The three of them genuinely had Yuan Shu's best interests at heart.
After all, Yuan Shu was only at the low-level Qi Refining stage, while Su Lingxi had advanced to Foundation Establishment a few days ago.
The gap between Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment was like that between a child and an adult; there was simply no comparison!
No one favored Yuan Shu to win. Some were gloating, some were genuinely worried, and others just watched coldly from the sidelines.
Yuan Shu took in the expressions of everyone before her, a flamboyant curve lifting the corners of her lips.
"Senior brothers, surrendering without a fight is not my style. Besides, what if I happen to win?"
On her breathtakingly beautiful face, a profound glint flashed across her ink-black eyes. She smiled lightly at them, then lifted her foot and leaped onto the martial arts arena.
Shu Linyuan wanted to step forward to say something more, but Shen Qi grabbed his arm.
"Shushu is not a reckless person. She probably has her own considerations. Let's watch for now and talk if she really loses."
Shu Linyuan frowned slightly, glanced at Yuan Shu on the stage, nodded, and temporarily suppressed the anxiety in his heart.
"Is Yuan Shu really going to spar with Su Lingxi? She's really bold, a Qi Refining cultivator fighting a Foundation Establishment cultivator?"
Someone in the crowd spoke up.
"Ahem, it's ten million spirit stones after all, shouldn't she at least try? Otherwise, who would be willing to just give it away for nothing?"
"Come, come, come! Let's open a pool, place your bets!"
"I bet on Su Lingxi to win!"
"I bet on Su Lingxi too!"
"Me too, me too!"
The crowd grew restless. A betting pool organized by the inner sect disciple Know-it-all was set up right next to the arena.
The onlookers scrambled to place their bets, afraid that if they were a second too late, Su Lingxi's side would be completely full.
Seeing this, Su Lingxi was in no rush to attack. A cold sneer curved her lips as she mocked,
"Yuan Shu, if you take the initiative to offer up the ten million spirit stones now, obediently kowtow and admit your mistakes, and then leave the Luoxian Sect, perhaps you won't lose so miserably!"
"That should be reversed. If you take the initiative to offer up your spirit sword, obediently kowtow and admit your mistakes, perhaps you won't have to take a beating later."
Yuan Shu smiled radiantly, bouncing the words right back at her.
"You!" Su Lingxi's face flushed with anger, wishing she could charge forward and kill Yuan Shu on the spot.
Yuan Shu shrugged, noncommittal.
Just as the betting pool was about to close, she casually pulled out a bag of spirit stones and threw it onto the half of the table marked Yuan Shu in front of Know-it-all.
A full bag of spirit stones, at least tens of thousands.
The people present were stunned. Looking up, they met Yuan Shu's nonchalant smile.
"I'll take a gamble too. I bet on myself to win."
Compared to the piles of radiant spirit stones on Su Lingxi's name next to it, Yuan Shu's side looked extremely shabby.
Aside from the full bag Yuan Shu had bet, there was only a small pouch of spirit stones blindly placed by some undiscerning disciple.
"Alright, alright, bets are valid once placed, no taking back! The pool is closed!"
As soon as Know-it-all finished speaking, he cast a spiritual energy barrier covering the bets on the table.
"Enough, stop wasting time, begin!"
From the high seat, Lu Guichen spoke coldly.
Everyone's eyes fell on the arena, silently guessing how many moves it would take for Yuan Shu to be defeated.
Su Lingxi drew her spirit sword, Lingxi.
The iron-cutting Lingxi had been nourished with her essence blood recently. Although it had not yet developed sentience, it was already connected to her mind.
Without any nonsense, she thrust it straight at Yuan Shu's face!
With her master backing her up, even if she really killed Yuan Shu today, no one would dare say anything!
Su Lingxi made up her mind that even if she couldn't kill Yuan Shu, she had to ruin her face!
This face was so defyingly beautiful, it was simply an eyesore!
A flash of jealousy and hatred crossed her eyes, and Su Lingxi moved at an extreme speed.
The people below widened their eyes at this scene, not daring to blink.
Was Yuan Shu going to lose?
Would she be defeated in a single move?
Seeing the spirit sword rushing toward her face, Yuan Shu finally moved.
A crimson shadow appeared abruptly.
"Clang!"
It clashed with the spirit sword in Su Lingxi's hand, emitting a crisp sound.
Su Lingxi was knocked back several steps. When she steadied herself, she realized that Yuan Shu was holding a long whip.
The whip was entirely blood-red, flowing with fiery red energy, radiant and dazzling under the sunlight.
A faint bloodthirsty spirituality emanated from it; one look and it was clear this was no ordinary item.
Even after repelling Su Lingxi, the long whip coquettishly posed in a drunken beauty reclining posture on the ground.
There was a moment of silence at the scene.
No one expected that Su Lingxi's concentrated, full-force strike would result in this.
"What, what kind of whip is this? It's so beautiful!"
Gasps of admiration rang out in the crowd.
"This whip isn't just beautiful, its grade isn't low either. It's at least a High-grade spirit weapon!" someone chimed in.
"What? A High-grade spirit weapon? Isn't that something only Foundation Establishment cultivators and above can use?" another exclaimed.
Spirit weapons also had grades: low, medium, and high.
The minimum requirement to use a High-grade spirit weapon was the Foundation Establishment stage. Below that, the spirit weapon simply wouldn't respond.
Let alone using it against an enemy!
"You broke through to Foundation Establishment?"
Su Lingxi was horrified, staring at Yuan Shu with a gaze full of doubt and disbelief.
When their weapons clashed just now, the feeling of spiritual energy colliding with hers was a strength that only a Foundation Establishment cultivator possessed.
"Isn't it a bit too late to ask that now?" Yuan Shu chuckled lightly. This time, she struck first, lashing out with the whip in her hand!
Meanwhile, in the spectator stands, Lu Guichen, who had been sitting with a cold face, suddenly stood up upon seeing this, his eyes fixed on the whip in Yuan Shu's hand.
"Peak Master Lu, this disciple you expelled from Qingyun Peak is not simple at all. Not only has she broken through to the Foundation Establishment stage, but she has also tamed an Immortal-grade spirit weapon!"
Beside Lu Guichen, Yao Qianci also stood up with smiling eyes, speaking with profound meaning.
Those disciples below couldn't discern the spirit whip's quality, only thinking it was a High-grade spirit weapon. Only they could tell at a glance that it wasn't High-grade, but an Immortal-grade spirit weapon.
Furthermore... it was an Immortal-grade spirit weapon that had already developed sentience!
From the drunken beauty reclining pose just now, one could also tell that this whip was as flamboyant and unrestrained as its master!
It was even more showy than its master!
While fighting in the air, it didn't forget to strike a few extra special poses.
Making this match look more like a game of cat and mouse.
Naturally, Lu Guichen saw all of this too; otherwise, he wouldn't have lost his composure just now!
Yuan Shu had an Immortal-grade spirit weapon? And she had broken through to Foundation Establishment?
How was this possible?
When did this happen? Why didn't he know about it at all?
Was this still his useless personal disciple who only got up the mountain by spending gold coins?
Even if Yuan Shu really had dumb luck and advanced to Foundation Establishment, how could an Immortal-grade spirit weapon acknowledge a Foundation Establishment cultivator as its master?
And willingly let her command it?
Lu Guichen wasn't the only one surprised; the surrounding disciples were as well.
Everyone knew Yuan Shu was a piece of trash, and everyone thought she was bound to lose this match!
Yet they never expected that she had already broken through to Foundation Establishment!
