"Xing Wu, you’ve truly lived long enough to get tired of it. To think you’d dare lay a hand on my Junior Sister! I’m going to kill you today!"
The two of them had never seen eye to eye, and they were ready to come to blows immediately.
Feng Xi gave a cold snort. "Xing Wu, those things were all said by Shen Zhilan. I was merely repeating them. Why are you coming after me? If you don't believe me, we can go find her and you can ask her yourself. If I’m lying, I’ll accept whatever punishment you deem fit."
Xing Wu was absolutely livid. Being a young man with a heart full of yearning, he had developed a deep fondness for Shen Zhilan, but Feng Xi’s words had poured a bucket of ice-cold water over his hopes. On one hand, he didn't want to believe Shen Zhilan would say such things; on the other, Feng Xi spoke with such absolute certainty that it didn't seem like a lie.
Xing Wu gritted his teeth. "Fine. Then I will ask her face-to-face. If it’s a lie, I won’t spare you! If it’s true, I will form an alliance with you!"
Feng Xi nodded. "Deal!"
As luck would have it, they hadn't walked far before they ran into Shen Zhilan and Lu Xiuhan. Lu Xiuhan was startled at first, followed by a flash of murderous intent in his eyes. He hadn't expected the idiot Feng Xi to actually enter the secret realm. If you’re looking to die, don't blame me.
Shen Zhilan was also pleasantly surprised. Feng Xi, that useless girl, was becoming more of an eyesore by the day. This was the perfect opportunity to use Lu Xiuhan’s hand to get rid of her. But why was Xing Wu with them?
Just as she was pondering this, Feng Xi asked: "Shen Zhilan, you told me earlier that you truly admire Lu Xiuhan. Is that true?"
Lu Xiuhan was both shocked and delighted. "Junior Sister, is what Feng Xi said true?"
Shen Zhilan was stuck in a dilemma. As of now, Lu Xiuhan was the biggest fish in her pond; if she denied it, she might offend him. However, she didn't want Xing Wu and Jun Wen to misunderstand, so she gave an ambiguous answer: "I did say that, but I only admire the Second Senior Brother's cultivation and character. I meant nothing more by it."
Feng Xi immediately followed up: "Then what about what you said earlier regarding Xing Wu?"
Shen Zhilan instinctively asked: "What things?"
"The things regarding Beast Taming. How his cultivation is this and that, how the spirit beasts he contracted are this and that... well, those things. Do you admit it or not?"
Shen Zhilan vaguely sensed something was wrong, so she hesitated and didn't answer immediately.
Xing Wu saw this and misunderstood. *Feng Xi was telling the truth!* Otherwise, Shen Zhilan wouldn't look so hesitant!
*Good, very good!* All his sincerity had been fed to the dogs! He sneered. "Shen Zhilan, what right do you have to look down on me, or the Beast Taming Sect? Just you wait; I’ll show you what it’s like to be looked down upon in return!"
With that, he flicked his sleeves and stormed off. Feng Xi grabbed the bewildered Jun Wen and followed closely behind.
Shen Zhilan wanted to explain, but Lu Xiuhan grabbed her. "Junior Sister, why bother talking to people like that? Their Beast Taming Sect was never a match for our Hunyuan Sect; they’re just a bunch of grooms who feed spirit beasts!"
Xing Wu heard these words clearly. Now, he had no doubts left about what Feng Xi had said. *Look down on me, do you? This time, I’ll make sure your Hunyuan Sect hits rock bottom!*
He gritted his teeth and said to Feng Xi: "I agree to form an alliance with your Xuantian Sect!"
Feng Xi nodded. "Then you go contact your senior brother Yuan Zongheng. My senior brother and I will go find the people from the Wanjian Sect. We’ll meet up at the place we agreed on."
Xing Wu agreed and left in a fit of rage. After he was gone, Jun Wen clicked his tongue. "Xing Wu is probably going to be pissed to death! In their Beast Taming Sect, the biggest taboo is making fun of their spirit beasts. I didn't think Shen Zhilan had such a venomous tongue!"
Feng Xi glanced at him and didn't speak.
Jun Wen: "... She didn't say it? You... you made it up?"
***
**Chapter 27: Shutting the Door to Beat the Dog**
Jun Wen stared at Feng Xi, dumbfounded. *No way, how can you lie as if it were the truth!* Then, remembering her performance in front of Xue Tianjue, he fell silent. It wasn't that Jun Wen was slow-witted, it was just that he had never encountered someone who could lie as naturally as breathing. Even the Demon race wasn't this insidious—or rather, didn't have such good acting skills.
The two wandered around for another hour or so before running into Song Yudie of the Wanjian Sect. Song Yudie was the youngest disciple of the Wanjian Sect's Sect Master, Lu Zhenkuan, and was pampered by everyone in the sect.
Feng Xi got straight to the point. "Senior Sister Song, I don't like Shen Zhilan. She’s neither as smart as me nor as pretty as you, so why should she get all the limelight? If their Hunyuan Sect takes first place in this secret realm, who knows how others will praise her? So, how about our two sects join forces to take down the Hunyuan Sect? No, actually, make it three. The Beast Taming Sect has already agreed to form an alliance with our Xuantian Sect; now all that’s missing is your Wanjian Sect."
Feng Xi was an expert at reading people and knowing exactly where the breaking point was. Sure enough, after hearing her, Song Yudie agreed almost without hesitation. She had long disliked Shen Zhilan. *Relying on having a peak Water Spiritual Root, look at how cocky she is! Acting as if she’s the most capable person in the world? This time, I’ll eliminate you directly and see what you have to brag about!*
They then found Liu Shaobai of the Wanjian Sect. Although Liu Shaobai didn't have any particular ill will toward Shen Zhilan, he had long wanted to take first place! Since there was a chance to work together to take down the Hunyuan Sect, why wouldn't he? Yuan Zongheng from the Beast Taming Sect shared the same sentiment, and once the six of them gathered, they reached a consensus.
Then, it was time to reap the rewards. Feng Xi blinked her eyes. "Fellow senior brothers and sisters, Lu Xiuhan is at Foundation Establishment Level 6, and while Shen Zhilan is only at Level 3, she definitely has many treasures on her. If we face them head-on, we will win, but not without sustaining injuries, which wouldn't be worth it. Especially since I’m a little weakling; it would be bad if I held you back. Why don't we catch them off guard and take them down in one fell swoop? What do you think?"
Liu Shaobai, being more meticulous, agreed that Feng Xi had a point. Even a small difference in cultivation levels was a hurdle; there was indeed a gap between them and Lu Xiuhan. "How do you want to do it?"
Feng Xi countered with a question: "Do you know why I had to leave the Hunyuan Sect? Besides being framed by Shen Zhilan, the main reason was that Lu Xiuhan wanted to kill me. Whether Shen Zhilan instigated it, I don't know. So, I will go out and wander in front of him alone. He will definitely chase me to kill me. I’ll lure him into the trap we set; when he is fully focused on killing me, that will be the best moment to ambush him."
Feng Xi gave herself a mental pat on the back. As long as Lu Xiuhan showed intent to kill her, the accusations of Shen Zhilan stealing her herbs and framing her would be set in stone. This would put her on the moral high ground. In the future, if she and Shen Zhilan clashed again, she would already have the advantage of public opinion.
Unexpectedly, after Feng Xi finished, Jun Wen frowned and said: "No! I disagree! This is too risky! Lu Xiuhan is at Foundation Establishment Level 6; he could kill you in an instant!"
"Fifth Senior Brother, what Lu Xiuhan is doing is shameful, so he won't strike the moment he sees me. He needs to confirm you aren't around before he makes his move. That time difference is enough for me to lure him into the ambush. Besides, if you don't enter the tiger's den, how can you get the tiger's cub? I wasn't even afraid of Xue Tianjue, so why should I be afraid of a mere Lu Xiuhan?!"
Jun Wen couldn't win the argument, so he had to agree.
Song Yudie looked Feng Xi over. "I didn't realize you had such guts, it’s just a pity your cultivation is so poor." Her words reflected the thoughts of the other three as well. This Feng Xi was indeed bold. As for the incident with Xue Tianjue, they thought just like Lu Xiuhan: that it was just Xiao Baidao trying to polish her reputation.
That was the reality—when you lack strength, no matter how you try to prove yourself, there will always be voices of doubt. Feng Xi, of course, knew this, so she didn't dare slack off, using every spare moment to cultivate. When she was strong enough, all these doubts would naturally vanish.
After the plan was set, they began searching for traces of Shen Zhilan and Lu Xiuhan. Before long, they encountered several panicked Xuantian Sect disciples. From them, they learned that Shen Zhilan and Lu Xiuhan had just eliminated a few Xuantian Sect disciples less than five miles away.
Feng Xi immediately had Jun Wen and the others find a spot to ambush and activate their breath-concealing artifacts. Of course, a poor sect like the Xuantian Sect didn't have such fine things, but Song Yudie and the others... they all had them. Feng Xi was so envious it stung. She would have to go all out to make money in the future so she could equip herself properly.
Once everything was arranged, Feng Xi scrambled toward the direction of Shen Zhilan and Lu Xiuhan. Soon, she saw them, paused for a second, and turned to run.
A savage grin appeared on the corner of Lu Xiuhan’s mouth. "Junior Sister, that idiot Feng Xi has delivered herself to our doorstep. I’ll go deal with her!"
Shen Zhilan hesitated. "Second Senior Brother, perhaps we should forget it. What if we are discovered..."
"Junior Sister, don't worry. I’ll find a place where no one is around to finish her off and stage it as if she were eaten by a monster beast. No one will suspect us. Don't worry about it, I’ll be back shortly!"
After saying that, Lu Xiuhan darted in the direction Feng Xi had fled, completely ignoring the smug look on Shen Zhilan's face.
Seeing Lu Xiuhan chasing, Feng Xi ran while shouting: "Lu Xiuhan, don't come over here! My Fifth Senior Brother will be here soon, and also, Xing Wu will be here too!"
The more she said this, the more relaxed Lu Xiuhan became, as he was convinced she was bluffing and that Jun Wen and Xing Wu couldn't possibly be nearby. However, just to be safe, he didn't attack immediately, but followed Feng Xi at a distance like a cat playing with a mouse.
Feng Xi's voice began to tremble. "I’m telling the truth! My Fifth Senior Brother really is nearby, and also, I am a core disciple, you cannot kill me!"
Lu Xiuhan just sneered, remaining silent. Seeing that there really was no one around and sensing no other presence besides Feng Xi, he grinned savagely: "Feng Xi, if it weren't for that old thing Xiao Baidao interfering, I would have sent you on your way long ago! If you want to blame someone, blame yourself for provoking Junior Sister Zhilan. Someone like you, a waste, is not worth keeping alive!"
As he spoke, he reached out to grab Feng Xi. The reason he didn't use his flying sword or spirit arts was partly his arrogance and partly his desire not to cause too much of a stir. He was sure he would catch Feng Xi, as she had almost no cultivation.
However, Feng Xi evaded his hand at an odd angle and used the Binding Art to wrap around his legs. Upholding the principle of "less but better," she only focused on practicing two techniques: the Flame Art and the Binding Art. Especially the Binding Art; it was nearly perfected. Even Xue Tianjue would be caught off guard by it, let alone Lu Xiuhan. Of course, that was provided the opponent was caught unprepared.
Just as Lu Xiuhan’s legs were bound, Jun Wen and the others jumped out from their ambush, bombarding him with spirit arts and flying swords. It was true that Lu Xiuhan’s cultivation was higher than theirs, but with his legs bound and caught by surprise, he immediately fell into a passive position, unable to do anything but parry. He was both furious and confused, unable to understand why the Beast Taming Sect and Wanjian Sect people were meddling with the Xuantian Sect.
"Stop! Are you all crazy?!"
No one listened to him; since they had already started, there was no turning back.
Feng Xi secretly watched from the side. So-called elimination meant crushing the jade token Lu Xiuhan wore. Once crushed, the person would be teleported out. If that was all, it would be too easy for Lu Xiuhan. So, she had to do something, otherwise, it would be a disservice to all her planning.
***
**Chapter 28: It Must Be Feng Xi's Doing**
Feng Xi began making sarcastic remarks.
"Lu Xiuhan, why are you still struggling? Just crush your jade token and run away; everyone knows you're just a spineless coward!"
"Do you know why everyone is beating you? Because everyone knows about your dirty deeds! You’ve stirred up public anger!"
"Lu Xiuhan, do you know what we call this? This is called beating a drowning dog! Beating you, a mangy dog!"
...
Lu Xiuhan’s head was buzzing with rage. He wasn't a match for everyone even when he was at full strength, and now he was completely flustered.
Seeing the time was ripe, Feng Xi let out a howl and charged in. "Take this, secret weapon!"
She then threw a bag of chili powder at Lu Xiuhan. He instinctively used his flying sword to block, and the chili powder scattered everywhere. It wasn't just him who suffered—Jun Wen and the others didn't escape unscathed either. They began coughing and tearing up; the scene descended into chaos.
Feng Xi shrieked: "Lu Xiuhan is going to run, quick, stop him!"
Jun Wen and the others instinctively attacked, with flying swords and spirit arts filling the air. Though they couldn't see clearly, they knew Lu Xiuhan was inside their encirclement, so the general direction was fine.
Lu Xiuhan had truly hit rock bottom! First, he was left mangled by Liu Shaobai’s Explosion Art, then turned into a pincushion by Song Yudie’s Thorn Art, and then Jun Wen’s flying sword poked a hole through his chest...
By the time the group regained their vision, Lu Xiuhan was lying there motionless like a dead dog. After a deathly silence, Liu Shaobai went up to check his breathing. He was still alive. He let out a sigh of relief. The others also relaxed. Trial was a trial, but it wouldn't be good to have a death on their hands.
Feng Xi said, looking helpless: "I just wanted to help you guys, I didn't think I’d cause such a mess. I’m sorry. But... my intentions were good."
Song Yudie said through her tears: "Feng Xi, I don't care if your intentions were good or bad, just don't try to help next time!"
Xing Wu said while sneezing: "Achoo! Achoo! Right, you should just stay in the back and be a waste, don't get involved!"
Although Jun Wen also felt that Feng Xi had been unnecessary, he couldn't stand others criticizing her and gave a cold snort. "If it weren't for my Junior Sister’s wit, Lu Xiuhan might have actually run away! I think my Junior Sister’s chili powder throw was well done—good—achoo!"
Feng Xi almost laughed out loud. Her Fifth Senior Brother had one major merit: he was protective of his own.
She offered a few more sincere apologies, then walked to Lu Xiuhan’s side, stripped off his storage ring, and handed it to Jun Wen. "Fifth Senior Brother, can you open it?"
Jun Wen: "... Junior Sister, although I can open it, this... this isn't very appropriate, is it?"
Feng Xi shrugged. "What’s wrong with looting a house on fire? Everyone worked hard for a long time, isn't it normal to get some benefits?!"
Jun Wen: "..."
Liu Shaobai and the others: "..."
*How can you make a warped argument sound so righteous?*
Seeing that Liu Shaobai and the others were dumbfounded but didn't object, Jun Wen forcibly opened Lu Xiuhan’s storage ring. Normally, a storage ring had the owner's divine sense imprint and couldn't be opened by outsiders. But if the owner was severely injured, the connection between him and the storage ring would weaken significantly, at which point it could be forcibly opened. There was another case: if one's cultivation was much higher than the owner's, it could also be opened.
Jun Wen probed his divine sense into Lu Xiuhan’s storage ring and was instantly blinded! *So rich! So much money! As fellow core disciples, how could there be such a huge wealth gap?!*
"Fifth Senior Brother, pour everything out and let’s divide it."
Jun Wen, being obedient, dumped everything inside out in one go. Even though Liu Shaobai and the others were much wealthier than poor Jun Wen, who would turn down money?
Thus, under Feng Xi’s guidance, everyone happily began to split the loot. Although Feng Xi and Jun Wen got a slightly larger share, no one else had any objections. After all, it was Feng Xi’s idea, so it was normal for her to get a bit more.
After splitting the items, Feng Xi had Jun Wen fill Lu Xiuhan’s storage ring with a pile of rocks and put it back on his finger. She wrote a "gratuitous gift" note, roughly stating that Lu Xiuhan had voluntarily given the contents of the ring to them, and then she took Lu Xiuhan’s hand and pressed a bright red thumbprint onto it.
Liu Shaobai and the others: *Truly despicable!*
Feng Xi then kindly had Jun Wen crush the jade token for Lu Xiuhan...
At this moment, outside the secret realm, everyone was staring at the projection stone in confusion. Because the data for the core disciples hadn't moved for a long time. To be precise, apart from Shen Zhilan, the data of everyone else was static. Jun Wen was still holding a big zero.
*What’s going on? Did they not encounter any monsters or spirit plants? Or were all the spirit plants and monsters they encountered taken by Shen Zhilan first?*
Regardless of what everyone was guessing, the smile on Baili Muchen’s face hadn't faded. *Zhilan really is doing her sect proud! A hundred times better than that Feng Xi!* The people from the Hunyuan Sect were also looking quite pleased with themselves, just about writing "First Place" on their faces.
Xiao Baidao had no interest in the data and had been questioning the eliminated Xuantian Sect disciples about whether they had seen Feng Xi. All he got were negative answers. As for their claims that the Hunyuan Sect was targeting the Xuantian Sect disciples, other than anger, he had no other options. There was no fairness for the weak.
Just then, more people were teleported out. Someone exclaimed: "My god, this is... this is too miserable! It looks like someone from the Hunyuan Sect! Oh, it’s a core disciple!"
Baili Muchen’s smile froze. Although Lu Xiuhan had been beaten into a pig's head, he still recognized this as his once-beloved second disciple. Baili Muchen thought his eyes were failing him. Lu Xiuhan had the highest cultivation of all the trial disciples; how could he have ended up in such a sorry state? *Was he attacked by some high-level monster?* But looking closely, the injuries on Lu Xiuhan were all caused by spirit arts and flying swords.
*What on earth is going on?*