From a loser to an immortal sage

Chapter 503 The New Challenger

As we were lifted into the air by the blue light of the earth's veins, the jade pendant in my palm burned so hot it almost pierced my skin.

Wen Chen's fingers gripped mine tightly, his knuckles turning white, yet he still gently rubbed the back of my hand with his thumb—this was his habit when he was nervous. Three hundred years ago, when we were sheltering from the rain in a dilapidated temple, he also gently patted my frozen, purple hands in the same way.

"We're almost there." The ethereal voice of the immortal mingled with the sound of the wind and entered my ears.

I squinted, and the light in front of me suddenly shattered into stars. When I opened my eyes again, I was standing on a patch of bluish-gray stone bricks.

The view is of nine dragon-carved pillars piercing the sky, with bronze lamps atop the pillars burning with a ghostly blue flame, illuminating the surroundings as if it were daytime.

A chorus of voices rose and fell in the distance, like a flock of startled birds: "Isn't that the Void Spirit Immortal Venerable? And that female cultivator next to her... could it be Xiao Yao, who's been making headlines lately?"

My throat feels tight.

Three hundred years ago, when I was begging for food in the mortal street, I didn't even dare to utter the words "Immortal Venerable"; now, just standing here, I've become the center of everyone's discussion.

Wen Chen's arm gently protected my waist; his body heat seeped through the fabric, like a stabilizing anchor: "Don't be afraid, I'm here."

"The runes on this jade pendant originally pointed to the battlefield of honor in the immortal realm." The ethereal immortal flicked his sleeve, the golden patterns on his wrist flowing with the movement. "This is the 'Sword-Asking Platform,' which is held once every thousand years, where the most outstanding disciples from all the immortal sects in the world come here to discuss the Dao."

However, in the last hundred years…” He paused, his gaze sweeping over the dark plaque on the distant high platform, “it has become an arena for the strong to vie for fame.”

I stared at the still flowing blue-green patterns on the jade pendant, and suddenly remembered that the Qingling Dew that Ziling had given me was still in my sleeve.

The porcelain bottle was pressed against my wrist, warm, just like the temperature when she had held my hand earlier. "Battlefield of Honor..." I murmured, a warmth rising in my throat—a mixture of anticipation and wariness.

The secrets of the Moon Immortal's soul and the core of the Cloud Shadow seem to be hidden deeper, but this arena in front of us is probably the first hurdle.

"Look over there." Wen Chen suddenly lowered his voice and gently pointed his finger towards the left-hand viewing platform.

I looked in that direction and saw a man in black iron armor leaning against a vermilion railing. His shoulder armor was engraved with fine lightning patterns, each pattern gleaming with a pale purple light.

A long sword, half-drawn from its sheath, hung at his waist; its tassel was blood-red, swirling like flames in the wind.

“That was Immortal Venerable Lingyun.” Wen Chen’s voice deepened. “He became famous a hundred years ago for shattering Mount Buzhou with a single sword strike, and later… he always liked to challenge established Immortal Venerables.” He paused, then added, “Just last month he defeated Immortal Venerable Heming of Mount Cangwu.”

I stared at that figure, my throat tightening.

Lingyun Immortal Venerable has high brow bones and a vertical line between his eyebrows that looks like it was carved by a knife. At this moment, he is looking down and flipping through a book with gold pages. Even so, I can still feel the oppressive aura emanating from him - like an active volcano, which looks calm on the surface but has churning magma underground.

“Fairy Xiao.” Elder Qingfeng’s voice came from behind me. I turned around and saw him holding the jade tablet engraved with lightning patterns. “The referee team is summoning me to check the rules. Keep this jade tablet. If you encounter a barrier…” Before he could finish speaking, someone called “Qingfeng” from afar. He then cupped his hands towards us and hurriedly went to the back of the arena.

Zi Ling had somehow gotten close to me. She gazed towards the viewing platform, her fingertips clutching her sleeve. "I heard from my senior sister at the Medicine Pavilion that Immortal Venerable Lingyun despises transmigrators...he calls us 'thieves who stole the original host's fortune.'" Her voice trembled, but she still forced herself to look up at me. "A Yao, don't be afraid, I...I'll go make you some refreshing soup—"

“Ziling.” I held her cold hand. “You can stay by my side.” Her eyes immediately lit up, and she nodded vigorously. The jade hairpin in her hair swayed, scattering sparks like tiny stars.

Suddenly, a clanging sound came from the viewing platform.

I turned my head and saw Immortal Venerable Lingyun closing the golden-page book. The cover of the book shimmered with scale-like light, as if it were made from the scales of some kind of demonic beast.

He glanced around the crowd, finally settling on our side.

My blood froze instantly—his eyes were amber, the pupils narrowed to slits, like a beast eyeing its prey.

"Wen Chen," I called softly, my fingers gripping the hem of his clothes tightly.

Wen Chen immediately stepped in front of me, his Cold Sky Sword humming behind him, its sound carrying a chilling aura like shards of ice.

The corners of Lingyun Immortal's mouth slowly curled up.

He reached out and adjusted the tassel on his sword at his waist; the blood-red tassel brushed against his black iron armor, making a rustling sound.

Then, he stood up, and the lightning patterns on his armor suddenly lit up, as if thousands of small snakes were wriggling around.

I could hear my heart pounding like a drum.

Three hundred years ago in that dilapidated temple, I was afraid of even a stray dog; three hundred years later, standing here, facing a celestial being capable of splitting mountains, I actually managed to steady my breathing.

The jade pendant felt hot in my palm, and the lotus flower on my collarbone suddenly glowed faintly—was it the soul of Immortal Yue Li resonating with it?

Is it reminding me that the journey has only just begun?

Lingyun Immortal Venerable's gaze swept over Wen Chen, then over me, and finally settled on the lotus flower pattern on my neck.

His lips curled up again, the smile like a thin sheet of ice covering a bottomless, icy pool.

“Interesting,” he said softly, his voice low but like a heavy hammer blow, instantly silencing the surrounding chatter.

As I gazed at the dark turmoil in his eyes, I suddenly remembered what Zi Ling had said—"The grander story has only just begun."

And that disdainful smile before us may be the first spark in the story.

As Lingyun Immortal Venerable stepped down from the viewing platform, his Xuan Tie Armor emitted a soft clanging sound of metal striking metal. With each step he took, a wisp of purple lightning rose from the gray stone bricks beneath his feet, like stars being crushed underfoot.

I stared at the half-drawn sword at his waist. The blade, reflecting the dark blue of the bronze lampstand, gleamed with a cold light similar to that when Yue Li's soul resonated with it—which made a thin layer of sweat break out on the back of my neck.

"I heard you've awakened the divine artifact 'Cloud Shadow,' that's quite impressive." He stopped three steps away from us, his thumb rubbing the hilt of his sword. His voice was as light as a feather, yet it crackled through the air like electricity.

The chatter on the viewing platform fell completely silent; even Ziling's fingers, which were tugging at my sleeve, stopped moving.

Wen Chen's back was taut like a drawn bow. His hand, hanging by his side, secretly hooked around my little finger. The calluses on his fingertips brushed against my palm, a secret signal only we understood: "Don't be afraid, I'm here." I looked into Lingyun Immortal Venerable's amber pupils and suddenly remembered three hundred years ago in the mortal street, when I was squatting by the wall eating a cold steamed bun, and a young master in brocade robes threw stones at me, with the same condescending gaze—back then, I didn't even dare to dodge, and could only bury my face in my tattered coat.

But now...

My throat moved, and the lotus pattern burned painfully on my collarbone.

Yue Li's soul trembled slightly in her sea of ​​consciousness, as if pushing me forward. "Does the Immortal Venerable wish to discuss the Dao with me?" My voice was more steady than I expected. "If it's to verify the power of Cloud Shadow, I accept."

"Ah Yao!" Zi Ling's nails dug into the back of my hand. "He just broke Immortal Crane Cry's sword last month—"

"Shut up." Wen Chen suddenly spoke, his voice as cold as if it had been immersed in an icy pool.

He didn't look at Zi Ling, his gaze fixed on Lingyun Immortal Venerable's sword: "I have no objection to Xiao Yao's decision." After saying that, he released my hand, took half a step back, and the Hanxiao Sword hummed as it left its sheath three inches away. The frost flowers that had condensed on the sword fell softly onto the bluestone slab, and white mist rose up.

Lingyun Immortal Venerable's pupils suddenly contracted to slits. A hint of interest flashed in his eyes as he stared at the Cold Cloud Sword, then swept over the light patterns on my neck, and he suddenly laughed.

The laughter, sharp and metallic, made the bronze lampstand on the dragon pillar shake: "Interesting."

Where is that old bastard Xuanfeng? "He shouted, and the sound waves crashed against the nine dragon pillars, creating layers of echoes."

“Here.”

A slender figure swept in from behind the arena, and the wind lifted the crane cloak of Xuanfeng Immortal Venerable, revealing the moon-white inner garment beneath.

He clutched a jade tablet engraved with ancient seal script, his fingertips stained with cinnabar—he must have just marked it on the rules. “Ling Yun, it’s been a century, and your temper has certainly grown.” He walked between us, his back to me, but glancing at my face out of the corner of his eye. “Fairy Xiao, these are the thousand-year-old rules of the Sword Inquiry Platform.” He turned the jade tablet towards me; the four large characters written in cinnabar, “Life and death are irrelevant,” stung my eyes.

"Life or death..." Zi Ling's voice trembled, and I could feel her whole body shaking. "A Yao, we can't—"

“I’ll sign.” I interrupted her, placing my hand on the jade plate.

The moment my fingertips touched the cinnabar, the jade plate suddenly glowed with golden light, imprinting my palm lines onto it.

Immortal Venerable Xuanfeng raised an eyebrow, seemingly somewhat surprised: "Do you know that this means..."

“I know.” I looked at the surging purple lightning behind Lingyun Immortal Venerable, and remembered what Yue Li said before his death, “The core of the cloud shadow contains the vitality of the immortal realm”, and I remembered the bowl of hot porridge that Wen Chen shielded me from in the dilapidated temple three hundred years ago.

In some matters, taking a step back leads to an abyss. "But if the Immortal Venerable wishes to try, I will oblige."

Lingyun Immortal Venerable suddenly raised his hand, the black iron wrist guard striking the sword sheath with a clear, resonant sound: "Xuanfeng, have you finished explaining the rules?" He tilted his head and glanced at the center of the arena, where two orbs of ghostly light had appeared out of nowhere, like two soul lamps suspended in the void. "I can't wait any longer."

Xuanfeng Immortal Venerable sighed and put the jade tablet into his sleeve.

As he turned, his crane cloak brushed against the back of my hand, carrying the scent of pine: "See you at the arena three days from now at dawn." With that, he nodded to Wen Chen, gave Zi Ling a reassuring smile, and then darted back to the judges' table.

A sudden gasp erupted from the viewing platform.

Following everyone's gaze, I saw that lightning patterns were spreading visibly across Lingyun Immortal Venerable's armor, climbing from his shoulder armor to his neck, and finally condensing into a purple lightning-shaped mark between his eyebrows.

He looked at me, his smile deepening: "Three days from now, I will let you know that time travelers... are ultimately thieves who steal other people's lives."

Wen Chen's Cold Sky Sword was fully drawn with a "clang," and frost flowers wrapped around the sword energy slashed towards the ground, cracking the bluestone slab with spiderweb-like patterns.

I hurriedly grabbed his wrist; his pulse was pounding like a drum. "Wen Chen, calm down." I looked up at him, and the dark look swirling in his eyes reminded me of the time he killed all the thugs who had bullied me—back then he said, "I'll protect you," and it was the same now.

“I’m calm.” He took a deep breath, and the Cold Sky Sword slowly returned to its sheath. “But three days from now, I’ll be standing by the arena.” He lowered his head and kissed the top of my head. “You fight your way, I’ll defend mine.”

Ziling suddenly tugged at my other hand. I looked down and saw that her eyes were red, but she forced a smile: "I'll go to the medicine shop to get the best medicine for my injuries, and... and your favorite honey wine." She sniffed, turned and ran to the back of the viewing platform. The glint of the jade hairpin in her hair fell on the bluestone slab like a string of unshed tears.

As I watched her figure disappear around the corner, the jade pendant in my palm suddenly became hot again.

The spirit of Yue Li hummed softly in the depths of her sea of ​​consciousness; it was the incantation she recited when I first awakened Yun Ying.

Will the arena three days from now be the most dangerous battle I've faced in my three hundred years of cultivating immortality?

perhaps.

But as I touched the burning lotus pattern on my neck, remembering the warmth of the warm dust and the medicine pouch clutched tightly by Zi Ling as she ran away, I suddenly felt—

Even if it's a mountain of knives or a sea of ​​fire, I can overcome it.

"Three days later, at dawn." The voice of Immortal Venerable Xuanfeng echoed from the judges' platform. He raised a dark token, its surface gleaming coldly in the eerie blue firelight. "All prepare yourselves. At the appointed time... give the order to fight."

I stared at the token in his hand, listening to the renewed murmurs all around me, and suddenly felt my heart pounding like thunder.

Three hundred years ago in that dilapidated temple, I was even afraid of wild dogs; three hundred years later, standing here, facing the immortal who could split Mount Buzhou in two, I raised my chin instead.

The lotus-shaped patterns on the collarbone burned intensely, as if echoing some impending roar.

Xuanfeng Immortal Venerable's fingers slowly gripped the edge of the token, and the breathing on the viewing platform instantly froze into silence.

I gazed at the Immortal Venerable Lingyun opposite me. His lightning-patterned armor gleamed with a dark purple hue in the night, like a thundercloud that was about to explode at any moment.

And I know that when his token falls—

This battle for honor has only just begun.