Chapter 169: The Decisive Game: Team 1 vs. Team 3 Showdown! and The Blue Moon Flower: A Symbol of Mo Changs Regret.

In some way, shape or form, Lu Lin was out.

Hu Meizhen was the third batter, and she was able to secure a successful two out of three bats for Team 1 which surprised everyone watching. Being the fat-chested airhead she was, no one expected anything impressive from her.

And yet...

"Sister Deng! Sister Deng! I did it!"

With a bright smile on her face, Hu Meizhen hurried back to Deng Rulan, waving enthusiastically. Each step she took, her breasts bounced uncontrollably. Deng Rulan gently applauded her, saying, "Well done, you did it!" Hu Meizhen hugged Deng Rulan tightly, almost squishing her. Deng Rulan struggled to breathe but managed to force a smile and pat Hu Meizhen on the head.

The old gremlin, Gu Zhi, cheered from her spot, "Yes! That’s what I’m talking about! That’s how it’s done on Fang Peak!" She threw up two rock and roll hand signs and shouted loudly.

Guo Xiaomei chimed in, "I’m surprised she didn’t break her back this time."

Xiu Yulan and Sun Yurong nodded in agreement. "Tell me about it..." they said uniformly.

Meanwhile, Chen Yuxi remained calm, unimpressed by the game. To her, it was just another excuse for lazy disciples to avoid cultivation.

In Team 1’s dugout, Ling Meiyan stood up. Mu Zhong, still seated with legs crossed, noticed her and smiled. He grabbed a dao bat from beside him and passed it to her. "Good luck," he said, "You’re the fourth batter, so make sure you bring us a win."

Ling Meiyan looked at Mu Zhong gratefully. "Aw, thanks," she said, taking the dao bat from him before heading out.

As Ling Meiyan stepped up to bat for Team 1, she exuded confidence. The crowd erupted into cheers, with even a group of burly, hairy men tearing their robes to reveal tattoos of her name and face on their chests. "We love you, Ling Meiyan!" they shouted enthusiastically.

"It only makes sense to make her the fourth batter!"

"She’s a Grandmaster just like Mu Lingxi, and even far more talented!"

"Yes! We don’t get to see Senior Sister Ling much, but now that we do, my heart can rest in peace!"

"She’ll definitely score it for them!"

Ling Meiyan could only manage an awkward smile as she forcefully soaked in the cheers.

All these cheers... I don’t work well under pressure.

Meanwhile, Mo Chang stood at the ball’s origin, ready to throw.

Grandmaster Ling, I doubt I’ll be able to eliminate her... I’ll just have to work hard enough to impress the Young Miss later into the game...

"Can she hit a celestial run?" Mu Lin said as she sat beside her older brother, Mu Zhong.

"Of course..." said a serious Mu Zhong. "Not only is she a beautiful woman, she’s a 2nd Path cultivator, something like this is trivial for her."

"Good for us then!" Mu Lin giggled.

"Eh?" Mu Zhong looked at his sister. "Aren’t you on the opposing team?"

"Ehhhhh...."

Six seconds later...

"Strike!"

"Strike!"

"Strike, batter out!"

The dao bat slipped from Ling Meiyan’s grasp, and she fought back tears, forcing a sorrowful smile. "I can’t believe this," she muttered, walking away as if she’d seen a ghost.

Sun Yuying, waiting on the field to catch at least one dao ball, couldn’t believe it either. "She didn’t hit a single one?" she questioned herself, bewildered.

The once-enthralled crowd fell into murmurs of confusion.

"I can’t believe I’m saying this, but Grandmaster Ling might be more useless than that fat-chested dumbo, Meizhen."

"How could she not hit one ball?"

"Even with her reaction time! Isn’t she a 2nd Path Cultivator?!"

...

The game continued fiercely, with Team 1 and Team 3 locked in a neck-and-neck battle. There was no breathing room for either side as they fought tooth and nail.

Ninth inning, Team 1 at bat!

On the field, Lu Lin stood on third, focused on braiding her hair, while Mu Zhong waited on second with laser-like focus, channeling spiritual energy into his Qi-infused glove, ready for any pitch.

Yang Wei come on, win this for us...

Mo Chang, the dao master pitching for Team 3, faced off against Yang Wei, the celestial batter for Team 1!

The crowd erupted into cheers, urging Yang Wei on.

The girls screamed, hoping for a victory.

"Go, Senior Brother Yang!"

"Our hearts belong to you!"

"You can do it!"

Yang Wei smirked confidently. "Don’t keep me waiting all day," he taunted.

Mo Chang remained stoic. "Don’t be silly," he retorted.

WHOOOOSH!

He made his first pitch.

Yang Wei batted it!

He made his second pitch.

Second verse same as the first, Yang Wei batted it with even more venom!

Everyone was clapping.

"Wow, Yang Wei never ceases to impress~" Guo Xiaomei stared flirtatiously at him from where she was seated.

Sun Yurong then said, "Indeed, even I know that." She proudly placed a hand on her inflated chest.

"Why’s this bastard pretty boy succeeding!" Gu Zhi ruffled her withered, gray hair in frustration.

Chen Yuxi just yawned. "Interesting..." she plainly said.

Mo Chang looked around, and everyone already knew that this game was going to Team 1 with the way Yang Wei was batting like a pro. He looked at Mu Lingxi and even she looked like she’d given up.

I can’t fail the Young Miss. Do I... use that move...? No, it’s...

He then looked at Mu Lingxi’s frustrated face again, and then he looked to their team’s dugout and there he saw Mu Yuki giving him a thumbs up.

Mo Chang nodded confidently. "Just this once..."

He tucked his pitching hand behind his back, conjuring two rapidly rotating dao balls out of spiritual energy. With a swift motion, he hurled them at maximum speed. The first one zipped so fast that Yang Wei instinctively swung, but it vanished into thin air.

"A fake?" Yang Wei exclaimed.

Meanwhile, the slower-moving dao ball landed squarely in the catcher’s glove.

The referee wasted no time, shouting, "Strike! Batter out!"

"EHHHHHHH?!"

The crowd erupted in disbelief.

Mu Zhong and Mu Lingxi frowned, joined by a good number of veteran cultivators.

But Mo Chang stood there, sporting a satisfied grin, knowing he’d won.

This just proved how much more skilled I am than you, Yang Wei...

Yang Wei inspected his dao bat, then glanced at Mo Chang, muttering to himself, "Wait, I’m sure I hit that..."

Before he could dwell further, the referee declared Team 3 the winner. "7 to 6! Everyone, show your respect!" she announced, clearly eager to wrap up the game.

As the players exchanged handshakes and some began to leave, the spectators from both sects found common ground in their admiration for beauty and love for heavenly dao ball.

Both it was more obvious they loved Mu Lingxi, Mu Zhong, Ling Meiyan and Yang Wei more than the game itself. Some men and women had fainted from the over excitement of seeing their favorite people compete.

Yang Wei, still perplexed, swung his bat in frustration, unable to comprehend how he missed. "It just vanished. I’m certain there were two," he puzzled.

Suddenly, Mu Lin rushed over, waving enthusiastically with a cute grin on her face that made her nose wrinkle up a bit. "Wei!" she called out.

"Oh, Lin’er," Yang Wei replied absentmindedly.

Mu Lin attempted to cheer him up, "You’re still bothered about that last round? Forget it! Your performance was so impressive." She folded her arms and proudly nodded. "I was so proud when I saw how all the other women were crushing hard on you, little do they know I’m far ahead of them."

"Hmm," Yang Wei was too preoccupied, still trying to make sense of what happened, inspecting his dao bat meticulously.

Mu Lin pouted at Yang Wei then grumbled, catching his attention. "What’s up?" he asked.

"You’re not listening to me," she complained.

"Oh, my bad," Yang Wei apologized, holding out the dao bat to her. "I just find it weird how the ball went past me when I clearly hit it." He bent the bat in different angles still analyzing it.

Mu Lin yawned and wrapped her arms firmly around his left arm. "Does it really matter now?" she said, smiling gently. "Let’s go see what I have at my place. I’ll cook you something delicious to cheer you up."

"Ooh, I like the sound of that," Yang Wei grinned, tossing the bat away.

...

Meanwhile, Mu Lingxi walked quietly along the sect’s wide paths. Despite her team’s victory and winning Yang Wei, she couldn’t muster a smile. Ahead, Mo Chang waited with his hands firmly tucked behind his back.

Unexpectedly, Mu Lingxi passed him without acknowledgment.

"Y--" Mo Chang hesitated but finally spoke up, "Young Miss."

She glanced at him. "Do you want something from me?" she asked bluntly.

Mo Chang hesitated before responding. "I wanted to ask if—"

Mu Lingxi cut him off. "For the last pitch, you used the shadow ball technique, didn’t you? That would’ve gotten us penalized if the referee had seen it."

Mo Chang bowed his head. "I apologize. I only did it to ensure our victory."

Out of nowhere, Mu Lingxi asked with a firm tone, "Do you know why almost everyone in this sect likes Yang Wei, even though he can be painfully arrogant?"

Mo Chang shook his head. "No."

"Because he’s a man in a women’s world who worked hard to cultivate," Mu Lingxi explained. "He didn’t take any shortcuts - and trust me when I say he can if he cared enough to. He earned his place as a Star Disciple through his own power, no one elses."

Mo Chang fell silent, unsure of how to respond, but Mu Lingxi didn’t wait for his reply. Her final words to him were, "I don’t know about you... but I hate cheaters."

She was gone.

Mo Chang stood in silence, eventually revealing the blue moon flower he had hidden behind him, gazing at it with a somber expression.

Sigh~ why am I lying to myself... I wanted to win because I didn’t want to lose twice to that bastard...