*

One was at the early stage of Tribulation Transcending, and the other was at the Great Perfection of Tribulation Transcending. The aftershocks of the clash between these two powerful beings' sword intents were enough to destroy the Xuan Tian Sect's headquarters. Therefore, the two of them fled into the void one after the other.

Master Qinghe looked somewhat anxious. Xuanwu Sword Master's sword had challenged countless powerful figures beyond his level, but he couldn't interfere with his junior uncle's decisions and could only worry inwardly.

The sect leaders and elders of other sects also had expressions of watching the show with amusement. Most of them did not think that Nan Qing would win. Although Xuan Wu Sword Venerable's cultivation was slightly inferior, his sword intent, which had been ingrained for thousands of years, had long been integrated into his bones and blood. How could a junior easily surpass him based on his superior realm?

Only Dan Taibei calmly took out a small knife from his storage ring, picked up a spiritual fruit from the table, and began peeling it. His master had always disliked the astringent taste of fruit peels, so when his master returned, he could eat the spiritual fruit that Dan Taibei had peeled.

Master Qinghe had no interest in watching the competition between the disciples below; his mind was entirely on his senior uncle. Turning his head, he saw Tantai Bei still leisurely peeling fruit. He immediately leaned closer and whispered:

"Junior brother, aren't you worried about your master...?"

Tan Taipei didn't even lift her eyelids, her mind completely focused on the fruit in her hand, her voice filled with certainty.

"Senior brother, my master is very powerful!"

Master Qinghe choked. He knew his uncle was very powerful, but sword intent competitions between sword cultivators were different from ordinary competitions... A slight mistake could damage one's very foundation.

He was about to say something when he suddenly felt a chill down his spine.

He looked up and met Nan Qing's eyes.

Nan Qing looked at Qinghe Zhenren, who was practically lying on her chair, closed her eyes, and felt she couldn't bear to look at him.

"Qinghe..."

"Are you planning to warm up my chair for me?"

Qinghe Zhenren: "..."

Tan Taibei held up an ice jade plate and brought it to Nan Qing's face. Inside were small pieces of spiritual fruit.

"Master, please try this. I just cut it."

Nan Qing sat down again, picked up a juicy spiritual fruit, put it in her mouth, and leaned lazily back in her chair, half-closing her eyes. The sweet juice made her exude a pleasant aura.

It had been less than a quarter of an hour since she left, and her clothes were still neat and her hair was still intact, showing no sign that she had just been fighting with someone.

Her extremely leisurely demeanor startled the other sect leaders, who all looked up at the sky in unison, wondering if...

As if to confirm their thoughts, the figure of Xuanwu Sword Master appeared on the high platform the next second.

Unlike Nan Qing, who was completely unharmed and spotless, his appearance... was rather disheveled, with even some tiny ice crystals clinging to his hair and beard.

"Hahaha, that's great! That's really great!"

Although Venerable Xuanwu lost the sword fight, he showed no sign of dejection. On the contrary, he was overjoyed, his eyes gleaming.

He walked up to Nan Qing, and suddenly bowed solemnly, even changing his form of address.

"Fellow Daoist Ling Shuang, I will remember this kindness. If you ever need my help in the future, I will do my utmost to help you!"

Upon hearing this, the expressions of the sect leaders changed again. Cultivators cannot make promises lightly, especially promises made with their Dao heart. If they break them, it will be difficult to make further progress.

Nan Qing remained calm, picked up a piece of spiritual fruit from the side, put it in his mouth, swallowed it, and then nodded slightly before speaking:

"I've got it."

She knew perfectly well why he said that; the gift she gave him was far more valuable than his promise.

She had no intention of getting anything from him; it was just that the old man suited her taste. But whether he could accept the gift she gave him was up to him.

Xuanwu Sword Master didn't mind Nanqing's attitude at all. Instead, he chuckled and stroked his beard as he returned to his seat, leaving the others completely bewildered.

In the exchange just now, he caught a glimpse of the opportunity he had been searching for for a long time from Nan Qing's seemingly casual but actually profoundly reasonable sword intent.

As a result, the bottleneck in his cultivation that had plagued him for hundreds of years actually showed signs of loosening!

His time is running out. If he cannot break through this barrier, he will likely die and his life will end.

I had planned to go into seclusion after this competition, but I never expected to gain so much from it.

This isn't a competition at all! It's clearly that girl who foresaw his doom and thus bestowed this opportunity upon him!

In the following days, Nanqing followed the same pattern as before, leaving after finishing her competition in Taipei. Her cultivation level below Core Formation was far too weak for her, and competitions at this level seemed utterly uninteresting.

If it weren't for the fact that Tan Taipei was coming, she wouldn't have bothered to join in the fun.

Before the third round of the competition began, Nan Qing touched the center of Taipei's forehead.

"You don't have to be number one, just be happy."

Qinghe Zhenren beside him: "..."

Being number one is really important, Uncle-Master!

Of the ten participating disciples, three are from the Qingyun Sect: one is Tan Taibei, another is his personal disciple, and the third is the personal disciple of the Fourth Elder.

Apart from Tan Taipei, the other two are both at the Core Formation stage.

Although Master Qinghe was also thinking about winning first place, he still gave the following advice:

"You two too, it would be great to get first place, but safety comes first. If anything goes wrong, crush the jade token immediately!"

The third round of the competition was held in a small secret realm. Although the Xuantian Sect had cleared it in advance to ensure that no high-level spirit beasts would appear, the secret realm was unpredictable, and anything could happen.

These three are all outstanding young talents of the Qingyun Sect, with exceptional abilities and superior character, but they have not yet fully matured, so he naturally does not want them to make any mistakes.

"Master, we understand!" Lin Zhao replied, clasping his hands in a fist salute.

"Yes, Sect Master!" Chu Yue nodded earnestly.

Master Qinghe glanced towards Taipei again, then lowered his voice and whispered instructions to the two of them:

"Although your junior uncle's cultivation is not low, he is still young. After you enter the secret realm, you must find him as soon as possible and the three of you should act together."

At this point, his tone became even more serious:

"Remember, you must protect your junior uncle!"

Lin Zhao and Chu Yue exchanged a glance and nodded solemnly.

After the secret realm opened, the ten people stepped into the entrance and were dispersed to various corners of the secret realm.

Lin Zhao and Chu Yue remembered their master's/sect leader's words and immediately released their divine senses to search for the location of Tan Taipei.

As for Tan Taipei, she went straight into the spirit beast's den that she had discovered herself.

Watching from outside the secret realm, through the Xuan Guang Mirror, as he single-handedly beat up a group of third-grade spirit beasts, Master Qinghe nearly crushed his teacup.

"Why does he always go into the lairs of spirit beasts?!"

Nan Qing: "Making a fuss over nothing."

She wasn't worried that Tan Taipei couldn't handle a group of low-level spirit beasts; instead, her gaze fell on the small screen in the lower right corner of the Xuan Guang Mirror.

Looking at that person, Nan Qing glanced at the location of the Xuan Tian Sect Master.

Some people are best left alone to cause trouble for..