demon was puzzled.

It could sense that the human cultivator before it was pathetically weak — her aura couldn’t threaten it at all.

But she had several layers of “turtle shells” protecting her.

It shattered one, yet another appeared immediately.

The tiger demon didn’t understand formations.

Seeing strange auras rising around Cao Xueyan, it cautiously swiped a few times to test the defense.

Each strike made the ground quake, but the attacks that could shatter mountains left not even a ripple on her barrier.

Its claws even began to ache.

Though not highly intelligent, second-tier beasts weren’t stupid either.

Realizing it couldn’t break this shell, the tiger demon stopped attacking.

Instead, it crouched nearby, perfectly embodying the phrase — “a tiger watching its prey.”

Cao Xueyan secretly groaned.

Since the tiger refused to leave, she didn’t dare retract her formation.

And the formation had one fatal flaw — once activated, neither it nor the person inside could move.

Like a turtle hiding in its shell, she was stuck.

In all her simulations before, she’d never encountered such a situation.

Still, she wasn’t in real danger.

Even if Elder Lin didn’t intervene, the spirit stones in her bag were enough to keep the array active until the end of the demon-hunting tournament.

But in this way, she wouldn’t be able to achieve a high ranking.

What was supposed to be a training opportunity had turned into a staring contest with a tiger demon.

The longer she looked at the big tiger, the angrier she became.

Once the tournament ended, she swore she’d get her revenge!

The commotion caused by the tiger demon had startled nearby weaker beasts, scattering them in all directions.

At the same time, several Foundation Establishment disciples participating in the tournament were drawn by the noise.

“A second-tier demon beast! Finally, I’ve found one!

First come, first served — I won’t let anyone else steal it!”

“Sounds like a tiger demon! Hahaha, heaven helps me!

Tiger skin, tiger bones, tiger blood — even the tiger whip is valuable!

If I sell them, I’ll earn a fortune in spirit stones!”

“Strange… in past tournaments, second-tier beasts never appeared this early.

Forget it, let’s just go take a look.”

The Foundation Establishment cultivators moved quickly, most riding flying swords.

Soon, they arrived where the tiger demon was.

“What a fine tiger demon!”

One of them shouted from mid-air, “You’re unlucky to meet me today!

Surrender your head!”

He raised his hand, casting a fire spell.

A ball of roaring flame shot straight toward the tiger demon.

Even with its thick hide, the tiger roared in pain as its fur burned.

The surrounding grass and trees turned to ash, and black smoke billowed into the sky.

Inside her formation, Cao Xueyan wasn’t worried.

The flames couldn’t reach her anyway.

She simply sat on the ground, watching the show with interest.

That senior brother didn’t look remarkable, but his attack was ruthless.

That fire spell was powerful — anyone below Foundation Establishment would be turned to ashes if touched.

The tiger demon wasn’t foolish.

Realizing the situation, it immediately gave up attacking the “turtle shell” and fled into the forest.

The cultivator on the sword was about to chase but noticed Cao Xueyan peeking cautiously out of the array.

She looked familiar.

“Junior Sister inside — are you the personal disciple of Peak Master Xiao who joined recently?”

He spoke respectfully; though his cultivation was higher, her status as a personal disciple gave her special honor.

“Yes,” Cao Xueyan replied, deactivating the array and sighing in relief.

“Thank you, Senior Brother, for saving me.

Otherwise, I’d have been out of the tournament already.”

“It was nothing,” he said.

“Junior Sister Cao, this year’s formations differ slightly from before.

I’ll go chase that tiger demon first.

If fate allows, let’s share a drink after the tournament!”

He said this, then rode his sword away in pursuit of the tiger.

Cao Xueyan found the area too hot and quickly left as well.

She still held a token to control her Iron-Armored Puppet — it could help her locate Senior Sister Danyao’s position.

She had promised to travel together with her earlier.

Though the strange formations interfered, keeping some distance still allowed them to support each other.

Besides, with more second-tier beasts possibly appearing, having the puppet gave her more security.

Just as Lu Jiansheng was about to leave, he unexpectedly ran into a familiar face.

He spoke lightly, as if nothing were amiss:

“Senior Sister, when did you arrive?”

Xiao Menglan’s expression was frosty.

Her voice was cold as ice:

“Not long ago.

Only since the moment you manipulated the formation — to send my disciple straight into the tiger’s mouth.”