[Xiao Qingluan Favorability +5]
What did I do again?
How come the favorability has increased again?
Chen Ye was a little confused.
He took a look at Xiao Qingluan's favorability. Wow...
It had reached eighty!!
It's only been a few days, and the favorability level had already hit 80?
"Junior sister, you develop feelings for others so easily. What if someone tricks you in the future?" Chen Ye couldn't help but feel a little worried.
He decided to take good care of Xiao Qingluan from now on.
Goal: When he had time, he'd teach her about the deceitful nature of people—so she'd be more cautious.
He even suspected that this empress had reincarnated without any memories. Wait… could she really have been reborn with a blank slate?
If so, everything made sense now.
Chen Ye suddenly understood.
After giving Chen Ye a massage, Xiao Qingluan left. Once back in her residence, she focused her mind—and suddenly, a bottle appeared in her hand.
Inside the bottle was exactly one pound of innate spiritual liquid!
"With this, I can definitely reach the ninth level of the Spirit Spring in no time! Maybe even condense a Golden Core!"
Xiao Qingluan took a sip and began refining it.
Instantly, her cultivation surged.
The next day.
She broke through to the fifth level of the Spirit Spring!
[Ding! Xiao Qingluan's cultivation has broken through to the fifth level of the Spirit Spring! Cultivation feedback multiplier activated. Congratulations, Host, on reaching the Martial Sovereign Realm!]
Martial Sovereign Realm…
This realm was rare even in the Azure Cloud Sect—only the peak masters of the seven veins had achieved it.
Yet Chen Ye had done nothing but laze around. All thanks to Xiao Qingluan's hard work, he'd been dragged straight to the Martial Sovereign Realm!
If word got out, countless people would drop dead from shock.
Chen Ye sighed. "Cheating really is something else. Amazing."
Now that he'd broken through, he glanced toward Shen Ziling's cave and silently cheered:
"Junior sister, keep going! Whether I surpass Master or not depends on you!"
He set a small goal for himself—pin Shen Ziling down and spank her. Who asked her to tease him all the time?
But rumors claimed Shen Ziling was a half-step Transcendent, far stronger than a Martial Sovereign. With his current strength, he stood no chance.
The bigger question was…
Was she really just a half-step Transcendent?
Or had she already reached full Transcendence?
"I'll need to at least reach Transcendent level to have a shot at spanking Master."
Meanwhile, in the cave…
Shen Ziling opened her eyes and glanced in Chen Ye's direction, narrowing them slightly.
"Oh? He's broken through to the Martial Sovereign Realm? Is this another effect of his special physique? How intriguing..."
If others saw Chen Ye's progress, they'd be terrified—but Shen Ziling simply found it amusing.
She was growing more and more eager to see how far he'd go.
"Maybe one day, he'll help me fight my way back to the upper realm and crush that bastard into the dirt."
She smirked, rubbing her chin.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
That day, a bell tolled from Azure Cloud Peak.
Chen Ye, who'd been napping, jolted awake. "Huh? It's already time?"
Xiao Qingluan, hearing the bell, hurried over. "Senior brother, what's happening?"
Chen Ye smiled. "Though our Azure Cloud Sect avoids cutthroat competition, we hold the Seven Sects Martial Competition every two years to motivate disciples. Winners get rewards—mystical weapons, pills, techniques…"
"Ah, I see." Xiao Qingluan nodded.
This system wasn't new to her. The sects on the Qingluan Continent operated similarly.
"Senior brother, have you ever competed before?"
"Nope." Chen Ye shook his head.
Back when he was just a mortal, the competition (then called the Seven Clans Martial Arts Contest) had nothing to do with Jade Bamboo Peak—since he was its only disciple.
"Xiao Ye, you're participating this time."
Shen Ziling's voice echoed from the cave.
Chen Ye blinked. "Huh?"
In the past, she'd never let him join. Why the sudden change?
"Before, you were lazy, so I didn't force you to bring glory to Jade Bamboo Peak. But now you have a junior sister—shouldn't you set an example?"
Chen Ye bowed toward the cave. "Understood."
Her logic was sound.
In the Azure Cloud Sect, resources had to be earned. This competition was a golden opportunity.
If he won rewards, he could give them to Xiao Qingluan to boost her cultivation—which would then feed back to him.
A flawless plan!
Chen Ye mentally applauded his own brilliance.
"Senior brother, if you're joining, I will too!" Xiao Qingluan declared.
She wanted to test her strength, gain recognition, and secure more resources.
With only two disciples on Jade Bamboo Peak, they were in this together.
Chen Ye smiled. "Good."
The Sign-Up
When the pair arrived at Azure Cloud Peak to register, whispers erupted:
"Look, it's Chen Ye!"
"Why's he joining now?"
"And with his junior sister? This'll be interesting."
Jade Bamboo Peak had always sat out the competitions—this sudden participation had everyone curious.
"The Seven Sects Martial Competition won't be easy. Outer and inner disciples aside, the core disciples are joining too!"
"Especially those on the Azure Cloud Ranking List—the weakest among them are Soul Formation experts!"
For example, Luo Tian of Soaring Sword Peak was ranked seventh on the list.
Two Days Later
The competition began.
Disciples flooded Azure Cloud Peak, gathering around a massive arena engraved with stabilizing runes.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Figures descended from the sky—some on clouds, some on swords, others riding cranes—each radiating an imposing aura.
These were the core disciples from the ranking list, and their presence alone silenced the crowd in awe.