Xiao Qingluan remained optimistic about the Comparison in one month's time.
After following Chen Ye back to Jade Bamboo Peak, she threw herself back into her cultivation.
Although she was confident of winning the Comparison, Chen Ye's sudden transformation from a Qi Gathering cultivator to a Golden Core master still put considerable pressure on her.
The story of Chen Ye "pretending to be a pig to eat a tiger" also continued to spread throughout the Azure Cloud Sect.
Everyone was flabbergasted.
How could a mortal physique suddenly become so powerful?
Defeating a ninth-level True Qi cultivator with a single move... was this still a mortal physique?
That man must be hiding some great secret!
But for Soaring Sword Peak, it didn't matter what secrets Chen Ye had. What mattered was that their disciples had been repeatedly defeated by him!
Did they have no face to lose?
On Soaring Sword Peak, a man in pristine white robes sat cross-legged in meditation. Beside him, several disciples were recounting Chen Ye's deeds with dramatic exaggeration.
"Chen Ye not only defeated Wang Zheng in one move, but he also boasted that even if our Eldest Senior Brother of Soaring Sword Peak came personally, he wouldn't give him any face!"
"Eldest Senior Brother, he's slapping you in the face!"
"If we don't get our revenge, we, the disciples of Soaring Sword Peak, won't be able to hold our heads high in the Azure Cloud Sect anymore!" a disciple said, his voice filled with grievance.
The man in white raised an eyebrow. "Did he really say that?"
"Yes, yes..." the disciple stammered, feeling a little guilty under his senior's piercing gaze.
Seeing his expression, the man in white knew instantly that he was lying. He snorted. "You went looking for trouble and got beaten. Now you have the gall to come crying to me for help? A bunch of trash."
Hearing this, the disciples didn't dare to retort.
Just then, a young man approached from nearby. He was dressed in a light blue robe, a longsword at his waist, exuding an extraordinary aura.
The young man smiled faintly. "Eldest Senior Brother, regardless of the details, our Soaring Sword Peak has indeed lost face this time. It would be unreasonable not to reclaim it."
"You are the Eldest Senior Brother of our peak, a grandmaster of the Soul Formation realm. It would be beneath your status to personally deal with a mere Golden Core cultivator. Why not let me handle it for you?"
The man in white glanced at him. "The seven peaks are one family. You can reclaim your face, but do not go too far."
"Don't worry, Eldest Senior Brother. I know what to do."
On Jade Bamboo Peak, Xiao Qingluan cultivated for a full morning and felt her stomach begin to rumble.
Suddenly, the tantalizing aroma of food drifted over from nearby. Her eyes lit up, her appetite stirred, and she hurried to get up and find the source.
But then she felt this was not reserved enough. She straightened her robes, deliberately slowed her eager pace, and walked gracefully out of her hut.
Chen Ye, busy in the kitchen, saw her emerge and smiled. "Junior Sister, please wait a moment. The meal will be ready soon."
"Ahem, take your time, Senior Brother. I'm not particularly hungry." Xiao Qingluan said lightly.
Rumble...
Her stomach betrayed her.
Her face flushed crimson. What an accursed stomach!
She coughed. "My stomach is just feeling a bit unwell."
"Of course, of course." Chen Ye didn't expose her clumsy lie.
After the food was ready, he invited Xiao Qingluan to the table. Gazing at the delicious dishes, Xiao Qingluan swallowed her saliva, picked up her chopsticks, and began to eat.
For some reason, she, who had tasted every delicacy imaginable in her past life, suddenly felt that all the food she'd eaten before paled in comparison to Chen Ye's cooking.
Did he put some kind of drug in the food?
Has he made me addicted?
Xiao Qingluan pondered this, but her chopsticks never stopped moving. As an empress, her dining etiquette was flawless; she never appeared to be wolfing down her food. And yet, the food on the table vanished as if swept up by a whirlwind.
Chen Ye was stunned.
How did she manage to eat so quickly yet so elegantly?
All he could say was...
She was truly an empress! Even eating a meal was an extraordinary performance!
Soon, the two of them had polished off four dishes, a soup, and a large pot of rice, most of which had ended up in Xiao Qingluan's stomach. Her belly was visibly rounder.
In a sense, wasn't she also "with child"?
After the meal, Xiao Qingluan didn't leave as she had before. Instead, she stood up to help Chen Ye clear the dishes. Seeing this, Chen Ye's eyes lit up.
Sniffle...
Finally, someone to help with the chores!
His doting on his junior sister hadn't been in vain.
But then, a series of crashing sounds came from the kitchen. He hurried in to see the bowls and plates from the stove shattered all over the floor.
Xiao Qingluan was looking at him in a panic.
She quickly composed herself and said, "My hand slipped."
She squatted down to pick up the shards. Chen Ye went to help her, saying helplessly, "Junior Sister, you should go rest. Let me handle this."
If this happened a few more times, his kitchen would be in grave danger.
Truly, asking an empress to wash dishes was too much.
Xiao Qingluan walked out of the kitchen, embarrassed. Once her back was to Chen Ye, she couldn't help but blush. "I never expected washing dishes would be so troublesome..."
As an empress, she never hesitated to accept favors, nor did she ever feel indebted. But she thought that since Chen Ye had taken such good care of her, she should do something in return. That's why she had wanted to help.
She never expected to mess it up so badly.
It couldn't be helped. Had she ever done such chores in her previous life?
"It is not my style to always take advantage of others like this! I must find a way to repay him... Hmm... my cultivation is insufficient now. Must I wait until the future to reward him?" Xiao Qingluan murmured to herself.
At that moment, an indifferent voice came from outside. "I am Luo Ziyun of Soaring Sword Peak, here to learn from the great techniques of the Senior Brother of Jade Bamboo Peak!"
The voice wasn't loud, but it carried across half of Jade Bamboo Peak.
Xiao Qingluan's eyes lit up.
Wasn't this her chance to prove her worth?
She strode out of the hut and saw Luo Ziyun, dressed in a water-blue robe, standing not far away. Her eyes flashed. This aura... it's a Precious Body!
Luo Ziyun had come to issue a challenge, so he made no effort to hide his aura. Xiao Qingluan could clearly sense the unique constitution emanating from him!
It was the [Water Treasure Body].
This physique was naturally attuned to the water element, making the practice of water-attribute techniques twice as effective with half the effort.
While a Precious Body was rare and valuable in the eyes of ordinary cultivators, in Xiao Qingluan's eyes, it was merely average. How could it compare to her [Phoenix Holy Body]?
She stepped forward and said calmly, "If you wish to challenge my Senior Brother, you must pass through me first!"
Just then, Chen Ye came out. Hearing Xiao Qingluan's words, he was deeply moved. So this was what it felt like to have a protective junior sister? She was his little cotton-padded jacket, keeping him warm!
My junior sister is truly a good girl!
But he glanced at Luo Ziyun and saw that he was at the Golden Core realm. If a real fight broke out, Xiao Qingluan would be no match for him.
Luo Ziyun also saw Xiao Qingluan's True Qi cultivation and said with contempt, "With your meager True Qi cultivation, you are beneath my notice!"
Chen Ye, who had been about to send Luo Ziyun away, was struck with an idea. He walked up with a smile and said, "Believe it or not, within one month, my junior sister can defeat you!"
As soon as these words were spoken, Luo Ziyun snorted coldly. "You're dreaming!"
"Then do you dare to make a bet with me?"