he sect hall stood in silence.
Moments ago, the Prince of Fengyue had all but declared an indirect war, turning the Sacred Sect Ranking Competition into a personal battlefield. Though the guests had dispersed, a lingering tension remained, like the final embers of a dying flame.
Only one guest still lingered.
The Fire Emperor stood at the entrance, his gaze flickering with something unreadable. He glanced at Shen Yuan, then at the Twin Soul Sect Masters, before speaking in a tone far less casual than before.
"That prince… he does not like leaving things to fate. Be prepared—he won’t fight fair."
With that ominous warning, the emperor vanished, leaving only a fading wisp of heat in the air.
The grand hall was now empty, save for Shen Yuan, Wu Daozhen, and Xue Linghun.
There was silence for a long time.
Before a sigh broke the silence.
Wu Daozhen leaned back in his seat, eyes filled with contemplation. “I believe in your power, Shen Yuan, but… this is not just about you.”
Shen Yuan tilted his head, his lazy smirk unwavering. “Oh? Sounds like you’re about to tell me something troublesome.”
Xue Linghun gave a soft chuckle. “He’s right, though. The competition isn’t as simple as a one-on-one duel. It’s composed of two types of elimination matches.”
He raised two fingers.
“One, Solo Battles. Two, Team Battles. If our sect loses two matches in total, regardless of type, we’re eliminated.”
Shen Yuan’s smirk faltered slightly.
The gears in his mind turned. One loss was acceptable. Two meant complete elimination.
“And,” Xue Linghun continued, “each sect must field a team of five for the team battles. If our team is weak, we won’t even make it past the first few rounds.”
A subtle frown formed on Shen Yuan’s face.
His mind raced through the sect’s current power structure.
Most of the Twin Soul Sect’s elite disciples were in the 1st to 3rd layer of Nirvana Realm. That was decent, but not nearly strong enough for a tournament where some participants could be 9th Layer Nirvana Realm… worse some might be at the Early stage of Elysian Realm.
As for himself?
Even though he was still at the Heaven Path Realm, he was different, he had the rare 10th halo, this made him special, far beyond normal, strong enough to crush at least a 5th layer Nirvana Realm expert on his own.
But no matter how strong he was, team battles couldn’t be won alone. Especially if those teams were all in the peak, 9th layer of Nirvana realm.
Even if he won all his solo matches, what would it matter if the sect got eliminated in the team rounds and not like he could solo all solo battles, if his opponent turns out to be 9th layer Nirvana realm or Early Elysian realm.
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Just as he was processing all this, Wu Daozhen dropped the real bombshell.
“…And we only have two months before the competition begins.”
For a moment, Shen Yuan just stared at him.
Then, in the most casual voice he could muster—
“…You’re joking, right?”
Wu Daozhen shook his head.
A rare thing happened then. Shen Yuan actually felt his stomach sink.
Two months?
The competition was once every 100 years—the most crucial event in a sect’s lifespan. And now, with barely any preparation, he was expected to carry the sect’s future in eight weeks?!
“Now I get why that shitty ass prince chose the competition!” Shen Yuan frowned inside.
Xue Linghun must have seen something in his expression, because he smiled lightly and said, “Don’t trouble yourself too much, Shen Yuan. Just go at your own pace.”
Shen Yuan’s gaze flickered.
Then, he smirked.
“Oh? You think I’m worried?” He scoffed. “Please. I already have a plan.”
Wu Daozhen and Xue Linghun both raised an eyebrow.
Before they could question him, Shen Yuan turned and left the hall in an instant, his robe fluttering behind him.
He had to run because in truth?
He had no plan at all.
He had said that to save face—to keep the sect masters from seeing the hesitation creeping into his mind.
For the first time in years, he felt something pressing down on him. Responsibility. Expectation. Pressure.
It reminded him of the past.
Back when he was still mortal.
When he was just a boy helping his grandfather paint, his hands trembled under the weight of doing something perfectly.
With a heavy sigh, he walked towards the sect’s waterfall.
The sound of rushing water filled his ears as he reached the edge of the lake.
Instead of meditating, he simply lay down on the fresh grass, his eyes drifting over the water’s surface.
Time blurred.
His mind drifted into a quiet abyss.
He wasn’t thinking of strategies. He wasn’t thinking of cultivation. He wasn’t even thinking of the prince’s challenge.
He just… watched the water.
And as he did, something clicked.
The water flowed endlessly, never stopping, never breaking. Even when blocked by rocks, it simply moved around them.
That was it.
That was the answer.
“Growth doesn’t always have to be forced.”
“It doesn’t have to be rigid.”
“It can flow, adapt, overcome.”
A smirk curled on his lips at the thought.
As the sun began setting behind the mountains, Shen Yuan sat up.
He had a plan.
As night approached, he strode into the Elite Area, heading straight for Tang Jiyan’s residence.
The rival-turned-ally raised an eyebrow as Shen Yuan walked up to him.
“Gather all the elites,” Shen Yuan ordered casually.
Tang Jiyan folded his arms. “What for?”
“You’ll see,” Shen Yuan said. “Just get them here.”
“…You’re using me again, aren’t you?”
“Yup.”
Tang Jiyan sighed. “Fine. But if this plan of yours sucks, I’m throwing you into the lake.”
“Throwing me in the lake is useless, you know…” Shen Yuan teased.
Tang Jiyan with a sigh would turn around and start looking for the ten strongest elites.
Minutes later, he began gathering the ten strongest elite disciples, who have potential.
Shen Yuan stood at the center of the training grounds, arms folded, his smirk returning.
He had no idea what the final form of his strategy would be yet.
But he knew one thing—
Like the flowing water of the lake, he would turn this weakness into strength, no matter what!