Volume 7, Chapter 439 – Fourth Round Draw (Part 1)

“Fellow Daoists, after three rounds of competition, only eight sects… and individuals remain on the stage. To have risen above so many experts, I am proud of all of you. Though, according to the Immortal Alliance’s rules, you have already earned your rewards, the further you advance, the richer the returns. I believe none of you wish to stop here, so I encourage you all to give your best in the upcoming matches!”

As usual, Steward Cai took the stage and delivered a long-winded speech before finally getting to the point: “Now, the draw for the fourth round will begin. When I call a sect’s name, their representative shall come forward to draw. The rules remain the same as before.”

After saying this, he used his divine sense to envelop the arena, officially commencing the draw.

Qin Quan was eager, as this was one of the few moments when he, as the sect leader, actually felt relevant.

Qi Huang had initially considered replacing him, After all, the old man’s luck was abysmal, always drawing weak opponents, leaving her with no chance to truly flex her strength. But she quickly dismissed the idea. From past experience, it was common for sects to privately exchange their draws afterward, making the initial result far less significant.

“Next, the Honghua Sect shall come forward to draw.”

Steward Cai finally called the Honghua Sect’s name.

Qi Huang couldn’t tell if it was her imagination, but the old man seemed to grit his teeth when he uttered “Honghua Sect”.

Qin Quan immediately rushed onto the stage to draw, as if afraid someone would snatch the opportunity from him.

After drawing, he glanced at the slip casually, then wrapped it in his divine sense and tucked it into his robe to prevent outsiders from peeking, standard procedure for all participants.

“We drew number six.”

Only after returning to his group and casting a soundproofing talisman did Qin Quan carefully pull out the slip.

“Number six? Then our opponent is number five. Who has five?”

Xu Mei glanced around.

“Preferably that Lü Er. He always draws five, doesn’t he? I’ll send him packing this round.”

A hint of anticipation flashed across Qi Huang’s face.

“Indeed, that brat is far too arrogant. And to think he even dared to set his sights on our junior sister, utterly intolerable.”

Ruan Lingyu nodded in agreement.

“Let me see if it’s him.”

After a brief moment of thought, Qi Huang pulled out her Shadow-Retaining Mirror and began discreetly observing the various sects. Her fellow disciples quickly gathered around.

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“Junior Sister’s mirror is so convenient. Unlike divine sense, you can spy on others without fear of detection.”

Ruan Lingyu sighed in admiration.

“True. Thankfully, it ended up in the hands of a girl. If some pervert got hold of it and used it for unspeakable deeds, women everywhere would lose all sense of security.”

Yun Fei shuddered at the thought.

“What unspeakable deeds?”

Miao Xiang asked innocently.

“Like peeping on women bathing, for instance.”

Shen Yuan answered bluntly.

“But she could also peep on men bathing! Would male comrades feel safe then? We must be fair!”

Su Qingying interjected dryly.

“Ahem—”

Qi Huang nearly choked on her own saliva.

Beside her, Cheng Hongling wore a strange expression, clearly struggling to hold back laughter. After all, she knew Qi Huang’s true identity.

“Senior Sisters, don’t joke around. If I wanted to see men bathing, would I even need to peep?”

Qi Huang rolled her eyes helplessly.

“Indeed! With Junior Sister Qi’s excellence, men would gladly do anything for her!”

Wang Zong chimed in, his tone almost like a confession.

“Including you?”

Su Qingying asked pointedly.

“Uh—”

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Wang Zong faltered, his aged face actually flushing red.

“Tch. Coward. Can’t even admit your feelings.”

Su Qingying scoffed disdainfully.

Wang Zong was even more mortified. He truly didn’t dare confess, his inferiority complex was too great.

“Actually, I think if she wanted to see women bathing, she wouldn’t need to peep either. Women would also do anything for her.”

Ruan Lingyu suddenly “confessed” inexplicably, her delicate cheeks tinged with a faint blush.

“Ah, yes, yes, yes!”

Several other senior sisters echoed enthusiastically, their faces flushed with excitement.

“Pfft! You’re all just blowing hot air. If she wanted to see a woman bathing, why wouldn’t she just look at herself? Why bother with any of you?”

Su Qingying retorted, unaware that her own face had reddened slightly.

Qi Huang ignored these clowns and continued her surveillance until she finally locked onto the holder of number five.

At that moment, the number five slip was in the hands of a sect called the “Shixin Sect”.

Shixin Sect was a major faction from the Western Radiance Dynasty, ranking within its top five in strength, comparable to the Jinliu Sect. Their strongest immortal seedling had reached the Incarnation Realm’s third layer, and they also had an external ally at the same level. Thus, their advancement to the top eight was no surprise.

“Who knows who drew six?”

Shixin Sect’s leading elder, Left Protector Hong, scanned the surroundings with the slip in hand.

“No idea. The draw isn’t finished yet, and all sects are keeping theirs well hidden.”

A portly disciple beside him replied. This was Shi Fei, Shixin Sect’s top immortal seedling.

“Hopefully, it’s the Honghua Sect!”

Another fair-skinned, average-built youth gnashed his teeth. This was Zhen Chao, their external ally at the Incarnation Realm’s third layer.

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When Qi Huang saw him, she smirked. This was the same Zhen Chao who had come seeking refuge but was ruthlessly driven away, no wonder he held such a grudge.

“Why? That Qi Huang’s divine sense has reached the peak of the Incarnation Realm. You two wouldn’t stand a chance.”

Protector Hong frowned.

“Haven’t you heard, Protector Hong? Recently, several Divine-grade protective talismans have appeared in the prefecture’s markets. If we can get one or two, Qi Huang will be reduced to a helpless lamb. With Brother Shi and my strength, dealing with a Cheng Hongling who’s exhausted her trump cards would be as easy as disciplining our own daughters!”

Zhen Chao declared confidently.

“That may be so, but it’s just a rumor. Even if they exist, how would we obtain them?”

Protector Hong remained skeptical.

“That depends on your capabilities, Protector Hong. This is already the fourth round, everyone who’s made it this far is formidable. Drawing the Honghua Sect at least gives us a chance to exploit an advantage. Against others, we’d have to clash head-on. Wouldn’t you agree?”

Zhen Chao reminded him.

“Fair point. But this is all contingent on actually drawing the Honghua Sect. Otherwise, it’s just fantasy.”

Protector Hong stroked his beard.

“Isn’t that Zhen Chao?”

Qin Quan also noticed the figure in the mirror.

“Who else could it be? Seems he still holds quite the grudge against us!”

Xu Mei sneered.

“Naturally. After traveling all that way to seek refuge, only to be beaten away by Hongling. No one could swallow that humiliation.”

Qin Quan couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Serves him right. He was the one who spoke disrespectfully. A minor lesson was already lenient.”

Xu Mei cursed under her breath.

Qi Huang continued scanning with the Shadow-Retaining Mirror and found that every sect shared the Stoneheart Sect’s sentiment, all hoping to face the Honghua Sect.

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“They’re treating us as easy prey, just like Lü Er back then.”

Ruan Lingyu said in astonishment.

“Of course. With rumors of Divine-grade protective talismans circulating in the prefecture, as long as they get their hands on one, we’re nothing but a soft persimmon in their eyes.”

Yun Fei replied.

“That Left Elder is shameless. A dignified Immortal Alliance elder, yet he keeps throwing obstacles in our path.”

Shen Yuan fumed.

“Hah, that old fool’s schemes are flawed. His meager skills can’t produce talismans capable of dealing with Junior Sister.”

Yun Fei shot Qi Huang a confident smile.

Qi Huang shook her head helplessly. In her senior sisters’ eyes, even a Divine Realm cultivator was now considered “meager”. It seemed her presence had raised their standards considerably.

She then shifted the mirror’s focus to the outskirts of the plaza, where the Huxiao Sect loitered.

“Strange. They’ve already been eliminated. Why stick around?”

Xu Mei frowned.

“Maybe they just want to watch the show. Since Qi Huang knocked them out, they naturally want to see us get eliminated too.”

Qin Quan speculated.

At that moment, Elder Zhou’s voice came from the mirror: “I wonder what number the Honghua Sect drew.”

“Still unclear. But everyone’s trying to find out their number, hoping to crush the weak. With only eight slips in play, it won’t stay hidden for long.”

Lü Zhen answered.

“Whoever draws the Honghua Sect, we’ll deliver that Divine-grade protective talisman tonight. This round, we must drive the Honghua Sect out of the Evergreen Conference!”

Zhou Ming’s eyes gleamed coldly.