If I stay in the Hehuan Sect, I'll live off the pampered daughters of the Heavenly Pride Sect.

After several matches, the outcomes on stage varied.

The female cultivator pretended to be aloof, avoiding vital points with every move, but deliberately forcing her opponent to expose their ugliness.

With the strong peak behind her, the female cultivator didn't hold back much when she attacked. Even after being repelled, she looked towards the high platform several times.

Some people only want to save face from beginning to end, preferring to lose gracefully rather than reveal their trump cards.

Lin Wanqing became more and more confused as she looked at it.

"Senior Brother Mo, I don't understand. They say nice things, but when they fight, it's a completely different story."

Mo Chengyue said.

"So don't listen to what they say."

Lin Wanqing asked.

"Then what are you looking at?"

Mo Chengyue said.

"It depends on whether they choose to injure the enemy, avoid the enemy, or control the situation at crucial moments."

Yu Jianhuan's eyes flickered.

Those who harm the enemy seek fame, those who avoid the enemy seek stability, and those who control the situation seek power.

Su Qingying said.

"If the sword cultivator can control the situation, it means she doesn't just want to win."

Qin Wanzhuang said.

"Trying to intimidate others."

Jin Qiaoqiao said.

"She might also be trying to tell Gao Tai that she can control the situation."

Xie Buci looked at Mo Chengyue.

"Third brother, you're treating the Saintess candidate as a preliminary selection for the Peak Master."

Mo Chengyue said.

"The saintess isn't just about looks."

Xie Buci raised an eyebrow.

"So you finally admit you're attracted to looks too?"

Mo Chengyue said earnestly.

"Senior brother, I'm emphasizing that we can't just look."

Qin Wanzhuang said coldly.

"You'd better be."

Lin Wanqing suppressed a laugh as a few more lines of text appeared in the booklet in her hand.

At this moment, the jade tablet for drawing lots lit up again.

The elder deacon read out the new name.

"The outer peak is covered in frost, while the heavenly fragrance peak is adorned with silk."

There was a moment of silence in the room.

Then hushed murmurs came from all directions.

Who is Shen Shuangzhi?

"From the outer peak?"

"I've never heard of this name before?"

"Has Luo Qi of Tianxiang Peak already won two matches?"

"If the female cultivator from the outer peak bumps into her, she'll probably be knocked down."

Lin Wanqing hurriedly flipped through the files, and it took her a while to find that thin page.

"Shen Shuangzhi, an outer peak disciple, has been in the sect for eight years. She cultivates the Cold Branch Technique and usually handles miscellaneous tasks. She has very few records of participating in elections."

Xie Buci said.

"The case file is so thin?"

Lin Wanqing nodded.

"Even thinner than Lu Qingheng."

Mo Chengyue looked toward the edge of the female cultivators' seats.

There stood a plain-looking female nun.

She wore a light gray dress, with only a wooden hairpin in her hair. Her face was delicate and pretty, not as alluring as Lin Miaoyin, nor as pure and beautiful as Su Qingying, but she had a clean and unassuming quality.

As she walked onto the stage, her steps were slow, and the wind lifted her sleeves, revealing the old protective rope on her wrist.

Yu Jianhuan narrowed her eyes.

"This person is interesting."

Su Qingying asked.

"where?"

Yu Jianhuan said.

"She walked out from the edge of the nuns' seats, and no one spoke to her along the way, but no one dared to show any disrespect."

Jin Qiaoqiao said.

"I've been afraid of it."

Qin Wanzhuang looked towards the battle stage.

"Look at your hands."

Wenren Jidao.

"Very stable."

Mo Chengyue pressed his fingertips against the edge of the file, without replying.

Luo Qi, dressed in a peach-colored long dress, with delicate features and a sachet hanging from her arm, gracefully bowed to all around when she stepped onto the stage.

Luo Qi said.

"Junior Sister Shen, cultivation on the outer peaks is not easy. If you find it difficult, you can admit defeat sooner rather than later."

Shen Shuangzhi returned the gift.

"Thanks for reminding me."

Luo Qi smiled.

"I meant no harm, but swords have no eyes, and it's not a good look for a female cultivator to be injured."

Shen Shuangzhi said.

"please."

Luo Qi's smile faded slightly.

"Then I'll have to offend you."

Fragrant mist emanated from Luo Qi's sleeves, and pink spiritual energy spread along the table surface. Flower shadows condensed in mid-air, swirling around Shen Shuangzhi's shoulders, neck, and knees.

Lin Wanqing asked.

"Is this some kind of seductive art?"

Yu Jianhuan said.

"It's half seductive arts, half bewitching incense; Tianxiang Peak really likes this kind of thing."

Su Qingying said.

"She wanted to disrupt Shen Shuangzhi's footwork first."

Qin Wanzhuang said.

"Shen Shuangzhi did not back down."

Mo Chengyue looked at the stage.

"She is waiting for the fragrant mist to form a ring."

With a flick of her finger, Luo Qi caused the flower shadows to converge beside Shen Shuangzhi.

Just before they closed, Shen Shuangzhi raised her hand and touched the center of the first flower shadow with her fingertips.

That finger did not emit any extra radiance.

The flower shadows scattered, the connection of the pink mist was severed, and Luo Qi's sachet in her sleeve swayed gently, leaving a corner of the entire spell missing.

Luo Qi's expression changed.

"Can you see my incense thread?"

Shen Shuangzhi said.

"visible."

Luo Qi bit her lip.

"Then let's look at this one."

She spread her sleeves, and the fragrant mist transformed into dozens of petals. The petals did not attack her vital points directly, but instead pressed against Shen Shuangzhi's elbows, ankles, waist, and back of the neck.

Su Qingying said.

"She wants to use a self-sealing technique."

Wenren Jidao.

"It can't be sealed off."

Shen Shuangzhi took a step to the left, her hem brushing against the edge of the petals. She raised two fingers of her right hand and tapped three points where spiritual energy turned.

The first point is to break the flower's shadow root.

The second point is to stop the incense smoke.

The third point is located three inches outside Luo Qi's wrist.

Before Luo Qi could even begin her technique, she was forced to retreat, and the knot in the sachet in her sleeve broke, falling onto the battle platform.

A collective gasp filled the air.

"How did she do that?"

"She dismantled the incense-making techniques of Tianxiang Peak?"

"She didn't hurt Senior Sister Luo at all, she only broke the spell's path."

"What's the background of this female cultivator from the outer peak?"

Luo Qi's expression was rather unpleasant.

"Junior Sister Shen is really good at hiding her true feelings."

Shen Shuangzhi said.

"It's kind of you, Senior Sister, to be so kind."

Just as Luo Qi was about to make another move, the elder in charge had already looked at the protective jade talisman.

The jade talisman lit up.

"Outer Peak Shen Shuangzhi, victorious."

There was a moment of silence in the audience, followed by a flurry of discussion.

Lin Wanqing said blankly.

"You won so quickly."

Xie Buci lightly tapped his palm with his fan.

"It's not that she's fast, it's that every single one of her shots lands where it's supposed to land."

Qin Wanzhuang said.

"It won't hurt anyone."

Su Qingying said.

"We won't leave the opponent any room to turn the tables."

Yu Jianhuan said softly.

"She's in control."

Jin Qiaoqiao looked at Mo Chengyue.

What do you think?

Mo Chengyue did not answer immediately; he flipped through Shen Shuangzhi's page of the case file twice.

Lin Wanqing leaned closer and asked.

"Senior Brother Mo, what did you find?"

Mo Chengyue said.

"The file is too clean."

I thank you for asking.

"Isn't clean enough?"

Mo Chengyue said.

There are two possibilities for the overly clean files in the library.

Lin Wanqing asked.

Which two?

Mo Chengyue said.

"One possibility is that nothing really happened to her, and the other is that someone covered it up for her."

The second round of the draw began soon.

Shen Shuangzhi was selected again.

This time, she faced off against a female sword cultivator from Xuan Yu Peak.

The female swordswoman was tall and slender, with a heroic air between her brows, and she spoke very directly.

"Junior Sister Shen, I watched the match just now. Your technique-breaking ability is very strong, but I don't use techniques; I use a sword."

Shen Shuangzhi said.

"Please enlighten me, senior sister."

A female swordswoman cultivates Taoism.

"If my strike becomes too forceful, you should call a halt."

Shen Shuangzhi said.

"it is good."

The female swordswoman drew her sword, the blade flashing as she slashed diagonally across the table, forcing Shen Shuangzhi to retreat to the corner with her first move.

Shen Shuangzhi did not take the hit directly.

A short twig slipped from her sleeve, like a piece of dead wood casually broken off from the mountains and forests, but it emitted a pale blue and cold light after being infused with spiritual energy.

Wenren Ji looked at the short branch.

"It is not a magical artifact."

Qin Wanzhuang said.

"She mastered the Cold Branch Technique to the point where she could turn objects into blades."

Su Qingying said.

"The foundation is very solid."

The female swordsman unleashed six consecutive attacks, each strike causing ripples to appear on the battle arena's light screen.

Shen Shuangzhi used only short branches, dots, and strokes, her steps small, yet each time she managed to deflect the blade by half an inch.

Lin Wanqing's heart raced as she watched.

"Why isn't she fighting back?"

Mo Chengyue said.

"She's counting the knife paths."

Xie Buci said.

"What happens after you finish counting?"

Mo Chengyue said.

"The swordsman is going to suffer."

As the seventh cut landed, Shen Shuangzhi finally took a step forward.

The short branch grazed the back of the blade, touched the outside of the tiger's mouth of the female swordsman, and then pressed down on the hilt, avoiding the blade with the side of her shoulder.