Chapter Thirty-Three: Naiyao in Peril

A brief silence fell over the stage, and a faint sense of awkwardness permeated the air. The program director, seated below the stage, was frantically signaling to the female host, urging her to smooth things over.

With practiced professionalism, the experienced host instantly understood. She flashed a polished smile and said, “Miss Liu, you certainly seem full of confidence. Now, let us welcome Mr. Wu Tai from the Scripture Hall!”

She deftly shifted the focus, drawing everyone’s attention away from Liu Shuangling. Liu Shuangling, unfazed by the mocking or hostile stares from the other seven contestants, sauntered unhurriedly to her designated place.

Of the seven, six were not even worth a glance. The only one who merited a second look from Liu Shuangling was Wen Xinyao—affectionately nicknamed “Milk Yao” by enthusiastic netizens.

This young girl, with her pure features and long black hair styled into two buns, exuded an air of innocence. Yet her figure seemed straight out of a risqué comic, her light blue dress stretched taut as if two bowling balls had been stuffed inside. “Bigger than her head”—the phrase was brought to life in her presence.

Liu Shuangling withdrew her gaze and looked toward the center of the stage. Wu Tai, the teacher from the Scripture Hall, made his entrance. He appeared to be in his early fifties, his hair dyed jet black, and his crisp suit adding to his energetic presence. “Hello, everyone. I am Wu Tai, responsible for explaining and setting the questions for this competition.”

He paused, then continued, “The ink used in this competition is sponsored by the internationally renowned company, Black Velvet. Their ink better accommodates spiritual pressure. The pen is the Heavenly Craft Pen from Tiangong Company, capable of bearing the pressure of a ninth-grade spiritual master, and lends a touch of artistry to the writing. The paper is the famous Jade Xuan paper, famed for its resilience—even if a ninth-grade spiritual master channels their full power into it, there’s no fear of damage. It’s even nicknamed ‘paper armor.’”

After this brief advertisement, the female host seized the moment. “Now, let’s begin the competition! The rules are simple: within ten minutes, contestants must transcribe the intermediate scripture, Verdant Vines Beyond Boundaries. Let’s welcome Contestant Number One, Lei Yunzhou!”

No sooner had she spoken than the staff brought a table onto the stage, laying out the Jade Xuan paper, the Heavenly Craft Pen, and Black Velvet ink.

Lei Yunzhou, a young man in his early twenties with handsome features and a tall, slender build, approached the stage. As he did, the livestream chat erupted with comments.

“Pretty boy like that can’t possibly be a real contender!”
“+1!”
“You’re just jealous of his looks. Men’s envy is truly ugly.”

Lei Yunzhou strode to the table, picked up the pen, and fixed his gaze on the paper, silently reciting the scripture to himself. Yet he did not rush to write.

The host turned to Wu Tai and asked earnestly, “Mr. Wu, what’s the key to transcribing Verdant Vines Beyond Boundaries?”

Although Wu Tai was only a fourth-grade spiritual master, his theoretical knowledge was solid. Stroking his short beard, he replied in a grave tone, “Verdant Vines Beyond Boundaries is meant to summon vines to envelop and heal the wounded. The most important thing is to write it all in a single breath, without a single error midway. When channeling spiritual pressure into the pen, one must control the force—not too evenly. Certain strokes require more pressure, others less. It’s a true test of one’s distribution of spiritual energy. And the calligraphy must have an artistic touch to fully unlock the scripture’s power.”

“Oh, I see,” the host said, feigning enlightenment as if she’d just learned something profound.

The camera zoomed in at the front of the stage. Lei Yunzhou still hadn’t begun writing. Sweat beaded on his brow, and his fingers trembled.

In the audience, Bai Yujing shook his head and murmured to Tiya beside him, “He clearly can’t withstand the pressure of the audience. His mind’s unsettled—he probably won’t be able to write at all. And if he does, it’ll end in failure.”

…

Time ticked by, and ten minutes passed quickly. Lei Yunzhou hadn't written a single character. Instead, sweat drenched his forehead and his face turned ghostly pale.

“What a pity—the first contestant has failed the challenge,” the host said with genuine regret.

Lei Yunzhou had no choice but to put down the pen and walk off the stage, dejected. Wu Tai offered consolation: “Intermediate scriptures are very difficult—at your age, it’s normal not to succeed.”

Soon, it was the second contestant’s turn. This one was clearly more capable and managed to finish the scripture just before the ten minutes ran out.

Then Contestant Number Three, Wen Xinyao, strode forward. The camera focused on her ample chest.

The barrage of comments in the livestream exploded:
“Give the cameraman a bonus!”
“One bonus isn’t enough! If foreigners saw this, they’d think we weren’t generous—give him three!”
“Milk Yao is unbeatable!”

Viewership numbers soared.

Faced with such a spectacular, wobbling display, few men could resist clicking into the stream for a closer look. Wen Xinyao walked to the table, each step causing a tremor.

She picked up the pen. Her “assets” were so large that when she stood straight, she couldn’t even see the paper. But she had long since memorized the scripture by heart.

She’d spent plenty of time hunched over writing before; now, she didn’t even need to look. Dipping the brush, she began to write at lightning speed.

In less than a minute, she set down her pen and channeled her spiritual pressure into the paper. The characters seemed to come alive, dancing on the page, then transformed into verdant vines that wrapped around her.

Wu Tai exclaimed in admiration, “As expected from a disciple of the Scripture Pavilion! To finish Verdant Vines Beyond Boundaries in such a short time is remarkable!”

“All credit goes to my teacher,” Wen Xinyao replied with a gentle smile, not a trace of arrogance on her face. She put down the brush and cast a fleeting glance at Liu Shuangling before returning gracefully to the lineup.

The next few contestants performed with varying degrees of success. Some took five minutes, others three, and some exceeded the ten-minute limit and were eliminated on the spot.

After just the first round, three contestants had already been knocked out.

When Liu Shuangling’s turn came, she approached the table at an unhurried pace. The streaming comments grew lively:
“She’s here! The trash talk queen is finally up!”
“Goddess Liu: My scripture-writing posture may not be standard, but my trash-talking posture is flawless!”
“I’m not targeting anyone—just saying everyone else’s scripture is trash.”

Liu Shuangling walked calmly to the front, picked up the Heavenly Craft Pen, and dipped it lightly in ink.

“Withering wood, dew descending; barren earth, vines arise; healing prison, blossom within the spiral. Entwined pulses, defy death. Scripture, Volume Forty-Four—Verdant Vines Beyond Boundaries!”

Her brush danced across the Jade Xuan paper. In only fifteen seconds, she completed the scripture. She poured her spiritual pressure into the paper, and thick vines sprang forth, swiftly coiling around her.

Wu Tai’s eyes bulged, his jaw nearly hitting the floor. The host, who had prepared some filler lines, found her words stuck in her throat, unable to utter a sound.

Wen Xinyao’s pupils contracted sharply, her face showing a flash of astonishment. She could scarcely believe her eyes—how could anyone be so fast?

The livestream audience was stunned, and the tone of the comments instantly shifted:
“Holy crap, did I just hallucinate?!”
“Goddess Liu really is a goddess!”
“The real clown was me all along.”
“Milk Yao’s in danger!”

The viewers, though perhaps not powerful, were certainly knowledgeable. There were plenty of spiritual masters who could write Verdant Vines Beyond Boundaries well in a short time. But for someone this young, it was exceedingly rare—like a baby walking fluently at a year old. Anyone who witnessed it could only gape in awe.