On the massive plaza, Yann Nangui’s voice echoed in everyone’s ears like a long, resonant bell, methodically giving out instructions.
All the disciples on the plaza opened their mouths in slight shock.
The Four Sects and Ten Dynasties Tournament? The battle for the Chief Disciple? It seemed that this time, the East Spirit Realm was going to be swept up in another unprecedented great war.
"I didn’t expect we’d be facing the Four Sects and Ten Dynasties Tournament so soon. If I remember correctly, the last one was only three years ago!"
"Tell me about it. This kind of tournament usually only happens once every ten years. If it weren’t for Yin Yang Valley, I’m afraid we wouldn’t have been able to experience such a grand event during our time in Piaoxue Palace."
"The Four Sects and Ten Dynasties Tournament is extraordinary. It encompasses all the geniuses of the entire East Spirit Realm. If someone can distinguish themselves there, their future will be limitless."
"I still remember when Xuanyuan Tibing took first place in the Four Sects and Ten Dynasties Tournament. He really is a Legend."
"Exactly. If we were lucky enough to represent the Sect in battle, what an honor that would be!"
While the disciples of Piaoxue Palace engaged in heated discussions, Lin Huang stayed where he was, silently listening to the chatter of the crowd around him.
"Represent the Sect? Don’t even think about it. Do you know how important the Four Sects and Ten Dynasties Tournament is? Every sect and dynasty will send out their peak disciples to fight."
"That’s right. If you can squeeze into the top twenty during the battle for the Chief Disciple, it might be possible. But before that... you’d have to make it from the Outer Sect into the Inner Sect," a disciple laughed heartily.
"Even if by some miracle you were chosen to represent the Sect, you’d just end up embarrassing Piaoxue Palace anyway," another chimed in playfully. Although there was no malicious intent, the words were still incredibly harsh to the ear.
The mocked young man’s face flushed crimson. He hurriedly retorted in a loud voice, "When has Piaoxue Palace ever made a fool of itself in the Four Sects and Ten Dynasties Tournament? We won’t this time either, not as long as Lin Cangxue is leading the team..."
Speaking up to this point, the young man’s tone suddenly faltered. "Lin Cangxue..."
The surrounding laughter abruptly ceased. Pondering this name that had once shaken the East Spirit Realm, a single thought inevitably popped into their minds.
"Yes, if Lin Cangxue led the team, who could possibly stop the momentum of Piaoxue Palace? I especially remember the Four Sects and Ten Dynasties Tournament three years ago. When more than half of our disciples were utterly defeated, that woman, clad in a snow-white dress and wielding her Three-Foot Cyan Blade, turned the tide all by herself. With just one person and one sword, she slaughtered the people of the Four Sects and Ten Dynasties until they fled in complete defeat."
Back then, under Lin Cangxue’s leadership, the disciples of Piaoxue Palace were incredibly high-spirited!
Thinking of this, the crowd could not help but turn their heads and scan the plaza. Their gazes ultimately landed on a corner of the square, and they let out melancholic sighs.
Even Yun Feifei, who was preparing to leave, halted her steps. She turned her head to look at the woman in the corner, intense jealousy burning within her bright eyes.
"It’s just a pity that she has fallen after all!" a disciple sighed softly, his voice carrying deep regret. Looking at that snow-white figure, they could no longer see her former glory.
"Once the battle for the Chief Disciple begins, I’m afraid Lin Cangxue won’t even be able to keep her status as the Chief Disciple!" another disciple chuckled softly, a hint of bitterness in his tone. "If it weren’t for her status as the Chief Disciple, the numerous honors she once brought to Piaoxue Palace, and the contributions she made, she would have likely been expelled long ago. Now that the battle for the Chief Disciple has started again, she is bound to fall completely."
Listening to the chaotic voices around her—some mocking, some pitying—Lin Cangxue remained perfectly calm in the corner, her expression completely unchanged.
A gentle breeze swept up her dark hair, highlighting the clear, autumn-water depth in her eyes. She stood there, completely aloof from the rest of the world!
However, her hands, hidden within her sleeves, were clenched so tightly that they had turned pale. She did not even notice her fingernails digging deeply into her flesh.
She was human after all, not a God. She had her own emotions and desires, and it was impossible for her to remain completely indifferent to the crowd’s discussions—especially with Yun Feifei standing there, staring at her with a face full of mockery.
"Cangxue!"
A figure suddenly appeared beside Lin Cangxue. Her slender, jade-like hands were firmly grasped by Lin Huang’s warm palms. It felt as though a powerful force was supporting her, giving her someone to rely on.
Lin Cangxue’s delicate body trembled slightly. She looked up at Lin Huang. Her originally cold and stubborn expression melted into overwhelming grievance. Her snow-white nose tingled with a sour sting as she looked like a helpless little kitten.
Lin Huang felt a sudden, sharp pain in his heart, as if he were being pricked by needles. He pulled Lin Cangxue tightly into his embrace, resting his chin on her beautiful hair, and said in a choked yet resolute voice, "In the past, you were always the one protecting Xiaohuang. This time, let me protect you!"
"Okay!" Lin Cangxue rested on Lin Huang’s shoulder and nodded like a wronged child.
At this moment, Yun Feifei strutted over like a proud peacock. She looked at the two siblings, her eyes full of derision.
"Chief Cangxue, we haven’t seen each other for days, and you’ve already found yourself a lover? Since when did your standards drop so low as to pick an Outer Disciple?"
Lin Huang’s brows instantly furrowed into a tight knot. He glared at Yun Feifei with a sharp, cold expression, his voice as biting as a blade. "Since when does a whore who sleeps with anyone get to dress up and act like a saint? You might look somewhat human, but you still can’t change your nature of wagging your tail in front of your masters."
"What did you just say?" Yun Feifei’s expression instantly turned icy as she glared at Lin Huang with a cold gaze.
"I said..." Lin Huang smiled leisurely before his voice turned freezing cold, "...you are a bitch!"
"You’re asking for death!" Murderous intent erupted in Yun Feifei’s eyes. Her snow-white, jade-like hands lunged straight for Lin Huang’s throat. Her five fingers curled slightly, looking exactly like deadly silver hooks. A terrifying aura surged from her fingertips, sweeping across the entire plaza.
The expressions of the disciples on the plaza changed drastically. Only then did they realize that Yun Feifei was completely enraged and attacking an Outer Disciple.
What was going on? This Outer Disciple really had some nerve, actually daring to provoke Yun Feifei. Did he not know his own limits? Or was he trying to use this to win Lin Cangxue’s favor? This Outer Disciple was probably done for!
Just as everyone was silently mourning for Lin Huang, a loud BOOM resonated across the plaza. A pitch-black figure suddenly appeared in front of him, standing between Lin Huang and Yun Feifei like an indestructible iron tower.
"Are you sure you want to fight?" Lin Huang let out a grim smile and reached out to adjust his sleeves.
"An Array Puppet? You are Lin Huang?!" On the plaza, Yun Feifei felt an aura as heavy as a mountain pressing down on her. Her expression shifted, and she immediately withdrew her hand. Narrowing her eyes into thin slits, she spoke with chilling murderous intent.
She did not recognize Lin Huang, but she had heard of a disciple who had just entered Piaoxue Palace. On his very first day, he used an Array Puppet to slay Meng Zhiqiu. That person was Lin Huang, Lin Cangxue’s biological younger brother.
"What a shameless pair of siblings. It wasn’t enough for the older sister to embarrass herself in Piaoxue Palace, now the younger brother has come too. What? Do you think you can seek revenge for Lin Cangxue as a mere Outer Disciple? If that’s all the strength you have, then you’re truly pathetic," Yun Feifei sneered, looking at the siblings with a face full of ridicule.
"Shameless?" Lin Huang laughed dumbly. "If you truly knew the meaning of shame, you wouldn’t be standing here flaunting your power today. Your cynical words just prove that your inferiority complex has twisted your mind. Even if your future achievements reach the highest peaks, they will never compare to a single captivating smile from Cangxue!"
Yun Feifei squeezed her jade-like fingers so tightly they turned pale, her eyes sharp and icy. "A captivating smile? Heh... How could someone as lowly as dust possess a captivating smile? Lin Cangxue, you really are pathetic. You’ve already ended up like this, and yet you still have a brother coming to Piaoxue Palace to embarrass you further. The rumors were true—your lifetime’s Legend was utterly ruined by this brat."
On the plaza, Lin Cangxue clung tightly to Lin Huang’s hand. She stubbornly turned her head to look at the sharp-tongued, arrogant Yun Feifei. Her face suddenly flushed beet red before she snapped, "None... of your damn business!"
Before Lin Cangxue’s voice had even faded, Yun Feifei froze. Soon after, intense fury surged across her icy, pretty face. She gritted her silver teeth, wishing she could trample Lin Cangxue under her feet.
Lin Huang was also slightly stunned. He remembered that although Lin Cangxue practiced the Tyrant Path, she never used foul language.
After extreme anger rushed to her head, a thick, eerie smile surfaced on Yun Feifei’s face. "Since Miss Cangxue says so, I’ll accept it. I just hope that when the day comes for you to hand over the Chief’s Order, you’ll still be this tough.
"Just the thought of the Chief’s position soon falling into my hands makes me exceptionally happy. Heh... The former Chief Disciple of Piaoxue Palace has fallen after all. And I, Yun Feifei, will take your place and become the new generation’s Chief of Piaoxue Palace."
On the plaza, Yun Feifei laughed arrogantly and unscrupulously. She was currently the esteemed second-ranked disciple of the Inner Sect. Since Xie Qinghou had already touched upon the Celestial Element Realm and lost his qualification to participate in the battle for the Chief Disciple, the Chief’s position was as good as hers.
As for Lin Cangxue, once she lost her status as the Chief Disciple, she would have no choice but to scram from Piaoxue Palace—just like that old dog she chased out of her home when she was little.
"What a coincidence then." Lin Huang suddenly flashed a brilliant smile. Looking at the incredibly arrogant Yun Feifei, his voice was flat yet overflowing with the aura of the Tyrant Path: "Competing with me for the Chief’s position... aren’t you afraid of being trampled to death?"