A max-level player in Jade Dynasty: Awakening the Innate Dao at the start.

The air on the platform was a bit stiff.

Tian Buyi's words were like a stone thrown into water, creating ripples that spread outwards in circles.

Master Cangsong's face was pale, his fingers were clenched tightly in his sleeves, and the veins on the back of his hands were bulging.

"To reach the eighth level of Jade Purity at over a hundred years old?"

His voice was as cold as ice.

"Junior Brother Tian certainly knows how to choose his moments to speak."

Qi Hao was second in the previous martial arts competition. After five years of diligent training, he is now a completely different person.

Your apprentice Zhang Xiaofan, who gained his skills through a sneak attack two years ago, has actually made it to the ring—”

"What happened on the stage?"

Tian Buyi interrupted him, a half-smile playing on his dark face.

"Would he strike again and make him vomit blood?"

The expressions of the other leaders present varied.

Dao Xuan Zhenren frowned slightly, while Shui Yue Zhenren turned her face away.

The others kept their eyes down, pretending they hadn't heard anything.

Master Cangsong's chest heaved, and his breathing became heavier.

He stared at Tian Buyi and said, word by word:

"The Seven Sects Martial Arts Tournament: Swords and blades have no eyes."

Tell your apprentice to be careful; don't let him think he's all that just because he's got a bit of luck.

"No need for you to worry."

Tian Buyi stood with his hands behind his back, looking towards the direction of Dazhu Peak below the stage.

"Whether my apprentice is up to par or not, we'll see in the ring."

At this moment, Dao Xuan Zhenren coughed softly.

The sound wasn't loud, but it silenced both of them at the same time.

"That's enough." Dao Xuan's gaze swept over Tian Buyi and Cangsong, his tone quite calm.

"The Seven Sects Martial Arts Tournament is an occasion for disciples to spar, not a place for the chief disciples to argue."

Be mindful of your identities.

Tian Buyi bowed slightly: "Sect Leader is right."

Cangsong lowered his head, but the fierce look in his eyes lingered for a long time.

Below the stage, the list of the first round of thirty-two matches had been posted on both sides of the fighting platform.

Tian Buyi's gaze fell on the line "Tian Ling'er vs. Shen Tiandou," and he raised his eyebrows slightly.

When the red light transformed from amber and vermilion silk leaped onto the high platform, it drew a chorus of low gasps.

Tian Ling'er landed on the ground, her red clothes spreading out on the white jade table like a flame that had suddenly ignited.

The man opposite her, Shen Tiandou, was a man in his thirties, a disciple of Chaoyang Peak.

The top 16 from the previous competition are currently bowing with their hands clasped in a humble manner.

"Junior Sister Tian, ​​please."

Tian Ling'er returned the greeting, and just as she lowered her hand, Shen Tiandou suddenly moved.

It's not rushing forward, it's retreating.

He pushed off with his feet, retreating three zhang (approximately 10 meters) in a flash, while simultaneously forming hand seals and muttering something under his breath.

The ground shook, cracks appeared on the platform, and three large rocks emerged from the soil.

Each piece was as big as a millstone, and it hurtled towards Tian Ling'er with a "whooshing" sound!

"Sneak attack!" Tian Ling'er shouted angrily, and the Amber Crimson Silk unfolded, forming a red barrier in front of her.

The large rock crashed into the barrier with a dull thud.

Zhu Ling trembled, and Tian Ling'er took two steps back, her face turning pale.

Shen Tiandou steadied himself, his expression remaining as humble as ever.

"Junior Sister Tian has misunderstood. Taking the initiative on the dueling platform does not count as a sneak attack."

Below the stage, Song Daren clenched his fists:

"That bastard Shen Tiandou, he's all talk and no action, but he's really ruthless."

Zhang Xiaofan didn't speak, his eyes fixed on the stage.

Tian Ling'er has regained her composure.

She realized that Shen Tiandou excelled at long-range attacks.

That hand-controlled stone technique is quite powerful, but it takes time to cast.

If the distance between you and others is widened, you can only passively take a beating.

The amber brocade suddenly contracted, transforming into a beam of red light that wrapped around her waist.

Tian Ling'er lightly touched the ground with her toes and shot towards Shen Tiandou like an arrow!

Close the distance!

Shen Tiandou's expression changed, and he formed another hand seal.

Two more large rocks rose up from the side, attacking Tian Ling'er from both the left and right.

While Tian Ling'er was in mid-air, the crimson ribbon split into two, striking the large rock with both hands.

With two loud "bangs," the stone exploded.

But just then, the three large rocks turned back, blocking all of Tian Ling'er's escape routes.

Five large rocks tumbled up and down, forming a constantly shrinking encirclement.

Tian Ling'er charged left and right, her red ribbons dancing like a blur of red, but she just couldn't break through the stone formation.

Shen Tiandou stood outside the formation, tapping his fingers repeatedly.

Each time she tapped the rock, a large stone would change course, either smashing or crashing into her, putting Tian Ling'er in grave danger.

"Oh no!" He Dazhi pushed up his glasses.

"Junior Sister Ling'er has been dragged into the opponent's rhythm."

On stage, Tian Ling'er was breathing rapidly, and sweat was beading on her forehead.

She could feel her spiritual energy being depleted very quickly; if this continued, she wouldn't last more than a quarter of an hour.

We cannot lose.

The thought popped into my head, and it was very clear.

Father is watching from the stage, fellow disciples are watching from below, and Xiao Fan... is watching too.

If she loses the first match, her father will be disappointed, and Xiao Fan might laugh at her.

She gritted her teeth, and suddenly all the crimson silk was withdrawn, coiling into a circle around her body.

"Where's Little Grey?" Zeng Shushu had somehow squeezed next to Zhang Xiaofan, her eyes still glancing towards the stage.

"Where's your monkey?"

"At Lu Xueqi's place."

Zeng Shushu clicked his tongue:

"You really don't have any worries."

Lu Xueqi's gaze sent chills down my spine just looking at her. How dare you hand the monkey over to her?

Zhang Xiaofan didn't respond to that, his gaze never leaving the high platform.

Zeng Shushu took a book out of his pocket and stuffed it into Zhang Xiaofan's hand.

The book was thin, the cover was yellowed, and it had no title.

"An absolutely wonderful book, I'll read it tonight."

He winked. "I promise you'll like it."

Zhang Xiaofan glanced down and saw that the edges of the pages were worn, indicating that it had been turned many times.

Without thinking much, he casually tucked it into his pocket.

On the platform, the stone formation had shrunk to a size of three zhang (approximately 10 meters).

Tian Ling'er was trapped in the very center, surrounded by a ring formed from Zhu Ling, but the light had dimmed considerably.

Shen Tiandou smiled, pointed his finger again, and a large rock crashed down from directly above!

If this hits hard, Tian Ling'er will break at least a few bones.

Zhang Xiaofan narrowed his eyes.

No one saw him subtly twitch his right index finger, which was hanging by his side.

The movement was so subtle, almost like a tickle, yet a wisp of extremely faint black energy escaped from the fingertips.

They scurried up the platform, skimming the ground, and crawled into the large rock that was falling down.

The large rock paused in mid-air for a moment.

It really was just a pause, so brief it felt like an illusion.

But it was this meal that gave Tian Ling'er an opportunity.

With a twist of her waist, she drew a strand of crimson silk from the ring and, like a nimble snake, coiled it around a large rock on the side.

Using the momentum, the person swung out through the gaps in the stone formation!

Shen Tiandou was stunned for a moment, and his hand seals slowed down by half a beat.

Tian Ling'er landed, rolled over, and got up in one smooth motion.

She didn't give Shen Tiandou time to react. Zhu Ling transformed into three red lights, taking off the upper, middle and lower paths!

Shen Tiandou hurriedly manipulated the stones to defend, but for some reason, the stones reacted a beat too slowly.

He was sweating, and felt that the flow of spiritual energy in his body was a bit sluggish, as if something was blocking his meridians.

It was that black aura again.

This time it's even fainter, so faint that it's almost non-existent.

It seeped out from the table, wrapped around Shen Tiandou's ankle, and climbed up his leg.

Shen Tiandou suddenly felt his body become heavy, and his movements slowed down by a third.

Three points are enough.

Amber and crimson silk wrapped around his wrists, and another around his ankles.

Tian Ling'er pulled hard, and Shen Tiandou lost his balance and fell backward.

The third red ribbon was already pressed against his throat.

The entire room was silent.

Then a deafening roar of cheers erupted.

When Tian Ling'er jumped off the platform, her face was still flushed.

It wasn't shyness, it was excitement.

She ran up to Zhang Xiaofan, her eyes shining like they were filled with stars: "How was it?"

"That's pretty impressive."

Zhang Xiaofan said seriously, "That move to break the formation was quite clever."

Tian Ling'er's lips curled into a wide grin, her smile radiant.

She wanted to say something more, but her gaze suddenly fell on Zhang Xiaofan's chest—

A yellowed corner of paper peeked out from the collar of the Taoist robe.

"What is this?" She reached out to pull it.

Zhang Xiaofan tried to stop him, but it was too late.

The book was pulled out, cover facing up.

There is no title, but the texture and color of the paper...

There's also that old, worn feeling of it having been turned over countless times, which gives it an unusual quality.

Tian Ling'er curiously turned to the first page.

Then her movements froze.

His eyes were wide open, and his pupils were dilated.

Her cheeks turned from pink to bright red at a speed visible to the naked eye, and then from bright red to deathly pale.

She seemed to have seen something extremely frightening and absurd; her lips were slightly parted, but she couldn't make a sound.

The pages of the book are illustrated.

It's a very detailed traditional Chinese painting, depicting two naked people entwined together in a... very complicated pose.

There were also small annotations next to it, the handwriting was quite delicate, but the content was so straightforward that it made people blush.

Zeng Shushu covered his face from a short distance away.

Zhang Xiaofan sighed.

Tian Ling'er raised her head and looked at him, her eyes filled with a complex mix of emotions, as if she had just overturned a spice shop.

Shock, embarrassment, confusion, and a hint of...curiosity that's hard to define?

The wind blew across the square, swirling up a few fallen leaves.

The book was still open in her hands, and the illustration on that page was clearly visible in the sunlight.

Time seemed to stand still at that moment.