Holding the Sword to Carry Away Senior Sister (Transmigration) - Chapter 28

Although the Ranking Tournament had been suspended for a day, the disciples on the Main Peak did not hurry away. When Fu Yan and Bai Yueli arrived outside the Great Hall, they found quite a few disciples already gathered in groups of two and three.

Naturally, they weren’t there out of concern for Tong Zhen; they were driven by curiosity, coming simply to watch the spectacle.

“Look, Senior Sister Bai and Fu Yan are here too.”

Someone spotted them and whispered, causing the crowd to turn their heads.

“I remember Tong Zhen and Fu Yan are quite close. Since Fu Yan is so formidable, do you think she also has some powerful Spiritual Treasure on her?”

“Unlikely… Spiritual Treasures aren’t cabbages; how could everyone have one?”

“But Tong Zhen has them—two of them!”

Fu Yan had long since grown accustomed to such gazes and didn’t care what others thought. She watched Bai Yueli, wondering what she intended to do. As the Chief Disciple of the Shui Ling Sect, Bai Yueli was naturally qualified to enter the Hall. She signaled for Fu Yan to wait outside and walked straight in.

Time passed slowly. During the wait, Fu Yan imagined the worst possible outcomes, but the Hall remained silent.

Just as the crowd’s curiosity was peaking, a terrifying surge of power rapidly approached the Main Peak. Fu Yan was startled. Looking up, she saw a figure in brownish-green robes descending from the sky. It was a middle-aged man who landed steadily before the Great Hall. Without even glancing at the onlookers, he stormed inside.

Once he entered, that terrifying, intimidating pressure finally dissipated, and the crowd was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief.

“My god, who was that? Just a casual release of his aura made me feel like I was being suffocated.”

“Me too. It was terrifying—I felt like he could crush me with a flick of his finger. I’ve never felt anything like it!”

“Could it be a Void-Transforming Stage powerhouse?”

“Unlikely. There are only a few Void-Transforming experts in our Northern Region, and I’ve never heard of that man. Unless… he’s not from our region.”

Silence fell over the crowd as they realized this was likely the truth.

Fu Yan watched the man’s retreating back, her mind reeling. That was the gap between her and a true powerhouse. Yet, she remained convinced that one day, she would be just as strong.

As for the man’s identity, Fu Yan had a good guess. He was likely someone from Tong Zhen’s family. Since her family had arrived, she would be safe. The Shui Ling Sect didn’t have the courage to easily offend someone from an outside region.

Her heart finally settled. At the same time, she understood that Tong Zhen probably wouldn’t be staying here much longer.

Sure enough, an elder emerged from the Hall and dispersed the crowd. Shortly after, Bai Yueli led Tong Zhen out to the courtyard.

“Fu Yan!” Tong Zhen called out.

Fu Yan opened her eyes from her meditation and watched the girl run in. She gave a helpless smile. “What happened?”

Tong Zhen didn’t speak at first, giving a few “hee-hees” before saying, “I’m here to say goodbye. I’m going home.”

“Mhm,” Fu Yan nodded.

Tong Zhen looked at her, puzzled. “I thought you’d ask me a bunch of questions. Aren’t you curious at all?”

Fu Yan had already guessed most of it; what was there to be curious about?

“Fine, fine. It doesn’t matter anyway. You have no idea—once I’m caught and taken back, I’ll lose all my freedom. It’ll be so hard to come out again,” Tong Zhen said dejectedly, waving her hand.

Fu Yan stood up. “That’s because your strength isn’t enough. They’re just worried about you. You have great talent; practice hard when you get back. Don’t waste it.”

“Of course!” Tong Zhen tilted her head, clearly enjoying the compliment. “Next time we meet, I’ll definitely be stronger than you. We’ll have a proper fight then!”

Fu Yan nodded. “Deal.”

As she left, Tong Zhen waved to both Fu Yan and Bai Yueli. “If you ever come to the Central Capital, remember to find me at the Tong family!”

With that, Tong Zhen and the middle-aged man—Uncle Wu—turned and left the Shui Ling Sect.

On the way back, Tong Zhen looked at her companion piteously. “Uncle Wu, can we not go back?”

Wu Qiming sighed. “My little ancestor, do you have any idea how angry the Head of the Family was when you snuck out?”

“It’s his fault for randomly arranging a marriage for me!” Tong Zhen grumbled. “I don’t even know who he is. I don’t want to get married.”

“Who told you that?” Wu Qiming asked, confused.

“I eavesdropped!” she replied righteously.

“…”

“The marriage was settled by the Madam when she was still alive,” Wu Qiming explained. “The Master only wants you to go meet him. If you truly don’t like him, given how much he dotes on you, would he really force you?”

“Who knows?” Tong Zhen was still aggrieved. Then, she remembered something. “Uncle Wu, I made a friend here named Fu Yan. Her swordplay is amazing and she’s very talented. It’s just that the resources in the Northern Region are too poor. I wonder if she’ll have the chance to come to the Central Capital.”

Wu Qiming had only glanced briefly at the two girls from a distance earlier. “I didn’t expect to see a Pure Yin Physique here,” he mused, referring to Bai Yueli. “Though rare, that physique only helps in the early stages; it doesn’t count for much later on. In fact… it might bring her great disaster.”

“What?” Tong Zhen didn’t understand.

Wu Qiming didn’t elaborate, changing the subject. “But how did you end up in the Northern Region? No wonder the Master’s Thousand-Mile Mirror couldn’t find your aura.”

Tong Zhen looked a bit smug. “I’m not stupid. If I didn’t run to a remote place, you would have caught me instantly! If I hadn’t been careless this time, you still wouldn’t have found me!”

Back at the sect, Bai Yueli confirmed Fu Yan’s suspicions. “She is from a family in the Central Capital. She’s only fourteen, yet she has her current cultivation.”

Fu Yan nodded. She looked at Bai Yueli, and as their eyes met, she realized they shared the same pursuit: they would not be confined to the small Shui Ling Sect or even the vast Northern Region.

As Bai Yueli turned to leave, Fu Yan called out, “Senior Sister!”

Bai Yueli looked back, puzzled. Fu Yan stepped forward and reached into her robes, pulling something out and handing it to her. Bai Yueli hesitated but held out her palm.

Fu Yan gave a brilliant smile. “Tomorrow is the final day of the tournament. Consider this a congratulatory gift for when you win the number one rank again.”

Fu Yan released her hand. A cool, smooth sensation spread across Bai Yueli’s palm. A translucent jade sword tassel lay there.

Actually, Fu Yan had prepared this red tassel for her own sword, but looking at Bai Yueli, she felt an impulse to give it to her. Bai Yueli had helped her many times, after all.

“Thank you,” Bai Yueli said softly, accepting the gift.

The final day arrived. Fu Yan’s first match was against the 52nd-ranked disciple from the previous year. She had to use all her strength to narrowly win, securing her place in the top fifty.

Her next opponent was Xia Ningsheng, ranked 35th—a Late Opening Light stage sword cultivator. Fu Yan knew her chances were less than 20%, but she wanted to leave no regrets.

The two clashed, sparks flying from their blades. The crowd was amazed that the “dark horse” had made it this far.

Fu Yan realized she couldn’t win a war of attrition; her True Essence wasn’t as deep as his. She decided to end it in one move.

“Illusionless Sword Second Form: Phantom Form!”

Xia Ningsheng met her head-on. “Golden Slash!”

A golden light exploded, and a True Essence vortex formed on the stage. When the dust settled, Fu Yan was leaning on her broken sword, her body swaying. Xia Ningsheng stood tall.

Fu Yan gave a bitter smile to the elder, signaling she could no longer fight. “Xia Ningsheng wins!”

“Are you okay?” Xia Ningsheng asked, walking over. “If we were at the same stage, the outcome would have been uncertain.”

Fu Yan smiled. “Thank you.”

After losing one more match, Fu Yan’s final rank was settled at 47th. She was satisfied.

In the afternoon, the top ten battle began. As the Grand Elder announced the match between Bai Yueli and Liu Xu, Fu Yan saw a flash of red.

Bai Yueli had attached the red tassel to her Moon-Sway Sword.

Fu Yan’s lips curled upward. Her bad mood from losing her matches vanished instantly. The afternoon sun felt warm and perfect.