What truly shocked everyone—especially Elder Xiao—was the Eternal Blue Flower.Growing one was no simple task. It demanded relentless care, precision, and patience. One mistake—just one—and the flower would wither and die instantly. Because of that, no one outside Elder Xiao and her direct disciples had ever succeeded in cultivating it.And yet—Li Qingxue had returned with one.Not only that… it was massive.At a glance, it was clearly over twenty-five centimeters.A ripple of disbelief spread through the hall.Li Qingxue walked calmly toward the Peak Leaders, her expression composed, almost indifferent to the storm she had just unleashed.“I was asked to bring the smallest flower,” she said evenly. “This is the best I could find.”She paused, glancing down at the glowing blue petals in her hand.“I estimate it to be around twenty-seven centimeters.”Shock exploded across every elder’s face.For years, they had bent themselves to please Elder Xiao—enduring her conditions, her prices,

Alex stepped out of the arena as if the outcome meant nothing to him—no triumph, no defeat, no lingering attachment. His expression was calm, almost indifferent.But the truth ran deeper.He wanted to lose.Because standing at the top didn’t just bring glory—it brought attention. Pressure. Endless trouble that never stopped knocking at your door.The tallest tree always caught the strongest wind.And eventually… the woodcutters came.Across the arena, Elder Yu approached Li Qingxue, his robe swaying with quiet authority. His eyes, however, were fixed—sharp, intent.“Give me the pill,” he said, extending his hand. “I need to examine what kind of medicine he created.”As a respected elder of the Medicine Pavilion, his words carried weight.Li Qingxue hesitated for only a moment before reaching into her sleeve and taking out one of the pills Alex had refined. She placed it carefully into Elder Yu’s palm.The elder lifted it slowly, studying its surface… then brought it closer to his nose

Alex had hoped—truly hoped—that he would lose this fight.He didn’t want to become the Dao partner of Hou Mei… or Li Qingxue.Either path was a trap.His plan had been simple—force Li Qingxue into the spotlight as a Core Disciple, stir enough pressure and tension that Hou Mei would have no choice but to step back on her own.Clean. Controlled. Effective.But Li Qingxue…She had no intention of helping him.Not even a little.If anything, she seemed determined to do the exact opposite—crushing his plan without hesitation, leaving him trapped in the very situation he was trying to escape.“Jun Jiu,” Li Qingxue said coldly, “keep your delusions to yourself. You are not worthy to be my Dao partner. Give up.”Before Alex could respond, Hou Mei stepped forward, her tone soft but pressing, almost eager. “Jun Jiu, you heard Miss Li Qingxue. Why not stop struggling? Come with me instead. Be my Dao partner.”Her voice dropped slightly, more intimate now.“We can even start now. I promise… I’ll

On the descending path of Thousand Herbs Peak, six outer disciples from Sword Peak made their way down the mountain, their laughter echoing through the quiet air.“Turns out Jun Jiu’s name was just hype,” one of them scoffed, grinning.“Pathetic,” another added. “He surrendered the moment he heard we were coming to test him.”“Senior brother,” a third chimed in with a smirk, “this is Thousand Herbs Peak. They’re just a bunch of herb-obsessed nerds, gardening and brewing pills all day. What would they know about real swordsmanship?”“Exactly,” someone else said. “That disciple had no idea how powerful Sword Peak truly is. And he still dared to challenge us?”“Oh, come on,” one of them laughed, nudging his companion with a crooked grin. “They’re so weak—even if Jun Jiu showed up, he’d just lower his head and lick our shoes.”“Yeah,” another voice cut in mockingly. “And that idiot friend of his—what was his name? Lu Piao? Lost his arm trying to protect that coward.”The group burst into

The Discipline Department had been in the middle of a meeting, but the atmosphere felt less like governance and more like a battlefield on the verge of eruption.One of the three elders—Elder Tong—sat rigid in his seat, his face flushed with fury, his voice sharp enough to cut through steel.“We must not tolerate this,” he thundered. “Capture that Jun Jiu immediately. And as for those from Thousand Herbs Peak who dared lay hands on our people—if they refuse to submit, then we burn the entire peak to the ground.”“Elder Tong,” another elder spoke, his voice calm yet laced with quiet disapproval. It was Elder Guo. “How can you treat them as enemies? We all belong to the Wudang Sect.”Tong’s head snapped toward him, his eyes sharp and filled with hostility.“Those unruly fools?” he said coldly. “They are not part of the Wudang Sect.”“Just because you are from Sword Peak,” Guo continued, his voice steady, “doesn’t mean you must blindly support them. Have you even looked into the cause of