Ye Xiruo rolled her eyes. "Can I say that I was afraid your fragile heart would shatter into pieces, so I didn't focus on improving my strength, but instead consolidated my late-stage Golden Core cultivation and improved my alchemy skills?"

Senior Brother Zhiyi has already reached the Great Perfection of the Golden Core stage, and it seems he has made considerable progress during this period. Hua Rong has also reached the Great Perfection of the Golden Core stage; I wonder if Senior Brother Zhiyi's contribution played a part in it.

Ye Xiruo led the person into the hall, brewed a pot of fine cloud and mist green tea, and began to relax.

"Senior Brother Yingxun did not participate in the Heavenly Ranking Competition."

"After all, he just broke through, and his realm is unstable. He is still in seclusion to consolidate his realm." Si Hao was aware of this. There was nothing he could do; there was another one from Medicine King Valley who was recuperating in their Pill King Hall.

"That woman in red, what's her name, Shangguan Ling? She truly deserves to be called a favored daughter of heaven. And there are several women in white, most of whom are swordswomen. It's truly an eye-opener."

Qingzhiyi glanced at her coldly: "The pride of Saintess Peak, you have no hope in your entire life."

"What interest could I possibly have in those human-shaped murder weapons? I'm just making a few remarks, aren't I?" Hua Rong picked up her teacup, looking utterly guilty.

"Your senior brother is quite formidable."

"That's right. Senior Brother is the pride of the Pill King Hall. With the help of his ethereal body, it's no problem for him to cultivate to the Emperor-level Alchemist. If he has any more good fortune, becoming a Divine Master is not impossible. Of course, outsiders don't know much about this."

"It's hard for me to believe that Xiu Qiyu couldn't kill a woman."

"What did you say?" Qing Zhiyi glanced at Hua Rong indifferently, the threat in her eyes was self-evident.

Hua Rong readily admitted defeat; how could he forget that Zhi Yi was Xiu Qi Yu's ultimate die-hard fan?

“Brother Xiu Qi isn’t very skilled, though. Why don’t you give him some pointers after the Heavenly Ranking is over?” Ye Xiruo’s expression was actually serious.

Hua Rong wanted to cry but had no tears. It wasn't like he was bored and went to find Xiu Qiyu to torture himself.

"No need for guidance, I'm not very good at swordsmanship either. By the way, Little Yezi, I heard you recently claimed you planned to destroy the Illusionary Heaven Palace."

Ye Xiruo spat out the tea in her mouth. Where did this rumor come from? Wasn't this deliberately trying to ruin her reputation? Destroy the Illusionary Heaven Palace? She might want to, but it was just a thought. After all, the culprit, the Divine Child, had already become a cripple. As for the others, as long as they weren't beyond redemption, she didn't want to exterminate them all.

"Where did this rumor come from? If I wanted to destroy them, would I need to send them to participate in the Heavenly Ranking Competition?" As long as we eliminate the geniuses of this trip, causing a talent gap in the Illusionary Heaven Palace, the Illusionary Heaven Palace itself will decline a hundred years later.

"So, someone deliberately spread rumors?" Si Hao narrowed his eyes dangerously. His junior sister was the young master of the Pill King Hall. When did she become someone for these nobodies to slander?

"It's alright. Since they want to cause trouble, we'll play along. We'll release the images recorded by the memory crystal." Ye Xiruo wasn't the type to turn the other cheek after being slapped on the left.

"Won't this affect Xiu Qiyu's reputation?"

"How could that be? Have you forgotten that Brother Xiu Qi is a male god on the mainland with countless supporters? Do you think those people would think if they saw their male god almost being ambushed by a clown?" Ye Xiruo's smile was very bright.

Hua Rong shuddered involuntarily. She knew she couldn't afford to offend Xiao Yezi again. She was so vengeful and petty, and most importantly, she was Xiu Qiyu's ultimate die-hard fan.

After a day of rest, the remaining prodigies were gathered together again, and the number on the Heavenly Ranking had quietly changed to two, indicating that the second match was about to begin.

Hua Rong and Qing Zhiyi did not leave; the group sat together in a row, waiting for the match to begin.

Jing Li, Xiu Qiyu, and Zi Shu were still together. In the first round of the competition, the Danwang Palace also suffered considerable losses, with about twenty people dying. Most of the participants were martial artists, with Zi Shu and his master being exceptions.

The rules for the second competition were quickly announced: a designated area was drawn up, and everyone was thrown into it. This area was filled with countless rare and precious treasures. If they were lucky, they would consume these treasures or digest this opportunity to continuously improve their strength.

Those rare and precious materials are also counted towards points. The golden ranking list on the Prodigy Monument has already appeared, densely packed with names followed by their scores; currently, everyone has zero points. The number of rare and precious materials is limited, and fierce battles between prodigies are inevitable. Once most of the rare and precious materials have been found, it will likely come down to plundering others' points—kill your opponent, and their points become yours. This rule is still just as bloody and violent! Ye Xiruo gasped: "Is this how the accountability has always been every year?"

"Pretty much! The great wave washes away the gold, and those that die are not good enough. The Heavenly Ranking only needs the top geniuses."

"Do the geniuses who make it onto the Heavenly Pride Ranking receive some extra benefits?" If it were just Xu Ming, probably not so many people would risk their lives to participate in the Heavenly Pride Ranking competition.

"That's right. Those who make it onto the Prodigy Ranking will receive an opportunity that will make their future cultivation smoother, allowing them to almost crush their opponents at the same level."

No wonder.

On the Monument of Prodigies, a white entrance about one meter in diameter was constantly rotating. The second competition had begun, and countless prodigies transformed into streaks of light, flying towards the entrance.

After all the prodigies had entered, the entrance slowly closed, and then a flash of white light appeared, revealing the scene of the second match in front of everyone.

This should be a real space, with the sun, forests and grasslands, volcanoes and swamps, snow-capped mountains and canyons, as well as birds, insects and beasts, spiritual herbs and monsters, looking like a complete world.

After everyone entered, they were randomly teleported. Ye Xiruo finally found Xiu Qiyu's figure and was lucky enough to be teleported to a small dense forest. There was a small river less than 100 meters away from him.

There were also more than a dozen people teleported over from this dense forest. These were all potential enemies, but she had confidence in Brother Xiu Qi.

Xiu Qiyu quickly surveyed her surroundings and decisively headed towards the water. Judging from the environment of this dense forest, even if there were any rare treasures, they would be difficult to find, and the risks within such forests were generally quite high. Therefore, Xiu Qiyu immediately abandoned the forest route and decided to get out first.