The next morning began with a groan.
Not a majestic, enlightened groan of cultivation enlightenment. No—Wang Li's was the kind that comes from a man sleeping on the very edge of his own bed, clinging to the mattress for dear life while three beautiful cultivators lay sprawled like princesses from three different novels.
Mu Qingling, blanket thief and known sleep-kicker, had claimed two-thirds of the bed and half his pillow.
Lin Ruoyan slept like a fox, curled around his arm like it was her spiritual artifact.
Feng Yuling, ever silent and elegant, had made herself a nest of chilled silk robes on the floor… except, sometime in the night, she had migrated beside him like an ice wraith and was now sleeping on his shoulder.
"I'm going to die," Wang Li whispered. "Death by beauty. It'll be the weirdest sect obituary ever."
He tried to get up. A mistake.
Three hands instantly grabbed him.
"Don't move," Qingling mumbled, still half-asleep.
"You're warm," Ruoyan added without opening her eyes.
Feng Yuling didn't say anything—just applied a mild frost aura that glued his side to hers like a spiritual fridge magnet.
Wang Li stared at the ceiling. "This isn't romantic. This is hostage cultivation."
Then a voice rang out from the courtyard.
"Brother Wang Li! The Azure Sky Sect's envoy has arrived early!"
Wang Li sprang up like a startled cat—breaking free from the cuddle trap and knocking all three girls off balance.
"Emergency! Envoy! Duel! Cultivation reputation at stake!"
"You better not be running off to flirt again," Qingling grumbled as she fixed her robes.
Ruoyan was more direct. "If Lady Yun tries anything, I'm going to dual cultivate her into unconsciousness."
Wang Li stopped, turned slowly. "That… came out very wrong."
Feng Yuling had already opened the window, sensing spiritual signatures. "You have thirty seconds before they enter the courtyard."
"Right. Right. Okay. Professional. Sane. Fully clothed." He looked down. "Where are my pants?!"
---
By the time he emerged from his residence, fully dressed and barely coherent, the envoy stood waiting in the courtyard.
Lady Yun was, as always, the picture of perfection—her cloud silk robes gleaming, her fan fluttering with lazy elegance. Beside her stood two powerful cultivators clad in Azure Sky Sect blue, their gazes heavy with disdain.
"You kept us waiting, Brother Wang," one of them said with a sneer. "Was tying your sash that difficult?"
Lady Yun didn't look at her fellow disciple. "He was resting," she said coolly. "He'll need his strength."
The other Azure Sky disciple raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Did you personally ensure that?"
Wang Li swallowed and tried to smile diplomatically. "Let's get to the arena, shall we?"
Lady Yun turned to him, her voice silky. "Today's match is a three-on-three sparring duel. Since I've chosen you as my partner, you may select one more from your sect to join us."
Before Wang Li could speak, three spiritual presences slammed into the courtyard like lightning strikes.
Mu Qingling, Lin Ruoyan, and Feng Yuling stepped out—elegant, dangerous, and positively glowing with spiritual pride.
"I'll go," Qingling said, cracking her knuckles.
"Not without me," Ruoyan added, summoning her flame aura.
"I'll kill someone if I'm not included," Yuling stated calmly.
Lady Yun blinked. "You… have quite the entourage."
Wang Li put on his most charming smile. "You have no idea."
---
The outer sect arena was packed.
Disciples from multiple peaks had gathered to witness the Azure Sky Sect's exhibition duel. The atmosphere was electric. Wagers were being whispered. Elders watched from above with half-shielded spirit senses, too curious to ignore the rumors swirling around Wang Li and his increasingly dramatic love life.
Even the Sect Master had shown up, perched atop a cloud platform, sipping tea while pretending he wasn't deeply amused.
A robed elder from the Azure Sky Sect announced, "This is a friendly exhibition match between the Azure Sky Sect and the Crimson Radiance Sect. Three versus three. No killing, but all other techniques are permitted."
Lady Yun stepped forward, graceful as ever. "Azure Sky Sect, ready."
Wang Li took a deep breath and stepped up beside her.
Mu Qingling appeared on his left with her whip coiled in one hand and a devilish grin on her lips.
"Try not to embarrass yourself, Li."
Lin Ruoyan stepped to his right, hair dancing in the breeze, her flame aura already flickering. "Stay close. If anyone touches you, they lose a finger."
Wang Li blinked. "Wait—where's Yuling?"
"Watching from the crowd," Qingling whispered. "Said she didn't want to break the sect stage. Again."
Across from them stood three powerful cultivators. Azure Sky Sect elites. Cultivators with perfect posture, designer robes, and the kind of faces that made Wang Li want to punch them on instinct.
The duel began with a flash of spiritual light.
The Azure Sky trio attacked in perfect coordination—wind blades, ice spears, and a sweeping formation designed to overwhelm.
Wang Li didn't even need to act.
Because Mu Qingling went first, grinning wildly as she leapt into the air and summoned a whip made of condensed lightning.
CRACK!
Her whip struck down one of the Azure disciples before he could finish his technique, wrapping around his ankle and slamming him into a boulder.
Ruoyan unleashed a lotus-shaped flame that spiraled like a phoenix through the formation, forcing the other two to scatter.
Wang Li summoned Shadowfang—his void-iron dagger—and moved like smoke, his steps silent but his blade a flash of darkness. He appeared behind one of the attackers, tapped his shoulder with the blade, and whispered:
"Tag."
The disciple turned pale. "I-I yield!"
The elder overseeing the match looked stunned. "Winner: Crimson Radiance Sect!"
The crowd exploded in cheers.
Wang Li exhaled—and then froze as Lady Yun walked over and placed her hand on his chest.
"Incredible," she said softly. "You continue to surprise me."
Behind him, Qingling and Ruoyan both took one step forward.
Lady Yun leaned in, her voice a whisper only Wang Li could hear. "Meet me tonight in the east gardens. There's something I need to… show you."
He blinked. "Why does that sound dangerous?"
"Because it is," she said, smiling.
Then she kissed him.
Right in front of everyone.
Just a brush of the lips—soft, silent, perfect.
The crowd lost its mind.
Mu Qingling's whip lit up with sparks.
Lin Ruoyan's flame aura flared dangerously.
Feng Yuling, from the crowd, turned slowly and walked away—ice forming on every blade of grass around her.
Wang Li stood there in the center of the arena, frozen.
He had just survived a cultivation duel.
And now he was walking straight into a romantic war zone.