Transmigrating into the body of a white-haired fairy, she also encounters a late-born woman seeking

Boom!!

With a deafening roar, the disciples in the audience felt as if the entire sky had exploded. The ear-piercing energy roar and the earth-shaking tremors made them feel dizzy and disoriented.

Fortunately, the protective array on the outside held them off in time; otherwise, even if they were in the audience, they would not have been unharmed.

On the arena, a surge of energy continuously rippled, as if in a desperate resistance.

The tide had passed for more than five minutes when the smoke and dust finally dissipated, and Shen Lingtian's prostrate figure lay on the ground, unable to rise.

He was covered in blood and looked as if he was clinging to his last breath.

He was so weak that he couldn't even lift his hand, and with his last bit of consciousness, he stared intently at the equally wounded body opposite him.

"I...I actually lost..."

"I actually lost to...you..."

Shen Lingtian gave a bitter, self-deprecating laugh, still unable to confirm this fact.

He possesses the Supreme Physique and cultivates immortal scriptures, making him qualified to compete for the title of the number one prodigy even in the entire Northern Spirit Region.

However, they were defeated by a kid of unknown origin.

Why?

Why is this happening?

Finally, he tried to stand up, but intense pain surged through him like a tidal wave, and Shen Lingtian fainted and collapsed to the ground with a cry of pain.

"......"

"......"

The moment Shen Lingtian collapsed, a deathly silence fell over the surroundings.

Even the sound of a needle and thread falling to the ground could be easily heard.

They stared blankly at the blood-soaked, swaying figure in the center of the giant crater in the arena, and there was no shouting or celebration as usual.

There was no passion, no joy, no admiration, and no reverence.

It wasn't until Chu Yang's gaze fell upon the referee elder not far away that the latter coughed lightly and announced loudly.

"Shen Lingtian of Shangqing Peak is incapacitated; Chu Yang of Zidan Peak emerges victorious!"

The surroundings remained eerily quiet.

Chu Yang calmly glanced at the crowd, his expression utterly unmoved.

But the next moment his face turned pale, and a mouthful of blood gushed from his mouth as he coughed repeatedly.

He subconsciously clutched his chest, glanced one last time at a certain spot in the audience, and then slowly flew out of the Ascension Arena, dragging his badly injured body, until he gradually disappeared from everyone's sight.

"......"

"Chu Yang won? Senior Brother Ling Tian lost??"

"How is this possible? Senior Brother Ling Tian possesses the Supreme Physique!"

"However, it seems that although Chu Yang won, he also paid a great price."

"This duel is truly terrifying. I'm afraid that there won't be a battle of this level among geniuses in the Nine Meridians Martial Arts Tournament for thousands of years to come."

"Sigh... the Xuanling Sect is probably about to undergo a major upheaval..."

"......"

The audience seating area is located in the Shuiyuefeng area.

When they saw Chu Yang and Shen Lingtian defeat each other in one move, and Shen Lingtian was seriously injured and unconscious and carried away by the elders of Shangqing Peak for treatment, while Chu Yang left alone, the three disciples under the peak master were stunned.

"Shen Lingtian lost? Chu Yang really won??"

"But why didn't Chu Yang come here after he won?" Shi Xiaoman looked at Lin Xi in confusion.

And weren't they fighting over the Second Senior Sister before? How come their fight just fizzled out?

Are we just going to leave Second Senior Sister here unattended?

Chu Yang won, so doesn't he need his second senior sister to help him heal his injuries? Or to confess her feelings?

Shi Xiaoman felt that if her fiancé defeated the most powerful genius in the entire sect and did it for her sake, then even if she hadn't been interested before, she couldn't possibly be completely unmoved by his confession.

She might even fall in love with him.

Now that he has defeated Shen Lingtian, wouldn't it be a natural progression to reveal their marriage contract? Wouldn't that convince the sect disciples?

Moreover, the atmosphere at the Ascension Site is quite strange.

Seeing Shi Xiaoman's puzzled expression and Lin Xi's silence, Zhong Shuyun sighed softly.

"There was actually no winner or loser in this match."

"It concerns victory, and it also concerns Second Junior Sister."

"That's why they won't say or do anything, and Chu Yang did the right thing in that regard."

"Senior Sister, what does this mean?" Shi Xiaoman was even more puzzled.

"Chu Yang is an outsider after all, and he's also involved in an ambiguous relationship with his second junior sister, so even if he defeats the strongest prodigy, few people will acknowledge it. But right now, they can't openly criticize him either."

"Chu Yang and they are currently in a delicate balance, if we were to use a relationship as an analogy..."

"That is... um..."

"That is to ascend the throne!"

"It's like when the emperor's powerless illegitimate son is suddenly brought back, defeats the crown prince, and inherits the throne, the ministers in the court have to remain silent and observe."

"Huh? What's all this about? What does this have to do with Second Senior Sister?" Shi Xiaoman grabbed her hair and scratched it hard.

"Second Junior Sister?" Zhong Shuyun's gaze fell on Lin Xi, and she continued:

"This must be related to Second Junior Sister. They originally thought that Second Junior Sister was the rightful Crown Princess, but after Chu Yang became Emperor, he ended up taking the Crown Princess for himself."

"And the Crown Princess was also a woman admired by these court officials."

Lin Xi: "......."

"What the heck is this?!" Shi Xiaoman was full of questions.

"Crown Princess? Second Senior Sister is only engaged to Chu Yang! They are the legitimate heirs!"

"Um, this..."

Zhong Shuyun rested her chin on her hand, deep in thought.

"That makes sense, but they don't know about the relationship between the two, so they are suspicious of both the illegitimate child and the Crown Princess. Fortunately, Second Junior Sister... no, the Crown Princess didn't show up to support the illegitimate child before, otherwise she would definitely have been caught in the storm of public opinion as well."

"......."

"Why didn't the illegitimate child and the Crown Princess just confront them directly from the beginning? Why go through all this trouble?"

"That way they'll have nothing to say!"

Zhong Shuyun gently shook her head, "That won't work, because that illegitimate child knows that if he reveals their relationship from the beginning, it will only lower the status of the Crown Princess and cause her to be caught in a storm of public opinion."

"Therefore, he can only defeat the Crown Prince head-on and then announce this relationship without embarrassing the Crown Princess, so that others know that her contractual relationship is not a burden or a demeanor."

"......"

"So Chu Yang was considering Second Senior Sister's interests from the very beginning?" Shi Xiaoman's eyes widened, not expecting there to be such a connection.

Chu Yang's consideration was quite thorough.

He seems cold and indifferent, yet he's somewhat understanding?

"I guess so. Chu Yang must have considered that."

"......."

Lin Xi was speechless at this moment.

She obtained this whole story by coaxing him into using the word "husband" in a coquettish manner.

This wasn't something Chu Yang considered on his own!

"Now that the illegitimate son has defeated the Crown Prince and successfully ascended the throne, shouldn't he announce his relationship with the Crown Princess at this very moment? Why didn't Chu Yang... no, that illegitimate son do so?" Shi Xiaoman asked suspiciously.

"This requires considering the principles of being a good person, or, to use the analogy from earlier, the art of being an emperor."

"The principles of being a good person?" This time, Shi Xiaoman's brain went blank again.

"Yes, after all, this illegitimate son is an outsider. He just defeated the Crown Prince and forcibly declared a relationship with the Crown Princess, taking her into his arms and indulging in nightly revelry. To the court officials, he is undoubtedly a domineering and incompetent ruler."

"Therefore, he cannot be impatient for quick success after just defeating the crown prince."

"At the same time, he cannot announce it directly; instead, it must create a sensation among the court officials and be announced by someone else."

"This way, he could avoid appearing too domineering, while also projecting himself as a virtuous emperor who was approachable enough to accept betrothal gifts, leaving room for compromise."

Night after night of revelry?

Lin Xi wore a look that was both funny and exasperated.

"Senior Sister, could you please use some more normal language?"

"Ahem..." Zhong Shuyun coughed lightly.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.