CHAPTER 127 – I’M NOT WITHDRAWING

A heavy silence hung over the Daxia Sword Sect’s quarters as the disciples sat quietly in the hall. Finally, Qin Xian sighed.

“There are only seven of you left now. Continuing in the later rounds has... lost its meaning. After discussing it among ourselves, we’ve decided that the sect will withdraw from the competition.”

What?!

Everyone froze, staring at him in disbelief.

Qin Xian looked sad because he genuinely cared for his sect’s disciples. Gao Qiwen sat in the corner without a word.

Ye Feng couldn’t help but blurt out, “Old Qin... are we really giving up?”

Tu Kui shot him a glance. “With three disciples down, our sect doesn’t stand a chance of ranking high. Moving up the board is practically impossible...”

But Li Nanting cut him off. “Even so, we still want to hear your thoughts. The Hundred Sects Tournament is about resources, yes, but what truly matters is your growth.

“The sect is like a greenhouse, but once you reach the Golden Core Realm and leave it, you’ll see that the outside world is far crueler than any tournament. So... whether we withdraw or not, we want to hear your opinions.”

Everyone fell silent.

Yu Ye, Gu Ran, and Li Guanqi were undeniably strong, even compared to the other tournament contenders.

However, on the mid Foundation Building Realm team, only Lin Qingyu and Ye Feng were strong. Zhong Lin and Lin Dong were merely average, making victory far from certain.

There were many variables, and every loss meant points deducted. Even if Li Guanqi’s team won every remaining match, the overall points didn’t look optimistic.

At last, Li Guanqi broke his silence, his voice low. “I want to keep going. We still haven’t uncovered who’s been targeting us. I won’t be able to let this go.”

Ye Feng shrugged. “I am willing to continue too! I can’t swallow this injustice—it’s disgusting!”

Yu Ye said solemnly, “I want to continue.”

Zhong Lin and Lin Dong both spoke up, firm and unflinching. “Same here!”

Lin Dong scratched his head. “The sect has poured so many resources into us. Even if we can’t bring back more, I don’t want us to just give up.”

Gu Ran stepped forward without a word. Lin Qingyu hesitated, then slowly stood up. Though initially reluctant, she found herself moved by their unwavering resolve, her eyes gradually filling with determination.

She had nearly been killed by her opponent from the Six Suns Scholar Academy, so her feelings ran deep. Usually indecisive and comfort-seeking, she now felt a fire blaze up inside her. Why should we let them walk all over us?

As Qin Xian looked at the disciples rising one by one, his eyes grew misty. Raising his hand, he declared, “Then let’s stir things up! Show the Northern Territory the fire in the Daxia Sword Sect’s disciples! Show them what you can do with a sword in hand!”

Gao Qiwen looked up from his corner. As he looked at the four youths, some light returned to his eyes.

With their decision made, the group turned in early to rest.

Zhong Lin and Lin Dong suffered only minor injuries and had mostly recovered.

That night, the four of them gathered on the roof, drinking wine together.

Ye Feng lay down on the roof and said, “Boss.”

“Hm?”

“Do you think... we stand a chance at making the top fifty?”

Li Guanqi shook his head slightly without emotion. “I don’t know. To be honest, it’s going to be very, very difficult.”

Ye Feng pursed his lips. “Then why did you still want to continue?”

Li Guanqi said, “Like I said before, I want to catch the person targeting us. If we give up, we’ll have to swallow this injustice, and I cannot accept that. Besides, aren’t you looking forward to fighting the other sects’ prodigies?”

Zhong Lin huffed, “Do you think we’re all as strong as you are?”

Li Guanqi drained the last of the wine, then turned to them, eyes gleaming. “You all should take a page from Lin Qingyu’s book. If something goes wrong, don’t hesitate to admit defeat! You can only change your fates if you’re alive.”

Everyone nodded in quiet understanding.

Leaping lightly from the roof, Li Guanqi headed to his room, his mind filled with thoughts.

Squatting in a corner of the main hall, Gao Qiwen looked at Li Nanting. “Are you really going to let them do this?”

Li Nanting answered worriedly, “A young eagle will never soar if it hasn’t weathered a storm. If they stay sheltered under the sect’s wing, they’ll never achieve anything. It’s dangerous, but this is the best opportunity to train them.”

Qin Xian gave a slight nod. “We’ll probably only make it through one more round, so it should be fine. The fact they’re fired up is good enough. Besides, it’s unlikely we’ll advance to the third round anyway.”

The others nodded in agreement.

Only twenty-five sects would move on to the third round. The Daxia Sword Sect was almost certainly out of the running, so the outcome of the second round didn’t carry much weight.

Still, no one slept well that night, their hearts simmering with indignation.

The next morning, Heavenly Tiger was as bustling and rowdy as ever. Only seven participants remained from the Daxia Sword Sect, drawing gasps from the crowd.

“Eh? Looks like the Daxia Sword Sect came today just to withdraw.”

“Yeah! One dead, two seriously injured—what can they do if they’re missing three disciples?”

“I thought we’d have a dark horse this year!”

One spectator pursed his lips. “Let’s at least see how their remaining disciples perform.”

Bathed in the morning light, Qin Xian ignored the murmuring crowd and led his team to the side of the stage.

Up in the sky, two of the light screens displayed the Daxia Sword Sect’s movements.

The stunned crowd watched as the disciples walked forward with their heads held high.

“Damn... has the Daxia Sword Sect’s leader lost his mind? He’s still sending them into the fray like this?!”

“Yeah! Isn’t this just sending them to their deaths?!”

Some spectators agreed, while others objected.

Many cultivators, eyes glinting cruelly, began to snicker.