"Third Senior Brother." As soon as Ruan Jun left, Yun Jin quickly pressed a few third-grade Huiyuan Pills into his hand.
Yu Songnian gently protested, "Little Junior Sister, it's fine. Just a few superficial wounds."
Ruan Jun had only wanted to toy with him slowly. The wounds looked nasty, but none were truly critical.
"But they still hurt," Yun Jin insisted.
Yu Songnian's expression softened. In the end, he took one of the pills. With the pill's effect taking hold, his injuries rapidly began to heal. In a quiet voice, he warned, "Little Junior Sister, be careful of Ruan Jun's hidden weapons."
"Hidden weapons?" The others—Yue Zhao and the rest—looked surprised.
Yu Songnian explained, "Right after my sword hit him, he instinctively reached as if to summon another artifact. But he was already holding the Blazing Flame Sabre at the time. That means he likely has another, even stronger, weapon hidden away. He ended up restraining himself and didn't draw it, otherwise I might've helped you scout him out further."
It was rare to hear Yu Songnian speak such a long string of words.
Yun Jin was visibly moved.
In the end, Third Senior Brother had fought so hard not for his own pride—but to uncover Ruan Jun's tricks for her.
She nodded solemnly. "I'll be careful."
Yu Songnian finally gave a small, relieved smile.
He had done his part to help her.
"Alright, it's my turn now." Si Wanning grinned. "Third Junior Brother, I'm going to outrank you this time!"
Yu Songnian had joined the sect after her, but with the full inheritance of the prestigious Yu clan, he was a true prodigy—if not for the strange petrification illness, he would've been a peerless talent. He had already reached the Nascent Soul stage upon entry, though his cultivation had since regressed. Now, he was likely around the late Golden Core stage. Even so, in a true fight, Si Wanning knew she couldn't best his ghostly swordsmanship.
Still, this time... she had a shot at beating him in the rankings and reclaiming her Second Senior Sister's prestige!
Yu Songnian had stopped at the Top 13. If she won her match, she'd make it to the Top 7.
Yu Songnian gave a gentle smile. "Good luck, Senior Sister."
Yun Jin blinked playfully. "Looks like it's finally my turn to stretch a little. If I don't move soon, I might rust."
The way she said it made it sound like she had been unfairly left out. Had this tournament format allowed for byes, no one would've been surprised if Yun Jin somehow drew another one.
Faced with such blatant luck-hacking, everyone could only grumble internally.
Si Wanning and Yun Jin each stepped onto their respective platforms. Si Wanning's opponent was a disciple from Mingyue Peak.
That disciple had already reached the Nascent Soul stage. Si Wanning was still a step away, but hoped her seventh-level Lotus Bloom Sword Art could let her bridge the gap.
However, her combat experience was too shallow. The Mingyue Peak disciple found an opening and knocked her from the platform.
Yun Jin's draw was luckier. Her opponent was a senior brother in the late Golden Core stage.
Everyone paid close attention to this battle, curious to see how Yun Jin's strength compared to an experienced cultivator of the same realm.
If she lost now, Ruan Jun would have nothing to worry about.
Most assumed that even if Yun Jin won, it would be a hard-fought battle. But to everyone's shock, she landed a single, effortless strike—and her opponent was blasted clean off the stage.
Yun Jin... had won in an instant.
The arena fell into eerie silence.
Even Ruan Jun's expression turned grim. Yun Jin's strength was clearly far beyond an ordinary Golden Core cultivator.
And to think, a late-stage Golden Core couldn't even sense the limits of her power.
Still, he reasoned, he too could defeat such a cultivator with a single move. Maybe she had used everything she had in that strike. When the time came for a life-or-death battle, he would show her what a true gap in power looked like.
Beneath the platform, Si Wanning sighed.
Well.
So much for reclaiming her Senior Sister's honor.
Still, after glancing at Yun Jin, she seemed at peace.
Even if she surpassed Third Junior Brother, she still had Little Junior Sister. There was no surpassing her. She might as well relax and accept her fate as a salted-fish senior.
Making it to the Top 13 was already a success for Yu Songnian and Si Wanning. Neither felt too disappointed.
Soon enough, the Top 7 were decided.
This time, Tianjian Peak had two finalists—Yue Zhao and Yun Jin. The Sect Leader's faction had Ruan Jun and another Nascent Soul disciple, Chen Chen. The remaining three spots were taken by various disciples from the other nine peaks.
At this point, the outcome was clear.
Whichever group took first place—Tianjian Peak or the Sect Leader's disciples—would become the overall champion.
Would it be Ruan Jun?
Yue Zhao?
Or even... Yun Jin?
The final showdown would be held tomorrow.
For the draw that narrowed seven down to four, Yun Jin once again, against all odds, drew a bye. The other three would battle it out for the remaining three slots.
In the quarterfinals, Yue Zhao didn't face Ruan Jun.
Both advanced smoothly. The third winner was a disciple from Lingqi Peak.
That left the final four: two from Tianjian Peak, and only Ruan Jun from the Sect Leader's side.
Zhao Wuji's expression darkened, but he didn't panic.
The first-place prize carried so many points that if Ruan Jun won, they would still be the overall victors.
In the semifinals, the matchups would be determined by draw.
Ruan Jun stepped up first. His eyes shimmered with killing intent.
If he drew Yun Jin—he'd kill her.
If he drew Yue Zhao—he'd cripple him.
Yun Jin narrowed her eyes. But with her usual luck, she would probably end up facing the weakest opponent. She had a feeling her streak of good fortune was tied to suppressing Ye Danxia's fate.
Fate was mysterious, intangible. She couldn't fully understand it.
Among the remaining three, the weakest was a senior sister from Lingqi Peak.
If Yun Jin faced her, Ruan Jun would go up against First Senior Brother.
For the first time, Yun Jin didn't want her ridiculous luck to activate.
This round—she wanted to face Ruan Jun.
She would stop him in the semifinals.
She repeated that desire over and over in her heart, willing the draw to pair them.
She didn't know if it would work. But it was worth a try.
Soon, the four finalists drew their lots.
One versus Four.
Two versus Three.
Yun Jin held the number Three.
And the number Two...
Yun Jin looked at Ruan Jun. He looked back at her.
They both smiled.
What a coincidence.
Both of them had wanted to draw each other.
"Yun Jin," Ruan Jun sneered. "Looks like the heavens want you to die early."
Yun Jin's eyes curved with a smile. "Is that so? I think the heavens just can't bear to part with me."
Ruan Jun's face turned cold.
Yun Jin kept smiling.
Their eyes locked—beneath the surface, tension surged.