Chapter 54: Other Than Beauty, I Have Nothing

Four hundred thousand merit points were achieved even sooner than Qu Yiqiu had anticipated.

In merely three days, Yuan Zhengqing distributed all the jade slips—perhaps more accurately, they were forcibly taken by everyone. He endured three sleepless nights, listening to the constant stream of triumphant reports that left him so exhilarated and astonished he could not focus on cultivation. On the final night, he tallied the number of demonic cultivators eradicated through the jade slips, and with trembling hands, wrote sixty-seven hundred thousand merit points beside Qu Yiqiu’s name.

Staring at the number he had just recorded, Yuan Zhengqing drew in a sharp breath. In his thirty-eight years of life, he had never witnessed merit points escalate so swiftly. And this person was a female cultivator of celestial beauty.

Knowing he could no longer protect her identity, Yuan Zhengqing took out a communication talisman from his robe and contacted Sect Master Luo of the Celestial Derivation Sect.

The moment Yuan Zhengqing marked the merit points, disciples of the Celestial Derivation Sect hunting demonic cultivators across the land all saw Qu Yiqiu’s name leap to the top of the list, accompanied by her astonishing sixty-seven hundred thousand merit points.

Jiang Shuangyan stared fixedly at the water mirror where Qu Yiqiu’s name suddenly flashed. Her nails pressed so fiercely against the mirror that traces of blood appeared. “Qu Yiqiu? How did she seize first place? Why does this woman always stand in my way?”

Yu Mingyuan and Fei Zhongda stood to her left and right, faintly guessing that Qu Yiqiu was the owner of the jade slips, but dared not speak. Furious, Jiang Shuangyan smashed the water mirror onto the ground, shattering it into crystalline fragments that reflected her sullen, stormy face.

“So, Qu Yiqiu? I hear your name will be on the roster for next year's Five Sects Grand Competition. We’ll see if your luck holds when you face me then!”

Donning a cold expression, Jiang Shuangyan sent a communication talisman and took Yu Mingyuan and the others with her.

…

“Sister Luo, Sister Luo, come here quickly. Am I seeing things?” Wu Qiu rubbed his eyes hard, calling urgently for Luo Yingying.

Luo Yingying put away her magical artifact and walked over in confusion. “Brother Wu, what’s wrong? We’re cultivators—how could we be hallucinating? Are you poisoned?”

Wu Qiu, utterly bewildered, scratched his head and turned to Chi Yushu, “Brother, do you think I’m poisoned?”

Chi Yushu remained calm, “Let Sister Luo have a look and we’ll know.”

Luo Yingying looked at the two with curiosity, then slowly turned her gaze to the water mirror they mentioned.

“Is—Is the top-ranked one really Sister Qu from our team?” Luo Yingying’s eyes widened the instant she saw the mirror.

Wu Qiu was stunned. “So it seems I’m not hallucinating.”

Luo Yingying gazed up at Chi Yushu, her eyes filled with astonishment.

Chi Yushu understood and nodded, “Yes, it’s Sister Qu Yiqiu.”

Receiving confirmation, Luo Yingying’s little cherry mouth turned into a round ‘o’, her face full of disbelief.

Wu Qiu regained a bit of composure and muttered, “No wonder no one saw Sister Qu since we entered Qunan City—she must have been investigating the demonic cultivators’ lair all along!”

“How did Sister Qu accomplish this?” Luo Yingying’s voice rose, sharp and shrill.

Wu Qiu frowned, a strange look passing through his eyes as he shook his head. “I’m not sure, maybe… Sister Qu used her strengths?”

“Strengths? Do you know what Sister Qu is best at?” Luo Yingying pressed.

Wu Qiu scratched the back of his head awkwardly, “Hard to say, hard to say—it’s just my guess!”

Chi Yushu glanced at them, cutting off the conversation. “Enough, time is short. The remaining demonic cultivators are still hiding in Qunan City. We must eliminate them before the grand formation is activated.”

Wu Qiu and Luo Yingying instantly became serious. “Yes!”

With Yuan Zhengqing’s marking of the merit points, Qu Yiqiu’s name resounded throughout Qunan City.

Having parted from her team, she continued her cultivation, oblivious to the changes outside until several communication talismans flew before her.

“Qu Yiqiu, first disciple of the Little Flat Peak, you have surpassed all others with sixty-seven hundred thousand merit points, winning first place. The sect’s formation elders have mastered the city’s protective array, and the demonic cultivators—exposed by your jade slip—have had their identities revealed. Your situation is now dangerous; wherever you hide, do not reveal your real name.”

The message paused; Qu Yiqiu thought it was finished, but the talisman spoke again: “One more thing—the sect has yet to learn how you discovered the true location of the demonic lair.”

Qu Yiqiu was momentarily taken aback. She had not expected the merit points from the jade slip to exceed her calculations so much. She had originally planned to aim for four hundred and twenty thousand.

Well, never mind. Answering the sect’s question was now most important.

She had already drafted her answer in her mind. Her own talents were ordinary and unremarkable; if she claimed to have found the lair by sheer skill, no one would believe it. But she needed a credible explanation.

While Xiao Yan and Yao Zhimei were busy, Qu Yiqiu thought carefully, considering all her strengths, and finally came up with a reason that would convince anyone at first hearing.

It just required a bit of shamelessness to say.

She took out a blank communication talisman, infused it with spiritual power, and deliberately replied in a gentle, alluring voice:

“Sect Master, your disciple possesses nothing but beauty to speak of… In a haze, I blundered into the demonic lair, and thus began my investigation.”

The talisman was released and sped away.

Qu Yiqiu rubbed her hands together with a sly smile. “Demonic cultivators are mostly lustful, and those who aren’t like refining corpses. In any case, most have already been vanquished—who could possibly expose my weakness?”

“Would anyone truly believe I infiltrated the demonic ranks through sheer skill?”

Qu Yiqiu laughed. With her so-called ‘waste’ aptitude, even she did not believe it.

The talisman soon reached Luo Tangyu, who relayed the message to the peak masters and elders in a single breath.

Within half a day, news of Qu Yiqiu’s use of beauty to breach the demonic lair spread throughout the nearby cities. Her beauty and charm were praised as legendary, and nearly everyone fantasized about meeting her, to see for themselves the woman who had bewitched thousands of demonic cultivators.

That night,

Moonlight was hazy, starlight shifting.

Qu Yiqiu bathed in lunar radiance, absorbing gentle spiritual energy, cycling it through her body again and again.

Her night passed peacefully.

Elsewhere in Qunan City, the righteous and demonic sides battled fiercely. The disciples of the Celestial Derivation Sect, together with independent cultivators and others stranded in Qunan City, hunted down the remnants of the demonic factions.

After a night of pursuit, dawn slowly broke, bringing dazzling light.

Qu Yiqiu opened her eyes; Xiao Yan returned to her consciousness, Yao Zhimei hid in her sleeve. She packed everything and left.

She was going to use her sixty-seven hundred thousand merit points to exchange for the teleportation array to leave!

Thank you all for your support~ hehe

(End of chapter)