The Ultimate Romantic
...
Yingshi was glad she wasn't drinking water, otherwise she definitely would have spat it out!
Why was it that right before the start of the preliminary trials for the Tiangang Martial Tournament, this group of disciples lining up to enter weren't worrying about the upcoming competition format, but were instead endlessly spreading rumors?
The few disciples lined up in front of her seemed completely unaware that one of the main subjects of their gossip was right nearby. They continued talking with great relish: He truly deserves the term jealous husband!
But what right does he have to be jealous? His junior martial sister isn't romantically involved with him, so she can give her embroidered pouch to whomever she pleases. His furious outburst and beating someone up must have been out of an inferiority complex and wounded pride.
But I heard that his junior sister isn't completely heartless toward him. At the time, she cried and threw herself into his arms as if her heart was breaking! And on the day he coughed up blood, many people were gathered around and got a good look at that hopeless romantic. They said that aside from his extreme temperament, his appearance was incredibly outstanding, truly unforgettable...
Oh? Then we might as well call him the ultimate romantic of the cultivation world!
How come if he's good-looking he's deeply affectionate, but if he's average-looking he's a jealous husband?
I have my own standards of judgment! By the way, what is his name and where does he study?
I've already found out everything. He's from the Cloud Water Sect, Han Shuangjian! And that junior sister is named Xu Yingshi...
...
Hearing her name, Yingshi's face turned bright red. She had no idea what kind of expression to make.
She didn't even dare to imagine what complicated thoughts would run through Shuangjian's mind if there were similar voices around his queue.
Thank goodness he wasn't standing next to her right now!
Thank goodness the entrance to the Tiangang Martial Tournament's preliminary trial would randomly scatter all the disciples!
The preliminary trial of the Tiangang Martial Tournament involved dropping a thousand people into one location to slaughter each other.
Each disciple wore a special beaded bracelet on their wrist. If the bracelet was destroyed, they were considered eliminated. This would continue until the number of people dwindled down to a certain range, at which point the survivors would advance.
It was actually quite easy to understand. It was very much like a modern Battle Royale game. Everyone was placed in a large map where they had to survive in the wilderness, outrun the poison circle, and try their best to eliminate others or hide until the very end.
Yingshi, Shuangjian, Xinmei, and Wei Kai were all placed far apart from one another. It was said that this arrangement was to prevent disciples of the same sect from having spawn points too close together right from the start, which would allow them to team up for the entire match and target solo players.
She had originally worried that being separated from Shuangjian would mean she couldn't constantly monitor his recovery, and that once inside the map, they might not find each other for a long time... but now, she was sincerely grateful for it.
Listening together to a scandal starring the two of them would definitely be a massive test of her tolerance for embarrassment.
Who could have imagined that the obscure Cloud Water Sect of the cultivation world would become famous in this kind of way?
And as the male lead of the original book, the name Han Shuangjian wasn't spreading among the masses through triumphant tales of fighting a hundred men alone or playing the pig to eat the tiger. Instead, he had shot to fame as the representative of jealousy in a romantic gossip column...
Yingshi was so embarrassed she could curl her toes into the ground. She could feel that, aside from the disciples in front of her who didn't know the person involved was right behind them, some of the disciples around and behind her seemed to recognize her. Right now, quite a few secretive gazes were locked onto her.
She struggled internally for a moment before taking two steps forward and patting one of the disciples on the shoulder, attempting to clarify, That's not how it is. Everything you all heard is fake news!
Oh? The group of them turned to look at her.
Yingshi said seriously, Han Shuangjian coughed up blood and collapsed because of his own physical condition, absolutely not because he was trapped by love! Also, the junior sister didn't give her pouch to a passerby; the passerby stole it himself! And it wasn't an embroidered pouch at all, it was a storage bag!
Sister, how do you know all this so clearly?
...Because I am Xu Yingshi, Yingshi said, her voice as quiet as a mosquito.
So it's the junior sister herself!
The group suddenly realized the truth and felt a bit embarrassed. In a few words, they expressed that the news they had heard was incorrect and apologized for causing Yingshi trouble.
Dong—
Just then, the war drums sounded again. Streaks of white light flashed across the teleportation array ahead, and a deep, resonant voice echoed from above: The trial grounds, the Tianshan Snow Plains, are now open. May you all temper your Dao hearts and show your abilities! Enter now...
After a dizzying spell of disorientation, Yingshi herself was enveloped in the white light of the teleportation array. When she opened her eyes again, she was all alone. Everything was completely silent, and all she could see was a vast expanse of white snow...
—So cold!
Yingshi couldn't help but hug her arms and shiver. She immediately chose to use her spiritual energy to warm her body.
This extreme temperature was probably designed to deplete the disciples' spiritual energy as quickly as possible, widening the gap between those with high and low cultivation levels, right?
It was written in the original text that many disciples in the preliminary trials actually never even encountered another person. They simply found it too difficult to survive in the frozen snowy domain. Even using all their spiritual energy for warmth wasn't enough, so they voluntarily destroyed their bracelets and chose to forfeit.
The environment in the Tianshan Snow Plains was incredibly harsh. A blizzard would start every two hours, and the range of each storm would expand. Disciples had to do whatever it took to get closer to the safe zone. As the safe zone shrank smaller and smaller, the probability of everyone running into each other would grow higher and higher—this was exactly the concept of outrunning the poison in a Battle Royale game.
The beaded bracelet on their wrists could indicate the direction of the safe zone. Similar to a compass, it would light up when pointed in the right direction.
And if the bracelet kept flashing continuously, it meant that the wearer was currently inside the storm circle. If they didn't escape in time, they would soon be swallowed by the wind and snow...
Like right at this very moment.
Yingshi stared dumbfounded at the sporadically flashing bracelet on her wrist.
Was the pacing this fast?!
It hadn't even been two minutes since she teleported in, had it?
In the book, the male lead didn't face the blizzard directly until the third circle spawned. Yet her spawn point was directly inside the storm circle... Thinking about it this way, the distance between her and Shuangjian was way too far!
Plus, she was just too unlucky. Staying in the blizzard for the time it takes an incense stick to burn would result in direct elimination!
Yingshi anxiously held up her arm, pointing it around to find her bearings, just like holding a smartphone to look at navigation in modern times. When the bracelet finally lit up noticeably in a certain direction, she ran toward it without stopping.
The snow accumulated in the Tianshan Snow Plains was stubborn snow that had settled over thousands of years. Stepping on it wasn't soft at all; it felt more like a layer of ice.
So when Yingshi stepped on something elastic, her heart instinctively skipped a beat. She looked down and found that what was beneath her feet was indeed snow, but the form of this snow wasn't right... It was actually climbing up her foot little by little, defying gravity, as if trying to embrace her.
What is this?!
Yingshi panicked and kicked her leg to shake it off, but this motion pulled out the full shape of the clump of snow—it was actually a snowman!
To be precise, a snowman puppet?
Haha. A soft chuckle came from diagonally behind her.
Yingshi spun around on reflex. Both her left and right hands simultaneously unleashed the Water Radiance Art. A wave of blue spiritual energy exploded like crashing surf, viciously blasting the snowman puppet on her foot dozens of feet away, where it shattered upon hitting the ground.
The other strike was aimed at the puppet master who had arrived nearby unnoticed. Unfortunately, Qin Yuman leaped to another spot with incredible agility, leaving only a massive crater where he had just stood.
Snow rustled down, and the surrounding snow layers seemed to loosen.
Qin Yuman withdrew his gaze, clicked his tongue, and said leisurely, How utterly rude... Why make such a huge commotion? Aren't you afraid of triggering an avalanche?
The bruises on his face had already faded, suggesting he had used quite a few miraculous elixirs. At this moment, he looked at Yingshi with a half-smile and parted his lips, Little sister, you still remember me, right?
...
Yingshi's expression was solemn. Her gaze moved from his face to his wrist, secretly glancing at the similarly flashing beaded bracelet.
After our intimate encounter that day, I lost my appetite and couldn't sleep, yearning day after day to see my little sister again. However, the injuries on my face just wouldn't heal, and it was truly an eyesore, so I dragged things out until now, Qin Yuman said. Fortunately, we are destined enough to be this close to each other. It's the perfect time to catch up.
His tone was frivolous, but his eyes lacked even the slightest hint of warmth.
Obviously, Qin Yuman held a grudge and had chosen this moment to settle the score.
Yingshi felt a bit guilty and unconfident, as Qin Yuman's strength was very likely above hers.
The reason he had been reduced to a powerless defeated opponent at her hands that day was likely due to other factors. For example, he had committed theft first, placing him at a moral disadvantage, making it hard for him to righteously resist the law enforcement and judgment of her, who stood on the moral high ground...
But no matter how unsure she felt inside, she absolutely could not let that guilty conscience show on her face. Otherwise, wouldn't that give the enemy room to push his luck?
So Yingshi let out an incredibly cold and arrogant snort, trying hard to say something ruthless that sounded highly lethal: If you want to be less of an eyesore, merely healing your injuries won't be enough.
Qin Yuman raised an eyebrow, touched his face with the back of his hand, and said with a hint of innocence, It doesn't seem that hideous, does it? Why don't you tell me, which of my facial features offends your eyes?
I don't have time to cure your appearance anxiety. You'd better go ask a doctor at a top-tier hospital! Yingshi quickly dropped the sentence and prepared to continue walking away.
She had no desire to waste time here with a weirdo like Qin Yuman. She could already clearly feel the wind picking up. Not far away in mid-air, rolling snow flurries were brewing, and pale gray clouds surged in like a tide, pressing down heavily on the sky...
Only a fool wouldn't run when the safe zone was shrinking!
You're not allowed to leave, Qin Yuman said in a low voice.
As his words fell, a half-human-tall snowman stood up in front of Yingshi. She had no idea when Qin Yuman had made these puppets, and it gave her a start.
The snowman swung its fist at her stomach. This was the signal to start the battle. Yingshi dodged sideways and struck back at the snowman's head, but Qin Yuman had already teleported over, raising his palm to intercept her wrist and arm.
Yingshi was thoroughly annoyed. She unleashed a spiritual wave from her palm, but this time Qin Yuman bent down and leisurely hid behind the snowman, letting it block the attack for him.
The snowman took the brunt of the attack and scattered into snowflakes. Only then did he stand up and say mildly, Little sister, you've ruined another one of my puppets. I'm keeping a tally of all this.
As soon as you entered the arena, you started building snowmen nonstop. Don't you think that's hilarious? Yingshi said coldly, spiritual light erupting from her fingertips. Let's see how many more piles of snow you can build!
With that, she suddenly dashed forward. The spiritual power in her fingers transformed into continuous water arcs, slashing toward Qin Yuman with ice-like radiance.
Who said I still need to use snowmen?
Qin Yuman raised his palm and pushed back. Several ugly rag dolls suddenly popped out from his messy clothes, lunging fiercely at Yingshi, intending to tear off the beaded bracelet on her arm.
Getting eliminated would be disastrous!
Yingshi hurriedly formed hand seals. A water screen barrier erected in front of her, and the rag dolls were frozen into ice sculptures the moment they pounced on it.
She frowned and struck out with a palm. The air wave was extremely dense, stirring up swirling snow and forcing Qin Yuman to retreat three steps.
Yingshi pursued her victory, executing the final stance of the Heavenly Water Splendor technique, which she rarely tried. The gushing spiritual power wrapped in snowflakes blasted Qin Yuman entirely into the ice layer. With a loud bang, ice and snow splashed everywhere—how was this any different from burying someone in the dirt?
Yingshi felt incredibly delighted, almost wanting to put her hands on her hips, tilt her head back, and laugh out loud three times. However, the visibly approaching blizzard around her made her unable to laugh.
Having defeated the hateful roadblock, she really couldn't delay anymore. She approached the ice hole where Qin Yuman was, wanting to destroy his beaded bracelet in passing. But in the split second she took a step forward, Yingshi suddenly felt her body tighten.
She looked down...
Her wrists, ankles, and waist had somehow been entangled by extremely fine, transparent silk threads.
Those threads were incredibly flexible and dominant, firmly binding her limbs in the blink of an eye.
Yingshi's body suddenly stiffened. It seemed as if the spiritual energy in her entire body had also been sealed. She was clearly struggling with all her might, yet she couldn't move at all.
Qin Yuman stood up from the pit with a head full of ice shards. He brushed the snow off his shoulders and said with a smile, Using my long-treasured Weeping Celestial Silkworm Threads on you isn't exactly a waste.
...What did you do to me?! Yingshi glared furiously, desperate to rush up and hit him, but her hands and feet no longer obeyed her commands.
Turning you into my puppet, of course.
Qin Yuman calmly twitched his fingers, and Yingshi suddenly turned around. She raised her arms, lifted her legs, and stepped forward, but not of her own volition. She was being manipulated by Qin Yuman to walk toward the outskirts, toward the center of the world-devouring blizzard.
It turned out that in those moments when her ankles were grabbed and her arms were blocked, the so-called Weeping Celestial Silkworm Threads had already been wrapped around her, but she had never noticed... As a result, she had become Qin Yuman's puppet just like that?!
The book clearly never mentioned that Qin Yuman liked to control people during combat. Wasn't he only fond of manipulating puppets? How hateful!
We can talk this over. Let me go first, can we call a truce?
Yingshi wanted to cry but had no tears. She watched helplessly as the beaded bracelet on her wrist flashed faster and faster. The wind howled in her ears, and the hem of her clothes was almost shredded by the gale.
She tried to negotiate with Qin Yuman, but the increasingly distant voice behind her merely replied faintly, No can do, and continuously controlled her steps to venture deeper.
Coarse snowflakes hit her face like blades. Yingshi couldn't stop her steps. She could no longer see anything before her eyes. The vast snow rolled into massive wind clusters, and she was about to be ground into a speck of dust in this wind field, walking so pathetically toward the sky full of pale gray...
Who else would be like her, not running away when a blizzard arrived, but instead stubbornly plunging right into it?
Eh?
Yingshi was stunned for a moment because her stiff body suddenly bumped into an obstacle.
There was no doubt it was a human figure, yet it wasn't cold and hard like a snowman puppet; instead, it was warm, tall, and powerful.
She crashed headlong into a solid chest. Her limbs were still flailing out of pure momentum, but the sudden obstacle forced her to a stumbling halt.
"..."
Yingshi's heart began to race even before she dazedly lifted her head. In her bewildered state, her gaze collided with a pair of eyes that were colder than the blinding snowstorm around them.
Shuangjian had come from the very edge of the world, stepping through the raging blizzard just to catch her.
