"So Shushu was this powerful all along? She broke through to the Foundation Establishment realm a long time ago, so why didn't she say anything? If she had, Master wouldn't have had any reason to drive her down the mountain!"
Beside them, Long Yunhui was completely baffled.
"Perhaps... she doesn't want to stay on Qingyun Peak?" Shen Qi stared deeply at Yuan Shu on the martial arts stage, his lips pressed tightly together.
He didn't know when it started, but he had this feeling that Yuan Shu didn't have a strong sense of belonging to Qingyun Peak.
It seemed that many things about Qingyun Peak were no longer important to her.
When she looked at their Master, Lu Guichen, her eyes seemed to have lost their former reverence.
Her attitude towards them felt more like she was just playing a game with the mortal world.
Previously, he thought this was all just his misconception. After all, Yuan Shu had lived on Qingyun Peak for decades; how could she not treat it as her home?
But now, watching the woman fluttering across the martial arts stage and radiating brilliance, he suddenly felt this sensation growing stronger and stronger.
Yuan Shu's attitude toward Qingyun Peak was that it was entirely dispensable!
She didn't even bother using the news of her advancement to the Foundation Establishment realm in exchange for a chance to stay on Qingyun Peak.
She simply didn't want to stay at all!
As this thought arose, Shen Qi's expression grew tense.
If Yuan Shu didn't like Qingyun Peak, what about them? Were they also... dispensable to her?
Beside him, Shu Linyuan seemed to have thought of this as well, his fists clenched tightly at his sides.
"Shushu, she kept it a secret on purpose!"
Long Yunhui looked at the two of them in surprise, his face full of confusion.
Kept it a secret on purpose? Why?
The status of a direct disciple of Qingyun Peak was something others could only dream of begging for.
How could Yuan Shu not care about it?
But seeing Shen Qi and Shu Linyuan looking as if they were facing a formidable enemy, he opened his mouth but didn't dare to ask.
Forget it. Whether it was intentional or not, they would find out once Yuan Shu finished her match.
Upon seeing that Yuan Shu had already advanced to the Foundation Establishment realm, Master would probably change his mind, right?
Lu Guichen was indeed very surprised because the Yuan Shu fighting Su Lingxi at this moment felt absolutely stunning!
Yuan Shu calmly handled every one of Su Lingxi's attacks. She even cracked the long whip in her hand, finding the flaws in Su Lingxi's offense to deliver a vicious lash!
In just this short amount of time, Su Lingxi had already been struck several times, the pain twisting her expression.
However, these injuries weren't fatal, so she could only endure the pain and launch another attack.
Yuan Shu was like a master in total control, effortlessly toying with Su Lingxi beneath her spirit whip.
This was... a display that only occurred when the gap in power was far too great!
Even though Lu Guichen didn't want to admit it, he had to acknowledge that Su Lingxi didn't seem to be Yuan Shu's match!
Just what had this Yuan Shu been hiding?
Why had she suddenly broken through to the Foundation Establishment realm? Why did she suddenly possess an immortal-grade spirit weapon? Why did she suddenly have such rich combat experience?
These were not things that could be achieved overnight!
Could it be... that she had been hiding her true capabilities all along?
Lu Guichen's eyes widened slightly. Why would she do such a thing?
If she had revealed her strength earlier, for the sake of her hard work, it was merely the status of a direct disciple—it wasn't as if he couldn't give it to her.
Yao Qianci turned his head and glanced at the tense-faced Lu Guichen beside him. His lips pressed tightly together, and the jade pestle he had been continuously twirling in his hand came to a halt.
He had a gut feeling that Lu Guichen was regretting it.
The matter of Yuan Shu leaving Qingyun Peak would probably have to be postponed.
Yao Qianci suddenly felt a pang of regret. Ever since encountering her in the woods that day, he hadn't made a more careful and diligent effort to find Yuan Shu over the past two days.
If he could have found her and taken the opportunity to invite her to Yaoyun Peak first, then Lu Guichen wouldn't even have the chance to regret his decision now!
"M-Master, your disciple... your disciple is in so much pain!"
On the martial arts stage, Su Lingxi, who had just been sent flying by a lash from Yuan Shu's whip, rolled on the ground a few times before coming to a stop.
Her entire body trembled uncontrollably.
It hurt, it hurt too much!
Every time Yuan Shu lashed out with the whip, it sent agonizing spasms of pain throughout her whole body!
That kind of pain felt as if it had penetrated deep into her flesh and bone marrow, making her shudder endlessly.
Yet, there wasn't a single bloody mark on her body. It looked as though the whip had only gently brushed past her, as if she hadn't suffered any injuries at all.
At most, she just looked a bit disheveled and covered in dust!
But she was on the verge of collapsing!
Her Lingxi sword couldn't touch Yuan Shu at all, but the whip in Yuan Shu's hand could effortlessly lash her until she was crawling and rolling on the ground!
She didn't understand. Not long ago, Yuan Shu was just a lowly Qi Condensation cultivator. How much time had really passed? Not only had she broken through to Foundation Establishment, but it seemed she wasn't just at the initial stage of it either!
Otherwise, why couldn't she beat her when she herself had also advanced to Foundation Establishment?
"What's wrong? Su Lingxi, are you going to start calling for help because you can't win? This is a duel based on our bet. Don't tell me you want Peak Lord Lu to intervene? And become the laughingstock of the sect?"
Yuan Shu spoke with a light chuckle as the long whip in her hand lashed out once again!
The whip, Zhuohua, possessed a spirit of its own and knew exactly what kind of injury Yuan Shu wanted to inflict.
It retracted the barbs on the whip and instead used a type of internal force to directly penetrate the surface of Su Lingxi's skin, viciously striking her flesh and bones.
Every strike didn't look very serious on the outside, but only Su Lingxi herself knew just how agonizing the pain truly was!
"Ah!"
Su Lingxi let out a miserable scream. Unable to hold onto her Lingxi sword any longer, it slipped from her grasp.
She fell heavily to the ground, hugging herself as she trembled uncontrollably.
The arrogance she had when she was spouting harsh words at Yuan Shu earlier had long since vanished.
Seeing the whip in Yuan Shu's hand lashing toward her again, Su Lingxi screamed in a terrified breakdown, "Master, save me!"
"Enough!"
A majestic and cold shout rang out, accompanied by a powerful oppressive aura that rushed forward, instantly suppressing the long whip Yuan Shu had raised.
Yuan Shu raised an eyebrow and looked up, only to see that Su Lingxi, who had been rolling in pain on the martial arts stage, was already being helped up by Lu Guichen, who was using his spiritual energy to stabilize her injuries.
Lu Guichen's face was cold and his gaze was deep. Looking at her, he spoke in a low voice, "Yuan Shu, since you possessed such strength, you should have revealed it earlier. As your Master, I wouldn't have gone as far as driving you down the mountain."
"Lingxi is your junior martial sister. She joined the sect later than you, so you should protect her, rather than being so aggressive and trying to put her to death!"
"Let today's matter end here. After the grand competition concludes, I will have your eldest martial brother take you to the Qingyun Peak treasury to pick a suitable spirit weapon as compensation."
"From now on, you are not allowed to strike your junior martial sister so heavily again!"
As Lu Guichen's words came out, the expressions of everyone present changed.
Did his words mean he wanted Yuan Shu to return to Qingyun Peak?
The crowd looked at each other in dismay.
They had originally thought Yuan Shu was bound to lose, but unexpectedly, she actually won.
Moreover, looking at Lu Guichen's attitude, did he regret expelling Yuan Shu from Qingyun Peak?
Even Su Lingxi, who was being supported by Lu Guichen, turned slightly pale.
She had spent so much effort whispering in Lu Guichen's ear, and just when she was about to successfully drive Yuan Shu out of Qingyun Peak, Lu Guichen actually regretted it?
But looking at Lu Guichen's icy expression, she bit her lip, not daring to speak up and retort.
It was all because she was useless, being publicly whipped and humiliated by Yuan Shu.
If she had won this match, how could any of this have happened?
Thinking of the humiliation just now, Su Lingxi's eyes spat fire. The gaze she directed at Yuan Shu was filled with resentment, and she could barely maintain her innocent facade!
