ISWI Chapter 101-102 (Patreon)

Chapter 101: Who Am I? Where Am I? What Am I Doing?

The contest between Ye Chen and Yao Xi drew the attention of all. Whether it was the sect leader, the elders, or the disciples, everyone was particularly focused on the outcome. Everyone was curious—would Ye Chen hold back? And if he did, how would he do so?

On the spectator stands, Gu Yunyun narrowed her beautiful eyes, observing Ye Chen closely. Although Ye Chen had just communicated through voice transmission, assuring her,

Gu Yunyun still couldn't shake her unease. After all, her disciple had even dared to gift away a spot to the Five Elements Cave. If Ye Chen dared to deceive her, she would definitely make him regret it. He would soon learn why the elders had been so terrified when they had met with her last night.

...

Amidst the eager anticipation of the crowd, the duel officially began.

Yao Xi, fearful that Ye Chen's act of holding back might be too obvious and that it would make it hard for him to explain himself to his master, decided to make the first move. However, as she began to form the hand seals, her expression suddenly shifted.

Yao Xi sensed a slight fluctuation of spiritual power from her side. She quickly turned her head, only to discover that, within a mere five meters of distance, a massive hand had materialized, seemingly without notice. It was rapidly approaching her.

Yao Xi immediately smiled. As expected, Ye Chen wouldn't let things go too obviously. However, this giant hand was clearly much smaller than the ones Ye Chen had used in previous battles. The purple-gold light it emitted wasn't as intense. It was evident that Ye Chen had indeed held back.

Without hesitation, Yao Xi conjured a protective shield. She was confident that she could easily block the attack.

The onlookers, however, seemed to have noticed this as well. They shook their heads and sighed. No matter how powerful Ye Chen was, when facing Yao Xi, he still couldn't resist extending his tongue.

On the stands, the sect leader furrowed his brows. The head of the Magic Peak couldn't hide his gleeful smile. As for Gu Yunyun, her fists tightened.

...

Yet, just as Yao Xi pondered how to counterattack after blocking the massive hand, striking Ye Chen down without harming him, the giant hand swept toward her with tremendous force. In the blink of an eye, the protective shield shattered.

Yao Xi's complexion changed. But there was no time to act.

Boom...

A deafening crash.

Yao Xi's delicate body slammed hard into the edge of the formation's barrier. She then crashed to the ground. A mouthful of blood sprayed from her lips.

At that moment, the entire arena fell silent. Wasn't he supposed to hold back? How did it end with a single strike? This was not what they had expected.

Seeing Yao Xi's condition, the crowd winced in sympathy. It was too tragic. But the sect leader's furrowed brows gradually relaxed. The head of Magic Peak, however, frowned deeply.

As for Gu Yunyun, her lips curled into a smile. Although her disciple had many flaws, he was reliable when it truly mattered!

...

"Senior Sister Yao, are you alright?"

Dazed and in agonizing pain, Yao Xi felt herself being lifted by strong arms.

Who am I? Where am I? What am I doing?

Cradled in Ye Chen's arms, Yao Xi felt her mind clouded and disoriented. She gazed upward, her large eyes filled with countless questions.

Wasn't he supposed to hold back? Why did it turn out like this? Am I really that weak?

At that moment, Yao Xi began to question her own existence.

Ye Chen, on the other hand, quickly produced a healing pill and pressed it into Yao Xi's lips with swift yet gentle force. He frowned in confusion as he spoke, "Junior Sister, why did you hold back? Didn't you tell me to go all out? You...you really..."

Yao Xi suddenly recalled the words she had spoken on the stage. No matter the outcome, she would accept it. She had asked Ye Chen to give his all, for otherwise, she would be upset.

But…

Yao Xi couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't quite right. And yet, she couldn't deny that it felt as though it had to be this way. Ye Chen, driven by his love for her, had chosen to heed her words and give his all.

Meanwhile, she had mistakenly believed he would hold back. In truth, she had inadvertently given him the chance to go all out. Thus, all of the issues truly stemmed from her own decisions.

For a moment, Yao Xi fell into a state of self-reflection. When she finally felt better, she groggily made her way off the stage to receive treatment. Her junior sister, standing beside her, was filled with frustration.

"Senior Sister, I don't think Ye Chen loves you as much as you think he does! All that talk of being without regrets and asking for nothing in return—it's all lies. When it comes to a Foundation Establishment pill, didn't you see him get serious? He actually hurt you this badly. It's just too much!"

However, upon hearing her junior sister's words, Yao Xi shook her head gently.

"No, it's my fault. I asked him to give his all. He did this because he cares too much about my words. It's truly my mistake."

Her junior sister didn't share this view.

"Pfft! If he really loved you, Senior Sister, he wouldn't have been so blind to the importance of the Foundation Establishment pill to you. Senior Sister, you're so close to breaking through—just one more pill and you could enter Foundation Establishment! And yet, he took that spot without hesitation. He has a third-grade spiritual root; with a Foundation Establishment pill, he could break through. But it's a waste! It's utterly useless for him. I think he doesn't want you to break through. Once a cultivator enters Foundation Establishment, they're on an entirely different level from us. He just wants to keep you by his side. All that talk of selfless devotion, not caring about worldly rewards, just hoping you'll be better—it was all a lie."

Her junior sister's words plunged Yao Xi into deep thought. Did Ye Chen not want her to break through to Foundation Establishment because he was afraid of losing her? It seemed... quite likely.

Realizing this truth, Yao Xi sighed but didn't feel too despondent.

"If that's the case, then I can accept it."

Her junior sister's eyes widened in shock...

What was happening? Had Senior Sister's mind been corrupted by Ye Chen's affections? That was the Foundation Establishment pill, for heaven's sake!

Seeing her junior sister's confusion, Yao Xi smiled softly. "You're still young, so you don't understand. The essence of love is, in truth, selfish. Ye Chen's selfless wish for me to improve and go further it's because he has conquered his own nature. But his desire to keep me by his side, not wanting me to break through, and hoping I will one day become his Dao companion—that, too, is love. Such love is, in fact, even more genuine. So, I won't blame Ye Chen. On the contrary, I'm rather happy that he made that choice, wanting me to stay with him forever…"

Yao Xi's words left her junior sister feeling utterly perplexed.

This was wrong, so wrong. It was Ye Chen who prevented Senior Sister's breakthrough to Foundation Establishment, yet Senior Sister was happy? Could it be that Senior Sister had been infected by this…?

Yao Xi saw the confusion on her junior sister's face and couldn't help but laugh. "When you find a man as deeply devoted as Ye Chen, you'll understand."

Her junior sister, hearing this, twitched her mouth. It wasn't just her. What female cultivator wouldn't want that? But a man like Ye Chen, a simp, was probably a one-of-a-kind figure in the entire cultivation world. Where could she possibly find someone like that?

Yao Xi didn't wish to continue this conversation. Her physical injuries had nearly healed.

"It looks like the battle on Magic Peak's side has also come to a conclusion. Let's go cheer for Ye Chen! Even if I lose the Foundation Establishment pill, it doesn't necessarily mean I can't break through. But if Ye Chen gets the pill, his chances of breaking through will increase tremendously. I just don't know if he can defeat Magic Peak's direct disciple."

Her junior sister shook her head upon hearing this. To be honest, Fa Zhen was far too powerful. He was undoubtedly the strongest among this generation of sect disciples. Defeating him would be exceedingly difficult.

Fa Zhen, without exerting much effort, quickly defeated his opponent. When asked by the steward if he needed rest, he simply replied that he did not, and that he was ready to proceed to the finals.

On Ye Chen's side, there was no objection. Thus, the final match was about to begin. The smile that had previously disappeared from the face of Magic Peak Master returned once again. Meanwhile, Gu Yunyun, who had been in a good mood moments ago, furrowed her brows slightly.

Fa Zhen was formidable. His fire-based spells were extraordinarily sophisticated, their power far surpassing that of an ordinary Qi Refining Stage Nine cultivator.

Ye Chen's chances of victory against Fa Zhen were, to say the least, slim. This was the unanimous thought of nearly every disciple and elder present.

Yet, Ye Chen himself remained calm, his expression unperturbed.

Chapter 102: Good Disciple! A Reward Awaits You!

Although everyone doubted Ye Chen's ability to defeat Fa Zhen, the disciples still believed that Ye Chen had proven himself by reaching this point. From being seen as a mere simp, a useless waste of a disciple relying on connections, he had fought his way to second place in the sect. Even in defeat, he had earned honor.

...

On the stage, Fa Zhen smiled slyly. As Ye Chen unleashed his rapidly moving purple gold hand, he already had a method to counter it.

Boom...

The battle began.

Fa Zhen raised his hand and summoned a talisman. In an instant, flames spread across the arena, blocking everyone's line of sight.

Ye Chen clicked his tongue in frustration. Although his Heaven Destruction Hand was incredibly fast, it could not match the immediate release of a spell from a talisman. At this moment, the raging fire in the air disrupted his vision, making it hard to lock onto the true position of his opponent.

Unlike his direct clash with Li Xiaoyao and his Heaven Destruction Hand, the methods of this Magic Peak direct disciple were truly something to consider.

As Ye Chen pondered how to break the situation, dozens of fireballs erupted from the flames and shot toward him.

Without hesitation, Ye Chen raised his hand to summon a golden shield.

Majestic Heavenly Dragon Shield!

The fireballs collided with the golden shield and instantly vanished, without even leaving a ripple in their wake.

Hidden among the flames, Fa Zhen paused, thinking to himself that this golden shield was so all-encompassing. It could either be highly draining on spiritual Qi, or unable to withstand concentrated attacks. Considering Ye Chen was merely at the Qi Refining stage, it seemed unlikely that he had trained in defensive spells that consumed too much spiritual power. Therefore, if he attacked at a specific point, he could easily break through.

Fa Zhen formed hand seals and chanted incantations. Within moments, a long spear of fire materialized before him, its tip wrapped in swirling blue flames!

Flame Spear Technique!

The fiery spear, enshrouded in blue flames, shot out in the blink of an eye, charging toward Ye Chen, who stood behind his golden shield amidst the flames.

Yet, Ye Chen was not standing idly by. He had been using the Emperor's Qi Viewing Technique to study the surrounding flames. The moment there was any sign of change, he could pinpoint the exact location of Fa Zhen.

As soon as the fire spear formed, Ye Chen locked onto his opponent's position. He dispelled the golden shield and immediately unleashed his Heaven Destruction Hand, reaching toward the figure of Fa Zhen hidden within the fire.

Fa Zhen was taken aback. Ye Chen was not attempting to defend himself—he was attacking. Did he wish to bring about a mutual defeat?

But in the next instant, Fa Zhen understood the truth.

Although Ye Chen's golden shield had vanished, a golden little dragon still circled around him. Just as the fire spear was about to strike Ye Chen, the golden dragon let out a furious roar and charged toward the spear.

The blue-flamed spear collided with the golden dragon, shattering on contact. The blue flames that had wrapped around the spear were absorbed by the little dragon, transforming it into a golden dragon, now swirling with blue fire!

Fa Zhen was left stupefied, but there was no time for him to think further. A purple gold Hand was already descending rapidly toward his head.

With a clenched jaw, Fa Zhen quickly conjured another talisman, transforming himself into a fiery apparition just in time to dodge Ye Chen's Heaven Destruction Hand.

Ye Chen was a bit surprised. He hadn't expected Fa Zhen to evade his attack.

Hidden amidst the flames, Fa Zhen gritted his teeth. How was he supposed to counter this? It seemed there was no choice but to use that final technique!

Fa Zhen steeled his resolve and spat three mouthfuls of blood. As the blood came into contact with the flames, it slowly formed into a blood-red, humanoid flame figure resembling him!

Three humanoid flames, under his command, began to float around him, encircling Ye Chen.

"Now, let's see how you defend!"Fa Zhen sneered. "This is my ultimate technique—Blood Spear Technique! Ye Chen, if you can withstand this, I'll admit defeat!"

As his words fell, four blood-red spears began to take shape.

Ye Chen, now trapped in the center of the encirclement, could feel the four powerful forces approaching. If it were only one attack, he could repeat his previous tactic and block it with the Majestic Heavenly Dragon Sheild, but with only one dragon, he couldn't fend off attacks from all four directions at once.

With a soft sigh, Ye Chen spoke helplessly, "In that case, don't blame me."

In the next instant, Ye Chen gathered his spiritual qi to his fingertips, and dozens of sword qi shot out, targeting one of the blood figures. With another sweep of his hand, dozens of sword qi flew toward another blood figure. With each movement, hundreds of sword qi were unleashed in the blink of an eye!

Meanwhile, the blood spears were still being formed, unable to release in time!

The three blood figures dissipated instantly upon contact with the sword qi, and the blood spears, still in their nascent state, vanished without a trace. Fa Zhen was struck by the sword qi and staggered, falling to the ground, spitting another mouthful of blood.

As the flames on the battlefield dispersed, Ye Chen stood at the center, his expression calm and composed.

Fa Zhen no longer appeared so carefree. Blood dripped from his mouth as he lay on the ground, his eyes filled with a dazed, almost existential disbelief.

He had lost? A cultivator with a fire spiritual root, defeated by someone one stage lower in cultivation. A waste with a third-grade spiritual root? How could his opponent's techniques be so powerful, so deftly mastered? Why was his spiritual energy so abundant, and his output so ferocious? What in the world was happening?

Fa Zhen, once convinced he was invincible below Foundation Establishment, felt as if his Dao heart had shattered.

Unable to accept this, he struggled to rise, shouting at Ye Chen, who had already turned and was about to leave the stage, "Why? I, with my rare spiritual root, have trained diligently for seven years—hardworking, abstaining from distractions, focusing only on cultivation and studying spells… Why are you the one who defeated me?"

Fa Zhen truly could not accept this outcome. The disciples and elders watching the scene could understand his feelings. After all, in the world of cultivation, being defeated by someone of a lower level was always a humiliating experience.

It would be seen as proof of weakness—someone who couldn't even defeat an opponent beneath their level. And Fa Zhen had always considered himself a genius. Now, he had been defeated by a man with inferior talent and cultivation, someone who was consumed by his pursuit of female cultivators, a simp.

Who could accept such a turn of events?

Ye Chen, upon hearing Fa Zhen's frustrated shouts, glanced back at him with a look of calm indifference.

Still not satisfied? Do you know how painful it is to be a simp? Do you know how humiliating it is? Do you know how difficult it is to deal with these high-caliber female cultivators? Do you know how much I've sacrificed over the past three years?

The three years of being a simp have been like walking on thin ice. The journey I've taken has been incredibly difficult. So why should you think that your seven years of hard work should surpass my three years as a simp? Do you really believe that my skills, cultivation, physical strength, and treasures were all handed to me by the system?

No! Everything I have achieved was through my own hard work. Ah, right! System, when you send Yao Xi the Foundation Establishment pill later, you'd better put in some effort!

...

Once Ye Chen leisurely descended from the stage, the previously silent arena erupted in astonished murmurs.

The disciples' eyes were filled with disbelief. Even the elders were stunned by what they had just witnessed. The Master of Magic Peak wore a dark expression. Gu Yunyun's lips curled into a smile, though there was hidden shock in her eyes. After all, no one had anticipated this outcome.

Ye Chen's combat prowess was simply terrifying. He had mastered a variety of powerful spells, some of which even the elders had never seen before. But if it were only his powerful spells, one could say that Gu Yunyun had played a part in his training. With her strength, it wouldn't have been hard for her to guide a direct disciple to this point.

But having powerful spells wasn't enough. After all, no matter how strong a spell was, if it wasn't mastered thoroughly, its power would never be fully realized. However, the way Ye Chen controlled his spells during the battle left everyone in awe. Almost every spell he cast was at a masterful level, executed with such ease and precision.

The stronger the spell, the more difficult it was to learn. Ye Chen had managed to comprehend so many spells to such a high level. His innate talent must be extraordinary—truly a genius.

Beyond that, Ye Chen's spiritual power output was incredibly fierce and enduring. This meant his dantian must be much larger than an average cultivator's, with stronger meridians capable of withstanding more. And his physical strength was equally impressive.

When considering all this, it was clear that Ye Chen was no mere weakling. If his spiritual root weren't so poor, if his chances of breaking through to Foundation Establishment weren't so slim, with his performance today, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call him the sect's number one genius.

"I didn't expect Peak Master Gu, in addition to her extraordinary mastery of the sword, to also possess such sharp insight into young talents. I truly admire you,"one of the elders commented.

"Fellow Daoist's eye for disciples is truly remarkable," another praised.

"Fellow Daoist truly values quality over quantity. I foolishly believed the rumors that you only took Ye Chen in due to personal connections!"

"Elder Chen, we must address these rumors within the sect. Slandering the Sect Leader is no small matter!"

The elders' reaction only made Gu Yunyun's smile widen.

Yes, yes, you're all right. I took Ye Chen in because of his talent, that's the truth. My disciple has really earned my pride today. And now he's the number one disciple in the sect. As his master, I can't just ignore this. I'll make sure to reward him once we return.

The sect leader, having watched the match, glanced at Elder Chen once again. He then transmitted a message, saying, "Elder Chen, do you have an issue with Gu Yunyun or Ye Chen? We are all from the Green Cloud Sect, and we should be understanding of each other. Moreover, once Gu Yunyun breaks through to the Golden Core stage, the position of Sect Leader will surely be hers. If you continue to have a strained relationship with her, how will you handle things in the future? I'll pretend you never said anything."

Elder Chen of the Internal Affairs Hall twitched his mouth.

I'm not, I didn't.

Ye Chen had soared ahead, even defeating Fa Zhen. This completely caught Elder Chen by surprise. But he couldn't really blame himself. A third-grade spiritual root, and still a simp? Anyone would think that person had no future.

Elder Chen truly couldn't understand. Before, he thought Ye Chen had given up on everything. But now, he realized that Ye Chen only had a poor spiritual root. His other talents were extraordinarily strong.

In such circumstances, how could anyone still act like a simp? Why not keep those resources for yourself? Absurd, truly absurd.

...

Though Ye Chen had won, there was still a sense of regret in the hearts of many. After all, Ye Chen's spiritual root was too weak. Breaking through to Foundation Establishment would be incredibly difficult for him. Saying that giving Ye Chen a Foundation Establishment pill was a waste would not be an exaggeration. But despite these thoughts, it wasn't long before the moment to reward him arrived.

Ye Chen, under the watchful eyes of all, was soon presented with a low-grade Foundation Establishment pill after receiving a few words of encouragement from the sect leader, who was at the Golden Core stage. Holding the pill bottle in his hand, Ye Chen's face was full of smiles. The Foundation Establishment pill was finally in his grasp.

It was settled…