Ye Tang drew his long sword to parry, but the next moment, he felt the force behind the blade, disbelief etched on his face.

“Shixiong, don’t space out during a fight!”

Swish!

Even though Ye Tang quickly dodged, the sharp edge of Luo Chen's sword still sliced through his sleeve.

His expression darkened; he had never anticipated that Luo Chen's strength had grown so much. Was this guy hiding his true abilities all along?

At the same time, he noticed that Luo Chen's swordsmanship was different from before. His face grew serious. “Wuqing Jian? I didn’t expect you, Luo Shidi, to have mastered this sword technique!”

“There’s no such thing as emotional or unemotional; I’ve just come to understand a bit about human nature,” Luo Chen replied, his expression still impassive, the sword pointed directly at Ye Tang. “Be careful, Ye Shixiong.”

Faced with Luo Chen's relentless and fierce assault, Ye Tang couldn’t help but curse inwardly.

He disregarded his status as the senior brother and quickly reached for the hidden weapons in his sleeve, unleashing all the tricks he was skilled at.

Meanwhile, Bai Feng, who was watching from a distance, had been enjoying the spectacle of two favored disciples battling it out. But upon hearing their conversation, he seemed to piece something together, and his expression darkened—could it be that this guy was sabotaging me?

The one who disrupted the plans of the favored disciples must be him!

Damn it! What’s up with you, you luck-sucking dog? Why did my insults suddenly enlighten you? Is this some kind of villain buff?

‘System, why didn’t you tell me he had an epiphany? You’re always so keen on notifying me about trivial matters! Why didn’t you mention something this significant?!’

【Ding! Because the host’s insults awakened the favored disciple, which is beneficial for him and does not allow for the plundering of luck points.】

Bai Feng: “…”

So frustrating!!

He shifted his gaze back to the arena, where the battle between Ye Tang and Luo Chen had reached a boiling point, with both men on the brink of defeat.

I hope our senior brother from Tianjian Sect can pull through and not let Luo Chen win.

He would bet that if Luo Chen emerged victorious, the system would definitely seize this opportunity to shower him with luck points.

Speaking of that favored disciple who had been targeting him, where was he? Didn’t he come to participate in the sect competition?

He turned his attention back to Ye Tang. Could it be you, you scoundrel?

Damn it, I suddenly don’t want Ye Tang to win either! You two should just take each other down!

---

**Chapter 45: Senior Brother, can you still lift your sword?**

The situation seemed to be shifting in the direction Bai Feng had hoped for.

Ye Tang continuously pulled out a seemingly endless supply of hidden weapons to throw at Luo Chen. Even though Luo Chen had mastered the Wuqing Jian, he still sustained significant injuries from the barrage of hidden weapons.

But Ye Tang wasn’t faring much better; he bore numerous sword wounds, some of which were still filled with sword energy, gnawing at him like insects.

Luo Chen wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, standing firm with his sword, his sword intent rising. “Shixiong, you’ve been so obsessed with schemes and hidden weapons that you’ve probably forgotten the core principles of Tianjian Sect. Can you still lift your sword now?”

“Shut up! I haven’t lost yet!”

Ye Tang’s eyes turned red, panting heavily. He couldn’t accept being forced into such a desperate situation by a luck-sucking dog, nor could he accept the flicker of fear that surfaced in his heart.

No, he wasn’t afraid; he was the senior brother of Tianjian Sect! He had to win this battle!!

With that, he raised his long sword, while the hidden weapons concealed beneath it flew straight at Luo Chen.

“You can’t defeat me with these petty tricks, Shixiong! You’ve lost!”

The hidden weapons were shattered mid-air by the scattered sword energy, and at that moment, Luo Chen’s sword intent reached its peak.

“Slash!”

The long sword loomed larger in Ye Tang’s eyes, like an insurmountable mountain. All his tactics became futile before this towering presence.

His body trembled as he summoned his last ounce of strength to raise his long sword in defense.

But at that moment, the sword felt as heavy as a thousand pounds; no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t lift it.

Could it be that I really can’t lift my sword anymore?

As the sword descended, that single thought consumed Ye Tang’s mind.

In the end, Luo Chen’s sword was halted by an elder, for this was a competition, not a life-and-death duel.

But Ye Tang’s legs buckled, and he collapsed to the ground, having unknowingly closed his eyes and fainted.

Luo Chen hadn’t expected to resolve things with Ye Tang in the sect competition. Seeing his goal achieved, he used his remaining strength to bow to the elder. “Thank you for stopping me, Elder. I was too serious.”

The elder chuckled, stroking his beard. “Swords and blades have no eyes; it’s inevitable to lose control during a competition. Otherwise, what are we doing here? Watching a show? Alright, you should go rest now.”

Though he had heard that Luo Chen from Zixiao Peak had changed, seeing it firsthand today revealed just how much.

But it was a good thing; our Tianjian Sect was about to gain another swordsmanship genius.

It was time for a change in the senior brother of Tianjian Sect.

Many elders had previously pointed out that Ye Tang was neglecting sword practice in favor of hidden weapons, which didn’t quite align with the name of Tianjian Sect. However, due to a lack of suitable candidates, it had been postponed. Now, it was worth considering.

Luo Chen nodded, and as the tension in his mind eased, a wave of weakness washed over him. His legs gave way, and just as he was about to faint, the elder caught him with spiritual energy.

Before losing consciousness, he heard the elder urgently calling for the people from Dan Peak to come and provide treatment.

On the other side, Bai Feng expressionlessly withdrew his gaze, silently observing the notification that popped up from the system.

【Ding! Detected that the favored disciple was utilized by the host as a tool against other favored disciples, successfully knocking one down and humiliating him thoroughly. Reward: Luck Points +1000, breakthrough to Golden Core cultivation (can be claimed at will), Sword Dao Fragment +1.】

【Ding! Detected that the host’s luck points have surpassed 1000, activating name display function.】

Damn!

Why is Ye Tang such a useless favored disciple? Just try a little harder! At least aim for a tie! It was so close!

Damn it! My resentment points have gone up again!

As Bai Feng cursed Ye Tang for stepping in dog poop on his way out, the second match began.

However, the subsequent matches held no suspense; Ye Tang was heavily injured and unconscious, while Luo Chen was utterly exhausted, leaving both unable to continue fighting.

Without the other favored disciples, the Golden Core disciples were no match for Bai Yu Mo, and the might of the Immortal Bone finally began to reveal itself at the Golden Core stage.

“Brother, I got first place!”

After the competition ended, Bai Yu Mo eagerly ran over to Bai Feng, her face brimming with anticipation for praise.

“Mm, very good. I knew you could do it.”

After being hit with a thousand luck points, Bai Feng’s mood was far from cheerful. However, faced with Bai Yu Mo’s eager expression, he couldn’t ignore her and instinctively reached out to pat her head.

Only after doing so did he realize something was off. Not to mention that they were no longer children, but they were also in a public setting, right under the watchful eyes of others. It felt quite inappropriate.

He looked down and saw that Bai Yu Mo’s little face was already flushed, but she didn’t seem to mind.

Bai Feng pretended nothing had happened and withdrew his hand, clearing his throat. “Alright, it’s my turn to compete now. You should go rest after your match.”

“Mm…”

Bai Yu Mo lowered her head, making a sound like a mosquito.

Hehe~ Brother is patting my head again…

Though she felt shy, she also noticed that Bai Feng’s mood wasn’t great—could it be that he thought of his own mediocre cultivation talent after watching her fight?

It seemed Bai Feng was still quite concerned about his talent, huh?

What should I do about this?

Bai Yu Mo fell into deep thought.

---

“Hey!”

A voice called out, and Bai Feng turned to look.

Su Lan Qian, after finishing setting up the formation, not only looked more disheveled than before but also appeared even more haggard.

Her hair was unkempt, cascading down without its usual luster, and she wore a plain blue robe instead of a pretty dress. The dark circles under her eyes made one worry she might faint at any moment.

“I’m going to win!”

She grabbed Bai Feng’s shoulder, revealing a pair of sharp tiger teeth, resembling a tiger or leopard eyeing its prey.

In her weary eyes, there seemed to be a hint of madness.

Seeing Su Lan Qian like this, Bai Feng suddenly felt that arguing with her was rather pointless.

“If it makes you feel better if I lose, then…”