Miss Fairy, Please Hear Me Out

Five days later.

In the master bedroom. Tian Yan sat cross-legged on the large bed, quietly breathing and cultivating. The only sound in the entire room was the occasional rustle of paper as Xu Yuan turned the pages of his book.

DONG! DONG! DONG! A long, resonant bell rang out from the summit of Splendorbloom’s main peak. The sound rolled from near to far, startling flocks of birds into flight. It spread throughout the entire Splendorbloom mountain range and echoed without end.

Xu Yuan’s eyes froze on the page. He placed the classic in his hand onto the red sandalwood table, and his brows immediately furrowed.

After several breaths of silence, Tian Yan also stopped circulating her technique.

The two looked at each other without speaking. Both their gazes had turned grave.

The Heavenly Splendor Bell on Splendorbloom’s main peak would only be struck on important days or during important events of the Splendorbloom Sect.

Depending on the importance of the matter or occasion, the number of tolls would increase.

One, three, six, nine, and thirteen.

The lingering bell continued to echo. Silence slowly spread through the room.

Three tolls.

The Heavenly Splendor Bell had been struck three times. According to the sect’s rules and rites, the coronation ceremony of the Saintess also required three tolls.

Expressionless, Tian Yan jumped down from the bed, straightened her dress, and said quietly, “Let’s go.”

No matter how many times the Heavenly Splendor Bell rang, as long as it sounded, the core disciples of the Splendorbloom Sect had to gather at Splendorbloom Hall.

Xu Yuan thought for a moment, then rose to his feet as well and said in a low voice, “It probably isn’t the Saintess’s coronation ceremony.”

“Why?” Tian Yan was clearly in a bad mood. She glanced at him. “The Splendorbloom Sect’s Saintess is directly appointed by the sect master and elders. It’s not decided through a selection.”

Xu Yuan shook his head lightly and said in a quiet voice, “Looking at Wang Yuchu’s previous cultivation and talent, no matter how you put it, the position of Saintess shouldn’t have fallen to you. And you haven’t reported the fact that you broke through to third rank either. Even if they wanted to appoint you internally, they’d at least need to convince the others first.”

Jing He was 25 this year and already at the peak of third rank.

Wang Yuchu, meanwhile, was 23, yet she was only a fourth rank Body Integration cultivator.

That level of cultivation was indeed rare within the Splendorbloom Sect, but it was hardly unmatched.

Tian Yan’s beautiful eyes flickered for a moment. Then she let out a long breath. “Then what do you think it is?”

The Saintess’s coronation ceremony would require the Heavenly Splendor Bell to be struck three times, but the bell being struck three times did not necessarily mean it was the Saintess’s coronation ceremony.

When an important visitor entered the realm, the Splendorbloom Sect would also strike the Heavenly Splendor Bell as a show of courtesy and respect.

Xu Yuan thought for a while, then said quietly, “I feel like it has something to do with that young disciple from Grand Purity Dao Palace who arrived a few days ago.”

Tian Yan frowned. “Even the chief disciple of Grand Purity Dao Palace wouldn’t warrant this level of ceremony.”

Xu Yuan shrugged. “Then I have no idea. Let’s go and see. Maybe one of his elders came visiting over the past few days.”

Tian Yan softly exhaled and nodded.

With that said, the two pushed open the door and flew straight toward Splendorbloom Hall at high speed.

ᯓ➤

Half an hour later.

Splendorbloom Hall stood at the very summit of Splendorbloom’s main peak. Around it rose a towering palace wall built from white jade bricks and stone. Dense trees grew on all sides, clouds and mist drifted through the air, and only one straight mountain stairway led directly to the palace gate.

Because the distance was rather far, Xu Yuan and Tian Yan arrived a little late.

By now, the tall main gate of the palace wall outside Splendorbloom Hall had already been closed. If they wanted to enter, they would have to use a side gate.

But the moment they drew near, even with the palace wall’s restriction between them and the inside, Xu Yuan still sensed a sharp wave of source qi spreading out from within.

Was someone fighting inside?

Below the steps in front of Splendorbloom Hall was a vast, level plaza. Every year, the sect assembly for the core disciples was held in this square.

Thinking of this, Xu Yuan narrowed his eyes.

Had that man from Grand Purity Dao Palace come to Splendorbloom Sect for a duel?

He felt a little puzzled, but said nothing. The inner sect disciple on duty helped open the side gate, and the two stepped directly inside.

BUZZ! After a clear, ringing saber cry, a powerful qi presence almost enveloped the entire massive dueling ground.

Sure enough, a duel was currently taking place in front of Splendorbloom Hall.

The Splendorbloom Sect against Grand Purity Dao Palace.

Senior Brother Li, the big brother of that pack of pampered young masters, was fighting the lazy-looking white-robed man.

But Xu Yuan had to admit, he was somewhat frightened by the scene before him.

After the blade rang out, Senior Brother Li’s head was directly chopped off by that lazy-looking young man.

After falling to the ground, it rolled several times with a dull series of thuds before finally coming to a stop. Crimson blood continuously seeped from the headless body, glaringly vivid against the ground paved with white jade stone.

Senior Brother Li was only third rank. He had not yet reached the level where he could be reborn from a single drop of blood. He was dead.

Xu Yuan found it all rather absurd. He had actually had a pretty good impression of this Senior Brother Li.

Over the past few months, Senior Brother Li had come by from time to time to visit him and Tian Yan, bringing precious pills that could either heal injuries or aid cultivation.

In Senior Brother Li’s eyes, among their little group, Xu Yuan, this younger brother, and Tian Yan, this younger sister, were the only ones without elders looking after them. So as the big brother, he had to shoulder that responsibility.

And now, he had actually been cut down just like that... In the most important sacred ground of the Splendorbloom Sect... Right in front of the palace gates of Splendorbloom Hall... Before the eyes of all those sect elders. What the hell was going on?

The entire Splendorbloom Hall was deathly silent. The only sound was the soft gurgle of blood flowing from Senior Brother Li’s corpse.

With stunned confusion in his eyes, Xu Yuan swept his gaze over the black-faced sect elders standing at the edge of the grounds. Then he looked up along the rising steps toward the entrance of Splendorbloom Hall.

There, he saw an old man with a weathered face standing quietly before the palace doors.

This old man was Bai Fan’s father, the sect master of the Splendorbloom Sect.

Xu Yuan did not know what went on behind the scenes, but on the surface, this old man was the only Sage level expert in the current Splendorbloom Sect.

He... had just watched Senior Brother Li get cut down? Why had he not stopped it?

Back then, when Xu Changge went to the Celeste Assembly and started cutting people down, even the sect elders of later generations knew to step in and stop him. Yet, a mighty Sage level expert, just stood there and watched his own important junior get slaughtered by an outsider in his own backyard?

The Splendorbloom Sect Master seemed to notice Xu Yuan’s gaze as well. After several breaths of silence, he merely shook his head lightly at him, his eyes lonely and dim.

But in the next moment, Xu Yuan saw the Splendorbloom Sect Master glance slightly to the side and calmly transmit something to the person beside him.

Only then did Xu Yuan notice that there was another person standing beside the Splendorbloom Sect Master.

It was a young man in a long-sleeved black robe.

He looked only about seventeen. His brows were sharp as swords, his eyes bright as stars, and his bearing was elegant and handsome. Faint golden light seemed to flow within his narrow eyes, but his expression was utterly indifferent.

Xu Yuan frowned slightly. This youth’s cultivation should only be around third rank. Why was he able to stand beside the Splendorbloom Sect Master? And the mighty Sage who ruled an entire sect was treating him as an equal.

Doubts kept rising in his mind, but the young woman beside him suddenly reached out and grabbed him.

Feeling the warmth of her slender fingertips, Xu Yuan glanced sideways at her and heard her voice ring directly in his heart.

“The matter of the Beguiling Divine Sakura has probably leaked. These powerful sects must have joined hands and come here to take a share. This should be a wagered duel.”

Xu Yuan thought for a moment and was about to transmit his voice back, but Tian Yan spoke first.

“Don’t use voice transmission. That guy up on the steps might be able to hear it.”

Huh? Xu Yuan looked at Tian Yan with a hint of surprise.

Tian Yan, however, was not looking at him. Her golden eyes were fixed quietly on the golden-eyed youth before the palace doors, and her voice carried a trace of interest. “He is the Saint of the Heavenwatch Pavilion in this era.”