Chapter 498: Qianjian vs. Honglei, A Direct Battle

With the addition of five hundred points, Thunderbolt Sect’s score was now 2952, and Qianjian Sect’s was 2468. The gap was less than 500 points.

This meant they could proceed to the third match without being automatically disqualified.

A look of deep disgust flashed in Xiao Ru’s eyes as she watched the jubilant members of the Qianjian Sect.

It should have been a trivial matter, yet Xiao Ru felt as if she had been slapped across the face. She had been on the verge of announcing Qianjian Sect’s demotion to the Three Moon Level, but now they actually had a chance to hold on to their Four Moon Level status.

‘If that isn’t a slap in my face, what is?’

Her gaze returned to Chi Xingxun and the other two, who were still kneeling. “All of you, rise,” she said gently. “I understand your position.”

With a single sentence, she forgave the trio for their recent deception…

Chi Xingxun and the other two Miracles of the Nether Spring knew their place. They had immediately knelt and admitted their mistake. Despite being Miracles, they had lavished her with praise, and Xiao Ru was naturally enjoying the flattery.

At the same time, the Shengting Sect and Thunderbolt Sect secretly breathed a sigh of relief. It was a good thing Lord Xiao wasn’t holding a grudge against Chi Xingxun’s group.

Then again, she probably didn’t dare to. These were Miracles, after all.

But in the next moment, the expressions of the Shengting and Thunderbolt Sect members darkened once more. They glared at the delighted Qianjian Sect, their anger simmering. They had failed to crush them in one fell swoop.

The Qianjian Sect had actually found one too—someone who had emerged from the Nether Spring Illusion Array with their sanity intact.

After a moment of thought, Senior Brother Feng suddenly stepped forward. “Lord Xiao,” he said, “there is one more matter I must bring up. In the second match, the ‘Maze Madman’ competition, points were awarded based on cultivation realm. The higher the realm, the more points were given…”

Senior Brother Feng deliberately paused here…

At the same time, the faces of the Qianjian Sect members changed drastically once more. ‘What is this Feng trying to pull now?’

Senior Brother Feng continued with a smile, “Since the Shengting Sect, the Thunderbolt Sect, and the Qianjian Sect have all found a Miracle of the Nether Spring, this should also fall within the scope of the competition. Should we not, then, also award points based on their respective realms?”

After he finished speaking, the corner of Senior Brother Feng’s mouth curled into a slight smile. He was quite certain Lord Xiao would agree.

She clearly had a very low opinion of the Qianjian Sect.

As expected, a hidden, cold glint appeared in Xiao Ru’s eyes. After observing Lu Chao for a few moments, she immediately nodded. “You have a point. It’s true that different realms shouldn’t receive the same number of points.”

As her voice fell, an incredibly smug look flashed in Senior Brother Feng’s eyes.

They had planned this all along. The goal was to eliminate the Qianjian Sect in the second match. That was why Chi Xingxun had remained with the Shengting Sect, making them the representative sect that found a Miracle of the Nether Spring.

Lu Dingtian and Chi Yuan were sent to the Thunderbolt Sect to secure more points and crush the Qianjian Sect.

Now that things had gone off script, he had to reverse the situation.

He absolutely could not allow Qian Ya the slightest chance of becoming a disciple of the Green Bone Palace.

“Let’s do this: the Creation Realm will be worth eight hundred points, and the Peak Realm five hundred.”

Xiao Ru spoke directly again. She pointed toward Lu Dingtian. “You’re at the Creation Realm, so you get eight hundred points. The one at the Peak Realm gets five hundred.”

After a brief pause, she pointed at Lu Chao…

The members of the Qianjian Sect trembled again. Sect Leader Qian Zeng finally couldn’t bear it and stepped forward. “Lord Xiao!” he cried out. “You just said that once you made a decision, you wouldn’t change it! You can’t go back on your word!”

Once again, the eyes of the Qianjian Sect members turned red…

Lu He had, at some point, moved to Lu Chao’s side again, on the verge of tears.

She knew all too well that Lu Chao was only at the Peak Realm. This way, the Thunderbolt Sect would gain an additional three hundred points, pushing their lead to nearly eight hundred over the Qianjian Sect. The third match would be forfeit again.

This was blatant suppression. Lord Xiao was simply going back on her word.

Qian Zeng’s words only intensified Xiao Ru’s displeasure. Now the Sect Leader of the Qianjian Sect was publicly slapping her in the face. She spoke viciously, “That was then, and this is now. The points must be determined by realm.”

With that, she pointed at Lu Chao again. “You are at the Peak Realm. Add five hundred points.”

Xiao Ru had already observed Lu Chao’s realm and confirmed he was at the Peak Realm. That was why she deliberately set the Creation Realm’s value at eight hundred points—to crush the Qianjian Sect and ensure their demotion to the Three Moon Level.

For the members of the Qianjian Sect, who had been so jubilant just moments ago, the world began to spin again.

It was like a dead tree that had just sprouted new life, only to wither again. The feeling was devastating.

Across from them, the members of the Shengting and Thunderbolt Sects snickered. Chi Xingxun and Lu Dingtian were laughing as well.

But suddenly, Lu Chao smiled. “Lord Xiao, is it possible… you’ve made a mistake?”

The moment his words fell, the True Qi emanating from Lu Chao’s body surged.

BOOM! An aura of the Creation Realm burst forth from him—perfectly, naturally, without a trace of the Peak Realm.

In an instant, everyone present, regardless of their sect, was completely stunned.

Lu Chao continued, “Lord Xiao, I am at the Creation Realm. You should be adding eight hundred points for the Qianjian Sect.”

Everyone from the Qianjian Sect looked up, their mouths agape. Their once-pale faces now flushed with incredible excitement.

One after another, they turned their gazes to Lord Xiao.

Xiao Ru was dumbfounded. She stared intently at Lu Chao, her expression sinking. “Did you… just break through?”

Lu Chao, of course, just shook his head gently. “No. I broke through back in the Nether Spring Mountain Range. Everyone from the Qianjian Sect, what realm was I at when you found me?”

He had, in fact, just broken through in that very instant. After several days of effort, he had finally accumulated enough power to reach Creation Peak.

But of course, he couldn’t admit he had just broken through. Given Lord Xiao’s blatant bias, she would surely declare, ‘A last-minute breakthrough doesn’t count.’

Qian Ya reacted instantly. “When we found Young Master Lu, he was already at the Creation Realm!”

Master Tian, Lu He, and a chorus of other Qianjian Sect disciples all spoke up, confirming that Lu Chao was indeed at Creation Peak.

Only the Second Senior Brother, clutching the cheek Qian Ya had slapped earlier, remained silent.

Xiao Ru’s eyes were practically spewing fire. She was certain she had seen it clearly just moments ago: this Lu Chao was at the Peak Realm. At her level of cultivation, it was impossible for her to be mistaken. Yet here he was, displaying the power of Creation Peak and sticking to his story.

Even she was powerless to refute it…

Just then, members of the Shengting and Thunderbolt Sects also jumped in, accusing Lu Chao of having broken through just now.

But Lu Chao simply retorted…

“So this is the Rising Moon City promotion tournament?”

“To crush the Qianjian Sect, you’re all willing to twist the truth this brazenly. I’ve truly seen it all. Why don’t you just force my realm back down to the Peak Realm? Wouldn’t that be simpler?”

His words dripped with sarcasm. The other sects, who had been watching from the sidelines, now had cold glints in their eyes.

They looked at the Shengting Sect, and even at Lord Xiao, with expressions of suspicion and disdain. They had all witnessed her blatant favoritism moments ago.

To now resort to such shameless tactics was simply disgraceful.

Faced with the stares from the other sects, even Lord Xiao found it unbearable…

Finally, she could only force the words out through gritted teeth. “Since he is at the Creation Realm, then give the Qianjian Sect eight hundred points.”

An uproar erupted…

The members of the Qianjian Sect erupted in excitement once more. They had another chance at the third match! But then, Lord Xiao spoke again, her voice cold…

“The third match, originally scheduled for ten days from now, will be held immediately. There will be no delay.”

“Qianjian Sect and Thunderbolt Sect, you will begin your battle now.”