All in all, Liu Xiaolou couldn’t make sense of the duel between the Soaring Dragon and the Strongman. The difference in their level was simply too great. No matter how much he watched, it was meaningless. It was just a spectacle, nothing more. Just like the last round, he couldn’t even figure out how Jingzhao had actually won.
This match was a bit of a loss. He got to watch the excitement, but his eardrums ended up taking the damage. By the time the next duel began, he couldn’t hear what the two were saying, which left him muddled and confused. Tianmu Mountain was indeed famous for alchemy, but when Lu Yuanlang entered carrying a pill furnace, it caught people off guard. Especially lower-level cultivators like Liu Xiaolou.
Lu Yuanlang sat cross-legged on the ground, closed his eyes, and formed a hand seal. The furnace immediately began to spin and floated up above his head.
Jingzhao, however, didn’t use a spirit-bending technique this time. Instead, he also sat cross-legged across from him, eyes shut tight, fingers moving nonstop through hand seals.
The two of them just sat there in perfect silence, all four eyes closed. There was no thunder or lightning, no sudden gusts of wind or sheets of rain, no smoke or mist. The only signs of movement were the pill furnace whirling above Lu Yuanlang’s head and Jingzhao’s fingers weaving seals without pause.
The whole arena was utterly still, except for the lingering ringing in the ears left behind by the previous duel: “ngngngngng…”
Liu Xiaolou turned his head and looked at the Tigerhead Dragon.
The Tigerhead Dragon nodded back.
He turned and ran off, then came back shouting.
Liu Xiaolou’s comprehension clearly fell short of the Tigerhead Dragon’s. All he could do was point to his own ear. The Tigerhead immediately traced a single character in midair: “Count.”
Only half understanding, Liu Xiaolou watched as Jingzhao suddenly rose to his feet and shouted something at Lu Yuanlang, while holding up two fingers.
Not getting it, Liu Xiaolou asked, “......”
The Tigerhead Dragon spread his hands. “......”
Meanwhile, Lu Yuanlang’s face was drenched in sweat. From above his head rose a misty vapor, within which two glowing spirit pills flickered into view. But just as quickly, their light dimmed and they vanished from sight.
Jingzhao stepped forward and shouted again, raising five fingers this time.
From the vapor above Lu Yuanlang’s head, five spirit pills glimmered faintly. He crossed his arms and began wheeling them about in front of his chest, until at last the five forms were concealed once more. His face, however, had grown even paler.
Liu Xiaolou seemed to catch on. He turned to the Tigerhead Dragon for confirmation.
The flood dragon nodded vigorously in agreement.
For the third time, Jingzhao advanced a step, shouting out.
All at once, the ringing in Liu Xiaolou’s ears vanished, and Jingzhao’s thunderous shout crashed straight in. He only caught half of it: “Dui Seven!”
But just as the earlier buzzing faded, this new “Dui Seven” slammed into him like a blow. Liu Xiaolou helplessly realized that a fresh wave of ringing had begun, this time echoing as “seven-seven-seven-seven—”
On the stage, Lu Yuanlang’s pill furnace dropped back into his hands. Chaotic seven-colored smoke spewed from its mouth, making it clear the refinement had failed.
Lu Yuanlang slowly rose to his feet, his pale face turning greenish. He cupped his hands in salute, then withdrew to the seats of Tianmu Mountain.
And so, Jingzhao, by his own strength alone, had defeated Sun Zhenliu, Qu Xuan, and Lu Yuanlang—three of the finest talents of the younger generation—establishing himself beyond question as the foremost cultivator among the youth of Jing-Xiang. His face remained calm, his eyes roaming the arena as if seeking another opponent. Or perhaps he wasn’t looking for anyone at all, but simply felt weary and listless.
Liu Xiaolou saw the silent Danqiu erupt into applause and cheers. Some people were shocked, some envious, some thrilled, some even moved to tears. Watching it all, he felt a pang of bitterness in his chest, though he knew he wasn’t qualified even to feel bitter. All he could do was sigh in secret.
Then he noticed Su Wan sitting motionless in her seat, eyes locked on Jingzhao in the arena, chin resting in her hands, long lashes flickering now and then. Liu Xiaolou tugged at the Tigerhead Dragon beside him and pointed toward her.
The Tigerhead Dragon watched for a while, then couldn’t take it anymore. Muttering under his breath, he shook his head and walked away.
Seeing that his mood was even worse than his own, Liu Xiaolou instantly felt much better. With his spirits lifted, he used true qi to strike at his eardrums and finally dispersed the ringing, restoring the world around him to normal.
This time, when Cai Qiugong made the announcement, Liu Xiaolou heard it clearly: when the rift in Danxia Grotto-Heaven opened again, Jingzhao would enter for the trial. Based on the usual frequency, the opening was expected within the next ten months. Jingzhao had therefore decided to remain inside Danxia Grotto-Heaven to await it, accompanied by Dongfang Yuying, the young junior disciple of the Qingyu Sect.
With that, the grand ceremony formally came to an end. Apart from Danxia Sect’s inner disciples and stewards, everyone else returned to their own mountains and left the Grotto-Heaven.
Su Zhi departed with the Su family and their vassal sects as well. Liu Xiaolou, reluctant to leave, lingered to take in a few more breaths of spiritual energy and a few last looks at the Danqiu and the Thunderstruck Banyans. By the time he queued up to exit, the Su family was long gone, and no one paid him any attention.
He was long used to such treatment, and thought nothing of it. Stepping out of the Grotto-Heaven, he turned back toward Dragon Gate Bridge. The three words “Danxia Grotto-Heaven” danced across the span in a flourish of dragons and phoenixes. For a moment, he felt dazed. Could these past two days of experiences really have been just a dream?
A large head poked out from the stone basin of the Divine Spring, followed by the bulky body of a burly man tumbling out. It was none other than the Tigerhead Dragon. For Liu Xiaolou, this was the very first time he had ever seen what it looked like when someone came out of a Grotto-Heaven, and he couldn’t help but find it fascinating.
He stepped forward and patted Tigerhead. “Brother Tigerhead, how did you end up coming out last? Didn’t your Lion Ridge group set out early with the Cai family?”
Tigerhead replied, “Didn’t I stay behind on purpose to wait for you, good brother? Eh? Why are you touching me? Don’t... haha, stop it…”
“Hold still… hold still… Looks like everything's fine.” Liu Xiaolou ran his hands along the flood dragon’s lower body, then confirmed, “The Grotto’s gateway doesn’t seem to cause any problems squeezing people out. Hm, interesting…”
Dragonhead was speechless. “Good brother, you just came out yourself. Don’t you know if you’re all right or not?”
Liu Xiaolou grinned. “Of course I know, but I couldn’t see what I looked like coming out. Watching you just now, the way you… you… came out…”
Dragonhead slapped his hand away. “Enough already! Brother, I made sure to remind you, don’t forget our agreement…” He didn’t finish his sentence, just laughed and bolted.
Standing behind them was Su Xi. She frowned as she watched Dragonhead leave, then turned back to look Liu Xiaolou over. She seemed as if she wanted to say something, but in the end only said, “Why so slow?”
Liu Xiaolou forced a smile. “Just curious, that’s all.”
“I won’t be going back for now. I plan to cultivate inside the Grotto-Heaven for two months. You should head back soon. They’ve already gone far ahead.”
With that, she turned and walked straight back into the Grotto-Heaven without a backward glance.
Seeing her attitude toward him turn cold again, Liu Xiaolou sighed. If he’d known it would end like this, he thought, he should have used the fragrance for her last night.
Further up the road, Su Wan was waiting for him. When she saw him, she asked, “What took you so long? About the Yin family, do you have any plan?”
Liu Xiaolou still hadn’t heard back from the Tigerhead Dragon and didn’t know whether that path would work. All he could say was, “Don’t worry, just wait a little. I’m working on it.”
She pressed him. “What plan?”
He gave a bitter smile. “I’m still thinking, aren’t I? It’s not that easy.”
“You’d better think of something now.”
Liu Xiaolou was taken aback. “That urgent?”
Su Wan frowned. “The Yin family’s matchmaker is already up ahead, blocking Father’s way. The proposal’s been made formally.”