"Lu Zaiye!"
Lu Zaiye only slowly walked out of the room after hearing Xu Yi speak.
As expected, the moment he took a step out of the door, Xu Yi called out to him.
After walking to Xu Yi's side in silence, he couldn't help but sigh in his heart.
After sighing, he was stunned by himself.
Before he could ponder the reason, Xu Yi asked him about his assessment again.
He cast aside the inexplicable emotion he had just felt and answered Xu Yi's question lightly.
While this assessment might have been difficult for others, it was almost effortless for him.
Once the assessment began, he saw through the disguises of the Master and the others at a glance, and passed the assessment in a very short time.
He stood before the thatched hut for almost three hours before his second companion, who had also passed the assessment, arrived.
Upon hearing this, Xu Yi raised her arm and patted his shoulder encouragingly, "Not bad, not bad, you have my spirit."
Lu Zaiye, who was speechless by Xu Yi: ...
Bai Shan, who was dumbfounded: ...
While Xu Yi was talking to Lu Zaiye, the rest of them also gradually walked out of their rooms.
After a night's time, everyone's emotions had largely recovered.
Feng Qingyang and the other two left; their cultivation would continue.
When the seven of them arrived at the thatched hut, Liu Yin Xiao and Yu Chun Dao were already waiting.
Seeing that everyone had arrived, Liu Yin Xiao used spiritual energy as a brush and drew a profound rune in the air with his hand.
As soon as Liu Yin Xiao started, Xu Yi stared intently at his movements. However, before the rune was even finished, she felt a sharp stinging sensation in her eyes, forcing her to close them.
Even though her eyes were closed, she was filled with unwillingness in her heart.
At this moment, a mysterious spiritual energy surged from somewhere within her, enveloping her eyes.
Then she "saw" every movement Liu Yin Xiao made.
Her fingers subconsciously trembled slightly, following Liu Yin Xiao's movements. When Liu Yin Xiao was about to complete the last stroke, she suddenly opened her eyes, and her movements stopped immediately.
Her intuition told her not to follow Liu Yin Xiao to complete the rune, so she stopped at the last moment.
She glanced to the side and saw that the others were also closing their eyes tightly, clearly unable to look directly at the rune.
However, she thought she saw Lu Zaiye's eyelashes tremble slightly. She wasn't sure if it was her imagination.
Liu Yin Xiao and Yu Chun Dao looked at Xu Yi, who had opened her eyes earlier, and a hint of surprise flashed in their eyes.
But thinking of Xu Yi's identity, they quickly understood.
As the Ancestor of the Xuan Ji Sect, it was not unusual for Xu Yi to possess some peculiar traits.
Hum—
The rune dissipated.
A dark, gaping hole appeared silently in mid-air.
Through the hole, seven-colored light could be seen shimmering within.
"Teleportation array? No, this should be a spatial tunnel."
Xu Yi gazed at the hole, her eyes filled with fascination, and she couldn't help but murmur to herself.
"Follow me in."
Yu Chun Dao's voice jolted the others back to attention. They looked at the hole that had appeared in the air and nodded in unison.
Yu Chun Dao lightly tapped his toes, leaped upwards, and quickly disappeared into the hole.
The remaining few looked at Xu Yi.
Xu Yi smiled slightly, "Then I won't be polite."
She leaped up and was the second to enter the hole.
Afterward, Lu Zaiye, Bei Xing Han, and the others entered in order according to the grand competition rankings. By the time Liu Yin Xiao's figure disappeared into the hole, the opening rapidly closed, as if it had never existed.
...
Kunlun Academy.
On the training ground paved with Bi Tun Jin, two graceful figures stood on either side.
The woman on the left was dressed in white, with a face like frost, exuding an aura of aloofness that discouraged others from approaching.
The woman standing on the right wore a red palace dress and a red-gem-inlaid floral hairpin, looking dazzling and striking.
Their contrasting appearances drew gazes that shifted between them, yet it was difficult to declare a winner.
More than forty people had gathered around the training ground, and whispers could be heard from time to time.
"Wan Yan Xue is facing Nalan Yan again today. It looks like there will be good show."
"Nalan Yan lost to Wan Yan Xue last time. How dare she provoke Wan Yan Xue again?"
"I don't like what you're saying. Does losing once mean she'll always be inferior? Humph, I'm rooting for Nalan Yan this time."
"..."
The sounds from outside the training ground did not affect the two on the field.
Their gazes met in the air, and the intense clashing of spiritual energy could faintly be heard.
"Nalan Yan, you lost to me last time. This time will be no different."
Wan Yan Xue's expression was indifferent, but her heart was filled with hidden worry.
It had been a year since she last fought Nalan Yan. At that time, she had just broken through to the late stage of Divine Transformation, and her aura and mental state were at their peak, which allowed her to narrowly defeat Nalan Yan, whose strength was similar to hers.
However, the current situation was extremely unfavorable to her.
In the secret realm of the Ten Thousand Buddha Sect, she had endured a blow from Shangguan Yu Quan after he had entered a demonic state in order to escape. Her body had sustained internal injuries, and later, due to Lu Zaiye, the injuries had relapsed. To this day, her body had not recovered to its peak condition.
In other words, she was not confident that she could defeat Nalan Yan again.
However, she would naturally not reveal this. She intended to use her performance to intimidate Nalan Yan.
Nalan Yan's lips were as red as fire, and her eyes were defiant.
"Wan Yan Xue, you were just lucky last time and won by a fluke. You won't be so lucky this time."
Nalan Yan regarded her previous defeat as a deep humiliation. She would rather lose to anyone than to the hypocritical and pretentious Wan Yan Xue.
She had cultivated relentlessly during this period, all for the sake of avenging her past shame.
The more Wan Yan Xue provoked her now, the stronger her fighting spirit became.
Wan Yan Xue, naturally, also noticed the change in Nalan Yan, and her delicate eyebrows furrowed slightly.
In fact, there was another way to avoid this battle.
That was for her to show weakness and inform Nalan Yan about her unhealed injuries.
Given Nalan Yan's arrogant nature and the presence of so many people, she certainly wouldn't take advantage of the situation and would end the match herself.
However, admitting weakness to Nalan Yan would be akin to bowing to her, which was also not the outcome she desired.
Nalan Yan found herself in a dilemma.
Your greatest enemy knows you best.
Nalan Yan saw through Wan Yan Xue's hidden thoughts.
Nalan Yan sneered, her red lips parting slightly, "Heh, Wan Yan Xue, aren't you scared?"
Nalan Yan's beauty was stunning, and her smile was even more captivating, but to Wan Yan Xue, it was hideous and repulsive.
"How could I be afraid of a defeated opponent? If you want to fight, fine, but let's first agree on the stakes for this match, lest I fear certain people regretting it."
Wan Yan Xue's expression remained unchanged, as if her thoughts were as she had said. Only she knew how tense and helpless she felt at that moment.
She didn't want to lose, and even more so, she didn't want to lose to Nalan Yan.