Ling Bi'er had made tremendous progress in martial cultivation over the years in the Blue Smoke Island Domain, and had indeed received a great deal of resources from the Domain's royal family.
Although she felt somewhat uneasy in her heart, she had always been filled with gratitude toward His Majesty, the Emperor of the Blue Smoke Island Domain.
Even now, knowing that His Majesty had ulterior motives, she still could not summon much hatred toward him.
After all, she had truly been saved by the royal family, and had truly received a great deal of kindness from them.
Ling Bi'er was not an ungrateful person. Turning against those who had helped her — she was simply incapable of it.
And so, even though she was intensely resistant to this martial arts matchmaking, she did not hate the royal family of the Blue Smoke Island Domain over it.
Ling Bi'er was, after all, a clever woman. Once she had calmed down, she began to think of a plan.
Eunuch Jia's words actually made quite a bit of sense.
If she chose to clash head-on with the royal family now, leaving them no room to maneuver, it would bring her absolutely no benefit.
No matter what, she still needed to cooperate with the royal family to some degree regarding the matchmaking.
As for whatever the final result might be — as long as she refused to submit even at the cost of her life, and maneuvered quietly behind the scenes, if a cultivator from one of the Ten Great Divine Kingdoms emerged victorious, surely with their dignity and bearing, they would not truly force themselves upon her?
If it truly came to that point, Ling Bi'er would sooner die than yield.
After thinking it through, Ling Bi'er settled on a course of action.
She decided to take things one step at a time and act according to the situation. She was already trapped in a cage — what she needed to do was wait for an opportunity, not lose her reason.
After all, having endured the destruction of her sect, being hunted down, and wandering the world as a fugitive, Ling Bi'er had matured greatly in her mindset.
Most importantly, she still held a conviction in her heart.
This conviction sustained her, preventing her from making the reckless choice of going down in a blaze of mutual destruction.
This conviction, naturally, came from the distant Human Domain — from the Myriad Phenomena Domain, from Danqian Palace, from her father, from her younger sister, and of course from that junior martial brother whose voice and smile still remained vivid in her mind even after ten years.
That junior brother who had once fought alongside her through life and death in the Myriad Phenomena Extremity Realm, the one who had once saved her father.
So many years had passed. Had Danqian Palace's catastrophe ended? Were the people she cared about still alive?
Ling Bi'er could not find the answer, but she was determined to go back and find it.
Over the years, she had obtained countless resources in the Blue Smoke Island Domain, her martial cultivation had advanced by leaps and bounds, and her cultivation had reached the early stage of the Emperor Realm.
This level of cultivation might still be unremarkable among the younger generation of Myriad Abyss Island. However, she had started later than the island's prodigies.
In just these few short years, breaking through from the Saint Realm to the Emperor Realm — for Ling Bi'er, this was absolutely a miraculous journey.
Although her current cultivation was still insufficient to sweep through the Human Domain, deep in her heart, Ling Bi'er was eagerly anticipating the day she would reach the peak of the Emperor Realm — or even enter the quasi-Heavenly Position stage.
When that time came, no matter what, she would return to the Human Domain.
Revenge was certainly something Ling Bi'er looked forward to. But what she anticipated even more was finding the people she cared about.
…
"Brother, you can't become a big guy by eating in one gulp. Skip your cultivation today and come watch me fight in the arena." On this day, Yan Qingsang came to find Jiang Chen in high spirits.
"You're finally planning to make your move?"
"Of course. Twenty days have already passed — if I don't act soon, it'll be too late. I've heard that people who've already achieved ten consecutive victories now number in the hundreds."
"Can I get out of it?" Jiang Chen asked with a bitter smile.
"No way." Yan Qingsang answered without hesitation. "You're coming today, no exceptions."
Jiang Chen relented and agreed to accompany him. He had been cultivating every day recently and was feeling rather cooped up, so this was a good chance to clear his head.
Besides, the princess of the Blue Smoke Island Domain had become something of a mystery lately. He had heard Yan Qingsang grumbling about her every single day — to the point where Jiang Chen felt like his ears were growing calluses.
Now, this mysterious princess was finally going to show her face. Even Jiang Chen was a little curious — just what kind of breathtaking beauty was she, to be so coy, to arrive so迟迟, refusing to appear?
The moment they stepped outside, a clear, pleasant voice came from behind: "Cousin Qingsang, I heard you're going to the arena today. Can Huang'er come along to watch?"
Hearing Huang'er's voice, Jiang Chen was taken aback.
Yan Qingsang chuckled, and the two of them turned around. They both froze.
Huang'er had changed into men's clothing today! She had disguised herself as a young man. With a spirited, heroic look on her face, the disguise was nearly flawless.
It was just that with Huang'er's features, even dressed as a man, she looked far too strikingly handsome.
"What? I'm not allowed to come?" Huang'er said with a grin, looking at Yan Qingsang.
"Uh, Huang'er, are you planning to enter the martial arts tournament too? Dressed like that?"
"If I entered, what chance would you have?" Huang'er replied languidly.
Yan Qingsang was momentarily stunned, then shrugged. "If the clan elders have no objections, I certainly don't. Let's go."
As he spoke, Yan Qingsang shot Jiang Chen a pointed look, clearly signaling him not to flirt with Huang'er.