“Have you heard? Apparently, Cheng Kai defeated Sword Finger Qi Yi in a duel!”

“What?! Cheng Kai as in... Crimson Sword Cheng Kai?”

“What kind of question is that? Sword Finger Qi Yi is a core disciple of the White Tiger Sect! Do you know any other ‘Cheng Kai’s who could be capable of such a feat?”

“That’s crazy news! Then again, I guess that guy has always been crazy!”

A day had passed since the opening of the Four Symbols Mystic Realm, and there were already a number of participants who had been forced to exit.

With their return to the sect, these participants naturally brought along reports on their respective encounters within the mystic realm.

This included the changes in terrain and regions as compared to the previous year, as well as the various battles and accomplishments that they had both experienced and witnessed.

Because of that, word inevitably started to spread about the various incidents that had happened so far.

Among them, the most surprising news was undoubtedly the one about Crimson Sword Cheng Kai defeating Sword Finger Qi Yi in a direct duel.

An inner disciple defeating a core disciple – this provided a huge boost to the reputation of the Black Tortoise Sect!

Even the sect administrators could not help but smile upon hearing that.

At the same time, Cheng Kai was also an anomaly who did not belong to any inner sect faction, so there was no political agenda stopping anyone from feeling proud of his achievement.

Instead, they could only feel rather complicated about the fact that nobody had managed to pull him over thus far.

“Apparently, he is just going around challenging people for their gains instead of seeking out treasures on his own!”

“That guy is really crazy. Is he not afraid of offending others?”

“If you are so curious, why don’t you go ask him yourself after this is over?”

“Am I crazy? Why would I do that?”

Zhao Yunxiao smirked as he eavesdropped on all the conversations going on around him, his gaze subconsciously falling upon Cheng Kai’s jade tablet in front of him.

He understood that it had nothing to do with him, but he still could not help but feel proud of Cheng Kai’s accomplishment.

At the same time, he was also not surprised by Cheng Kai’s unorthodox way of tackling the Four Symbols Mystic Realm. In fact, most experienced helpers would not be.

After all, Cheng Kai had done the exact same thing in previous years, taking this opportunity solely to challenge participants from the various sects.

His actions were not without tangible benefits as well.

Since Cheng Kai had been challenging the others over their gains in the mystic realm, his numerous victories also meant that he had gotten away with a portion of each opponent’s treasures.

In fact, there had been many who simply gave him a portion of their rewards right from the get-go, all to avoid the duel altogether!

Watch the environment.

Watch their posture.

Watch their eyes.

Watch the flow of energy.

Cheng Kai’s words from two months ago sounded in his head.

Seeing how well Cheng Kai was doing for himself, Zhao Yunxiao decided that he definitely had to keep these words close to heart in the future!

“Still hanging in there, Little Zhao?” Fei Weng came over at this moment.

“Mm, I’m fine,” Zhao Yunxiao nodded.

“That’s good to hear,” Fei Weng answered nonchalantly, seemingly having expected such an answer.

A day had passed since the opening of the Four Symbols Mystic Realm.

While the participants were busy exploring the mystic, the helpers back at the sect were also busy going about their tasks.

For the observers, they had already been watching their assigned participants for an entire day, and some of the more inexperienced ones were starting to show obvious signs of fatigue.

That said, this was not Zhao Yunxiao’s first time on the observer team, so Fei Weng was not too worried about him. If anything, his question was more for the sake of just going through the motion.

“How is Cheng Kai doing?” Fei Weng continued.

“His vitals are healthy, energy expenditure is low, and movement is moderate,” Zhao Yunxiao reported immediately. “It is likely that he is travelling without feeling any immediate threat right now.”

“Is that so?” Fei Weng chuckled. “It seems like he is on the hunt for his next target.”

“Seems like it,” Zhao Yunxiao agreed with a smile.

“Why don’t we give him a hand then?” Fei Weng sent a sound transmission this time.

“Eh?” Zhao Yunxiao looked at him in surprise.

He knew what this meant.

They had received a business offer to help Cheng Kai out.

This would not have been too surprising had it been anyone else, but Cheng Kai was someone who did not belong to any of the inner sect factions.

Who could possibly have decided to spend their precious resources on this?

After all, these communications were not cheap by any measure!

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

“Think you are up to it?” Fei Weng asked after noticing his hesitation.

“...I understand,” Zhao Yunxiao nodded. “Any specific messages for him?”

“Nothing.”

“What?” Zhao Yunxiao felt the corner of his lips twitch. “Don’t tell me...?”

“That’s right,” Fei Weng patted him on the shoulder before walking away. “I’ll leave this to you. I know you can do this!”

Zhao Yunxiao: “...”

While he was glad that Cheng Kai was receiving the attention he deserved, this was quite the troublesome situation.

As the observer who was watching over Cheng Kai this time, he could understand why Fei Weng had come to him for this.

But at the very least, he had expected the other party to already have something in mind, instead of just throwing this responsibility onto him!

It was easy to say give him a hand, but what kind of help could someone like Cheng Kai possibly need?

The battle-crazed maniac would never want to receive help in battle, so... perhaps a guide to lead him to the next opponent so as to improve time efficiency?

Zhao Yunxiao rubbed his chin in contemplation.

Yes, that might work.

Thinking up to this point, Zhao Yunxiao no longer hesitated.

He quickly organised the information in his head, trying to come up with a feasible plan to support Cheng Kai.

As for who could have possibly sent in this business offer, that was something that he would have to slowly dissect later.

Perhaps a good place to start would be trying to find out who could possibly benefit from Cheng Kai doing well in the Four Symbols Mystic Realm!

***

“What the hell?” San Wanfan stood up in shock, unable to believe his eyes.

The rest of the Mo Group did the same, all of them staring in the same direction.

A giant alligator was currently charging towards them, its huge body easily crushing all the trees in its way without being slowed one bit.

That said, it was still a good distance away. If not for its huge build and the loud ruckus, the party might not even have noticed.

“Bloodtoothed Dragon Alligator!” one of them identified the beast in disbelief. “Where did it even come from?”

The Bloodtoothed Dragon Alligator was a known monster within the Four Symbols Mystic Realm, with past participants having encountered it on various occasions.

Even while standing on all fours, the Bloodtoothed Dragon Alligator stood at a towering height of three metres. From its snout to the end of its tail, it measured more than twenty metres in length.

In short, it was huge.

But its size was not actually the most terrifying part of the Bloodtoothed Dragon Alligator, and neither was its great strength.

Instead, it was its venomous breath that made it so dangerous.

Any open wound exposed to its breath would result in a terrifying poison seeping into the body. Should that happen, even a cultivator at the Origin Core realm could experience temporary paralysis within a matter of seconds!

That said, simply encountering the Bloodtoothed Dragon Alligator was not something that would have caused the Wei Group such disbelief.

After all, they already knew of its existence and understood that no matter how slim, there was still a possibility of encountering it in the mystic realm.

The confusing thing was that they were resting by the river right now, where this monster was supposed to reside. However, it was actually coming at them from the opposite direction – through the woods.

Just what kind of situation was this?

“Look, there are some people in front of it!” a party member remarked.

San Wanfan narrowed his eyes to look closer. Indeed, there were four figures moving ahead of the Bloodtoothed Dragon Alligator.

So, that’s why!

He had thought that the alligator monster was making a beeline towards them, but it would appear that it was actually chasing after another group instead.

It just so happened that they were in the path of the pursuit.

Hmm?

San Wanfan’s eyes lit up in surprise upon realising who it was.

These four figures were actually the Yin Yang Sword Sisters of the Flying Swords Hall, together with the Tidal Fairy and some guy from the Origin Lake Sect!

“Let’s go help them!” San Wanfan said. “It is our duty to help out our subordinate sects!”

“Got it!” his party members answered without hesitation.

The Mo Group set off on his cue, rapidly closing the distance between them and the approaching party.

***

“How much further is it, Sister Chen?” Ye Yuyin shouted, her voice clear and soothing despite the tense situation.

The Yin Yang Sword Sisters comprised two talented twin sisters. With their appearances being almost identical, most people distinguished between the two by the hairpins that they usually wore.

The elder sister, Ye Yuyin, usually wore a black hairpin. On the other hand, the young sister, Ye Yuyang, usually wore a white hairpin.

Right now, they, together with their peers from the Origin Lake Sect, were in the midst of being chased through the woods by a Bloodtoothed Dragon Alligator.

“Not much further. I can feel the water energy right ahead,” Chen Pingxi replied before letting out a deep frown. “Wait, someone’s coming straight for us!”

“It is a group of six,” Zhou Qin added solemnly. “We need to change directions. Otherwise, we will risk getting caught in a pincer!”

“No, let’s charge right through. We’ll take care of it!” Ye Yuyang volunteered with a voice as clear as her sister’s. “Let’s go, sis!”

“Okay!” Ye Yuyin agreed immediately.

“Wait, we still don’t know if the other party is friend or foe!” Chen Pingxi tried to stop them, but the sisters shot forward regardless.

“It might be too late by the time we slowly investigate,” Ye Yuyang answered. “I would rather not take that chance!”

The twin sisters leapt into the air at the same time.

With their bodies airborne and parallel to the ground, the two of them held each other by the left hand while extending their swords with their right hands.

Using their left hands as the axis, the two quickly rotated in midair, the sheer speed causing their extended swords to form what appeared to be a large circle.

[Yin Yang Sword Diagram]

A storm of energy assaulted their surroundings as this large circle took material form, escaping the bounds of the twin sisters and shooting ahead.

This circle of energy quickly grew larger, expanding to a diameter of about ten metres. At the same time, it started to gain colour – white on one side and black on the other – forming a yin yang symbol.

It was not just for looks either.

Wherever it passed, all the trees and branches in its way were completely obliterated without exception!

Chen Pingxi and Zhou Qin could not help but feel awed upon seeing this.

As expected of the Yin Yang Sword Sisters’ signature combination attack, its destructive power was truly amazing. It did not get boring no matter how many times they saw it!

However, not everyone had the luxury of admiring the beauty of the technique.

“What the hell?!” San Wanfan widened his eyes in shock as he suddenly realised what was coming straight for them. “Everyone, dodge!”

At the same time, he could not help but curse in his heart.

Yin Yang Sword Diagram?

Weren’t the Flying Swords Hall subordinate to their Black Tortoise Sect?

Just what the hell did the Yin Yang Sword Sisters think they were doing, attacking them without warning like that?!