After Lin Xiaowan left in a hurry, the room fell into a brief silence.
Duan Xianxing scratched his head and suddenly laughed. "I didn't expect the Shenmu Sect to have so many good people."
Feng Qingping let out a soft snort. "They're much better than certain 'righteous' sects."
"The Sword Heart Sect..." Mu Wenyan mused. "It seems they are indeed plotting something."
"No matter what they are plotting, their ultimate goal is the same," Zhu Yinxi said calmly. "They cannot allow our Five Elements Dao Sect to reclaim a seat among the Eight Sects."
Feng Weilan leaned weakly against the headboard, his face as pale as paper. "It's a pity that I'm in this state... I'm a burden to everyone."
"Nonsense!" Feng Qingping immediately glared at him. "You fought through the poison just to win your match. Who would dare call you a burden?"
Li Nanzhu said softly, "Sixth Senior Brother's points are already enough to place him in the top ten. For now, just focus on recovering from your injuries."
"I can't..." Feng Weilan struggled to sit up. "I can still..."
"Shut up!" Feng Qingping pressed him back onto the bed, her voice suddenly rising. "Do you have any idea what kind of poison you're dealing with? What if you damage your foundation by moving around!"
Everyone was startled by her reaction. The usually calm Feng Qingping's eyes were actually turning slightly red.
Seeing Feng Qingping like this, Feng Weilan was at a loss. He hurriedly pulled out a handkerchief and stuffed it into her hand.
"Qingping... I didn't mean to..."
Duan Xianxing quickly tried to smooth things over. "Sixth Senior Brother, just rest in peace! You have no idea how amazing Little Junior Sister was in her match; she even beat Leng Ruxiang! Besides, you still have me! I guarantee I'll bring back a first-place trophy!"
Feng Weilan looked at everyone, then at Feng Qingping's reddened eyes, and finally stopped insisting. "...Fine."
Mu Wenyan timely changed the subject. "Based on the latest points, the three of you have secured positions in the top ten. From here on, as long as we play it steady..."
Just then, a commotion suddenly erupted outside the door.
"Members of the Five Elements Dao Sect!" a deacon disciple shouted from outside. "The match list for the next round is out!"
Everyone was stunned. Why was it announced early this time? Nevertheless, they quickly went outside to receive the list.
"Arena one: Li Nanzhu of the Five Elements Dao Sect versus Cang Dongqing of the Sword Heart Sect."
"Arena three: Duan Xianxing of the Five Elements Dao Sect versus Mu Zeting of the Wuji Sect."
"Arena four: Feng Weilan of the Five Elements Dao Sect versus Qinghe of the Hehuan Sect."
"What?!" Duan Xianxing's eyes widened. "Little Junior Sister is against Cang Dongqing?"
Feng Qingping sneered. "It's finally happening."
Mu Wenyan's brow furrowed. "The Sword Heart Sect has likely come up with some counterstrategy."
Li Nanzhu, however, was exceptionally calm. "We had to face them sooner or later."
As a supporting female character, she was bound to clash with the heroine eventually. It was just happening a bit later than she had estimated.
Inside the room, hearing the commotion, Feng Weilan forced himself up. "The list..."
Feng Qingping immediately turned around and pushed him back down. "You stay lying down!"
Duan Xianxing stared at the match list, saying incredulously, "That guy Mu Zeting actually made it into the top ten? I remember he hasn't even reached mid-stage Foundation Establishment, right?"
Jiang Yifan, who was organizing the medicine chest, said without looking up, "He brings hundreds of talismans onto the stage for every match and starts a carpet-bombing run the moment it begins. Even if someone gets close, he has over a dozen layers of protection talismans active. He simply grinds his opponents down until their spiritual energy is exhausted."
"That's just shameless!" Duan Xianxing waved his arms exaggeratedly. "You can play a match like that?"
Zhu Yinxi lightly stroked his jade flute. "As long as it's within the rules, it's considered a skill."
"Qinghe actually made it into the top ten as well." Li Nanzhu was also somewhat surprised. That girl from the Blackwater Marsh was stronger than she had imagined.
Feng Qingping, who was tucking in Feng Weilan's blanket, smiled slightly. "It's not your fault for not noticing. Back then, our attention was on the evil cultivators and Fourth Senior Brother. Plus, Rong Yuying's radiance was too bright, causing us to overlook her."
"This works out well," Mu Wenyan said thoughtfully. "Given Sixth Junior Brother's current state, he can simply forfeit. Consider it returning the favor for when the Hehuan Sect voluntarily forfeited to us before."
Lying on the bed, Feng Weilan frowned slightly at the suggestion, a small movement that Feng Qingping noticed immediately.
"You stay right here!" Feng Qingping glared at him. "Believe it or not, I won't take you with me next time I go out!"
Feng Weilan immediately shut his mouth and lay back obediently.
Seeing this, Duan Xianxing leaned toward Li Nanzhu's ear and whispered, "Sixth Senior Brother is usually such a cold person, but whenever he's in front of Fifth Senior Sister..."
Li Nanzhu suppressed a giggle, but when she caught Feng Qingping's sharp gaze, she quickly straightened her expression. "I'm going to prepare for tomorrow's match."
The next morning, the martial arts arena was already packed with people.
Everyone was looking forward to today's duel: Li Nanzhu of the Five Elements Dao Sect against Cang Dongqing of the Sword Heart Sect.
One was Cang Dongqing, who already had a famous reputation in the cultivation world, and the other was the seemingly weakest junior sister of the Five Elements Dao Sect.
Regardless of the outcome, their duel was enough to draw everyone's attention.
"Arena one: Li Nanzhu of the Five Elements Dao Sect versus Cang Dongqing of the Sword Heart Sect!"
Li Nanzhu walked slowly onto the stage. Opposite her, Cang Dongqing, dressed in white, was already standing still and waiting. Their eyes met, and invisible sparks seemed to fly in the air.
"Junior Sister Li." Cang Dongqing nodded slightly and said with a smile, "Blades have no eyes in a competition. If I happen to injure you later, please know it was unavoidable."
Li Nanzhu's eyes showed no emotion. "You're right. So if I happen to injure you later, don't ask your master to come try and kill me again."
She deliberately emphasized the word "kill," causing Cang Dongqing's smiling expression to freeze for a moment.
The spectators below didn't understand the hidden meaning, but seeing the thick scent of gunpowder between the two, they were all extremely excited.
"In my opinion, Fairy Cang will definitely win! She's the one who killed an evil cultivator!"
"That Li Nanzhu doesn't look weak either, though her cultivation is still a bit lower. I'm also rooting for Fairy Cang."
"No, no. Even if Fairy Li's cultivation is slightly inferior, she has triple spiritual roots! She must have more tricks up her sleeve!"
Amidst the discussion of the crowd, the referee finally announced the start of the match.
As soon as the words fell, Cang Dongqing struck first. With a swipe of her sword-fingers, three golden sword qi tore through the air. This sword qi was incomparably sharp, making it seem as if the air itself was being sliced apart.
Li Nanzhu did not dare to be careless. She immediately circulated the Kalpa Fire Dance Sutra. Her Fellow Daoist sword erupted in raging flames as she swung, her red sword light clashing head-on with the golden glow.
Boom!
Amidst the deafening explosion, Cang Dongqing's figure suddenly vanished. The next instant, she appeared behind Li Nanzhu, her sword-fingers aimed straight for the back of Li Nanzhu's heart!
"So fast!" Duan Xianxing exclaimed from the sidelines.
"This is likely her true strength." Feng Qingping's expression grew solemn. Although they had studied Cang Dongqing's methods beforehand, they hadn't expected her to hide her power so deeply!
"This will be a tough fight for Little Junior Sister..."
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