Chapter 137 Knowing One's Mistake

Jiyue looked at her master, Ling Lin, in utter disbelief and asked with difficulty, "M-Master, you must be joking with me!"

Never, from the very beginning to this moment, had she ever imagined that her master would one day tell her she didn't need to participate in the sect grand tournament at all.

Her master knew how much hardship she had endured for the sake of this tournament! In the past, her master would always encourage her, telling her not to lose heart or give up, but now—

Ling Lin looked at her earnestly, her voice filled with disappointment. "I am not joking."

Then, speaking in a deep and earnest tone, she continued, "A-Yue, I have always held high expectations for you. I do not object to you treating your junior brothers and sisters well, but it is wrong of you to overextend your authority and meddle in things that are not your concern."

At this point, Ling Lin still held some expectations for her disciple Jiyue, hoping she would experience a sudden awakening and repent.

Her words were quite veiled, meant to spare Jiyue too much embarrassment.

However, Jiyue's personality had already become warped, and her mindset was twisted beyond repair. As soon as Ling Lin finished speaking, she immediately connected it in her mind to Ji Jiuxuan, firmly believing that Ji Jiuxuan was the one pulling the strings behind the scenes.

Gradually, Ling Lin sensed something was amiss. The faint, shadowy form lurking in the depths of Jiyue's eyes was unmistakably the manifestation of a demonic heart obstacle. "A-Yue, stop this immediately! Continuing like this will only deepen your inner demon!"

After all, it was her own failure in guidance that had allowed Jiyue's mindset to become so distorted, to the extent that it had birthed a demonic obstacle.

Why had A-Jiu, with whom she had never previously interacted, become her inner demon?

Ling Lin actually had some inkling of the answer in her heart, but she was reluctant to believe that her only disciple could be so narrow-minded.

"Master, I want to participate in the tournament! I want to take part in the grand tournament, or else all my preparations for so long will be wasted!" At this moment, Jiyue dropped to her knees, clutching Ling Lin's legs with tear-filled eyes, gazing up at her master with a look of desperate pleading. "Master, please just give me this chance!"

As clever as Jiyue was, faced with such an unyielding attitude from her master, she knew that without making a promise, there was simply no other way.

"Master, I know I was wrong. I will never casually meddle in the affairs of the junior sisters again. I will cultivate diligently and go into secluded meditation; I only beg Master not to strip away my chance to participate in the tournament!"

For so many years within the sect, all the junior brothers and sisters had listened to her, even placing her at their head and idolizing her.

Everything she had was something she never dared to imagine back in the mortal realm.

Had she not run away on her own accord back then, her ultimate fate probably would have been sold off for money, living an ordinary life and being trampled to death by others.

She had to participate in the grand tournament. Only by standing out in the tournament could she maintain her former glory.

"You know you were wrong?" After all, this was the disciple she had acknowledged and raised for so many years; emotionally, she truly hoped Jiyue could repent.

Hearing those words from her master, Jiyue instantly realized there was still hope, and she nodded hurriedly. "I know I was wrong. A-Yue will never do it again in the future."

"If I catch wind of a second time, do not blame me for expelling you from the sect." Ling Lin's expression became exceptionally severe. "I never speak falsely. Remember that."

At this moment, Jiyue looked exceptionally docile and obedient, her eyes filled with deep remorse. "I remember."

During this period, aside from visiting the Trial Pavilion, she was to remain in secluded cultivation. If there were any improper actions, her master would never grant a second chance. Previously, she had even entertained the thought of barring Jiyue from the grand tournament altogether.

If she were to accidentally cross paths with little A-Jiu, the situation would be entirely different.

Judging by A-Yue's current state, an inner demon had already formed. If it remained unresolved, she feared there would be danger when attempting foundation establishment.

Emotionally, she both anticipated Jiyue crossing paths with little A-Jiu; perhaps under the stark contrast, Jiyue's inner demon might simply dissipate.

Yet, she equally hoped they would not cross paths, because there was another distinct possibility—that Jiyue's inner demon would only grow more severe.

Weighing the risks, she truly preferred that they did not meet.

The sect grand tournament arrived swiftly.

During this time, Ji Jiuxuan ran back and forth between the Trial Pavilion and the Lecture Palace every single day.

She discovered that battling spiritual beasts in the Trial Pavilion not only increased her proficiency in handling spiritual beasts but also enhanced her swordsmanship.

Every time she returned from a trial to practice her sword, her swordsmanship became increasingly refined.

Practice truly brings true knowledge; that adage was completely accurate.

"Nervous?" Nie Xingyuan stood before Ji Jiuxuan, his voice exceptionally gentle, carrying a soothing effect. "Our focus is on participation. Once your match concludes, regardless of the outcome, your Uncle-Master will tell you everything about your parents' affair from five years ago."

Fearing that the little girl would push herself too hard and get hurt even before the match began, he couldn't rest easy and hurried to comfort her.

Meng Chengfang, standing nearby, rolled his eyes. Old Nie wasn't like this in the past; his ruthlessness was matchless. Spoilage of children shouldn't be done this way either—just look at him.

His master had completely entrusted the little junior brother to him without a single worry. Instead, he constantly hoped the little brat would suffer a few more setbacks, the harder the blows, the better.

What a stark contrast.

Sensing that Tan Yuzhou was looking at him, the look seemed to ask whether he had anything else to instruct.

Smiling, he patted the boy's head, wearing an exceptionally amiable smile. "Compete well and put in more effort, you hear? Your teammates are all little girls, so you need to be a gentleman."

So, are you really a biological senior brother? Just look at Xuanxuan's Uncle-Master; how wonderful he was.

However, what his senior brother said was also true; both Ji Jiuxuan and Feng Hanxiao were girls, so he ought to try harder.

At that moment, Feng Chen arrived with Feng Hanxiao as well.

Even though they had met just yesterday, Feng Hanxiao still couldn't help but enthusiastically throw her arms around Ji Jiuxuan in a big hug the moment she saw her. "Good morning, Xuanxuan."

"Good morning, Xiaoxiao," Ji Jiuxuan replied with a smile.

Seeing this obedient and cute little girl, Feng Chen deeply regretted why he hadn't brought Xiaoxiao to the main peak more often over the past few years; perhaps the two of them would have known each other even earlier.

Look at that Jiyue from their own peak; what kind of things had she been up to lately?

He used to think that girl was quite decent and motivated, and it seemed fine for Xiaoxiao to associate with her, but he never expected her to take advantage and push her luck.

She actually dared to bully his daughter—where did she get the nerve?

"Uncle-Master, we're going down to take our seats now!" The sect grand tournament had reserved seats specifically for elders, peak masters, and other high-ranking figures, while the participants sat on the other side.

The second Uncle-Master was a very busy man and had gone out some time ago, so he was not present for this tournament.

"Alright, go ahead." Nie Xingyuan stood up, watching as the little girl took her seat before walking over to his own assigned area.

The matches were determined by a random draw, with each team sending one person to draw lots.

Ji Jiuxuan had originally thought there would be no way for them to be matched against Jiyue's team, but to her surprise, the result revealed by the draw was precisely Jiyue and her group.

This immediately sparked everyone's interest. The conflicts between Ji Jiuxuan and Jiyue over several occasions had already become the talk of the town.

Following the announcement by the master of ceremonies, everyone learned that not only had the competition rules changed this time, but the number of battle rounds had also been altered.

With only a single draw, there was also only a single chance to battle; win or lose, it all rested on this one encounter.

An uproar rippled through the crowd.

"The reason for this decision is because out in the world, whenever one encounters danger, there is only ever a single chance at life or death. Of course, our competition permits everyone to strive for victory, but we absolutely forbid any instances of taking advantage of the occasion to harm fellow disciples."

The master of ceremonies stood upon the grand arena platform, his expression grave. "I hope you all bear the rules of the sect firmly in mind."

The speech was concise, devoid of any lengthy platitudes, and the matches commenced swiftly.

Ling Lin sat in her seat, gazing at her disciple whose face displayed a mixture of excitement and viciousness, her heart filled with a profound sense of exhaustion.

It seemed she was powerless to stop this.