Chapter 114: Eighteen Springs

This was also why he hadn’t directly ordered an attack on those two!

Being at the Golden Core stage himself, he could naturally sense the fluctuations in Jiang Xiaoxiao’s cultivation—she must have only recently broken through to the Golden Core realm.

And to have a disciple who has reached Golden Core, the master’s own cultivation could hardly be weak.

Elder Qi listened carefully to Ye Wuya’s ambiguous words, keeping a cautious mind. Ye Wuya hadn’t outright declared his intention to aid the Qingyun Sect, and his disciple’s demeanor seemed somewhat unintentional.

Jiang Xiaoxiao smiled inwardly, surprised that her master still liked to “play dumb while hiding a tiger’s heart.” Clearly, she alone was confident enough to overturn the Qingyun Sect, yet her master deliberately lowered himself, speaking as though he had some grudge with the Lieyang Sect’s Lieyang Immortal.

A Golden Core stage Lieyang Immortal holding a grudge against the Blood Demon Ancestor from over six thousand years ago? When the Blood Demon was alive, the Lieyang Immortal’s ancestors hadn’t even been born! Jiang Xiaoxiao suspected Ye Wuya was improvising for a bit of fun.

She stood quietly behind Ye Wuya, watching her master continue to “play the fool.”

“Then, may I ask the purpose of your visit?” Elder Qi asked patiently once again.

“I have come today for two matters,” Ye Wuya said calmly, raising two fingers without a trace of emotion.

“Oh? What two matters?” Elder Qi inquired, his mind already racing with speculation. The enmity between the Qingyun Sect and the Lieyang Sect was impossible to resolve—they had been at war for centuries.

Now, this black-robed man before them had a grudge with the Lieyang Sect, and it was clear the veiled young woman followed his orders. If they could win over this black-robed man, it would be like indirectly gaining two Golden Core powerhouses for the Qingyun Sect.

At such a crucial moment, having two more strong allies would greatly increase their chances if a full-scale battle erupted.

“The first matter: my young disciple has never been defeated by peers of the same age, so I hope the Qingyun Sect can organize a tournament among cultivators of the same generation,” Ye Wuya announced calmly.

“Oh? May I ask the age of your disciple?” Elder Qi asked.

“Xiaoxiao, tell him,” Ye Wuya said indifferently.

“Yes, Master!” Jiang Xiaoxiao answered crisply before turning to the gathered crowd on the platform. “I am Jiang Xiaoxiao, Golden Core Five Viscera cultivation, apprentice of my master here, and I am eighteen years old.”

Jiang Xiaoxiao spoke plainly while Ye Wuya listened quietly, detecting no errors. When he heard she was only eighteen, he couldn’t help but glance at her in surprise.

He hadn’t expected this young girl to be so young! This was the first time Ye Wuya had learned Jiang Xiaoxiao’s age. As her substitute master, he had been utterly irresponsible—he only knew Jiang Xiaoxiao was the Holy Maiden of the Xianyue Sanctuary, that her master was the Rakshasa Witch Xianyue Shang, and now that she was eighteen. Beyond that, he knew nothing! Truly an irresponsible substitute master!

“What! Eighteen years old?”

“That’s impossible!”

Elder Qi and Elder Liu both exclaimed in shock, their faces shaken as if struck by a great blow.

What had they been doing at eighteen? At that age, they had only just broken through the Formation Gathering stage; breaking into Golden Core usually happened in their thirties.

She was more than twenty years ahead of them!

Realizing their outburst, Elders Qi and Liu quickly composed themselves, awkwardly saying, “Esteemed friend, I’m afraid we cannot fulfill this request.”

“Oh? Is it really so hard to find an eighteen-year-old in the vast Qingyun Sect?” Ye Wuya asked, puzzled.

“It’s not that we can’t find them, but an eighteen-year-old at the Golden Core stage is something we’ve never seen or heard of. Our disciples at eighteen are only just entering the Formation Gathering realm, so a match with Jiang Xiaoxiao is impossible. Therefore, friend, we’re unable to accommodate this request,” Elder Qi said bitterly, crestfallen.

Here was a lone cultivator with no background and no resources, yet at such a young age, she had broken into Golden Core. Meanwhile, the Qingyun Sect, the dominant power in Yan Territory, had all the cultivation resources one could ask for. It felt like their generation had simply wasted their lives.

Dog: None of my business!

“Xiaoxiao, are there really so few eighteen-year-old Golden Core cultivators?” Ye Wuya asked his young disciple with a puzzled expression.

“Master, I don’t know either! I just feel Golden Core is pretty easy,” Jiang Xiaoxiao replied innocently.

Their voices carried just enough to be overheard by everyone present.

Elder Qi’s mouth twitched uncontrollably, as if he had just been slapped repeatedly.

Everyone present felt as though their faces had been struck hard twice.

An eighteen-year-old Golden Core cultivator had never appeared in Qingyun Sect’s history.

Breaking into Golden Core at thirty was already considered extraordinary and worthy of historical record!

“Then it shall be like this! Anyone under forty, including forty, may register for this tournament. I will have Xiaoxiao suppress her cultivation to match her opponent’s level. What do you all think of this arrangement?” Ye Wuya said calmly to Elder Qi and the others.

“I think that’s acceptable. Let it be so,” Elder Qi nodded.

Why not agree to such a thing? It was like free sparring partners, no cost involved, providing their disciples with training—truly a win-win.

“Very well. Let us set the date for three days from now,” Ye Wuya said.

“As you say!” Elder Qi replied.

“Since this is a competition, there should be a prize. My apprentice wields the Fangtian Halberd, a magical weapon fit for a Golden Core cultivator. Whoever defeats my Xiaoxiao at the same level shall claim this Fangtian Halberd as their own!” Ye Wuya provocatively declared. He could see that the highest cultivators present in the Qingyun Sect were Golden Core stage at best, and these disciples rarely, if ever, saw Golden Core-grade artifacts and weapons.

The moment Ye Wuya spoke, the gathered crowd erupted into commotion. Even Elder Qi became excited—this was a Golden Core artifact, and crafting such a treasure was no easy feat.

If he weren’t already past the forty-year age limit Ye Wuya set, he might have shamelessly entered the competition himself.

“Is what you say true?” Elder Qi was inwardly ecstatic.

The Qingyun Sect had only about a dozen Golden Core-grade artifacts, counting his own. If they could gain another...

“But if she uses that weapon, how can we possibly win?” a disciple asked from the crowd.

This question immediately silenced the restless assembly. Indeed, within the same realm, the quality of artifacts often determined the victor.

Even the three elders above turned to Ye Wuya, waiting to hear his response.