Chapter 1184: Awakening from a Dream

Tomorrow, there will be eight matches in total: four in the second round of the Conferred God Group and four in the third round of the Losers' Group.

Although they were prepared, seeing Huo Poyun's opponent on the match list made everyone from the Blazing Heaven Realm feel a heavy dread.

The Sword Master's disciple, Jun Xilei, one of the Four God Children of the Eastern Region!

Huo Poyun's expression remained unchanged, but his hands slowly clenched.

Yan Juehai and Huo Rulie exchanged a glance. They clearly understood the significance of "Sword Master's disciple" and "Four God Children of the Eastern Region." Before arriving at the Heaven Smiting Divine Realm, they had even interacted closely with the Sword Master and his disciple in the Snow Song Realm. Despite Jun Xilei's young age, the sword aura she exuded secretly alarmed both of these Divine Masters.

Huo Poyun was no match for her.

After a brief moment of solemnity, Huo Rulie's brow relaxed. He patted Huo Poyun's shoulder heavily and said with a smile, "Yun'er, just give it your all in tomorrow's match. Victory or defeat no longer matters. Reaching this stage has already exceeded our expectations a thousandfold and brought unprecedented glory to our Blazing Heaven Realm. Therefore, you don't need to feel any more pressure."

Huo Poyun slowly nodded, remaining silent.

Yun Che cast a sideways glance at Huo Poyun. He knew very well that Huo Poyun's true pressure didn't come from the Blazing Heaven Realm, but from himself.

The second set of matches in the Conferred God Group finally brought the first battle between the Four God Children of the Eastern Region: Luo Changsheng versus Lu Lengchuan.

The battle between the Four God Children of the Eastern Region was undoubtedly the most peak confrontation among the younger generation of the Eastern Divine Region.

However, Yun Che was momentarily stunned when he saw the combatants for the third match in the Conferred God Group.

Shui... Meiyin!?

She... wasn't eliminated, and she's still in the Conferred God Group!?

What's going on?

The strength of the eight individuals still remaining in the Conferred God Group was self-evident. Among them, the "Four God Children"—Luo Changsheng, Jun Xilei, Shui Yingyue, and Lu Lengchuan—accounted for half. Meng Duanxi and Chao Feng were both at Divine Spirit Realm Level Nine, absolute powerhouses who had consistently ranked in the top ten during the preliminaries.

In comparison, Huo Poyun, with his Divine Spirit Realm Level Seven profound energy, was at the absolute bottom among the thirty-two Conferred God disciples, yet he was still in the Conferred God Group, making him an anomaly. Most people attributed this largely to luck; after all, his two previous opponents were Lu Chenyuan, who was defeated unexpectedly due to overconfidence before even displaying his true strength, and Luo Changan, who had the lowest profound energy and only made it into the Conferred God Group by chance, making his defeat hardly remarkable.

But Shui Meiyin... why was she still in the Conferred God Group?

On the first day of the competition, he had left immediately after forfeiting his match. The previous day, he hadn't even attended, so he had no idea about the battles. Today, he hadn't seen Shui Meiyin's name on the Losers' Group match list, naturally assuming she had been eliminated. After all, though she had used a clever trick to enter the thirty-two Conferred God disciples, her profound energy was only Divine Spirit Realm Level One. It would have been perfectly normal for her to be eliminated immediately.

He couldn't fathom why she hadn't been eliminated and was even on tomorrow's Conferred God Group match list.

"Palace Master Bingyun, Shui Meiyin... how did she win her previous matches?" Yun Che asked Mu Bingyun.

Among the eight in the Conferred God Group, four were at Divine Spirit Realm Level Ten, and two were at Divine Spirit Realm Level Nine. Huo Poyun was already an anomaly, but Shui Meiyin, at Divine Spirit Realm Level One...

Could there be some special trick at play?

Mu Bingyun said, "Shui Meiyin truly remained in the Conferred God Group based on her own strength. Although her profound energy is only at the early stage of Divine Spirit Realm, her power cannot be judged by common sense... just like yours."

"..." Yun Che's strength far surpassed his profound energy level, mainly because he possessed the unique inheritance of a Creation God and the heaven-defying Evil God's profound veins. What did Shui Meiyin rely on, then?

"As for how she defeated her opponents... you will see for yourself in tomorrow's match."

Yun Che was stunned again. Mu Bingyun's words clearly implied that she might even win tomorrow's match?

Win against Meng Duanxi, who was at Divine Spirit Realm Level Nine?

"You should pay more attention to your own opponent tomorrow," Mu Bingyun said with a solemn tone.

On the match list for the third round of the Losers' Group, Yun Che spotted his own name at a glance:The first match: Wu Guike of the Divine Martial Realm (Divine Spirit Realm Level Eight) versus Yun Che of the Snow Song Realm (Divine Tribulation Realm Level Eight).

Wu Guike!?

Yun Che looked up, meeting a fierce gaze shot directly at him. Wu Guike was sitting beside the Divine Martial Realm King, Wu Sanzun. His eyes held surprise, but more so, ruthlessness. After all, he had almost lost his reputation due to "cheating" for Yun Che.

Besides the surprise and ruthlessness, there was also a hint of trepidation... Yun Che held two significant pieces of leverage against him!

Yun Che averted his gaze and murmured, "What a coincidence."

Mu Bingyun found no trace of solemnity on Yun Che's face. She whispered, "If your opponent is Wu Guike, how confident are you of winning?"

"Completely," Yun Che replied directly, without a moment's hesitation.

Mu Bingyun's eyes showed a hint of surprise, then she warned, "Never underestimate Wu Guike. The Divine Martial Realm's profound arts are exceptionally fierce and domineering, making them difficult to master. Yet, Wu Guike, despite his young age, has not only mastered them proficiently but also cultivated them to a very high level. His battle strength significantly surpasses others at the same level."

"The reason he's in the Losers' Group is that he was defeated by Luo Changsheng."

With the end of today's Conferred God Battle, sixteen individuals had been eliminated, leaving only sixteen of the thirty-two Conferred God disciples.

No one, however, had expected that the name generating the most sensation and attention after these battles would be Yun Che.

With his Divine Tribulation Realm Level Eight profound energy, he completely defeated Luo Changan, who was at Divine Spirit Realm Level Six. Moreover, he disregarded the immense divine might of the Sacred Universe Realm, returning Luo Changan's humiliation a hundredfold on the Conferred God Stage. Both of these feats moved and even astonished everyone.

Even the powerhouses from the various star realms in the spectator stands, including those from the major King Realms, couldn't believe their eyes.

Yun Che naturally anticipated this outcome, but he paid it no mind. He allowed the Eastern Divine Region's profound practitioners to stir up immense waves of speculation because of him. He returned to his residence and sat by the pool where he had spent a quiet night, cultivating in silence.

Due to the rule that Conferred God disciples were not to be disturbed without permission during the Conferred God Battle, the residences of the Snow Song Realm and Blazing Heaven Realm were exceptionally quiet. Otherwise, given Yun Che's performance today, there would undoubtedly have been a large number of visitors.

"Yun Che." Mu Bingyun approached with silent, snow-like steps. She extended her palm in front of Yun Che, saying, "This is the Heaven Reversal Pearl given to you after yesterday's matches."

After every two rounds of matches, if one was not eliminated, they would receive a Heaven Reversal Pearl to restore their condition. Although Yun Che had a bye yesterday, it counted as having gone through two matches without being eliminated.

Yun Che took it. "Thank you, Palace Master Bingyun."

Mu Bingyun withdrew her snowy hand. "Aren't you going to use this Heaven Reversal Pearl to adjust your condition? Tomorrow's opponent is absolutely incomparable to Luo Changan."

"No need," Yun Che smiled. "I barely expended any energy fighting Luo Changan."

Moreover, with his recovery abilities far beyond those of ordinary people, even if he had expended most of his energy, a single night would be enough for a complete recovery.

Mu Bingyun's gaze showed slight surprise. After a brief hesitation, she still asked, "What is your current strength level, approximately?"

Yun Che shook his head slightly. "I don't know. After witnessing the four matches in the Conferred God Group tomorrow, I'll probably have a better idea. However, defeating Wu Guike shouldn't be a major problem."

From Yun Che, Mu Bingyun sensed not arrogance from his sudden surge in strength and complete victory over Luo Changan, but a calm certainty devoid of inner turmoil. This composure and confidence, however, made Mu Bingyun's eyes grow exceptionally complex. She averted her gaze and suddenly asked softly, "Yun Che, it seems you don't realize who gave you your current power."

Yun Che was startled. Puzzled, he said, "This... I refined the medicinal power of the Five Revolving Divine Pearl in the Heaven Reversal Realm, which greatly increased my profound energy. What does Palace Master Bingyun mean by that?"

"...Then why do you carry your Master's aura?" Mu Bingyun slowly closed her beautiful eyes, her heart turbulent.

"The medicinal power of the Five Revolving Divine Pearl was too potent; my own strength couldn't refine it at all, so Master was always there to assist me," Yun Che replied, growing even more confused in his heart... Mu Bingyun had no reason not to know this.

"...So, during the process of refining the Five Revolving Divine Pearl, were you always cut off from external perception?"

Yun Che nodded. "The medicinal power of that Five Revolving Divine Pearl was several times more potent than I anticipated; I dared not allow even the slightest distraction. Even so, it was still fraught with peril. If Master hadn't later channeled her power into my body to help me refine it, I very likely would have been in mortal danger."

"Channeled her power... into your body?"

Mu Bingyun's chest rose and fell heavily. She sighed very softly and turned around. "The Five Revolving Divine Pearl does indeed provide a significant boost before the Divine Tribulation Realm, but you are already in the Divine Tribulation Realm. Do you truly believe that a single Five Revolving Divine Pearl could elevate your cultivation from the early to the late stage of the Divine Tribulation Realm? Furthermore... your profound veins are far from ordinary."

"..." Yun Che slowly stood up, only to see Mu Bingyun's back. "Although there's another reason, the medicinal power of the Five Revolving Divine Pearl was indeed somewhat unusual. Palace Master Bingyun, are you implying... that Master also used some other secret art on me while helping me refine the medicinal power?"

Mu Bingyun didn't answer, but instead said softly, "The fact that she didn't tell you means she doesn't want you to know... nor does she want anyone else to know. So, you don't need to ask any further, and don't ask your Master either."

Yun Che: "...??"

"You only need to remember one thing." Mu Bingyun's voice suddenly turned chilling. "You saved my life, and any repayment I give you is only proper. But... your Master, she never owed you anything. All her kindness towards you is simply because she wanted to be kind to you. You... must never... do anything to betray her."

Mu Bingyun had always been as tranquil as still water, her voice always as calm as clouds and gentle as mist. Yet, from the words she spoke at that moment, Yun Che discerned a profound coldness.

"..." Yun Che stood there, his face full of bewilderment, as Mu Bingyun's back slowly receded and then vanished from his sight.

In the silence, Yun Che remained dazed for a long time. Mu Bingyun's words definitely held some profound meaning... He vaguely recalled that two years ago, when Mu Xuanyin brought him back to the Snow Song Realm from Illusionary Sea Island and he woke up to see Mu Bingyun, she had seemingly... used a similar tone.

What exactly did her words mean?

Yun Che sat back down by the pool, his brows furrowed. Soon, he closed his eyes and began to meticulously recall the process of refining the Five Revolving Divine Pearl within the Heaven Reversal Realm.

The process of refining the Five Revolving Divine Pearl was quite lengthy. When the refinement was complete and he finally opened his eyes, the Heaven Reversal Realm still existed, but only as a thin layer, clearly on the verge of dissipation. He dared not delay and immediately focused his mind to merge with the Ice Phoenix Goddess's Divine Soul.

With his unique profound veins and soul, the integration of the Ice Phoenix Divine Soul was naturally extremely fast, completing in less than three days. However, he didn't awaken naturally; instead, he was roused by Mu Xuanyin... By the time he woke, the Heaven Reversal Realm had already vanished, and the time was nearing for today's Conferred God Battle to begin.

Mu Xuanyin took him to the teleportation profound array, and he rushed to the Conferred God Stage, barely making it on time.

Throughout the entire process, he was either cut off from his senses, focusing intently, or in a frantic rush, so how could he have had time to think things through?

Now, as he recalled the process of refining the Five Revolving Divine Pearl under this new doubt, it only took a moment's thought for him to notice something unusual.

The aura that emerged whenever the medicinal power went out of control...

Although it was an external aura, it could perfectly merge with his own... Each subsequent appearance was slightly weaker than the last... Most importantly, there was that immediate sense of familiarity...

Familiarity...

Yun Che's memory suddenly flashed back to the time in the God Burying Inferno, within the Primordial Profound Ark. To prevent Mu Xuanyin, who was severely injured, from being harmed by the Flood Dragon's blood, he had no choice but to go against common practice and violated her more than ten times... And each time, an aura would spontaneously flow back into his body, allowing his profound energy to break through from the Divine Origin Realm to the Divine Soul Realm overnight...

Yun Che suddenly felt like he had been struck by lightning and sprang to his feet. His eyes were wide and unfocused for a long time, his mind in complete disarray.

Impossible...

How could... Master, how could she...?