Chapter Twenty-Two: In the Midst of Doubt

Jiang Yue took the blow and felt as if her waist was about to snap. Fortunately, she was a genuine Foundation Establishment cultivator; her physical resilience was not lacking. It hurt, yes, but not to the extent of injury. Her loud scream was not truly because she couldn’t bear the pain on her back—it was intentional. From her experience, a delicate young girl’s shriek always provokes odd thoughts in men. Even Wang Li, who was notoriously indifferent to such matters, would be confused for a moment; if nothing else, it would disrupt his focus.

The spectators’ reactions matched her expectations. Zhang Zheng, seeing Jiang Yue kicked aside, felt his heart leap into his throat. Even though Elder Xiu Ye was overseeing things, if anything happened to this little ancestor right under his nose, he knew that, given the sect leader’s protective nature, his own days would be numbered.

“Stop!” Zhang Zheng, regardless of whether it was proper to halt the match at that moment, leaped to place himself between the two.

“Zhang Zheng, stand down,” Xiu Ye’s voice rang in his mind, prompting him to withdraw his step. He looked at Xiu Ye, bewilderment in his eyes. Elder, what if something goes wrong?

Xiu Ye seemed not to notice his expression, wholly focused on Wang Li. “How can Wang Li be so incapable? Did the sect leader misjudge him?” He began to suspect whether Wang Li had really been possessed by someone else. In the cultivation world, only true experts could successfully possess another; before possession, one must at least be at the Nascent Soul stage, otherwise one couldn’t control the basic manipulation of the soul and form a true spirit. In short, it’s nearly impossible for anyone below Nascent Soul to achieve possession and rebirth.

Wang Li appeared normal—a typical cultivator—able to enter Foundation Establishment in just over a month, which suggested a successful rebirth. But his near-total lack of combat experience? What was that about?

“Hiding his abilities? There’s no reason for it—it’s unreasonable. How can he make a place for himself in the sect without displaying his strength? Relying solely on artifacts and a cultivation technique whose effects are still uncertain to supplement his abilities?” “Was he simply an unskilled cultivator before? But even so… could he really be so incompetent?”

Xiu Ye hadn’t yet witnessed Wang Li’s behavior earlier that day, or his doubts would have multiplied. Still, Wang Li’s bizarre performance was enough to arouse his suspicions.

“It seems I’ll need to keep a closer eye on Wang Li in the future.”

On the sidelines, Liu Wan Jin, who had been quietly observing Wang Li, was equally troubled—more so, in fact, than Xiu Ye. He had witnessed Wang Li’s daylight performance firsthand: a complete novice, utterly lacking in combat awareness. Yet in this latest exchange, though Wang Li remained awkward, his improvement was obvious! How much time had passed since the last bout? Even ignoring the use of spiritual power, just his grasp of timing and control of force would have required hundreds of repetitions to reach this level!

Such conspicuous progress made Liu Wan Jin suspicious—was Wang Li truly clueless, or was he deliberately concealing something? Now Wang Li had agreed to a rematch with Jiang Yue; what was his purpose? Liu Wan Jin was certain Wang Li had no idle interest in sparring with a child. He suspected Wang Li was hiding something and using the dispute with Jiang Yue to achieve a particular goal.

Whether his assumptions were right or wrong, the fact remained: Wang Li had created a magical artifact. A person capable of crafting and inscribing such artifacts could not be utterly inexperienced in combat.

“Could the one who possessed Wang Li be from outside this world?” Liu Wan Jin suddenly entertained a bold hypothesis. “Only someone from beyond the world of Tianxuan could accomplish what no cultivator here could.” If you eliminate all impossibilities, then whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.

“But can those who leave the world of Tianxuan really return?” This thought troubled Liu Wan Jin so much that he left the duel and returned to the main hall, full of doubts and conjectures. After all, with Xiu Ye watching, nothing untoward could happen.

No one but Xiu Ye noticed Liu Wan Jin’s departure; all others were transfixed by the two contestants’ performances. Many spectators rubbed their eyes and cleared their ears.

…The spectacle was, frankly, painful to watch.

Jiang Yue’s scream was equally discomforting.

“Hey, am I seeing this right? Are those two really Foundation Establishment level?”

“That guy wasn’t lying—these two are truly extraordinary. Their fight is… terrifying. I’m starting to wonder if our sect leader has developed psychological trauma from the Three Great Scourges, because… because… I can’t find the words!”

“Heh, you mean the sect leader’s afraid to teach real skills for fear that the new disciples will become another scourge like the Pure Yang Temple?”

“I never said that; you’re imagining things!”

“But seriously, what’s up with Wang Li? He was a complete amateur by day, and now at night he’s… a slightly less amateurish amateur?”

“Your focus is odd. Shouldn’t we be wondering how they reached Foundation Establishment at such a young age?”

“Shut up!”

“Senior sister, you’re beautiful, but if you don’t retract that statement, no one will want to team up with you for the next trial…”

“I…”

The commotion below did nothing to disturb Wang Li’s concentration on the stage. Jiang Yue’s scream and Zhang Zheng’s intervention were equally ineffective.

Seeing Jiang Yue thrown to the ground, Wang Li quickly rose, leapt into the air, and unleashed a palm strike wreathed in crimson flames, descending straight upon the prone Jiang Yue.

“Brutal!”

“Shameless! She hasn’t even gotten up yet…”

“Destined to die alone!”

Wang Li’s relentless attack appeared to others as an unscrupulous act—cold-blooded, striking a helpless, screaming young lady.

Zhang Zheng moved to intervene again, only to be stopped by another message from Elder Xiu Ye, and could only watch Wang Li’s attack fall upon Jiang Yue.

But as Jiang Yue felt the pressure bearing down from above, she was not flustered or frightened; instead, the corners of her mouth lifted ever so slightly.

“This is exactly what I was waiting for!”

A trace of victorious cunning appeared on her face. From the storage bracelet on her right hand, a talisman flew out.

“Dodge!” she called softly. The talisman flashed white, and her figure appeared above Wang Li.

Wang Li’s palm stru