After fierce competition, the list of the top 64 has been finalized in just two days.
Tomorrow, the second round of elimination matches will begin, narrowing the field from 64 to 32.
Su Yunying stood atop the imperial city, her hand resting on the palace wall, gazing absently in the direction of tomorrow's meeting place. A gentle breeze caressed her delicate, fair face, softly lifting her long, black hair that cascaded over her shoulders. Bathed in the glow of the sunset, she possessed a refined and elegant air.
"what's on your mind?"
Shen Zhao's voice interrupted her thoughts.
Su Yunying turned around and smiled faintly: "It's nothing, it just feels a little unreal."
Shen Zhao casually sat on the palace wall and stretched.
"Don't worry, all of this is real. Everything you've achieved today is the result of your own hard work. I've checked for you; none of those sixty-four people are more powerful than you."
You are destined to win the Southern Region Grand Competition.
Su Yunying shook her head: "Boss, that's not what I'm thinking about. The combat skills and cultivation techniques you gave me are top-notch. I'm just worried that all of this is just a dream."
"Dream?"
Shen Zhao turned to face Su Yunying: "Life is like a dream, even if it is a dream..."
I should finish it before waking up. I just hope it will be a good dream, so that we can both get the outcome we deserve.
Su Yunying pursed her lips and suddenly asked, "Boss, can I ask you something?"
"explain."
"Why did you say those things to me that day in Dragon Abyss Valley?"
Shen Zhao was slightly taken aback, then smiled and said, "No reason is needed. You'll find out when you have the chance."
Su Yunying was about to speak again when Wu Yousheng's guard came to report: "Fellow Daoist Shen, Miss Su, there is a woman outside the palace who claims to be Miss Su's mother and wants to see Miss Su."
Shen Zhao immediately wanted to refuse on Su Yunying's behalf, but Su Yunying said, "Tell her I'll be there later."
"good."
The guards immediately ran down the city wall.
Shen Zhao: "What, you still can't let go of your mother?"
Su Yunying smiled faintly and said calmly, "Aside from giving birth to me, she has never fulfilled her responsibilities as a mother for a single day. After spending time with her these past few days, I have already let go of her."
But the one who tied the knot must untie it. Today, I'll make things clear to her: I, Su Yunying, will have no further connection with the Su family.
Shen Zhao nodded: "It's good that you have this awareness. Okay, I believe you can handle it."
"Then I'll head over first, boss."
Su Yunying walked gracefully toward the palace gate with light steps.
Shen Zhao smiled and shook his head, just as he was about to continue admiring the sunset when a sudden thought struck him.
The next moment, a scene flashed before my eyes like a fleeting dream.
In the scene, billions of lives lie in pools of blood in a scene of carnage, with bones scattered everywhere, endless and boundless, surrounded by an eternal darkness that inspires despair.
In the midst of despair, a familiar voice rang out...
"Shen Lang, run..."
In just a moment, everything returned to normal, as if what I had just seen was an illusion.
But Shen Zhao didn't think so.
"This scene seems familiar... but I can't remember where I've experienced it before. Why does that voice sound so much like Yun Ying's? Could it be..."
The image that flashed through Shen Zhao's mind was strangely familiar. He was certain that he had experienced it sometime in the past, but he couldn't remember when it happened.
"Fine, I will investigate this matter thoroughly. If this is something that will happen in the future, I will do everything in my power to stop it."
With his Dao heart steadied, Shen Zhao's mind returned to calm.
Regardless of the reason for what just happened, if it disturbs his future carefree days, then he wouldn't mind tearing a hole in the sky.
...
At the highest point of the heavens, thunder rumbled.
The system surveyed the void with amusement, a slight smile playing on its lips.
The system sneered: "Why are you still unwilling to give up even now? Nine times it's the same result. Do you think you can succeed on the tenth?"
"But it doesn't matter, I don't care."
The lightning and thunder intensified, seemingly venting their strong dissatisfaction towards the system.
Finally, a deep voice came from the void: "As the ancestor of all origins, you should not interfere with the changes in a predetermined destiny. This is a great taboo of the Daoist lineage."
"The lineage of Taoism?"
The system turned around and buried a potted plant in the soil.
"The system is the lineage, and you are at most my disciples and descendants. What right do you have to question my decisions?"
Another rumble of thunder echoed in the sky: "Stop. Let the creatures of this realm return to their original destiny. This is not a difficult task for you."
"Do you mean to return Shen Zhao, Yu Xiyan, and Su Yunying to their original destinies?"
"You should know that the compatibility between Yu Xiyan and Shen Zhao is basically zero. Originally, their destinies were not aligned in that way."
Shen Zhao should have broken off all ties with Yu Xiyan when he was seventeen, but you insisted on bringing them together. What was your intention?
"What's the intention? It's just to provide some amusement in a life that's been utterly boring for billions of years."
"Just because of that?"
Can you come up with other reasons?
The system turned to look at the starry sky: "This time you've learned your lesson. You know that with less than 1% of your will that I've suppressed, you can't change the fact that Su Yunying will still die a tragic death in this life."
So they gave the choice to Shen Zhao, hoping he could change Su Yunying's fate.
The diary from Dragon Abyss Valley, which shouldn't have existed in the first place, is now injecting a world-ending illusion into Shen Zhao's mind.
You think your little tricks can fool me? Actually, I'm just deliberately not getting involved.
Nine times in a row, you failed to protect Su Yunying; this time will be no different.
"Since you knew my purpose, why didn't you stop me?"
System: "Because no matter what you do, I don't care. I just want to enjoy the scene of ants fighting one last time before I reach the top of the Great Dao and become one of the Three Thousand Sovereigns."
"Heh, the reason you're not intervening is because the injuries Shen Zhao inflicted on you before his death, before this time rewind, haven't healed yet."
I can sense that you're only at half your peak strength right now; otherwise, I wouldn't have had the opportunity to give Shen Zhao some hints right under your nose.
System: "So you see hope in dealing with me and want to use him to eliminate me?"
"Only Shen Zhao can truly destroy you; this is your ultimate fate."
System: "Ha, you're incredibly naive. Little do you know you're only half right."
"What's the meaning?"
"You've said enough. Now, get out of here."
With a single sentence, the system, acting as law, instantly dispelled the heavenly lightning in the void, which vanished in the blink of an eye, leaving the sky cloudless once more.
"Even if you tell the host the whole truth, what can you do to me? As long as I live another life, I will be the sole ruler of the Great Dao's rules, and no power will be able to restrain me in the slightest!"
...
Outside the palace gates, Yin Jiao'e craned her neck, constantly peering into the palace.
Today, in the Immortal Martial Arts Competition, Su Xuejiao exerted tremendous effort to barely qualify for the top 64.
But she knew that those who could stand out from thousands of cultivators were the best of the younger generation in the Southern Region, and Su Xuejiao's elimination in tomorrow's battle was almost a certainty.
So she spent a lot of money to bribe Kong Lian again, and only then did she learn from him that Su Yunying had also advanced to the second round of the competition, and would most likely face off against Su Xuejiao.
Therefore, Yin Jiao'e plans to start with Su Yunying, getting her to give up tomorrow's competition, thus paving the way for Su Xuejiao's future.
Under her eager gaze, Su Yunying's figure slowly came into view.
Yin Jiao'e immediately went to greet her, putting aside her previous dislike for Su Yunying, and forced a smile: "Yunying, congratulations on advancing to tomorrow's competition. Seeing your achievement, I am really happy."
Faced with Yin Jiao'e's hypocritical attitude, Su Yunying remained calm and coldly replied, "You came to see me just for this matter? If so, then I understand. Madam, you should return home as soon as possible."
After saying that, Su Yunying turned to leave.
"Yun Ying! I am your mother! How could you treat me like this!"
Yin Jiao'e was surprised by Su Yunying's coldness, and her heart sank.
"I know I wronged you the other day, but as I told you, Xuejiao is also my daughter, I can't..."
That's enough.
Su Yunying interrupted her directly.
"I've had enough of your clichés. Since you cherish your daughter so much..."
Then why are you coming to see me again? Do you want me to deliberately lose to her in tomorrow's competition, to pave the way for her future?
"How did you know? Who told you?"
Yin Jiao'e was taken aback, not expecting Su Yunying to be so intelligent, guessing her intentions so quickly, and her expression panicked.
"Do I even need to guess? For your own good daughter, you're willing to go so far as to steal my bloodline and kill me."
"You're capable of doing something like this, is it really that hard to guess your intentions?"
Yin Jiao'e's face turned pale: "Yun Ying, is this really how you see me?"
What do you think?
Faced with Su Yunying's calm reply, all the excuses Yin Jiao'e had come up with earlier seemed pale and powerless.
At that moment, a strange emotion suddenly surged through her heart.
Looking at the graceful and refined young woman before her, Yin Jiao'e's body trembled slightly.
"Yun Ying, I'm begging you. Xue Jiao has had a tough time. Joining the Confucian Sage Sect is her lifelong wish. I just beg you not to compete with her, okay?"
"What does her lifelong wish have to do with me?"
The answer she received was Su Yunying's resolute voice.
"How was it not easy for her? She enjoyed eighteen years of wealth and luxury in my place."
While she was nestled in your arms, I had to go to the fields to do farm work with my adoptive parents.
While she grew tired of the most exquisite delicacies, I had to rack my brains to figure out how to avoid going hungry for my next meal.
While she was associating with high society figures, I was out in the martial arts world, forced to hunt down vicious bandits for a bounty of a dozen or so taels of silver.
After hearing all this, you still call this difficult? Madam Su, have you become so accustomed to a life of luxury that you have no idea what human suffering is?
I don't owe Su Xuejiao anything, so why should I make way for her future?
"Let me tell you, if she wants to advance, she'll have to defeat me with her own strength. Otherwise, her so-called lifelong wish is nothing but a complete joke."
Yin Jiao'e was stunned on the spot. Su Yunying's words just now had left her speechless.
Yes, what right do I have...?
In a daze, Su Yunying's face seemed to overlap with that of another woman who looked eight or nine parts similar to her, with the same indifference and arrogance, which made her involuntarily take two steps back.
"Yunying, I know it was my fault for losing you back then, but Xuejiao is innocent, you…"
"Mrs. Su, haven't you understood? Whether she is innocent or not has nothing to do with me. In fact, your Su family has nothing to do with me!"
Upon hearing this, Yin Jiao'e could no longer contain herself and shouted, "Yun Ying! Do you hate me? Do you hate me for not looking for you all these years, for not treating you as well as Xue Jiao?"
"Hate? Mrs. Su, I have never felt any hatred towards you or anyone in the Su family."
From the moment I entered this household and was forbidden to call you "Mother," we were destined to be from two different worlds.
As for Su Xuejiao, don't worry, I don't even have the desire to look at her, let alone hate her and compete with her. But that doesn't mean I'll give you face and let you advance.
Because you and the Su family are utterly beneath my notice. Every time I see you, I only find it absurd and laughable.
Yin Jiao'e was stunned. She never expected Su Yunying to be so heartless, showing no respect whatsoever to her "birth mother".
-----------------------
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