Another Victory

Ye Qingyun heard these words and gave an awkward laugh. This was, after all, his masterpiece. He had ignited Mo Qinyin’s anger, initially intending for it to simply overcome her fear, but unexpectedly, he had unleashed months of suppressed fury, almost causing a disaster.

“Alright, don’t overthink it,” Ye Qingyun explained. “You’ve probably been too suppressed lately, and all that pent-up frustration just erupted. When people get angry, they don’t hold back.”

Mo Qinyin pondered for a moment, then nodded. It was true. First, the opponent’s mockery had deeply annoyed her, slowly transforming into rage.

The two descended from the stage. Their duties for the day were essentially over, leaving them free to do as they pleased.

They returned directly to their lodging.

The moment they entered the room, Mo Qinyin flopped onto the bed.

“Sister Qingrou,” Mo Qinyin suddenly said, “I don’t want to stay here anymore. It feels so suffocating, and playing this game is just too exhausting.”

Ye Qingyun paused, taken aback by her words.

“Ah, you wish to leave this place,” Ye Qingyun sighed. “But how easily can that be done? This game world is no different from reality now; the entrances and exits are all controlled by the disciples of the Five Poisons Sect. You can’t get out. Besides, what would you do even if you did? You can’t actually leave the game.”

“I refuse to believe they’ll keep us in the sect indefinitely,” Mo Qinyin declared with a resolute expression. “Didn’t they say there would be three years of cultivation? When that time comes, I will leave.”

Mo Qinyin still seemed far from calm. However, it was understandable; not everyone in this game could maintain Ye Qingyun’s composed demeanor.

Ye Qingyun didn’t respond. He was pondering a different question: Would the Five Poisons Sect truly allow them to leave the sect so easily after three years? He suspected things were not that simple.

Soon, the battles of the second day commenced.

On this day, Ye Qingyun faced a disciple from the Scorpion Spirit Pavilion. This time, he employed a conventional technique: the Snake Spirit Sword Art, a method also utilized by the Snake Spirit Pavilion, and one that Mo Qinyin had previously demonstrated. Its essence lay in its ruthless precision.

Ye Qingyun seized this opportunity to unleash the technique himself.

On the junior arena, no one proved to be his match. The first place in this group was undeniably destined for Ye Qingyun.

After half a month of intense competition, the top ten contenders for Battle Platform Number Three were finally determined. These ten were the strongest among the junior disciples: three from Toad Spirit Pavilion, Ye Qingyun from Snake Spirit Pavilion, one from Spider Spirit Pavilion, two from Centipede Spirit Pavilion, and two from Scorpion Spirit Pavilion.

Ye Qingyun’s first match was against an old rival he had previously faced: Guo Cai of the Centipede Spirit Pavilion. This was the same individual who had first set up a challenge stage that day. With a ninth-level second-tier internal energy, Guo Cai possessed considerable talent.

The moment Guo Cai stepped onto the stage, she regarded Ye Qingyun with caution, maintaining a significant distance between them.

“Oh, it’s you, Junior Sister Guo,” Ye Qingyun teased. “It seems we’re quite fated to meet.”

Hearing Ye Qingyun’s voice, Guo Cai couldn’t help but shiver. She then produced two earplugs and inserted them into her ears.

“Senior Sister Ye,” Guo Cai stated, “I’ve been studying your techniques for a long time. I’ve discovered that your moves are somewhat akin to illusions, capable of being unleashed through sight, sound, or even scent. Today, I came prepared. I won’t fall for your tricks again.”

With that, Guo Cai produced a black blindfold, tying it over her eyes, and simultaneously held her breath.

Ye Qingyun gazed at her, a look of exasperation on his face. Yet, there was nothing he could do. His techniques had been used so many times that it was only natural for them to be analyzed.

“Alright, you may begin,” the referee announced directly.

The instant the referee declared the start, Ye Qingyun retreated a step. Simultaneously, an invisible hammer brutally struck his previous position. Guo Cai had condensed her spiritual energy into a hammer to attack her foes.

Even without her eyes, Guo Cai could lock onto Ye Qingyun. Ye Qingyun dodged left and right, searching for an opening. Guo Cai had sealed off five of her senses, leaving only touch available. However, Ye Qingyun first needed to get close to his opponent.

“Heh heh, Senior Sister Ye, out of options, are we?” Guo Cai chuckled smugly. “Without those strange tricks, you’re certainly no match for me.”

Ye Qingyun remained silent, constantly sensing Guo Cai’s soul energy. Even without her five senses, she could still perceive the trajectory of Guo Cai’s attacks. However, these soul attacks were incredibly swift and potent; if he were struck, the consequences would undoubtedly be dire.

As Ye Qingyun retreated, he searched for a countermeasure. Soon, a particular technique came to mind.

This was an effect of the Serpent Charm Art, but it absolutely required hitting the opponent.

He evaded attacks while trying to close the distance to Guo Cai, preparing to deliver a heavy blow.

The sound of a hammer striking the arena floor echoed incessantly. Guo Cai was in no hurry, keeping Ye Qingyun locked in her sights. She believed Ye Qingyun couldn’t evade forever; his strength would eventually be depleted.

However, her calculations were destined to fail. After approximately half a minute of stalemate, Ye Qingyun suddenly dodged Guo Cai’s attack with a fluid motion. With incredibly swift footwork, he appeared beside Guo Cai and pressed his palm against her body.

[Notification: Serpent Charm Art effect triggered!]

Ye Qingyun smiled upon hearing the notification.

Guo Cai’s attacks instantly ceased. Her entire being froze, becoming completely unresponsive. At the same time, Ye Qingyun’s image manifested deep within Guo Cai’s mind.

“Heh heh, Junior Sister Guo,” Ye Qingyun’s technique’s special effect began to take hold of Guo Cai. “It seems you’re about to lose again.”

Just as Guo Cai was about to speak, she suddenly felt as if her head had been severely struck. She then lost consciousness, and her physical body in the outside world fell perfectly still.

This scene once again bewildered Li Qing. She rushed over to check on Guo Cai, and only after confirming that Guo Cai was merely unconscious did she breathe a sigh of relief. Ye Qingyun’s methods were so bizarre and varied that even Li Qing couldn’t comprehend or guard against them.

“Ye Qingyun wins and advances to the next round,” Li Qing announced with a sigh of resignation.

As a martial artist of extraordinary skill, she found herself unable to decipher the techniques of a practitioner who had mastered her craft, and she was utterly powerless to stop her. This made her incredibly curious about what secret arts Ye Qingyun truly employed.

Below the stage, the disciples wore forlorn expressions, seeing Guo Cai lose again without understanding why. The eight other top ten junior disciples, in particular, who had all fought Ye Qingyun, lacked any confidence in defeating him.

“Damn it, what are we supposed to do?” a captivating woman from the Scorpion Spirit Pavilion exclaimed, her face etched with a headache. “It seems first place is undeniably hers.”

The other disciples similarly shook their heads in resignation, clearly at a loss for solutions.

Ye Qingyun’s battles for the day concluded once more. Afterward, he immediately checked on Mo Qinyin. Unfortunately, in this round, Mo Qinyin had been matched against a disciple with eighth-level second-tier internal energy, making the fight utterly unwinnable for her.

Mo Qinyin hadn’t even lasted ten breaths on stage before being knocked off the platform. There was nothing to be done; the gap in power was simply too vast.

A loss was a loss, and Ye Qingyun was powerless to change it. He could only offer Mo Qinyin some comfort.

Soon, the day’s competitions drew to a close. However, that evening, Ye Qingyun encountered trouble. He and Mo Qinyin had been meditating peacefully in their room when their door was suddenly kicked open with considerable force from the outside.

Three intermediate female disciples, their faces veiled, then entered. Their cultivation abruptly interrupted, Mo Qinyin immediately opened her eyes, glaring angrily at the figures in the doorway.

Ye Qingyun, by contrast, remained relatively calm. He watched the three at the doorway with a puzzled expression, discerning from their demeanor that their intentions were far from friendly.