As the saying goes, blades have no eyes.
But combat between cultivators was far beyond what mortals could imagine. Even without swords or blades, the force of fists and kicks alone was enough to shake heaven and earth.
High-level cultivators fighting barehanded could topple mountains and overturn seas, their power rivaling natural disasters.
Of course, the fight between Ye Ling and Leng Qingqiu hadn't reached that level yet, but the moment either side made a mistake, it could still cost a life.
Even with Bai Yiyi, a Nascent Soul Stage powerhouse, standing by, she couldn't guarantee that nothing would go wrong.
More importantly, she knew her disciple all too well. Although Ye Ling's talent was astonishing, he had only cultivated for a little over three days. Aside from a single body-tempering fist technique, he hadn't learned any spells at all.
On top of that, it was a Qi Cultivation cultivator facing a Foundation Establishment cultivator. She didn't see even the slightest chance of Ye Ling winning.
Seeing the concern written all over Bai Yiyi's cute little face, Ye Ling, who had still felt a bit stung earlier, couldn't help but smile.
So this was what it felt like to be cared about?
It was a warmth he had never experienced before. After smiling, his gaze turned serious as he said,
"Master, you don't actually think your disciple will lose, do you?"
"My good disciple, it's not that your master is trying to raise the enemy's morale and dampen our own."
Bai Yiyi didn't soften just because Ye Ling smiled. Instead, she rarely showed such a serious expression as she continued,
"Although Envoy Leng has only just entered the Foundation Establishment stage, I can see that his Dao Heart is firm and his vitality is abundant. He's definitely not an easy opponent."
Ye Ling wasn't surprised. He had already guessed that Leng Qingqiu was only at the Foundation Establishment stage.
If Leng Qingqiu were a Golden Core Stage cultivator, he would have shown restraint the moment he saw Bai Yiyi. He certainly wouldn't have asked whether she was at the Nascent Soul stage. After all, the gap between Golden Core and Nascent Soul was obvious.
As for Leng Qingqiu having only just entered Foundation Establishment, Ye Ling hadn't considered that possibility before, but now it made him wary.
When something was abnormal, there was always a reason.
A cultivator who had just entered Foundation Establishment, yet remained so nonchalant after confirming Bai Yiyi was at the Nascent Soul stage, clearly meant he had seen plenty of Nascent Soul cultivators before.
But Nascent Soul cultivators weren't cabbages you could find anywhere. Even in a First-Grade sect, they would be elders or honored guests. A mere Foundation Establishment cultivator should show them proper respect.
Yet Leng Qingqiu's attitude had been completely casual.
No way.
Could it really be that a disciple from some Transcendent-Grade sect had come here? What exactly was the Heavenly Gate Sect hiding?
Seeing Ye Ling fall silent, Bai Yiyi thought she had discouraged him. She gently took his hand and comforted him,
"My good disciple, it's fine. When your martial aunts return, they have plenty of connections. We can just rebuild the Heavenly Gate Sect then. It'll be alright."
Being roused by Bai Yiyi's gentle voice, warmth flooded Ye Ling's heart.
This girl might be unreliable, and her words weren't always pleasant, but as a Master, she was absolutely qualified.
And what warmed him the most was that, between the sect and him, Bai Yiyi had chosen him.
"Master, we—"
Before Ye Ling could finish, Bai Yiyi reached out and covered his mouth. Her expression turned serious as she continued,
"My good disciple, you've achieved this much after only three days of cultivation. What you need most right now is time. Don't ruin your future over a moment of impulsiveness, understand?"
In truth, if Ye Ling hadn't displayed such talent, Bai Yiyi would still have hesitated.
But after witnessing his astonishing aptitude, she believed Ye Ling was far more important than the Heavenly Gate Sect. At worst, after she ascended, she could go to the Nine Heavens Immortal Maiden and beg forgiveness. After all, she had already been scolded by the Nine Heavens Immortal Maiden plenty of times before.
Bai Yiyi's small hand was soft and smooth, but Ye Ling still resisted the temptation. He gently pulled her hand away and said helplessly,
"Master, I never fight a battle without preparation."
"Hm?"
Bai Yiyi tilted her head slightly, her face filled with confusion.
Seeing this, Ye Ling spoke up.
"Master, when you taught me body tempering, you said that what we temper is a fearless heart. If I don't even have the courage to face my opponent head-on, then my Dao Heart would shatter."
"But my good disciple, you're too weak. You really can't beat him."
Bai Yiyi showed no concern for Ye Ling's pride and spoke bluntly, her expression serious.
"Fearlessness applies to opponents you might be able to defeat, or to situations where you have no choice but to fight."
"..."
Ye Ling's mental defenses broke again. Still, he knew Bai Yiyi was worried about him. After shooting her a resentful glance, he continued,
"Isn't this exactly a situation where I have no choice? And that guy… I believe I can beat him."
"My good disciple, at the Qi Cultivation stage, body cultivators do have an advantage over Dao cultivators. But there's an entire major realm between you and him. You don't have even the slightest chance."
Bai Yiyi didn't get angry at Ye Ling's rebuttal. Instead, she patiently explained. In any other sect, a disciple who talked back to their Master like this would have been beaten long ago.
"Master, who said I'm going to fight him as a Qi Cultivation cultivator against his Foundation Establishment?"
Ye Ling gave Bai Yiyi a mysterious smile.
"These past few days, I've only been consolidating my cultivation. Honestly, breaking through to Foundation Establishment would only take one night."
Since Bai Yiyi already regarded him as a genius, he didn't think advancing too quickly would make her suspicious. Besides, he was only missing one last fast-cultivation method to complete that task.
To be frank, Bai Yiyi not taking the initiative to talk to him these past few days had left him with no options at all.
But Leng Qingqiu's appearance finally gave him an opening. He planned to use this opportunity to solve both Bai Yiyi's Spiritual Qi problem and the System's task in one go.
Most importantly, over these three days, he had already accumulated enough points through Bai Yiyi to exchange for a special ability in the System Shop—
Heavenly Fate Eye · Fragment.
Heavenly Fate Eye · Fragment:
Predicts a single target's action one second into the future. Usable only in combat.
Condition: Convince the Master that the host can foresee the future.
Price: 150,000 points.
Judging from the price alone, Ye Ling shouldn't have been able to afford it. However, Heavenly Fate Eye · Fragment was a discounted item, and not just any discount. It was the only item discounted down to 9%. Calling it practically free wouldn't be an exaggeration.
Because of that, Ye Ling seriously suspected this was the System's safeguard to prevent the host from dying prematurely. Otherwise, how could something this good be so cheap? Unfortunately, discounted items in the System only refreshed once a month, so he would have to wait until next month to confirm his guess.
Don't underestimate the fact that it only predicted a single target, and only one second into the future. In a duel between cultivators of the same level, that kind of advantage was enormous.
After all, one second might seem fleeting, but in a cultivator's eyes, a single blink was more than enough to decide life and death.
Of course, Ye Ling was still a bit short on points. But that wouldn't take long—
"Just one night?!"
Bai Yiyi didn't doubt him at all. Her beautiful wine-red eyes widened in shock.
There it is.