"Number seventeen competition stage, Xu Yi wins!"
The elder of the Ten Thousand Buddha Sect announced the result of the match with a peculiar glance at Hong Sheng Yi's joyous receding figure, then chuckled and shook his head.
Youngsters nowadays...
After the second round of matches concluded, a total of twenty Nascent Soul disciples advanced to the third round, the majority of whom were from the Five Great Sects.
The third round was scheduled for the following morning. The crowd on the competition grounds began to disperse.
Xu Yi bid farewell to Elder Qing Feng and headed directly towards the Xuan Qing Sect's direction.
Elder Qing Feng remained in place, stroking his chin and chuckling, earning a disdainful look from Yun Ling Er.
"Sect Leader Qing Lian, thank you for the care provided by everyone in the Xuan Qing Sect during this period. Xu Yi is deeply grateful."
Xu Yi clasped her hands in a salute to True Person Qing Lian.
Regardless of True Person Qing Lian's previous intentions, she had indeed benefited considerably from him, and a polite word was appropriate.
"Hmph, Xu Yi, I truly underestimated you."
Seeing Xu Yi proactively come to admit her fault, Qing Lian Zhenren's lingering reservations completely vanished.
He was, after all, a Sect Leader. While his magnanimity might not encompass rivers and oceans, he wouldn't stoop to bickering with a disciple.
Noticing Qing Lian Zhenren's pleasant mood, Xu Yi grew bolder. She nodded to Long Hao Tian and the other two, and winked at Hong Sheng Yi, her small movements unabated.
She was finally caught red-handed by Qing Lian Zhenren and unceremoniously sent away.
With one matter resolved, Xu Yi paid no mind to Qing Lian Zhenren's attitude and trotted off to catch up with the Xuan Ji Sect's team.
The disciples of Xuan Ji Sect were delighted to see her and crowded around, eager to hear about her recent experiences.
Xu Yi, holding Pu Tao's hand with one and linking arms with Yun Ling Er, animatedly recounted her encounters in the Ten Thousand Monster Ridge.
Perhaps due to her fondness for storybooks, she could spin even an ordinary trial into a thrilling and captivating tale, holding the disciples spellbound with their expressions tense and occasional gasps of surprise.
Lu Zai Ye's eyes flickered with a hint of doubt from time to time. Had these events truly occurred in the Ten Thousand Monster Ridge? Why did he have no recollection of them?
Xu Yi's joyous reunion with the Xuan Ji Sect was short-lived, disrupted shortly after returning to their lodgings by an uninvited guest.
The leader of the Formation Heaven Alliance, Qiu Yuan Feng, had come to visit, specifically requesting to see Xu Yi.
Upon receiving the news, Xu Yi immediately guessed that Qiu Yuan Feng was there for Master Qiu.
She tidied her slightly dishevelled hair and went to the main hall with renewed vigor.
In the main hall.
Elder Qing Feng and Qiu Yuan Feng sat on the main seats, one on the left and the other on the right, both sporting identical forced smiles, the atmosphere charged with palpable tension.
In the early days of the Formation Heaven Alliance's establishment, Xuan Ji Sect had maintained close contact with them.
However, as time went by, the Formation Heaven Alliance gradually became dominated by a single individual's word, its modus operandi deviating further from its original tenets. Consequently, Xuan Ji Sect's interactions with the Formation Heaven Alliance dwindled, and no disciples of Xuan Ji Sect joined the Formation Heaven Alliance.
Therefore, when Xu Yi studied formation arts under True Person Jiu Gong, neither True Person Jiu Gong nor his disciples had ever mentioned the Formation Heaven Alliance to her.
Elder Qing Feng feigned a smile, "Sect Leader Qiu, with your demanding schedule, what business do you have with Xu Yi?"
"Elder Qing Feng flatters me," Qiu Yuan Feng replied impassively. "When Xu Yi arrives, Elder Qing Feng will naturally know."
The moment he finished speaking, Xu Yi entered the hall.
"Elder Qing Feng."
Xu Yi respectfully performed a disciple's salute to Elder Qing Feng.
Elder Qing Feng attempted to dodge, but at Xu Yi's subtle gesture, he had no choice but to accept the salute.
"Sect Leader Qiu, Xu Yi is here. You may speak."
As Qiu Yuan Feng's gaze fell upon her, Xu Yi felt a chill run through her body, as if countless sharp blades were pointed at her, ready to pierce her skin and flesh.
At that moment, Xu Yi realized Qiu Yuan Feng harbored murderous intent towards her.
She sneered inwardly, finding it ironic.
This was the leader of countless formation cultivators on the Kyushu Continent.
"I am here today to apologize to young friend Xu on behalf of my son."
Qiu Yuan Feng spoke with a stiff, forced smile.
It was evident that his elevated status meant he rarely made such expressions.
"This is a small token of my sincerity. I hope young friend Xu can overlook past grievances and forgive my son's momentary foolishness."
With a wave of his hand, he pushed a storage bag towards Xu Yi.
Elder Qing Feng frowned. Had his grand-disciple come into conflict with the people from the Formation Heaven Alliance?
Recalling Xu Yi's rapidly increasing cultivation, a cold glint appeared in Elder Qing Feng's eyes.
Xu Yi accepted the storage bag and peered inside, a smile playing on her lips.
Qiu Yuan Feng was indeed generous.
The contents within were enough to purchase an entire city.
Xu Yi picked up the storage bag, weighing it, and said to Qiu Yuan Feng with a smile, "Sect Leader Qiu's sincerity is abundant, and I, Xu Yi, am not one to press an advantage. My past grievances with Master Qiu are now settled."
As for the pursuit by members of the Formation Heaven Alliance, she would naturally seek retribution only when her strength allowed her to act with impunity!
Qiu Yuan Feng had not anticipated Xu Yi's swift and decisive response, rendering all his prepared remarks useless.
"She knows her place," he thought.
Qiu Yuan Feng did not truly regard Xu Yi with much importance.
She was merely a disciple in the Nascent Soul stage; he could crush her with a flick of his finger.
His visit today was merely to demonstrate his stance to the Xuan Ji Sect. After all, if Xu Yi were to lodge a complaint with the Xuan Ji Sect, the Formation Heaven Alliance might face some trouble.
"Young friend Xu is forthright," Qiu Yuan Feng praised, then produced a Level Six Formation Master's plaque. "Young friend Xu's strength is worthy of this plaque."
Xu Yi smiled, accepted the plaque, and remained silent.
After presenting the plaque, Qiu Yuan Feng took his leave.
Once he departed, Xu Yi lounged lazily in her chair, toying with the Level Six Formation Master's plaque.
After a moment, she raised her hand, summoned her spiritual fire, and placed the formation master's plaque into the blazing spiritual flames.
The Level Six Formation Master's plaque was a symbol of a Level Six Formation Master's identity. The refining materials used for it were also top-tier Level Six materials.
Xu Yi refined the formation master's plaque, then extracted several different refining materials from it, placing them aside separately. Only then did she reveal an undisguised cold expression.
"Grand-disciple, you and the Formation Heaven Alliance..." Elder Qing Feng seized the opportunity to ask.
"A minor friction. You need not interfere."
Xu Yi's voice was icy.
Qiu Yuan Feng's attitude today further made Xu Yi realize that he had some form of reliance.
She did not want the Xuan Ji Sect to be drawn into this quagmire.
The decision she had made in the past, she intended to fulfill herself.
"Grand-disciple!"
Elder Qing Feng's face was filled with disapproval.
Xu Yi was their Xuan Ji Sect's grand-disciple; how could they allow her to be bullied by outsiders?
Moreover, Xu Yi's expression indicated that the matters between her and the Formation Heaven Alliance were certainly more than a minor friction.
Xu Yi, for the first time, assumed the demeanor of a grand-disciple.
"No more discussion. I have this matter under control." She thrust the storage bag into Elder Qing Feng's hand. "Take these items and handle them."
With that, she waved her hand and left without looking back.
The existence of the Formation Heaven Alliance weighed upon her like a massive stone, fueling her urgency to grow stronger as quickly as possible.
Elder Qing Feng gazed at the storage bag in his hand and sighed, murmuring, "Are we truly going to stand by and do nothing?"
A man's cold voice echoed from the air.
"The grand-disciple's command is not to be disobeyed."
"Alas."