Could it be that I am the cruel villain?

Calm.

Tranquil.

The corpse collapsed motionlessly on the bed, and judging by its position, it seemed like it would start decomposing in no time.

It was none other than Jiang Feng, who had just finished the martial arts tournament.

He was the first to return home to rest, having no intention or time to observe others' matches. Even while lying on the bed, his body continuously absorbed the surrounding Spiritual Energy like a vortex.

He felt utterly drained.

The Thunder Sword Formation he used earlier was indeed extraordinary and intimidating enough to deter all the Core Formation disciples, just as the supervising steward had mentioned.

No one dared to provoke him intentionally.

But the cost...

"Hiss."

"The consumption over this hour was too huge; nine swords plus the Thunder Formation, Thunder Summoning Technique, and Scarlet Sun Infinite Heavenly Thunder Art. If that kid had persisted, I would have had to resort to the Demon Heart Technique and fight to the end with him."

"Shameless, really shameless, such intensity!"

Lamenting without illness.

Jiang Feng was relatively cautious and reserved by nature, preferring to hide his abilities and seldom subjected himself to such pressure to unleash his full power. To drain all his Spiritual Energy just for a grand display wasn't his style.

So, there was only one reason.

"I suppose tomorrow no one will willingly choose to change tags, and probably no one will in the following days. If this doesn't scare them, then I really have no other method..."

Yes, that's Jiang Feng's little scheme.

Unlike his sisters, Jiang Feng was the chief disciple of Swordmaster Peak, the heir to a Sword Immortal, and with fame and recent achievements already placing him in the spotlight before the competition even started.

Moreover, while it was acceptable for his sisters to swap positions and play some tricks, as the senior brother, how could he actively seek his sisters to swap tags?

That would be disgraceful.

Even if Mr. Jiang didn't care, would Liu Tangxi also disregard it?

No one deliberately confronted him on the first day because they didn't know the groupings and Jiang Feng's position, but starting from the second day, such trivial matters would continually arise. As Jiang Feng stated, this Nine Peaks martial arts tournament was very fair.

Fair because... fair my ass.

Ahem, that's not entirely accurate, as the Nine Peaks martial arts tournament wasn't purely a contest of strength, but more of an overall competition.

Your connections, relationships, stockpile of cultivation treasures, Magic Treasures acquired during missions, trades, intelligence network, and so on from joining Purple Cloud Palace are all included within the scope of "strength."

After all, when venturing into the Cave Heaven Secret Realm alone in the future, relying solely on your abilities might not change certain things. At that time, what seems like "off-field cheating" is the real survival method.

"Sigh."

A sigh of resignation.

Unlike his sisters at the Mountain Gate, he didn't have many options; for others, this martial arts competition was a chance to earn rewards or prove their worth, with everyone trying to rank as high as possible.

For Jiang Feng, it was merely a beating session. With a senior sister present, he couldn't engage in tricks; otherwise, given Jiang Feng's character, he'd reveal himself on the first day, then disappear to swap jade tokens the next.

Switch daily, avoiding anyone catching him.

It's now like an exam, an assessment of the results of senior sister's three-year guidance. Both the senior sister and Jiang Feng wanted to see his limits, but the problem was...

Even if he wanted to see his limits, he couldn't possibly challenge a High Grade Core Formation every day!

So, he had to use this method to tell everyone to weigh their options before seeking trouble with him; there was no other way.

"Awoo~"

Outside the door, there were light footsteps accompanied by a low beastly cry.

The door was pushed open.

Four snow-white small paws resembling mangosteens stepped on the ground without making any sound, appearing somewhat as if treading on air. Its size was not big, similar to a normal dog, a relatively petite type.

The only noteworthy aspect was this Spiritual Beast's body, interwoven with blue and white, continuously burning with azure Spiritual Energy, just terrifying to behold.

With four legs and two wings, a fox-like head, and a sharp snout, it seemed somewhat familiar at first glance, but any disciple residing on this mountain would regard it with respect.

It was Ao Qing.

The very Spiritual Beast Liu Tangxi brought back from the Demon Domain in her youth, the one that dragged the half-dead Mr. Jiang back from Country Liang last time.

Since returning from Country Liang, Sister Ao Qing ended her closed-door training. Liu Tangxi stated that Ao Qing's body contained ancient bloodline, and its best cultivation method was through breathing, sleeping, and digesting — a simple cycle process.

Previously, it had been cultivating alongside Purple Cloud Palace's Guardian Sect Beast, and now it reached a stage where it could transform into a human form, waiting for a suitable chance to breakthrough realm and fully transform.

So recently, Ao Qing had been more active around the Mountain Gate, often wandering about Yuzhu Peak or Qingxia Peak, as these two peaks had the most female cultivators.

Reasonably guessing, he assumed this Spiritual Beast Sister was looking for a satisfactory prototype. After transforming, a Spiritual Beast's appearance is typically a reflection of its nature; whatever its heart desires, its appearance largely follows suit.

"Aw, aw!"

It let out a cute fox howl.