Chapter 42

At this very moment, among the tens of thousands of spectators in the plaza, many were shouting the same name. They looked shocked and bewildered, their faces etched with utter disbelief.

"What is going on?!"
"A Transformation Realm cultivator is fighting in a True Immortal Realm match? Is she trying to get herself killed?"
"...Junior Brother, that barrier only allows True Immortal Realm cultivators to pass. Do you think you can just walk in whenever you want? Why don’t you go try?"
"Who is Su Zhen?"

There were also some young, uninformed disciples—many not from the Weiyun Peak lineage—who only found the name vaguely familiar. They hurriedly asked their seniors, only to become even more confused by the answers.

"Didn't she just promote to the Transformation Realm two years ago?"
"Exactly! That's why no one knows how she got in..."
"That would mean she is at the True Immortal Realm now..."
"How is that possible! Even demonic cultivators don't advance that fast! Am I still dreaming?"
"Why do you keep dreaming about Junior Uncle Su?"
"Get lost!"

A handful of Lingxiao Peak disciples wore strange expressions. They were the direct disciples of the elders and usually had good relationships with their masters, so their reactions were subtle.

"...No wonder Master was praising Junior Sister Su so inexplicably before. So that’s why?"
"Wow, I thought it was no big deal that day since she only reached the Transformation Realm ten years ahead of me. Now, I’m truly convinced."
"Then why didn't Master say anything?"
"Uh, probably... I don't know? How did Master know? He must have seen her... wait, Su Zhen has graduated!"
"Hmm? She passed the graduation trial? That means she didn't just reach the True Immortal Realm, otherwise it wouldn't have been that easy. Look at Jiang Wang, would he dare to try that?"

These direct disciples chatted back and forth without avoiding others. The surrounding cultivators, all sharp-eared and keen-eyed, listened in, and a wave of uproar ensued. This rumor spread quickly, followed by exclamations and cries of impossibility.

"...If that’s the case, if Su Zhen had reached the True Immortal Realm long ago, then Jiang Wang is the one who got the short end of the stick, right? After all, he really only promoted last year."
"Short end of the stick? Su Zhen is half his age. Who is really the one at a disadvantage here!"
"...Fair point."

The Pei siblings were horrified. As direct disciples of the Sect Master, they held great status and prestige, and ordinary cultivators dared not approach them. However, other peers, full of curiosity, couldn't help but lean in to ask, "What is actually going on with your little cousin?"

These people were all over three hundred years old; they looked at Su Zhen as one would look at a child. The siblings didn't know how to answer. Pei Yang pulled his sister's sleeve and sent a voice transmission: "Two years ago, she was truly in the Transformation Realm, at least that’s what I believed. If she wanted to hide it from me..." Logic dictated that her cultivation would have to be higher than his. Could she already be in the Celestial Immortal Realm? That was too absurd. Perhaps she was the reincarnation of a Demon God.

Pei Xun looked at her brother helplessly, knowing his imagination had run wild. "Perhaps she went to another plane... and had some kind of fortuitous encounter." The possibilities for such encounters were endless. Although they could use voice transmission, there were too many people, and they dared not discuss it further. On second thought, whatever the reason, their cousin knew what she was doing. If she dared to make a move here, she likely didn't carry the Demon God’s mark. The siblings both showed a sense of relief. Their little cousin was a genius to begin with, and they were genuinely happy for her success. Although they were a bit worried, since Su Zhen dared to come, it meant she didn't fear her senior brother and likely had the confidence to win.

The atmosphere on the arena was grim.

"Senior Brother," Su Zhen said slowly, "Let me be clear: I have no intention of participating in the Immortal Alliance Trials. So, after I defeat you, I will simply give up the spot."

Jiang Wang’s face darkened. He frowned and reprimanded her, "Absurd! Are you treating this as a child's play?"

"Hahaha, Senior Brother, you only ask me this, which means you believe I can defeat you? I suppose that counts as having some self-awareness." Su Zhen said with a chuckle. "For the sake of the guidance you once gave me, I'll give you a chance: admit defeat, and I will let you leave the stage intact. Otherwise, you’ll likely still be recovering from your injuries by the time the Immortal Alliance Trials end."

They couldn't hear the commotion outside, but their conversation was amplified for all to hear. The audience heard it clearly. One stone stirred up a thousand ripples. The crowd boiled over again, with all sorts of reactions—some couldn't help but curse, most accusing her of being arrogant and reckless.

"Is she crazy?! Even if she is in the True Immortal Realm, how can she be so sure?"
"Maybe she'll only have her primordial spirit left soon!"

Jiang Wang laughed in anger, a cold glint appearing in his eyes. He didn't know what methods Su Zhen used to advance, but whether it was through legitimate training or devious shortcuts, as long as she was in the True Immortal Realm, those words were just bluster. No matter how she boasted, she was still a hundred years younger than him; in terms of experience alone, they were not on the same level. Moreover, he knew that Su Zhen didn't specialize in the sword; she learned too many things and was a person of lofty ambitions and shallow foundations. Ever since she joined the sect at twelve, Jiang Wang had noticed this and had warned her, but she had always been headstrong.

"Junior Sister, be careful," Jiang Wang said in a deep voice.

Ten feet away, the young girl in the cyan dress looked over with a faint smile. In her eyes, green light shimmered like rising sea tides, staining her dark pupils a pale green, reminiscent of spring and summer vistas. It was a deep forest of endless flowers and trees, with tangled vines. Branches sliced through the sky, cutting it into countless fragments, spinning like a kaleidoscope.

The immortal sword in Jiang Wang’s hand trembled slightly. Flowing light shone on the frost-white blade, and the blue-tinged spiritual energy mist became increasingly brilliant, gathering at the tip of the sword. The sword intent was about to erupt.

...

Jiang Wang stopped.

Immediately after, an unimaginable, sharp pain struck him. By the time Jiang Wang came to his senses, it was too late. A heavy, white sword stained with cyan-green light had cut horizontally from bottom to top, shattering his protective spiritual energy and slicing into his neck. He managed a final dodge, escaping the fate of being decapitated. However, Jiang Wang clutched the side of his neck; his head was hanging precariously, connected by only a sliver of flesh and bone. He was not adept at healing, so he instinctively channeled his spiritual energy toward the wound, forcing the mangled flesh to reconnect.

Su Zhen stood a yard away, watching him calmly, and leisurely raised her heavy sword, lightly shaking off the blood from the blade.

"..."

The air high above the arena fell suddenly silent. Almost everyone had seen what just happened. Jiang Wang had stood motionless, as if he had lost his soul, allowing Su Zhen to walk right up to him and land that strike.

"Such a powerful illusion technique... even a charm-specializing cultivator of the True Immortal Realm might not be its equal..."
"Is it over just like that?"
"How could it be? He woke up as soon as that hit landed; the illusion is broken, the fight must continue."

Even so, Jiang Wang's protective spiritual energy had been shattered. An ordinary True Immortal sword cultivator would usually have to exchange blows for a long time before breaking the opponent's defenses. Su Zhen had done it in the time it took to speak two sentences.

"Immortal Lord Jiang seems quite unwilling," Su Zhen said slowly. "Do you feel I should have defeated you using sword cultivator methods? But I don't care what you think."

Combining her memories from her past life and the records in the books—Jiang Wang had gone to these Immortal Alliance Trials, helped Liu Yunyao several times, and indirectly helped her obtain another immortal sword and a great opportunity to advance her realm. In this life, Jiang Wang would never make it there.

Su Zhen tilted her head. "Senior Brother seems particularly defiant, but I don't need you to be convinced. I just want you to lose."

Jiang Wang’s expression was hideous. The veins on his hand holding the sword bulged, and the spiritual energy on the blade surged, filling the air with a sudden chill and the crisp sound of ice forming. He moved, charging straight at her. Su Zhen met him with utter indifference.

Two figures tangled together; the long sword and the heavy sword clashed, erupting with thousands of cold sword qi, and the sound of endless humming echoed in the high air. The battle lasted only for a fleeting moment. Most of the audience hadn't even reacted before the two were completely separated.

Su Zhen lifted her sword, resting it on her shoulder, and looked him over with ease. "I know you're still not convinced, but you don't even have the strength to charge at me anymore, do you?"

Jiang Wang gasped, retreating a few steps. The shocking wound on his neck was already festering in the blink of an eye. From the suppurating flesh, countless tiny, tentacle-like green vines emerged, mixed with sharp, black-brown branches. He was plunged into extreme agony, his sword-wielding hand trembling violently until the immortal sword fell to the ground.

"Ah—"

He knelt, suffering, trying to circulate his spiritual energy to resist. However, during that short exchange, his surging spiritual energy had completely activated the curse at the wound. Those vines grew more and more rampant. The more he channeled his energy to eliminate them, the more they absorbed that power, turning it to their own use in an instant.

Su Zhen whistled softly. She didn't speak again. The nonsense she had spouted earlier was just to provoke him, to make him use more spiritual energy so that his suffering would come faster. Of course, if it could affect his mental state and delay his next promotion by a few decades, that would be a bonus, though that was hard to say. For her, defeating a mere Jiang Wang was effortless. A demonic cultivator like Huang Lu, who had been through hundreds of battles, had been slaughtered by her without a chance to escape, let alone Jiang Wang, who couldn't even compare. She just wanted him to lose in the most unsightly, frustrating, and painful way possible.

"Ahhhhhhhhhh—"

Jiang Wang's screams echoed in the air. Countless vines and branches twisted within his flesh, tearing through his muscles and bones inch by inch, bursting through his skin, and pulling his meridians until they were shredded. His spiritual energy was in complete chaos, only to be drained away. He was covered in blood, his bones shattered, as if he had been fished out of a pool of blood, until he couldn't even scream anymore. The branches at his neck reached forward, burying themselves into his seven orifices. Blood sprayed from his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth, landing on the wind-swaying vines.

Su Zhen curled her lips, admiring the scene of his physical destruction. Amidst the blood and gore on the ground, only a strange, twisted tree remained, its branches tangled and drooping, with bits of flesh hanging from them and blood constantly dripping down. In the center of the crown, the vines had woven themselves into a cage, tightly locking a golden primordial spirit. The sharp thorns hovered outside, like a predator salivating for its prey.

The match was not yet over. In such arena matches, participants could call for a stop and admit defeat, even at the beginning. But if both sides insisted on fighting, they would wait until the allotted time to see who was more heavily injured. However, if someone was severely injured before the time limit, the elders would decide whether to call a halt. Different realms had different requirements. For those below the Nascent Soul Realm, once the body reached a certain degree of injury, the elders would immediately declare it over. For the Nascent Soul Realm, it went until the body was on the verge of destruction—after all, while they could survive without a body, they would have almost no power to fight back.

Upper-realm cultivators were different. They could use many primordial spirit arts, and even if their bodies were destroyed, it didn't mean they were unable to resist; some could even turn the tide and win. Of course—in this situation, there would be no miracles. After all, one side's body was destroyed, while the other was completely unharmed and even held the former's primordial spirit captive. But Jiang Wang didn't admit defeat, and the elders didn't intervene, following the rules. That was until his primordial spirit was also severely damaged.

"You may stop now."

The Sword-Bestowing Elder of Lingxiao Peak appeared on the stage. She raised her hand to dispel Su Zhen's spell, letting the weak, fragmented golden primordial spirit fall to the ground.

Su Zhen had no objections. "...He wouldn't admit defeat, what could I do?"

The Sword-Bestowing Elder nodded slightly. "Junior Sister Su has already won." Then, she asked politely, "Has Junior Sister obtained your natal magic treasure?"

Su Zhen nodded.

"Does it have a name?"

"Mm." Su Zhen pulled out the heavy, snow-white sword. As she channeled her spiritual energy into it, the cyan-green light on the blade flared. "...Jingzhe." It was the name of the sword she had used in her past life.

The Sword-Bestowing Elder’s eyes showed understanding. "Congratulations, Junior Sister Su."

"Thank you, Senior Sister Li. I'll be going now."

With that, she disappeared from the spot. The barrier on the outside of the stage flickered, and the figure of Immortal Venerable Yuchen appeared on the stage. Liu Yunyao was soon brought over, stumbling and throwing herself toward the primordial spirit.

"Senior Brother." She couldn't help but cry. "Master..."

The elder's intervention had been timed precisely, so Jiang Wang’s life was certainly not in danger. But thinking of the bloody and terrifying scene just moments ago, Liu Yunyao still felt a chill run through her body. "Master, how did Senior Sister reach the True Immortal Realm? Did you know all along?"

Immortal Venerable Yuchen took his eldest disciple’s primordial spirit and, hearing this, looked at his youngest disciple. "I knew." He had seen her, after all.

Liu Yunyao bit her lower lip. "Why didn't you tell Senior Brother?"

"Tell him?" Immortal Venerable Yuchen said indifferently. "Would it have helped?"

Liu Yunyao was speechless. Whether it was mental arts or other methods, as long as it wasn't a group attack, winning a head-to-head fight meant having greater strength. Jiang Wang knew Su Zhen was not a pure sword cultivator and knew she had many skills; how could he have been without precautions when facing her? What would telling him earlier have changed? The moment he saw Su Zhen on stage, Jiang Wang must have known she was in the True Immortal Realm. If he claimed he was too shocked to fight properly, that excuse was too ridiculous; even Liu Yunyao couldn't bring herself to spout such nonsense.

"...Stop looking for excuses. 'Using illusion techniques doesn't count'? Losing just means you're inferior to others! Do you think she doesn't know how to use a sword? She just wanted to win faster."

The audience was noisy. The few who spoke up for Jiang Wang were quickly attacked by the surrounding crowd, mocking them for their ignorance.

"Mental arts are just one kind of spell. By your logic, anything other than using a sword doesn't count?"
"...Ignore them, Senior Sister. Those few are people who were defeated by Su Zhen before, and they're just nursing a grudge."
"Humph, narrow-minded. I've also been defeated by Su Zhen, but so what? Does that mean I can't acknowledge she's powerful?! With that attitude, they shouldn't even be cultivating!"

Su Zhen knew nothing of this. After leaving the arena, she went straight to the Mingxin Hall. The Sect Master and the elders of Lingxiao Peak were all here watching the battle, ready to intervene if anything went wrong. Of course, that usually wasn't something that could happen in a battle between True Immortal Realm cultivators.

The hall was silent. Hanging in the center were a dozen huge water mirrors, showing the battle on the arena from different angles, distances, and directions. Now, two others had taken their place and were preparing.

Su Zhen walked in silently and bowed lightly. "Greetings, Sect Master..."

The woman in the green robe on the jade throne nodded slightly.

Su Zhen shifted her gaze, her eyes smiling. "Immortal Venerable."

The man in black leaning on his seat stood up immediately, looking at her with a beaming smile. "How was it? Do you want to keep watching? You can sit next to me if you do."

Su Zhen knew he was talking about the matches, so she just shook her head slightly, indicating she would leave soon. Then she looked at the elders around her. "...Greetings to all uncles, aunts, sisters, and brothers."

The surrounding elders nodded one after another. Quite a few looked cautious, as if they were afraid she might start a massacre.

Su Zhen: "?"

That was hardly necessary. The lowest among those present was in the Celestial Immortal Realm; she really didn't have the ability to kill cultivators of that level right now.

Su Zhen looked at Immortal Venerable Chongyun. "Sect Master, as we agreed, I won't participate. My spot can be passed to the next person in line..." She had placed a curse on Jiang Wang's primordial spirit; that guy wouldn't be able to repair his body for a short time, so he would definitely miss the Immortal Alliance Trials, and it didn't matter who got the spot.

Immortal Venerable Chongyun agreed.

Su Zhen was a bit surprised. The Sect Master was easy to talk to about such things, but she had expected these elders to be dissatisfied or at least reprimand her a few times. As it turned out, everyone was quiet, heads bowed, saying nothing, which made the atmosphere inexplicably strange.

"Why so solemn?" Su Zhen asked, puzzled. "Shouldn't everyone be passionately discussing the match? Or criticizing my dismissive attitude toward the Immortal Alliance Trials?"

The elders: "..."

They looked like they absolutely did not want to do that.

"Actually, you arrived late, Junior Niece." Immortal Venerable Chongyun said with deep meaning, "If you had come a moment earlier, you would have heard Junior Uncle's applause; it nearly brought the roof of Mingxin Hall down."

Su Zhen: "..."