Chapter 1330: Su Yuqing Is Working Too Hard

Changing the topic, Su Yuqing said, "If you can secure first place, then all the promises I made to you earlier will be fulfilled."

Lu Ye frowned, sensing the hidden meaning: "What if I can't even achieve second place?"

Su Yuqing replied leisurely, "Then you and your senior sister will remain stranded here for a hundred years!"

This was different from what had been agreed. Originally, Lu Ye only needed to participate in the Black Abyss Martial Arts Competition, with no other additional conditions. Now, Su Yuqing's words clearly stemmed from her resentment.

It felt somewhat like she was using her position for personal revenge.

Haitang vaguely sensed something was amiss and was about to intercede for Lu Ye, but just as she opened her mouth, Su Yuqing sharply told her, "Shut up!"

Haitang immediately fell silent, feeling a strange sense of unease. She wondered if it was her imagination, but her master seemed peculiar today, especially her attitude toward Junior Brother Lu. It felt different from before, even the way she addressed him…

The rest of the journey passed in silence. About fifteen minutes later, the Black Abyss came into view.

From high above, the Black Abyss appeared as an unfathomably deep chasm, not particularly long—perhaps only a thousand *li* in length. Yet, within its depths, eerie mists swirled, invisible to the naked eye. Even probing with divine sense met with significant obstruction, making it impossible to discern any details of its interior.

Beside the Black Abyss stood over a dozen figures. The two leading them, one with an ethereal, immortal demeanor and the other as graceful as a jade tree swaying in the wind, were the realm's other two Sun Glow cultivators: Chen Xuanhai and Wu Qimo.

This was Lu Ye's first time seeing them, and he couldn't help but take an extra look. He immediately recognized the stern-faced elder as Chen Xuanhai and the other, younger man as Wu Qimo.

"Fellow Daoist Su, you've finally arrived. Any later and you would have missed it," Wu Qimo said, a faint note of reproach in his voice.

According to previous arrangements, Su Yuqing was supposed to bring Lu Ye and Haitang earlier. These two were the main participants in this martial arts competition, and there were instructions they needed to receive, as well as opportunities to familiarize themselves with other Constellation cultivators for better future cooperation.

They couldn't understand why Su Yuqing had been so slow.

After speaking, Wu Qimo suddenly paused. He carefully scrutinized Su Yuqing, then looked at Lu Ye, his brows furrowing.

Not only did he notice something unusual, but Chen Xuanhai did as well.

Especially since certain events had only recently transpired.

For a moment, both Sun Glow cultivators found it hard to believe their eyes.

Su Yuqing's expression became unnatural. Leading Lu Ye and Haitang as they descended, she immediately said, "Time is pressing. All of you, enter the Black Abyss now. This competition concerns the foundation of our realm for the next fifty years; it is incredibly important. You must give it your all, and never give up easily, no matter how difficult the situation becomes!"

"Yes!" the participating Constellation cultivators responded in unison.

Immediately afterward, led by Haitang, they all descended into the Black Abyss. For this competition, Haitang's cultivation was the highest, at the mid-Constellation level, while everyone else was early-Constellation. Ostensibly, she was the natural team leader.

By the Black Abyss, the Constellation cultivators vanished. A gentle breeze stirred, and for a moment, the three Sun Glow cultivators were silent, the atmosphere eerily quiet.

Although Wu Qimo's cultivation was high, his temperament was very unreserved. Unable to hold back, he stammered for a moment before saying, "That Lu Yiye's cultivation... it seems to have improved significantly."

The bead Su Yuqing had given Lu Ye had burst open inside his body. Although Su Yuqing managed to retrieve over ninety percent of it through an intimate method, a portion was still refined and absorbed by Lu Ye via his Talent Tree.

If it had been merely spiritual energy, Lu Ye's improvement wouldn't have been so pronounced. However, for a Sun Glow realm cultivator like Su Yuqing, the power within her body was no longer mere spiritual energy but a higher-tier essence. Thus, even refining it for just one day yielded immense benefits for Lu Ye.

While not enough to elevate him to the mid-Constellation stage, it significantly advanced him within the early-Constellation realm.

The change in Lu Ye's cultivation was imperceptible to other Constellation cultivators, and even Moon Glimmer cultivators might not have clearly seen it. However, before Sun Glow cultivators, it was impossible to conceal.

Such a dramatic shift in cultivation was clearly abnormal and couldn't be achieved by simply consuming precious elixirs. As far as Wu Qimo knew, there was only one way to accomplish this, and it was a method only Su Yuqing could employ.

That was dual cultivation! Through a secret dual cultivation technique, the party with lower cultivation could achieve a significant boost in a short time.

However, the higher-cultivation party would, in turn, pay a certain price.

A faint blush involuntarily appeared on Su Yuqing's otherwise indifferent face, and she remained silent.

Seeing her reaction, Wu Qimo became even more convinced of his suspicions. He was utterly shocked, quietly wondering, "Could Su Yuqing have made such an immense sacrifice for this competition?"

How highly did she think of Lu Yiye?

The change in Su Yuqing's own aura was undoubtedly the clearest evidence. Though the drop wasn't significant, her cultivation had indeed fallen, a fact that couldn't be hidden from Wu Qimo and Chen Xuanhai, and it was precisely why they had been surprised when they first saw her.

There was some confusion, but mostly admiration.

Su Yuqing was truly going all out for the future of their realm.

From this perspective, the news from Immortal Spirit Peak about Lu Yiye and Haitang becoming cultivation partners must also have been a mere facade.

Little did he know, this arrangement was Su Yuqing's initial decision and indeed a facade. She had originally planned to use a different, more artful method to get Lu Ye into the Black Abyss, but unexpected events had transpired.

"Let's go in too," Chen Xuanhai said, breaking the somewhat awkward silence. Standing there indefinitely wasn't an option, and besides, this wasn't a matter they could casually pry into. Even among close companions, personal affairs remained personal.

After their branch's Constellation cultivators entered the Black Abyss, the abyss itself underwent changes. As the strange mists churned, a mysterious channel of connection to the other two Square Inch Mountain branches was subtly opened.

As Chen Xuanhai and the other two shifted their forms and plunged into the strange mists, they immediately appeared in an empty space.

The space was not large, with strange mists swirling everywhere. Only a central area remained clear of the mists.

The three looked up and immediately saw several figures standing in the other two directions.

These were indeed the Sun Glow cultivators from the other two branches. However, what they saw were not their true forms, but rather mysterious projections, appearing as mere outlines without true visages.

Yet, having known each other for so many years, even from mere outlines, Chen Xuanhai and the other two could clearly discern their identities.

Upon their appearance, a loud laugh erupted from the upper-left position: "The Eastern branch has finally arrived! Chen Xuanhai, I thought you all had forfeited this time. Didn't expect you'd still show up."

From the lower-right position, another person chuckled, "The Eastern branch always finishes last, so what difference does it make whether they forfeit or not?"

Chen Xuanhai snorted coldly and remained silent, primarily because he had no grounds for refutation; it was simply the truth. He only regretted that the younger generation of his realm was so underwhelming. Each Black Abyss Martial Arts Competition, they would be subjected to taunts from the Sun Glow cultivators of the other two branches, which was infuriating.

Over the years, a few sarcastic remarks about the Eastern branch had become customary. However, if the other party didn't respond, there was little point in continuing the taunts. They were all members of the small race, and while causing others to lose face in such internal competitions was acceptable, they couldn't go too far, or it would lead to lingering grudges. Everyone knew where to draw the line.

In the upper-left position were representatives from the Southern branch. This time, two Sun Glow cultivators were present, not because they only had two, but because there was no need for more. Ultimately, this was a contest among the younger generation, and Sun Glow cultivators couldn't directly intervene. Their role here was simply to observe the unfolding situation.

The lower-right position belonged to the Western branch, and like the Eastern branch, three Sun Glow cultivators were present.

With the Eastern branch silent, the Southern and Western branches engaged in a lively war of words. One boasted that their younger generation was exceptional and would surely claim first place, while the other asserted that their Constellation cultivators were talented and would undoubtedly seize the top spot.

This was also a common occurrence. Chen Xuanhai and the other two remained silent, simply listening to the two Sun Glow cultivators boast.

For Sun Glow cultivators like them, it wasn't easy to meet regularly, so they naturally made the most of this fifty-year opportunity. In essence, it was also a unique chance to catch up.

However, the Eastern branch, being perpetually weaker, always felt a lack of participation.

As the two sides were loudly bickering, ripples suddenly appeared in the central spherical area. Chen Xuanhai, who had remained silent until then, finally spoke: "Quiet down, everyone, it's starting!"

The Sun Glow cultivators from the Southern and Western branches indeed fell silent, patiently waiting.

The ripples spread, rapidly becoming continuous, until at a certain moment, the undulating ripples suddenly vanished. Immediately afterward, small points of light appeared within the spherical area.

These corresponded precisely to the positions of the three Sun Glow branches.

This spherical area was, in fact, a projection of the Black Abyss's interior! Through this projection, the observing Sun Glow cultivators could view the precise progress of the younger generation's competition within the Black Abyss.

Each position displayed nine small points of light, corresponding to the participating cultivators, and each set was a different color: red for the Eastern branch, yellow for the Southern, and blue for the Western.

Furthermore, the saturation of the light points varied in intensity. Experienced Sun Glow cultivators could deduce the cultivation levels of the participating cultivators from the depth of the colors.

The Sun Glow cultivators from all three branches had been waiting for this moment, as only now would they discover the lineup of their opponents for the competition.

In the past, the lineups from both the Southern and Western branches were impressive, featuring at least mid-Constellation cultivators, and occasionally even late-Constellation ones.

When the three Sun Glow cultivators from the Eastern branch looked up, their expressions all changed.

This time, the lineups from the other two branches were unexpectedly formidable.

The Southern branch had one late-Constellation and two mid-Constellation cultivators.

The Western branch had one late-Constellation and no less than three mid-Constellation cultivators!

Such a lineup was rarely seen even in previous competitions. Generally, deploying such a lineup indicated that the "petty people" of that branch were aiming for first place!

He took deep breaths of fresh air, his chest heaving.

Confusion, incomprehension, and a host of other emotions surged through his mind.

Where was this?

Then, Shi Yu subconsciously scanned his surroundings, only to become even more bewildered.

A single dorm room?

Even if he had been successfully rescued, he should be in a hospital room now.

And his body... how could it be completely uninjured?

Filled with doubt, Shi Yu's gaze quickly swept across the room, finally resting on a mirror at the head of the bed.

The mirror reflected his current appearance: a handsome young man, approximately seventeen or eighteen years old.

But the problem was, this wasn't him!

His former self was a handsome young man in his twenties, with an extraordinary demeanor, who had been working for some time.

But now, this appearance looked unmistakably like that of a high school student…

This change left Shi Yu stunned for a long time.

Don't tell him the surgery was a success…

His body and appearance had both changed. This was no longer a question of surgery; it was immortal magic.

He had completely transformed into another person!

Could it be… he had transmigrated?

Besides the mirror at the head of the bed, whose placement clearly violated feng shui principles, Shi Yu also discovered three books nearby.

Shi Yu picked them up and read the titles, which instantly rendered him speechless.

*Essential Beast Rearing Manual for Novice Breeders*

*Postpartum Care for Pet Beasts*

*Guide to Appreciating Beast-Eared Girls of Different Races*

Shi Yu: ???

The titles of the first two books seemed relatively normal, but what was up with the last one?

He coughed.

Shi Yu's gaze sharpened, and he reached out his hand, but his arm quickly stiffened.

Just as he was about to open the third book to see what it was, a sharp pain suddenly shot through his brain, and a flood of memories surged forth like a tide.

Icefield City.

Pet Beast Breeding Base.

Intern Pet Beast Breeder.

Beastmaster?