Chapter 508 - 175: The Second Bet, The Preliminaries Begin

But now, even catching a distant glimpse had become an impossible dream. It was a sea of people, and she couldn’t find any sign of Yang Jing.

Sun Ningxiang bit her lip, thinking to herself. ’Once the sect announces the start of the competition and things get a little chaotic, I’ll slip away and find where Lingxi Peak is gathered. I have to see Yang Jing.’

But as Sun Ningxiang stood on her tiptoes searching for Yang Jing, another pair of eyes was watching her, their gaze periodically landing on her with a hint of concealed possessiveness.

Yuwen Mingjue stood in the crowd, his oily gaze fixed on Sun Ningxiang’s form as a flicker of heat flashed in his eyes.

Watching Sun Ningxiang’s frantic search, Yuwen Mingjue didn’t even have to guess who she was looking for. It had to be Yang Jing, the man he hated to the very bone.

This only fueled Yuwen Mingjue’s rage. His fists clenched so tightly his knuckles cracked, and his gaze toward Sun Ningxiang was now tainted with an even deeper jealousy and hatred for Yang Jing.

When he first started pursuing Sun Ningxiang, there had been little genuine affection. His main goal was to use her to get the attention of Peak Master Yunxi.

If he could gain the support of a Peak Master, his status in the Yuwen Family would rise accordingly, making the position of Patriarch that much easier to secure.

However, in the course of his pursuit, he had repeatedly professed his love, even humbling himself to promise her the position of matriarch of the Yuwen Family. Yet, every single time, Sun Ningxiang had rejected him without a moment’s hesitation, showing him no mercy whatsoever.

Yuwen Mingjue had seen countless beautiful women in his life. But he had never before met a woman like Sun Ningxiang—not only was she exceptionally beautiful, but she also had a fiery, independent personality, and was backed by a high-ranking figure in the Xuanzhen Sect.

Without realizing it, Yuwen Mingjue’s desire for Sun Ningxiang had grown far beyond his initial calculations, twisting into an almost obsessive possessiveness.

It was just that last time on the Cyan Qilin Platform, Yang Jing had beaten him like a dog in front of all the sect’s disciples. He had lost all face, and since then had been too ashamed to continue pestering Sun Ningxiang.

He was seething with resentment, desperate for a chance to teach Yang Jing a brutal lesson and make him taste the same bitter humiliation—to lose all face before the entire sect.

After all, the Fushan Grand Competition was ten, even a hundred times more prestigious than the Cyan Qilin Battle.

If Yang Jing lost face at the Fushan Grand Competition, the shame would surely be ten, even a hundred times worse than his own!

’And then I’ll go see Sun Ningxiang...’

’But how badly will Chu Yunhai injure Yang Jing?’

’What if it’s only a minor injury?’

Besides, Yang Jing had taken first place in the Cyan Qilin Battle, then broken through to the Qi Eating Realm and made it onto the Hidden Dragon List. He had shown extraordinary potential. How would the sect view him now?

A wave of frustration washed over Yuwen Mingjue, and his fingernails dug into his palms.

Though he wanted nothing more than to kill Yang Jing on the spot, he knew that with the talent Yang Jing had displayed, the sect would very likely groom him for a greater role.

Yang Jing’s current strength might not be enough to break into the top twenty of the Fushan Grand Competition. But as long as he showed off his abilities even a little during the tournament, he would likely catch the eye of the Main Peak Elders and be added to the roster of disciples receiving special cultivation.

At this thought, Yuwen Mingjue gritted his teeth, a vicious glint flashing in his eyes.

He desperately wanted to see Chu Yunhai beat Yang Jing like a dog on that fighting stage.

But Yuwen Mingjue knew the chances of that were slim.

As the top-ranked disciple on the Hidden Dragon List, Chu Yunhai was arrogant. He had already stated clearly that he wouldn’t beat Yang Jing senseless. He would exercise restraint, most likely just defeating and injuring Yang Jing, but not so severely as to invite criticism.

But that would be enough.

Yuwen Mingjue took a deep breath. He no longer cared about seeing Yang Jing seriously injured. All he wanted now was for Chu Yunhai to teach Yang Jing a brutal lesson on the stage.

He wanted Yang Jing to lose all face in front of the entire sect, just as he had.

If possible, it would be even better to have Yang Jing bedridden for a while, delaying his cultivation progress.

...

「On the high platform north of the arena.」

The Sect Leader of Xuanzhen Sect, Cao Zhen, sat enthroned in the center seat. Flanking him were the seven Peak Masters, all with composed and profound auras. As their gazes swept over the sea of people in the square below, they naturally exuded an air of authority.

As the preliminary rounds of the Fushan Grand Competition were about to begin, the Peak Masters shed their usual solemnity and began conversing in low tones, their words filled with expectations and predictions for the participating disciples.

Peak Master Yunxi, Zhou Yunyi, was seated next to Peak Master Lingxi, Bai Bing. They were the only two female Peak Masters among the Seven Veins. With compatible personalities, they had always been close friends. Right now, they were huddled together, whispering with relaxed expressions.

Just then, Bai Bing, who had been chatting idly with Zhou Yunyi, turned her head slightly. Her gaze skipped over two other Peak Masters and landed on Qin Gang, the Peak Master of Zhenyue Peak, who was seated two spots away.

A smile played on her lips. Her voice was just loud enough for the surrounding Peak Masters to hear clearly. "Peak Master Qin, care to make another wager?"

Bai Bing and Qin Gang had made a bet once before. It had ended with Bai Bing’s victory, and Qin Gang had lost an extremely precious Bone Jade Pill.

Sect Leader Cao Zhen and the other Peak Masters were all generally aware of this incident. Now that Bai Bing had suddenly proposed another bet, she instantly captured everyone’s attention. Even Sect Leader Cao Zhen himself looked over with keen interest.

Hearing Bai Bing’s words, Qin Gang’s brow furrowed instinctively, and he was about to shake his head and refuse.