These fairies want me to deal with them every day.

"I want to have a match with Qiao Zhiheng!"

An uproar ensued.

Everyone knows that Qiao Zhiheng is the strongest fighter in the open.

How did You Qianlong, a nobody with no reputation, get the audacity to challenge Qiao Zhiheng?

However, Qiao Zhiheng, who was chosen by the weaker disciple, did not look well.

"They've started using tactics..."

By using the weak to defeat the strong, they can ensure that the other disciples have a chance to win. This is definitely a calculated move.

However, Qiao Zhiheng could not refuse, nor could he refuse when challenged, which would be tantamount to actively showing weakness.

So Qiao Zhiheng could only stand up and look at Li Hanyang and Wei Tu.

Finally, he spoke to Wei Tu.

“Junior Brother Wei, if you wish to make a contribution to the sect, go up and challenge Yuanjia Grass later.”

This was the best way Qiao Zhiheng could think of to smooth out the gap: the weakest Wei Tu would face the opponent's strongest Yuan Jia Cao, which would make up for his loss in the battle against You Qianlong.

However, he did not expect that this boy, who was always timid and now only gentle and obedient, would shake his head and say something.

"I'll go last, let's see if Yuan Jia Cao is willing to stay until the very end."

Qiao Zhiheng looked at Wei Tu in disbelief.

I think he's just being cowardly, afraid of losing face in front of everyone.

Doesn't he realize that he's not just the weakest here, but the weakest of everyone?

Don't you have any self-awareness? The sect leader selected you for the list, and you really think you're capable?!

Qiao Zhiheng felt that this boy had never entered his field of vision, so it was difficult for him to have any special feelings before. He could not say that he hated him, let alone liked him. At most, he was just indifferent.

But now he's genuinely getting angry.

"Junior Brother Wei, don't have any unrealistic ideas right now. This is for the sake of the sect, how can you let it affect your own selfish desires..."

This time, Wei Tu didn't give him a chance to continue.

"Senior Brother Qiao, you should go on stage. The sect leader and master can order me around, but you can't."

"...Okay, you're very good!" PS: Due to the app's redesign, it's inconvenient to express gratitude for monthly tickets now, so I've kept it in my heart—it's all in the wine! Thank you everyone for your monthly tickets. This might be the last time I'm with you all; it's an honor, thank you! There will be another update tonight!

42 What a pity.

Qiao Zhiheng took the stage, facing off against You Qianlong, a young disciple from the Lu Chen Sect.

The disciples watching from the sidelines were very optimistic.

"Senior Brother Qiao has definitely won it over; he's got it under his thumb."

Hey bro, your accent sounds familiar. Where are you from?

"Me? I'm from Dongbai!"

"You're from Dongbai?! Me too! What a coincidence, shall we get together tonight?"

"Let's get it done!"

……That's not it.

"They're really bold to challenge Senior Brother Qiao. Could it be that You Qianlong came prepared?"

Qin Shuangshuang whispered to Su Mi beside her.

Su Mi's gaze wasn't really on Qiao Zhiheng. In fact, she wasn't interested in how these people fought or what the outcome would be. She wasn't particularly concerned about the so-called sect honor either. She was just curious... which one would her senior brother encounter later?

Could it be that this peach blossom spirit is about to activate its power again and beat up a woman?

Let's stop using our powers... we're almost overwhelmed!

Wei Tu felt a tickle in his nose, as if he was about to sneeze, but he couldn't quite manage it.

The boy simply rubbed his nose, glanced at the scene on the open ground, and both sides nodded slightly in acknowledgment that the activity was about to begin.

Qiao Zhiheng had nothing to say. He calmly raised his arm, the tip of his sword pointing directly at his opponent. It was a very frank and casual gesture, a standard posture, representing how confident he was that he could defeat You Qianlong.

However, to Wei Tu's slight surprise, the starting stance of this Lu Chen Sect disciple named You Qianlong was rather strange.

It wasn't the usual way of holding the sword with hands behind one's back, or carrying the long sword at an angle; it was a way of holding the sword straight up like Qiao Zhiheng.

His posture, with the sword resting on his shoulder against his arm, gave the impression that he was about to slit his own throat and behead himself at any moment.

"What's going on? Is he going to strike me with a sword right from the start? I've never seen such a sword-fighting stance before..."

"Hahahaha...like a monkey, are all the disciples of Lu Chen Sect so fond of showing off?"

The voices of Gong Ziqi and Li Hanyang came from the left and right sides of my ears, respectively.

But Wei Tu realized something from this starting stance.

He happened to turn his head to the side and saw Bai Youwei squinting at the two of them.

Bai Youwei's expression seemed unfathomably calm, unshaken by anything, focused solely on the path of the sword.

At this moment, strange phenomena occurred on the scene.

When the two drew their swords almost simultaneously, adjusting their aura and momentum to their optimal levels, it was clear that You Qianlong was faster.

Many people didn't even see how the other party drew their sword before the blade grazed the hem of Qiao Zhiheng's clothes.

A clear mark was left behind.

The clothes were even torn in one line.

This is something many people didn't expect. How come the situation, which should have been an absolute crushing victory, seems to have gone wrong?

Bai Youwei's eyes seemed even more focused, as if she was pondering the strange yet swift and aggressive swordplay of You Qianlong.

Each move was devoid of any fancy techniques, yet they were ruthless and perfectly timed, seemingly suppressing Qiao Zhiheng's attacks for a short period of time.

She seemed to have never seen such a sword move before, until a faint, muttering voice came from beside her.

"Dongchuan Sword, the sword technique most skilled by the Japanese tribes of Yinping Prefecture... Is he a Japanese?"

Bai Youwei turned her head with some confusion, and her confusion deepened when she saw that it was the handsome young man who seemed to be talking to himself.

She even abandoned her principle of never saying a single unnecessary word to a man.

What are you saying?

The other person seemed to be stunned for a moment before slowly turning their head to look at her, and then revealing a smile that Bai Youwei found somewhat annoying.

The reason she's disliked is because she's too good-looking, resembling the frivolous image of someone who can deceive women, or perhaps she sees all men in the world as frivolous and laughable.

“Oh, Senior Sister Bai. There’s a book in the Scripture Pavilion that mentions this sword technique. It was created by the Japanese tribes of Yinping Prefecture in the East and is called the Dongchuan Sword.”

Bai Youwei felt she hadn't seen it, but she certainly wouldn't say that. The woman, whose curiosity had been piqued, narrowed her eyes slightly.

"Is this sword very powerful?"

Wei Tu smiled and shook his head.

"To say they're powerful... well, they're not quite there yet. But since they've appeared and gained some influence in Yinping Prefecture, there must be a reason. Because the Japanese tribes are naturally small in stature, this kind of swordsmanship is particularly suitable for them. Their moves are ruthless, their footwork is fast, and their steps are small yet varied, so every step catches people off guard. Actually, compared to their ruthless aura, their footwork is what we should pay more attention to."

Bai Youwei looked over with some skepticism, and saw that although You Qianlong's sword strikes were all unexpected, leaving Qiao Zhiheng somewhat caught off guard and confused, when she noticed his footwork, she was surprisingly able to predict his next move from the changes in his footwork...

He's telling the truth.

Bai Youwei came to this conclusion.

"So it seems that Senior Brother Qiao is in danger?"

Wei Tu thought for a moment.

"Not necessarily. Although he is arrogant, he is not stupid. It will soon be clear that the suppression of his cultivation level is still present. His opponent will cause some trouble, but he will lose quickly."

As Wei Tu had predicted, what happened next was exactly what happened. Although You Qianlong had been very aggressive and domineering, Qiao Zhiheng quickly found the change in his approach, began to widen the distance, sought to suppress him with his cultivation level, and then proceeded step by step.

You Qianlong ultimately succumbed to exhaustion and was defeated.

"Match 1. Qiao Zhiheng of Yuanjian Sect wins!"

Loud cheers erupted from below.

Bai Youwei watched as Qiao Zhiheng walked off the stage with a fairly good expression, and her opinion of the young man beside her changed slightly.

He may lack some skill, but his insight is indeed excellent. Perhaps his talent limits his development; he's a young man who cultivates using his brain...

Lacking in strength... but quite intelligent... If we could take him back to the northern desert...

"Congratulations, senior brother..."

Li Hanyang immediately went up to offer his congratulations, but unfortunately Qiao Zhiheng was in a bad mood, probably because he felt that the victory was not easy.

Next up is Li Hanyang, who glances at Wei Tu, who is calmly resting with his eyes closed, before leaving.

Wei Tu also glanced at Li Hanyang, smiling slyly, looking utterly irritating.

Although neither of them said a word, it was obvious that they had exchanged glances several times in the air. Regardless of the outcome, Li Hanyang only wanted to strike the boy with his sword first.

Li Hanyang went on stage and identified Luo Kang, the opponent, as his adversary.

He really wanted to help Qiao Zhiheng choose Yuanjia Grass... but to be honest, he had no confidence at all when facing Yuanjia Grass. He had already lost face once in the sect's small test, and he couldn't bear to lose face in front of the entire sect's disciples again.

As the two stood on the open ground, they nodded to each other in full view of the crowd, and then drew their swords to make their first move.

In the first clash, the two swords collided and even sparked slightly.

After that sword strike, Bai Youwei couldn't help but look at the boy beside her.

Who do you think will win?

In Bai Youwei's opinion, Li Hanyang should have won. Although the two seemed to be evenly matched in this sword strike, Li Hanyang seemed to have retreated less and adjusted his speed faster.

But the boy beside him frowned and said...

"Li Hanyang will lose."

...Is this a curse for self-esteem?