365: Chapter 365 Father and Son Reunited

By the third day of the Earth Ranking competition, the atmosphere in the stands was significantly more tense than on the first day.

Those Loose Cultivators who had initially come to watch with a relaxed attitude had now set aside their idle chatter, their gazes mostly focused on the few figures on the arena.

Chu Xing had already won five consecutive matches. None of them could be considered a crushing victory, yet he hadn't revealed any obvious flaws. His fighting style remained steady, as if he were using the mindset of Alchemy to polish the rhythm of every match.

Chu Xun had fought one fewer match than him, currently standing at three wins and one loss. Her only defeat was to a young Cultivator from the Three Emperors Palace, whose strikes were extremely fast, leaving her almost no room to adjust.

During the break, Chu Sheng stood quietly on one side of the viewing area and saw Chu Xun sitting on the steps, using a cloth to wipe the marks off her blade.

Sitting beside her were two young Cultivators, who appeared to be fellow Disciples or temporarily joined teammates.

One of them was lowering their voice to analyze the mistakes she had made in the previous match.

Chu Sheng did not approach, but merely watched from afar for a few moments. Confirming that she hadn't sustained any injuries, he then averted his gaze.

Meanwhile, among the crowd on the sidelines, a few faces had begun to attract the attention of others.

A youth clad in black robes, roughly seventeen or eighteen years old, had a slender build but a calm aura, unlike the restless nature of his peers.

He was the youngest among this batch of contestants from the Three Emperors Palace, rumored to be the Personal Disciple of a certain Elder, and had yet to taste defeat since the Earth Ranking began.

There was also a Loose Cultivator from the Eastern Region who looked to be in his early thirties, with a shallow scar on his cheek and cultivation at the Sea Opening Middle Stage.

His fighting style was rough but highly efficient; he never hesitated when striking, and after every match, he would quickly withdraw his moves and leave the arena, not participating in any post-match conversations.

During the halftime break, Yue Jianli left the stands, walked down the stone steps for a distance, and stopped at a location near the Medicine King Valley area.

Seeing Chu Xing conversing with an Elder of Medicine King Valley, she did not step forward to disturb them. She stood for a few moments before turning around, preparing to return to the stands.

As she turned, she happened to run into someone face-to-face.

Wan Jiuer was standing a few paces behind her, appearing as if she had just arrived. She held nothing in her hands, and her posture didn't suggest she was waiting for someone, but rather that she had simply stopped while passing by.

The two looked at each other for a moment.

Yue Jianli recognized that her aura did not belong to any common school of the Central Region, but she did not judge too much, simply stepping aside half a step to signal for her to pass first.

Jiuer did not move immediately. She looked at Yue Jianli for a moment, as if confirming something, then spoke: "You are that person from Wendao Palace, right? Yue Jianli?"

Yue Jianli paused slightly: "And you are..."

Jiuer said: "My name is Wan Jiuer, I am from the Western Region."

Her tone was not warm, but it held no hostility either; it was just a very calm tone, somewhere between a statement and a confirmation.

Yue Jianli did not immediately reply, instead carefully sizing up Jiuer.

Her cultivation was clearly a significant cut above her own, and this sense of suppression allowed Yue Jianli to form a judgment in her heart.

She was silent for a moment, then asked: "Do you know Chu Sheng?"

Jiuer did not deny it: "I know him."

Yue Jianli nodded, not pressing for details, nor showing any obvious emotional fluctuation, simply saying in her usual tone: "He didn't mention anything about it."

Jiuer said: "He did. He just didn't say everything."

Yue Jianli looked at her, quiet for a moment, then said: "Then when did you get to know him?"

Jiuer said: "Not long ago."

Yue Jianli nodded slightly, not asking any further, just glancing at her, her gaze calm yet careful, as if mentally noting down this face and this aura.

Then she turned and walked towards the stands.

Jiuer did not follow immediately, standing in place as she watched that grey-robed figure turn the corner at the end of the steps.

Her expression did not change much, but the fingers that had been hanging by her cuffs moved slightly.

A moment later, she also took a step, walking in the same direction.

The Earth Ranking competition concluded in its entirety on the fifth day.

Chu Xing's final ranking was sixteenth.

In the final match, he lost to a Loose Cultivator from the Eastern Region whose cultivation was one small Realm higher than his.

His fighting style was also devoid of technique, like a beast raised in the wild, every move carrying an unreasonable brutality.

Chu Xing felt no resentment; when stepping off the stage, he even cupped his hands towards his opponent, as if he hadn't been too surprised by the result.

Chu Xun's ranking was slightly lower than Chu Xing's, placing twenty-fourth.

She had lost three matches and won a few, which wasn't outstanding, but it wasn't disgraceful either; for a young Cultivator participating in such an event for the first time, it was already a decent result.

The champion of the Earth Ranking was ultimately taken by a young Cultivator from the Twelve Giants.

The entire process was without suspense, encountering almost no effective resistance.

Chu Sheng stood in a corner, neither stepping forward nor leaving, just quietly watching the final few matches.

After the awards ceremony concluded, he was just preparing to turn and leave when Chu Xing suddenly walked over quickly.

Stopping at a distance of about five paces, his gaze fell upon his face, his voice carrying a probing tone that bordered on certainty—

"Dad?"

Chu Sheng's movements paused for an instant.

His disguise had not yet been removed, but the contours of his face and his figure still carried some traces that could not be completely concealed.

Chu Xing's gaze lingered on his face for about two breaths, as if there was no longer any need to confirm anything.

His voice was lower than before, yet more certain: "Dad... you're not dead."

This sentence was spoken softly, yet it carried a calmness that only comes after confirmation.

Chu Sheng was silent for a moment, then said: "I'm not."

Chu Xing stood there, as if digesting the weight of those two words, then nodded, as if he had already received the answer he needed.

He did not press for details, just turned and walked back two steps, then stopped, his back to Chu Sheng: "Dad, it's not convenient for us to acknowledge each other right now. The people from Medicine King Valley know your face, so don't stay near the competition venue for too long."

After saying this, he continued walking forward without looking back.

"Who did you learn that from?"

Chu Sheng stood in place with a wry smile, watching that back figure pass through the crowd and merge into the Medicine King Valley resting area.