Chapter 75: News of the Grand Sect Tournament

At this moment, Bai Feiyu stood atop the dueling platform, radiating a sense of invincibility, as though he alone was destined to dominate. He shouted boldly from the center of the stage, yet below, not a single soul dared to accept his challenge.

This was the dream of every disciple among the sects—to stand upon the stage, calling out for opponents, and meet only silence. Tonight, Bai Feiyu had realized that dream. He was the one on the stage; the others could only watch, unable to take his place.

All eyes in the crowd turned to Bai Feiyu, and without exception, each person gave him a silent thumbs-up, their hearts filled with awe and admiration. Only a few months before, Bai Feiyu’s name had been utterly unknown—now, in the brief span of time since, his name echoed throughout the entire Returning Ruins Sect.

In truth, Bai Feiyu’s challenge that night was unexpectedly hasty. Yang Fan had suddenly provoked him, and with the recent events inside the Toba Ruins still fresh in everyone’s minds, many disciples had come face-to-face with powers that far exceeded their imaginations. As a result, most disciples on the Heaven Rankings had gone into seclusion to cultivate.

Moreover, inner disciples at the Chain-Breaking stage were exceptionally rare—like rare gems among the masses. They could not be encountered easily. There were barely more than thirty of them to begin with, and after witnessing the vastness of the outside world, most had retreated into seclusion. Those who were not secluded were surely busy with their own affairs. It was nearly impossible to find someone as unoccupied as Bai Feiyu.

Thus, Bai Feiyu’s bold taunts met only silence—none dared to take the stage against him.

In fact, few among the Returning Ruins Sect’s inner disciples would have the courage to answer Bai Feiyu’s challenge. Those on the Heaven Rankings who had reached the Chain-Breaking stage were already few and far between, and those above the early layers even fewer. After all, not everyone was Bai Feiyu, and not everyone possessed his formidable strength. Even these gifted disciples needed considerable time and effort to ascend each level in their cultivation.

...

After stepping down from the platform, Bai Feiyu glanced at Yang Fan and said, “A real man keeps his word, does he not?”

The words made Yang Fan, who had been wavering, flush red with embarrassment.

Yang Fan replied coldly, “Who says I would go back on my word? Even if your cultivation is beneath mine, a loss is a loss.”

“Since I lost, I will honor my promise. I will move to live near your courtyard.”

With those words, Yang Fan walked off, face dark as thunder. It was the most humiliating defeat of his life—and at the hands of a newly initiated inner disciple whose cultivation was far below his own.

What Yang Fan did not know was that, countless years later, this moment of bitter humiliation would become a source of pride. He would bring it up with everyone he met—he, too, had once fought Bai Feiyu. Not only that, but he would come to appreciate the wager he had made, and sometimes, late at night, he would dream that he had not taken the bet, awakening in a cold sweat.

But all of that was yet to come.

Bai Feiyu, having finished the duel with Yang Fan, headed back toward his own courtyard. On the way, he happened to encounter Qianshuang.

Qianshuang walked over, her face full of curiosity. She asked, “Brother Bai, I just saw Brother Yang Fan pass by looking terribly upset. I greeted him, but he ignored me. Did something happen in the sect just now?”

Being perceptive, Qianshuang immediately sensed that the matter must have something to do with Bai Feiyu.

Bai Feiyu gave a sheepish smile. “I beat him...”

“Oh, so that’s what happened!” Qianshuang nodded, a little puzzled. Even if Bai Feiyu’s cultivation was lower than Yang Fan’s, was Senior Brother Yang Fan really so petty?

Then Bai Feiyu added, “Before we fought, we made a wager—if I won, he would become my lackey...”

Qianshuang instantly understood.

No wonder Yang Fan’s face was so dark. Who wouldn’t be furious? Becoming the lackey of a junior with far less cultivation was hardly a tale one would wish to spread.

In that moment, Qianshuang found herself sympathizing with Yang Fan. After all, if such news reached the ears of others, it would be a source of endless mockery. No matter how magnanimous a person might be, such humiliation would be hard to swallow.

Afterward, Qianshuang regarded Bai Feiyu as if he were some sort of monster. In just a few short months, he had grown to the point where he could contend with a powerhouse like Yang Fan.

She had to admit—her initial judgment had been mistaken. She had once thought that Bai Feiyu would achieve greatness in the future, perhaps even become a protector of his own domain.

Now, it seemed that “greatness” was an understatement—he was destined to become a giant among men.

“Senior Sister Qianshuang, is something on your mind?” Bai Feiyu asked bashfully, feeling a little embarrassed under her gaze.

Qianshuang quickly recovered, smiled sweetly, and said, “Oh, it’s nothing. I’m just shocked at how incredible you are, Brother Feiyu!”

In her heart, she felt that her earlier investment of spirit stones into Bai Feiyu had been a brilliant decision—it gave him the help he needed in his early days. Surely, he would remember her kindness for life. She doubted she would ever again make such a rewarding investment.

She did not yet know that, in the future, she and Bai Feiyu would share another investment—one that would become the stuff of legend in this world.

“Brother Feiyu, has the Eagle Alliance given you any trouble lately?” Qianshuang suddenly remembered to ask.

Bai Feiyu nodded, a thoughtful look in his eyes. “Sometimes, being too strong is a kind of loneliness.”

Qianshuang, sharp as ever, immediately grasped his meaning, and gave him a sweet smile. “In that case, Brother Feiyu, you’d best prepare yourself. The inter-sect competition is about to begin.”

“I hope that this time, you’ll win a high ranking for our sect.”

“Our Returning Ruins Sect has always had average results—nothing special. But I can foresee that, with you this year, everything will be different.”

“The inter-sect competition?” Bai Feiyu was momentarily taken aback.

Seeing his confusion, Qianshuang patiently explained, “The inter-sect competition is a contest between the sects, measuring the strength of each.”

“In the Zhao Kingdom, where we reside, there are dozens of sects. Among them, major sects like ours number only a dozen or so.”

“Though there are only a handful of major sects, each one is eager to climb higher in the rankings.”

“A good ranking means more than just reputation and the ability to recruit top disciples—it also earns the support and resources of the Zhao royal family. It’s the foundation for a sect to flourish and rise to new heights.”

...