Chapter 107: Victory

Qu Yi Qiu smiled gently, affectionately patting his head. "Let's go, we'll head over."

Mu Yun Jin nodded obediently.

Xia Chang Han quietly followed behind them, a faint smile playing on his lips, as they walked down to the base of Arena B.

The surrounding disciples, upon seeing the three approach, stared blankly at Qu Yi Qiu, their gazes then burning intensely as they shifted toward Mu Yun Jin.

Xia Chang Han chuckled softly to himself; it was the first time he had ever been so thoroughly ignored.

Leisurely fanning himself, he admired the fiery duel taking place on the platform.

Mu Yun Jin also fixed his eyes intently on the two combatants locked in fierce battle on the arena.

Only Qu Yi Qiu seemed bored enough to want to yawn.

An hour later, Mu Yun Jin stepped into the arena, his opponent none other than an elite disciple from Wan Qing Peak.

The moment they faced each other, the challenger launched a reckless strike aimed directly at Mu Yun Jin's face.

Qu Yi Qiu raised an eyebrow slightly, her divine awareness quietly sweeping over to Qi Yong Feng on Arena E, who was observing the match from afar.

“People from Wan Qing Peak are destined to be no match for those from Xiao Ping Peak,” she thought to herself, her gaze assessing Qi Yong Feng’s cultivation.

Coincidentally, at that moment he leapt onto the E arena to engage in a magical duel with disciples from other peaks.

Qu Yi Qiu's attention was drawn to his spells and divine abilities.

After fifteen minutes,

Mu Yun Jin leapt down from the arena, elated.

“Senior sister, I won!”

Qu Yi Qiu quickly withdrew her divine awareness and smiled. “Excellent, we can go back now. Our master should have emerged from seclusion!”

“Congratulations, Junior Brother Mu!” Xia Chang Han sincerely smiled.

Seeing that Qu Yi Qiu was not particularly excited, Mu Yun Jin felt a slight pang of disappointment and his smile dimmed somewhat. “Alright, Yun Jin will go tell Master the good news!”

Xia Chang Han cupped his hands in farewell. “Then Senior Brother will return to Ying Fei Peak.”

He was not so tactless as to spoil the reunion of the master and disciples by crashing it; he wished to visit Mo Qing Li but was not in a rush.

Qu Yi Qiu nodded appreciatively, and after exchanging goodbyes, she led Mu Yun Jin out of the crowd and back to Xiao Ping Peak.

***

At the summit of Xiao Ping Peak,

Zhou Chen, having recently achieved a breakthrough, had reached the third layer of Qi Refinement. He sat outside Mo Qing Li’s cave, meditating and absorbing spiritual energy.

Mu Yun Jin came running up the mountain, eager to share the news of his victory with his master, only to find Zhou Chen sitting there.

“Junior Brother Zhou!” he called out joyfully.

Zhou Chen immediately opened his eyes, beaming. “Senior Brother Mu is so happy—you must have won the match! I wanted to watch too, but was delayed by my breakthrough!”

He slapped the back of his head in frustration.

Mu Yun Jin hurried to his side. “Wow, Junior Brother had a breakthrough! Senior Sister, come see! Zhou Brother’s cultivation has reached the third layer of Qi Refinement!”

Qu Yi Qiu ascended to the summit, smiling at the two. “I see, this is good news. Junior Brother Zhou, next time you must come watch Junior Brother Mu’s matches as well.”

Zhou Chen nodded earnestly. “I definitely will!”

Oblivious to his inner thoughts, Mu Yun Jin asked happily, “Is Master inside? Why are you sitting outside, Junior Brother Zhou?”

Qu Yi Qiu looked curiously at the cave’s protective barrier.

Zhou Chen scratched the back of his head awkwardly. “After my breakthrough, I noticed Master Mo’s strange phenomena hadn’t disappeared, so I came up to help guard the Master for a while…”

“You’re so thoughtful, Junior Brother Zhou. Thank you!” Mu Yun Jin’s heart was simple and pure; she had no other thoughts, only gratitude for Zhou Chen’s protection of their master.

Qu Yi Qiu came to stand beside them, smiling softly. “Junior Brother Zhou, that’s considerate of you.”

Zhou Chen had feared his humble cultivation would be laughed at if he offered to guard Mo Qing Li, but the attitudes of Qu Yi Qiu and Mu Yun Jin instantly made him feel a warmth called respect.

It was a feeling he hadn’t experienced in years.

His emotions welled up inside, his eyes slightly misty.

Qu Yi Qiu and Mu Yun Jin paid no attention to his state. They called out several times to Mo Qing Li from the cave entrance but received no response.

“Has Master’s breakthrough not yet finished?” Mu Yun Jin asked Qu Yi Qiu with a puzzled tilt of her head.

Qu Yi Qiu furrowed her brows, perplexed. “Master is only breaking through a minor stage, from early to mid Golden Core—surely it shouldn’t take this long.”

She sensed something was amiss, swiftly turning to Zhou Chen. “Junior Brother Zhou, you’ve been guarding here for a long time—have you heard Master’s voice at all?”

Zhou Chen snapped out of his emotions, nodding with a more determined expression. “Master Mo spoke to me once during this time. He told me not to worry.”

Qu Yi Qiu relaxed her brow. “Master should be fine. Perhaps the breakthrough just isn’t fully completed yet.”

Though she didn’t understand why it was taking so long.

***

Thinking of Mo Qing Li’s unusual cultivation path, she felt it was probably normal.

After all, a man whose early to mid-stage breakthrough could stir heavenly phenomena was beyond her feeble comprehension.

Qu Yi Qiu shook her head with a sigh.

Mu Yun Jin asked with concern, “Senior Sister, what’s wrong? Didn’t you say Master is fine?”

Qu Yi Qiu gave him a slightly resentful glance, thinking, *You’re fine, but I’m the one with problems!*

All of them possessed exceptional talent—except her, a complete waste of potential!

After a brief, silent complaint, Qu Yi Qiu quickly regained her composure. “I’m just a bit tired. Junior Brother, don’t worry. Since Master is still breaking through, we’ll sit nearby and keep watch for a while.”

Zhou Chen noticed Qu Yi Qiu didn’t seem fatigued but still earnestly offered, “Senior Sister, you can go back to the cave and rest. When Master Mo emerges, I’ll come get you.”

“Yes, Senior Sister, if you’re tired, please rest!” Mu Yun Jin’s crystal-clear eyes blinked with concern.

Qu Yi Qiu waved off their concern, intending to refuse. She wasn’t a true Qi Refinement cultivator; there was no way she was that tired.

“Yi Qiu, Yun Jin, you should go back. I’ve encountered some complications during this breakthrough and can’t meet you yet,” Mo Qing Li’s clear, ethereal voice came from the cave.

The three were momentarily stunned, then hurriedly asked, “How could there be complications? The phenomena seemed so auspicious!”

“Yi Qiu, don’t worry. I’m just progressing too quickly, eager to advance, which made the foundation unstable. After consolidating for a few days, I’ll be fine,” Mo Qing Li’s voice remained as enchanting as ever.

Qu Yi Qiu had grown accustomed to this tone and felt no emotional disturbance, though she harbored some doubts about his words.

Mu Yun Jin and Zhou Chen believed him without question, as if he were omnipotent.

“Master, just so you know, I won the match! You must consolidate your realm properly!” Mu Yun Jin cupped her hands around her mouth, cheerfully calling to the cave.

Mo Qing Li chuckled softly in response. “Good, Yun Jin did well.”

“Master praised me! Senior Sister, let’s go back and rest. Master says he’s fine!” Mu Yun Jin turned to Qu Yi Qiu, her smile radiant.