Seeing that they had all swallowed the pills, Ji Jiuying said calmly, "From now on, you will be immune to all poisons."

The ten people were shocked, but what was even more shocking was yet to come.

"This is a spatial ring containing various pills, poisons, your corresponding spells, weapons, and so on. As my subordinates, you are still too incompetent."

As Ji Jiuying spoke, she raised her hand and flicked the ten rings toward them.

The ten people were stunned again. What kind of master had they been following? This was far too generous!

However, after they checked what was inside the ring, they realized what a shocking blow it was.

After they left, Ji Jiuying stayed in her spatial dimension and picked up the Heavenly Punishment Manual to study the various professions in this world. Since she had all the spiritual roots, she certainly wouldn't waste such a good resource.

Two days passed quickly, and Ji Jiuying exhaled a breath of stale air.

Today is the first day of the genius competition. I wonder if that man has woken up yet? Will he show up?

After having breakfast, Ji Jiuying hurriedly arrived at the arena of the Genius Competition, where many cultivators had already arrived.

Ji Jiuying found a secluded spot to sit down and waited until everyone had arrived.

So many familiar faces~~

Suddenly, a harsh, grating cry rang out, "The Emperor has arrived!"

A middle-aged man dressed in bright yellow walked slowly over and sat in the main seat, followed by the Empress and Consort Liang.

Upon hearing this, everyone in the square knelt down and bowed, chanting, "Long live the Emperor! Long live the Empress!"

Ji Jiuying only half-squatted down.

"Rise!"

Everyone stood up.

The emperor looked at the empty chair on his right, somewhat puzzled. Wasn't the Grand Preceptor supposed to be in charge? Where was he?

The emperor wasn't the only one with this question!

The Fourth Princess, Jun Luoli, stared anxiously at the empty seat.

Just as everyone was wondering, a surge of spiritual energy appeared in the air.

A man in black appeared out of nowhere in the main seat, and a powerful aura followed. An exquisite black robe covered his slender body, and he wore a matching black mask, revealing only a pair of dark pupils.

He possesses an innate, domineering aura that commands respect and inspires awe.

After recognizing the people in the main seat, everyone except the emperor and empress knelt down and kowtowed devoutly.

Ji Jiuying couldn't help but be startled. Although she had long known that Gong Mingyue was like a god in Cangyue Kingdom, she hadn't expected his prestige to be so high.

Ji Jiuying secretly glanced up at the man in the main seat, only to find that he was looking at her. Startled, she quickly lowered her head.

She looked up and met his gaze again. His expression was deep, with a hint of a smile in his eyes as he stared at her.

Ji Jiuying was stunned for a moment. He saw her, and a feeling of panic welled up in her heart.

"Little Jiu'er, have you missed me?" Gong Mingyue's slightly cheeky voice echoed in his mind.

Ji Jiuying looked at him, but instead of answering his question, she asked him in return, "How are you?"

"Is Little Jiu'er concerned about me?"

"·····"

Ji Jiuying glared at Gong Mingyue and simply ignored this frivolous man.

Seeing that Ji Jiuying ignored him, Gong Mingyue's lips under the mask curled up slightly before he answered seriously, "I feel much better after taking Xiao Jiu'er's pills."

Ji Jiuying nodded in satisfaction.

The emperor noticed that the imperial advisor remained silent and was about to offer a word of encouragement.

"Let His Majesty preside over the genius competition today; I am a bit overconfident."

Emperor Jun Bufan and the Empress were both taken aback. What kind of emperor would preside over a competition of geniuses? But since the Imperial Advisor had spoken, he quickly regained his composure and coughed lightly.

“Your Majesty, why don’t you let me take charge?” Duke Ji stepped forward and said.

The Queen's heart skipped a beat; she knew her father was doing this for her sake, he was gambling!

Consort Liang glanced at him and scoffed, "He's really not afraid of death. Is this Duke Ji so eager to offend the Imperial Preceptor for the sake of fame and fortune?"

Emperor Jun Bufan was naturally pleased to see someone come to replace him, but when he glanced at the Grand Preceptor, he found that the Grand Preceptor was looking ahead and didn't seem to have much of an opinion on the matter of the Duke of Ji.

In reality, they were all overthinking it! Gong Mingyue couldn't care less about their affairs! If it weren't for his desire to find the person who could smell the fragrance within him as soon as possible, he wouldn't have come to this so-called genius competition at all.

Besides, he has already found that person.

Gong Mingyue's gaze had been fixed on Ji Jiuying ever since he appeared, while the women around her all lowered their heads shyly, each of them feeling that the Imperial Preceptor was looking at them.

······

"Then let the Duke of Ji preside over it!"

The Empress and the Duke of Ji both breathed a sigh of relief. After receiving the order, the Duke of Ji used his spiritual power to make sure everyone could hear it and began to read it aloud.

"Quiet down. Today is the annual Genius Competition of our Cangyue Kingdom. I'm sure you all know the rules, so I'll leave it at that. First of all… as you all know, the winner will receive a ten-thousand-year-old Blood Spirit Mushroom and guidance from the Grand Preceptor…"

"Alright, the genius competition will now officially begin."

"Due to the large number of participants, the first round of the melee will be a free-for-all. Anyone who knocks down a person from the ring will be eliminated within one incense stick's time limit."

Finally, the music stopped just as Ji Jiuying was about to doze off.

From the moment Gong Mingyue appeared, Jun Luoli's heart and eyes were on the Imperial Advisor. She had no idea what the Duke of Ji had been saying before, only hearing one sentence: "Winning first place will get you guidance from the Imperial Advisor."

Seeing that the spiritual cultivators around her were all going up to the arena, she came to her senses and quickly rushed up to the arena as well. She glanced at the Grand Preceptor, determined to win the first place!

The arena was huge, about the size of a football field, and could hold tens of thousands of people.

At a single command, tens of thousands of people were swept away, and in no time nearly half of them had left.

The Imperial Advisor sat there motionless, his innate chill making everyone around him afraid to even breathe. Although Jun Bufan was the emperor, he had witnessed the Imperial Advisor's methods and dared not speak to him. He could only chat with the Empress and Consort Liang about random things.

However, Gong Mingyue's dark gaze remained fixed on that black figure.

From the fourth-floor window of Qi Yeyue Tower, Ye Qingchen's gaze also fell on that slender figure.

Then, the probing gaze shifted to the Grand Preceptor, who was also dressed in black, his deep, pool-like eyes revealing a thoughtful expression.

Seemingly sensing something, Gong Mingyue turned his head to look at the fourth floor. His deep eyes, sharp as swords, met the other's gaze in mid-air. Beneath the mask was a cold smile that showed no regard for the other.

Ye Qingchen's heart sank. He had been noticed. Just who was he? What was his purpose in appearing out of nowhere in Cangyue Kingdom a few years ago?