"Ninghua Sect Shen Sangruo." This line of words was projected above the stone trough.

Those who were paying attention to Shen Sangruo immediately noticed it.

"Chen Sangri? Why does that name sound so familiar? I remember now, wasn't that the name of Sect Leader Shen's adopted daughter?"

"Is it a coincidence of names, or... the same person?"

At this moment, someone in the crowd said, "That's her. I saw her when I went to the Flying Cloud Sect before."

The news that the adopted daughter who was expelled from the sect by Shen Daochen was the young sect master of Ninghua Sect spread like wildfire throughout Fenglingtai.

"Isn't she Sect Master Shen's adopted daughter? How did she become the young sect master of Ninghua Sect?"

"It's her? That rebellious, disgraceful woman, who severely injured her younger sister Bai Mumu out of jealousy and then severed ties with the father who raised her for over a decade, Shen Sangruo?"

"More than that, he was also a disciple of Master Lingxiao before, but in the end, he became Master Lingxiao's abandoned disciple because of his own bad conduct."

The prestige of being a disciple personally taught by Master Lingxiao is self-evident.

"She squandered such a great hand!" the man said, heartbroken. "How could she have been so foolish?"

"What else could it be? Of course, it's because Sect Master Shen's biological daughter has been found, and she's feeling resentful."

"She's just an adopted daughter, yet she's still not satisfied after monopolizing someone else's life for over a decade. Does she really think she's a real heiress?"

"Sect Leader Shen raised her like his own daughter, but he never expected that she would turn out to be such an ungrateful wretch."

"There must be something wrong with her, otherwise why would everyone be so close to breaking with her?"

"To be disliked by both Sect Master Shen and True Person Lingxiao at the same time, she can be considered the number one in the cultivation world."

Shen Daochen and Lingxiao Zhenren represent justice and prestige, and their every move is like a weathervane in the cultivation world.

The entanglements between Shen Sangruo and the Feiyun Sect were fully revealed to everyone, and their attitude towards Shen Sangruo immediately made a complete 180-degree turn.

Shen Sanruo's image in everyone's mind took a sharp turn for the worse, and she became an utterly wicked and vicious person.

It seems that all sorts of derogatory words can be used to describe her.

"The Ninghua Sect is really something, how could they let someone like this become their young sect leader?"

"She's embodying all the vices: unkindness, injustice, filial impiety, and lack of brotherly love."

"What I care about more is, how could Shen Sangruo be willing to give up the Feiyun Sect and join a sect like the Ninghua Sect?"

"Who knows? Maybe he's not thinking straight."

Discussions about Shen Sangruo on Fengling Terrace grew increasingly heated, with a variety of opinions.

Many people also compared her to Bai Mumu, intending to trample her into the dust.

The members of Ninghua Sect were furious when they heard this.

"You're just talking about these things, why don't you tell us what the Flying Cloud Sect has done?" Song Weiyan roared.

"Do you dare to tell us what your Flying Cloud Sect has done?" Su Xiyu retorted angrily, "A bunch of people who believe everything they hear!"

But their voices were instantly drowned out by the murmurs of countless people.

This demonstrates the influence of the Flying Cloud Sect as the number one sect.

They looked worriedly at the arena and at Shen Sangruo, who was at the center of the storm.

Shen Sanruo, standing on the competition stage, remained calm and unaffected by the noise.

But she also gleaned some clues from those voices.

The "insider information" that those people knew was not the whole story; they cleverly avoided the truth and deliberately harmed her, as if someone was intentionally stirring up trouble.

She twitched the corner of her mouth. Didn't they pride themselves on being upright and incorruptible, the most righteous of all?

Why are they resorting to these underhanded methods now?

Shen Daochen and Lingxiao Zhenren watched all of this with calm expressions, as if they had expected it all along.

Feng Heyun and the others clenched their fists. Last time, during the competition for the young sect leader, they watched her get caught up in public opinion and stood by and did nothing.

The insults hurled at Shen Sangruo seemed to strike their hearts.

They've already made a mistake once; this time, they're determined to stand by Shen Sangruo's side.

However, just as they were about to step forward, an invisible pressure firmly held them in place.

They looked incredulously at the source of the oppressive aura—their master, Lingxiao Zhenren.

They immediately understood who was behind this "encirclement and suppression" of Shen Sangruo.

“Master, you…” Wen Xuan’s face was pale as he stared blankly at Ling Xiao Zhenren.

He couldn't understand why Lingxiao Zhenren and Shen Daochen would be so cruel to Shen Sangruo.

This isn't the Flying Cloud Sect; Shen Sangruo is facing the entire cultivation world—public opinion can be devastating!

One was her once beloved father, and the other was her once revered master, yet now both wanted to destroy her.

A cold glint flashed in Lingxiao Zhenren's eyes as he used magic to seal the mouths of the others, silencing Wen Xuan from saying what he was about to say.

Shen Daochen didn't give them a second glance, only coldly watching Shen Sangruo on the field.

How can those with short-sighted vision understand their good intentions?

Everything they did was for Chen Sangruo.

Upon seeing this, Bai Mumu subtly curled a triumphant smile at the corner of her lips.

Let's turn our attention back to the competition stage.

Shen Sanruo did not intend to pay attention to those rumors; to be precise, now was not the time.

She believes that justice will prevail, and she will prove to everyone which side is truly wrong.

Her attention was now focused on the upcoming competition.

This time was different from before; Shen Sangri drew Dongfang Xu on her first draw.

Dongfang Xu strolled leisurely onto the competition stage, his face full of mockery.

He spoke, "Shen Sangruo of Ninghua Sect? Perhaps I should call you a discarded disciple of Lingxiao Zhenren? A treacherous wolf raised by Shen Daochen?"

"I hadn't noticed before, but it's quite interesting to see someone like you in this sect competition."

“In terms of being interesting, how can I compare to Young Master Dongfang?” Shen Sanruo smiled faintly, but the smile did not reach her eyes. “As expected of the Beast Taming Sect, even the young master is so beastly. No matter where there is excitement, he has to come and bark.”

Dongfang Xu understood her implication and snorted coldly, "You gave up being a perfectly good disciple of the Feiyun Sect and insisted on going to a sect like the Ninghua Sect."

"Only a sect like Ninghua Sect would be fooled by your appearance and actually make you the young sect leader."

"You want to lead Ninghua Sect to glory? It's a pity you met me, the young sect master, on your very first draw. Today, I, the young sect master, will rid the cultivation world of this scourge."

"Whether you can lead Ninghua Sect to glory is not up to you." Chen Sangruo's smile faded, and she gripped the feather fan in her hand. "Whose misfortune will this be? It's still unknown!"

This draw is quite tricky, meaning that one of the two will be eliminated in the first round of Group 3.

For the two teams vying for a top ranking, this is a clash of titans; a loss would mean utter ruin.