June 6, 2018

During a break at the sword-fighting tournament, Xiao Bai grabbed Wang Xiao and furiously interrogated him about everything that happened while he was unconscious. He was soon left speechless by his senior brother’s response.

"...So, you agreed to his stud pig plan!? Where was your brain?!"

Wang Xiao sighed, patting Xiao Bai on the shoulder—even though the latter quickly dodged his touch with disgust.

"I know it’s hard for you to accept right now. I was even more indignant than you at first, but thinking it over, things aren’t actually that bad."

Xiao Bai firmly declared, "You’ve lost your mind!"

Wang Xiao said, "You’re the one who’s lost your mind, running over to flirt with him! Someone who’s just made his debut less than two years ago and already been chosen by the Sect Leader of the Saint Sect as the next leader—are you really capable of flirting with him? Even City Lord Golden Jade is willing to stay by his side..."

Xiao Bai said, "Only someone who’s lost their mind wouldn’t flirt with him! Both the Sect Leader of the Saint Sect and Zhao Chenlu have certified his value, even if you were blind, you’d know that such an opportunity is a once-in-a-lifetime kind of benefactor! Besides, I’ve tested it in practice; my Lifeless Sword Manual is like a children’s primer to him, solving a problem that troubled me for over ten years in an instant. His sword dao is simply unfathomable; I even suspect he’s a primordial relic dug out by the Sect Leader from some primordial ruins! And the crucial point is, he’s so handsome!"

"Clearly, the last sentence is what you value most!"

Xiao Bai shot back defiantly, "So what if it is—what’s wrong with valuing looks!? If you had been eating crap for decades and suddenly someone lays out a gourmet feast, wouldn’t you go mad?"

Wang Xiao thought for a moment, then furiously shouted, "Are you saying I look like crap?!"

Xiao Bai said, "Look in a mirror first, before accusing me of bias. Seriously, the aesthetic of this Wuxiang Sword Academy under your leadership over the decades has been disastrous."

"What’s wrong with me?"

Xiao Bai said, "First, you, the head, don’t care about appearances and take pride in ugliness..."

Wang Xiao had to interrupt, "Hold on, you’re spouting nonsense! When have I ever not cared about appearances and took pride in ugliness? I bathe every day, my clothes are spotless, and I trim my beard carefully. What more do you want?"

Xiao Bai sneered, "You call that paying attention to appearances? You have lower standards for yourself than most people have for their pets. Let me ask you, although you bathe daily, what kind of water and body wash do you use, do you use any skincare? Your clothes might be clean, but when was the last time you changed your style? What’s the material of your clothes, designed by which master, and how many formal and casual outfits do you have for each season, for what occasions?"

Faced with these questions, Wang Xiao remained silent for a long while before saying, "Wuxiang Sword Academy is a place for sword cultivation, not a fashion show!"

"So that’s your excuse for neglecting appearances and embracing ugliness?" Xiao Bai shrugged, "When the head is like this, does anything need to be said about others? Senior Brother Wang Zhao is even worse than you, sometimes he doesn’t even brush his teeth after meals! It’s disgusting!"

"I... I’ll have a talk with him about it."

"Forget it, it’s beyond saving." Xiao Bai said exasperatedly, "And the architectural design of the Sword Academy, just look at the mess of a corridor at the entrance, don’t you feel awkward seeing those crooked buildings?"

Wang Xiao said, "That represents the high degree of autonomy within the Sword Academy and the Hundred Flowers Blooming of swordsmanship. I think..."

"Hundred Flowers Blooming?!" Xiao Bai incredulously interrupted, "You call that mess Hundred Flowers Blooming? More like a swarm of flies over dung! That’s why I said your aesthetics are beyond saving. I’ve been surviving in the Sword Academy for years, and it’s rare to see a man with outstanding good looks, so what if I’m a little smitten? When the Cyan Cloud Li Family visited the Sword Academy bringing the Wind and Cloud Divinity Transformation Technique, didn’t you drool over Li Fengyun?"

"I was drooling over his swordsmanship! I swear I had no interest in him personally!"

"Drooling over swordsmanship and you think that’s something to be proud of?! You perverted objectophile! And during their visit, as soon as he walked in, you stared at him like an ape in heat, not moving your eyes at all, causing a planned three-day visit to end at noon the next day with his wife finding excuses to leave. Didn’t you reflect on your actions?"

Wang Xiao was dumbfounded: "So they weren’t rushing home for an ill family elder, but to avoid me?"

"I think it was to avoid you, even if it meant performing witchcraft on their family elder..." Xiao Bai snorted, continuing, "In any case, I have every right to like Wang Jiu, and it’s not your business, Senior Brother."

Wang Xiao said, "When have I ever been able to control you? So this time, if you want someone for the stud pig plan, I’ll just support you from behind the scenes."

The mention of the stud pig plan gave Xiao Bai another headache.

Indeed, she liked Wang Jiu, but that liking was mostly out of curiosity and admiration. The whole Sect Leader’s Wife thing was more about teasing that arrogant City Lord Golden Jade—she wasn’t serious about it.

After all, she wasn’t a teenage girl who’d throw everything away for love. As a seasoned cultivator living for decades, she wasn’t going to risk her life for a momentary impulse. Rather than nestling in the arms of a gentle man, she would rather enjoy her time catching up on anime in her room, so she graciously declined Wang Jiu’s stud pig plan. But having spoken so boldly earlier, she really needed to think of a way to backtrack on the topic now...

After much contemplation, Xiao Bai finally thought of a makeshift solution.

"Senior Brother, there’s something I need to ask a favor of you later..."

——

Soon after, Wang Xiao returned to the arena with Xiao Bai.

"Dean Wang Jiu, I apologize for keeping you waiting. Next, let’s prepare to start the third match." Wang Xiao said, "The first two rounds were won by your academy. According to the comprehensive scoring rules, with two victories, your academy has gained 35 points, while our academy has 5 points. So in the upcoming mixed group match, your academy only needs 16 more points to win this Sword Tournament."

Wang Jiu nodded, agreeing with this conclusion.

The first two sword fights each accounted for a 20% weight. The contest between himself and Xiao Bai was overwhelmingly one-sided, thus resulting in Cyan Lotus Academy scoring 20 points and Wuxiang Sword Academy 0 points. However, the battle between Shen Qingming and Lu Qun was quite tense, and it wasn’t until the last moment that Shen Qingming seized the opportunity to achieve victory. According to the scoring rules, both sides would still earn points due to the close damage situation, but Shen Qingming’s tactics clearly suppressed the opponent, so the score was settled as 15 to 5, a significant margin.

After two matches, Cyan Lotus Academy has gained a significant edge, but the upcoming mixed group match is the real focus. And before that...

"Regarding the previous discussion about Xiao Bai’s issue of procreation..."

Wang Xiao said, "I’ve already discussed this matter with Junior Sister. If your academy can achieve over 90 points in this Sword Tournament, we will fully support your plan. Otherwise, it will be difficult for us to eliminate internal sect resistance."

Wang Jiu nodded knowingly, "Indeed, the key to advancing a major strategic plan is to confront internal resistance. Without sufficient external pressure, internal reform is always difficult... Then it’s a deal. If we can score another 55 points in the remaining 60-point battle, your academy will cooperate with me to execute the previously mentioned plan."

"Alright, it’s a deal."

Wang Xiao felt a tinge of unease in his mind.

The upcoming mixed group match should technically be Wuxiang Sword Academy’s absolute forte, as this match has the most stringent qualification requirements!

In the junior group, newcomers often get temporarily recruited, participating with their family heritage. Even in the advanced group, situations like Wang Jiu being parachuted in as Dean, exempt from qualification requirements due to his position, couldn’t be excluded. Only the mixed group demands absolute qualifications from participants, ensuring that only those who have cultivated in both academies for many years and mastered core legacies can compete, completely eliminating the possibility of external reinforcements.

Without external reinforcements, the Sword Cultivators eligible to compete on both sides are fully exposed.

Just as Cyan Lotus Academy knows Wuxiang Sword Academy has trained a group of Mad Sword Cultivators, Wuxiang Sword Academy is also aware of how tough the academy’s sword group is. Apart from the Sang Sisters, who are chief and deputy group leaders, there are no talents worth noting. Among the over a hundred people in the sword group, less than five are truly battle-ready, and these five wouldn’t even qualify as substitutes in the mixed group at Wuxiang Sword Academy.

The disparity in strength between the two sides is as vast as the clouds and mud. Even if Wuxiang Sword Academy doesn’t deploy the Mad Sword Cultivators, they can still choose a few former mixed group participants from past sessions to easily secure victory.

Therefore, Wang Xiao couldn’t fathom how the opponent could possibly turn the tables. With the current sword group, even if they consumed forbidden drugs to the point of dissolving into human shapes, they wouldn’t stand a chance against the academy’s Mad Sword Cultivators.

While pondering, Senior Brother Wang Zhao suddenly asked, "Dean Wang Jiu, you previously mentioned that your academy’s mixed group participant is only one person, named Zhang Lan. But is this Zhang Lan listed in the academy’s cultivators register?"

Wang Jiu replied, "Of course, but not in the version you have, which only records the living."

Wang Zhao, holding Cyan Lotus Academy’s cultivator register, was baffled: the register obviously records only the living, surely they wouldn’t write down the dead?

But the next moment, he suddenly realized the crux of the issue.

"Wait a minute, do you mean to say..."

Wang Jiu said, "Look at page 47 of this old register for all the information about Zhang Lan."

Wang Zhao took an old version of the register handed to him by Wang Jiu, turned to page 47, and indeed saw detailed information about a cultivator named Zhang Lan.

But just reading the first line of the record sent a chill down his spine.

Zhang Lan: 1875-1910.

This is a dead person who passed away 108 years ago!