The Ten Heroines are Insane! - Chapter 142:

Chapter 142: Yan Qiao’s ‘Test’, Qu Qinghan in Action:

The incident at the Holy Fire Palace sparked widespread discussion throughout the Holy Land. 

Some claimed that a maid from the Holy Fire Palace had made a mistake during her cultivation practice and accidentally destroyed her own room. 

Others believed that evil cultivators from the lower world had infiltrated the Holy Fire Palace during the night and were slain by the Holy Son, who, in the process, unintentionally demolished the maid’s quarters. There were even rumors that the explosion was the result of ancient evil spirits breaking free from their seals.

Despite the flood of rumors, the final rounds of the competition and assessment continued as scheduled. After multiple layers of selection, the 350 disciples who had made it to the final round were being gradually eliminated. Among them, more than twenty disciples from the Holy Land stood out as the most promising contenders.

The disciples in the audience initially observed quietly but soon began speculating loudly.

“In my opinion, Senior Brother Ye from the Holy Fire Palace has a very good chance this time. I’ve watched him compete several times, and he always wins with ease,” one said.

“You support Senior Brother Ye? I’m betting on Senior Brother Bai from the Nine Star Palace. Have you seen how he controls his opponents? It’s terrifying.”

“Don’t forget Junior Sister Lu from the Heavenly Cold Palace. She’s not only beautiful but also has excellent swordsmanship. I’d love to find a chance to talk to her…” someone added with a grin.

“Are you crazy? Didn’t you hear? Not long ago, someone tried to flirt with Junior Sister Lu and ended up with broken arms and legs. He’s still lying in bed,” another quickly retorted.

“Is it really that bad? She looks so gentle…”

Amidst the chatter, the new competition list was posted. When Bai Wangchuan saw his name paired with Zhang Heng, his expression shifted slightly. He turned to look at Zhang Heng, who was not far away.

“Senior Brother Bai is going to face Zhang Heng next?”

“Zhang Heng has changed so much in the past few days—it’s scary.”

“Are you suggesting that Senior Brother Bai might lose to that loser Zhang Heng?” the disciples whispered behind Bai Wangchuan.

Bai Wangchuan frowned. Zhang Heng’s recent performance had indeed exceeded his expectations. In each competition, Zhang Heng’s victories were swift and brutal. Even more alarming was the fact that all of Zhang Heng’s opponents either ended up disabled or seriously injured. Some disciples, seeing him approach, surrendered before the fight even began.

Bai Wangchuan felt uneasy. He was well aware of his past conflicts with Zhang Heng and could see that this Zhang Heng was not the same as before. After some thought, Bai Wangchuan walked over to Zhang Heng with a polite smile.

“Junior Brother Zhang, we will be competing in the next match. I hope you can be merciful,” Bai Wangchuan said.

Zhang Heng gave no response. He stood there like a wandering spirit, his eyes empty and his expression grim. Bai Wangchuan’s face darkened.

How dare he ignore me when I’m speaking to him politely?

“Junior Brother Zhang, no matter what, I am still the chief of the Nine Star Palace. If you don’t let me walk off the stage intact, don’t blame me for forgetting our past brotherhood,” he warned coldly.

With that, Bai Wangchuan stepped onto the competition platform. 

Zhang Heng, seemingly snapping out of his trance, moved stiffly toward the stage, his eyes flashing with a faint purple light.

On the observation platform, the elders sat cross-legged, casually discussing this year’s disciples.

“The new disciples are quite talented this year, especially Ye Fan and Lu Qingqing. It’s surprising how much they’ve achieved in just one year at the Holy Land,” one elder commented.

“One is from the Holy Fire Palace, the other from the Heavenly Cold Palace. No wonder—they are the two strongest palaces,” another replied.

The elders laughed and chatted without paying much attention to the competition below. To them, the disciples’ battles were no different from children playing games. There was no need to watch closely.

Meanwhile, on the throne…

Xu Ze rested his chin on his hand, watching Zhang Heng on the competition stage with keen interest. He could clearly sense the terrifying death aura intensifying around Zhang Heng. Without a doubt, this was Yan Qiao’s doing—one of the problems she had deliberately left behind for him to solve.

“There’s something wrong with that disciple’s aura… it’s death aura,” Qu Qinghan said, her expression growing serious.

With the memories of her nine lives, her sensitivity to death energy was no less than Xu Ze’s. The first thought that came to her mind was the image of the white-haired girl.

“Yan Qiao?” Qu Qinghan whispered to herself in shock, then stole a glance at Xu Ze. 

He appeared completely unaware, his face calm and indifferent. 

In Qu Qinghan’s view, Xu Ze had no memories of his past nine lives. 

To him, Yan Qiao should be no more than a stranger now.

But Qu Qinghan knew better. 

All ten female leads who were connected to Xu Ze in their past nine lives had retained their memories in this life. 

In other words, if Yan Qiao had truly appeared in the Holy Land, her objective was undoubtedly Xu Ze.

Qu Qinghan remembered well how dangerous Yan Qiao was. 

In her memory, that woman was a monster—so terrifying that even her allies once considered turning her into a living corpse puppet.

“Holy Son, I have something urgent to attend to. Please excuse me for a moment,” Qu Qinghan whispered in Xu Ze’s ear.

Xu Ze glanced at her and already understood her intentions. 

After a brief moment of thought, he nodded, “Go ahead. If anything happens that you can’t handle, don’t forget you have your boyfriend right here.”

Hearing this, Qu Qinghan blushed. 

The shyness swelling in her chest left her no time to overthink his words. She assumed Xu Ze was simply flirting with her again in front of so many people.

“Such a scoundrel!” she muttered under her breath, lightly punching him with her small fist before quickly turning away with a red face.

After watching Qu Qinghan leave, the smile on Xu Ze’s face faded, replaced by a cold indifference. His gaze shifted back to Zhang Heng and Bai Wangchuan, who were already standing on the competition stage, poised to begin their match.

“Yan Qiao, let me see what kind of challenge you’ve left me,” Xu Ze thought to himself.

Meanwhile, Qu Qinghan moved swiftly, leaving the assessment venue without making any public announcement. Knowing Yan Qiao was already within the Holy Land, she headed directly to the Holy Son’s palace.

Pushing open the palace doors, she found Nalan Yun sitting at a desk, furiously writing. Qu Qinghan paused for a moment, then scanned the room.

“Where are Lin Yu’er and Jing Xiaoxuan?” she asked.

Nalan Yun raised her head and pointed to the side room. “They’re over there. Coincidentally, they’re not busy right now.”

Without hesitation, Qu Qinghan walked toward the side room. At the mention of Yan Qiao’s name, Nalan Yun froze for a moment. A serious expression quickly replaced the previous focus on her face. She put down her pen, jumped down from the chair, and followed Qu Qinghan.

Inside the side room, Lin Yu’er and Jing Xiaoxuan were playing chess, locked in a quiet but fierce battle. Though there wasn’t much noise, the atmosphere was thick with unspoken rivalry, neither willing to accept defeat.

A soft cough broke their concentration. Qu Qinghan opened the door and stepped inside, startling both girls.

“Qu—Holy Maiden, what brings you here?” Lin Yu’er stammered, looking at Qu Qinghan with a complicated expression.

“I’m here because I have something important for you to handle,” Qu Qinghan said sternly as she and Nalan Yun entered the room. Her tone left no room for argument. “Right now, the only ones who can protect the Holy Son are the four of us. Do you understand?”