Chapter 90

“Why... why… why…”

Xiao Long struggled to stand.

But with nearly every bone in his body fractured, he couldn’t move an inch. He simply couldn’t accept the reality before him.
He had expected to lose—but never like this.
Not in just one exchange.
One single clash and he was defeated.

He couldn’t accept it.
He wasn’t willing.

He kept trying to stand, only to fall again and again. Blood stained the stage beneath him, and he looked like a child learning to walk in the mud—falling, rising, falling again...

Silence.

Utter silence.

The crowd watched in absolute stillness as Xiao Long struggled like a stray dog. He looked nothing like the graceful senior brother from before—now, he was just pathetic.

No one jeered.
No one cheered.
No one even offered encouragement.
They simply watched quietly, like outsiders…
Or like they were seeing a reflection of themselves.

“…You’re still a man, at least.”

Chi Xiao stood tall and proud like a divine bird, looking down at him with a scornful gaze. Her tone was sharp, cutting deep into the ears of those listening.

Xiao Long said nothing and continued to struggle.

“Admit defeat,” Chi Xiao said coldly. “Right now, you’re not worthy of standing on this stage.”

Her words were like a scythe, slicing through the last shred of Xiao Long’s dignity.

He stopped moving.

Lying flat on the stage, he stared up at the sky—blue and endless—his eyes vacant, as if recalling some distant, cherished memory.

It was faint, vague…
But in that memory lay the last warmth he could cling to.
The last proof that he was still alive.

But fate seemed to mock him.

Where moments ago the sky was clear, now dark clouds rolled in.
And then—
Rain.

Fine raindrops began falling from above.

“I can only help you this far.”

A voice echoed in Xiao Long’s ears.

Then, miraculously—
His wounds began to heal under the rain’s touch.

As a water-element cultivator, being surrounded by water didn’t just help him recover—it made him stronger.

Xiao Long slowly rose to his feet.

Something had changed in him.
What exactly, no one could tell.
Maybe not even Xiao Long himself.

“Dragonform Art!”

He formed a hand seal, drawing in the water spiritual energy from all around.

“ROAR—!”

A dragon’s cry echoed through the skies as seven azure dragons circled around him.

“Unite!”

He shouted.

The seven dragons merged into one colossal, ancient azure dragon.

“Kill!”

With all his might, Xiao Long launched the dragon toward Chi Xiao in a desperate, final blow.

Faced with his life-risking attack, Chi Xiao remained proud and unmoved.

“If you truly emerged from the abyss, then good.
But if you think that a single ray of light means dawn has arrived, then I have only this to say—
Enjoy that light, because it may be the last you’ll ever see.”

She raised her Chi Xiao Shield and faced the incoming ancient dragon.

“Divine Owl Style: Cry of Bismuth.”

Her shield let out a piercing screech and came crashing down on the dragon’s head.

BOOM!

The massive dragon didn’t even get to roar—it exploded on the spot, scattering into a downpour of shimmering rain.

Xiao Long passed out immediately.

A complete knockout.
Again—a one-hit KO.

Even someone as powerful as Xiao Long, at Qi Refining Stage 7 with six spirit tempers, was no match for Chi Xiao.

The overwhelming gap in strength left the entire audience feeling a deep, inescapable sense of helplessness.

Elder Jin Hou stepped forward.

He glanced at Xiao Long’s twitching body and officially announced Chi Xiao’s victory. The medics quickly entered and carried him off the stage.

A match with no suspense—
No one had expected Xiao Long to truly challenge Chi Xiao.

Qi Refining Stage 7 with six tempers, and he couldn’t even last a single move.

Yet despite the outcome being clear, the match itself was still thrilling.

Xiao Long had broken through his limits and displayed newfound strength.
Chi Xiao, on the other hand, barely used any energy—an important advantage for future rounds.

“It’s over.”

High above, Yun Ding looked displeased.

Xiao Long had been one of his most promising disciples, and to see him humiliated by Chi Xiao stung a bit.

But honestly…

With that kind of strength, it was no wonder Chi Xiao once declared that there weren’t any “real men” left in the younger generation of Luo Xian Sect.

Her power alone was enough to make most male disciples shrink in fear.

However—

“Did any of you feel that something was strange about that rain just now?” Yun Ding frowned.

Though his own senses hadn’t detected anything amiss, his intuition whispered otherwise. He turned to ask the others.

“Probably just a sudden thunderstorm. Came fast, left fast.”
Yun Qianli didn’t think much of it—his focus had already shifted to the next match, where their star disciple Wu Dao would fight.

“…It was a bit strange,”
Lei Xing muttered, quietly instructing someone to investigate further.

“No need,”
Yun Yangzi said as he glanced toward the audience, locking eyes on Han Luo, who wore a completely innocent expression.

“It was that Han Luo kid’s doing.”

“What? Han Luo?! How did he manage that?”
The others were baffled. Could Han Luo summon rain?

“It’s simple,” Yun Yangzi said with a nod.
“Before the tournament began, I had him study the plaza’s protective formation. He laid a few minor formations atop it.”

They all blinked in surprise.

“Then… he helped Xiao Long cheat?”
Hong Niang frowned, visibly annoyed.

Not only had Han Luo refused to help her earlier, now he was helping someone else go up against her disciple?

She silently vowed to “teach him a lesson” later.
In the worst case, she’d marry off Chi Xiao to him as punishment.
Yes, that’d do.

Hong Niang was the type to blow up a speck of dust into a hurricane.
She was already planning how to use this situation to make Han Luo submit.

Meanwhile, in the stands—

“Tsk, such a disappointment.”
Han Luo shook his head.

This little trick had been planned with Elder Yun Yangzi.
With so many people watching from above, none of them could act directly.
That’s where he came in—to stir the pot behind the scenes.

Just like those shows from his past life—every good production needed a bit of scandal. The action was just the cherry on top.

That said—

He wouldn’t interfere too much in the actual fights.
He’d only helped Xiao Long because the guy looked pitiful.

He absolutely wasn’t trying to drain Chi Xiao’s energy so that a later contestant could eliminate her and pave the way for Shen Xian’er to win.
Definitely not.

He told himself that again.

But…
Why did Elder Hong Niang keep giving him that weird look?

Had he just walked into a trap?

Han Luo felt uneasy.
Maybe he should retreat to Luoxian Mountain for a while.

But then again—
Given his current status, hiding wasn’t really an option anymore.

The first match was over.

The second began immediately.

And when people saw who the next match-up was…

A bad feeling swept through the crowd.