He Saixue stood under the stage and gave Wang Xiaoqiang a fist salute, "Thank you, Senior Brother Wang, for showing mercy. Sai Xue will keep this in mind!"

On the stage.

Initially annoyed, Wang Xiaoqiang saw Hee Saixue concede and thank him, and the ire in his heart dissipated like smoke. Looking at her face as pure as driven snow, Wang Xiaoqiang thought to himself that this woman was indeed an ice-clever girl, knowing her cultivation base was shallow. She had taken out her most prized magic treasure as soon as she got on the stage, hoping to win this match by luck. Seeing she couldn't win, she promptly retreated in full, without injuring a muscle or moving a bone, and gave thanks in a gesture of goodwill, not to become an object of his resentment.

Under the watchful eyes of the audience, Wang Xiaoqiang leaped down from the arena, nodding graciously to Hee Saixue below, "Junior Sister Sai Xue, there's no need for formality!"

"Little Qiang, don't bother with that Fox Demon; hasn't she plotted against you enough?" Ye Qingcheng glared at Hee Saixue and then pulled Wang Xiaoqiang away.

"I think Qingcheng Sister has misunderstood. I didn't mean to scheme against Senior Brother Wang. Otherwise, I would've directly used the Gentle Silk for a sneak attack, which would have greatly increased my chances of success..." Seeing the two leaving, Hee Saixue spoke up immediately.

Ye Qingcheng turned around, speaking to Hee Saixue, "Having a magic treasure is all well and good, but how is it that you've never shown affection for any man? Clearly, you're someone who is heartless and unsympathetic..."

As Ye Qingcheng spoke, she pulled Wang Xiaoqiang away again.

Hee Saixue was startled for a moment, contemplating Ye Qingcheng's words, and thought to herself – maybe there is some truth to what she said. Why can't I develop feelings for a man? Or have I not met the right person yet?

After two more rounds of competition, the top ten were decided, including Wang Xiaoqiang, with the remaining nine contestants having Qi Jingtian and only one female disciple, Zhao Wushuang.

Zhao Wushuang, the highest-ranking female disciple of her generation, had understandably made it into the top ten with her Mid Golden Core Stage cultivation.

All ten disciples had cultivation bases above the Golden Core, the cream of the Taiyi Sect's crop. They continued to draw lots for their matches. Aside from Qi Jingtian, the others feared drawing a number that would pair them with Wang Xiaoqiang, for it was well-known that although Wang Xiaoqiang's cultivation seemed to be at the Early Golden Core Stage, he was far beyond that. Just how far his realm extended, no one could ascertain.

Despite the fear, someone inevitably drew the lot that matched them with Wang Xiaoqiang's – the number 4, while Wang Xiaoqiang drew the number 3.

As expected, the fourth contestant was effortlessly defeated by Wang Xiaoqiang and ousted from the arena.

After this round, five contestants were eliminated, leaving five competitors who drew lots again. The one who drew number 5 rested while the others fought. The defeated would duel, and the victor would advance to challenge the resting combatant.

Wang Xiaoqiang drew number 5, much to the silent relief of everyone except Qi Jingtian.

Then, Qi Jingtian drew number 4 and faced off against a male disciple who drew number 3. Zhao Wushuang drew number 1 and faced a male disciple who drew number 2.

The results were as follows: Zhao Wushuang narrowly defeated the number 2 male disciple. Qi Jingtian effortlessly won against number 3. During the duel of the defeated, number 3 emerged victorious and faced Wang Xiaoqiang in the arena, but again, to no surprise, Wang Xiaoqiang triumphed.

Seeing Wang Xiaoqiang advance to the top three filled the South Gate Sect Master, Guo Shoujing, with relief as he stood up and took a deep breath, releasing the frustration and humiliation of the past ten years.

The South Gate disciples made it into the top three! Not just Guo Shoujing, but all the South Gate disciples exhaled deeply in relief.

In this triumvirate, Wang Xiaoqiang represented the South Gate, Qi Jingtian the West Gate, and Zhao Wushuang the East Gate. Due to the death of Jiang Yulong and Lin Jinghong, the North Gate lacked top talent, marking this year as their decline.

North Sect Hongzhong's face lacked luster, and his heart was fraught with unease, uncertain how the True Person of Taiyi would punish him.

According to the rules, the top three still needed to determine their rankings. The rules followed the same pattern: drawing lots, with number 3 resting, while numbers 1 and 2 dueled. The loser would challenge the resting number 3, deciding the victor and ultimately the rankings: Third Place Winner, and then the final match between the last round's winner and the challenger to determine the champion and runner-up.

Wang Xiaoqiang drew number 3 and rested, Qi Jingtian drew number 2, and Zhao Wushuang drew number 1.

Mockery rippled through the audience when Qi Jingtian drew his lot, but he remained unfazed. With a sweep of his hand and his robe fluttering elegantly, he leaped onto the stage with supreme grace...

As Qi Jingtian ascended to the platform, a thunderous applause and cheers rose from below, "Jingtian, Jingtian, a marvel that moves Heaven and Earth!"

Zhao Wushuang, cradling a pipa, in a white dress that billowed as if in a breeze, ascended gracefully to the platform. Her appearance and poise were like that of an Immortal Maiden of the Nine Heavens descending to the mortal realm. As Zhao Wushuang arrived on stage, the male disciples also cheered, "Wushuang, Wushuang, unrivaled under the Heavens!"

Clearly, both individuals had high profiles and were incredibly popular within the Taiyi Sect.

The match started swiftly. Compared to Ye Qingcheng, Zhao Wushuang's demeanor was even colder and more distant, and certainly none of Hee Saixue's warmth. She could be described as an icy mountain, for both on and off the plateau, Zhao Wushuang maintained a chilly allure, keeping everyone at bay. This aloofness was precisely what elevated her status in the hearts of the male disciples; a common mindset among men where the unattainable is most desirable, the unreachable is most valuable. Of course, another reason was Zhao Wushuang's cultivation, the highest among all female disciples.

Even in the face of Qi Jingtian, Zhao Wushuang retained her cool allure, her face expressionless as she cradled the pipa, eyeing Qi Jingtian icily. Qi Jingtian, with his great talents and after more than half a year of seclusion and improvement in both his cultivation and mental state, gave a small salute when met with Zhao Wushuang's silence, "I shall be bold to call you Junior Sister Zhao. Junior Sister Zhao, please make your move."

Zhao Wushuang still said nothing, but her hands moved, her delicate fingers strumming the pipa.

The sound of music, like the plinking of pearls on a jade plate, was pleasing to the ear.

Upon closer listening, it was a beautiful piece of music—

"On the lavish Jinse, fifty strings play without reason, each one stirring memories of youth. Zhuang Zhou in his morning dream confuses himself with a butterfly, while Emperor Wang's spring heart is entrusted to the cuckoo."

"The sea's moon is bright and pearls shed tears, Lantian's sun is warm and jade gives off smoke. Can this sentiment wait to become a memory? Only at that time, it was already confused."

All the disciples below immediately craned their necks, listening carefully to this unprecedented melody. Usually, they would never hear such wonderful music, because Zhao Wushuang's "Ruthless Pipa" was not something she would take out casually. Even in the earlier competition, she hadn't used it until she had no choice but to bring it out against Qii Jingtian.

"What beautiful music!" Qii Jingtian gave Zhao Wushuang a slight smile and said.

Suddenly, the music took a sharp turn, going from gentle and melodious to sonorous and obscure, as if the sound of thousands of troops could be heard within it.

The disciples with lower cultivation bases immediately covered their ears.

Qii Jingtian stared at Zhao Wushuang with a cold gaze, his expression changing slightly, yet he still remained motionless.

Suddenly.

Zhao Wushuang's index finger hooked one of the pipa strings, plucked and loosened it, and instantly, a red stream of True Qi, like flames, shot out towards Qii Jingtian.

Qii Jingtian's eyebrows twitched, and his eyes narrowed as he swiftly dodged to the side. Still, he was grazed by the flame-like True Qi, scorching and blackening a small part of his robe, making him appear somewhat disheveled.

There was a sigh from the audience below.

In terms of cultivation base, Zhao Wushuang was not weaker than Qii Jingtian, and no one knew the true extent of Qii Jingtian's power after his recent seclusion. However, due to some family matters, Zhao Wushuang had been too busy to cultivate lately. Comparing the two, Qii Jingtian seemed more likely to win.

However, it was unexpected that Zhao Wushuang's surprise attack almost succeeded in throwing Qii Jingtian off.

Qii Jingtian no longer dared to be careless. He extended his right hand, and a point of light appeared in his palm. It flashed, flashed again, and then expanded, forming a two-meter-long column of light that enveloped a spear.

"Life-Snatching Gun!" The crowd exclaimed. The Life-Snatching Gun was not to be taken lightly; once used, it aimed to take lives, clearly indicating how fierce this magic treasure was.

"Hmph!" Facing the Life-Snatching Gun, Zhao Wushuang was neither fearful nor apprehensive. She snorted and once again manipulated the strings of the Ruthless Pipa with her jade fingers. This time, two fingers stirred two strings.

Whoosh whoosh~

Two streams of True Qi flew out, one like a flame and the other like the head of a water arrow, both aiming for Qii Jingtian.

Qii Jingtian gave a cold snort, and with a flick of the Life-Snatching Gun, he projected two blossoms of spear flowers. These spear flowers, formed by the True Qi, spun tirelessly, growing larger in the spinning motion and taking the shape of two umbrella-like shields in front of him.

The next moment—

Boom!! Boom!!

Zhao Wushuang's flame True Qi and the water-arrow True Qi struck the umbrella-shaped spear flowers and exploded.

Both spear flowers were shattered by the blast, but in the explosion, both the water and fire True Qi dissipated into nothingness.

"Heh, heh, that's quite interesting. Let's continue," said Qii Jingtian, smiling slightly at Zhao Wushuang, showing a rather composed mindset.

"Take this!" Zhao Wushuang's eyebrows arched as she swiped her jade finger across the Ruthless Pipa, releasing five streams of True Qi in succession—one shone with a metallic luster, one was flame-like, one resembled a water arrow, one was the color of green wood, and one was earthy yellow,

All five streams of True Qi shot toward Qii Jingtian simultaneously.

Wang Xiaoqiang watched the five streams of True Qi fired by Zhao Wushuang intently, feeling inwardly shocked. It's known that the Taiyi Sect's Basic Cultivation Technique, the Five Spirit Techniques, could draw Spiritual Energy from the Five Elements, albeit only a trivial amount. How could this woman release five kinds of True Qi representative of the Five Elements, and with such overwhelming power?

Could it be that she has a Five Elements Spirit Spring inside her?

While Wang Xiaoqiang pondered in surprise, those five streams of True Qi shot towards Qii Jingtian.

Seeing Zhao Wushuang unleash all her tricks, Qii Jingtian spared no effort. He focused all his power, gave the Life-Snatching Gun a shake, and flicked out five spear flowers. The spear flowers spun and grew larger, standing as a barrier in front of him.(To be continued. If you like this work, feel free to come to QiDian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendation tickets and monthly passes. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)

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