Feng Xiao, who had been nestled in Qi Yu's arms and silently watching, couldn't help but sweat a few drops from his forehead.

Something seems off about Xiaoyu's father.

Yes, I mean the brain.

Qi Yu stood there for a moment, pondering, before continuing his journey toward the Martial Arts Hall.

She walked through the crowd and, familiar with the place, arrived at the small round table where several people were already seated.

Yan Shi and the others were pondering tactics when Qi Yu sat down with complete ease, and they suddenly realized that she had arrived.

Besides Yan Shi, Wen Ru, Liu Xing, and He Miao, there was another unfamiliar face at the table.

A few days ago, Qi Yu sent them a message informing them that she could no longer participate in the team competition, but she did not explain why.

But Qi Yu was serious, so they had no choice but to find another fellow disciple to fill the vacancy.

Yan Shi was startled by Qi Yu's sudden appearance and said, "Grandmaster Uncle, didn't you say you couldn't come?"

Wen Ru asked with some concern, "Little sister, what happened?"

He Miao's expression was calm, but her eyes revealed a hint of inquiry.

Meteor looked at Qi Yu with the same trust as always, thinking that Qi Yu must have her reasons for not coming.

Qi Yu rested her chin on her hand and said, "I'm fine, it's just that I'm not qualified to participate in the team competition right now."

She looked at the unfamiliar senior brother dressed in white and said, "I still don't know which senior brother this is. He looks a bit unfamiliar."

Upon hearing this, the unfamiliar senior brother smiled and said, "Junior Sister Yu, my name is Lü Yang. I don't usually like to go out and about, so it's normal that Junior Sister Yu finds me unfamiliar."

Wen Ru smiled and said, "Senior Brother Lü Yang is at the Great Perfection of the Golden Core stage, so his strength is very reliable. We've also been getting along quite well these past two days, so you don't need to worry."

Qi Yu nodded and said, "Then I'm relieved."

At this point, Venerable Yangxi also began to announce the specific rules for the team competition.

The secret realms are still the same as before, but the area where you can move around is much larger than in one-on-one matches. And different tasks will be assigned according to the four modes of team competition - battle mode, treasure hunt mode, hunt mode and escort mode.

The team competition will officially begin after the rules are explained.

Wenru's team was the first to be drawn to start the competition, and their opponent was a team from Yunyang Sect.

This time, the mode is the simplest battle mode.

Because there are only about one hundred teams participating in the team competition, only two teams are drawn to compete in each round.

Above the water mirror, the two teams immediately engaged in battle upon entering the secret realm.

The first team match was a duel between disciples of the Yunyang Sect and the Feixing Sect, two super sects in the cultivation world, which immediately attracted the attention of all the cultivators in the Martial Arts Hall.

"My God, the people from Yunyang Sect are so strong! And the people from Feixing Sect are amazing too!"

"As expected of a major sect, the disciples they cultivate are truly remarkable."

However, some observant people noticed that Wenru's team was the same team that won first place in both one-on-one competitions as Yu Shengyan.

Strangely, Yu Shengyan did not appear in the secret realm at this time; instead, a young sword cultivator named Lü Yang was present.

Many people then turned their attention to the area where Yu Shengyan usually sat.

Then I saw Yu Shengyan, her head nodding and looking drowsy.

"Hiss... Yu Shengyan doesn't seem to be in any danger, so why is she suddenly not participating in the team competition?"

"I don't know, maybe she's just bored? Look, she's almost asleep."

Among the crowd, a girl in a colorful dress stared intently at Qi Yu, who seemed to be falling asleep, her eyes brimming with malice.

Seeing this, the young man standing next to her, who was trying to curry favor with her, cleared his throat and said, "Sister Caihuan, if you ask me, Yushengyan is afraid of running into you in the team competition, which is why she suddenly decided not to participate."

Cai Huan was quite popular in the Beast Taming Sect, and seeing that this young man had started, they all began to make sarcastic remarks.

"That's right! I saw that Yu Shengyan got first place in the beast fighting competition by using underhanded tricks. If we gave our Senior Sister Caihuan another chance, we would definitely beat her to a pulp!"

"Look, Yu Shengyan has straightened up. She must have heard what we said, but she didn't respond at all. She must be feeling guilty!"

The discussions among the Beast Taming Sect disciples reached the ears of the Yunyang Sect disciples. Some who were dissatisfied with Yu Shengyan for her lack of tact and for showing off in Yunyang Sect's home turf also began to whisper among themselves.

"In the final match of the martial arts competition, I think she only won against Senior Brother Chu Mo by using tricks. If Senior Brother Chu Mo were to meet her again in the team competition, there's no doubt she would lose!"

"Ha, deserting in the face of battle, isn't that just being afraid?"

Seeing that Qi Yu had no reaction at all, these people became even more arrogant and raised their voices, attracting more and more people to look at Qi Yu.

Qi Yu, who was at the center of the discussion, naturally heard these words. She didn't react at all, but just felt...

boring.

If she were to unleash her pressure, all the cultivators present, except for those sect elders with profound cultivation, would likely immediately collapse to the ground in excruciating pain, begging for mercy.

But these people are not at the level where she needs to take action.

That's too low-level.

These sarcastic remarks did not cause her any harm.

Qi Yu rested her chin on her hand and looked at the water mirror with a bored expression, her gaze fixed on Senior Brother Lü Yang who had suddenly appeared to save the day.

This person is quite skilled; his swordsmanship is superb, and he must have developed his own unique sword intent.

Suddenly, a figure appeared in her field of vision, blocking her view of the water mirror.

Qi Yu narrowed her eyes, looking at the girl in colorful clothes with some confusion, "...Who are you?"

Upon hearing this, the girl in colorful clothes immediately darkened her arrogant expression. "Cai Huan of the Beast Taming Sect."

"Oh." Qi Yu seemed to suddenly realize something, and said, "Um, the grilled snake, right? What's wrong? I still need to watch the match."

Upon hearing Qi Yu mention the charred seven-colored python, Cai Huan's anger flared up again. "Yu Shengyan! What are you pretending for?! You don't even dare to participate in the team competition, yet you're spouting nonsense here!"

Beside her, the Yunyang Sect cultivators who had come to support her, and who were dissatisfied with Qi Yu, also began to provoke her.

"Exactly! Aren't you supposed to be amazing? I just checked the competition list, and you're clearly no longer on it!"

Qi Yu raised an eyebrow and said, "I would like to participate, but do you really want to meet me in the team competition?"

Cai Huan sneered, "I couldn't be happier!"

The Yunyang Sect cultivator also said, "Since you want to participate in the team competition, why would the Yunyang Sect refuse you? You're clearly just feeling guilty! You're afraid your petty tricks won't fool any of us!"

"puff."

Qi Yu couldn't help but chuckle, a subtle smile playing on her lips as she looked at the Yunyang Sect cultivator with pity.