Yan Luoluo feigned calm as she walked over to the contestant seating and sat down, looking breezy and carefree on the surface while her mind was going wild with an endless stream of frantic thoughts—
Master, you're trying to get me killed!
Live broadcast of the Immortal Venerable holding his disciple.
Tomorrow's headline: "Shocking! Why was a four-element spiritual root disciple publicly embraced around the waist by the Immortal Venerable?"
She even nearly walked with her same-side arm and leg moving together, but quickly realized...
No one was looking at her at all!
The entire audience had their eyes glued to Ye Wuchen by the referee stand. Even when she accidentally stepped on a disciple's foot as she passed by, the guy just mechanically blurted out, "Sorry," while his eyes remained unblinkingly fixed on the high platform. (Yan Luoluo: -_-||)
"..." Yan Luoluo let out a sigh of relief, followed immediately by a tinge of heartbreak.
So the "human background character" trait could actually be used like this!
However, not everyone ignored her.
In an inconspicuous corner, Mo Wuyuan, disguised as a "Qingshan Sect disciple," was narrowing his eyes as he sized up Yan Luoluo. This "minor sect disciple" was actually the current Demon Lord, who had sneaked into the Grand Tournament using a secret technique for disguise.
His interest in Yan Luoluo stemmed from two things:
1. Ye Wuchen's special treatment:
- As the undisputed number one figure of the Xuantian Continent, he had actually carried her into the arena himself? This woman was definitely no ordinary person!
2. Her appearance:
- It wasn't the kind of beauty that overwhelmed all others, but rather as clean and lively as a mountain spring, which happened to hit his aesthetic dead center.
"Interesting," Mo Wuyuan stroked his chin. "If I could snatch her over..."
As the bell rang, the referee announced the rules:
1. Batched matches: Three arenas running simultaneously.
2. Cultivation suppression: Everyone inside the barrier would be suppressed to the same stage (though Golden Core against Golden Core, Foundation Establishment against Foundation Establishment).
3. Stop at the point of contact:
- Anyone who kills an opponent will be permanently banned from the competition and hunted down by the righteous path.
- Anyone who severely injures another will be expelled from their sect.
The opponent Yan Luoluo drew was a Tiangang Sect body cultivator—a muscle-bound brute who sneered at her.
"Little girl, it's still not too late to admit defeat~"
Yan Luoluo silently pulled out a stack of talismans: "Senior brother, it's still not too late to buy insurance."
On the high platform, Ye Wuchen appeared to be closing his eyes in meditation, but his Divine Sense was actually enveloping Yan Luoluo's arena the entire time. When Mo Wuyuan's gaze swept toward his disciple for the third time—
"Crack."
The jade cup in Ye Wuchen's hand suddenly fractured with a fine fissure.
Ye Wuchen sat high upon the referee stand, his gaze sweeping calmly across the arena, while inwardly he let out a cold snort—
"Hmph, where did some little pest crawl out from, daring to covet someone belonging to this Venerable?"
His fingertips tapped lightly against the armrest, and a wisp of Divine Sense silently locked onto the Demon Lord Mo Linyuan, who was disguised as "Mo Wuyuan." As long as the fellow dared to play dirty with Yan Luoluo, this strand of Divine Sense would instantly transform into sword qi, letting him experience firsthand what the "care of an Immortal Venerable" felt like.
Yan Luoluo's first few matches could be described as "effortless and breezy."
1. First match: Tiangang Sect body cultivator.
The opponent taunted: "Little girl, you'd better go home and do some embroidery!"
Yan Luoluo smiled, set up her Tai Chi opening stance, borrowed his force to redirect it, and flung him straight out of the arena.
Result: The brute carved a graceful arc through the air, "bang," smashed right into the spectator stands, and crushed three benches in the process.
2. Second match: Beast Taming Sect disciple.
- The opponent unleashed an armored rhino. With a flash, Yan Luoluo used the "snake form" of Xingyi Quan to zip directly behind it, sending it flying with a single palm strike.
Result: The rhino shattered the barrier and nearly knocked over the teapot on the referee stand.
3. Third match: Sword cultivator (forced to fight bare-handed).
The opponent instinctively went to form a sword hand seal, only to freeze on the spot when he remembered he couldn't use his sword.
Yan Luoluo: "Senior brother, are you having a hand cramp?"
Result: Taking advantage of his daze, she swept his legs and sent him off the stage.
Spectators: "This female cultivator's style is so wild!"
In the fourth match, Yan Luoluo was paired against "Mo Wuyuan"—which meant **Demon Lord Mo Linyuan**.
The moment they came face-to-face, Yan Luoluo chuckled inwardly: "Yo, isn't this the ultimate simpering lackey from the original novel?"
Mo Wuyuan was disguised impeccably, his gaze clear and his tone gentle: "This senior sister, please go easy on me."
Yan Luoluo (inwardly): "Keep acting, go right on acting! You weren't wearing this expression in the original book when you massacred an entire city for Chu Qingyao!"
The match began—
Mo Wuyuan launched the first attack, his moves fierce yet deliberately restrained (since he had to maintain his Foundation Establishment stage persona).
Yan Luoluo defended with Tai Chi, her figure as light as willow catkin, accurately intercepting his force every single time.
The turning point: Mo Wuyuan lashed out with a straight punch. Yan Luoluo suddenly changed her stance, grabbed his wrist, and leveraged his momentum—
"Off you go!"
"Bang!"
Silence fell over the entire audience.
The dignified Demon Lord himself had just been shoulder-thrown by a female cultivator.
Mo Linyuan lay on the ground, his pupils having a major earthquake: "This Venerable... just got thrown by a female cultivator?!"
Yan Luoluo crouched down, smiling brightly as she reached out a hand: "Senior brother, are you still fighting?"
Staring at her face inches away, Mo Linyuan suddenly felt his earlobes flush red. He abruptly flipped up and leapt to his feet: "I concede!"
Spectators: "???" (What just happened?)
Post-match side stories:
1. Ye Wuchen's death glare:
Watching the back of Mo Linyuan's red-eared retreat down the stage, a certain Immortal Venerable saw the jade slip in his hand snap cleanly into two halves.
Internal monologue: "I'll dispatch people to 'greet' the Demon Abyss tonight."
2. Yan Luoluo's reflection:
"In the original book, this guy was a ruthless character who went crazy for the female lead, obsessed over the female lead, and crashed through walls for the female lead..." She shook her head. "And now he got thrown until his brain short-circuited? Tsk, simps really are beyond saving."
3. Mo Linyuan's self-doubt:
- Back in his quarters, the Demon Lord muttered to himself before the mirror: "Did this Venerable actually think getting thrown looked kind of cool? No, wait, it must be her problem!"
The Heavenly Dao's ledger:
- "Mo Linyuan's affection points toward Yan Luoluo +30%... Huh? Isn't this the original canon second male lead?!" The Heavenly Dao scratched its head. "Did I tie the wrong red string?"
Yan Luoluo's true strength:
She had actually seen through Mo Linyuan's holding back long ago, but couldn't be bothered to expose him—"Anyway, simps will eventually self-rationalize; I might as well save some energy for the finals."
Ye Wuchen: This Venerable's sword is already craving some action.
Mo Linyuan: Strange, why is a chill running down my back?
Yan Luoluo: Today, I am still winning matches purely on my own strength~
While the other cultivators were still working hard in their matches, Yan Luoluo had already embarked on her path to making a fortune. Her sharp eyes darted across all the disciples off the stage as she scouted out suitable customers (suckers)!
"This fellow Daoist, please stay your steps!" Yan Luoluo intercepted a sword cultivator who was about to leave with lightning speed, a radiant smile plastered across her face. With a flick of her wrist, three rings of entirely different designs materialized in her palm, "Need a storage ring? This is our newly developed model with fully loaded features!"
The sword cultivator furrowed his brow and instinctively touched the longsword strapped to his back: "No need, I am a sword cultivator, and my entire life—"
"I understand, I understand!" Yan Luoluo immediately interrupted him, selecting a dark silver one with precision from the three rings. "That's why I specifically prepared this 'Sword Tomb Ring' for sword cultivators. Look at these patterns, don't they look exactly like the decorations on a scabbard?"
The sword cultivator's gaze was involuntarily drawn toward it. The ring was pitch-dark silver throughout, and its surface was indeed engraved with fine, intricate lines that, at first glance, bore a striking resemblance to top-tier scabbard craftsmanship.
"This..." The sword cultivator's tone softened noticeably.
Yan Luoluo pressed her advantage: "The best part is that it has a built-in miniature sword tomb space, which can nurture your natal sword." She lowered her voice and said mysteriously, "If you wear it long-term, it's rumored there's a probability of nurturing a sword spirit~"
"A sword spirit?!" The sword cultivator's eyes widened abruptly, his voice pitching up an octave. He grabbed Yan Luoluo's wrist, "Is this true?"
"As true as gold!" Yan Luoluo nodded with absolute conviction. "Can you still not trust the artifact-refining standards of our Lingxiao Sect?" With that, she deftly withdrew her hand and handed the ring over, "Care to give it a try?"
The moment the sword cultivator accepted the ring, he immediately sensed the pure sword qi contained within. Without a moment's hesitation, he fished a bulging spirit stone pouch from his bosom: "How many spirit stones?"
"It's the Immortal Sect Grand Tournament right now, plus our grand opening celebration! So we're running a promotional discount—just five hundred medium-grade spirit stones a piece," Yan Luoluo said with a beam, "Lifetime warranty service included as a bonus."
Without another word, the sword cultivator shoved the spirit stone pouch into her hands and eagerly prepared to slip the ring on. Yan Luoluo hurriedly stopped him: "Hold on! This ring requires a special method of ownership bonding." She produced a silver needle, "Please drip a drop of blood for the blood-bonding first, then use your sword qi to activate the internal formation."
Yan Luoluo guided him patiently: "Right, just like that, slowly channel your sword qi in... be careful not to pour too much in all at once..."
Following the sword cultivator's manipulation, the surface of the ring gradually lit up with a silvery-white glow, and faint wisps of minuscule sword qi could be seen circulating within it. Before they knew it, a circle of spectators had gathered around to watch the commotion.
"It worked!" the sword cultivator cried out in pleasant surprise. He tried storing his natal sword inside the ring, and the longsword instantly turned into a streak of light that vanished into the band, causing the patterns on the ring's surface to glow a bit brighter.
"Nurturing it for two hours every day yields the best results," Yan Luoluo added. "If you ever find the sword qi circulating unevenly, feel free to come find me for adjustments anytime."
At that moment, a middle-aged cultivator dressed in cyan alchemist robes squeezed his way to the front: "Little friend, do you have any storage rings suitable for alchemists?"
Yan Luoluo's eyes lit up: "What kind of functions does senior require?"
"This old man wants something that can automatically sort medicinal herbs," the alchemist stroked his beard. "Having to rummage around for half an hour every time before refining pills is truly troublesome."
Yan Luoluo immediately pulled out a small notebook from her storage bag and began recording earnestly: "Automatic sorting... this function requires a special recognition formation." She raised her head and asked, "Would you like to add a 'one-click pill formulation' feature as well? Once you input a pill formula, the ring can automatically proportion the medicinal ingredients, and you can take them out ready to toss straight into the cauldron."
Hearing this, the alchemist's eyes flashed brightly: "Such a miraculous function exists? If this can genuinely be realized, this old man wants to order a hundred of them! Every single disciple in our Medicine King Valley will get one!"
This exchange instantly caused a sensation in the surrounding crowd. A formation master squeezed forward: "Are there any rings that can store formations? Ideally ones that can trigger a defensive grand array at a moment's notice!"
"Of course!" Yan Luoluo jotted things down rapidly. "We can also add an 'instant-cast formation rune' feature, pre-storing three formations that you can activate with a single thought when you encounter danger."
Not far away, a sound cultivator asked timidly: "Um... are there any rings that can store musical scores?"
Yan Luoluo flashed her a sweet smile: "Yes! We can even add a '3D surround sound effect' that automatically gives your zither playing an acoustic wall echo effect. Would you like to try it?"
Soon, Yan Luoluo's small notebook was filled to the brim with various custom requests. As she recorded, she calculated the crafting times in her mind, and fine beads of sweat gradually formed on her forehead.
"Fellow Daoists, don't rush, one by one..." She wiped away her sweat, "Custom orders take seven days; you can register your requirements first..."