The Phoenix’s Gambit

The formidable will of the cosmos, articulated by Xian Chengyue’s voice, reverberated like a tangible tide across the training grounds, lingering long and deeply imprinted upon the heart of every disciple present.

The thousands gathered in the arena fell silent for a fleeting moment, only to erupt into an even more fervent, pent-up roar.

A tumultuous wave of excitement, tension, fervent desire, and soaring battle intent abruptly saturated every inch of space.

Ripples shimmered through the air as numerous smaller platforms, like mushrooms after a spring rain, swiftly rose from the ground, encircling and guarding the central main stage.

Lin Mo focused his gaze; with clear points of reference, he realized these newly added platforms beneath the main stage were far from small, their scale exceeding his initial expectations, while the entire arena itself proved even more expansive.

From the heavens, ethereal light screens descended, precisely segmenting the vast area into four distinct quadrants, each further divided into several independent combat units.

The air hummed with a deep resonance as the colossal array was fully activated, its protective and recording mechanisms now declared operational.

Following this, Xian Chengyue concisely outlined the competition rules.

The competition was divided into preliminary rounds, challenge rounds, and mixed rounds.

The initial phase would be the preliminary rounds.

Each disciple’s identity token contained a small, built-in teleportation array.

When a participant’s name was announced by the master of ceremonies, they merely needed to infuse spiritual power into their token, and the array’s energy would instantly transport them to the designated arena.

Disciples whose turn had not yet come were required to await in silence within the specified viewing stands.

The preliminary rounds were categorized by four regions: Jia, Yi, Bing, and Ding.

Within each region, disciples would first compete to determine their respective top ten.

Next would be the challenge rounds.

Upon the conclusion of the preliminaries, the top ten victors from each of the Jia, Yi, Bing, and Ding regions would earn a special qualification.

They would then be eligible to issue challenges to top ten disciples from other regions; a successful challenge would result in the challenger and the challenged swapping their respective ranks.

As for disciples who had achieved Foundation Establishment during their time in the Hall of Clarity, their cultivation realm would be suppressed to match that of their opponent.

Xian Chengyue offered no detailed explanation for the final mixed rounds, merely adding a brief note: the trial rounds would span several days, and all disciples were forbidden from leaving the grounds without permission during this period.

With these words, Xian Chengyue’s form flickered, and in an instant, she was seated upon the elevated viewing platform.

Subsequently, the disciples in each of the four regions watched as their respective hosts appeared on site.

These individuals, it seemed, were the masters of ceremonies for the preliminary rounds, tasked with announcing the matchups.

“Jia Zone One! Liu Ruyan, against Wu Qing! Zone Two! Wen Ling, against Yu Bingxuan! Zone Three, Su Chulu…”

“Ji Xue against Hu Lan! Zone Two! Shi Mengqiu…”

The calls of names rose and fell, like stones cast into a serene lake, stirring up ripples across the surface.

The four regions, divided by shimmering light screens, each contained many identical small arenas, allowing multiple battles to proceed simultaneously.

However, everyone’s attention was, by unspoken agreement, fixed upon the renowned Ji Xue.

Upon hearing her name, Ji Xue’s body unconsciously tensed.

She immediately turned her head to look at Lin Mo beside her.

Due to the presence of teleportation arrays, seating arrangements were not strict, so the three of them had naturally sat together.

Lin Mo was deeply aware of Ji Xue’s past—the heavy shadow of neglect from her closest kin, the burning obsession to break free from her shackles and prove her own worth.

This Xuan Nv Sect arena, to her, was perhaps not merely a stage to determine victory or defeat.

It was her first declaration of war against that cold palace, her desperate, all-or-nothing starting point in an attempt to reclaim her mother’s averted gaze.

This endeavor was not about the outcome of this particular battle, but rather about the courage required to take that first step, to venture into a realm entirely unknown.

Once she embarked on this path, her future would be like a perilous peak shrouded in mist, leaving no room for a “stable status quo.”

Faced with the unknown, people invariably hesitate, and Ji Xue was no different in this moment.

The human heart, after all, eventually succumbs to habit.

Even if circumstances are dire and difficult to endure, with the passage of time, that piercing, bone-deep pain will gradually dull, eventually settling into a state of numbness.

Much like the frog that first plunges into a deep well.

Upon first entering its cage, it bumps against walls—that tiny patch of sky is a prison of iron, a dead end devoid of life, every inch of the well wall inscribed with lamentations.

But after ten, twenty years… time is sufficient to polish this confinement into a nest.

The bottom of the well then becomes its “home,” bound by flesh and blood.

It no longer struggles or leaps, no longer fruitlessly claws at the slick well walls, but simply curls up serenely within that familiar, damp corner.

The majestic mountains outside the well, the vast expanse of clouds and sky, even the talons of a hawk or crow that might occasionally pass over the well’s mouth… all have weathered away in its memory.

The light and sounds of that distant world can no longer stir it in the slightest.

It has lost the foresight to perceive danger, yet has gained a sense of security it believes to be stable.

Even though the sky above its head is no larger than a bowl, it firmly believes—this dilapidated well bottom is, at the very least, “safe.”

Safety… enough to erase all ignorance and blindness towards the outside world, even capable of hypnotizing it to forget that the price of this “comfort” is the heaviest of prisons.

This was not about success or failure, but about the courage one needed to muster to step into the unknown.

‘What would her life be like if she jumped out of this well?’

‘Henceforth, her future would be unpredictable.’

‘People always hesitate, wondering if maintaining the status quo would be better, fearing that making a change might destroy their current life.’

‘What if she failed?’

‘What if… the gaze she sought to reclaim ultimately brought only deeper disappointment?’

‘What if…’

At this moment, even the royal pride flowing in her veins and the ingrained elegance etched into her bones could not conceal the turbulent waves churning deep within her phoenix eyes.

Her fingertips, perhaps, curled slightly within her sleeve, her straightened spine taut as a bowstring, betraying a trace of wavering and apprehension she herself had not fully perceived.

‘What would be best to say now?’

He had watched countless anime, listened to endless motivational speeches, and could easily spout numerous moving words, yet he always felt something was lacking.

‘Who doesn’t know common sense?’

Here, Ji Xue needed confidence and tangible encouragement.

Recalling this, Lin Mo’s fingertips silently slipped down, and hidden beneath his wide sleeve, with extreme subtlety yet unwavering resolve, he found Ji Xue’s trembling, jade-like fingers tightly clutching her skirt hem.

The sudden, cool touch startled Ji Xue; she hadn’t expected Lin Mo to be so audacious, to hold her hand so openly…

Her thoughts and embarrassment were cut short as Lin Mo’s fingers intertwined more tightly with hers.

He leaned closer, his gaze piercing through Ji Xue’s facade of forced composure, deeply observing the barely perceptible flicker of trepidation in her eyes.

His low voice, like a steady rock dropping into a deep pool, was clear and distinct: “Your Highness only needs to remember…”

His grip tightened by several degrees, conveying an undeniable conviction, “You are a phoenix gazing down upon all beings from the clouds—this tiny, tiny arena…”

He gently kissed the back of Ji Xue’s hand, “And, I believe in you.”

“What about me!?”

A voice tore through the silent exchange between Lin Mo and Ji Xue!

Liu Ruyan, it turned out, had approached silently, almost unnoticed!

Gazing at Ji Xue’s hand, her sweet, youthful face was etched with an expression of profound disbelief, grievance, and indignation, as she demanded sharply:

“Sister Wan’er! Why do you only hold the Imperial Princess’s hand to encourage her?!”

She pointed an accusing finger at Ji Xue, then turned to Lin Mo, her voice involuntarily rising, its sharp, lingering note imbued with unconcealed jealousy and reproach:

“What about me?! Why won’t you hold my hand?!”

A sudden tremor of fear coursed through Lin Mo; surely, this wasn’t about to devolve into a dramatic love triangle showdown?

Yet, it did not.

Ji Xue rose to her full height, her fingertips gracefully brushing the cool, jade-like surface of the disciple token at her waist.

The unconscious stiffness and tension that had previously gripped her body completely dissipated.

As she unfurled, an innate, regal bearing naturally emanated from her.

The very instant the token’s faint glow illuminated the eyes of all present—

Her raven-black tresses suddenly surged!

From the very roots of each strand, a fierce and pure spiritual light erupted, swiftly suffusing her hair with a breathtaking, vivid crimson!

Far from being glaring, this light flowed with a molten-gold radiance, subtly noble and profound, layering and intertwining like the burning tail feathers of a phoenix, fanning out and swaying behind her, silently asserting her inherent royal splendor!

“Hmph~”

A clear, confident huff escaped her lips.

Ji Xue turned abruptly, her brilliant phoenix eyes locking onto Lin Mo with precision.

She raised a hand, not with the uncouthness of a commoner, but with an undeniable intimacy and an assertive, almost possessive grace—her slender, jade-like fingertips delicately lifted, deftly using her thumb to cup Lin Mo’s chin.

Meeting the perfectly timed astonishment in Lin Mo’s eyes, Ji Xue’s lips curved into a subtle smile.

Her voice, though soft, carried a conviction and pride that resonated deep within one’s very being:

“It is time for the world to witness whether this Imperial Princess is truly worthy of the Ji surname!”