Lin Zhitong had finally entered the top four, but due to this sudden turn of events, she was unable to continue the competition.
Upon hearing the news, Yan Shouyi felt very guilty. "If I had known, I should have waited for you back then."
Lin Zhitong shook her head and said, "I was the one who insisted on following. It's not your fault, and Sanyuan was even injured because of me."
"But this Luotian Great Assembly..."
"I wasn't participating in the Luotian Great Assembly to compete for anything. I just wanted to accompany you as far as I could," Lin Zhitong said gently.
This answer moved Yan Shouyi to tears, and he forcefully fed everyone a wave of affection.
Han San, hiding in the nearby crowd, witnessed this scene and couldn't help but shed tears of grievance.
Damn it! What's so great about Yan Shouyi!
Someone else advised, "Han San, give up. Goddess Lin already has a husband. Don't hang yourself on just one tree?"
Han San replied stubbornly, "Hmph! What if she's hanging onto me? She's hanging onto me because she loves me. Why isn't she hanging onto anyone else?"
"..."
The onlookers gave up trying to persuade him. They knew Han San was beyond saving.
"Han San has been peeking at us," He Xiping whispered.
Yan Shouyi glanced into the crowd as if nothing had happened and smiled, "It's fine. Han San isn't a bad person."
"In my understanding, he's a pitiful simp," Long Feicheng analyzed.
Luo Ning chuckled, "That's as if you aren't one."
Long Feicheng was stunned. "When was I ever a simp? I, Long Feicheng, could never be a simp, never... never... *sob sob sob*, my Caiwei!"
Luo Ning's remark instantly broke Long Feicheng.
Yan Shouyi had Agong take Long Feicheng aside to cry. He turned back and suddenly realized, why was Luo Ning in the audience?
"Your match is already over?" Yan Shouyi asked, puzzled.
Luo Ning shrugged. "It's over. Anyway, no one here cared."
Yan Shouyi touched his nose awkwardly and explained, "There was an emergency just now. Let's not talk about that. What was the result with that female Taoist from Longhu Mountain?"
Luo Ning sighed. "She was the better fighter. I admit I wasn't her match."
Yan Shouyi's eyes showed surprise, and he couldn't help but look towards the female Taoist from Longhu Mountain at the side of the stage.
The female Taoist noticed Yan Shouyi looking at her and quietly turned away.
Yan Shouyi then noticed the Kun Ding Taoist standing next to the female Taoist.
Why was he also in the audience?
"How much did I miss?" Yan Shouyi couldn't help but ask.
Zhao Yiyao replied, "The two matches after you left were decided very quickly. Luo Ning's match ended shortly after he went on stage. Yuan Jianxin was even more unfortunate; he surrendered after just one move."
Yuan Jianxin surrendered too?
Impossible!
Even Zhang Wuma showed a look of surprise. "Yuan Jianxin's resolve is extremely tenacious. He never gives up until he achieves his goal. How could he surrender?"
Wang Jiwang explained:
"In this final match, Yuan Jianxin faced that Kun Ding Taoist from Longhu Mountain. After both entered the stage, the Kun Ding Taoist proposed a duel of sword intent. Thus, both parties sat directly on the stage and clashed their intent from afar. In less than five minutes, Yuan Jianxin vomited blood and was defeated, willingly surrendering."
Yan Shouyi looked at Yuan Jianxin. He saw Yuan Jianxin sitting in the audience, his face slightly pale.
He seemed to be quite injured, which explained why he surrendered voluntarily.
Sword intent was a very elusive concept. Yan Shouyi only began to understand it after obtaining Wang Qihe's sword intent.
Yan Shouyi could also perform the kind of distant clash of intent that Wang Jiwang described, but he hadn't expected that the Kun Ding Taoist's sword intent would be even more formidable than Yuan Jianxin's.
Indeed, Longhu Mountain was worthy of being the foremost Taoist lineage in the world. The disciples they nurtured were all dragons among men. What other sects pursued their entire lives was commonplace for Longhu Mountain.
Yan Shouyi looked at Zhang Wuma and noticed that although Zhang Wuma looked surprised, he wasn't to the point of shock. This meant he knew the Kun Ding Taoist well enough to not be surprised that he could defeat Yuan Jianxin. His surprise was merely that the Kun Ding Taoist won through sword intent.
It was the female Taoist who had made Zhang Wuma surrender, not the Kun Ding Taoist.
"With this, the top four have all been determined: You, Lin Zhitong, and our two from Longhu Mountain," Zhang Wuma said with a smile. "Brother Yan, congratulations."
Yan Shouyi waved his hand. "You should have been one of the top four as well."
"I can no longer become a Heavenly Master, so the ranking doesn't matter to me anymore," Zhang Wuma replied with a smile.
In fact, since Lin Zhitong was injured and unable to continue the competition, the champion of this Luotian Great Assembly would be decided among the three of them.
"Next is the semifinals. I wish Brother Yan the best of luck in winning the championship."
Zhang Wuma cupped his hands and then whispered to Yan Shouyi, "I'll go find Hall Master Shanli first to inform him about the traitor in Longhu Mountain. I'll find you after you've finished your last match."
"Alright."
Yan Shouyi also cupped his hands and watched Zhang Wuma leave.
Now, it was time for the last match of the day.
The last match of today would decide the top two. After a night's rest, tomorrow would be the championship battle.
At the same time, Yan Shouyi had a premonition that many, many things would happen tonight.
"Clang!"
A gong sound rang out, drawing everyone's attention to the Wanfa Altar.
The speaker was no longer the Second Elder of Longhu Mountain, but an unknown Taoist priest.
Everyone quickly quieted down, knowing that the final highlight of the day was about to begin.
The Taoist priest announced, "The top four have appeared: Lin Zhitong from Lushan Sect, Yan Shouyi, the inheritor of Luban, and our Longhu Mountain's... Yu Luming, and Liu Yiren!"
"Please, the four of you, come to the stage!"
Yan Shouyi and Lin Zhitong, who were in the audience, exchanged glances, both feeling very surprised.
Liu Yiren?
That female Taoist from Longhu Mountain, who had made Luo Ning concede defeat, was actually the daughter of the Liu family, Liu Yiren?
Lin Zhitong didn't know yet, but Yan Shouyi knew in his heart that Liu Yiren was no longer just Liu Yiren. She was also Princess Wenyan of Qingjiang Kingdom from a thousand years ago.
It seemed fate was playing tricks on them, making them entangled...
As for the other Taoist priest, named Yu Luming, his name was unfamiliar. Yan Shouyi had never heard of him.
The audience was also in an uproar. Even the sect elders who were very familiar with Longhu Mountain had rarely heard of Yu Luming, let alone Liu Yiren.
At the same time, they were speculating whether Yu Luming and Liu Yiren possessed the secret texts of Longhu Mountain.
The four slowly walked onto the Wanfa Altar. Liu Yiren and Yan Shouyi exchanged glances, their movements momentarily faltering for two seconds.
But she quickly composed herself and walked to her designated spot.
The Taoist priest said to Yu Luming and Liu Yiren, "You two may remove your masks now."
Liu Yiren nodded, removed her mask, revealing her stunning beauty, momentarily mesmerizing the audience below!