Yun Xi shivered as she caught the mournful look in Sheng Yuhong's eyes, her arms prickling with goosebumps. What was that supposed to mean? That look made it seem like she'd just broken his heart. But seriously, they were nothing more than fellow disciples under the same sect. Could he not look at her like she'd dumped him?
She cleared her throat and responded quickly.
"Junior Brother Sheng, if you'd managed to endure a few more rounds of tribulation lightning, you could've broken through to the Golden Core realm too. With your talent, maybe even reached half-step Nascent Soul."
Sheng Yuhong blinked, caught off guard by her words and momentarily speechless.
Before he could reply, Yun Xi cupped her fists in farewell and swiftly headed toward the arena she had picked to watch the next match.
Only after Yun Xi left did Wei Yunqing approach Sheng Yuhong and speak in a gentle voice.
"Senior Brother, if Yun Xi said anything out of line just now, I apologize on her behalf."
Sheng Yuhong had already composed himself. Hearing Wei Yunqing speak ill of Yun Xi while pretending to be concerned, he replied calmly.
"There's nothing to apologize for. I simply asked her about her experience in forming a Golden Core."
Wei Yunqing sensed Sheng Yuhong was defending Yun Xi. Biting her lip, she added quietly,
"Yun Xi's temperament has grown even more unruly since forming her core. When she returned to the clan recently, she almost clashed with the family ancestor. Thankfully, the clan head stepped in and smoothed things over."
Of course, she made no mention of why Yun Xi had confronted the ancestor in the first place.
Sheng Yuhong frowned slightly, clearly not convinced Yun Xi would behave that way. Still, he said,
"Now that you're part of a sect, the sect's interests should take priority. The clan... should come second. As an outsider, I really shouldn't comment further."
With that, he excused himself and walked away.
Wei Yunqing watched his retreating back, her eyes flashing with determination. From the very first time she saw Sheng Yuhong, she'd believed he was her destined cultivation partner. No one else had the right to stand by his side—only her.
After that small interruption, Yun Xi returned to watching the tournament with full focus. The Golden Core cultivators on stage weren't pushovers. Their techniques were dazzling, their attacks fierce, and their understanding of each other's weaknesses razor-sharp. Every strike was aimed precisely at the opponent's flaws.
Yun Xi stroked her chin thoughtfully. That was one downside of sparring within the same sect—everyone knew each other far too well. As long as no one went for a killing blow, it was difficult for any of them to claim victory unless there was a clear gap in cultivation level.
She murmured inwardly,
"Ugh, I'm the only rookie here. Fighting in this tournament feels like opening a blind box. I just hope my luck holds up like always. I'm not asking for much, just an opponent close to my level."
Switching arenas, she continued watching match after match. Out of everyone in the venue, she was easily the busiest—flitting from one stage to the next, refusing to miss a single fight that hadn't ended yet.
The first round eliminated sixty cultivators. The second round involved a draw among the remaining sixty-one. To everyone's surprise—including her own—Yun Xi drew a bye again.
Even Yu Feng Zhēnjūn, who was overseeing the draw, looked startled and gave her a second glance. Yun Xi stared at her drawn token in disbelief. When had her luck gotten this absurd?
As she stepped off the drawing platform, a group of Wei clan disciples immediately swarmed her. This time, even Zong Hao couldn't resist walking up to shake her hand with a grin.
"Wei Zhēnrén, share some of that good fortune with me!"
Beside him, Yun Ying was already warming up, ready to be the second in line to rub some of her luck off.
Yun Ting and Zong Han exchanged looks that were part amusement, part exasperation. Still, both encouraged Yun Xi to watch as many matches as she could while she had free time. Yun Xi happily agreed—she had planned to do exactly that.
The second round of the Golden Core tournament lasted three full days. By the end, Yun Xi had begun to see patterns. Most of those eliminated in the first round had been early-stage Golden Core cultivators. In the second round, the remaining fighters began revealing their true strength.
Yun Xi watched every match intently. She learned to identify the variations in five-element techniques and grasped the distinctive advantages of physical cultivators, formation cultivators, and sword cultivators. She gained a lot from observing these fights.
On the fourth day, it was time to draw lots for the sixteen remaining fighters. This time, all the other Golden Core cultivators, with an unspoken understanding, let Yun Xi go first.
She scratched her nose and cupped her hands in a small salute before stepping up to the draw platform.
This time the draw was supervised by Yu Huo Zhēnjūn, who beamed at her as she approached. Yun Xi returned his courtesy with a bow and reached into the box to pull out a jade token.
Yu Huo Zhēnjūn swept it with his divine sense and raised an eyebrow.
"Number Eight."
Yun Xi stepped down with the token in hand. Once another person drew the matching number, the two would be paired as opponents.
Her opponent turned out to be a two-meter-tall, lean physical cultivator at mid-stage Golden Core. Yun Xi cracked her knuckles, eager to test how far her interstellar body cultivation had come.
When Lin Keyang found out he'd be facing Yun Xi, he looked a little helpless. Once they were on the platform, and he saw the petite girl in front of him—who didn't even reach his chest—he hesitated. He didn't want to hurt her with a single careless blow.
But Yun Xi respectfully cupped her fists.
"Wei Yunxi of Lingxue Peak. Senior Brother, I ask for your guidance."
She was genuinely asking to learn.
Lin Keyang scratched his head.
"Junior Sister Wei, my fists are kind of hard. Let's just keep this friendly, alright?"
Yun Xi smiled and nodded.
"Sure. Please, Senior Brother Lin—come at me!"
Their match quickly drew a crowd. After all, Yun Xi had miraculously drawn a bye all the way to round three. Even if she lost now, it wouldn't be embarrassing. But everyone was curious to see what she was really capable of, so more than half the disciples came to watch.
As the protective barrier around the arena rose, Yun Xi launched the first strike. She moved with Thousand Shadows Riding the Wind, her figure flashing forward with deceptive speed. Her small, pink-tinged fist aimed straight for Lin Keyang's chest—the highest point she could reach, given her height.
Lin Keyang hadn't expected her to go with a physical attack—his specialty—but didn't hesitate to counter. Their fists collided in a thundering crash, the impact blasting a wave of air outward. Both fighters sprang back.
Now taking her seriously, Lin Keyang could tell her physical strength was no weaker than his. That punch had been pure power, and neither had the advantage.
Yun Xi took five steps back, eyes gleaming with excitement. Lin Keyang's body was just as tough as hers. Finally, a worthy opponent. She shook out her right hand and grinned.
"Again!"
She vanished in a blur and charged once more.
Lin Keyang shouted back, "Bring it!" and disappeared too, reappearing as a shadow streaking toward her. The two clashed in a furious melee. From the stands, all anyone could hear were rapid bursts of bang bang bang and sharp cracks of air splitting. Blink, and the fighters were gone from sight.
Yun Xi focused completely on countering Lin Keyang's strikes. Once their brute strength stalemated, they infused their fists with spiritual energy, turning the match into a contest of power and cultivation.
They fought from ground to air, forced by the barrier to eventually return to the stage. The moment they separated, they stood on opposite ends of the platform.
Lin Keyang channeled earth-element spiritual energy into his fist and struck the ground with a thundering crash. The technique "Earthquake Tremor" spread across the stage like rippling waves, aiming straight for Yun Xi.
Not backing down, Yun Xi slammed her own fist into the ground, unleashing "Frozen Miles," an ice-element technique. In an instant, white frost spread and froze the entire arena.