It was not unusual for there to be some casualties in the sparring matches, and that was considered quite normal. But those people—their cultivation arts were unknown, yet every single one of them was proficient in the underhanded techniques and poison arts of the demonic path. Every disciple who lost a bout against them either fell into an inexplicable coma or was poisoned so badly that their injuries were incredibly severe and nearly impossible to treat! Fortunately, since these people were within Yanling Fort, they showed some restraint. No disciple had yet been killed or gravely injured, which was at least a small mercy. "Sigh, for the two of you to witness the Yan family in such a state—I am truly mortified!" Yan Yu said with an embarrassed expression.
"However, when we left, I heard that the elders could no longer sit idle. They had already sent for the disciples of the Martial Hall to which my brother belongs. Those are our Yan family's elite disciples who have practiced the secret arts—they'll definitely give these people a lesson they won't forget!" Yan Ling chimed in from the side, unable to hold back, and even waved her small fist.
"Nonsense! A girl like you should not be thinking about fighting all day long. We've already brought these guests back. Quickly tell Uncle Li to send the next group of welcoming disciples—don't keep the other guests waiting!" Yan Yu put on a stern face, scolded his younger sister a few times, and then sent the somewhat displeased girl away.
At that moment, he turned to Han Li and the others to explain:
"Because there have been so many guests recently, and the crowd has been mixed, our Yan family has activated part of the fort's protection restrictions. Now, in certain special areas within the fort, long-range techniques like voice-transmission talismans can no longer be used, so my little sister had to make the trip personally! My sister and I were not originally assigned to reception duties, but the fort is desperately short-handed right now. And with the incident of someone coming with ill intentions, we had no choice but to help out for the time being." After Yan Yu finished speaking, his expression darkened as he glanced into the distance, where the Yan family disciples and the strange visitors were already engaged in a magical battle.
"So it turns out Senior Brother Yu is an elite disciple of the Yan family. You must be highly valued indeed!" Dong Xuan'er said with a radiant smile, her eyes sparkling. Her already beautiful features became suddenly enchanting, reducing the Yan Yu across from her to a state of momentary bewilderment.
"Well... I suppose so!" Yan Yu murmured distractedly, not even aware of what he was saying. He simply felt that Miss Dong was breathtakingly beautiful, almost identical to his ideal woman!
"Hee hee! Then..."
"Brother Yan, would it be convenient to go watch the sparring match? I'd like to see who these bold intruders are that dare to cause trouble at the Yan family!"
Dong Xuan'er found his expression amusing and laughed crisply a few times, about to tease him further. But to her surprise, Han Li suddenly spoke up, interrupting her words.
"Ah... watch? Of course! The one currently sparring with the opponent is a cousin of mine. His Dao arts are profound enough to rank in the top ten of the Martial Hall—he should be able to give the other side a good lesson!" Yan Yu, jolted back to awareness by Han Li, was briefly startled before readily agreeing.
Hearing this, Han Li smiled inwardly, knowing that on one hand Yan Yu had no reason to stop them, and on the other hand was confident of victory—which was why he agreed so readily.
And so, the three flew down to the vicinity of the sparring arena and walked toward the crowd of spectators.
Drawing a bit closer, Han Li was somewhat surprised to find that the onlookers numbered over a hundred cultivators. Judging by their attire, most of them were not local cultivators from the Kingdom of Yue at all, but had come from other states—truly strange!
Han Li was filled with questions, but as a guest, he did not feel it appropriate to inquire too much. He could only keep them to himself and pretend not to notice.
As for Dong Xuan'er beside him, she continued chatting and laughing with Yan Yu. But the subtle hint of astonishment in her eyes, though faint, did not escape Han Li's notice. It seemed this woman was not merely a pretty vase after all!
But this willful girl had some unknown design in mind, for she, like Han Li, showed no intention of questioning the irregularities, which left Han Li somewhat frustrated.
"Xuan'er, you're here too! How wonderful—I thought Aunt Hongfu would never let you out!" Just as the three approached, a handsome young male cultivator ahead happened to turn around and caught sight of Dong Xuan'er. His face immediately lit up with wild joy, and he strode over, addressing her with extraordinary familiarity.
The moment this person approached, Dong Xuan'er's smile froze, and Yan Yu's expression turned displeased, his gaze flickering uncertainly.
Han Li, as an outsider, remained perfectly composed with no sign of surprise. He understood clearly that this was most likely one of Dong Xuan'er's former suitors—the man's surname was Feng. Could this be the "Feng family" his master's wife had mentioned before?
"Senior Brother Feng! I had no idea that Uncle Du would have you participate in this tournament!" Dong Xuan'er's flash of discomfort passed in an instant. After a quick roll of her eyes, she greeted him openly and naturally, as though he were truly just an ordinary friend.
This immediately improved Yan Yu's mood considerably, but Senior Brother Feng was taken aback before he noticed Yan Yu and Han Li standing beside Dong Xuan'er.
Han Li, for his part, offered a faint smile when the man looked his way and took half a step away from Dong Xuan'er to signal his innocence. Yan Yu, however, stared back at the newcomer without the slightest courtesy. Now it was clear who the rivals were, and Senior Brother Feng naturally understood, his face darkening as he sized up Han Li ceaselessly.
Han Li found this scene somewhat amusing, yet also puzzling! Wasn't it said that Dong Xuan'er and this Senior Brother Feng already had a mutual interest in dual cultivation? But now the willful girl showed no inclination to favor Senior Brother Feng! Could the rumors be wrong?
Han Li thought about it briefly, then shook his head, too lazy to dwell on the matter. He had no desire to waste his brain on such gossip.
He walked forward a few steps, leaving the other three behind.
Han Li had no interest in how Senior Brother Feng and Yan Yu competed for Dong Xuan'er's attention, nor did he care how she played them against each other. His attention was entirely captured by the battle inside the barrier of light.
Yan Yu had not been exaggerating!
His cousin was truly formidable. His earth-element Dao arts were executed with breathtaking mastery. Millstone-sized boulders of rock were hurled from his palms one after another, crashing toward the opponent as if there were no end to them. Before him stood a triangular yellow banner that summoned a gust of yellow wind, enveloping him completely in a tight defensive shroud.
But the green-robed opponent was no less impressive! Several streams of ink-black qi billowed from his body, wailing and hissing like venomous serpents as they wove an impenetrable black net before him, deflecting all the boulders back—sometimes straight back at the Yan family elite, leaving him scrambling to cope. As for his magical artifacts, they were six or seven gleaming white skulls that floated around him, their purpose still unknown.
And so, one attacked wildly while the other defended silently in a stalemate!
But it was clear that both were merely probing each other and had not yet fought in earnest. Despite the spectacular spectacle—boulders filling the sky, black qi rolling—they remained calm and unhurried, without the slightest hint of strain on their faces.
Han Li was watching intently when he suddenly heard Dong Xuan'er say, "Senior Brother Han, don't you agree?" This caught him off guard. Before he even turned around, he reflexively murmured, "Mm."
But the moment that "Mm" left his lips, Han Li immediately sensed danger and whipped his head around.
To his dismay, the two love rivals—who should have been hostile to each other—were now directing hostile glares at him, united in shared resentment.
He had clearly been framed by this willful woman!
"You heard it! Senior Brother Han himself admitted it. I must stay by his side every step of the way on this journey—it was a direct order from my master!" Dong Xuan'er put on a pitiful, delicate expression as she spoke. But the moment the two love-struck fools let their guard down, she immediately made a face at Han Li, leaving him speechless.
This Dong Xuan'er had seized a moment of his inattention to create two major headaches for him. It was clearly retaliation for the times he had used Aunt Hongfu's name to keep her in check throughout their journey, and if these two were to teach him a lesson, she would surely be delighted!
Han Li glanced at the two hostile men, sighed, and was about to say something—but before he could open his mouth, the expressions of both men suddenly changed. Yan Yu, in particular, grew tense, and their gazes shifted from Han Li to the sparring arena.
Seeing this, Han Li understood that something must have changed in the arena and quickly turned to look as well.
The standoff inside the barrier of light had finally been broken!
The Yan family disciple had stopped using the boulder technique and was now gripping a blue-yellow paper fan with both hands, fanning it with great effort toward his opponent. Each swing of the paper fan—which should have been a weightless object—seemed to drain the Yan family disciple's immense stamina, leaving him drenched in sweat!