The chaos of the battlefield was beyond imagination, but almost everyone was moving toward the edges.
Because Qu Siyao, standing in the center, had already gone on a rampage.
With a high-grade spirit technique and a top-tier spirit artifact, no one present dared to block her.
Even though Qu Siyao was now disheveled, and her once-luxurious clothes were missing a sleeve, her eyes were icy cold as she stood atop the pile formed by the defeated.
At that moment, no one dared to step forward for another round.
“Floating mayflies trying to shake a tree—overestimating yourselves…”
Qu Siyao’s words were full of sarcasm, and the spiritual light emanating from her body gave a sense of invisible pressure.
But the artifact in her hand was already damaged; she was clearly running on empty.
“That guy’s about to give out. If we all go in together, we can take her down!”
“Fuck off, how many times is this? It’s always you yelling from the back!”
“This time she’s definitely at the end of her rope. Everyone together, this time for sure…!”
…
Facing the troublemaker, Qu Siyao didn’t hesitate.
With a quick dash forward, she threw a punch, and the person who had been standing behind the crowd was sent flying like a cannonball.
“Am I at the end of my rope? Why don’t you come and find out for yourself…”
Before anyone could react, nearly everyone involuntarily turned their heads to look at Qu Siyao standing among the crowd.
The entire battlefield fell into a terrifying silence.
Though it was a battle of a hundred people, it had become Qu Siyao’s solo show.
Watching Qu Siyao’s astonishing performance and her aura as she fought a hundred alone, the elders on the observation platform had differing opinions.
“Too reckless. Not even a genius can withstand a siege by so many…”
“I’m not so sure. The momentum is already set. Who among the rest dares to advance?”
“Those juniors may be intimidated, but can’t you see? If she drains her body like this, winning the top spot will be difficult…”
The words contained both praise and criticism, but none denied Qu Siyao’s own strength.
Each elder shared their views on this first-place candidate.
Some elders believed that even if Qu Siyao didn’t take the top spot, it would be due to excessive exhaustion.
Only Murong Xue sat in the highest seat, silent.
Qu Siyao was too dazzling—like a candle wrapped in red, burning fiercely, emitting a brilliant light.
Meanwhile, Bai Qianqian, who had been hiding in a corner, was as calm as still water, without a ripple.
“To this extent, she still hasn’t used spiritual power…”
Murong Xue had expected Bai Qianqian to take advantage of Qu Siyao’s attrition and deliver a fatal blow.
After all, even Murong Xue herself slightly acknowledged the strength Qu Siyao had shown.
But Bai Qianqian just stood there, arms crossed, completely in a watching pose.
She did not join the siege, nor did she run and hide.
She would not take advantage of someone’s weakness, nor would she launch a sneak attack.
That posture gave Murong Xue an indescribable strange feeling.
It was as if the other party was an outsider standing aloof from the situation.
That expression was both unfamiliar and familiar—it was the look she herself wore when looking down on those beneath her.
‘Lin Xinyi, what kind of freak did you find…’
This battle, though chaotic, did not last long.
It was supposed to be a chaotic free-for-all with no rules, but no one expected Qu Siyao to actually fight her way out alone.
No initial alliances, no scheming backstabs—just her standing there, reducing the hundred-person melee to eight people.
‘So tired. My fists are numb from all that punching…’
Qu Siyao rotated her wrist and swept her gaze coldly.
Of the remaining seven, six subconsciously avoided meeting her eyes.
Only Bai Qianqian stood at the edge of the barrier, still as clean as when she first entered the selection.
“That one actually stayed too?”
As Qu Siyao swept the area, she saw Bai Qianqian standing not far away.
The moment she saw her, Qu Siyao was slightly startled—clearly not what she had expected.
‘Maybe that girl actually has some skill…’
She had thought Bai Qianqian was just a showpiece, but she hadn’t expected her to successfully remain.
Though initially surprised, Qu Siyao immediately curled her lips into a cold smile.
‘Fine by me. That gives me the perfect chance to defeat her in front of the Sect Master…’
Qu Siyao wanted to prove that Murong Xue had made the wrong choice, and she also hoped the girl had real skills.
Otherwise, winning too quickly would only make it seem like she was bullying the weak.
“The battle of a hundred is now over. Take a short rest; next, we will…”
“Hold on.”
The elder on the observation platform was about to announce the next rule, but at that moment, Murong Xue slowly looked down.
Normally, during the sect selection, Murong Xue wouldn’t say anything unnecessary even at the end.
But this time, she broke precedent by speaking.
The elder explaining the rules was taken aback for a moment, then wisely returned to his seat.
“The disciple I want to take won’t settle for just this much. You eight choose your own opponents. One round to decide the top spot.”
Murong Xue rested her cheek on one hand, a playful look in her eyes.
She lightly tapped her finger, and a spiritual power like frost instantly enveloped the entire barrier.
Qu Siyao was stunned when she heard the rule change, but quickly recovered.
“What’s this? This is exactly my chance to shine!”
Qu Siyao spun around sharply and looked at Bai Qianqian, who was still in a daze.
If she defeated her one-on-one too quickly, it wouldn’t prove anything.
But if she eliminated all seven remaining opponents, that would surely demonstrate her strength.
‘The top spot is mine…!’
Bai Qianqian stood still, tilted her head slightly, and glanced at the remaining few.
There was no obvious change in her expression.
Instead, Luo Qingyao crossed her arms, floating in midair, her eyes full of displeasure.
‘This woman, as Sect Master, casually changes the rules. So annoying.’
‘Luo-jie, can I use it?’
‘Ah, forget it. Half strength is fine.’
‘Mm.’
Having received Luo Qingyao’s permission, Bai Qianqian heard Qu Siyao’s taunting voice.
As she turned her head, she saw that the remaining six people had actually ignored her and surrounded Qu Siyao instead.
“Hey, you ants. You don’t seriously think that because you made it to the final eight, you can stand against me, do you?”
Qu Siyao was clearly used to this kind of situation.
Among her peers, she was already so strong that the others thought ganging up on her was only natural.
And Qu Siyao had accepted that mindset.
“You didn’t become the final eight because of your strength. It’s because there need to be eight for the next…”
The situation was almost one-sided.
This time, Qu Siyao finished even faster than before.
After all, when facing those earlier opponents, she had been holding back too.
[Willow Drawing Technique]
As the image of a willow tree appeared behind Qu Siyao, a leaf-shaped spiritual light adorned her body.
In an instant, her condition returned to its peak from earlier.
At the sight of this technique, even the elders on the observation platform became restless.
Just moments ago, Qu Siyao had been depleted of spiritual power, but now she had returned to her prime.
Such a technique was a trump card in battle.
Thus, the six opponents hadn’t even executed their planned siege before they were all knocked out of the barrier.
Only Qu Siyao and Bai Qianqian remained on the field.
“Aren’t you going to surrender?”
Qu Siyao intended to taunt her, but before she could say anything, the other party’s voice came first.
Hearing those words, Qu Siyao froze, wondering if her ears were playing tricks on her.
“Are you telling me to surrender?”
“You’ll get hurt…”
Faced with Bai Qianqian’s disdain, Qu Siyao’s heart filled with displeasure.
But she took a deep breath and forced the feeling down.
Casually picking up a weapon from the ground, she pointed it at Bai Qianqian in front of her.
She couldn’t understand why this girl still had the confidence to say such things.
“Just like you asked me just now, I’ll ask you again. Aren’t you going to surrender?”
“No need. Because you’re weaker than me.”
“Then I’ll just have to try!”