Chapter 40: The Elimination Rounds Begin
Yu Xian'er's originally pale cheeks flushed slightly as she asked, "Why are you here?"
"I went to check on the schedule, but I didn't see you for a long time, so I came to check on you."
Nan Muyin looked at the group of people in front of her, her deep eyes concealing anger, and smiled, "Have you finished catching up?"
Although he had a smile on his face, it sent a chill down the spines of the troublemakers, a strange coldness seeping into their bones.
Ye Luo was also quite surprised. It was the first time he had ever seen his senior brother angry. It seemed that his second senior sister was truly his Achilles' heel.
“Brother Nan, we were just saying hello, we didn’t mean anything by it…” Yu Xinyao forced a smile, a hint of resentment flashing in her eyes, and asked, “You… have been with her all these years?”
“Yes.” Nan Muyin’s eyes narrowed slightly, a smile appearing on her lips. “Does Xinyao think this is inappropriate?”
Upon hearing this, Yu Xinyao's expression changed. "N-no..."
"Let's go," Yu Xian'er said, holding Nan Muyin's hand. "The competition is about to start, and Master will be getting impatient."
"Alright, then we'll take our leave." Nan Muyin grasped her hand in return and led the group away without looking back.
Ye Luo turned around with a mocking expression, and saw not only Yu Xinyao's furious face, but also the undisguised jealousy on Zhuo Yunce's face.
"Oh wow~"
Seeing this, Ye Luo seemed to understand something. She made up her mind that she must find an opportunity to understand the situation in detail so that she could take the initiative.
Ming Cang waited anxiously for a long time in the rest area of Peach Blossom Valley. Finally, he saw them and exclaimed, "Where have you all been?! The competition is about to start!"
"Here I am!"
"The individual competition will start first. Let me explain the new rules to you!" The elder waved to them.
"The competition format has changed?" Cen Feng asked.
Grand Elder: "Yes, there have been minor adjustments. Because more sects are participating this time, only one person can be sent to the individual competition now."
Yu Xian'er: "That's a good change. It seems to be more advantageous for us this way."
Grand Elder: "Yes, that's right. Moreover, the competition will be divided into the Rising Star Group, the Rising Star Group, and the Peak Group, with each group having its own elimination round. Only the sects that can squeeze into the top eight will be able to participate in the final individual arena competition."
"The knockout stage? Where will it be held?" Yu Qianling asked.
The Grand Elder said, "Later, the person in charge of the alliance will open a competition secret realm. The participating disciples will enter with their soul jade slips. If the jade slip is damaged, they will be eliminated and immediately teleported out."
Cen Feng: "That's simple, just hide the soul jade slip or put it in your storage bag!"
"You brat!"
The elder gave him a good whack on the head and said, "That's against the rules. There will be spirit eagles monitoring the secret realm. Remember, you must not seriously injure others or lose your hidden jade slips. Otherwise, you will be disqualified from the competition and may be held accountable afterward."
"How do we determine this 'malice'?" Ye Luo asked, puzzled. Battles between the two sides are often life-or-death struggles, and a slight mistake could cost one's life.
"Don't worry too much about those rules, just be careful to keep things in check."
Ming Cang continued with a serious expression: "After all, the disciples participating in this competition are almost all elites from various sects. For the sake of the future of the cultivation world, the Immortal Alliance naturally does not want to see any outstanding juniors suffer losses."
Ye Luo nodded to indicate that he understood. The competitions between various sects in previous years were actually about vying for cultivation resources. They were by no means friendly matches, and they still had to put on a show.
The elder thought for a moment and added, "In addition, the poisonous fog array will be activated randomly three times in the secret realm. However, it will not harm your life, but it will erode the soul jade slip. Moreover, the area of activity will be smaller each time. You all need to be careful then."
Upon hearing this, Ye Luo's face froze. Did this mean he was going to run away from the drug ring?!
Ming Cang: "Alright, the Grand Elder has explained everything in detail. Now, let's announce the list of participants—"
"Peak Group, Xiao Yin is on stage."
"Fengyun Group, Xiao Ling is on stage."
“The Rising Stars Group—” Ming Cang paused, glanced at Ye Luo, and said helplessly, “Xiao Luo, you can go.”
Ye Luo was somewhat surprised, "Huh? I'm going?"
"Wasn't I the one who was supposed to go?" Cen Feng jumped up, anxiously asking, "Junior Brother, how can you, a mere alchemist, possibly defeat those people?"
Everyone nodded in agreement upon hearing this, since in most people's minds, Ye Luo was physically weak and seemed to do nothing but stay in his cave to recuperate, rarely attending morning and evening classes.
Ming Cang was furious and said, "Who told you to be nineteen!"
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"Sigh, the competition rules have changed now. Only disciples aged eighteen or younger can participate in the Rising Star Group. He's the only one who meets the requirements now!"
"..."
Ye Luo was a little confused for a moment. After thinking about it carefully, it seemed that the original owner of this body had just turned eighteen.
Cen Feng's face instantly fell, and he suddenly leaned closer and whispered, "How about... we try lying about our age?"
Mingcang tapped him on the head and said angrily, "Always thinking about these crooked and evil ways! Do you think everyone else is blind?"
"But--"
"It's okay, I'll go." Ye Luo was quite confident in herself; if she could make it into the top eight, she wouldn't feel any pressure at all.
"Junior Brother will be fine," Nan Muyin said with a smile. He knew Ye Luo's current strength very well.
Ming Cang nodded. "Alright, it's decided then!"
The teams in the Rising Stars Individual Competition were patiently waiting for the secret realm to open when suddenly the ground shook and a rumbling sound came from it.
On the previously flat ground, a bright light suddenly shone, colorful runes surged, and a huge crystal tablet rose up, displaying the initial scores of each participating sect.
"Aaaaaah—!"
"Roar roar roar roar—!"
The sudden cheers from the stands startled Ye Luo. There were quite a few people who had come to watch the match, and the enthusiastic atmosphere made him inexplicably nervous. "Damn it, I have to stay calm!"
"Go, junior brother!" Cen Feng shouted excitedly, waving his arms incessantly.
"Don't worry!" Ye Luo gave an OK sign. "How could I be so amazing!"
At this moment, Feng Yue, still shrouded in a black robe, waved something in his hand at him and then threw it at him.
Ye Luo caught it and saw that it contained candies and snacks. "Hehe, thank you, Fourth Senior Brother!"
"Junior brother, please be careful!" Yu Xian'er and the others instructed, their eyes still showing worry.
"Don't worry, I'm definitely the chosen one!"
Just then, a few people nearby heard his boastful words and couldn't help but roll their eyes at him, "Who is this kid? Pretty arrogant, huh?"
"It looks like Peach Blossom Valley."
"Peach Blossom Valley? I've never even heard of it. Do you think trash from some small, worthless sect dares to participate in the alliance's grand competition these days?"
"Haha, who can argue with that? They even had to change the competition format this time, all because of these people."
...
Hearing their words, Ye Luo turned her head and memorized their appearances, a smile appearing on her lips. "Don't worry, you'll all remember me from now on."
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