Chapter Fifty-four: Victory

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Chapter Fifty-Four: Victory
Chapter Eight: Yunpeng Roams Free, Jade Hare Sends Love (Part Three)

The crowd below the stage was struck with astonishment, unable to comprehend what had transpired between the two contestants. Just moments ago, Wang Zhidao had been brimming with confidence, while Ye Hua seemed to be in dire straits. How had their fortunes reversed so suddenly, and why was Wang Zhidao now begging for mercy?

An Chengyi was about to rush onto the stage to intervene when Bai Shisong laughed and said, "Brother An, our tournament rules forbid outside interference until the two contestants themselves decide the outcome and voluntarily cease. Let us not break the rules!" An Chengyi glanced at the judges below the stage; seeing they remained silent and simply watched with calm attention, he could only nod, his expression dark. "Brother Bai is quite right. I merely hope Brother Ye will show some mercy."

On the stage, Ye Hua was undergoing a strange transformation. Gold, green, and black lights swirled around him in an uncanny display. The crowd had suspected Wang Zhidao was using some formidable technique, but now realized Ye Hua himself was employing some mysterious, hidden art.

Ye Hua was suffering intensely; his internal energy surged wildly, threatening to burst forth, oblivious to the world around him. Suddenly, his body trembled violently as his internal energy rushed toward his spiritual center. He felt as though a shell had broken—a chick emerging from its egg—shattering the constraints and nurturing new life. His mind cleared, and he sensed himself breathing in the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.

Having found an outlet for his internal energy, his body stabilized. He slowly opened his eyes to find Wang Zhidao weakened to the point of collapse. "Ye…Ye…Brother Ye, I admit defeat," Wang Zhidao gasped. Ye Hua was startled, observing Wang's frail state and recalling a similar incident with Master Huoshu, a shiver running through his heart. He slowly withdrew his Sixfold Heavenly Wish technique, retracting his hand.

Without support, Wang Zhidao immediately collapsed to the ground. Ye Hua stared at Wang in bewilderment, then looked at his own hand. Disciples from Guangzong Temple rushed onto the stage to help Wang, who seemed barely alive. They glared at Ye Hua with hatred yet a hint of awe, not daring to speak, then left the stage.

Qingxia and Qingyu cheerfully ascended the stage, placing a hand on Ye Hua's shoulder. "Junior Brother, you're impressive! Ha-ha, who would've thought you had hidden talents—your brothers have been worried sick!" Ye Hua, knowing his victory was rather inexplicable, smiled bitterly. "Fourth Brother, Fifth Brother, I…"

Qingxia laughed loudly, "Enough, I know your skills are shallow—how could someone at the fourth level be a match for a Seven Treasures disciple at the sixth realm?" Qingyu asked curiously, "Then how is it that Junior Brother is still standing on stage while the Guangzong Temple disciples have left?"

Qingxia replied, "Brother, you must not know. The disciples of Guangzong Temple are surely yielding to the virtuous, showing respect to a true master!" Qingyu giggled, "Even so, why did they crawl off the stage so feebly?" Qingxia said, "To show respect to a master, they must humbly lower themselves—thus, they crawl!"

Qingyu exclaimed in wonder, "Crawling! The disciples of Guangzong Temple truly possess extraordinary knowledge; we are deeply impressed!" Many Guangzong Temple disciples on and off the stage heard this and glared furiously, some even cursing aloud. An Chengyi, his eyes gloomy, said, "Brothers and sisters of Bishan Temple, let us meet again another time!" With that, he turned and left, followed by the disciples of Guangzong Temple.

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The disciples of Bishan Temple regarded Ye Hua on stage with strange expressions. Bai Shisong laughed, "Brother Ye, you are truly remarkable. Master and Sister will be overjoyed when they hear of your deeds here."

Ye Hua murmured, unsure what to say, and descended from the stage. The golden eagle stood calmly to the side, unmoved by Ye Hua's victory, seemingly indifferent to the outcome. The brothers were delighted by Ye Hua's win, even more so seeing he was unscathed.

Bai Shisong said, "Next is Brother Ouyang's match. Let's go. Brother Ye, if you feel tired, why not rest at the Orchid Zen Courtyard?" Ye Hua replied, "Thank you, Senior Brother. I am fine."

Bai Shisong nodded, "Good. Come along with us." He called the group forward. Qingxia and Qingyu surrounded the golden eagle, laughing, "Brother Xiaoyao, let's go!" The eagle continued to preen its feathers, glancing around occasionally, utterly ignoring the two.

Qingxia and Qingyu, unfazed by the eagle's coldness, giggled, "Brother Ye, it just occurred to me—how do you know this is Brother Xiaoyao and not Sister Xiaoyao?" Ye Hua was taken aback, scratching his head. "Well… I've never thought about it!"

The two exchanged glances, laughing, "You're quite mistaken. This is a sister eagle! Look how beautiful she is—if she were a male, she wouldn't be so striking! Isn't that right, Sister Eagle?"

They addressed the eagle, "Sister Eagle, your master doesn't even know your gender. Why not join us? We promise you'll feast on meat and wine every day, living carefree!" Suddenly, the eagle let out a long cry, flapped its wings, and a fierce gust swept over.

With cries of "Oh no!" Qingxia and Qingyu tumbled to the ground as the eagle soared upward, vanishing into the sky, leaving only a tiny black dot.

From the ground, Qingyu shouted, "Oh dear, this is bad!" Qingxia asked, "Why?" Qingyu lamented, "We must have angered the eagle by suggesting meat and wine!"

Qingxia replied, "Indeed. Such a divine creature wouldn't eat ordinary fare—it must prefer dragon liver, phoenix marrow, bear heart, or leopard gall. We've greatly offended her."

Qingyu fretted, "What should we do? We've angered the eagle…" Turning to Ye Hua, "Brother Ye… Where is he?"

Looking around, they found the disciples of Bishan Temple had already moved on. They hurried to catch up, Qingxia complaining, "It's your fault—if you hadn't suggested meat and wine, desecrating the divine eagle, she wouldn't have flown away!" Qingyu frowned, "You said the same thing…"

Ye Hua quietly followed his brothers, feeling his golden core thickening and rotating within, his internal energy surging. Wherever it flowed, his limbs and bones felt utterly comfortable; even places previously unreachable by his energy were now clear and unobstructed. His mind was filled with clarity, internal energy swirling like clouds, and he had broken through to the fifth realm of the Seven Treasures.

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Ye Hua was both astonished and delighted, but a shadow of fear crept in. His rapid progress with the Sixfold Heavenly Wish technique was so unnatural—could it bring hidden dangers? He dared not dwell on it further.

He glanced around, surprised to find himself at Ouyang Tai's match. He had been so focused on calming his internal energy, he was oblivious to the outside world. On stage, Ouyang Tai was facing off against a short, plump monk. The audience was sparse, mostly Bishan Temple disciples.

Though Ouyang Tai was at the fifth realm of Seven Treasures, his opponent's abilities were not much weaker. The two were evenly matched, their exchange lively and spirited. Suddenly, the plump monk let out a cry of surprise, and in a moment of distraction, Ouyang Tai managed to trap him using the Purification Divine Restriction from the Great Treasure Sutra, causing his opponent to fall from the stage.

Panting, Ouyang Tai looked down at the monk, smiling, "Brother Zhang, please forgive me!" The monk blushed, murmured a few words, bowed slightly to the crowd, and quickly departed.

Bai Shisong shook his head and sighed below the stage. Ye Hua, noticing Bai's sigh, quietly asked, "Senior Brother, is something wrong? Didn't Brother Ouyang win?"

Bai Shisong sighed, "Brother Ouyang may have won, but his opponent was far too weak. The Purification Divine Restriction from the Great Treasure Sutra is a basic technique. Brother Ouyang's execution was barely adequate. Against a true master, he would not last more than a few rounds…"

Ye Hua was unsure how to respond. "A true master—only you and Brother Xiao fit that description. If Master and Sister learn that I only won by luck, I wonder what they'll say. Am I not just like Brother Ouyang…"

Looking into the distance, he saw a giant eagle soaring in the blue sky—Xiaoyao. Ye Hua gazed intently, while Qingxia and Qingyu, proud beside him, declared, "Junior Brother, we've found a way to deal with that feathered beast!"

Ye Hua was puzzled, "Fourth Brother, Fifth Brother, what method? Why deal with Brother Xiaoyao?"

Qingxia and Qingyu grinned, "Junior Brother, your eagle bullied us just now. As the saying goes, a gentleman always repays his grievances. Since we are the Twin Swords of Qingxia and Qingyu, we must subdue him and claim him for our sect to avenge ourselves. What do you think?"

Ye Hua shook his head at his two brothers, helplessly smiling, "Brother Xiaoyao is quite formidable. You two should be careful." With that, he turned and slowly followed his fellow disciples of Bishan Temple as they departed.