In the blink of an eye, it came time for the preliminary trial for admission into Kongming Academy. The area in front of the stage was filled to the brim with the contestants’ families and eager spectators. As soon as one match finished, Envoy Ding would walk forward to center stage and read off the roster in his hands in a resounding voice.

“Next up, the second daughter of the Yun family, Yun Ruoyan.”

As soon as Yun Ruoyan’s name was read out, hushed whispers and murmurs spread through the crowd.

“Yun Ruoyan? Is that really what he said? That Yun Ruoyan, who’s not even a third-rank blademaster?”

“How could it be? She’s not courting death, is she?”

“Honestly, what an embarrassment!”

“She’s here as a competitor? Kongming Academy would never accept her!”

Despite being fully aware of these derisive remarks, Yun Ruoyan strode forth proudly, her head erect, her chest high. She stepped through the noisy, bustling crowd and onto the stage.

Dressed in a scarlet gown, Yun Ruoyan was particularly eye-catching. Her lips were as red as peonies, her eyes clear and limpid, her posture graceful as a lark. If not for the equally red birthmark on her cheek, no one would have believed her to be that Yun Ruoyan, who was so shy and diffident that even her words were as faint as a mosquito’s buzzing.

The hushed whispers and murmurs continued, but the topic of discussion had shifted to the unusual aura surrounding the red-clad girl.

Yun Ruoyao sat right in front of the stage, and she could clearly hear the amazed gasps all around her.

Of the three daughters of the Yun family, Ruoyan was useless, Ruoyu brash and tyrannical, and she, Ruoyao, had long since been the only presentable one. She wasn’t about to hand the spotlight over to Yun Ruoyan!

She glared at Yun Ruoyan on stage, her eyes glinting murderously.

Ha! She wouldn’t have it easy. As soon as the fight began, Yun Ruoyan’s standing would fall right back down again—after all, the opponent that she’d picked out for her was none other than Lin Qingchen, who had been lauded as a genius since her birth. There was no way there wouldn’t be a rift between Yun Ruoyan and the Lins after the fight!

“Quiet!” Envoy Ding cleared his throat before continuing. “Her opponent, the eldest daughter of the Yun family, Yun Ruoyao!”

As soon as she heard her own name being called out, Yun Ruoyao jumped up from her seat in a daze. She opened her eyes wide. What on earth was going on?! Envoy Ding had clearly accepted her bribe and changed Yun Ruoyan’s opponent to Lin Qingchen!

“My goodness, sister, you scared me.” Yun Ruoyu patted her chest.

“Ruoyao, what’re you doing? Quick, go up on stage.” Madam An frowned. Yun Ruoyao had never lost her self-control in front of a crowd before!

Yun Ruoyao quickly calmed down before walking towards the stage. Both parties unsheathed their swords, and the fight began in earnest.

“Sister, I suggest you surrender. After all, you’ll never be able to beat me.”

Yun Ruoyan smiled. “That remains to be seen, doesn’t it?”

“A fight against the weak is meaningless.”

“Sister, are you perhaps scared?”

Scared?

Her, Yun Ruoyao, scared of trash like her sister? Yun Ruoyan was really getting big-headed, wasn’t she?!

“I’m scared I’ll make you a paraplegic!” Before she finished speaking, Yun Ruoyao launched into an attack against her sister.

Her sharp blade glanced past Yun Ruoyan’s nose, and in a split second, the stage was filled with light and shadow. The radiant light reflected from their blades seemed to sketch out a web in mid-air, firmly blocking either party’s escape.

Yun Ruoyan spun around on stage as if she were a flaming butterfly, her swift strikes in no way inferior to those of Yun Ruoyao.

One was well-known to be useless, and the other to be talented in all aspects. Against everyone’s expectations, the two seemed to be fighting each other on equal footing!

“My goodness, when did Ruoyan become so skilled?!” Yun Ruoyu exclaimed.

Yi Qianying looked on from the side, a sudden fear penetrating her heart. These past few days, Yun Ruoyan had really presented her with far too many surprises!

As for Madam An, she scrunched her forehead tightly and kept her eyes on stage, almost unable to believe what she was seeing. She’d thought that Yun Ruoyao would have been able to defeat Yun Ruoyan within three strikes, but the two of them had already exchanged more than ten blows. Yun Ruoyan didn’t seem to be countered at all; on the other hand, it even seemed that Yun Ruoyao was on the defensive.

How could this be, how could this be?!

Yun Ruoyan’s cultivation had clearly been suppressed by her poison, and no one had ever taught her the way of the sword, so how was she able to overcome Yun Ruoyao, who had received instruction in the sword ever since she was five?

Even amongst the daughters of the nobility, Yun Ruoyao’s cultivation and bladework ranked near the top!

Yun Ruoyao herself was as amazed as the spectators. She looked on in disbelief as Yun Ruoyan cleanly blocked her strike. “Yun Ruoyan, this is impossible!”

“Sister, I haven’t even displayed my full range of abilities,” Yun Ruoyan said placidly.

“You’re lying!” Yun Ruoyao was the one who was reputed to be a genius; how could someone like Yun Ruoyan be stronger than her? As for that nonsense about not having used her full power, that was even more impossible!

But why was it that, even though she’d expended so much effort on blocking Yun Ruoyan, so much so that even her footwork and appearance were somewhat in disarray, that Yun Ruoyan could still counter her attacks so blithely?!

Wasn’t she tired?

Yun Ruoyan had no interest in prolonging the fight, and, gaze sharp, she swiftly stabbed at Yun Ruoyao’s abdomen. The latter quickly stepped back and defended with her sword, but in the blink of an eye, the red dress in front of her vanished!

The next second, Yun Ruoyao took a heavy blow to the waist, slid, and fell forward, face-down.

Her mind was blank, and in that moment, even the shocked murmurs of the crowd went silent.

On stage, Yun Ruoyao had collapsed in a heap. Yun Ruoyan had stepped out from behind her, walked one step forward, and lightly placed the tip of her sword against her neck.

Yun Ruoyao had been defeated, and she had even been defeated by the useless Yun Ruoyan!

The shocked spectators couldn’t believe their eyes, and neither could Envoy Ding, until finally someone in the crowd began to cheer.

“Victory to Yun, Yun Ruoyan!” Only then did Envoy Ding remember to announce the result of the match before gazing approvingly at Yun Ruoyan.

Clearly the rumors weren’t to be trusted—Yun Ruoyan was undoubtedly a genius!

While the crowd erupted in excitement, Madam An pounded on her seat’s armrest before standing straight up and walking away, not even staying for the remaining bouts.

The one other person who was particularly upset was Yun Ruoyao.

She’d lost without even seeing the final blow that had pushed her down, and she’d been forced to fall down in such an unsightly manner! How could she bear the shame?!

Yun Ruoyao grit her teeth, watching on as Yun Ruoyan walked down the stage amidst the admiring gaze of the crowd. Oh, how she hated Yun Ruoyan! This scene was supposed to be hers; she was supposed to be the one admired by the crowd!

But Yun Ruoyan had stolen all this from her!

It was all Yun Ruoyan’s fault!