Chapter 11

A wave of murmurs rippled through the crowd. Even Luo Binghe, standing among the disciples, was stunned.

Not even a single hand?

Sha Hualing let out a disdainful snort, convinced Shen Qingqiu was just putting on airs, yet a thrill of delight shot through her. What could be better than winning a match with such ease? She hurriedly said, "Since Master Shen has spoken, let the match begin!"

Many onlookers felt the young demoness was shameless. Though her demeanor was all naive charm, her words were venomous and cunning, eagerly seizing any advantage. Reading about her antics in the book had been one thing, but experiencing them firsthand was quite another. Fortunately, Shen Qingqiu had never been able to stomach her style to begin with. Still, given her youth and striking beauty, he could just barely chalk it up to a spoiled young lady's willful charm.

Under the weight of countless stares, Shen Qingqiu indeed kept his promise and did not draw his sword. Instead, he toyed with his folding fan and offered the One-Armed Elder a slight smile.

The Elder had only one arm, but it didn't hinder the ferocious sweep of his ghost-head blade in the slightest. Yet that mighty, wind-splitting strike found only empty air. By the time he whirled around, Shen Qingqiu had already shifted to another position, still smiling—a smile that was starting to feel stiff on his own face.

However, Xiu Ya Sword was now out of its sheath. Shen Qingqiu never laid a hand on the blade itself. With his left hand subtly forming a sword seal, he guided the sword through the air in a dazzling dance of slashes and parries. The One-Armed Elder, nearly blinded by the flashing silver light, hastily raised his blade to meet it!

The clash of steel rang out, a continuous symphony of metallic clangs as sparks erupted and danced in the air.

The spectators watched, utterly captivated. This duel was truly a spectacle in every sense of the word. "Spectacle" first in the raw, visceral force of the exchange—a genuine life-and-death struggle of steel against steel. And "spectacle" again in its sheer visual brilliance. Shen Qingqiu, in particular, moved with effortless grace. Amidst the whirlwind of blades, an aura of scholarly refinement clung to him. He even had the poise to gently wave his paper fan, looking as though he could compose a poem in seven paces at any moment. His style was nothing short of breathtaking!

—No, scratch that. The sheer audacity of his performance was masterful.

Luo Binghe watched, his heart soaring almost out of his chest. He knew Shen Qingqiu was powerful, but he'd never imagined this level of power.

Incredible!

Amidst the cheers of his fellow disciples, Shen Qingqiu secured a flawless victory in the first match.

In that moment, Shen Qingqiu felt he could finally understand the original goods' obsession with flaunting his prowess.

Because it really did feel amazing!

The sea of reverent, starry-eyed gazes from the disciples made Shen Qingqiu feel his journey was truly inspirational!

Even a scum villain could farm prestige points!

Simultaneously, the system delivered good news:

[Demonic Assault on Immortal Peak, First Duel: Shen Qingqiu Victorious. Combat Prowess +50. Style Points +50.]

Shen Qingqiu's gratified smile didn't last long. The system's next message slapped him right across the face.

[Warning: If Luo Binghe does not participate in the duels, Protagonist Satisfaction Points will be deducted by 1000.]

"What?!" Shen Qingqiu paled, completely unprepared.

He'd been grinding away like an old ox pulling a broken cart, and after all that time, he'd only scraped together a little over 300 Satisfaction Points! And now they wanted to deduct over a thousand?!

System, are you trying to kill me?!

This competition was a crucial plot point. It served as an early minor climax, the stage for the two female leads to debut and compete for attention, a chance to recruit followers, and an opportunity to obtain secret manuals. If Luo Binghe didn't make an appearance here, he couldn't steal the spotlight and draw everyone's attention. His Satisfaction Points would—

But if he were to field Luo Binghe as one of the sect's representatives… what kind of master would that make Shen Qingqiu?

The original Shen Qingqiu could push Luo Binghe onto the stage because he had no shame! He cared nothing for the sect's honor! He hated Luo Binghe to the bone and wanted to use the demons' hands to torment him!

But the current Shen Qingqiu didn't fit any of those three points!

Why, in the end, did the mighty protagonist's satisfaction have to depend on someone else?! While Shen Qingqiu was still inwardly raging at the system's illogic, the second duel was about to begin.

Afraid Shen Qingqiu might take on all three matches himself, Sha Hualing quickly said, "If one person fights all three rounds, there's little point to a friendly exchange. The second combatant from my clan will be me."

Her decision to step up was partly due to confidence in her own strength, and partly because she believed Shen Qingqiu, as a senior, wouldn't bully a junior. Shen Qingqiu couldn't be bothered with her petty calculations. Even if he'd originally harbored the ambitious goal of soloing all three matches to farm Combat Prowess and prestige, that system notification had utterly deflated him.

However, the second duel also promised a highly tantalizing spectacle.

Shen Qingqiu said, "You all heard her. Who is willing to take on this responsibility?"

Though his question was addressed to all the disciples, his gaze settled on a specific area.

That area was filled entirely with graceful female disciples—undoubtedly from Xian Shu Peak. Among this crowd of fair-skinned, beautiful, and elegant young ladies, one figure stood out incongruously, her face veiled.

After Shen Qingqiu posed his question, this person slowly stepped forward.

Shen Qingqiu felt a thrill of excitement that was hard to contain.

It's happening! It's coming! The first showdown between the novel's two leading ladies!

Liu Mingyan was a great beauty. A heaven-shaking, earth-shattering, weep-worthy great beauty. Even within Xian Shu Peak, a place historically teeming with beauties, she stood out like a crane among chickens.

Her elder brother was the master of Bai Zhan Peak, but due to her younger age and later entry into the sect, she became a junior disciple of Xian Shu Peak.

Her features were so devastatingly beautiful, so soul-stealing, that she had to perpetually conceal her face behind a veil. She was like a flower on a high peak, distant and untouchable.

In summary, to describe this character's appearance, Airplane Shooting Towards the Sky probably exhausted every complimentary idiom he'd learned from elementary to high school. The poor guy really went all out.

Shen Qingqiu was quite fond of this female lead, and not just because Liu Mingyan had the highest beauty stats. This woman possessed considerable magnanimity, understood the greater picture, and acted with fairness and integrity. Within Luo Binghe's vast harem, she was a rare wife who combined both intelligence and character.

There was one more point. Liu Mingyan was the only female character in Airplane's writing whose… conquest… was not described in detail. While this arrangement left many readers dissatisfied, even sparking long rants, it also bestowed upon Liu Mingyan something the other heroines lacked: an aura of pristine, icy purity!

Well, what can you do? The unattainable is always the most desirable. ╮(¯▽¯")╭

And that was the spectacle of this fight. Where there was a demonic enchantress, there naturally had to be a righteous saintess. Every man harbored the fantasy of being torn between an angel and a devil. Watching them first vie for his affection, then risk life and limb for him—this was the supreme wish-fulfillment fantasy for the male psyche. The wild, untamed allure of the evil seductress could intoxicate them, while the chaste saintess's feigned resistance and forbidden air could itch at their hearts just as fiercely!

One had to admit, Airplane Bro really knew how to hit those reader pleasure points! Shen Qingqiu couldn't help but glance at Luo Binghe again.

Luo Binghe found it impossible to ignore his gaze.

Why does Shizun keep paying such close attention to me? Could it be that he truly… cares?

Unfortunately, in Airplane Shooting Towards the Sky's writing, fights between female characters were rarely thrilling unless they involved tearing each other apart over a man—actually, come to think of it, any fight in his writing lacked thrill. He just recycled the same few phrases: "a flash of white light," "a seven-colored rainbow," "five-colored sword energy," "so terrifying!"

After the time it takes a few incense sticks to burn, Liu Mingyan was defeated. After all, she hadn't yet journeyed to Ten Thousand Swords Peak to find her destined sword. Though she fought valiantly, her weapon was merely an ordinary slender sword, while Sha Hualing was already the Demon Saintess, bedecked from head to toe in sacred artifacts. A gap in their strength was only natural.

Liu Mingyan approached Shen Qingqiu. "This disciple has been defeated. I have disgraced my mission. I await Master Shen's punishment."

Shen Qingqiu said, "You stepped forward when others did not. That sense of responsibility alone is commendable. Victory and defeat are like gain and loss—common occurrences. Do not dwell on it. Win it back in the future."

Having evened the score, Sha Hualing was radiant. She giggled sweetly. "This third round will decide the final outcome! I wonder which representative Master Shen will send this time? You must choose carefully."

Shen Qingqiu stood with his hands clasped behind his back, his tone meaningful. "There is no need for the Young Lady to trouble herself. I have long had a candidate in mind. And I can guarantee that, whether he wins or loses, this person will be the bane of your existence."

Sha Hualing took it as mere intimidation. She clapped her hands together. "Which warrior will step forward for the third match?"

From among the demon ranks, a giant of an Elder slowly emerged.

He was called a giant for a very good reason.

He was tall.

Had to be over ten feet, for crying out loud!

Broad-shouldered and thick-waisted like a bear, with wild, unkempt hair, his body was encased in spiked armor as he dragged a massive hammer of refined steel behind him. With every step he took, Shen Qingqiu felt a faint tremor through the ground.

Sha Hualing said triumphantly, "A warning for our friends from the Immortal Mountain: the spikes on the Sky Hammer Elder's armor are coated with a deadly poison. It has no effect on demons, but for a human, a single scratch is incurable."

Shen Qingqiu's first thought upon hearing this was: Dammit, Airplane Bro, could you be any lazier with the names?!

The one-armed guy is the One-Armed Elder. The guy with the big hammer is the Sky Hammer Elder. Could you at least try to come up with a proper name?!

Among the onlookers, however, the announcement stirred up a wave of outrage.

"Vile demoness! If you use poison, what fairness is left in this duel?!"

Sha Hualing retorted, "I never hid that fact. If you think it unfair, or fear a poisoned death, you may simply forfeit and concede. We demons won't mock you for it. Cherishing one's life is only human nature, after all. My people, however, hold honor above all else!"

Amidst the jeers of the demons and the angry protests of the disciples, Shen Qingqiu rubbed his temples, letting out a silent sigh.

From a reader's perspective, a woman like Sha Hualing was a fantasy—ten thousand times desirable, ten thousand times thrilling when you could project yourself as the protagonist. But if you ever actually found yourself beside her in the flesh? He doubted anyone would truly enjoy it.

It wasn't that she differed from the book's description. The problem was, in fact, the opposite: she was a perfect, terrifying replica.

A vicious, ruthless nature, coupled with a mindless, obsessive devotion. Anyone who wasn't the protagonist should steer clear. Threaten her own interests or Luo Binghe's by even a hair, and she'd be the first to claim your life—no chance for dismemberment, no drawn-out torture. Even her own father had to tread carefully. Hadn't she schemed against her own sire in the original work to secure Luo Binghe's rise in the demon realm?

Shen Qingqiu remained unmoved by Sha Hualing's provocation. He let the silence stretch, a deliberate pressure building over the demon ranks, before finally turning. His gaze settled, unwavering, on a specific spot in the crowd.

"Luo Binghe. You. Step forward."