Chapter 968 - 53: Impressive, Huan Yue Third Young Master (Second Update)

Chapter 968: Chapter 53: Impressive, Huan Yue Third Young Master (Second Update)

The decision of the Divine Emperor Zhong Shan appeared somewhat... lacking in dominance to Mu Qingge. This kind of ’small punishment, big warning’ left her feeling a bit depressed, so much so that even when the results of the first round of the competition came out, she felt not an ounce of joy.

"Old Three, you actually got them all right! That’s truly impressive!" Zhuang Shan’s voice pulled Mu Qingge out of her depression.

Raising her gaze, she saw the cold stares directed at her from where Yan Quan and Ji Lun were.

Unbothered, she glanced over them and turned to the fellow disciples around her who looked at her with excited eyes.

"Old Three, congratulations." Li Chao smiled at Mu Qingge.

Several other young masters also cast joyful glances towards her.

"I knew that when it comes to Divine Sense, not many can match our Old Three. Hahaha..." The Fifth Young Master laughed proudly. Especially upon seeing the defeated looks on the faces of the Zhuoyu Domain group, he felt all the more pleased.

"The list of advancements in this round is set, the top five are: Xiao Tang from the Zhong Shan Domain, Yan Quan from the Zhuoyu Domain, Wu Gui from the Wei Yi Domain, Xuan Qiang from the Huan Yue Domain... and in first place, Mu Qingge from the Huan Yue Domain!"

The authoritative voice rang out over the Dao Platform. Once the list was confirmed, there was no room for change.

With the results announced, the crowd on the Dao Platform had already disengaged from the previous vile tactics of the Zhuoyu Domain. Their faces no longer carried previous indignation but rather, they quietly discussed the results.

Those ranked within the top two hundred naturally rejoiced. Those excluded, naturally sighed quietly to themselves.

"All disciples advancing to the next round, return to rest and recover your Divine Sense. Five days later, ascend to Upper Snow City again." The authoritative voice spoke once more, this time instructing everyone to leave Snow City.

Of course, the disciples of the Zhong Shan Domain could stay in Snow City. However, disciples from other domains were required to leave, returning to their arranged lodgings in Spring City.

The five days were to be spent resting and rejuvenating Divine Sense, and after five days, a new competition would begin.

On the way back to Spring City, Zhuang Shan walked alongside Mu Qingge. Li Chao also approached, turning it into a trio.

"Old Three, after today, it seems there’s truly a grudge between you and Yan Quan." Li Chao reminded her.

"Old Three, is there something I don’t know?" Hearing Li Chao’s words, Zhuang Shan turned his gaze to Mu Qingge and asked.

Mu Qingge raised her eyes to him, smiled slightly, and shook her head.

Li Chao spoke on her behalf, "Originally, it wasn’t a big deal. Previously, Old Seven was wandering the market and happened to encounter Ji Lun from the Zhuoyu Domain."

Zhuang Shan nodded. He knew about this incident.

"That Ji Lun spoke arrogantly, insulting Old Seven. Just as Old Three happened by, she spoke a few words in Old Seven’s defense, and later, I happened to pass by with Yan Quan, so we smoothed the situation over. However, given the Zhuoyu Domain’s temperament, they were expected to pull some tricks in the competition against Old Three and Old Seven. It’s just that we didn’t expect they’d plot such a scheme, only to be exposed by Old Three, and I’m afraid..." After Li Chao finished speaking, he shook his head gravely.

Having listened, Zhuang Shan’s expression also grew serious. He said to Mu Qingge, "The Eldest Young Master is right, the people from the Zhuoyu Domain are always vengeful. Their scheme was ruined by you this time, they surely won’t let it go at that. You must be cautious in future competitions, if you can’t hold your own or sense something amiss, concede early. Anyway, you have first-round first-place results, even if your second-round results are poorer, there’s a good chance to enter the top hundred, you need not contend with such people."

"That Yan Quan..." Mu Qingge murmured.

Li Chao spoke immediately, "Yan Quan is the top disciple amongst the temple ten of the Zhuoyu Domain, equivalent in status to mine in Huan Yue Domain. However, the Zhuoyu Domain’s training emphasizes disciple competition and rivalry. For Yan Quan to have held this position for so long suggests he’s a person of strength, intelligence, and depth. Moreover, his current cultivation is in the Spirit Cave Realm Sixth Layer. You..."

Li Chao didn’t finish his sentence. But the meaning was clear.

In his heart, even if Mu Qingge were more talented and had created many miracles, she would find it very difficult to confront Yan Quan with her current Third Layer Spirit Cave Realm strength.

"If you confront Ji Lun, there’s nothing to fear. With Old Three’s ability, it’s not impossible to win. But if you face Yan Quan..." Li Chao sincerely advised Mu Qingge, "Old Three, you have to be careful."

"Thank you, Eldest Young Master, for the advice," Mu Qingge said to Li Chao.

Li Chao waved his hand, saying to her, "You needn’t worry too much. If I come across Yan Quan, I will do my best to defeat him. I will also instruct others, if they encounter him, to try to deplete his Divine Power."

"How is the second round conducted?" Mu Qingge asked curiously.

Zhuang Shan explained, "The second round is a battle royale. Two hundred people go onto the platform at the same time for a melee, and fifty will be immediately eliminated. The remaining one hundred and fifty will each compete, and those who win ten matches first will get their rank. After filling the hundred spots, the rest are eliminated. The top four will compete again. Additionally, once the second round starts, it won’t stop, with no chance to rest. Everyone must always be ready, it’s a test for all."

Through Zhuang Shan’s explanation, Mu Qingge slowly understood.

On the way back to Spring City, she chatted casually with the two of them. She wasn’t worried about Yan Quan and Ji Lun. It wasn’t that she was overly confident or underestimated them, but rather, she believed that since avoidance wasn’t possible, she would face it calmly, meet challenges with strategies at the ready.

Upon returning to Spring City, instead of going back to the temporary residence of the Huan Yue Domain, Mu Qingge went alone to the secluded courtyard where she and Si Mo had a private meeting.

As soon as she entered, Si Mo smiled warmly at her, saying, "Congratulations to the Third Young Master of Huan Yue for claiming the top spot in the first round."

Mu Qingge glared at him, showing no excitement as she said, "My Divine Sense, tempered by the Divine Strategy Middle Volume, has long surpassed my own realm. This kind of competition is no difficulty for me."

"Not happy?" Noticing Mu Qingge’s emotions were off, Si Mo also put away his playful thoughts and held her in his arms, sitting her on his lap.

Mu Qingge nodded truthfully.

In front of this man, she had no need to hide anything.

"Because of Divine Emperor Zhong Shan’s decision?" Si Mo asked again.

Mu Qingge nodded once more.

She turned her gaze to Si Mo, meeting his outrageously handsome face, cupped his cheeks with her hands, and sighed, "I knew I couldn’t hide anything from you."

"You’re unhappy because you think Divine Emperor Zhong Shan’s judgment was too lenient," Si Mo said with a smile.

Mu Qingge nodded, "Exactly. Such blatant cheating, even scheming against others, if not severely punished, will only fuel their arrogance."

"Do you know why, among the Four Divine Domains of the East Divine Land, only the disciples of the Zhuoyu Domain act so brazenly?" Si Mo asked, gazing at her.

Hmm?

This was something she had never really thought about.

Seeing her bewildered look, Si Mo couldn’t resist lightly tapping her nose. He smiled, "The current arrogance of the Zhuoyu Domain is the deliberate work of the other three divine domains. This time, Divine Emperor Zhong Shan’s judgment has two meanings. The first layer is that in the discussions of the Four Divine Domains, disciples of all four must participate. If all the Zhuoyu Domain disciples were eliminated, even if they were at fault first, it would provoke Zhuoyu Divine Emperor to pursue the matter and give him an excuse to trouble Divine Emperor Zhong Shan. Divine Emperor Zhong Shan is a man who dislikes trouble, so he wouldn’t want to provoke it. The second layer is that he did it on purpose. Such a penalty will bolster the disciples of the Zhuoyu Domain, making them even more arrogant."

"I don’t understand," Mu Qingge frowned and shook her head. "Why do that?"

Why do the other three divine domains want to do this?

"Because the ambition of Zhuoyu Divine Emperor is too great, so much so that even one Zhuoyu Domain can no longer satisfy him. The other three divine emperors want to have a reasonable justification to act," Si Mo revealed the crux of the matter with one sentence.

Mu Qingge suddenly understood.

Then, she laughed out loud, "I don’t want to bother with these intrigues and calculations between the divine domains."

"If you don’t want to bother with it, then don’t. My little Ge’er only needs to bother with me," Si Mo said, gently clasping her hand in his, the hint in his eyes was very clear.

In Mu Qingge’s clear and bright eyes, Si Mo’s figure was reflected. She smiled, withdrew her hand, and lifted Si Mo’s chin with her fingertip, smirking mischievously, "This Lord’s body has been indisposed these days, so the Demon Lord will have to deal with it himself."

...

Five days passed in a flash.

Returning to Upper Snow City, the magnificent scenery still left people in awe.

This time, Mu Qingge and her companions were not taken to the Dao Platform, but to another place.

Here, it was still covered by wind and snow, and compared to the Dao Platform, the airflow here was much more violent. Beneath the Snow Peak, there was a massive platform.

The platform was so large it was hard to estimate its size. A person standing on it looked like a small black bean.

At this moment, even with two hundred people standing on it, it didn’t feel crowded at all, instead, it felt quite spacious.

This was the arena for the second round of the competition.

The rules, as in the past, were based on elimination battles within a melee.

Divine Emperor Zhong Shan continued to sit on the Ice Lotus, watching the arena below with great interest. And those watching the match also stood on the protruding platforms around the arena, ready to observe.

Si Mo still remained ’hidden’ among them, silently watching Mu Qingge. He came not to intervene in any of Mu Qingge’s matters because he knew that no matter what happened, Mu Qingge could handle it well.

He came, simply because... he missed her.

Standing on the arena, Mu Qingge whispered to Zhuang Shan and Li Chao beside her, "Since we want to kick out fifty people, and the Zhuoyu Domain is hostile towards us, let’s kick out the people from the Zhuoyu Domain first."

Her words were unanimously agreed upon by the ten members of the Huan Yue group.

Having been schemed against in a vile manner, this enmity was not something they could let go.

"On the arena, fifty people will be eliminated to advance to the next stage, a hundred winners will emerge, and immediately compete for the top four positions. Now begin—!"

As soon as the voice fell, Mu Qingge instantly teleported in front of Ji Lun. As he was stunned, she curled up her lips into a wicked smile...