Chương 42: Verdant Catastrophe*

Su Wen, a confident and ambitious inner sect disciple, made her way toward the 'Rising Phoenix and Soaring Dragon arena' for the disciples' competition.

Although the event primarily targeted inner disciples, it was open to the outer sect and core disciples as well. However, the fierce competition made it daunting for outer sect disciples, and for core disciples participating in such an event could be seen as a disgraceful action of stealing resources. Only those in the foundation establishment realm or below were eligible to compete.

Su Wen had joined the sect a year ago as one of the twelve stars, but unlike her peers who chose to follow different elders, she rejected all offers. She believed that with time, she could easily surpass those elders who had asked her to be their disciple.

To some extent, her confidence was justified. However, this choice hurt the pride of the elders who desired her as their disciple.

So, the stronger elders decided to let the arrogant girl experience some hardship, thinking that she would learn humility when she fell behind due to a lack of resources.

However, Su Wen's talent and hard work allowed her to easily surpass her peers despite her lack of resources.

She had been walking her path of cultivation independently, driven by her overwhelming confidence.

But everything changed when she met someone and decided to follow them, essentially becoming their servant. However, in her eyes, this was acceptable because the person she chose to serve was someone truly worthy of her, Su Wen's loyalty!

"Alright! Let's fulfill the first task given to me!"

As Su Wen rushed towards the arena, she was determined to achieve victory at any cost... While also having her own little personal goal driving her forward.

...

Xiao Dong had finally returned to the sect after months of life-threatening battles, just in time for the disciples' competition. He hoped to participate and gain valuable resources to break through to the next realm.

"Sigh..." he couldn't help but sigh, remembering the memories of his perilous journey.

During his travels, he stumbled upon an inheritance site filled with countless trials, including battles against progressively stronger enemies and various traps.

Eventually, he reached the core of the inheritance site, only to find it empty, with traps still active. He was incredibly enraged at the bastard who would commit such a treacherous act.

He then entered a secret room within the site, which was also empty! And as if all that was not enough, he then fell into a dimensional crack filled with corrosive qi.

However, with his great tenacity and genius, he managed to turn this misfortune into an opportunity, refining his physique and breaking through to the foundation establishment realm.

"Finally, I'll be able to avenge that day's humiliation!" Xiao Dong muttered through gritted teeth, his voice low yet resolute.

...

Yin Xifeng had arrived at the arena around the same time, though she had no intentions of participating in the competition herself. Her arrival was motivated by a significant event, one that tied back to Xiao Dong's opportunities in his earlier years.

While Xifeng had already taken steps to secure her interests by making that girl her subordinate, she remained vigilant. She knew that she couldn't afford to be careless in this matter.

Xifeng had even made preparations to sow seeds of hatred between Su Wen and Xiao Dong.

"Well... there's not much to worry about, after all, that girl is truly loyal," Xifeng mused quietly. Su Wen, once a supporter of Xiao Dong in her previous life, had been foolishly loyal to him.

However, Xifeng was somewhat aware that there was some form of mental influence on Su Wen and all of Xiao Dong's supporters. This fact caused her to doubt whether these people she knew in her past life were truly their genuine selves.

"Well, I just have to keep a close eye on her to know that..." Xifeng decided to monitor Su Wen carefully. This was in fact one of her modus operandi, observing major characters and searching for any deviations in their actions that might prove harmful.

Of course, she lacked the manpower to keep tabs on everything. However, she could prioritize monitoring events that could affect her and Jianyu. Additionally, she sought to gather rumors about various factions within the sect.

"Hm? Xifeng?" Her thoughts were interrupted when someone approached from behind, and a soft and refreshing voice called out her name.

"Jianyu!" Xifeng exclaimed and began to turn around. However, her steps faltered as she caught sight of the individual standing next to Jianyu.

Noticing Xifeng's gaze focused on Mo Suyin, Jianyu decided to intervene, "Ah, this is sister Mo Suyin," Jianyu began to introduce Mo Suyin to Xifeng, "She, along with Xin Guang, has been training alongside me for the last two months."

"Oh... is that so?" Xifeng replied her voice a tad strained. She extended a greeting, albeit with a somewhat rigid smile. "My name is Yin Xifeng. Let's get along from now on."

"Y-yes, let's get along..." Mo Suyin responded, her demeanor shy and reserved.

Looking at the girl before her, Xifeng couldn't help but feel a sense of unease. This seemingly timid girl had been feared by many as a monster, even referred to as a catastrophe.

In Xifeng's previous life, Mo Suyin was one of the Eight Divine Lords subordinate to Jianyu. She possessed the remarkable ability to manipulate the environment as though it were an extension of her body.

Despite not excelling in physical combat, she had an immense reservoir of vitality that fueled various techniques. On the battlefields, she was also accompanied by an earth elemental capable of causing earthquakes, earning her the epithet 'Verdant Catastrophe.'

However, it wasn't Mo Suyin's formidable abilities that unnerved Xifeng. It was the turbulent emotions that churned within her heart, stemming from what she had done to Mo Suyin.

How she had killed Mo Suyin.