Zhenru appeared open and honest, meeting the other person's gaze without any guilt, even with a hint of ill-intentioned suspicion.

"You chased all the way from the Solid Spirit Realm to here because of an object from another realm? You... are you looking for someone?"

Just as the meaning of that glance was, the person couldn't figure it out, wanted to argue, but also felt that the other party was right.

But wait, something's not right!

This female cultivator is just a lowly Nascent Soul cultivator from the lower realm. Why should he feel guilty and explain himself to her?

Thinking this, Yu Yang calmed down and looked at Zhenru nonchalantly, saying:

"Private matter."

If it were truly so, there would be no need to dig deeper; one could simply shrug and offer a very insincere apology.

"Sorry, I was just being nosy."

"So it seems the person you're looking for isn't me. Well... until we meet again?"

Zhenru nodded with a hint of regret, then tilted her head and pointed in the direction of the underground fire vein's exit.

"Um?"

The man looked somewhat puzzled and frowned, saying:

"Didn't you just arrive?"

Zhenru nodded matter-of-factly, glancing meaningfully at the man and saying:

"Yes, so you're leaving, I have to get busy."

It means that since you're here to find someone, and I'm not the person you're looking for, you can leave now.

The person instinctively wanted to refute, but the other person seemed to be right.

He had no interest in the things of the lower realms, and since he couldn't find anyone, he naturally prepared to leave.

"Alright then, until we meet again."

As the man spoke, he felt he hadn't finished speaking, so he added:

"Cultivate well, and I hope to see you in the Immortal Realm in the future."

Zhenru raised an eyebrow, seemingly somewhat surprised by these words, but still politely thanked her:

"Thank you for your encouragement, senior. I will work hard."

The man nodded, got up, and walked towards the exit. Halfway there, he suddenly realized what had been wrong and turned to Zhenru, saying:

"By the way, be more polite to your seniors in the future. This place isn't your private property. I can leave or not if I want."

Zhenru readily accepted the good advice, bowed and apologized, then stood still and watched the other person leave.

Finally, the person standing at the exit opened his mouth, but then felt that he shouldn't bother with a junior from the lower realm, so he turned and left.

Even if the goal is achieved, there was still nothing gained from this trip.

This underground fire vein is indeed rich in fire-attribute spiritual energy; Zhenru even found a unique flame within it.

It's a pity there's no Golden Crow essence blood.

On second thought, that makes sense. People from the upper realm wouldn't be interested in spiritual objects from the lower realm, but the Golden Crow's essence blood isn't a spiritual object from the lower realm, and people from the upper realm are eager to get it, so it's not too surprising that there was no gain.

This is the last place where the Golden Crow's essence blood might appear. Zhenru calculated the time, and there is only one month left until the Needle Fighting Festival.

Thinking that there was no rush, and that there was no need to rush for a month, especially since the spectator tokens had already been purchased, Zhenru hesitated only slightly before setting off for the venue of the Needle Fighting Tournament.

As it turns out, this trip was well worth it.

On the day the Needle Fighting Festival began, the weather was fine, and with the overwhelming noise of the crowd, the entire city was practically lifted into the sky.

The only quiet places were probably the powerful seniors watching from the shadows, and the arena itself, which was reinforced with a strong array.

Without exception, all the participants in the contest used needles as their weapons, but the different needles had different functions and exquisite and complicated appearances, as well as different lengths and thicknesses.

Originally, these were niche magical artifacts used only by healers and cultivators, but I never imagined there would be so many different styles and categories.

Moreover, just from those different needles, one can really tell that some of the holders of the needles are not medical practitioners.

"So, would anyone choose to learn how to use a needle specifically to attend this grand event?"

Zhenru whispered her doubts, which were overheard by the cultivator sitting next to her. He turned to look at Zhenru curiously, then kindly explained to her:

"Fellow Daoist, you have misunderstood. This acupuncture competition is divided into three stages: weapon competition, magic competition, and medical competition."

"We're still in the first stage, which is weapon combat."

If that's the case, then Zhenru will understand without the other person needing to explain further.

No wonder those needles had such fancy shapes and designs; they were just a simple display of needles.

"This is my first time watching the Needle Fighting Tournament, so what is the reward for winning the first weapon fighting match?"

Seeing that the monk next to him was willing to talk, Zhenru simply asked about the things she didn't understand.

When the man heard Zhenru's question, his smile became somewhat meaningful.

"No wonder the Mu family can dominate the world of timber."

Seeing Zhenru raise an eyebrow, the man smiled and explained in a low voice:

"The top ten weapon masters who win the weapon battle will be selected by the Mu family to stay with them. Then these people will receive pills, treatments, or promises from the Mu family."

With that man's meaningful smile, Zhenru understood.

The Mu family specializes in medicine. By using their expertise, they were able to obtain ten high-grade needles. Those who worked hard to secure a spot also got what they wanted.

It seems like everyone is getting what they want, and it's a win-win situation. No matter what anyone says, it's all consensual and there's nothing wrong with it.

The first stage was merely a warm-up for the Needle Fighting Tournament, and it wasn't very interesting for many spectators. They watched it casually, chatting with their fellow cultivators while waiting for the next stage to begin.

Zhenru didn't chat much with the person next to her, because as the conversation progressed, she sensed that the other person was traveling with someone, or was trying to find out something else.

After politely and tactfully declining, Zhenru simply closed her eyes and sat down to meditate, focusing only a wisp of her consciousness on the stage.

The man was also sensible; seeing that Zhenru didn't have that intention, he wisely stopped getting closer to her.

Then someone shouted, "They're here!" and the scene, which had quieted down after the rather uninteresting weapon battles in the first phase, became noisy again.

Zhenru also opened her eyes at the right time.

Looking at the square, there were ten arenas that had been rearranged and set up, with opponents already standing on each one.

Zhenru leisurely looked at each one, taking the opportunity to guess and assess the outcome in advance, wanting to see if it would differ from her expectations.

As soon as Zhenru's gaze shifted to one of the stands, her eyes became serious.

The contestant she glanced at also turned around at the same time, smiling as she met Zhenru's gaze.

That smile carried excitement and provocation, while also revealing a hint of madness.

Perhaps it was the surprise in Zhenru's eyes that pleased the person, for the person couldn't help but grin, revealing a row of white teeth, the smile becoming even more intense and the chill even deeper.

"Long time no see, Sister Yunqing."

This was truly lip-reading; the subconscious thought of leaving during the opponent's match was quickly overshadowed by another long-held idea in his mind.

"Long time no see, Liu Yunzhao."