I courted death and then tried to escape, so the whole sect wants to get rid of me.

Not too possible.

This person is a sword fanatic. He used to love to drag her around all day to spar and discuss swordsmanship. They would fight each other for three days and three nights without stopping.

She does seem to have a worse temper now, but not so bad that you could tell who she is at a glance.

However, Song Yao remembered that he always had a very sharp eye and could tell at a glance whether a new disciple was suitable for sword practice and whether he had talent.

They must have noticed something extraordinary about her.

however--

Ming Ran glanced at her, her brows furrowing deeply. She bowed to the Ninth Elder and said, "If you look down on me, you can just say so. Why humiliate me like this?"

Song Yao: "?"

Who is humiliating whom right now?

"I heard that you achieved foundation building in just one incense stick's time."

The Ninth Elder ignored Mingran and stared straight at her. "You were half an hour late for class again today. You're quite ambitious. You'll definitely learn swordsmanship quickly."

"..."

Ambitious?

Her?

What misconception is this?

Without a second thought, Song Yao cupped his hands in surrender: "This disciple is just an ordinary alchemist. This disciple cannot wield the sword. This disciple concedes defeat."

Mingran was ignored, and her eyes widened in anger, trembling with rage.

The Ninth Elder berated everyone, but he singled out this late-arriving, thin and frail little girl for having talent!

This is not just a provocation against her, but a provocation against the entire Ming family.

She took a deep breath, drew her sword, and pointed it at Song Yao: "If that's the case, then let's go!"

Song Yao: "?"

Why has this girl suddenly gone mad again?

Weren't you unwilling just now?

She tried to remind them, "I admit defeat, I won't, I'm just a weak alchemist..."

The Ninth Elder said casually, "Those who are late will be fined one month's salary; if they win, they can be exempted."

Song Yao: "...Isn't being late just copying books?"

She happened to be standing behind Mo Zifeng when the boy secretly leaned close to her ear and whispered, "I heard from Master that everyone knows you want to leave. To prevent you from leaving, they'll deduct spirit stones from your spirit stones if you make a mistake in the future."

Song Yao: "?"

It seems she's wandered into a scam zone.

uncertain.

Let's take another look.

After a moment's hesitation, she looked at the Ninth Elder: "Then, will there be spirit stones if we win?"

The Ninth Elder flipped his hand, and a bag of spirit stones appeared in his palm.

Song Yao: "..."

Fine.

Money makes the world go round.

She is that ghost now.

A row of swords for disciples to use in training were placed on the open ground next to them. Song Yao walked over, weighed them in her hand, put them down, and picked up a wooden sword.

With insufficient spiritual energy and a depleted body, using those swords would only be a burden.

Mingran frowned even more deeply: "What do you mean?"

Song Yao looked quite innocent: "They're heavy, I can't carry them."

Mingran stared at her for a couple of breaths.

The girl stood there, small and delicate, with a book of alchemy tucked into her arms. Her Taoist robe was so loose it looked stolen, and the wooden sword in her hand was so thin it could break in a gust of wind.

The Ninth Elder made her compete in swordsmanship with someone like that; what is that if not humiliation?

Mingran sheathed her own sword, turned to the wooden shelf, and picked out a wooden sword as well: "I won't bully you, come on."

The disciples automatically dispersed, leaving an open space.

Ning Zhou stood beside Song Yao, his face full of worry: "Lin Mu, how about we just give up? If it doesn't work out, we can just hand over the spirit stones. At worst, we won't be late next time."

These sword cultivators are all stubborn and reckless, and they don't know how to hold back when they fight.

With Song Yao's thin arms and legs, she might get broken.

It's not too late to get beaten up after you've gained some weight.

Song Yao was also very sad.

A scholar can be killed or humiliated, but the spirit stone cannot be lost.

This is her guarantee for living an ordinary and happy life.

She patted Ning Zhou on the shoulder: "It's okay."

Ning Zhou retreated, looking back every few steps, searching the ground for planks.

We might have to find something to drag her back later...

Please enlighten me.

Mingran ultimately did not underestimate someone who had reached the Foundation Establishment stage in the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.

She lowered her center of gravity, held the wooden sword horizontally in front of her, and chanted a sword incantation under her breath.

The sword tip trembled, and spiritual energy flowed from the palm into the wooden sword. The thin wooden sword emitted a clear and melodious hum, and wind patterns faintly flowed on the blade.

Then, with a stomp of his foot, he shot towards Song Yao like an arrow released from a bow.

The crowd on the sidelines held their breath, feeling inexplicably tense.

But Song Yao didn't move her feet.

She stood still, the wooden sword flashing from her side with incredible speed. Those present only saw a white light streak before hearing a crisp "clang"—

Mingran's sword slipped from her hand.

The wooden sword spun out and landed with a "thud" on the sand ten feet away.

Song Yao's sword was firmly pressed against Ming Ran's throat.

No one expected the competition to end so quickly.

No one expected that Song Yao would be the winner.

The boys standing together had their mouths agape, wide enough to swallow two eggs.

No.

Is that correct?

What happened?

No one saw Song Yao's move clearly, including the Ninth Elder.

In the silence, Song Yao groaned, threw down her sword, and squatted down, clutching her wrist: "It's twisted, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts."

Mingran: "..."

Her beautiful brows furrowed, still reeling from being instantly defeated, she looked at Song Yao incredulously: "Are you humiliating me?"

Song Yao's forehead was covered in cold sweat, and her lips were pale: "I really twisted it, it hurts so much."

This body has not been trained or nourished by spiritual energy. In order to avoid revealing the sword moves, it moved too fast and exceeded its limits.

The Ninth Elder was the first to notice something was wrong and reacted: "I'll send her to find a healer. You all continue practicing, and don't slack off!"

With that, he picked Song Yao up and flew away on his sword, leaving the remaining disciples looking at each other in bewilderment.

After some time, someone spoke up: "Did you see her move just now?"

"No, was there really a competition just now?"

Did she win or lose?

"have no idea……"

They said she won, that Mingran was unharmed while she was injured and ran to find a healer, that she lost... Mingran didn't even have a chance to fight back.

Jiang Jin walked to Ming Ran's side and gently comforted her, "Junior Sister Ming, were you underestimating your opponent just now? Did you not use your full strength? Just be more serious next time."

"Don't underestimate your enemy!"

Mingran glared at him. "We sword cultivators never underestimate our opponents!"

Jiang Jin choked: "Since she didn't underestimate her, how could Junior Sister Ming, with her strength,..."

"How would I know?"

Mingran was extremely depressed.

Although she was an insider, she had no idea what had happened.

A subtle, yet powerful, force struck, causing her entire arm to go numb and making it impossible for her to hold the sword.

She even felt that Lin Mu hadn't moved at all, yet he had somehow managed to seize her lifeline.

What kind of move is this?

As someone from a family of sword cultivators, she had heard of various sword techniques, but she had absolutely no clue about Lin Mu.

A person nearby sighed, "No wonder Elder Jiu said Lin Mu had talent; it was indeed true."

Mingran: "..."

Compared to them, they really seem like complete trash.

Not right.

Something's not right.

She murmured, "Could she also come from a family of sword cultivators? Who did she learn her swordsmanship from?"

Jiang Jin pursed his lips: "I know."