"Only five hundred people can participate in this competition. He only got in because of the reputation of his senior sisters and brothers. Otherwise, how could someone who was eliminated in the first round have this qualification! If you ask me, I would have been better off going up there. I could have done it too. It's a waste to give him this opportunity." Among the many disciples in Qingtao Valley, besides those who came to participate, there were other disciples who, although they did not qualify for the competition, also wanted to witness the entire process of this competition.

Next to the treatment area was the audience seating area. Harsh words kept reaching Shi Mu's ears. These words were like needles, firmly stuck in his heart, impossible to shake off. Even if the person who gave him the needle left with the needle, the wound would never disappear. It would always exist, reminding him of what kind of past he had.

Shi Mu closed his eyes. The surrounding doctors didn't linger; he wasn't the only one injured. After treating him, others were waiting for them. Tears slowly slid down Shi Mu's cheeks.

"Yue always tells me she's discovered a treasure—someone who's incredibly good at making friends and works exceptionally hard. With that kind of effort, she'll become a big shot sooner or later. I'm often very busy and don't have much time to spend with Yue, so I haven't taught her anything. She's figured everything out almost entirely on her own. To be honest, I'm only able to live such a comfortable life because of her." A voice, ancient and weathered like moss-covered stones in a long-standing stream, rang in Shi Mu's ears when he was alone and suffering.

“I often think that compared to her, I should do something to make it up to her, so I go to chat with her whenever I have time. She always talks to me patiently, even though I feel like I’m getting a little annoying. She has never complained about me and will even share her own stories with me.” Zisangyi said these words slowly, like a warm current flowing around Shi Mu.

“Once, she told me that she had made a new friend, and I was very curious about who this person was until I met you on the mountain. I realized that the good friend and hardworking friend she was talking about was you. I found it strange, thinking that she had no taste at all. What qualities did you have that could live up to what she said? But as time went by, I found that you were indeed as she said.”

Although Shi Mu had his eyes closed, he knew who was standing next to him. He originally wanted to pretend to be asleep and not know anything, but when he heard these words, he couldn't help but shed tears, and his trembling body betrayed him.

Zisangyi squatted down and patted his shoulder with one hand. "Child, what others say is not important. What matters is what you think. Don't keep blaming yourself for one failure, because it was not your fault. Your self-blame will not make those who mocked you repent, and your downfall will not make them feel sad. On the contrary, those who care about you will be worried about you and concerned about your situation."

“I saw it this time. The strength of the sacred beast is actually comparable to yours. It’s just that you failed to grasp its weakness. Everyone has a weakness. The sacred beast knows that the weakness of humans is spiritual power. As long as it slowly depletes your spiritual power, you will lose sooner or later. So you just failed to grasp its weakness.” Zi Sangyi didn’t consider herself a good person at comforting others, but when faced with these situations, words of comfort would unconsciously come out.

Shi Mu opened his eyes and met Zi Sangye's gaze. He lowered his head in embarrassment. He tried to sit up in bed, but Zi Sangye pressed him down. "Alright, you're still injured. Just lie down. There's no need to rush."

"Thank you, Sect Master. I understand now. I was being narrow-minded. I will definitely work hard to improve my understanding in the future," Shi Mu said, word by word.

Zi Sangyi nodded in satisfaction, "I just came to see how badly you were injured. Since you're alright, I'll head back now. I still need to keep an eye on the scene to prevent other sects from cheating."

After Zi Sangyi left, Shi Mu was here processing what he had said to her. He never expected that Xu Yuehuai would say these things to Zi Sangyi behind her back. He felt guilty for his emotions just now, and he shouldn't have thought so extremely.

Xu Yuehuai first stepped onto a relatively thick branch. As she observed whether anything was emerging from the dark underground, the branch under her feet made a creaking sound, as if it would break at any moment.

Xu Yuehuai glanced at her feet, and the next second, she immediately took a step back. As she left the branch, the branch beneath her feet shattered instantly.

"What... what's going on?" Mei Ming stared in disbelief. The tree branch looked so sturdy, but it couldn't even support this little bit of weight; it was incredibly fragile.

Xu Yuehuai shook her head. She didn't understand either. She had just noticed some movement under her feet while observing the ground. Looking down, she saw a crack. "I don't know, but if this tree branch is like this, everyone should try not to make any rash moves. If we get out, it won't be easy to come back."

Xu Yuehuai had only taken one step out, and coming back seemed relatively easy, but if she went several meters further out, they might be left with nowhere to go when the branches broke.

“Look over there, there are also signs of broken branches. Could it be that someone did it? And someone was walking in front of us?” Looking at these regular breaks, Nangong Yu had a premonition that this was not a natural occurrence, but rather something that had been deliberately caused by someone else.

Mei Ming frowned slightly and said, "Before we left, Ning Xi had already passed through here, and he's been gone for quite some time."

If these branches are all breaking, then judging from this mark, Ning Xi may have reached that place, had nowhere to go, and then fell into this black abyss.

"How did she end up ahead? How did she find it?" Nangong Yu was unaware of the situation behind him. He was walking in the middle, with Xu Yuehuai and Mei Ming in front of him, and Xuan Chi and Shi Mu behind him.

It's normal to be unclear about the final details.

"I don't know. She was already outside when I came out, as if she was waiting for someone. But after saying a few words to me, she left on her own." Mei Ming shook her head. Although she had an answer in her heart, she didn't say it out loud.