Chapter 416 The Conference Ends

Such an unexpected result would be hard to believe if people had not seen it with their own eyes. At this moment, the sound of sobs surged among the crowd like a tide and lasted for a long time.

Even though the competition was over, many spectators were still immersed in the shocking aftermath of the subversive ending, whispering to each other, reviewing and expressing their feelings about the competition.

On the stands, Lord Lei's face was so gloomy that it seemed as if water could drip out of it. The corners of his mouth, which were originally slightly raised due to complacency, had now collapsed into a cold and hard arc. His hands unconsciously clenched into fists, and his knuckles turned white.

Lei Zun had never expected that Feng Qing'er, whom he had high hopes for and regarded as his trump card, would suffer a crushing defeat. He had originally hoped that through this Four-sided Pavilion Competition, he could defeat the Xingyun Pavilion, which was on the rise, and enhance the reputation of Fenglei Pavilion.

However, things went against their wishes. Feng Qing'er, as a member of the Heavenly Demon Phoenix clan, was defeated by Mu Qingluan of the Heavenly Luan clan. Instead, she became a "stepping stone" for the rise of Xingyun Pavilion, making its reputation even more prominent.

In the future, in the competition among the various pavilions, Fenglei Pavilion will probably be inferior to others. How could Lei Zun not be angry, annoyed and regretful?

What worries Venerable Lei even more is that if the Sky Demon Phoenix Clan learns of today's result, he knows very well that he will not be able to stay out of it.

Feng Qing'er not only possesses the blood of the Sky Demon Phoenix, her image also represents the dignity of the entire tribe. This tragic defeat, especially the defeat in the duel with Mu Qingluan, the descendant of the Sky Luan tribe who is also a demon beast tribe, is undoubtedly a loud slap in the face to the Sky Demon Phoenix tribe in full view of the public.

The arrogant and proud people of the Heavenly Phoenix Clan have always looked down upon the world, so how could they tolerate such a shameful thing? As the person involved, Feng Qing'er would definitely not escape severe punishment.

As for Lei Zun, as Feng Qing'er's master, he was undoubtedly the "culprit" in the eyes of the Sky Demon Phoenix Clan. In their opinion, it must be that his teaching as a master was wrong, otherwise, with the noble bloodline of the Sky Demon Phoenix, Feng Qing'er should have won the battle and would never have been defeated by the Tianluan lineage.

By then, what Venerable Lei would face would either be the cold looks and cold words from the big guys in the Sky Demon Phoenix Clan, or he would be called into question and asked for an explanation. In any case, it would definitely not be a good ending.

"Your Excellency Lei, the competition is now over. As the organizer of the Sifang Pavilion competition, it is time for you to announce the results." At this time, Xiao Ling's voice sounded at the side, slowly reaching the ears of Lord Lei, pulling him back from his messy thoughts.

Venerable Lei tilted his head and looked not far away, only to see Xiao Ling staring at him with a smile on his face. That expression seemed to see through his inner embarrassment and unwillingness, and Venerable Lei suddenly felt angry.

But when he thought about the other party's identity as an eighth-grade alchemist and the complicated forces behind him, he had to suppress his anger, forced a smile on his face, nodded and said: "Master Xiao Ling is right, I was really distracted before, I am ashamed."

After he finished speaking, he did not continue talking to Xiao Ling. He looked towards the competition square. He first glanced at Feng Qing'er, who was in a miserable state at the moment, with Mu Qingluan holding a sword against her throat and a stubborn face, and sighed softly in his heart.

After a brief pause, Venerable Lei looked around. Under everyone's intense gaze, he cleared his throat and announced loudly: "I declare that the final winner of this Four-sided Pavilion Competition is Mu Qingluan from Xingyun Pavilion!"

As the voice of Lei Zunzun was filled with powerful fighting spirit, it echoed over the square like the sound of a huge bell. The square, which was originally like a quiet dead water with only faint whispers, suddenly became lively and bustling like a ignited gunpowder barrel.

In an instant, the cheers were like a surging wave, one after another, rolling up and continuously. Some people shouted at the top of their lungs, the sound was high-pitched and passionate, piercing the sky; some people clapped excitedly, and the "crackling" applause was like dense drum beats, sounding together and converging into a passionate piece of music.

Everyone was immersed in the afterglow of the finale of this wonderful duel, and with full enthusiasm, they brought a warm end to this ups and downs and amazing twists and turns in this competition.

As Lei Zun finished speaking, Mu Qingluan's tense expression finally relaxed, and a relaxed smile appeared on the corner of her mouth. That smile revealed the joy of victory and the relief after exhaustion.

She raised her bare hand and slowly retracted the long sword that was against Feng Qing'er's throat. With a "clang" sound, the sharp blade was sheathed cleanly and neatly.

Then, she lightly tapped the ring with her fingertips, a flash of light passed by, and a pill appeared in the palm of her hand, with a bright and lustrous luster flowing on it.

Mu Qingluan raised her head and put the pill into her mouth. The pill melted as soon as it entered her mouth. In an instant, a warm current flowed and spread through her meridians like a flexible silk thread. The dried-up spring of Dou Qi seemed to be watered by sweet rain and quickly filled up.

The body, which had been exhausted and weakened by the fierce battle, recovered its energy and spirit in an instant, and its condition was close to its peak before the war.

The effect of the seventh-grade elixir is immediate and obvious.

As the deadly sword was withdrawn, Feng Qing'er felt the chill in her throat dissipate. She held her breath, supported herself on the ground with both hands, and with great effort she managed to stand up from the ground.

After standing firmly on his feet, he looked up and saw Mu Qingluan lightly twisting her fingertips, and a seventh-grade pill appeared in her palm. She looked so casual, as if she was just taking out an ordinary object.

Then, he tilted his head back and swallowed the medicine. After the pill entered his mouth, the aura around him recovered at a speed visible to the naked eye. Feng Qing'er's eyes shrank slightly in an instant, full of astonishment and disbelief.

In her opinion, seventh-grade elixirs are extremely precious. Even though she is from the Sky Demon Phoenix clan with a deep foundation, she still treasures such high-grade elixirs and will never use them easily unless the person is seriously injured, on the verge of death, or at a critical juncture.

Now that Mu Qingluan was so casual about using it to restore her fighting spirit, how could she not be surprised? She thought to herself, "Mu Qingluan is a little too arrogant. Did she treat the seventh-grade elixir as candy?"

However, Feng Qing'er suddenly understood after a while. Xingyun Pavilion now has a real 8th-grade alchemist in charge. Such a person has profound attainments in alchemy, and the pills he refines are all rare treasures. 7th-grade pills are nothing to him.

As the eldest sister of Xingyun Pavilion and the direct disciple of Master Feng, Mu Qingluan represented Xingyun Pavilion in the Four-sided Pavilion Competition. The whole Pavilion would definitely support her. How could Master Xiao Ling not prepare enough elixirs for her? In this way, Mu Qingluan's casual use of the seventh-grade elixir made sense.

With this in mind, Feng Qing'er looked at Mu Qingluan with envy growing in her eyes. If she could have such a close and good relationship with an eighth-grade alchemist, she would be able to avoid many setbacks and take fewer detours on the road of cultivation.

Mu Qingluan's cultivation level is now higher than hers. If one looks into the reason, it is due to the help of the rare elixirs refined by Master Xiao Ling. Otherwise, with the talent of Mu Qingluan and her Tianluan clan, she would not be able to surpass herself as the Heavenly Demon Phoenix.

Thinking of this, Feng Qing'er suddenly glanced towards the seat where Xiao Ling was sitting.

She had heard many rumors about Xiao Ling, but this was the first time she had seen him in person. Because of the competition, she had only taken a quick glance before and had not paid much attention to him. Now that she took such a close look, Feng Qing'er couldn't help but be slightly stunned.

The man was so handsome that he had a face like a finely carved jade, with smooth and perfect lines, sword-like eyebrows and star-like eyes. His eyes were deep and seemed to hide the bright stars, his nose was high, and his lips were red without any lipstick. Each of his facial features was exquisite when taken alone, and when combined together, they complemented each other, revealing an irresistible charm.

Even with Feng Qing'er's extremely discerning eyes, Xiao Ling's appearance was truly perfect and impeccable, without even the slightest flaw being found.

When she thought of Xiao Ling's terrifying talent and his remarkable achievements, she couldn't help but secretly smack her lips. Even someone as proud as Feng Qing'er couldn't help but feel ashamed.

Feng Qing'er had also seen the younger generation with direct bloodline in the Heavenly Phoenix Clan several times. With the extremely high purity of their bloodline and the full support of the elders in high positions in the clan to provide them with abundant resources and carefully cultivate them, their cultivation progressed rapidly, leaving people like her with collateral bloodline far behind.

In Feng Qing'er's opinion, perhaps only those who were blessed with direct bloodline could barely be compared with Xiao Ling, a genius with extraordinary talent, and stand on the same level to compete with him. Xiao Ling's perception was so sharp that as soon as Feng Qing'er's gaze touched him, he felt something in his heart and immediately turned his head to look at where Feng Qing'er was.

In an instant, two pairs of eyes met quietly in mid-air. Xiao Ling's eyes were like a deep pool, revealing a thorough understanding of everything. Feng Qing'er's eyes seemed to contain complex emotions, including astonishment, envy, and a hint of shame.

When Xiao Ling saw clearly that the person looking at him was Feng Qing'er, his eyebrows raised slightly without leaving a trace, and then he curled his thin lips lightly, revealing a faint but warm smile.

Feng Qing'er was shocked when she saw this, full of confusion. She wondered why Xiao Ling was so kind to her. Her mind was full of mixed thoughts, but she couldn't find the answer for a while.

After a brief moment of daze, she instinctively nodded her chin as a response, and then quickly looked away like a panicked bird, with a faint blush on her cheeks, just like the clouds in the sky, faintly revealing her inner embarrassment and shyness.

Feng Qing'er calmed herself down, then lightly tapped the storage ring with her bare hand. A faint light flashed, and several fifth-grade healing pills appeared in her palm, shining with a lustrous luster and a faint medicinal fragrance wafting in the air.

She did not care about much else and raised her hand to put the pill into her mouth. The pill melted in her mouth and turned into a few strands of warm medicinal power, helping her to heal the injuries she had suffered after the fierce battle.

"Tsk tsk, Master Xiao Ling, your charm is truly amazing! Just a glance at a little girl can make her blush and her heart beat faster. This skill is truly admirable!"

Medusa watched the entire interaction between Xiao Ling and Feng Qing'er from the side, and spoke in a sarcastic tone. Although there was a smile on the corner of her mouth, the smile was so cold that Xiao Ling couldn't help but feel a chill on his back after hearing it.

"Don't tease me! I just finished fighting and I haven't even caught my breath yet. How could it be what you think? Do you really think I'm a humanoid succubus? I don't have the ability you say."

Xiao Ling calmed himself down and glanced casually at Medusa with a faint smile on his lips. His tone was a bit nonchalant. He just responded casually with a calm expression, not showing any embarrassment at all.

After hearing this, Medusa's mouth slightly turned down, and a trace of disdain flashed across her delicate face. She secretly complained in her heart, "Aren't there enough girls you have provoked? Do you really think that others are blind and can't see it? You always put on this innocent look, and you don't feel tired of it!"
But she finally suppressed all the complaints in her heart on the tip of her tongue, which turned into a light hum in her nose, and she didn't say any more.

"Brother, what do you think of my performance? Isn't it impressive? Feng Qing'er was no match for me at all. I easily defeated her!"

At this time, Mu Qingluan flapped a pair of green wings and landed lightly on the seat, her face filled with joy and pride of victory. She took a few steps forward, took Xiao Ling's arm and shook it. She looked like a child asking for praise, her eyes were bright and full of anticipation for praise, and her words were full of uncontrollable complacency.

"Haha, this is indeed worthy of praise. Feng Qing'er is not simple. Most of the ordinary Dou Zongs below five stars cannot gain any advantage against her. But Qingluan, you were able to defeat her. You are indeed very outstanding." Xiao Ling had a gentle smile on his face, his eyes showed sincere relief, and his voice was steady and calm.

Xiao Ling stretched out his hand and gently rubbed Mu Qingluan's head. The smile on his face became even more intense. He then said, "When we return to Xingyun Pavilion, I will prepare some good things for you as your reward for winning the Sifang Pavilion competition this time."

"Thank you, senior brother. You are really the best to me!" Mu Qingluan's eyebrows were curved, and the corners of her lips were grinning. The smile spread from the bottom of her eyes to the tip of her eyebrows, just like the flowers blooming on the branches in spring, full of cuteness and joy.

Before she finished her words, she leaned forward, raised her hand and gently pulled Xiao Ling's sleeve for leverage, tiptoed closer, and kissed Xiao Ling on the cheek with a crisp "smack".

Zi Yan, who was standing by, saw how intimate Mu Qingluan and Xiao Ling were, and her brows furrowed slightly, as if a nameless anger was rising in her heart.

She took a step forward, stretched out her arms, and blocked Xiao Ling without any hesitation. She used her palm to push Mu Qingluan outwards, separating the two of them by a distance, before she stopped.

"Hehe," Zi Yan raised her chin, her face full of pride, "Don't forget, if I hadn't taught you my clan's unique skills before, if you hadn't relied on your own strength to defeat Feng Qing'er, you might still be in trouble now, and the outcome would be unknown!

"Hehe, Sister Zi Yan, it's all thanks to the trick you taught me!" Seeing Zi Yan's face full of pride and a look of wanting credit, Mu Qingluan smiled playfully, clasped her hands together and gently waved them, tilted her head slightly, and playfully stuck out her tongue, her eyebrows and eyes curved like crescents, and the joy of victory from before now added a bit of agility and cuteness.

"Hmph, that's better." Upon seeing this, Zi Yan placed her hands on her waist neatly, straightened her waist, tilted her head to the side proudly, and let out a cold snort from her nose.

……

Not far away, Feng Qing'er was flying towards the direction of Lei Zunzun. At this moment, she caught sight of the intimate scene between Xiao Ling and Mu Qingluan from the corner of her eye. Her pupils shrank slightly and her body froze instantly.

Her eyes flickered, and thoughts flooded her mind. In just a moment, all those thoughts turned into a definite "result".

“Okay, Mu Qingluan!” Feng Qing’er gritted her teeth secretly, her heart full of resentment and disdain, “I was wondering why her cultivation level seemed to have no bottleneck and it rose so fast. I foolishly thought that Xingyun Pavilion was cultivating her with all its strength. After all this fuss, it turns out that she sold her body to seduce Xiao Ling, an eighth-grade alchemist!”

Her chest rose and fell violently, her face full of shame and resentment, "I lost to such a shameless person. I really can't swallow this. It's too cowardly!"

After saying this, Feng Qing'er's knuckles turned white from clenching her fists, and her cheeks were flushed red with anger.

Feng Qing'er gritted her teeth and looked away angrily, no longer looking at Xiao Ling's situation. She took a deep breath to calm the complicated emotions surging in her chest, then tapped her toes lightly, and in a few flashes, she disappeared into the group of people from Fenglei Pavilion.

"Hey, Qing'er," Lei Zun saw Feng Qing'er return, frowned slightly, and sighed with worry, "I'm afraid it won't be long before your family knows what happened in the Sifang Pavilion Competition. If that happens, I'm afraid we will all be punished."

After saying that, he raised his eyes and looked at Feng Qing'er, his eyes full of concern and helplessness, as if he was also thinking about how to deal with the situation.

Hearing what Master Lei said, Feng Qing'er's beautiful eyes suddenly shone, like a lake being hit by a stone, causing complex ripples. But in an instant, she turned her head away, pursed her lips, and said nothing more.

Her heart seemed to be weighed down by a heavy stone, and she felt depressed and helpless. How could she not know that if the news of today's failure were to spread to the family, especially since she had lost to a mere Tianluan who was inferior to the Tian Yaohuang in every way, what would await her would surely be harsh criticism from the elders of the family and sidelong glances from her peers. She would be trapped in the quagmire of public opinion and punishment, and it would be difficult for her to retreat in the future.

……

"The Sifang Pavilion Competition has come to an end. I will not stay here for long. Everyone, we will meet again someday!"

After Sword Venerable finished speaking, he bowed his hands firmly towards Xiao Ling and Thunder Venerable, and after performing the salute, he suddenly swung his arm. The fighting spirit in his body surged out like a surging tide, and in a moment it condensed into a majestic giant sword.

Then, the Sword Master's figure was seen swaying slightly, flickering like a phantom, and the next moment, he was standing firmly on the giant golden sword transformed from the fighting spirit, with his clothes fluttering and his demeanor outstanding, as if he was about to fly away with the wind.

Seeing this, Tang Ying leaped up and quickly followed behind the Sword Master. When the two of them stood firmly on the golden giant sword, the Sword Master shouted softly, and the golden giant sword glowed brightly, turning into a stream of light that soared into the sky. In the blink of an eye, it completely disappeared from everyone's sight. (End of this chapter)