Chapter 29: You Must Participate in the Seven Peaks Martial Arts Tournament!

"Huh?"

Su Changqing could no longer feign being injured; he looked at Shuiyue with a face full of astonishment and said blankly, "But Master, my current cultivation and strength are so weak. How can I compete on the same stage with the many geniuses in the sect? I fear I won't even pass the first round. Isn't this just sending your disciple off to lose face?"

"The fact that you could trade a few moves with your Senior Sister Lu is enough to prove your strength. Even if you don't pass the first round, it just means your skills are inferior to others; no one will laugh at you. Just consider it a way to consolidate your Foundation Establishment."

"This matter is decided; no refusal allowed!"

Shuiyue seemed to know what Su Changqing was going to say next, and she spoke to him with an incredibly serious expression, leaving absolutely no room for Su Changqing to negotiate.

"Sigh!"

Su Changqing let out a distressed sigh. With his own Master having such an attitude, his refusal would certainly be useless.

"Hmm? Are you finding it very difficult to be asked to participate in the Seven Peaks Martial Arts Tournament?"

Shuiyue asked Su Changqing with a meaningful smile on her lips.

"No! Not at all!"

Su Changqing hurriedly waved his hands, then put on an unnatural smile and said to Shuiyue, "Disciple does not find it difficult. If Master can give me this opportunity, Disciple is certainly happy."

"That's good!"

Shuiyue smiled silently, then turned to the group of senior sisters and said, "You have seen enough of the show; go back to practicing your martial arts."

I am truly defeated! Why couldn't I resist my curiosity and had to come over to join in the excitement?

Now it's done. Curiosity killed the cat, and I've brought a 'disaster from nowhere' upon myself. I was already being so transparent and inconspicuous, yet I was forced to reveal myself before others.

Master, Disciple is suffering! Little did he know, in Shuiyue's eyes, this was not a 'disaster from nowhere' at all, but a 'fated disaster.'

Not long ago, the Sect Leader had sought her out to discuss some matters.

It was precisely about Su Changqing, and from beginning to end, he had metaphorically urged Shuiyue to observe Su Changqing more, suggesting she might discover some surprising things.

Having received the Sect Leader's guidance.

Shuiyue then recalled that her little disciple had many elusive and peculiar points; for instance, he never practiced in front of others and especially liked to go into seclusion, with every emergence bringing earth-shattering changes.

Back then, when she let Su Changqing use the Jingxin Cave for practice, she thought he was just shy and avoided others, but now that she thought about it, it seemed to be a different matter entirely.

Finally, before leaving, the Sect Leader had said one thing.

"Shuiyue, Su Changqing will surely try to decline the Seven Peaks Martial Arts Tournament. You must think of every way to make him participate; you cannot let this kid escape."

Everything was just as the Sect Leader had said; the little disciple had no intention of participating in the Seven Peaks Martial Arts Tournament at all.

One must know how many disciples within the Qingyun Sect longed to stand at this grand sect event and reap countless envious gazes, yet their strength meant they could only be spectators off the stage.

Yet Su Changqing avoided it as if it were a plague.

Therefore, even without today's sparring with Lu Xueqi, Shuiyue would have thought of other ways and excuses to make Su Changqing stand on the stage; one of the eight spots for Xiaozhu Peak would definitely be reserved for Su Changqing.

There is no escaping this! "Master, then Disciple will return to heal my wounds first."

Su Changqing said powerlessly to Shuiyue.

His whole body was as listless as a walking corpse, as if the sword strike just now had truly injured him, or as if being made to participate in the Seven Peaks Martial Arts Tournament had drained all his strength.

"Go."

Shuiyue said no more and let Su Changqing leave.

Anyway, the matter was settled; let him go back and adjust his state, and then just wait to see his 'performance' when the time comes.

Just as Su Changqing turned to leave, he heard another voice ring out from behind him.

"Little Junior Brother, I was too heavy-handed just now; I apologize." Su Changqing turned back and replied to Lu Xueqi with an indifferent face: "Since it was a spar, injuries are unavoidable. Junior Brother does not hold a grudge against Senior Sister, and Senior Sister need not blame herself."

"That won't do."

Lu Xueqi took small steps and walked slowly toward Su Changqing. After getting close, she revealed a beautiful smile and said to Su Changqing: "To express my apology, I will prepare a gift for you. Wait for me here at midnight today."

"Hmm?"

What does it mean to wait for you here at midnight? Senior Sister, you have misunderstood your Junior Brother; Junior Brother is a gentleman!

"Junior Brother, remember to come! I will wait for you here; if you come tomorrow, I will wait until tomorrow; if you come the day after, I will wait until the day after; if you come in a month, I will wait until next month; if you don't come for a year or two, then I will wait for a year or two. In any case, whenever you come, I will wait until then."

A smile hung on Lu Xueqi's beautiful face, but her words were incredibly serious.

Su Changqing swallowed a mouthful of saliva; he firmly believed what Lu Xueqi said—that if he really didn't come for a day, she would truly wait.

"Senior Sister, I will come."

Su Changqing said to Lu Xueqi in a panic, then turned and ran away, taking two or three steps at a time.

Seeing his 'fleeing' back, Lu Xueqi gave a charming smile. Why had she never noticed this little junior brother was so cute before?

It was just that he sparred with her but refused to use his full strength, which made Lu Xueqi very angry.

Think of how many people in the entire sect had sparred with her; they had always fought with all their might to defeat her, only to eventually lose at her hands.

Yet Su Changqing clearly had the strength to fight her for three hundred rounds, but he chose to self-detonate his spiritual energy to feign injury and defeat, thereby stopping the fight.

No one had ever been able to treat her like that! Su Changqing, having left the Sword Peak, was now full of regret.

"Hiss, hiss, hiss!"

The little dragon snake happened to slide out from his arm at this moment, its hissing sounds asking Su Changqing why he had self-detonated his dantian to lose the fight.

"Sigh, you don't understand!"

Su Changqing stroked its snake head and sighed to himself.

He had gone to great lengths just to be a small, transparent figure, to improve his strength in the most inconspicuous way possible, and to cultivate his own Dao.

But now, everything seemed not to go as he wished.

Even though he had been so cautious, why did things always go against his wishes? Now they even wanted him to participate in the Seven Peaks Martial Arts Tournament; wasn't this dead set on making him reveal his strength?

Should he just lose on purpose like today when the time comes and dodge it directly?

But upon further thought, that wouldn't work.

His participation in the Seven Peaks Martial Arts Tournament was personally designated by his Master. If he really lost on purpose, he would be losing his own face, slapping his Master's face, and wasting a spot from the peak for nothing.

Sigh! Thinking about it from all sides, Su Changqing only felt a splitting headache. He simply gave up on thinking about it and decided to just slack off and play it by ear when the time came.

When night fell, Su Changqing woke from his meditation and healing.

He still remembered that Lu Xueqi was waiting for him at Sword Peak; the most urgent task was to settle this matter first.

When Su Changqing arrived at Sword Peak, he saw a figure sitting in a tree.

Bathed in the bright white moonlight, the figure in white appeared exceptionally cold and detached; the moonlight scattered across her face, outlining her exquisite silhouette, and as a gentle breeze blew by, her hair fluttered lightly, making her look like a celestial maiden from the nine heavens, untainted by the world of mortals.

For a moment, Su Changqing was left somewhat mesmerized.

"Junior Martial Brother, you have come."

(End of this chapter)