The atmosphere on the viewing platform was equally solemn.

Seeing her beloved disciple Yao Xiangxue admit defeat, Murong Xi, who had been smiling all along, frowned and remained silent.

In contrast, Nie Qingshuang raised her eyebrows and sneered, "Ha! I am truly ignorant, I didn't know that the divine artifact 'Crimson Light' had become Junior Nephew Shi's sword? The Tai Xuan Dao Sect really has a grand scheme!"

Directly opposite the viewing platform, towards the Tai Xuan Dao Sect, an elderly man in a purple Daoist robe, exuding an air of otherworldly wisdom, smiled calmly and replied unhurriedly, "Palace Master Qing Shuang, you are mistaken. Divine artifacts possess spirits and choose their own masters. Junfei possesses exceptional talent in the Dao of the Sword and is highly valued by the Sect Master. Bestowing the Crimson Mang upon him to aid his comprehension of the Dao of the Sword is perfectly reasonable. What's wrong with that? Moreover..."

At this point, the old man changed the subject, "I remember that Junior Nephew Ning, a disciple of the Qing Shuang Palace Master, also gained the recognition of your palace's 'Ghostly Cold' divine sword early on, didn't he?"

Nie Qingshuang choked for a moment, her face growing even colder.

Ning Yuyao does possess Ghostly Chill, but she has never used it during this tournament!

Shi Junfei, on the other hand, clearly relied on the power of the divine artifact to exploit loopholes in the rules and forcibly turn the tide of the battle... After all, the tournament only prohibited non-sword-type magical treasures and talisman arrays, but did not prohibit the power contained within the divine artifact sword itself.

But the old Taoist priest spoke in such a grand and righteous manner that she could not refute him. She could only snort coldly and remain silent.

The morning results were in, but the atmosphere in the afternoon's loser's bracket matches was even more tense, as each match meant the complete elimination of a player.

Shen Yunhao stood on the sidelines, looking at Wu Yun'er on the field, his brows slightly furrowed.

It has to be said that the fortune telling at the Moon Palace today seems unusually bad.

Wu Yun'er's opponent was actually the same rogue cultivator that Yao Xiangxue had barely defeated yesterday. In Shen Yunhao's opinion, this person's strength was only slightly weaker than Yao Xiangxue's, enough to place him among the top in the tournament.

As expected, after several dozen rounds, the opponent seized Wu Yun'er's weakness, deflected Wu Yun'er's sword, and the tip of the sword touched Wu Yun'er's wrist, easily ending the battle.

"Fairy Wu...you flatter me!"

The elder referee then announced: "Wang Lie wins the T-shaped arena! Wu Yun'er is eliminated!"

Wu Yun'er stood there, looking at the long sword that had fallen to the ground. She bit her lower lip tightly, her face was pale, and her eyes were filled with resentment and disappointment.

She silently picked up the sword, clasped her hands in a fist salute to her opponent, then lowered her head and walked off the stage step by step.

Shen Yunhao watched her departing figure and sighed inwardly.

...

As soon as Shen Yunhao opened the door at night, he saw a familiar figure leaning against a pillar outside the door. The moonlight shone on her, giving off a cool and refreshing feeling.

"you……"

“I’m leaving…” Wu Yun’er turned around, her tone calm, “I’m going back to Tianshan with my master.”

Shen Yunhao's expression shifted, and he blurted out instinctively, "Huh? You're... leaving so soon?"

Seeing his reaction, Wu Yun'er's initial low mood after losing the game seemed to be somewhat relieved, and the corners of her mouth curved into a very shallow arc, but it quickly disappeared.

She looked up at the bright moon in the night sky, her voice carrying a hint of relief, "This conference has made me see a lot more clearly. There are always people more capable than you, and there's always something beyond your understanding. I was indeed a bit narrow-minded before."

After a pause, she turned her gaze to Shen Yunhao, her tone becoming serious: "I admit that Ning Yuyao... she is indeed a sword genius that Guanghan Palace has seen only once in a hundred years, quite like the Palace Master back then, but... she also has a fatal weakness!"

Shen Yunhao was slightly taken aback: "Weakness?"

Wu Yun'er gave him a deep look. "I don't know why you disguised yourself as 'Superman Qiang' to attend this conference, nor do I know what terrible trouble you've gotten yourself into! But—"

"You better remember this: behave yourself from now on! Don't drag Junior Sister Ning into this! Otherwise, the entire Guanghan Palace will not forgive you!"

Theoretically speaking, there's absolutely nothing wrong with that statement.

After this battle, Ning Yuyao's reputation soared. Upon returning to Guanghan Palace, she would inevitably become the center of attention. If she were to be implicated by the troubles brought about by Shen Yunhao, Shen Yunhao would likely become the public enemy of the entire Tianshan!

However, Shen Yunhao still managed to detect a hint of concern in this stern warning.

This girl's real purpose... was probably to make me more careful...

Shen Yunhao felt a warmth in his heart. "Yes, don't worry, I'll handle the rest. As for this competition... don't overthink it. Actually, you're no worse than those people!"

Wu Yun'er's cheeks flushed at his words, and she hurriedly turned her head away, spitting out, "Pah! Who's worried about you!"

After saying that, he turned and ran away.

But after running a few steps, he stopped in his tracks.

The girl had her back to Shen Yunhao, and the bright moonlight outlined her slender yet upright figure.

After a few seconds of silence, he suddenly spoke in a very low voice, with an indescribable complex emotion:

"If...if only I hadn't met you at the Sword Tomb..."

As soon as she finished speaking, she didn't linger and quickly disappeared into the shadows of the corridor.

Shen Yunhao stood there, staring blankly in the direction where Wu Yun'er had disappeared, his eyes filled with complex emotions.

He understood perfectly well that Wu Yun'er's decision to leave at this moment was not only because she had been eliminated, but also to prevent the delicate and awkward relationship between the three of them from escalating further.

He, Shen Yunhao, was running away from something, and so was this girl...

The moonlight was cool and clear, and the night breeze was slightly chilly.

Shen Yunhao stood by the window, speechless for a long time.

...

The following day, the atmosphere inside Xuanlei Pavilion reached its first peak since the start of the competition.

The ten players who advanced from yesterday's winners' bracket will compete to determine the five who will directly secure a place in the top five!

These five people have secured a place in the top ten and the qualification to access the artifact "Void Illusion" regardless of the challenges they face in the losers' bracket!

Those who have reached this point are all exceptionally talented individuals who have undergone rigorous selection processes.

To draw relatively weak opponents for three consecutive rounds in this level of competition? That's definitely not luck, but rather a testament to strength that renders "luck" ineffective!

In the first match, Huo Qingfeng faced Ning Yuyao. The result was almost a foregone conclusion. After about ten moves, the tip of the Cloud Frost Sword came to a steady stop three inches in front of Huo Qingfeng's throat.

In the second match, Xiao Luoyang, as usual, defeated the powerful rogue cultivator who had fought his way in with just a few sword strikes, knocking him off the fighting stage.

The third match was quite intense, with Kong Tianling fighting a Sword Pavilion disciple for nearly a hundred rounds before finally winning with difficulty.

The fourth match was between Zhen Ruoqi and another elite disciple of the Azure Sky Sword Pavilion. In the end, Zhen Ruoqi won by a narrow margin.

After four battles, the outcome became clear.

Of the seven major righteous sects, apart from the Great Wilderness Sect and Lingyin Temple, which are not skilled in swordsmanship, the disciples of Guanghan Palace, Cangqiong Sword Pavilion, Piaomiao Pavilion, and Medicine King Valley have all entered the top ten.

All eyes were focused on the final match.

"Fifth Match: Shi Junfei vs. Superman Qiang!"