Half an hour passed.
The disciples had gone from initial excitement to dejection. For they had watched for so long and could discern nothing, their eyes only able to catch fleeting afterimages of the two combatants.
They too grew weary.
"Senior Brother Jin, I didn't mean to."
The woman in red smiled sheepishly, her gaze shifting, refusing to meet the already bruised muscle on Senior Brother Jin's arm.
Senior Brother Jin snorted, about to retort, but was interrupted by the woman's excited cry, "Look, they've finally stopped."
Senior Brother Jin could no longer attend to anything else and quickly focused his gaze. Indeed, he saw Xu Yi and Bei Xinghan had separated, standing on opposite sides and gazing at each other from afar.
An unspoken wave of energy flowed between the two.
"I concede," Xu Yi smiled faintly, cupping her fists towards Bei Xinghan, inwardly breathing a sigh of relief. She had won, not through overwhelming force, but by relying on her widened meridians and profound spiritual energy, ultimately clinching victory by a narrow margin.
Bei Xinghan's eyes revealed a rare bewilderment. He lowered his head to look at the Frost Sword in his hand and remained silent.
"Senior Brother Bei lost again?"
"What do you mean 'again'? The previous one didn't count!"
"Why isn't Senior Brother Bei speaking? Could he be demoralized?"
The voices of the disciples below pulled Bei Xinghan back from his thoughts. He raised his eyes and looked directly at Xu Yi, "What is your name?"
"Xu Yi."
"Xu Yi." Bei Xinghan savored Xu Yi's name on his lips before nodding and turning to leave. His departure confirmed the speculation of the crowd. The undefeated legend, Bei Xinghan, had actually lost!
The disciples of Xuan Qing Sect found it hard to accept this fact. It was as if a statue they had placed on an altar had suddenly fallen from its pedestal, revealing its stone core. They realized then that this statue was not much different from ordinary stone sculptures. Bei Xinghan was human, and he too could lose.
Xu Yi, standing on the pile of shattered stones, took the opportunity of the crowd's stunned silence to slip away quickly, not even having time to notify Long Haotian and the other two. Only then did she suddenly realize that she might have made too much of a spectacle. Defeating their top-ranked disciple on Xuan Qing Sect's own grounds, she herself felt like cursing.
Xu Yi's face was filled with melancholy, and she was already planning her escape. Xuan Qing Sect was indeed not a place where she belonged.
Xu Yi returned to her temporary lodging, her brow furrowed, awaiting Long Haotian and the other two. She intended to announce her departure as soon as they arrived; she could not stay in Xuan Qing Sect for another day.
"Senior Sister Xu! Senior Sister Xu!"
Half an incense stick later, Chen Tao's boisterous voice was heard from outside the door.
"Senior Sister Xu, you actually managed to defeat Senior Brother Bei! It's incredible!" Upon entering, Chen Tao excitedly crowded around Xu Yi, chattering incessantly about his current exhilaration.
The more Xu Yi listened, the more uneasy she became. She quickly interrupted him, subtly inquiring, "What are the others' reactions?"
"They were naturally astonished too!" Chen Tao pulled up a chair and sat beside Xu Yi. "They were all discussing you when we left!"
Xu Yi's eyes darkened, and she could no longer sit still. She abruptly stood up, "I'm planning to leave."
"Leave? Why leave?" Chen Tao asked, confused.
"My injuries have almost recovered, and I have other matters to attend to." Xu Yi conjured an excuse without blinking.
"Ah, and that woman who came with you, do you plan to leave her here?"
Xu Yi paused. What woman? She thought back for a moment and slapped her forehead. Ah, it was Yang Mei! She had actually forgotten about Yang Mei.
Xu Yi sat back down, a wry smile on her face. Having grown accustomed to being alone, she had momentarily forgotten she was with someone. She couldn't leave now.
Wang Yian, who had been silent all this time, observed Xu Yi's expression and finally grasped her thoughts. He unhurriedly picked up the teapot from the table, poured a cup of tea for Xu Yi, and pushed it towards her, saying slowly, "Senior Sister Xu need not be troubled by today's events. Xuan Qing Sect is renowned for its martial spirit, and Jian Cheng, the nearest city to Xuan Qing Sect, is a notoriously pugnacious place on the Nine Provinces Continent. Failure is not shameful; it only strengthens our resolve to become stronger. Therefore, you need not worry about the disciples of Xuan Qing Sect coming to trouble you."
Xu Yi, her thoughts exposed, picked up the teacup to cover her face and gave a dry laugh, "Haha, is that so."
Seeing that Xu Yi seemed unconvinced, Wang Yian added, "Senior Sister Xu likely doesn't know that in two months, the Nine Provinces Continent will hold its centennial Sect Competition. Your defeat of Senior Brother Bei today might be a blessing rather than a curse for him."
"Sect Competition?" Xu Yi's attention was immediately captured by the news. "Tell me about the Sect Competition."
"The Sect Competition is jointly organized by the five major sects, and disciples from all sects on the Nine Provinces Continent can participate. It is primarily divided into three categories: Golden Core stage, Nascent Soul stage, and Soul Transformation stage." Disciples at the Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment stages have too low cultivation for the competitions to be watchable and are therefore not included. As for disciples at the Divine Transformation stage, they are already capable of standing on their own and becoming sect elders, so they are also excluded. Wang Yian glanced at Xu Yi with a hint of regret, "If Senior Sister Xu were also a sect disciple, she would very likely take the championship in the Divine Transformation stage competition this time. The rewards are said to be very generous."
Xu Yi's eyes lit up. Rewards! She put down her teacup and said cheerfully, "Cough, who says I'm not a sect disciple."
Upon hearing this, all three were stunned!
"Aren't you a rogue cultivator?" Xu Yi's methods were unpredictable and unrestrained; she had never revealed her origins. The three of them had all assumed Xu Yi was a rogue cultivator who had achieved self-taught mastery without belonging to any sect. Even Long Haotian, who had been taciturn since entering, raised his eyebrows in surprise, his previous gloom significantly dispelled by this statement.
Xu Yi looked at the three with a hint of confusion, "I never said I was a rogue cultivator. It's just that I'm low-key and don't like to boast..." Seeing their increasingly suspicious gazes, Xu Yi quickly changed her tune, "Alright, actually, I am a disciple of Xuan Ji Sect."
Xuan Ji Sect! Along with Xuan Qing Sect, it was one of the five major sects of the Nine Provinces Continent.
"Senior Sister Xu, you've kept us in the dark for so long." Wang Yian said with a wry smile. Xu Yi also felt a little guilty. She hadn't revealed her identity at first because she didn't want to expose it, and later, she genuinely forgot. If not for the mention of the Sect Competition just now, she wouldn't have remembered that she hadn't told Long Haotian and the other two about her origins.
Xu Yi apologized to the three with utmost sincerity, "This is my fault. I truly didn't do it intentionally."
Chen Tao's mouth gaped foolishly, wanting to say it was alright, but no words came out. He had thought he and Xu Yi were friends. But to discover that Xu Yi had hidden so much made him feel rather uncomfortable. Wang Yian felt the same way.
"This is my mistake," Xu Yi said apologetically. "What must I do for you to forgive me?"
"Senior Sister Xu, any condition?" Long Haotian's lips curved upwards.
"As long as it doesn't violate my principles," Xu Yi's eyelids twitched, and she said earnestly.
"Alright, then I do have something that requires Senior Sister Xu's assistance. The Sect Master has summoned you, and I hope Senior Sister Xu will accompany me."