The Side Character Who Wins by Doing Nothing

As everyone watched their friendly conversation, they couldn’t help but inwardly praise their magnanimity, which was befitting of a major sect.

And so, Lu Sangjiu’s image—that of a woman with outstanding talent who was neither arrogant nor impatient, but possessed an excellent character—was firmly established in everyone’s minds.

Of course, even though Yang Cheng had lost, everyone had seen his strength and showered him with praise.

What was unfortunate, however, was that the interval between each of the three final matches today was only one hour.

And as luck would have it, the second match was Yang Cheng versus another opponent.

Had his injuries been minor, or had he only expended some Spiritual Power, it would have been enough time to recover.

But Yang Cheng was quite seriously injured, and one hour was clearly not enough time.

So, after a Medical Cultivator confirmed that Yang Cheng wouldn’t wake up within the hour, his senior martial brothers had no choice but to concede on his behalf.

And just like that, Yang Cheng’s third-place finish was decided.

The last remaining match would be between Lu Sangjiu and the other finalist, to decide first place.

Lu Sangjiu was originally scheduled for the first and third matches, meaning she would have had a match in between, granting her over an hour of rest time.

But now, due to Yang Cheng’s concession, she too was left with only one hour.

She stepped off the arena platform, and Xie Ningyuan walked over to her.

He casually handed her an Elixir Pill, and Lu Sangjiu popped it into her mouth without hesitation.

Xie Ningyuan’s brows shot up. ”Why the sudden trust in me?”

’In the past, wouldn’t she have had to inspect it carefully or ask a few questions before she’d be willing to take anything from him?’

But Lu Sangjiu replied matter-of-factly, ”Don’t employ those you doubt, and don’t doubt those you employ.”

”You might mess with me over small things, but you wouldn’t go so far as to poison me. I have at least that much faith in you.”

After a brief pause, her eyes widened in surprise. ”...What kind of Elixir Pill did you just give me?”

She had eaten it the moment Xie Ningyuan handed it over without paying much mind, assuming it was most likely some kind of Replenishing Spirit Pill.

But now, feeling the abundant Spiritual Energy that had just exploded within her Dantian, she knew this was clearly no simple Third Grade Replenishing Spirit Pill!

”Just a fifth-grade Mystic Spirit Pill, that’s all,” Xie Ningyuan said calmly.

Lu Sangjiu: ”...”

’Fifth-grade, and he says ”that’s all”!’

Once Elixir Pills reached the fifth-grade, they were already considered rarities.

Although this fifth-grade Mystic Spirit Pill had no other special effects beyond its miraculous ability to restore one’s condition, it could still sell for the price of two or three top-grade spirit stones.

Furthermore, the Spiritual Power it contained was so potent that for a Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivator to consume it was an absolute waste...

Even Lu Sangjiu, whose meridians had a much larger capacity than others, couldn’t fully absorb its Spiritual Energy. She had no choice but to immediately sit and meditate, carefully sealing away the surplus Spiritual Energy for the time being.

Forget needing the full hour; her condition was instantly restored to its peak. Sealing away the remaining Spiritual Energy, however, took some time.

When she opened her eyes again, her gaze toward Xie Ningyuan was filled with the kind of envy, jealousy, and resentment a commoner holds for the filthy rich.

”...A fifth-grade Mystic Spirit Pill, and you just gave it to me to recover? Even if you’re rich, you shouldn’t squander money like that!”

Xie Ningyuan put on an innocent expression. ”I only gave it to you, I didn’t tell you to eat it now. Who knew you’d swallow it without even looking?”

Lu Sangjiu: ”...”

’I guess it really was my fault for not asking first.’

’But if he didn’t mean for me to eat it now, why hand it over at this exact moment?’

Despite her internal grumbling, she had gotten something for free, so Lu Sangjiu couldn’t very well complain. She just added, ”In any case, thank you for the Elixir Pill.”

”However...” She hesitated a moment before saying, ”But we’re just partners. Helping out occasionally is fine; you don’t need to keep feeding me all these things.”

She had already taken his Ten Thousand Yang Pill, Demon Essence Stone, and the Sword Immortal’s storage ring from the Qingyu Secret Realm, and now he was giving her a Mystic Spirit Pill... Even Lu Sangjiu, who considered herself pretty thick-skinned, was starting to feel a bit embarrassed.

Although she was desperate to become stronger and had her own selfish reasons for using him,

at the end of the day, she was a firm believer in reciprocity. Being indebted to Xie Ningyuan so one-sidedly would become a kind of restraint on her.

Xie Ningyuan, however, didn’t seem to care. ”If I give you something, it’s because I want to. Just take it. Why are you overthinking things?”

Lu Sangjiu: ”...”

His words were a little domineering, but not in an unpleasant way.

But Lu Sangjiu had her own principles. As the saying goes, the Heavenly Dao ensures all debts are paid. If she owed someone too much, she would have to repay them someday, somehow.

She couldn’t press the issue now, and her time was almost up. She didn’t argue further, simply saying, ”The match is about to start. We can discuss this later.”

Xie Ningyuan hummed in agreement. ”This match... Are you planning to lose?”

Lu Sangjiu nodded candidly. ”I’ve had enough of the spotlight. This person from the Beast Taming Sect is quite strong, so losing to him won’t seem too strange.”

He said no more, only offering a quiet reminder, ”Be careful. Don’t get hurt.”

Soon, Lu Sangjiu walked onto the arena platform.

Her opponent, a Cultivator from the Beast Taming Sect named Zhang Jiu Yi, had a mutated Flame Beast as his Spirit Beast.

Lu Sangjiu had watched him compete before. That Flame Beast was very powerful, and the flames it wielded were comparable to a low-level Abnormal Fire.

Although Duoduo was also a mutated Spirit Beast, and its Ice Magic was a natural counter to the Fire Element,

its mutated Ice Magic was not yet especially strong. Therefore, in a serious fight, Duoduo would actually be overpowered by the Flame Beast.

This was why Lu Sangjiu had said it wouldn’t be strange for her to lose to him.

Zhang Jiu Yi had an ordinary appearance, but his gentle temperament made it difficult to dislike him.

Even Lu Sangjiu, who was generally prejudiced against the Beast Taming Sect, had a rather good impression of him.

Standing on the platform, Zhang Jiu Yi cupped his hands in salute to Lu Sangjiu and said, ”I have heard that Fellow Daoist Lu has some grievances with my sect’s Senior Brother Yi Ze. Before coming today, Senior Brother Yi Ze specifically instructed me to ’take good care’ of you.”

Lu Sangjiu was a little surprised. ”So, you mean you’re planning to use lethal force?”

She had already been prepared to lose, but if he was planning to use lethal force, then figuring out how to lose gracefully would be much harder to manage.

Unexpectedly, Zhang Jiu Yi shook his head. ”No, what I meant to say is, I’ve never been fond of fighting and killing. Even though Senior Brother Yi Ze gave me instructions, I have no desire to do that.”

”The only reason I’m mentioning it is because I was afraid Lu Fairy might get the wrong idea.”

”What I actually want to ask is, for our match today, can we agree to stop before it goes too far? Is that acceptable?”

Lu Sangjiu was instantly delighted. ’Stopping before it goes too far is great! In that case, what do I have to be nervous about?’

Besides, he had said it in front of this huge crowd, so Lu Sangjiu wasn’t worried about him going back on his word. If he did, both he and the Beast Taming Sect would lose all face today.

And so, with a smile, she nodded happily. ”Okay! Then it’s a deal. We’ll stop before it goes too far!”

’Yup, I’ll just find the right moment to concede. A happy ending for everyone!’