Chapter 5212 — A Draw

Wei Zhao soon realized what was going through everyone's minds. He had never intended to make an issue of such a thing, but this turn of events was hardly a bad thing for him.

"Since the result is out, let us end it here. Leng Leng and Duanmu Yu, you may withdraw and tend to your injuries—whatever you do, do not leave any lingering aftereffects," Xin Yi'an said at once.

"Hold on! I believe this vote was not fair at all, and therefore it cannot stand," Xue Jianming jumped out to object once again.

"Oh? This was an open vote cast on the spot, with no chance for secret collusion whatsoever. This old man would like to ask—just how was it unfair?" Xin Yi'an said with a frown.

"Given the level of these voters, I doubt that all of them could truly grasp the underlying subtleties of this duel. To let a crowd who may not even comprehend its essence serve as judges—how could such a result stand? To ensure the fairness of the outcome, I suggest that, in accordance with the longstanding tradition of the Primal Alliance, the decision be made by the votes of Golden Core cultivators," Xue Jianming said without the slightest scruple.

The moment these words left his mouth, everyone's expression turned uglier than the last. To say to their faces that they were not of sufficient level—the man truly did not regard them as worth a second glance!

Yet Xue Jianming's words were not entirely without basis. In every past contest great or small held by the Primal Alliance, it had indeed always been Golden Core cultivators who served as judges, for only they had the discernment to see all the subtleties of a duel between Foundation Establishment disciples. Otherwise, as Xue Jianming had said, an ordinary cultivator at the peak of Foundation Establishment might truly fail to grasp what Leng Leng and Duanmu Yu had actually done.

But if it were truly decided by Golden Core cultivators as he proposed, there were only three present in total: himself, Bing Wushuang, and Xin Yi'an. Barring any surprise, Bing Wushuang would surely side with him—would it not then come down to his word alone?

"Sophistry! Even if Golden Core cultivators were to serve as judges, they would have to come from different sects. Where are we to find such conditions now?" Xin Yi'an rebutted on the spot. Then he resolved himself and declared: "The will of the many cannot be defied. This old man hereby announces that the winner of this duel is—"

At that moment, Wei Zhao suddenly cut in: "Since the two sides are evenly matched, why not call it a draw?"

"A draw?" Xin Yi'an was stunned at the words. Then he said with difficulty: "But there has never been any precedent for a draw, and this match bears directly on qualification for the Primal Trial..."

"Can we not grant them both the qualification for the trial at the same time? It may bend the rules somewhat, but special cases call for special handling. I doubt even the higher-ups of the Primal Alliance would be so devoid of human feeling—after all, these are two rare and remarkable genius disciples. It would be a great pity to eliminate either one of them," Wei Zhao said.

Whether Duanmu Yu could obtain the qualification for the Primal Trial had originally been none of his concern, but after watching this duel, the woman's resolve had genuinely moved him somewhat. Besides, Wei Zhao was deeply interested in the technique called Withered Leaf Returns to Spring—it had not been mentioned at all in the compendium of sect cultivation methods from Cloud Terrace Island that Tian Chan had sent him, so he might as well do them a favor along the way. Perhaps he would find an opportunity later to sound her out and learn a thing or two.

Xin Yi'an pondered for a moment, and at last nodded: "Quite right. The martial grand-uncle speaks reason—rules are dead, but people are alive. Duanmu Yu even resorted to Withered Leaf Returns to Spring for this duel; to force a loss upon her now would be too heartless. That being so, this old man declares the two of them tied!"

No one else raised any objection to this outcome. First, it was a favor to Wei Zhao; second, the result did not affect them in the slightest. At most it meant one more person—Duanmu Yu—gaining trial qualification, and since she had just used Withered Leaf Returns to Spring, she could not recover fully within three months. Even with the qualification, it would be purely symbolic.

"Wait!" Xue Jianming jumped out to interrupt once again.

"What exactly do you want?" Having been rudely interrupted time and again by this fellow, even Xin Yi'an, an honest man, was finally angry. His expression dark, he said: "By the vote, Leng Leng clearly won. To declare a draw now is already giving you considerable face. Xue Jianming, do not push your luck!"

"This..." Xue Jianming choked on his words. In that instant, for the first time in his life, he sensed a tangible killing intent from the other man. An honest man's wrath was truly terrifying.

After choking for a moment, Xue Jianming ultimately chose to shut his mouth in sullen silence. It was not only Xin Yi'an, that honest man, who was angry now—everyone else was fixing him with hostile glares as well. To carry on like this was to invite the wrath of the crowd, and for such a trifling matter it was utterly unnecessary.

Thus the opening match of the fifth round of the trial tournament ended in a draw, and Leng Leng and Duanmu Yu both obtained qualification for the Primal Trial.

Gasping weakly for breath, Duanmu Yu laboriously raised her head to look at Wei Zhao and said: "Thank you..."

She knew very well that if Wei Zhao had not insisted, this duel would certainly have been ruled a victory for Leng Leng. In that case she would have been eliminated on the spot, and while losing the trial qualification would have been a small matter, damaging the reputation of the Leaf Spirit Sect would have been a great one. That was why she felt such gratitude.

"You are welcome," Wei Zhao said, glancing at her. He saw that she was not only extremely weak but also terribly frostbitten—because she had fought Leng Leng so fiercely and had been so close to her when the Ice Prison Mirror shattered. So he said: "If you do not mind, how about I help heal your injuries? In your current state, I imagine it would be very difficult for you to recover on your own."

"But..." Duanmu Yu hesitated. She had already entered the weak period following Withered Leaf Returns to Spring, and her true qi was exceedingly faint; relying on self-recovery alone, there was no telling how long it would take. Moreover, frostbite of the severity caused by the shattering of the Ice Prison Mirror was not something one could recover from simply by willing it—unless one had a specific elixir for such injuries.

"I have to heal Leng Leng's injuries anyway. If you do not mind, come along—it is no trouble at all," Wei Zhao said with a smile.

Duanmu Yu hesitated for a moment, then at last nodded: "Very well, then I will trouble you."

Given her status and background in the Leaf Spirit Sect, if she made a request, the sect's higher-ups would surely find a way. But in such a weak state, whether she could even take an elixir was a question in itself; a single misstep, and a life-saving pill might well turn into a deadly poison. Better, then, to take a risk and trust Wei Zhao this once.

She and Wei Zhao were complete strangers to each other, yet perhaps because his many wondrous feats had indeed seemed unfathomably profound, she actually had a fair measure of confidence in him. If Wei Zhao lacked the ability to heal others, surely he would not have rashly extended such an invitation. (To be continued.)