Finally, after a completely one-sided beatdown, Gu Qingyuan passed out cold.

Before losing consciousness, his eyes, filled with unwilling humiliation, shot daggers at Lu Xingyao, as if wanting to carve him into a thousand pieces.

But all he got in return was a soft, disdainful chuckle.

Gu Qingyuan was overcome by a rush of fury, and coupled with his grave injuries, his head drooped, and he fainted in front of everyone.

The vast plaza once again fell into a pin-drop silence.

Everyone looked at each other, none of them having expected things to end this way.

They sighed in dismay.

At the same time, their gazes toward Lu Xingyao filled with ever-increasing reverence and fear. Such power was truly terrifying.

"Gu is truly persistent," Lu Xingyao said, shaking his head with feigned regret as he leaped down from the Martial Arts Arena.

The Deacon Elder of the Heavenly Inquiry Sect, his face purple as a beet, braced himself and quickly announced the result.

His voice was extremely low, as if he were ashamed and afraid of being overheard.

Once the result was announced, the Array dissipated.

Ye Chuxue quickly scrambled onto the Martial Arts Arena, picked up Gu Qingyuan, and started to leave.

Her heart ached for him, but she also felt deeply humiliated. All she wanted was to escape this place of shame as quickly as possible.

She had barely taken two steps when Song Wanning suddenly spoke up. "Ye, I hear that not only does Senior Brother Gu owe the Sect Spirit Stones, but he also recently used up a good number of the Sect’s precious Elixir Pills."

"I imagine the Sect has no more resources to support him. Tell Senior Brother Gu that if he truly has nowhere else to turn, he can come to me to purchase Elixir Pills."

She was deliberately pointing out the Sect’s investment in this duel, making sure the other disciples understood the situation.

More importantly, it served as a wake-up call for the Sect Master. Gu Qingyuan had used so many top-grade Elixir Pills, and for what...?

The Sect Master’s expression instantly soured, as if he’d just eaten shit, and he was overcome with regret.

At these words, Ye Chuxue’s brow furrowed. She silently clenched her jaw, her heart seething with hatred.

She didn’t answer and made to leave again, only to hear Song Wanning suddenly gasp.

"Oh dear, I almost forgot! Ye practices Alchemy as well. Why would Senior Brother Gu possibly need to come to me for Elixir Pills?"

"How presumptuous of me. Heh heh heh..."

Song Wanning covered her mouth and began to chuckle softly.

Everyone knew she was mocking Ye Chuxue and Gu Qingyuan, but no one dared to stand up and say a word against her.

In fact, many were thinking that if Song Wanning had represented the Heavenly Inquiry Sect, the outcome might have been very different.

This thought was written plainly on almost everyone’s face.

Ye Chuxue’s gaze swept quickly over their faces, and the rage in her heart became even harder to suppress.

’People in the Cultivation World are the most pragmatic; they’ve always sucked up to the powerful and trampled the weak. I’m used to it.’

’For the humiliation we suffered today, my master and I will repay it tenfold in the future.’

She shot a deep look at Lu Xingyao, then glanced at Song Wanning on the high platform before lowering her head and hurrying away.

They had arrived with great fanfare, only to leave in utter disgrace.

This delighted Li Rao to no end.

’Serves them right for showing off. They made complete fools of themselves, didn’t they?’

Blinking her large eyes, she smiled brightly, picked up a piece of dried fruit, and offered it to Song Wanning’s lips.

Song Wanning glanced at her with a smile and gave her a little wink.

Master and disciple both grinned.

When the Sect Master saw this, he was absolutely furious.

’Song Wanning has no sense of the bigger picture! No matter what her feud with Gu Qingyuan is, she should put the Sect’s interests first!’

With a stern face, he said to Lu Xingyao, "Mr. Lu, the duel is over. I shall take my leave. Do as you will!"

With that, he flicked his sleeves and stormed away.

Now he was left with a headache over how to deal with the fallout.

’Just thinking about it is infuriating.’

Once the Sect Master left, the other elders could no longer sit still. They scurried away, their faces burning with shame.

’We’ve lost all face today! Who knows what kinds of rumors will spread now!’

After the elders left, the disciples also began to disperse, chattering amongst themselves and periodically glancing back at Lu Xingyao as they went.

Soon, the only people left in the plaza were Song Wanning and her two disciples, along with Lu Xingyao.

Lu Xingyao looked at Song Wanning’s satisfied expression and gave a resigned smile.

’This woman.’

"Thank you, Song Dao You, for letting me put on such a grand display today,"

he said, lowering his voice in a meaningful tone.

Hearing this, Song Wanning looked up, a flicker of feigned confusion in her innocent eyes. "You speak strangely, Mr. Lu. I didn’t do a thing."

Lu Xingyao smiled fondly. "Yes, you didn’t do a thing."

’You just stopped short of stripping off Gu Qingyuan’s underwear for him.’

"Now that this is over, it’s not convenient for me to stay any longer."

’Though I’m reluctant to leave, I’ve offended the Heavenly Inquiry Sect. Staying here will only cause trouble for Song Wanning.’

’Still, having thoroughly humiliated Gu Qingyuan has made me feel much better.’

’Besides, this heartless woman doesn’t seem to want me to stay anyway.’

He shot a forlorn glance at Song Wanning, but when his eyes turned to Bai Yang, a clear warning flashed within them.

Then, he strode away.

Bai Yang’s expression shifted, his eyelashes trembling as he stared intently at Lu Xingyao’s retreating back.

’My intuition was right. Lu Xingyao’s feelings for Master are anything but ordinary, and he’s even hostile toward me.’

’Hmph. So what?’

’Master has no desire for romance at the moment. No matter how much effort Lu Xingyao puts in, it’s just a waste of time.’

"Alright, the show’s over. Let’s head back."

Song Wanning wiped her hands, packed away the snacks on the table, and stood up.

She remained completely unperturbed by Lu Xingyao’s arrival and departure.

However, the slight curve of her lips revealed that she was in an excellent mood.

’Mistress, Mistress! That Gu Qingyuan really made a fool of himself today!’

The Sword Spirit swayed happily in her Sea of Consciousness, full of triumphant spirit, wishing it could have gone and taught him a lesson itself.

’But today was still satisfying. Lu Xingyao beat him so badly he was questioning his own existence.’

Hearing this, the corner of Song Wanning’s lip curled up, and she began to hum a cheerful little tune.

Bai Yang, who was following her, faltered in his steps and gave her several unreadable glances.

’Master no longer has any lingering feelings for Senior Uncle Gu.’

’She used to love him so deeply, yet she was able to let him go just like that.’

’A century of feelings, discarded so easily. If I continue to be so willful, will Master one day cast me aside just as completely?’

Bai Yang frowned, lost in thought. ’In the past, I was blinded by Junior Sister Ye’s ’kindness.’ Surely it’s not too late now that I’ve woken up?’

’What must I do for Master to forgive my past mistakes and accept me again?’

While his mind was a tangled mess, Song Wanning was happily conversing with her Sword Spirit.

’In my past life, Gu Qingyuan made a name for himself with his Sword Array. Whenever anyone mentioned Qingyuan Sword Lord, they would praise his innovative method of combining Swordsmanship with Arrays, and its incredible power.’

’Later, he even compiled his techniques into a manual and placed it in the Sect’s Book Collection Pavilion, creating a legacy of swordsmanship to be passed down to future generations.’

For a Cultivator, that was the highest form of recognition.

Besides his strength, his status became untouchably high.

’After I fell to demonic cultivation, I suffered at his hands several times. Right before I died, I was trapped by these very techniques. How could I possibly forget?’

As the story’s vicious main villain, Song Wanning’s power had soared after she’d fallen to demonic cultivation.