Chapter 98: When the On-Site Director Meets the Sponsor Boss

The next few matches were particularly intense.

With the four strongest contenders temporarily out of the spotlight, the remaining eight competitors went all out. The battles shook the heavens and dimmed the moonlight—showcasing the true strength, spirit, and pride of Luoxian Sect.

When the top sixteen matches concluded, it was time for the quarterfinal draw. And what happened next stunned everyone.

Quarterfinals. First match.

Wu Dao Peak's Shen Xian’er vs. Piaomiao Peak's Chi Xiao.

The entire audience was dumbfounded.

Everyone knew that Shen Xian’er and Chi Xiao were close, like sisters. How were they supposed to fight each other seriously?

Even Elder Jin Hou, the officiator, was left speechless. Something felt off. He had carefully arranged the draw to keep the four strongest participants in separate brackets, ensuring they wouldn’t meet until the semifinals. How could this pairing have happened?

The culprit wasn’t him—it was Sect Master Yun Yangzi.

He had noticed that Han Luo had been silently supporting Shen Xian’er throughout. Her unorthodox combat tactics clearly bore his influence. So, he decided to test just how deep Han Luo’s capabilities truly ran.

Yun Yangzi, along with the other peak lords, had always found Han Luo difficult to read. The young man seemed to be deliberately hiding his strength, and while that was understandable for a clever cultivator who needed trump cards in a life-or-death world, as the sect master, Yun Yangzi had to look at the bigger picture. He needed to be certain—could Han Luo really be counted on to shoulder the sect’s future?

“Seriously?” Han Luo rubbed his forehead, exasperated. From a narrative standpoint, there was no way Shen Xian’er should be facing Chi Xiao this early. Was someone deliberately messing with the plot?

He immediately suspected Elder Jin Hou, but one glance told him the old man was just as confused. Then his gaze fell on Yun Yangzi, who met it with a wide smile.

Han Luo instantly understood.

It was fair, really. Other sects were constantly hounding their geniuses about cultivation progress, while Luoxian Sect’s genius was hidden behind layers of formations, unreachable even by the sect leader. Anyone in Yun Yangzi’s shoes would be anxious too.

Fine. Whatever.

In the end, Shen Xian’er still needed his help to reach the top. So what if her opponent was Chi Xiao? To most people she might be a queen or a flame-clad war goddess—but to Han Luo, she was just a competent and capable woman.

“Senior Brother, I won!” Shen Xian’er bounced up happily, proud of her previous match’s victory.

It didn’t take much to make her happy, which made her very easy to satisfy.

“The next match might be a problem,” Senior Brother Du Ming said worriedly. “Chi Xiao’s strength is no joke. She’s a seven-time tempered fire-element cultivator. Xian’er, also tempered seven times, uses wood-element qi—she’s completely countered. It’s a losing matchup.”

“If we can’t win, then don’t force it. As long as Xian’er doesn’t get hurt, that’s what matters,” Lan Caicai added. Though she loved fighting, she didn’t want Shen Xian’er injured.

Shen Xian’er, however, tilted her head, confused. “But why would it be hard? I fight with Sister Chi Xiao all the time in the hot springs back at Piaomiao Peak!”

Everyone gawked.

“That’s not fighting. That’s playing. Or at best, sparring,” Han Luo shook his head. He was truly helpless in the face of this girl.

“Han Luo, do you have any ideas to help Xian’er win this?” Du Ming asked seriously.

He cared deeply about the honor of Wu Dao Peak. They’d always had the fewest disciples and rarely placed well in competitions. But this year, with Shen Xian’er as their ace, they had a real shot. A good result would mean better cultivation resources for her—and for Han Luo, too.

Han Luo stroked his chin, observing his carefree junior sister.

“Xian’er, tell me—how do you plan to fight Chi Xiao?”

“Hmm...” She tapped her chin with a finger. “Usually, I jump into the hot spring first, then use the dragon claw move you taught me to grab Sister Chi Xiao’s—”

“Stop!” Han Luo waved frantically, cutting her off.

He had a bad feeling the conversation was about to derail.

“I meant on the arena. In front of an audience. During the official fight.”

“Oh, that?” Shen Xian’er nodded seriously. “Then I’ll use my Gluttony Domain to throw food at her!”

“Not bad. Using your specialty to fight is smart. But it’s not the smartest strategy,” Han Luo said.

“What would that be?” Du Ming asked.

“The smartest strategy is… not fighting at all,” Han Luo replied calmly. “Of course, you can’t avoid fighting Chi Xiao entirely. But, Xian’er—remember the game you used to play with Xiaobai on Luoxian Mountain?”

“You mean the one about Pinocchio and Snow White?” she asked.

Han Luo’s eyebrow twitched. When did I teach her that?

“No, I mean the game about the dragon, the princess, and the knight.”

“Oh! I remember!”

Han Luo nodded with satisfaction.

He had raised Xian’er like his own little sister, even using fairytales to gently brainwash her. She disliked violence, so he framed battles as stories—making her the princess, sometimes the knight, depending on the situation.

Thanks to that, and his constant coaching, her combat awareness had grown as fast as if she’d been eating XP pills.

Surprise, unpredictability—those were her weapons.

But surprise alone wouldn’t be enough to defeat Chi Xiao. She needed to leverage her true strength.

“Xian’er, do you remember what your most fundamental power is?” Han Luo asked.

She tilted her head. She almost answered “eating,” but realized that was her dream, not her talent.

“It’s healing. You’re a support.”

Han Luo pulled out a dagger and slashed his arm. Blood spilled out instantly.

“Senior Brother!” Shen Xian’er panicked and rushed forward to stop the bleeding.

“Use your power. Heal me.”

She blushed and reached for his wound with both hands. A warm, green light glowed in her palms, and within moments, Han Luo’s skin was flawless—no trace of the wound remained.

Wood-element qi was rare. An eighth-time tempered wood-element user was even rarer. Shen Xian’er wasn’t just a mobile healer—she was a walking healing fortress.

And with her close-combat skills, she was a full-fledged frontline support.

Unfortunately, her obsession with snacks had buried that potential.

Still, Han Luo saw it as a kind of disguise. If people thought “glutton” when they saw Shen Xian’er instead of “genius,” then they had already lost.

“Xian’er, remember—go out there, fight Chi Xiao head-on, give her everything you’ve got. When you get hurt, heal yourself. Then fight again. Heal again. Repeat. Keep going until she surrenders.”

“She’ll never surrender,” Lan Caicai said, skeptical.

Han Luo didn’t answer. He simply smiled to himself.

Chi Xiao wouldn’t surrender? Too bad—she didn’t have a choice. The moment she was paired against Shen Xian’er, she’d already lost.

This match wouldn’t have two stars. It would have one.

Only one person would shine.

“Xian’er, go,” Han Luo said softly. “Let all of Luoxian Sect remember your name. Show them who the true number one is.”

Yes, Han Luo had a selfish motive. He wanted to turn Shen Xian’er into a blazing sun—a radiant force that no one could ignore.

As long as everyone focused on that sun, no one would notice the shadow behind her.

And if someone ever tried to extinguish her light?

They’d have to pass through eighty-one layers of hell—each one personally set by Han Luo.