What's wrong with a snake that just wants to cultivate and transform?

Ji Yuebai’s fingers traced the contours of Xu Nian’s face, lingering at her eyebrows and eyes, “This is good.”

Her gaze rested on Xu Nian’s unguarded face.

The one harboring unspeakable thoughts was her.

Xu Nian, just as she was now, was perfect.

Seeing that she wasn’t reprimanded, Xu Nian relaxed completely. She became more daring, pulling Ji Yuebai’s arm into a hug, cooing, “Indeed, Yuebai is the best.”

Ji Yuebai felt helpless yet harbored some selfish thoughts, “You shouldn’t be like this with others.”

The room was warm, and the effects of the alcohol made Xu Nian’s face feel hot. She was genuinely a bit tipsy now.

She let go of Ji Yuebai’s arm and started tugging at the collar of her dress, complaining, “There’s no one else, just with Mu Yanyu and Xue Ling, they are all good people…”

Ji Yuebai felt a slight bitterness in her heart.

She always knew this, didn’t she?

Aside from her slightly higher cultivation, she wasn’t anything special. Even without her, Xu Nian would have others like Mu Yanyu and Xue Ling…

Xu Nian turned over, her fingers fumbling with the ties of her dress, struggling to untie them.

Under the heat, she grew frustrated. The dress she wore that day had a crisscross tie design at the back. Though it beautifully accentuated her slender waist, it was quite troublesome to take off.

She moved closer to Ji Yuebai, her plea sounding restless, “Yuebai, help me take off my dress, please.”

As Xu Nian brushed her long hair aside with her fingers, the slender waist that could barely be grasped was revealed.

A small patch of snow-white waist showed under the half-undone laces, forming an astonishing curve with her movements, making her figure even more enchanting.

Ji Yuebai’s fingers touched the protruding ties.

The intricate silk ribbons gradually came undone.

The tightness around her body began to dissipate, and Xu Nian seemed to stretch comfortably. Her fingers accidentally brushed against Xu Nian’s snowy skin, which was even softer and smoother than the silk of her dress.

Her movements were somewhat forceful, causing her dress to loosen and subtly reveal more than intended. Ji Yuebai paused in her task, taking a moment to steady her breathing before saying, “That’s enough, you can manage the rest yourself.”

Xu Nian was somewhat reluctant. The cool touch of the other’s fingers on her back was extremely soothing, like drinking ice in summer: “Help me a bit more.”

Yet Ji Yuebai still refused, coldly pushing away the body Xu Nian pressed close.

Xu Nian tried hard to entangle her, but always failed to do so.

As a snake demon, how could she not be able to coil around her prey? Thinking this, she simply transformed into her snake form and launched a sudden attack, coiling around Ji Yuebai’s waist and arms.”

She proudly said, “Now you can’t push me away.”

Little did she know, Ji Yuebai actually sighed in relief and soothingly said, “Mm, I can’t push you away.”

Content, Xu Nian nestled against Ji Yuebai, quickly succumbing to a deep sleep under the influence of the wine.

…

The next day, the highly anticipated competition of disciples from the Eight Great Sects commenced. Fanyin Pavilion’s main island witnessed a spectacle seen only once in decades. First, auspicious clouds floated in the sky with cranes carrying the sun, followed by fairy-like maidens in colorful garments playing celestial music, and finally, several peak of Nascent Soul cultivators descended to bless the disciples with spiritual energy, like a rain of energy packets. Xu Nian caught several, feeling revitalized as they merged into her dantian.

Then, magical fireworks were displayed in the sky for a full quarter of an hour, creating a grand and solemn atmosphere.

Xu Nian, wearing an outer robe of the Tian Yuan Sect over her dress, stood beside Ji Yuebai, preparing to cheer and wave flags for her when she went on stage, determined to be a dedicated supporter.

In the central grandstand, representatives of the Eight Great Sects delivered their speeches, with messages like “Showcasing the elegance of the young generation in the cultivation world,” “Every era has its talents, now is the time for the new generation of cultivators to shine,” and “The competition focuses on friendly sparring, do not harm the harmony between sects.”

Xu Nian, finding the speeches dull to the point of sleepiness, thought that this cultivators’ competition wasn’t much different from the sports meets in her previous life.

Bored, she used her spiritual energy to discreetly observe other sects’ contestants. She admired their looks and speculated about their strength, exchanging smile with a particularly pleasant-looking female cultivator who noticed her gaze.

The next second, Xu Nian felt a gaze fall on her from the side.

She quietly explained, “I’m helping you size up the competition, they seem quite strong, you should be careful.”

Ji Yuebai knew she was just being smooth with words, but still nodded, “No need to worry.”

Xu Nian secretly breathed a sigh of relief. She wasn’t worried for Ji Yuebai but for her opponents. With their delicate bodies and beautiful faces, she wondered if they could withstand a fight.

In any case, she didn’t want to be an enemy of Ji Yuebai in this life.

Her subconscious flattering probably also considered this.

More importantly, after the information she and Mu Yanyu gathered the previous night, it was clear that any contest involving Ji Yuebai was overwhelmingly in her favor, leaving no room for manipulation in betting.

This had led Mu Yanyu to give Xu Nian a meaningful look that night.

Having known her for so long, Xu Nian could guess the meaning behind that look just from the context.

— “I didn’t expect it, snake, you have a good eye for backing the right horse.”

This was essentially her message, more or less.

As for the cultivators Xu Nian had observed, they were the hot favorites of the competition, each a prodigy from their respective sects, potentially rivaling Ji Yuebai.

Mu Yanyu and Xu Nian had spent a long time researching in private, roughly figuring out their strengths and secretly setting odds for them, just waiting for the betting to start.

As soon as the flying boat landed the day before yesterday, Mu Yanyu had scouted the location and greased the necessary palms at the Fanyin Pavilion. She had even spent a lot of money to secure a prime spot for setting up the betting booth.

Now, as the opening speeches concluded, Mu Yanyu’s stall, already buzzing from the pre-event hype, was surrounded by a crowd of Tian Yuan Sect disciples.

“Junior Sister Mu, how should we place bets for the upcoming matches?”

“What are the odds? I’ll start with ten spirit stones to test the waters.”

“Junior Sister Mu, I’m betting on our sect’s Brother Zhou, a hundred spirit stones.”

With Liu Liu and Yi Yi setting the tone, Xu Nian busily collected the spirit stones and signed spirit stone contracts, while Mu Yanyu was swamped with managing everything.

Ever since Xu Nian bravely stepped forward to save many disciples during the flying ship attack, the other disciples had grown increasingly friendly towards her. Now seeing her and Mu Yanyu running a betting pool, they eagerly participated in the gambling.

Besides, the medicinal pills sold by Junior Sister Mu were not only cost-effective, but her spirit food hall, established when she first joined the sect, provided convenient and quick services, benefiting many fellow disciples. The betting pool run by Junior Sister Mu was also very fair, offering much higher odds than the unified gambling organized by the local sects in previous disciple competitions, making it impossible not to support.

Interestingly, Junior Sister Mu ingeniously introduced a game called “poker,” specifically a variation known as “Blackjack,” which was quite fascinating.

This allowed many disciples unfamiliar with competitors from other sects to enjoy a few rounds of entertainment.

Xu Nian had initially worried that this modern game might not be popular in the world of cultivation. She had only tentatively introduced it after discussing it with Mu Yanyu, but it turned out to be highly popular among the disciples. She considered adding games like Texas Hold’em or Blackjack to maintain the freshness of the gambling pool.

As time was running short, Xu Nian left Liu Liu and Yi Yi at the betting pool to assist Mu Yanyu and hurried off to the viewing stands.

The stands, which were sparse during the earlier matches, were now crowded to the brim with disciples from various sects. Xu Nian had to exert considerable effort to squeeze through the crowd.

A cultivator she pushed past initially wanted to complain, but his eyes fell on her Tian Yuan Sect robe and were then captivated by her appearance, leaving him momentarily speechless.

Thus, Xu Nian successfully made her way to the front row with the best view, timing her arrival perfectly to coincide with Ji Yuebai’s graceful appearance on the competition stage in her resplendent white robes.

Across from Ji Yuebai was a man Xu Nian found vaguely familiar. After a moment of thought, she recognized him as the male cultivator who had previously declared under the bridge that “Ji Yuebai is just a mere female cultivator.”

Seeing this, Xu Nian quickly clenched her fist in support, “Yuebai, defeat him swiftly. Show him why the flower is so red!” Even though she knew that the protective shield around the stands blocked sound and prevented harm, Ji Yuebai couldn’t hear her, but that didn’t stop Xu Nian from enjoying the moment.

At this, a disciple nearby challenged her, “Our Song Shishu is now a Golden Core cultivator. The outcome of the battle is not yet determined. You Tian Yuan sect people, even though you are temporarily the leaders of the Eight Great Sects, shouldn’t be too arrogant.”

Turning around, Xu Nian saw a very young-looking female cultivator wearing a disciple robe similar to Song Lingxiao on the stage, clearly from the same sect.

Xu Nian was actually only offended by Song Lingxiao’s disparaging remarks about female cultivators. However, with different allegiances come different standpoints, and there was no need to explain herself to the other party. She simply smiled slightly, “Then let’s watch the outcome of the match before drawing any conclusions.”

The female cultivator looked at Xu Nian with puffed cheeks, defiantly saying, “We’ll see. Song Shishu might not necessarily lose.” Yet, as soon as these words left her mouth, she seemed to lose some of her confidence.

On the stage, Song Lingxiao took a deep breath and slowly drew his long sword, facing the woman before him.

Recognized as a genius in the Wuji Sect, he had never encountered any bottlenecks, whether during the Foundation Building or Core Formation stages. His path as a sword cultivator was smooth, effortlessly developing his unique swordplay.

His only defeat in life was three years ago in the disciple competition, against the woman standing before him now – Ji Yuebai. It was that battle that made him aware of her name.

Since then, he had come to understand that there are always higher skies and more accomplished individuals. However, for the past three years, he had been unable to accept his defeat.

He admitted that when he first saw her, he had underestimated her.

Just a woman.

A very beautiful woman.

He arrogantly thought whether he should go easy on her, to make her defeat less embarrassing. But to his complete surprise, he was the one who lost. She didn’t hold back, and his defeat was utterly humiliating.

Song Lingxiao gripped his sword tightly, unable to get over the fact that he had been careless and lost to a female cultivator. This incident had become a mental demon, constantly haunting him over the past three years, making him wonder if the outcome would have been different had he not been overconfident.

This time, he cast aside his arrogance and would not hesitate anymore. He now saw Ji Yuebai, the woman before him, as a true opponent.

Song Lingxiao released his strongest sword attack, the long sword in his hand buzzing violently under the intense surge of fierce spiritual energy. The powerful sword energy created a wind so strong that it continuously vibrated the protective barrier surrounding the competition platform.

The might of this wind was fierce, and anyone caught in it would likely be torn to shreds in an instant.

Many on the viewing stands, fearing the barrier might shatter, scattered in panic. However, there were still many bold or skeptical ones who stayed put, activating their protective barriers, unmoved.

“Ten years of sharpening a sword, its icy blade never tested.” Song Lingxiao believed this was his strongest sword move, one that even he might not be able to withstand at full strength.

Xu Nian also stayed in her place, not running away, but a hint of worry began to rise in her heart. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust Ji Yuebai, but the opponent, despite his unassuming appearance and manner, did possess considerable strength.

At least, he was strong enough to slice her into a snake sashimi without any problem, and even had the extra strength to stew her demon core into a nourishing soup.

The female cultivator next to Xu Nian, although visibly scared, stayed put. Seeing Xu Nian’s worried expression, she became smug, “See, I told you. Our Song Shishu is one of the strongest among his peers.”

Xu Nian paid no attention to her, her gaze fixed intently on the stage.

At that moment, Ji Yuebai countered with a strike of her sword. Her move, like frost and snow suddenly rising with the wind, exuded an air of leisure and ease, as if taking a casual stroll in a courtyard, yet within those subtle moments, deadly intent was unmistakably present. What appeared to be a light and floating sword technique actually harbored the force to freeze a very wide area.

In just an instant, Song Lingxiao found himself hit at his weak point. Frost began to spread from the palm holding his sword, gradually encompassing his entire body. His blood instantly hardened, rendering him completely immobile. His so-thought strongest sword technique dissipated like smoke under the immense force of her formidable ice seal.

At this moment, Song Lingxiao’s face was a picture of grey defeat and despair. His once supreme sword technique turned out to be nothing more than an illusory reflection in water, a fleeting dream.

He thought he was superior.

Little did he know that his opponent had already mastered the art of breaking all techniques with a single sword strike.

Song Lingxiao, with a dejected expression, finally admitted, “I lost…”

He had been thoroughly defeated by a female cultivator.