I made the entire cultivation world cry

Chapter 249 Returning the Property to Its Rightful Owner (Seeking Monthly Tickets)

On the morning of the tenth day of the arena battle, after another person was knocked off the stage, Jiang Yi stood up and stretched his muscles.

On the battle rankings, her name finally surpassed Zhu Mingzong's Xia Wanwan, taking the top spot.

On the surrounding arenas, the prodigies from various sects who had been defending their positions until today were all eager to make their move, and they all looked towards Jiang Yi.

All the arenas were occupied by cultivators at the late and peak stages of Foundation Establishment, except for Jiang Yi, who was only at the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment. In comparison, it seemed that Jiang Yi was easier to bully.

Moreover, over the past few days, opinions about Jiang Yi have become polarized, with some people thinking she is exceptionally strong and others thinking she is pretentious.

Because she was skilled in healing magic, her spirit could stay on stage longer than other spirits, and she didn't have to lift a finger most of the time.

Her master, Danxi, is a weapon refiner, so her defensive capabilities and ability to control swords with a zither might be achieved through magical artifacts.

With the Yaoling Sword as the stake, naturally more people challenged Jiang Yi than others, ultimately propelling her to the top of the battle rankings. This made the other sects' prodigies very dissatisfied, cursing the Zhu Ming Sect for setting such a ridiculous rule.

The Shen family cultivators in charge of management were exceptionally responsible; if they discovered anyone paying for an opponent or throwing a match, they would immediately disqualify them.

On the ring closest to Jiang Yi, Zhu Mingzong and Xia Wanwan walked to the edge of the ring and shouted at Jiang Yi.

"You from the Cangling Sect, do you dare to come to my arena and fight me?"

Jiang Yi didn't even look at her. "If you want to fight, then jump over here yourself. I'm too lazy to go over there."

Xia Wanwan put her hands on her hips, about to say something sarcastic to Jiang Yi, when suddenly a gasp of surprise erupted from the crowd.

"Look! Several names have disappeared from the battle rankings!"

Upon hearing this, everyone looked up and were astonished to find that the name of Jiang Heying from the Cangling Sect, who had just ascended to the top position, had indeed disappeared.

Also disappearing were Zhu Mingzong Xia Wanwan, ranked second; Xuan Yingjianzong Liu Taozhi, ranked third; Liu Jingzong Yan Kongqing, ranked fourth; Mo Jiabao Mo Liao, ranked fifth; Yu Qingpai Bai Shengjie, ranked sixth; Chonggu Jin Jiuying, ranked seventh; and Chimeizhai Mingzhuang, ranked eighth.

This time, the prodigies of the nine great immortal sects are all quite strong, and there are also a large number of rogue cultivators who are constantly being sent to their doom. It will be very difficult for the Xuan Ying Sword Sect to occupy the top ten of the battle ranking. At this moment, even Xu Manxiu, the oldest and most powerful cultivator in the Foundation Establishment stage of the Sword Sect, has fallen to ninth place.

"Besides Bai Zanggu, each sect has one person. What are they planning to do?"

The next moment, a majestic voice resounded throughout Flint City, announcing the new rules.

Apart from the eight whose names were removed, the remaining contestants will continue their matches until midnight tonight. The top 100 on the battle leaderboard will qualify to enter Jinzheng Plain to participate in the treasure hunt.

The eight people whose names have been removed will draw lots tomorrow to determine the champion of the first Asking Questions Conference.

Moreover, only the champion can receive a Heavenly Grade cultivation technique and a magic weapon as a reward. The Heavenly Grade cultivation technique is provided by the Nine Great Immortal Sects, and the champion can choose any one of them. The magic weapon will be personally customized by Yangming Zhenjun, the sect leader of Zhu Ming Sect and the number one weapon refiner in Bei Xuan.

Everyone was amazed. A top-grade cultivation technique and a custom-made magic weapon—this was an incredible stroke of luck!

Heavenly-grade cultivation techniques can improve the level of a cultivator's Core Formation, and custom-made magic weapons can directly become their natal magic weapons—a chance to leap to the heavens in one step.

Although it was a bit hasty and unfair, all seven people who were chosen were excited, except for Jiang Yi.

Upon hearing about the reward, Jiang Yi knew that it was her own rebellious master stirring things up behind the scenes again. She had finally climbed to the top of the battle rankings, and now he was causing her trouble again.

She originally planned not to accept challenges from other sects' prodigies, but to feign weakness and reveal some flaws to lure others into a trap, maintaining her number one winning streak until midnight tonight, at which point her mission would be complete.

However, she appreciated her master's kindness, so she would try her best to win the championship for her, to make her happy and arrogant.

"Hua Gu, pack your things, let's go back and rest."

Jiang Yi gave the order and jumped off the stage.

"Senior Sister, wait for me."

Zhao Cangyun immediately followed, and after leaving the square and returning to the main hall of the Fengyan Pavilion, Zhao Cangyun's expression turned solemn.

"Senior Sister, many people have been secretly watching you these past few days. I've written them all down. Should I go and take care of them all...?"

Zhao Cangyun made a throat-slitting gesture; he had already memorized the list of the dead with his nose.

Jiang Yi took out a jade slip containing a list of the elite members of the Dream Immortal Sect from his storage belt and handed it to Zhao Cangyun.

"Take this to Master. Don't worry about the rest. Also, please tell Pu Ning and the others that I'm going to sleep... no, I'm going into seclusion to prepare for tomorrow's duel. I won't see anyone for now."

"And what about her?" Zhao Cangyun suddenly pointed to the entrance of Fengyan Pavilion. The person pointed to was shocked and froze on the spot.

She stood there awkwardly, her face completely covered by a cloak, exuding a strong sense of embarrassment.

"There's no one over there. You've mistaken someone. Go find your master."

After saying that, Jiang Yi slowly went upstairs.

Liu Taozhi clutched the sides of her cloak hood to cover her face, revealing only her almond-shaped eyes. As she walked past Zhao Cangyun, she gave him an apologetic smile and nodded before quickly following Jiang Yi.

Zhao Cangyun looked very unhappy and wanted to put Liu Taozhi in a sack and throw her out of the city.

"I'm not going to argue with you. Anyway, she's my senior sister now, and even the Heavenly Dao acknowledges that!"

……

Jiang Yi returned to her room and waited for Liu Taozhi to quietly follow her in before signaling Hua Gu to close the door and activating the room's built-in soundproofing array.

After doing all this, Hua Gu returned to the Yin-Yang Pendant on Jiang Yi's waist without disturbing the two of them.

Liu Taozhi pulled down her hood and stared intently at Jiang Yi, who was sitting at the table pouring tea. Her eyes seemed to hold a thousand words, yet they were stuck in her throat.

"Senior Sister..." Her voice was so soft it was almost inaudible, trembling uncontrollably, "Is it really you?"

Jiang Yi placed a cup of hot tea in front of her, and when she looked up, a gentle smile appeared in her eyes. "How many times do I have to nod before you believe me? Sit down and talk, Yao Yao."

This address made Liu Tao tremble, and tears instantly welled up in her eyes.

Liu Tao clenched her fist to strengthen herself, trying not to always cry and upset her senior sister.

She held back her tears, smiled, and walked to the table to sit down. Her smile was like the sunlight breaking through the dark clouds, so radiant it was heartbreaking.

"Can...can I know what exactly happened in these eight years?" Liu Tao asked cautiously.

Jiang Yi sighed inwardly. What she had said to Yao Yao last time was indeed a bit too much, but it seemed that Yao Yao had taken it to heart and had grown a lot, no longer acting as willful as a child.

"What happened in the past doesn't matter anymore; what matters is the present, that I am here."

Liu Taozhi nodded vigorously, "Then can I come to the Cangling Sect to find you in the future? I mean, when I have free time, after this conference ends, I still have to go to the North Sea coast to guard, and I may only have some free time every five or six years. By the way, this, return it to its rightful owner."

Liu Taozhi took out the Yaoling Sword and presented it to Jiang Yi with both hands.

The sword, wrapped in a yellow cloth inscribed with runes, hummed and vibrated, causing the runes on the cloth to glow.

Liu Taozhi explained, "After the Yaoling Sword was forged and repaired by the Golden Crow Fire, the spirit of the fire phoenix within it faintly came to life. Its fire element aura was too strong, and since I have an ice spirit root, I couldn't carry this sword for long. I had no choice but to resort to this last resort and seal it away."

Jiang Yi reached out and grasped the sword hilt. The yellow cloth with runes covering the sword was instantly shattered, and the crimson sword blade regained its sharpness like a phoenix spreading its wings.

However, the Yaoling Sword suddenly burst into dazzling flames, and the intense heat wave shook Jiang Yi's hand away.

The sword swung in mid-air, its tip pointing directly at Jiang Yi's brow, radiating a dangerous golden-red sword light. The phoenix feather patterns on the sword's spine flickered, scrutinizing its former master with a puzzled expression.

At this moment, the true essence of earth and wood circulated within her body, with no trace of fire spirit root aura remaining; only a slightly familiar aura of her divine soul remained.

After a few breaths of stalemate, the sword suddenly trembled violently, emitting a clear whistling sound that seemed to pierce through the clouds and split rocks, and was about to transform into a crimson rainbow and break through the window.

Jiang Yi reacted swiftly, unleashing a torrent of Heavenly Gang Sword Qi from the Sword Nurturing Gourd. Like a silver net, it forcibly enveloped the restless Yaoling Sword, drawing it into the gourd before it could erupt.

"strangeness……"

Jiang Yi rubbed her still-warm fingertips, and when she looked at Liu Taozhi, they both saw the doubt in each other's eyes.

This natal sword, which had once been intertwined with her spiritual root and soul, now seemed to resist her as if she were a stranger. Yet, at the last moment, it seemed to sense some special aura and suddenly wanted to fly towards some unknown direction.

This reminded Jiang Yi of the last time the Yaoling Sword was repaired; it first came to her, examined her for a moment, and then flew away.

Last time, she thought that Yaoling Sword sensed her unwillingness to acknowledge her and deliberately flew away to lure Liu Taozhi away. Now it seems that there is another reason behind it.

(End of this chapter)