"We won!"
"Hooray! We won!"
The people of Gunan Academy were almost in tears of joy.
They had initially thought they were doomed this time, that they were only here to be humiliated and disgraced, but they never expected to achieve such results under Yan Jiaojiao's leadership.
Everyone was deeply touched. Fortunately, Yan Jiaojiao was here, otherwise, they would have been finished!
"Thank you so much, Jiaojiao!" Jiang Yiling, who was always calm and composed, felt a surge of warmth as they learned they had won the second round.
Everyone had previously thought Yan Jiaojiao was the disciple with the least sense of belonging to Gunan Academy, but now they finally understood that being nonchalant did not mean lacking a sense of belonging.
When it came to feelings for Gunan Academy, no one could be stronger than Yan Jiaojiao.
"Don't celebrate too soon."
Seeing their elated faces, Yan Jiaojiao sighed and said, "We've only won one round. The upcoming team competition is the most crucial part, and they already have an idea of our strength now. The team competition will surely be a tough fight, so don't let your guard down."
In the past, Yan Jiaojiao had not paid much attention to things outside of cultivation. She appeared somewhat lazy, but after Gunan Academy faced trouble, she grew rapidly. The once aloof and awe-inspiring ancient ancestor had now become an excellent leader and a figure of faith.
Hearing Yan Jiaojiao's words, everyone fell silent unconsciously.
"Although we have amazed everyone with our performance in the second round, people are still not entirely clear about our actual strength."
Xiao Su had also become extremely steady. He used to love showing off, but now he had become taciturn, his regal aura even more potent.
He and Wen Jinshu had confirmed their relationship. This time, they were here to bring glory to Gunan Academy in the team competition.
Wen Jinshu's family background and status were well-matched with Xiao Su's. The two of them standing together, a handsome man and a beautiful woman, were a pleasing sight.
When the other disciples of Gunan Academy were competing, the two of them had been in seclusion for training. They only emerged to join everyone when the final round was imminent.
Yan Jiaojiao exchanged a glance with the two of them, nodded, and a faint smile touched her lips. "How was it?"
A hint of a smile appeared on Xiao Su's and Wen Jinshu's faces. "We successfully broke through."
Both of them were now cultivators at the fifth level of the Yellow Rank!
Everyone knew that the two of them had been stuck at the fourth level for a long time and had not advanced. Hearing this news, they immediately became excited.
"That's great!"
"Congratulations!"
With two cultivators at the fifth level of the Yellow Rank, Gunan Academy would fear no one in the team competition!
"Congratulations," Yan Jiaojiao said sincerely.
Xiao Su rubbed the back of his head. The prince, who was usually arrogant, seemed a little shy now.
Wen Jinshu was more direct. She grabbed Yan Jiaojiao's hand and said, "It's all thanks to the techniques you taught us. Practicing your methods, our spiritual energy absorption speed has become much faster than before."
Yan Jiaojiao replied, "As long as it suits your cultivation, that's good."
The cultivation methods she taught the disciples of Gunan Academy were actually derived from the methods Dongfang Cangwu had taught her back then.
It was not the original version he had taught her. It wasn't that she was holding back, but rather she could clearly feel that after consuming the God-Devouring Flower, her meridians and physique were stronger than others. Coupled with her being an ancient ancestor, her soul power was also more formidable, allowing her to keep up with Dongfang Cangwu's cultivation methods.
Although the disciples of other academies had talent, it was only slightly better than ordinary people. They had not reached her heaven-defying level.
Rushing into Dongfang Cangwu's methods could potentially cause them to explode.
The current method was more suitable for them, allowing them to progress gradually, widening their meridians and tolerance while increasing their cultivation speed.
"Although we are here for the honor of Gunan Academy this time, it is ultimately for our own improvement. There are many outstanding individuals in this academy competition. We must learn from the best and discard the rest, striving for our own advancement. This is what the academy masters and teachers would most hope to see."
Everyone responded in unison.
"Since you have finished your seclusion, I will submit the final list now. The competition venue for the team battle is the Wangliang Secret Realm in Wangliang Mountain. Everyone must be extremely careful. Do not relax your vigilance during these few days of preparation, and try not to leave the vicinity."
No one could be sure if the disciples from other academies were trustworthy. If they were to play dirty tricks again, for them, withdrawing from the competition would not be a loss, but for the disciples of Gunan Academy, it absolutely would be.
Moreover, with Gunan Academy on the verge of victory, being disqualified at this point was something no one could accept.
"Everyone go and rest now."
Yan Jiaojiao waved her hand. After some hesitation, she went to find the sect leaders in charge after everyone had left.
Shangguan Yuan and the others had been in seclusion for many days. They had been injured by Anuoxi, and to recover as quickly as possible, secluded meditation and cultivation were the fastest methods available to them.
Wen Jinshu and the others had entered seclusion around the same time as Shangguan Yuan. Since Wen Jinshu and the others had succeeded, Shangguan Yuan and the others should be close to it as well.
Yan Jiaojiao's guess was correct. When she arrived at the courtyard of the two sect leaders, she saw Shangguan Yuan exercising in the courtyard.
"Jiaojiao, you're here. I was just about to look for you."
Shangguan Yuan was very happy to see Yan Jiaojiao.
It was Gunan Academy's fortune to have a disciple like Yan Jiaojiao.
"What is it?"
Yan Jiaojiao strode over. "Is there any problem?"
Shangguan Yuan shook his head, his gaze sweeping behind Yan Jiaojiao, and asked curiously, "Where is your Little Black?"
Yan Jiaojiao replied, "I don't know where it ran off to play. Little Black is very mischievous."
Somewhere, Little Black, who was creating a slaughter, shivered.
At its feet was a dense black mist, forming flowing water. Stinking black liquid rolled on the ground, but it automatically parted when it approached Dongfang Cangwu, not daring to touch him in the slightest.
Dongfang Cangwu crushed the head of the last demon underling, watched the rapidly emerging black demonic energy, and tutted. He clenched his fist, and with a crackle, the black demonic energy, mixed with the underling's soul, was pulverized by Dongfang Cangwu.
"Tch, the demons really are going downhill."
Seeing no trace of living demons around, Dongfang Cangwu leaped up, his form turning into a stream of light and disappearing into the teleportation array.
Wangliang Mountain.
In the Gunan Academy resting area, Yan Jiaojiao poured Shangguan Yuan a cup of tea. After watching him finish drinking, Yan Jiaojiao asked, "Do you want more?"
Shangguan Yuan shook his head. "No need. I primarily wanted to talk to you about Xuan Chen."
Shangguan Yuan's face turned serious. "After all, he is our master. We want to understand his identity and his feelings towards Gunan Academy, so we plan to go find him."