Miao Yunrong was only in the early Divine Transformation stage, but in the opening two-versus-two matches, she managed to string together three straight wins. Feeling smug, she even ran over to Jian Dan's cave to brag.
"Zūnzhàng, I didn't embarrass Mo Yan Peak. Even though it wasn't easy, I still pulled off three wins. You can bet on me in the next match too!"
Jian Dan smiled with narrowed eyes. "Then congratulations, little Junior Sister. Tomorrow, I'll bet on you to win."
After showing off, Miao Yunrong happily skipped off to find Mo Su.
Jian Dan, on the other hand, told Dong Yi beside her, "Go bring me the memory jade of Miao Yunrong's three matches. I want to see for myself."
"Yes, Zūnzhàng."
Once Jian Dan looked through the jade slip, her eyes flickered. Except for the third match, Miao Yunrong had actually won fair and square. The first two, though, had been opponents holding back, and she hadn't even noticed, still grinning as if she'd conquered the world.
Those two opponents didn't care about losing one round. In the following matches, they stayed undefeated, and with their strength, they could easily fight for the top twenty during the ring defense.
Jian Dan instantly understood. This was a courtesy to Mo Lie and Mo Su, saving Miao Yunrong from looking too pathetic in the rankings. Only she believed she'd really won by strength.
The next day, Jian Dan brought Xiao Yue and two attendants to watch. Miao Yunrong's opponent this time was Tang Xu, a Divine Transformation cultivator from Mo Yun Peak.
Tang Xu knew the moment she saw her matchup. She wasn't allowed to win, and she had to lose cleanly. The bitterness in her heart could only be swallowed down. She could only sigh that Miao Yunrong really knew how to be born lucky.
But when the two of them stepped onto the arena, a seductive voice rang in Tang Xu's ears.
"You're not allowed to hold back. Otherwise, you won't be allowed to fight again."
Her body stiffened. She followed the voice and saw Mo Yue Zūnzhàng seated in the high seat above. Snapping back, she narrowly avoided Miao Yunrong's opening strike, her toes tapping lightly as she shifted positions.
Tang Xu licked her lips, vanished in a flash, and struck down with her sword. A storm of attacks rained down like a torrential downpour. Unsurprisingly, Miao Yunrong didn't last even half a stick of incense before being sent off the arena.
"Thanks for letting me win."
With a cupped-fist salute, Tang Xu stepped down gracefully, waiting for her next fight.
Miao Yunrong frowned but didn't take it too hard. After all, her opponent was strong, and it was just one loss.
But in the days that followed, she didn't win a single fight. Even Xiao Yue pitied her and whispered to Jian Dan,"Mo Yue, why's she so weak? She just bragged to you, then lost everything. Lucky you didn't bet on her."
Jian Dan only smiled, stroking Xiao Yue's head as she watched the dejected Miao Yunrong walking toward them.
"It's fine. There's still the defense matches. She can challenge someone she's confident against and still squeeze into the top twenty."
"Alright… I'll give it a try," Miao Yunrong said uncertainly.
When the defense matches started, she immediately lit up. Her opponent was the same male cultivator who had lost to her on the first day.
But the man frowned. He'd secured the twentieth spot with effort. If he lost, he'd have to fight for it all over again. He'd already let her win once. How could he do it a second time?
Of course, he refused. Miao Yunrong ended up defeated.
Finally realizing something was wrong, she stormed off to find Mo Su, but he was too busy to pay attention. With no choice, she went to Jian Dan.
"Zūnzhàng, I feel so humiliated."
"It's fine. Winning and losing are normal. Just take it as practice."
"They only let me win because of Senior Brother and my father. But when it came to the real rankings, they refused to hold back!"
"Oh? So what you want is for them to keep throwing fights for you?" Jian Dan teased.
"No! I just… I feel like I've been played!" Her pretty face was scrunched tight in frustration.
"At the end of the day, your skills aren't enough. If you were strong, you'd have noticed the trick from the very first match."
She froze, then looked up in shock, face flushed with embarrassment. "Zūnzhàng, are you saying… my first three wins were all handed to me?"
"Except the third one, yes. The other two were them letting you win," Jian Dan said plainly.
Since she'd realized it herself, there was no point in hiding the truth.
Miao Yunrong instantly deflated, sitting there quietly for a while before finally raising her head again. "Zūnzhàng, at least I won one fight. I'm not that hopeless, right?"
"Right. Like I said, you've got room to improve. Now, your job is to watch the others. See how they defend their positions."
"Yes, Yunrong understands."
After that, she started watching every fight carefully and even picked up some tricks. Once the tournament ended, she challenged Xiao Yue.
Though it was tough, her hair messy, robes torn, and paw prints stamped on her face, she actually won. That small victory made her giddy for days.
"Hmph, if she hadn't looked so pitiful, I wouldn't have held back. I just didn't want to crush her confidence," Xiao Yue muttered, swishing his flawless white tail.
Mo Yue, you should toss her into the Spirit Division's training squad, let her taste what real power feels like!"
"Tsk. You know about 'absolute power'? Who taught you that?" Jian Dan asked, scratching Xiao Yue's neck with a smile.
"I heard it from Captain Tian Yi," Xiao Yue said proudly.
Still, Xiao Yue's idea wasn't bad.
Jian Dan directly told Miao Yunrong, "From now on, you'll spar with Hu Yi in the mornings and fight on the arena in the afternoons."
Knowing she was still just cannon fodder, she obediently followed orders and trained hard.
That very night, when the moon was high, the Tiangang Star Moon Array silently restarted. Only the Mahayana Zhēnzūn within the sect sensed it.
Jian Dan opened her eyes in her cave, glanced toward Mo Yan Peak, then returned to calm.
Once the tournament ended and rewards were distributed, Mo Su immediately sent a squad to the mortal world to recruit disciples.
Jian Dan also started relaxing a bit. She rushed to complete the mission Mo Yan Zhēnzūn had given her, because she had a feeling she wouldn't be staying in the Heavenly Demon Palace much longer.
She even sent a letter to the beast clan's Bai Jue, asking Wolf Howl Clan's patriarch to come fetch Xiao Yue back, but no reply ever came.
Xiao Yue didn't care. He filled his days tightly: patrolling Mo Yan Peak in the morning, following Mo Yue to Black Robe Guard Station to hunt, sometimes attending palace meetings, then watching Miao Yunrong's matches in the afternoon, occasionally stepping onto the stage himself. At night, he trained in arrays under the moonlight.
Meanwhile, in the beast clan, Bai Jue had a headache. The Howl Moon Clan was locked in a turf war with the Flame Wolves. Minor skirmishes broke out every three days, full brawls every five. When he received Jian Dan's letter, he didn't know how to respond. Was he supposed to say, "Sorry, Wolf Howl's busy fighting for territory, no time to pick up the cub"?
So Bai Jue summoned Lang Xiao. "What now? Are you really abandoning your cub?"
"Zūnzhàng, the clan's a mess right now. If I leave for a moment, the Flame Wolves will seize the chance. How about letting Xiao Yue stay with Mo Yue Zūnzhàng a bit longer? It's much safer there than here."