The door widened, revealing an ancient arena, a colour of vintage gold, showing the vicissitudes of time, not tainted but enhanced by it. The seating area was spacious, and the arrangement of seats showcased how popular the event was, attended by people from all backgrounds, though the private booths meant that not all were treated equally.

Xue Yueliang took a moment to appreciate her surrounding, none of the stadiums from her previous life could contend with it. She looked up, the sky was clearly visible, and the multitudes of stars in the dark sky illuminated the coliseum. Azure flames lit the torches, freezing the wood it burnt on, creating a terrifying and mysterious air.

"Liang'er! I didn't know you would be here." A familiar voice sounded, interrupting her from her admiration.

"I didn't know I would be here either," she joked.

She was surprised that Li Hua had taken the initiative to greet her, as their travel did not end on a pleasant note. It could not be helped, as their beliefs were too different.

"I thought you would be going to the Xiuqi Kingdom."

"I wish," Li Hua replied, scrunching her nose. "I got an order from the sect to come here as soon as possible. I'm not even allowed to have some fun before being told to work."

"You definitely did work hard; you're ranked third." She complimented.

"I would be first if not for those two freaks," Li Hua complained but was answered by someone else: "It's not our fault you're so weak."

Sun Wei walked over, his companion nowhere to be seen other than Zhong Xi, who seemed to have changed. The soft, frail aura surrounding her hardened, but the liveliness in her eyes was gone too. She was steady but appeared dead inside.

Looking at her, Xue Yueliang felt a weak pang in her heart, as if seeing her like this hurt her; it was unexplainable to her but only caused her to dislike Zhong Xi more.

"You're not first place, either!" Li Hua retorted. "I had to protect this burden," he countered.

Xue Yueliang tuned out the argument in front of her and paid attention to the other people present. Other than her siblings, the only people she recognised were the black-robed young man, the third prince and his entourage.

There were others she had not met, but she could guess their identities, like the tall, red-haired man who stood silently alone; he held a halberd in his hand and was intimidating to look at. He was the Xiuqi Kingdom's prince, Shi Ling, ranked fifth.

Roughly counting, Xue Yueliang found that from the one hundred people on the ranking list, only about fifty people were in the room.

Considering how quiet it was, whatever was required to happen next, relied on all of them being present. Until then, she had no choice but to wait. As her gaze passed by the black-robed young man, his eyes met with hers, staring at her and though she did not wish to admit to it, something about his gaze was unsettling.

"Li Hua, do you know who that man is?" She questioned, interrupting the bickering duo, allowing their attention to get back to her.

"Him?" Li Hua asked, unashamedly pointing at him, "No. He's probably just a nobody." She said, not masking her words.

"You really lack decorum," Xue Yueliang sighed, watching his expression change.

She did not understand how Li Hua could be so careless with her words and mannerisms, but coming from a top sect, she did not have a reason to mince her words.

He did refer to himself as a nobody, she thought.

"Is that someone you are interested in?" Sun Wei asked, a slight killing intent behind his words.

"I'm not interested in anyone," Xue Yueliang laughed, retracting her gaze.

"Not even Lei Jian?" Li Hua asked.

After hearing his name, Xue Yueliang's heart dropped. She had kept thoughts of him to the back of her mind and was surprised Li Hua would mention him, especially in a situation like this. "Lei Jian?" Sun Wei asked, not recognising that name.

Before Xue Yueliang could say a word, another voice sounded out, interrupting their conversation, "I did not know you had such terrible taste," the voice sneered.

"If it isn't Young Lady Qin Wen," Sun Wei laughed, "You're as beautiful as I've heard."

Though he appeared careless, he recognised all the big players, putting in more thought than he let on.

"And you're as vulgar as the rumours set you out to be," Qin Wen replied, not giving him any face. Qin Wen enunciated her words loudly and clearly, attracting the attention of the people around her. After the death of Qin Yundi, she was the most talented junior, and since the threat of her being overtaken had disappeared, she only shone brighter.

Sun Wei was also well known, and watching two proud children of heaven battle it out was a subject of intrigue to others and a great way to pass the time.

The smile on Sun Wei's face disappeared as he glared at her silently, giving her time to explain herself, "You go to a different country, and the first thing you do is kidnap a woman."

"I don't see how that is any of your business." He replied. "It wouldn't be if she wasn't the property of the Qin Clan, so you must return her."

Although Sun Wei's actions were improper, she did not think that a servant would be worth offending him and the sect behind him, but she did not try to interfere, taking a step backwards and dragging Li Hua with her. Hei Yu had long since found his spot in Li Hua's arms and snuggled happily, appearing to be complaining to her at times.

Xue Yueliang did not understand why he liked her but was glad to see him happy; she had upset him a lot recently.

"If you can't keep your own people safe, then how is that my fault?" Sun Wei sneered.

At those words, even Mao Ya's face dropped. As the prince of the nation, Zhong Xi was naturally one of his people, so his gaze flickered. Although he was not particularly close with the Qin Clan, the choice between them and a stranger could not be easier for him. At the same time, the various other geniuses of the Qinxia Kingdom came to a similar understanding, and the atmosphere turned incredibly hostile.

Feeling the change in the atmosphere, Sun Wei continued his words, abating their anger: "Besides, I did not kidnap her; she eloped with me. Isn't that right?" He said authoritatively, the question directed at Zhong Xi.

"Yes." Zhong Xi said calmly and confidently, "I'm sorry for worrying you, Young Lady."

There wasn't a trace of fear or worry in her voice, as she appeared steady. If Xue Yueliang did not witness the scene herself or if she did not notice her faintly shaking hand, she would have believed her.

Qin Wen's face darkened; she knew that this was not true, but if the victim herself insisted it was, what could she do? Get in the way of their love?

Calming her anger, she asked again, "I will make sure your life is not in danger, so please, tell the truth."

This time, Zhong Xi's hands shook harder but were held by Sun Wei's, forcing her to a fake calm, "Thank you for your concern."

Qin Wen's face turned darker, and she turned to leave, not apologising to Sun Wei or encouraging her, "Cowards who are afraid, to tell the truth, don't deserve help," she left behind.

The faint hope in Zhong Xi's eyes faded away, but she did not speak. She could feel the angry and disgusted gazes that were directed at Sun Wei just a moment earlier were now directed at her. It hurt, but her expression remained stoic.

Does she hope she will be saved without taking any risks? Xue Yueliang wondered.

Sun Wei watched Qin Wen walk away in defeat, and the smile reappeared on his face.

Xue Yueliang couldn't help but admire his methods. If Zhong Xi had asked for help, then she would have been saved. She was not only the Qin Clan's servant but a resident of the Qinxia Kingdom; none of its citizens would take kindly to their women being kidnapped.

Though the Qinxia Kingdom could not keep their borders closed, it did not change the fact that most people here were its citizens. She could have made Sun Wei public enemy number one, but she did not. She was either too foolish, or Sun Wei was really capable, but considering the situation, Xue Yueliang felt it was a bit of both.

Noticing the dispute sizzling out, people returned to their groups, either talking or cultivating, appearing leisurely but not managing to hide the tension in the air. They recognised each other as their biggest competitors but did not wish to start the contest prematurely.

Quite a few people were regretful that Zhong Xi had not instigated a fight between the two powers, allowing them - the small fries - a chance to benefit as third parties.

Sun Wei was not bothered by the mixed feelings of the group and whispered something to Zhong Xi's ears, causing her to stiffen further. He laughed at this sight and welcomed his previous entourage that had just entered the hall.

This quiet yet apprehensive atmosphere was ruined by the entrance of a group of women, causing audible gasps in the crowd as people stared on in shock.

Xue Yueliang, curious by these reactions, followed their gaze, landing on a group of women, each more gorgeous than the last, deserving this type of reaction. Their leader was a woman, appearing the same age as her, wearing pure white robes that hugged her voluptuous figure, hiding it underneath a feign of purity. Her chest to her waist had purple-coloured thread, writing out the White Lilac Sect, but as she moved, parts of it were hidden, causing one to stare if they wanted to read what it said. Xue Yueliang retracted her gaze but still made eye contact with her; though she felt embarrassed, all she could notice were how striking but inviting her eyes were.

Regardless of how she cut it, Xue Yueliang could only find one way to describe her, simply gorgeous. A faint blush appeared on her face, but her thoughts were interrupted by Sun Wei's sneer.

"If I knew someone as impure as you would be appearing here, I would not have shown up."

"There's no need to talk like that, Young Master Sun," their leader laughed, her voice bewitching and feathery, matching her beauty. She walked toward them, the people on the way parting like the Red Sea, seemingly afraid of being in their way.

Looking at her imposing figure, Xue Yueliang could not help but be impressed; she was curious about what she had done to deserve such a reaction but decided against asking Li Hua. That blabbermouth would find a way of offending even the most peaceful person; it had to be her talent.

"Xiang Qingge, why are you coming so close to me?" Sun Wei asked, "Tired of playing with girls?"

"I'd rather be dead than caught with you," Xiang Qingge sneered, sparing a glance at Zhong Xi but continuing toward Xue Yueliang and Li Hua.

"Ladies, I don't think I've met either of you before," Xiang Qingge began, "I'm Xiang Qingge of the White Lilac Sect." She smiled, holding her hand forward.

"Nice to meet you," Xue Yueliang said, "I'm Xue Yueliang."

"Li Hua of the Silver Armour Sect. Why do you have your sect name on your robes?"

Xiang Qingge shot a backward glance at Sun Wei and replied, "People seem to have a hard time remembering our name." She smiled sweetly, but there was faint anger in her smile.

"Why's that?" Though Xue Yueliang felt that Li Hua should not ask that she was curious.

"Apparently, men are women's only destined partners," Xiang Qingge smiled, "My sect doesn't happen to agree."

"What do you think, Li Hua?"

At this moment, Xue Yueliang realised a major problem that she had been ignoring or, more accurately, an issue that had not occurred to her yet.

Even in the more open-minded world, she had come from, relations between women were not viewed favourably, and things were much worse here.

Although she did not care what people thought, wouldn't a princess whose reign depended on the public opinion care? Even not considering others, how did Yao Niang view such relations? She had never asked, so she did not know.

I'm such an idiot.