On the third day, the matches continued.
The most joyful news for the participants in the Golden Core Group was undoubtedly that Ji Xuerou had been successfully chosen as the Bye-Player.
This news made the vast majority of the participants breathe a sigh of relief. After all, most people were here to aim for a higher rank or even the championship. Who would want to face Ji Xuerou before the finals?
However, there were always exceptions.
“Ji Xuerou is probably worried that I’ll defeat her and steal her first place, so she must have rigged the drawing to make herself the Bye-Player.”
Bai Zhiqiu fiddled with the Lopan in her hand, standing next to Wu Yan with a serious expression.
“Heh, you actually think she’s avoiding your brilliance?”
As always, Yu Qingyao did not get along with Bai Zhiqiu. Seeing the other woman cozying up to Wu Yan as soon as she arrived, her tone became even more biting.
“I don’t think it’s impossible.”
“Zhiqiu, why are you here?”
Wu Yan was curious as to why Bai Zhiqiu would suddenly come to the Piaomiao Sect’s preparation area.
“I haven’t seen Sister Wu in so many days, so of course I missed you!” Bai Zhiqiu tried to take Wu Yan’s hand, but she was interrupted by the quick-witted Yu Qingyao behind her.
“You just saw her last week. What exactly are you talking about, woman?”
Hearing Yu Qingyao’s interrogation, Bai Zhiqiu waved her hand dismissively. “As the saying goes, one day apart feels like three autumns. I haven’t seen Sister Wu in five days, which means fifteen autumns have passed!”
“Miss Bai is as eloquent as ever.”
Sitting behind them, Xia Lingshuang took in the group’s interactions.
‘Even the Little Divine Diviner of the Tianyan Sect has been attracted to her?’
Hearing Elder Xia’s praise, Bai Zhiqiu waved her hands in embarrassment. “You flatter me, Elder Xia.”
As they were talking, the referee on the stage had already begun the drawing for the day’s matches.
The wheel spun and stopped, then spun and stopped again.
“Yu Qingyao of the Piaomiao Sect versus Zhang Lie of the Lingxiao Sect!”
With the referee’s announcement, the day’s matches officially began.
“Oh?” Hearing Zhang Lie’s name, Bai Zhiqiu raised an eyebrow and said with interest, “I didn’t expect Fellow Daoist Yu’s opponent to be Zhang Lie from the Lingxiao Sect…”
“So what if he is?”
“Since you asked, I must educate you a little.” Bai Zhiqiu clicked her tongue and shook her head, putting on a scholarly air. “This Zhang Lie is no ordinary person. He is a primary focus of the Lingxiao Sect’s nurturing. It is said that he possesses an extremely high-purity Metal Attribute Spiritual Root and has a deep talent for the Sword Dao. They say the Lingxiao Sect is training him to be the next Ji Xuerou.”
Speaking of other things might have confused people, but once the phrase “the next Ji Xuerou” was mentioned, everyone understood. The fact that he was being cultivated as the next Ji Xuerou meant that his talent was exceptionally high and his strength was formidable.
“Furthermore, I heard that he seems quite dissatisfied with Sister Wu.”
Yu Qingyao’s gaze suddenly became sharp.
“It seems he’s unhappy that Sister Wu is riding on Ji Xuerou’s fame.”
Wu Yan was somewhat surprised to hear this. She had never tried to associate herself with Ji Xuerou, so she didn’t understand where the idea of her “riding on her fame” came from.
Seeing Wu Yan’s confusion, Bai Zhiqiu explained, “Oh, it’s about when you two worked together to defeat the Nascent Soul Stage Demonic Ape in the Cangwu Secret Realm last time. He thinks you were just using Ji Xuerou’s reputation.”
For Wu Yan, this was truly a case of being struck by disaster through no fault of her own.
“So, he will definitely be very ruthless toward Fellow Daoist Yu!”
“It doesn’t matter.”
Yu Qingyao looked calm and composed, as if Bai Zhiqiu’s words had no effect on her at all.
Seeing Yu Qingyao’s confident expression, Bai Zhiqiu couldn’t help but feel curious. “Oh? Are you not nervous?”
—
On the stage, Zhang Lie looked at Yu Qingyao with a cold expression.
“So you’re that Wu Yan’s Junior Sister?”
His tone was extremely disdainful, and every word dripped with arrogance and conceit. “As expected, you have the same annoying look as your Senior Sister who likes to steal credit.”
Yu Qingyao did not respond to his mockery. She remained silent, tightening her grip on her sword.
“Let the match begin!”
As soon as the words fell, Zhang Lie’s attack surged toward Yu Qingyao like a tide. His longsword rippled with dense, metal-attribute Spiritual Power, aiming directly for Yu Qingyao’s face.
Her chestnut hair fluttered wildly under the pressure of the agitated Sword Chi, but Yu Qingyao flickered away, dodging the blow.
The golden sword light was reflected in her eyes, and then crimson flames erupted from the sword in her hand. The moment the fire appeared, the air on the stage burned with a wave of heat.
In an instant, Zhang Lie was surrounded by flames.
“Hmph, trivial tricks!” Zhang Lie roared, “GOLDEN LEATHER SLASH!”
A golden whirlwind rose up and crashed directly into the sea of fire. However, the scene Zhang Lie expected — where the whirlwind blew out the flames — did not happen.
On the contrary, the moment his Sword Chi touched the flames, it made a *sizzle* sound and completely dissipated.
“How is this possible?!” Zhang Lie’s pupils shrank, and he attacked the sea of fire again.
It was all in vain. His Spiritual Power and Sword Chi were entirely swallowed by the fire, turning into nothingness.
The flames gradually closed in, and a scorching heat wave hit him. His eyebrows and the tips of his hair began to curl and blacken. The surrounding air seemed to be incinerated, leaving him with a sense of suffocating despair. Only then did he realize that this was not a battle between equals at all.
“A word of advice: misfortune comes from the mouth.”
The flames surrounding Zhang Lie returned to Yu Qingyao’s sword, finally giving him a chance to breathe. The fire transformed into a dazzling Red Lotus, condensing at the tip of Yu Qingyao’s sword.
“Go.”
Under Yu Qingyao’s precise control, the Red Lotus sent Zhang Lie flying off the stage before it dissipated into sparks in the air.
The entire arena fell into a dead silence. It wasn’t until Yu Qingyao stepped off the stage that a wave of cheers broke out like a crashing tide.
“Yu Qingyao! Yu Qingyao! Yu Qingyao!”
A story of the weak defeating the strong always excited people, especially when one side was a genius from the Central Province’s number one sect, the Lingxiao Sect.
Yu Qingyao, a disciple from a bottom-tier sect, had undoubtedly given everyone a surprise — especially those who had bet on her.
“Hehe, I made a fortune!”
The smile on Bai Zhiqiu’s face was incredibly radiant. Her hands moved rapidly, making the beads on her Lopan click and clatter. “I knew Fellow Daoist Yu was strong, but I didn’t expect her to be this strong.”
“So, you intentionally provoked Qingyao in front of her?”
Seeing Bai Zhiqiu’s money-grubbing appearance, Wu Yan immediately understood why she had come over today and said those things to Yu Qingyao.
“No,” Bai Zhiqiu shook her head. “I really did come here to see you today, but I happened to perform a divination on my way here.”
At this, Bai Zhiqiu chuckled. “The hexagram told me that this trip would be a harvest. I didn’t expect Fellow Daoist Yu’s opponent to be that Zhang Lie from the Lingxiao Sect, so I decisively placed a bet on her. And as it turns out, I wasn’t disappointed!”
Bai Zhiqiu looked at Yu Qingyao as she walked toward the preparation area, her eyes shining as if she were looking at the God of Wealth.