Volume 1, Chapter 24: A Steady Flow

Drawing her sword case from her treasure pouch, Ye Qinghan drew her blade and engaged Shangguan Rou in combat.

Amidst the flash of steel, Ye Qinghan seized the perfect moment, spun around, and delivered a resounding slap to her face.

"Do you remember how you and that Cheng Liang of yours bullied my master on the day he took me as his disciple?"

Shangguan Rou, consumed by fury, retaliated with a sharp, wind-tearing strike. Ye Qinghan moved with agility, her immortal sword dancing like a dragon, the golden light trailing behind her lithe form like a silk ribbon. Dodging the blow, she took advantage of Shangguan Rou’s instability to land another slap.

Though Ye Qinghan used no true energy, she held nothing back. The force stunned Shangguan Rou, who collapsed to the ground, clutching her bleeding lip in a daze.

"What? Why have you stopped talking? Is silence your natural state?"

How did Ye Qinghan view this? She viewed it with a smile.

"I have wiped out an entire sect on my own. Who gave you the courage to think you were strong enough to kill me? Or do you truly believe the Pingyun Sect doesn't have a single Golden Core cultivator?"

Ye Qinghan flicked up Shangguan Rou’s sword with her foot, sending it spinning until it embedded itself firmly into the ground beside her.

"Aren't you going to kill me? Stop playing dead."

Ye Qinghan felt like the villain in a storyteller's tale, but she didn't care. Every insult her master had suffered, she would reclaim one by one. None of these people would escape. Killing her would be letting her off too easily.

Shangguan Rou gritted her teeth, her eyes burning with rage, and stubbornly grabbed her sword once more. It had to be said—though Cheng Liang was a scoundrel, Shangguan Rou possessed a certain grit. However, in the face of Ye Qinghan, such spirit was nothing more than the recklessness of a brute.

With a loud crash, Ye Qinghan slowly lowered her leg, watching as Shangguan Rou slid down the wall.

"Do you think everyone in this world is a fool, and only you are clever? In truth, in my eyes, you are the most foolish one of all."

"The idea of seducing the sect masters of other factions? How could you even conceive of such a thing? In the Lingxian Palace, my master dotes on me alone. All the heavenly treasures and my master belong to me! Why would I forsake the resources of an entire sect and my master's exclusive favor just to fight you for that piece of trash, Cheng Liang?"

Shangguan Rou seemed to be teetering on the edge of madness. She couldn't understand it. Why? Why was it that, as fellow prodigies, she couldn't defeat Ye Qinghan, who was merely in the Foundation Establishment stage? Why was it that even her own sect master remained obsessed with Ye Qinghan, despite them both being head disciples?

What was the difference between her and this woman? If it were about the magic artifacts the sect master kept mentioning, Ye Qinghan hadn't even used any in their fight! As for beauty, was she truly inferior to Ye Qinghan?

"As long as you are dead, Master will love only me. You are a stumbling block on my path to immortality! You are a stumbling block for Master as well!"

Ye Qinghan smiled, unfazed. "Actually, you’ve known all along, haven't you? You just can't accept that the disciple of the 'useless' master you look down upon is prettier and stronger than you! You are jealous—jealous that I have gained my master's love while your own master does not love you. You are envious—envious that I am more beautiful than you, to the point that even your own master cannot take his eyes off me."

"Heh, if that’s the case, I refuse to kill you. I'd rather drive you to madness."

Ye Qinghan’s words were venomous. This barrage nearly caused the internally recuperating Shangguan Rou to suffer a qi deviation.

"If you let me go, I will still never let you off," Shangguan Rou spat, the resentment of a lifetime written all over her face. She seemed to be courting death, yet she understood that returning empty-handed would likely lead to her master’s disappointment. By contrast, Ye Qinghan remained calm and composed throughout.

"It matters not. You are no different from the skeleton soldiers we encountered when we entered this secret realm. You cannot stir up much trouble; do not think too highly of yourself. Every humiliation my master has endured, I will reclaim from you and your Tiandao Pavilion, one by one. Neither you nor your precious master will escape."

With that, Ye Qinghan turned her back on her, leaving Shangguan Rou to her fate, and returned to the entrance of the Treasure Hall.

"Sister Qinghan, you are amazing! Even Shangguan Rou, a Golden Core cultivator, is no match for you!" Li Shiyao followed behind her, showering her with praise, exhausting every flattering idiom she knew until she had to start making them up. "Sister, you really are like someone stealing light through a hole in the wall or Sima Guang smashing the water vat—truly brilliant!"

"That's enough, that's enough. I know you haven't read many books; take a break before you wear yourself out!" Ye Qinghan rolled her eyes. Why was she so excited about her winning?

Xu Zhanfeng was dumbfounded. The Second Grandmother was using all his lines! She wasn't leaving him any chance to show off! The First Grandmother had insisted on fighting the big battle herself, and now the Second Grandmother was stealing the flattery too! After a long pause, he managed to squeeze out five words: "Welcome, First Grandmother..."

Ye Qinghan guessed his intent: "Save your useless breath!"

She then began to inspect the interior of the Treasure Hall. Dongfang Jue was being mauled by two fierce beasts and was already covered in wounds, on the verge of death.

"No way..." Was this guy so weak? He couldn't even defeat two beasts? Ye Qinghan was puzzled. Logically, he had fought her to a draw last time; he shouldn't be this weak. She had planned to wait for him to finish off the beasts so she could snatch the treasure, but at this rate, he wouldn't win at all.

Ye Qinghan suspected he was holding back a powerful trump card. But that didn't seem right—was he saving it for her? She had her own considerations; she knew her strength was partly inflated. Without the Lingxian Sword and the Lingxian Sword Arts, she might still be stronger than them, but only to a limited extent. However, these two beasts were clearly weak—Foundation Establishment level beasts didn't deserve for her to draw the Lingxian Sword!

So, it was absurd that Dongfang Jue couldn't defeat them.

"Sister, should we help her? If this continues, she's going to die."

"Why save her? What does her life have to do with you?" Ye Qinghan turned her head sharply, eyeing Li Shiyao with suspicion. Something felt wrong. Throughout their journey, this girl had never shown such pity; why now?

It wasn't a matter of whether to save her or not—since her master had instructed that he didn't want Dongfang Jue to die, Ye Qinghan would certainly save her. She just wanted to observe a little longer, at least to see the opponent's ultimate move. But for Li Shiyao to speak up now, that was a different matter. Plus, Li Shiyao had mentioned she liked her master... surely there couldn't be a second person in this world who could hear her master's inner thoughts?

"But she is so beautiful, and Shiyao doesn't want the pretty sister to die. But if Sister doesn't want to save her, then she must be a bad person!"

"..." That was hard to judge. With that brain of hers, even if she could hear her master's thoughts, she likely couldn't accomplish much.

"Oh, Sister, look! That Sister Dongfang is about to die!"

"She won't die. She still hasn't used her trump card."