The Master Has Grown Horns on His Head

Jiang Chulong cradled the little rabbit with demonic bloodline in her arms, gently playing with the two tiny leaves sprouting from its head. When she looked up, she saw Brother Li and the others—even Sister Bing—staring at her with solemn expressions.

"What's wrong?"

"Chulong, if you defeat Brother Murong, you'll have to face Jiang Yu next."

A cryptic glimmer flickered through Li Mo's eyes—the divine light of his Heavenly Destiny Sight.

At those words, Jiang Chulong visibly paled, her small face dropping as she shrank into herself, her timid demeanor reminding Li Mo of the first time he had met her—back when she was still a little beggar named Xiao Jiang...

In the vision of his Heavenly Destiny Sight, Xiao Jiang's golden fate was suddenly clouded by a layer of murky gray.

Her recent fortune read: "Terrified of facing Jiang Yu, she dared not draw her sword on stage. More than Jiang Yu, she feared the Sword Bone—inherited from her mother but later stolen from her. From then on, the gap between her and Jiang Yu only widened..."

"How was this bracket drawn? How is it this unlucky?"

"Chulong just entered the Hidden Dragon Ranking. How is she supposed to fight Jiang Yu?"

"I recently concocted a particularly vicious poison—one that just so happens to comply with the tournament rules. But I hope it won’t come to that," Huang Donglai said with a grave expression.

Xiao Qin shook his head. "Xiao Jiang, just forfeit when the time comes. Let Brother Murong fight Jiang Yu instead. My master said you stand no chance."

"Me?"

Murong Xiao pointed at himself, eyes wide.

Do monks' lives not matter?

Everyone agreed that Xiao Jiang should simply give up.

But Jiang Chulong could only look helplessly at Li Mo and Ying Bing.

A flicker of calculation passed through Ying Bing's serene gaze before she sighed and parted her lips to speak—

But Li Mo cut in first. "I think she should give it a try."

The others stared at him in confusion.

Jiang Yu had long since reached the Ninth Aperture of the Observation Divine Realm. And ever since he claimed the top spot on the Hidden Dragon Ranking, he had never fallen from it.

Xie Xuan couldn't help but add, "To be honest, the gap between Jiang Yu and me has only widened over the years."

"The first time, I lost by half a move. The second time, I couldn't last past fifty moves. This time, the difference might be even greater—because I sense... he's gradually mastering some divine artifact within him."

"Perhaps, from now on, no swordsman will ever defeat him again."

Setting that aside, the sheer disparity in cultivation alone was enough to crush any hope.

They say a swordsman can be defeated but never broken.

But that doesn’t mean you should throw an egg at a boulder.

Jiang Chulong, however, ignored all that and tried to psych herself up.

Meanwhile, Li Mo subtly exchanged a glance with Murong Xiao. The "Master of Buried Love" caught his drift and followed him aside.

"Brother Li, what are you thinking? Do you have another scheme?"

Murong Xiao had grown steadier since joining the Buddhist sect.

And as everyone knew, Li Mo was the "King of Schemes" in Qingyuan Sect.

Li Mo raised an eyebrow. "A swordsman must draw their blade when facing an opponent, right? If Xiao Jiang backs down before the fight even begins, it’ll damage her mindset."

Murong Xiao thought back—among all the opponents he'd faced, swordsmen were indeed the most prone to recklessness.

"But if she loses her life—"

"No worries. That’s when you, the Master of Buried Love, come into play!"

"?"

"If Xiao Jiang can’t break through your defense, she’ll never have to face Jiang Yu. I’ve already prepared something for you..."

The two whispered for a while longer.

Soon after, battles began across the various arenas.

Li Mo’s match ended the fastest.

Zhong Zhenyue stepped onto the stage, saw Li Mo’s serious expression, and broke into a cold sweat.

"Brother Li, don’t fight—it’s me!"

Then he immediately jumped off the platform.

The Qingyuan Sect disciples found the scene oddly familiar—except this time, no one cried foul, since it was obvious Zhong Zhenyue stood no chance to begin with.

The crowd was more disappointed that the "Wife-Blessing Battle Soul" commentator wasn’t storytelling this time.

Meanwhile, the judges’ attention was fixed on another arena.

As the top-ranked on the Hidden Dragon Ranking, Jiang Yu was the second to defeat his opponent.

"That Qu Songyun is a rogue cultivator, yet her skills are truly impressive. She actually blocked the Crown Prince’s first move?"

"For a woman, her body-refining techniques have reached perfection. Did she eat some Celestial Instant Noodles or something?"

"Pity. If she hadn’t met Jiang Yu so early, she might’ve gone further."

On the Rivers and Mountains Scroll, Qu Songyun appeared as a woman with half her face obscured by hair, her skin a deep bronze, her build resembling a smaller version of Guo Jing.

Yet against Jiang Yu, she dared to strike first.

But in a blink, a palm suddenly appeared before her—accompanied by a dragon’s roar—expanding rapidly in her vision. She tried to evade, but no matter how she moved, she couldn’t escape its reach.

In her eyes, Jiang Yu’s figure vanished, replaced by a golden dragon. His True Dragon Physique allowed his body and spirit to merge as one.

Her arm twitched, but she restrained herself, watching helplessly as she was sent flying off the stage.

"The True Dragon Physique truly lives up to its name as the pinnacle of bodily cultivation," Qu Songyun muttered, swallowing back blood.

Jiang Yu said indifferently, "A rare sight—body-refining mastery."

The victory meant nothing to him.

And rightly so—his gaze had been fixed on another arena the entire time.

......

The match between Jiang Chulong and the Master of Buried Love nearly put the audience to sleep.

"Master, could you at least move a little?"

"He practices the Vajra Indestructible Body of the Immovable King. The Hanging Temple hasn’t seen anyone master it in centuries. Even the Black Tortoise Clan of the North Sea admits inferiority."

"If he won’t move, why’s he chanting? I kind of want to rush up and punch him."

The young talents and rogue cultivators in the crowd talked big, but they all recognized Murong Xiao’s strength.

Few in the entire venue had the confidence to break his defense—and even if they did, it wouldn’t matter, since his recovery outpaced any damage dealt...

"If you can’t break my Vajra Indestructible Body, you likely can’t break the True Dragon Physique either."

Murong Xiao sat with solemn dignity.

The Green Leaf Sword struck his body, sending sparks flying—yet not even a scratch remained.

"I see..."

Strangely, Jiang Chulong felt a little relieved.

Perhaps even Murong Xiao found it dull, because he suddenly asked, "Xiao Jiang, didn’t Brother Li become the owner of the House of Moonlit Pleasures? What exactly does it do?"

Li Mo: "!"

Oh no!

"Chulong, don’t tell him!"

Jiang Chulong obediently kept quiet, but someone in the crowd smacked their lips and said:

"What’s the big deal? It’s just a brothel. Hey, Master, ever been with a woman? Heh..."

A few men who had visited the House of Moonlit Pleasures chuckled suggestively.

Murong Xiao stiffened.

....

On the judges’ platform, the Violet-Robed Eunuch, Xie Yiding of the Heavenly Mountain Sword Manor, and the Divine Artisan Elder Du presided.

"Elder Du, what are your thoughts?" the eunuch asked.

Xie Yiding observed carefully before replying, "At her age, her swordsmanship far surpasses what I could ever achieve. And this sword technique... seems especially lethal against certain divine intents—or perhaps certain demonic beings?"

"Jiaos, snakes, and the like," Elder Du chuckled.

He was practically hinting at dragon-related kin, but since the imperial family was often said to possess the bloodline of true dragons, he couldn't outright say it.

Xie Yiding shook his head and said, "This Tibetan... er, Master Zang Ai is a man of Buddhism. Naturally, he couldn't have observed divine beings like true dragons or jiaos, let alone anything about bloodlines..."

"Hey! Manor Lord Xie!"

"What is it?"

"Master... he's grown horns on his head!"