Don't Cause Trouble Chapter 21: Sparring

Magical artifacts came in countless forms, with a wide range of crafting styles. In major sects, all kinds of artifacts could be found, so even a crescent shovel wasn’t considered out of place.

Although this one was entirely an earthy copper color, and apart from a wave-like pattern on the shaft burned in by spirit fire, it had no other engravings.

In short, it was a roughly crafted artifact.

Some artifact forgers couldn’t perfect their creations within the time limit, so prioritizing function over appearance was to be expected.

The heavy weight pressing on Quan Jiaying’s heart seemed to ease a little. That woman from Qianji Sect—Ye Su—had probably just gotten lucky when she crafted the Mistflower Fang.

"Senior Sister, this artifact is really rough," Xi Yu said, feeling like her own blade was already lacking in refinement, but somehow Senior Sister’s work had gone even further this time.

"Are those two rings on top also part of the artifact?" Ming Liu Sha quickly noticed the difference—the crescent end had two large rings attached, significantly bigger than those on an ordinary crescent shovel.

As expected of Second Junior Brother—he had a keen eye for small artifacts.

Ye Su chuckled. "They’re detachable."

At this point, Elder Zhang had already raised the crescent-shaped end of the shovel and struck the trial stone. With hardly any effort, a deep hole was punched into the nearly two-meter-tall stone.

The clang of the rings hitting the stone made the spectators grimace; the sound was painfully sharp.

Elder Zhang didn’t stop there. With a twist of his hand, he swung the other end of the shovel down. The trial stone split cleanly in two.

"Not bad," Ye Su said casually, tilting her head to inspect her own handiwork.

The disciples of Poyuan Sect gradually quieted down. So far, only Quan Jiaying and Ye Su’s artifacts had managed to completely break the trial stone.

Still… that artifact was so crude—it couldn't possibly match up to the one crafted by Senior Brother Quan, right?

For a moment, tension hung thick in the air.

To determine whose artifact was superior, Elder Zhang walked over to the sturdier trial stone that had been brought out earlier. Once again, he struck and jabbed at it.

A long moment passed.

Fang Xiu finally let out a heavy sigh, clutching his chest. "I thought it was going to be something amazing—but it only left a faint scratch. Even a tickle would hit harder than that!"

The Poyuan Sect disciples erupted with cheers. There was no question now—Senior Brother Quan had taken first place!

"Senior Sister, shouldn’t they test the rings too?" Xi Yu asked.

"No need," Ye Su shook her head. "They’re not as powerful as the main shovel."

……

On the platform, Rong Chuqiu exchanged glances with Quan Shen and stepped forward. She unrolled a scroll, on which ten names appeared one after another.

"This concludes the competition. The top ten will receive material rewards tomorrow. Any non-Poyuan Sect disciples may choose to join the sect as inner disciples."

"Senior Sister, we’re…" Xia Er looked up at the scroll, his eyes sparkling. "Second, third, fourth, and fifth place!"

"That means four sets of free materials and artifacts," Xi Yu said happily, her heart nearly bursting with joy at the thought.

……

The Next Day.

The top ten artifact refiners were led into the main hall of the Poyuan Sect.

"Se-ni-or Sis-ter, whi-ch ma-te-ri-als do you wa-nt?" Ming Liu Sha asked slowly the moment they entered, eyes glued to the materials laid out in the center of the hall.

"They’re all good stuff. Pick the expensive ones," Ye Su said casually. Then she suddenly remembered something. "Oh, right—we’ve got a new junior brother."

The three others froze in surprise. Xi Yu lowered her voice, asking, "Junior brother?"

"Master recently took in a new disciple," Ye Su explained. "He showed up with a token—probably someone from Master’s past."

In the cultivation world, that kind of thing wasn’t uncommon. Sometimes cultivators owed a favor to mortals and left behind a sect token. If the mortal or their descendants ever showed up with it, the sect would accept them in repayment.

"Then we’ve got to prepare a welcome gift for our new junior brother," Xia Er said.

Ming Liu Sha immediately changed course: "Sho-uld w-e te-ll Fifth Bro-ther?"

"Yi Xuan?" Ye Su glanced at her second junior brother. "You go tell him."

If she delivered the news herself, given their junior brother’s personality, he might overthink things—assuming she was in a hurry to get rid of him.

Meanwhile, Quan Jiaying, who had placed first, was already picking his materials. He wasn’t all that interested and casually selected one type. As he turned around, he saw Ye Su still chatting with her juniors and frowned slightly. Why was she so calm? Didn’t second place mean anything to her?

"Ye Su, you can come up now," Elder Rong Chuqiu called from the center.

Xi Yu quickly shouted, "Senior Sister, it’s your turn!"

Only then did Ye Su walk forward. The remaining nine materials were displayed on the table. She gave them a quick glance—they were of even higher quality than the ones used during the refining—and chose the most valuable one without hesitation. Then she stepped up beside Quan Jiaying.

"Your Mistflower Fang was impressive," Quan Jiaying commented, eyes resting on the polished floor rather than her.

Ye Su nodded nonchalantly. "I know."

Quan Jiaying turned his head to look at her, finally voicing what he’d left unsaid earlier. "Compared to that, your monk's spade was awful."

"Not that bad," Ye Su raised a brow. "It still got second place. That makes it a passable artifact."

"…" Quan Jiaying looked away, clearly disappointed. He’d thought she might be the proud and fiery type—what kind of temperament did someone like her have to create the Mistflower Fang?

After the rest had finished selecting their materials, Elder Rong Chuqiu announced, "The top five may choose a master among the elders present. The remaining five will be assigned by the elders."

Among the top ten, five were already Poyuan Sect disciples, so naturally all the attention shifted to the remaining five outsiders. Four of them were in the top five, and the elders sat up straight, putting on their best faces, waiting to be picked.

Elder Zhang, in particular, had his eyes fixed on Ye Su like a tiger on the hunt. He even scooted forward in his seat to make himself more noticeable.

Just then, Sect Leader Quan Shen unexpectedly stood up and walked directly to Ye Su. "This time, I will also be taking a disciple."

Quan Jiaying's head snapped up. His father wanted to take Ye Su as a disciple?

Elder Zhang, who’d been brimming with anticipation, was struck dumb. This was blatant disciple-snatching—and by the sect leader, no less! He couldn’t even complain.

But Ye Su suddenly turned to Elder Rong and asked, "Elder Rong, is it possible… not to join the sect at all?"

Everyone: "???"

Elder Rong was caught off guard. "Not join… what?"

"I already have a master," Ye Su replied calmly.

Elder Zhang could no longer sit still. He marched down from the platform. "What do you mean you have a master? From which small sect? You have the chance to join Poyuan Sect now—just switch masters!"

It wasn’t unheard of for disciples from lesser sects to enter such competitions in hopes of switching allegiances.

But Ye Su refused. "Our sect is pretty decent, too."

Sect Leader Quan Shen’s face remained unreadable. "Then why did you come to participate in our competition?"

"I’ve long heard of Poyuan Sect’s reputation," Ye Su said sincerely. "I came here for some friendly sparring."

Quan Shen stared at her, releasing an overwhelming pressure that bore down like a tidal wave.

Ye Su lowered her head slightly, expression calm and unshaken.

After a long pause, Quan Shen finally withdrew his aura and turned back to his seat with a swish of his robe.

"You want to be my disciple?" Elder Rong Chuqiu, seizing the opportunity and her proximity, turned to Ming Liu Sha. "I specialize in small artifacts."

Ming Liu Sha blinked slowly. "I’m… just… here… for spa-rring."

Rong Chuqiu: "…"

Before she could react, Xi Yu and Xia Er chimed in unison, "We’re also here for sparring."

The hall fell silent. What… was going on? Four of them didn’t want to join Poyuan Sect?

"I’m not just here for the exchange!" The ninth-place rogue cultivator quickly raised his hand. "Elders, pick me!"

At that moment, none of the elders paid him any attention. All they cared about was trying to persuade Ye Su’s group to become their disciples. Elder Zhang looked ready to talk until he was blue in the face if it meant convincing them.

Quan Jiaying opened his eyes, then calmly said, "Elders, they’re disciples of the Qianji Sect."

All four wore the same dark robes, but the fabric was too plain, without any emblem or marking. Not a single person in Poyuan Sect had realized they were from Qianji Sect.

The sect leader, the elders, everyone who had just sat down: "…"

Elder Zhang’s face cycled through a range of expressions—shock, realization, understanding—before he finally muttered, "No wonder. Of course it’s you."

Elder Rong looked at the four with a complicated expression. "So Qianji Sect hasn’t collapsed yet?"

Ye Su answered modestly, "We’re still hanging on."

Standing nearby, Fang Xiu twitched his lips. "…Is that something to be proud of?"

For some reason, all the elders who had been reluctant to give up suddenly went quiet upon hearing their sect name.

"You." Elder Zhang pointed at the last remaining person. "What’s your name? You’re my disciple now."

"Master, I’m Liu Min!" The ninth-place rogue cultivator immediately replied with enthusiasm.

Elder Zhang gave the Qianji group one last glare before pulling out a Golden Sun Bone from his storage pouch and handing it to Liu Min. "Your gift from your master."

"Thank you, Master!" Liu Min beamed.

……

The crowd had dispersed, but Quan Jiaying was still standing in the hall, eyes lowered in thought.

The Sect Master never took disciples lightly. Was it because of the Mistflower Fang that he wanted to take Ye Su as a disciple?

Quan Jiaying instinctively felt that couldn't be the only reason—there had to be something more.

"Jiaying?" Elder Rong Chuqiu, having finished handling everything, passed by and noticed him still standing there. "You're not leaving yet?"

"Elder Rong," Quan Jiaying looked up, "why did Master decide to take a disciple today?"

"Oh, that..." Rong Chuqiu let out a sigh and pulled out a Tracing Jade Disc. "This contains the refining process of Ye Su’s Monk's Spade. Take it and see for yourself."

Quan Jiaying returned to his residence with the jade disc. He studied it for a long time, and only then did he finally understand the reason.

After the shock passed, he couldn’t help but let out a laugh—part disbelief, part amusement.

She really was from the legendary Qianji Sect.