Don't Cause Trouble 79: Mixed Matches

When Ye Su finished speaking, You Fushi, who was already tired of staying on the arena stage, said bluntly, "I don’t want to go." He sounded exhausted.

"You currently have the highest score. If you stay within the top thousand, you actually don’t need to join the mixed matches," Ye Su had come to inform her junior brother about what might happen over the next month, though she hadn’t expected him to chase rankings seriously.

You Fushi suddenly hesitated and looked toward the distant stone tablet. "Will those people’s names end up above mine?"

Ye Su replied, "If their points surpass yours, naturally their names will be ranked higher."

"I’ll participate," You Fushi immediately changed his mind. He didn’t want anyone’s name to appear above his. That meant he’d have to suffer through staying longer on the arena stage.

Standing silently beside him, the Chongming Sword quietly shed a few drops of blood-tears.

Ye Su wasn’t surprised by her junior brother’s flip-flopping. She chuckled and said, "Do whatever you want—as long as you’re still on the arena when the mixed match ends, it counts."

Just as Ye Su had said, the next day several large arenas appeared in the competition grounds. The mixed matches had officially begun.

"There are way fewer people compared to last month," Xu Chengyu said, turning his head to Yi Xuan while holding his sword.

"Yeah." Yi Xuan still didn’t say much, but the sharpness in his expression had eased slightly.

The two of them stood side by side on a pavilion at the edge of the arena. This was the area reserved for the Sword Sect.

"Based on previous years, cultivators below the Golden Core stage won’t be able to obtain a pass. Even some early-stage Golden Core cultivators are easily eliminated," Xu Chengyu said. "Ye Su’s score isn’t high, barely enough to squeeze into the top thousand."

In fact, last month, her ranking had dropped quite a few times.

"You think she won’t get a pass?" Yi Xuan finally showed some emotion on his face.

"Not really," Xu Chengyu shook his head. "Since Ye Su plans to compete in the Grand Sect Tournament, she’ll definitely get a pass. It’s just... I really want to spar with her."

Hearing that, Yi Xuan frowned. "She’s not a sword cultivator."

"That’s true," Xu Chengyu’s eyes fell to the arena below. "But don’t you think she knows how to wield a sword?"

Long ago, Xu Chengyu had wondered what Ye Su would look like using a sword.

Back when they first met, she had been chasing someone while dragging three people on her sword—and still caught up. He had assumed she was a sword cultivator. But after they became familiar, he realized she had only ever used the sword for flying.

Yet Xu Chengyu clearly noticed how fast she learned. Just by observing the Sword Sect disciples practicing, without needing any instruction, she quickly replicated the same sword flight techniques.

"She’s never learned sword techniques," Yi Xuan said quietly, looking down at the railing.

"Ye Su’s here—" Xu Chengyu tapped his temple, "—has a photographic memory."

During the few months she stayed at Sword Sect, even Xia Er would sometimes swing a sword just to get a feel for the sword’s rhythm and flow. But Ye Su never did anything like that.

Knowing her this long, he was all too aware of how terrifying Ye Su truly was. Everything she saw or heard, she remembered without fail and her ability to apply it in new contexts was astonishing.

She was eager to learn and absorbed everything new around her, using it almost immediately.

Since he could remember, only one other person had given him the same impression:

—Lu Chenhan of Kunlun.

Ye Su deliberately avoided learning swordplay. That mystery had lingered in his mind for a long time.

"Even if she doesn’t use a sword, I still want to spar with her," Xu Chengyu smiled. "She’s great at talismans. I saw it for myself in the secret realm."

The mention of the secret realm reminded Yi Xuan of the one time he and Ye Su were in the same secret realm, though they weren’t on the same team.

After hearing what Xu Chengyu said, Yi Xuan realized he actually did want to explore a secret realm together with Ye Su. He even wanted to spar with her.

For over ten years, he had longed to compare himself with his senior sister but he had no talent in crafting, so he could never compete with her directly.

"There’s a lot of freedom in the preliminaries, and more chances to fight," Xu Chengyu said as he walked down the stairs, then turned back and added, "I’m planning to challenge Ye Su. If you want to, you’d better take the chance."

Yi Xuan froze, surprised that his thoughts had been seen through.

"Come on, time for the match, Junior Brother Yi." Xu Chengyu was already halfway down, leaving just his voice behind.

……

As soon as the mixed match arenas opened, the rankings on the stone tablet changed dramatically. Some people who had been ranked at the top suddenly dropped off the list with a bang.

Every moment, old names were falling off, and new names were replacing them.

You Fushi saw his own rank suddenly drop several places and immediately dragged the Chongming Sword up onto one of the mixed match arenas.

Even though the arena was crowded with participants, people below could spot You Fushi instantly. He stood out too much, whether because of his looks or the way he dragged his sword.

"Fifty participants entered. The mixed match is about to begin," announced the cultivator overseeing the match after recording the entries. With a casual motion, he raised a protective barrier to prevent injuries to spectators nearby.

These supervising cultivators were all elders or senior officials from various sects, and all had reached at least the Nascent Soul stage or higher.

You Fushi stood at the edge of the arena. As he let go of the sword, the Chongming Sword rose into the air and hovered by his side.

"Begin!" the host called out.

The cultivators on the stage immediately launched into action. The chaotic melee officially began.

You Fushi turned his head and glanced at his sword. The Chongming Sword instantly flared with a red glow, as if startled into action, and charged straight into the fray.

One sword fought against fifty cultivators, like it was venting frustration—refusing to spare a single person.

Ye Su stood not far away, frowning as she watched You Fushi remain in the corner of the arena. The Chongming Sword had gone too far from him, if someone turned to attack him, the sword might not make it back in time to protect him.

That thought had barely crossed her mind when five or six cultivators who had been pushed to the edge of the stage turned around and saw You Fushi standing alone. They raised their swords to block off his path and stabbed toward him viciously.

No one saw how You Fushi did it. They only saw him flick his long sleeve and those five or six people were sent flying, crashing into the crowd.

The Chongming Sword, which had just knocked away another cultivator, paused in midair as if guilty. It let out a hum and swept through the crowd with a furious momentum.

Almost no one on the entire stage could resist. It became a one-sword show.

Before time was even up, only one person and one sword remained on the stage.

The host cultivator: "…"

The next moment, You Fushi’s score skyrocketed, shooting him back up to first place.

"He advanced again?" Lian Lian, who had just stepped off her own platform, saw the commotion on You Fushi’s side and looked surprised. "Late-stage Golden Core now."

The cultivators from Qianji Sect really did advance fast. But why was Ye Su still only at the early stage of Golden Core?

"Junior Brother, how about we go challenge Ye Su to a match?" Lian Lian suddenly suggested.

Cheng Huai’an hesitated for a moment. "Our cultivation levels are higher than hers." Especially since Lian Lian was already mid-stage Nascent Soul.

"So what? I’ve wanted to test her for a long time." Lian Lian rubbed her fists together, itching to fight. "She always looks so calm and unbothered, it’s annoying."

To be honest, Cheng Huai’an also wanted to compare talisman skills with Ye Su.

"She’s heading toward the mixed match arena," Lian Lian said, dragging Cheng Huai’an in that direction. "Let’s go up together."

There was still plenty of time. Ye Su’s score had dropped, but a few more rounds of mixed matches would bring it back up. Worst case, they’d help her boost her score later.

……

Ye Su watched as You Fushi came down from the stage. She handed him a few spirit stones before heading up onto another mixed match arena. Several other cultivators were also heading in that direction.

"What’s going on?"

"Why is everyone heading to that arena?"

"The top disciple of the Sword Sect and people from the Wuxing Sect are all here!"

"We’re doomed. If I had known, I wouldn’t have come to this arena."

Ye Su lowered her head and checked the magic tools she had left. When she looked up again, she heard a commotion. Her gaze landed on a few familiar faces, and she raised a hand. "What a coincidence."

Xu Chengyu, Yi Xuan, and the just-arrived Lian Lian and Cheng Huaian all exchanged looks. The four of them had landed on the arena almost simultaneously.

Once you’re on the arena, your participation is recorded in the jade slip. Leaving afterward counts as forfeiting, you keep your base points but lose all additional ones.

Each of the four had already fought in mixed matches before coming and had gained a huge boost in points.

As soon as they stepped onto the arena, the total point value for this round became the highest among all current mixed matches.

"You came here to fight us?" Lian Lian asked Xu Chengyu across from her.

Xu Chengyu shook his head. "I came to find Ye Su."

"And you?" Lian Lian’s gaze turned to Yi Xuan. She remembered he was a joint disciple of the Sword Sect and Qianji Sect.

Yi Xuan glanced at Lian Lian and Cheng Huaian. He couldn’t read their cultivation levels, they were very strong.

"He’s here for Ye Su too," Xu Chengyu answered on Yi Xuan’s behalf.

Cheng Huaian cupped his hands slightly. "We’re here for Ye Su as well. Fellow Daoist Xu, how about we clear the field together first?"

Xu Chengyu nodded. "That was my intention too."

Everyone else on the arena: "???"

"I forfeit."

"I’m out."

Several cultivators jumped off the stage decisively. The sooner they left, the sooner they could go earn more points elsewhere.

Some still refused to back down and insisted on clashing with the four of them.

Among the four, three were in the Nascent Soul stage. According to past tournaments, they were all championship contenders. Anyone who fought them could imagine the outcome.

Ye Su watched as the number of people on the stage shrank one by one until only she and the four others remained.

"You all…" Ye Su looked puzzled. "If you want to fight me, why not choose a solo match?"

"More points. More exciting," Lian Lian replied first.

"Same," added Cheng Huaian.

"You were selling magic tools. We didn’t want to interrupt," Xu Chengyu explained.

Ye Su looked at Yi Xuan, waiting for his reason.

Yi Xuan spoke slowly, "I want to sell knives."

"…" Ye Su couldn’t help but laugh. "Alright, how do you want to do this?"

There was no way she’d keep her points today.

There weren’t many people left on the stage, but the crowd around it was growing rapidly.

Ming Liu Sha, Xiyu, and Xia Er stood at the very front. Today, You Fushi was also there. He even had a chair Ye Su had given him, and he sat right down, earning a sharp glare from the host cultivator.

"Senior Brother Xu, Junior Brother Yi… and even Lian Lian and Cheng Huaian—why are all of them up there?" Hearing the commotion, Ma Congqiu gave up his own match and rushed over, squeezing into the crowd and asking a few disciples from Qianji Sect.

"They all want to fight my senior sister," Xia Er sighed. "Senior Sister is so strong. They must want to learn something from her."

Ma Congqiu was already messaging Zhou Yun, telling her to come join the fun.

"Record everything first," Zhou Yun said excitedly as soon as she arrived, pulling out her Time-Reversal Jade Plate to start recording.

On the stage, Xu Chengyu said, "Ye Su, I want to spar with you using swords."

Ye Su tilted her head slightly and raised a brow. "I’m not a sword cultivator."

"You don’t have to be one, as long as you can use a sword," Xu Chengyu said, drawing his sword and holding it across his chest.

"I’m not used to using swords. Let’s just fight," Ye Su shook her head. "All of you, together."

The four glanced at each other, then all rushed toward Ye Su.

It became a five-person free-for-all, but they didn’t gang up on Ye Su. Instead, Cheng Huaian and Yi Xuan clashed first. Lian Lian, relying on her mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivation, briefly suppressed Xu Chengyu and was the first to attack Ye Su, throwing a talisman at her.

Ye Su squinted slightly and blinked away. In the next instant, Xu Chengyu suddenly appeared in front of her—