After Being Adopted by the Obsessive Male Lead - Chapter 11

Outside the window, the voices of the crowd were boiling over with excitement.

Chang Le was jolted awake by the noise. Opening his eyes to the sight of the pale blue gauze canopy, he felt a bit dazed for a moment. Then, suddenly remembering they were to enter the Tianxuan Sect for the competition today, he scrambled out of bed.

The Great Demon was already up.

“In seven minutes, we head to the Tianxuan Sect,” Jun Wang said.

Chang Le nodded, quickly tidied himself up, and followed Jun Wang out the door.

The crowd in the tavern had mostly dispersed. Outside stood hundreds of disciples from various immortal sects, all high-spirited and radiant. From time to time, Cloud Boats flashed across the small patch of sky, and some people were even flying on swords.

Seeing them, the female innkeeper walked over specifically to offer a reminder. “The Tianxuan Sect is located halfway up Mount Jiu. You two will have to take your own Cloud Boat up there.”

Chang Le thanked the innkeeper and stepped onto the Cloud Boat with Jun Wang. As the boat rose slightly into the air, a transparent ripple of water, a protective barrier, could be seen shielding the entirety of Mount Jiu. Halfway up the mountain sat a circular opening, surrounded by a dense cluster of Cloud Boats and flying swords waiting in line to pass through.

The queue was quite long. The Beast Taming Sect, riding on flying cranes, stood out prominently among the sea of boats and swords. However, at the very front of the line sat an even more eye-catching, massive Cloud Boat. This giant vessel featured layers of pavilions with exquisitely carved beams and painted rafters.

It was comparable to a luxury cruise ship.

On that extravagant boat stood several disciples in opulent robes. Their attire wasn’t airy like the celestial silk seen in town, but was instead encrusted with gold, jade, and precious stones. Their clothes were flamboyant, and the people themselves carried an air of arrogance, keeping their heads held high and disdaining to look at the other, more “impoverished” vessels.

Seven or eight Tianxuan Sect disciples stood at the barrier. Dressed in blue and white sect uniforms, the ones at the entrance opened a jade tablet to record the sect and number of people passing through.

One looked at the grand Cloud Boat and, without even asking, lifted his brush to write. The three characters for “Yuanyao Palace” appeared in black ink on the jade tablet.

Several disciples disembarked from the luxury liner. The one in the lead walked with a slow, relaxed pace. His black upper garment seemed like a thin layer pressed against his body, leaving his firm, honey-colored chest exposed, partially obscured only by chains of gold, jade, and pearls. “Ten people,” he said.

His voice was lazy, sounding less like he was attending a martial arts competition and more like he was arriving at a banquet.

“In the last Hundred Path Sword Debate, Yuanyao Palace brought five people, and all of them made it into the top ten. This year they brought ten. Are they trying to sweep the entire top ten?”

“A lot can change in two years. Maybe they won’t even get one person in this year.”

“I’d actually like to find out if Yuanyao Palace is truly as formidable as they say.”

Hearing this, the man from Yuanyao Palace turned back and flashed a reckless smile. “You are welcome to find out. Yuanyao Palace will certainly not hesitate to teach you a lesson.” Then, with a long stride, he leisurely entered the Tianxuan Sect.

“So arrogant.”

It seemed they were one of the major rivals.

Chang Le looked toward Jun Wang with concern, only to find Jun Wang leaning against the Cloud Boat, staring fixedly in Chang Le’s direction.

Chang Le: …?

Why is he staring at me? Did I put my clothes on backward?

Noticing Chang Le looking back, Jun Wang tilted his head slightly and gazed toward the clouds. Chang Le followed his gaze but saw only the golden morning sun, looking no different than usual.

Chang Le: …

Look at your opponents, you demon!

The “emperor” wasn’t worried, yet the “eunuch” was frantic. No, no, no, he couldn’t think like that. He wasn’t a eunuch.

The efficiency of the Tianxuan Sect was high, and it was soon Chang Le and Jun Wang’s turn. Jun Wang stowed the Cloud Boat, and Chang Le followed him through the gap in the barrier. He heard a formal, monotone voice ask, “Which sect are you from, fellow Daoist?”

“A rogue cultivator, no sect.” The recorder looked up in surprise at the voice, finding it somewhat familiar.

However, the man’s face was covered by a veil, making it impossible to see his features. The recorder didn’t dwell on it, simply noted “Rogue cultivators, two people” on the jade tablet and let them in.

Before Chang Le had walked a few steps, a man with a decent appearance approached. “Are you two fellow Daoists also here to join the Tianxuan Sect?”

Jun Wang ignored the man, but Chang Le asked, “Can you join the Tianxuan Sect by participating in this?”

“The Hundred Path Sword Debate is co-hosted by the ten great immortal sects to test the progress of young cultivators, but that’s for those who already belong to a sect. For rogue cultivators, participating usually means trying to join the Tianxuan Sect. If you can break into the top thirty, you can join. If you didn’t know that, then why are you here?”

“Streamer Flowers,” Jun Wang said flatly.

The man’s eyes widened instantly. “You two certainly have no lack of ambition.” Having said that, he walked away as if he were looking at two madmen.

Passing through a narrow stone corridor, the space suddenly opened up. Nestled among the stone peaks was a bare stretch of land spanning miles, wide and flat. Stone pillars rose on all four sides, reaching into the clouds. Carved onto the pillars were three large characters: “Martial Arts Arena.”

Behind the arena were three hundred blue stone steps leading deeper toward higher peaks. Passing those steps was the only way to truly enter the inner sanctum of the Tianxuan Sect. However, the first day’s competition took place only on the plaza of the Martial Arts Arena. Over a dozen disciples stood at the steps to prevent anyone from crossing over.

Chang Le thought it was bad news. With such strict guards, how was he going to sneak in?

“Participants, please infuse a trace of spiritual energy into the Spirit-Testing Stone. The stone will randomly assign an opponent to each of you. You will enter the Hongmeng Domain with your opponent. The defeated will be ejected immediately, while the victor continues to the next round. During the match, blades have no eyes. The Tianxuan Sect holds no responsibility for injury or death. Please do not push yourselves beyond your limits.”

A voice like a great bronze bell rang out.

A massive rock surfaced in the center of the arena. Hundreds of streaks of spiritual energy flowed into the Spirit-Testing Stone. The people on the plaza began to vanish as the competition commenced.

Watching Jun Wang disappear before his eyes, Chang Le felt a surge of tension. Suddenly, he could understand the feelings of a parent waiting outside an exam hall. Even if he knew his child’s strength, he still worried about unexpected situations or poor performance. Chang Le shook his head, brushing away that parental anxiety.

Tianxuan Sect disciples and those accompanying the competitors remained around the arena. Chang Le picked out a kind-looking disciple and asked, “Senior brother, is Senior Brother Chu Heng currently within the sect?”

Hearing the familiar name, the man answered instinctively, “Senior Brother Chu is naturally within the sect.” Then, he looked at Chang Le warily and asked sharply, “Why are you looking for Senior Brother Chu?”

“Please don’t misunderstand, Senior Brother Chu Heng previously did me a great favor. He left in such a hurry back then that I couldn’t thank him properly. Since I’ve come to Mount Jiu today, I thought I’d thank him in person.”

The youth’s voice was like a trickling stream, very gentle. Coupled with the story of repaying a kindness, it seemed perfectly plausible. Everyone in the Tianxuan Sect knew of Chu Heng’s chivalrous nature, so it was common for him to help others. The wariness on the disciple’s face faded. He simply said, “I will convey your gratitude to Senior Brother Chu. Please wait a moment.”

He released a message butterfly. Overjoyed, Chang Le quickly thanked him.

Chang Le waited for a while when he suddenly heard gasps of surprise.

“Someone from Yuanyao Palace is out.”

A man in opulent robes appeared on the arena. The jewel-encrusted style was identical to that of the Yuanyao Palace disciples.

“If you win twenty matches, you can leave the Hongmeng Domain early to wait for the next round. Someone from Yuanyao Palace finished twenty matches so quickly? They are truly formidable.”

A rogue cultivator who had just emerged from the domain saw the Yuanyao Palace disciple stumble a few steps and asked uncertainly, “Did he finish his matches, or did he run into that madman?”

Chang Le recognized the rogue cultivator as the one who had spoken to them earlier. From his words, it seemed there was an incredibly powerful “madman” acting as a dark horse in the arena. He wondered if Jun Wang would run into him.

“What madman are you talking about? I haven’t seen one,” the Yuanyao Palace disciple snorted. After speaking, he suddenly clutched his chest, a streak of bright red blood leaking from the corner of his mouth.

The rogue cultivator laughed. “Hahaha, injured that badly? You definitely met that madman. Even the Yuanyao Palace people lost to him. It’s not so bad that I lost to him too, then. Damn, thank goodness I surrendered in time. For a rogue cultivator to have such powerful spiritual energy, I couldn’t even withstand one strike from him. He’s truly insane.”

The Yuanyao Palace disciple’s face grew even uglier upon hearing the person was a rogue cultivator.

Only then did Chang Le realize the “madman” they were talking about was Jun Wang! The protagonist was the dark horse. It was such a cliché plot, but at this moment, it felt wonderfully reassuring.

However, the message butterfly still hadn’t returned. Chang Le waited with bated breath.

Many people had already emerged onto the arena, all of them defeated. Some whose entire sects had been wiped out simply cancelled their records with the recording disciple and left on their Cloud Boats. Others lingered around the arena to chat, wanting to see who would be the first to emerge after winning all their matches.

The honest-looking rogue cultivator leaned against a stone wall, also keeping a close eye on the arena.

While waiting for both ends, Chang Le suddenly saw the message butterfly fly back. “How is it, senior brother? Is Senior Brother Chu Heng willing to meet?”

The disciple listened to the message carried by the butterfly, a look of embarrassment crossing his face. The voice from the butterfly belonged to a junior sister, and she had only said one thing: “Senior Brother Chu and I are going to rest. Tell that person to leave quickly and not disturb him.”

But the message butterfly leaked sound, and the youth in front of him heard everything. Seeing the green-clad youth frozen in place, the disciple stammered a word of comfort. “Senior Brother Chu Heng… he must be tired. You shouldn’t take it to heart, fellow Daoist.”

Chang Le felt a very bad premonition. Could Chu Heng already have a cultivation partner?

But Lin Man had said Chu Heng liked Qiu He and had been trying to find her for years. She never mentioned any “junior sister.”

Trust Lin Man. This junior sister must have just happened to be with Chu Heng when he was about to sleep. Yes, a coincidence!

“What are you thinking about?”

Chang Le jumped at the voice. Jun Wang had approached him at some unknown time. His veiled hat was still on, and his deep blue robes were neat and clean, without a single thread out of place.

“Brother Jun, you’re out! How was the competition?”

Jun Wang sensed the young master was avoiding his question. “Average.”

“Huh?” Those people were just calling you a madman and a dark horse. Chang Le was stunned.

“Their cultivation levels were average. Not worth the fight.”

As he said this, the Tianxuan Sect disciple who had been comforting Chang Le couldn’t help but glance at Jun Wang. This man had not only defeated a Yuanyao Palace disciple but was also the first to emerge from the Hongmeng Domain after completing twenty matches. Aside from the champion from four years ago, he was the second person to finish so quickly. Come to think of it, this man’s figure looked somewhat similar to that person from four years ago.

“Let’s head back. Today’s competition is over.”

“Alright.”

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