Not to mention Yun Jianyue, even Wang Wuxie and other sect leaders stared wide-eyed at Zu An.
Countless Taoist competitions have been held over the centuries, but never before has such a scene occurred.
It should be understood that the chief disciples of each sect are already the elite among elites, and to become an elite, in addition to talent, one must also have top-notch luck.
Those who make it to the finals are all incredibly lucky; with everyone keeping each other in check, it's impossible for anyone to have a bye from start to finish.
Since nothing like this has ever happened before in history, there's probably something fishy about this draw.
But they were watching the entire lottery process closely; if someone wanted to tamper with it, how could they possibly hide it?
The only strange thing is that before Pei Mianman draws lots each time, Zu An gives her a strange pill.
"It's just healing medicine." Zu An shrugged, thinking to himself that this woman was truly ungrateful; he had even helped Kongming Island before.
Yun Jianyue frowned and remained silent, pondering the methods he might use. Unfortunately, even though she usually prided herself on being extremely intelligent, she couldn't fathom the mystery at this moment.
"Take out that pill from earlier and let us check it to see if there's anything fishy about it." Guan Chouhai snorted. Although no contestants from Lihentian had advanced to the next round, this kid had gone against him several times.
Normally, he wouldn't take a conflict with an ordinary young man to heart, even if it was just a minor disagreement. But for some reason, every time he saw this kid, he felt a strange sense of irritation, as if the kid had stolen something he cherished.
Wang Wuxie felt the same way. Although the other party's strength earned his respect, he found that he did not like him after spending the past few days with him.
This world is so strange. Many people will subconsciously dislike someone the first time they meet them, without being able to explain why.
“No more. That pill is quite precious, and I only have one.” Zuan refused outright.
"What are the main medicinal ingredients and what are their effects? There are many experts in elixirs here, so everyone can give a fair evaluation," Guan Chouhai continued.
Zu An's expression turned solemn: "Sect Leader Guan, don't you think it's incredibly rude of you to ask someone for the recipe for a spiritual elixir?"
In this world of cultivation, whether it's cultivation manuals, formations, or prescriptions, they are often closely guarded secrets of a sect or family.
Guan Chouhai looked embarrassed, realizing he had spoken too hastily and quickly explained, "I just wanted to understand the secret of how you managed to get Miss Pei to skip out three times."
Zuan chuckled: "Do you really think that taking this pill will guarantee her a bye in the lottery? Does such a thing as a lucky pill even exist?"
"You!" Guan Chouhai was taken aback, and when he realized that the others were also looking at him like he was an idiot, his old face couldn't help but feel a little hot.
At this moment, Abbess Huoling said angrily, "Are you ever going to stop? Last time when Manman won the competition, you all jumped out to question it. Now that she has drawn a bye, you are questioning it again. What, do you think that only your sects can enjoy these good things, and that it is presumptuous for others to get them?"
"Master, you flatter us." Wang Wuxie and the others wiped the cold sweat from their foreheads; they couldn't bear such a accusation.
Ultimately, due to the lack of concrete evidence, they had no choice but to accept the result, and Pei Mianman received a bye until the final.
Soon the disciples from all factions dispersed, reminiscing about the exciting details of today's competition. However, the most discussed topic was Pei Mianman's miracle of receiving three consecutive byes, while also speculating whether Zu An had helped her.
Some people think no, since the two are complete strangers and there's no need to take such a big risk. Besides, with so many top experts watching, any tricks they might try would definitely be discovered.
Another group of people believe that it is true, that Zu An saw Pei Mianman was big and beautiful and wanted to take advantage of her to sexually harass her, that he was lusting after her body, and that he was despicable!
"I'm so angry! Others may not know, but I know it must have been that brat who did it." After returning to her room, Yun Jianyue was still fuming even after drinking two cups of tea.
Qiu Honglei smiled and refilled her bowl, saying, "I didn't see you so angry at the Golden Summit."
“That kid has special means to sense people’s anger. I’m just afraid of my identity being exposed,” Yun Jianyue said sullenly. The two of them had been on adventures together for so long that she knew a little about some of his abilities.
"Alright, Master, I'm not this angry even though I'm going to compete," Qiu Honglei ran behind her and started massaging her shoulders. "Besides, how could he possibly cheat in front of everyone? You were watching right there, so how could he possibly hide it from you?"
"It probably wouldn't work for most other people, but that kid has created too many miracles, so he must have his ways." Yun Jianyue snorted, feeling a surge of displeasure at the thought of the flirtatious exchange between him and that big-breasted woman on the Golden Summit.
"Oh, Master, the Azu you're talking about seems to be all-powerful. I didn't even realize he was so amazing," Qiu Honglei chuckled. The higher her lover's status was in her master's heart, the happier she naturally was.
What was said in jest was taken seriously by Yun Jianyue, who was startled: "I was just worried about your competition. By the way, don't just focus on the competition these next few days. How's the investigation going?"
Qiu Honglei suppressed her smile: "These past few days I've been visiting various places and discovered..."
As Yun Jianyue listened, she nodded slightly, her expression becoming more serious.
The entire Daoist sect was wondering what methods Zu An had used, and Pei Mianman was naturally no surprise as well.
She knew that her injuries had clearly healed, so it was obvious that Azu wouldn't give her any healing medicine without a reason.
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