Lord Lin Xuan, I Wonder If I Should Ask

Huang Nuanyan stumbled upon a shocking secret—it turned out both Li Siyi and Little Luo were interested in Su Yu.

After finishing their meal, Su Luo and the others decided to take a stroll together. This time, all four of them went, though Huang Nuanyan later excused herself and left.

Still, she secretly trailed behind them. Her clumsy attempt at tailing them didn’t go unnoticed, but they paid it no mind and carried on as usual.

In Huang Nuanyan’s eyes, the three of them seemed to get along exceptionally well.

That night, back in their room, Huang Nuanyan asked Little Yu, "Did you know Immortal Li Siyi and Su Yu share a special relationship?"

"I know."

"Wait, you knew?"

"Of course. To be precise, Su Yu met Li Siyi even before he met me."

"Oh… I see. I thought you were unaware."

Huang Nuanyan finally understood—Little Luo knew everything.

This matter had nothing to do with her after all; she’d simply overthought it. Thankfully, she hadn’t said anything reckless.

With the issue resolved, Huang Nuanyan lay down and quickly fell asleep.

Meanwhile, Little Yu quietly slipped over to Su Luo’s side.

......

On the other side...

Lin Xuan stood before the seven individuals who had faced Su Luo in battle.

"You’ve done well. I’m satisfied. Here’s what was promised."

Lin Xuan handed them some medicinal pills.

Each of them accepted the pills with delight—these treasures were immensely valuable to them, nearly on par with the tournament’s official rewards.

For them, this operation had been highly profitable. Not only had they gained, but they’d also earned a minor favor from Lin Xuan—though they sensed it was a very small one.

"Lord Lin Xuan, may I ask something?" one of them suddenly spoke up.

"Go ahead." Lin Xuan already had an inkling of the question.

"Is it really appropriate to cheat for someone like this?"

Especially for someone of your status—though he didn’t voice that last part.

Wow. The others around him stiffened, stunned by his boldness. How could he ask such a thing outright?

Surely Lord Lin Xuan had his reasons. Wasn’t this putting him on the spot?

After receiving such generous pills, wouldn’t it be better to just keep quiet?

"Indeed, it’s inappropriate," Lin Xuan admitted. "But I chose to do it, and he’s worth it."

His answer left the others still puzzled.

Lin Xuan continued, "Of course, if any of you find this unacceptable, you’re free to report me. I’ll accept any punishment. However, I’d prefer if you waited until after the Spirit Combat Tournament."

Lin Xuan knew cheating was wrong, and he didn’t condone it. But he wanted Su Luo to enjoy himself in this tournament.

This was his way of compensating Su Luo for his contributions to the Seven Stars Sword Sect and the world.

"No, no, I was just curious," the questioner quickly backtracked.

He wasn’t foolish enough to actually report Lin Xuan—not after receiving such rewards. There was nothing to complain about.

......

The next day, the next round of matches began.

No matter what, Su Luo was destined to lose this time.

The format was a randomized 5v5 team battle—fairness depended entirely on luck.

Lin Xuan had made arrangements, assembling a squad trained in an exquisite collaborative sword technique. He wanted Su Luo to experience it firsthand.

If possible, he even hoped for some feedback.

If Su Luo suppressed his strength, he should still feel some pressure against the sword formation.

But it was hard to say—the team had been hastily assembled, so their coordination might not be perfect.

Yet Lin Xuan had overthought it. Su Luo simply feigned injury, collapsing to the ground without a fight.

When it came to acting, Su Luo was a natural.

Without a doubt, Su Luo’s team was eliminated.

Lin Xuan was baffled. Wasn’t Su Luo aiming for first place?

Had he given up just like that?

Perhaps this task should’ve been left to Li Siyi—she understood Su Luo better.

Sighing, Lin Xuan felt like a failure for failing to entertain Su Luo.

"Wow, your loss was… unexpected," Huang Nuanyan remarked. She’d assumed someone Li Siyi favored would be far more impressive.

Yet he’d lost so abruptly.

"Not everything goes smoothly. At my level, this is about as far as I can go."

"What a shame. I thought I’d get to face you in the finals."

Su Luo chuckled.

That was wishful thinking.

Soon, it was Little Yu’s turn. Seeing that Su Luo had withdrawn, she no longer had the motivation to continue.

But her teammates fought desperately—unyielding, relentless, refusing to admit defeat.

In the end, Little Yu couldn’t bring herself to let them down. She finally made her move.

Unlike Su Luo, she couldn’t act so freely.

"Hah! Isn’t it a little late to join now?"

"Look at your teammates—they’re already down."

"What can you possibly do alone? Hahaha!"

The opposing team, confident in their victory, began taunting mercilessly.

In previous matches, Little Yu had stolen the spotlight repeatedly. As her peers, how could they not resent her?

Now that they had a chance to win, they relished the opportunity to gloat.

Yet in the next moment, Little Yu swiftly and decisively defeated them all.

Even with only a Foundation Establishment cultivation level, Little Yu completely outmatched them—their realms were simply incomparable.

When it was Huang Nuanyan's turn, she also cleared the stage effortlessly.

Now, empowered by the Pillar of Water, her combat prowess had skyrocketed.

She felt that this single technique was more than enough—its wide range and minimal energy consumption made it incredibly effective.

By the end of this round, only 45 participants remained.

The final competition, as expected, was the most common yet the truest test of one's strength:

One-on-one duels.

This was the last event of the Spirit Combat Tournament, and the audience buzzed with excitement, eagerly speculating about who would claim the top spot.

Little Yu had a high approval rating, thanks to her standout performances in earlier matches.

But while this was the climax for others, for Su Luo and Little Yu, it was already over.

The final battles held no novelty for them. If they wanted a real fight, they wouldn’t waste time on opponents with such limited combat ability.

So without hesitation, Little Yu lost in the very first round.

No one could understand why.

"Why did you lose, Little Luo?" Huang Nuanyan asked, baffled.

"Keep going. You can still advance further," came the reply.

"Alright, I’ll do my best to reach the top ranks."

True to her word, Huang Nuanyan, whose strength was already upper-mid among the 45, leveraged the Pillar of Water to secure victory after victory.

Unfortunately, her lack of real combat experience eventually led to her defeat.

Still, making it to the semifinals was an impressive achievement.

At the very least, she was satisfied.

Elder Ye was delighted for her. Originally, he had only brought the young lady out for fun, never expecting such results. The city lord would surely be pleased upon their return.

At the same time, he was astonished by the modifications to the Water Thread technique.

It was nothing short of miraculous—the refinements were flawless.

Elder Ye couldn’t help but marvel. He had once tried to stop the young lady from associating with Su Yu and the others, yet instead of disaster, one good thing after another had come their way.