Junior Sister must ascend this time!

Yan Li pretended not to hear and quickly sheathed his sword. "Well, let's stop the demonstration here for now. You guys practice well. Elder Xuanwei and I will come to check on you tomorrow."

"I remember, if the sect leader asks, just say you don't know."

He patted Yun Qing on the shoulder, "The sect leader loves you the most, he won't do anything to you, at most he'll just compensate you with some spirit stones. But if he catches me, Master will be dead. Enough said, we're leaving now..."

With that, he grabbed Xuanwei and fled at top speed.

No money, and we won't give you your life!

Five people:…………

Alright, alright, Elder Huo has caused trouble, the Spirit Stone disciple will compensate.

Yun Qing clicked her tongue twice. "When will Master Yan Li mature a bit? It's exhausting taking care of him."

Si Mingche looked at her sympathetically, and was about to say a few words of comfort when he realized that his master was not much better, so he didn't say anything in the end.

Pei Shubai said, "Never mind them, let's practice first. If we can use this sword formation, we'll have a much better chance in the sect competition."

The five found their positions based on their memories. Pei Shubai summoned the Jingfeng Sword and stood at the front, while Yun Qing and Jiang Mian stood on the left and right sides with the Wusheng Sword and the Xianguang Sword, respectively. Si Mingche and Cen Ning stood on the left and right sides behind, holding the Qianji Fan and Chanyun.

"Sword formation activated!"

The three sword lights—white, purple, and green—intertwined and merged, while the talismans and whips behind them filled the gaps, ensuring that the attacks from several directions did not miss.

"attack!"

However... there was a moment of silence, except for a few sparrows in the tree that were startled by the noise and flew away.

"Chirp...chirp chirp chirp..."

The five people fell silent…

"The process is the same, so why is the result so different? Why is it even less effective than attacking individually?"

Si Mingche plopped down on the ground, grabbed his hair and crumpled it into a ball, then looked at Yun Qing.

Yun Qing looked down at the Lifeless Sword in her hand. "Our sword lights are connected, but..."

"Our sword lights each followed their own trajectories, failing to converge effectively at the core of the formation. It was like a stream of water splitting apart at a fork, without generating enough force to guide it in the same direction."

Pei Shubai glanced at his third junior brother's clear, naive eyes and knew he hadn't understood. He smiled and said to Yun Qing:

"Junior Sister, say something that Third Junior Brother can understand."

Yun Qing patted Si Mingche on the shoulder, "Simply put, it's a lack of understanding."

"Keep practicing, friends!"

Si Mingche: ...Am I that obviously stupid?

…………

For the next two weeks, the five of them were chased by spirit beasts in the morning, bombed by the Void at noon, researched in the spirit pool in the afternoon, and practiced sword formations in the evening.

Although they had shed more than one layer of skin, their cultivation level had indeed improved significantly.

Si Mingche and Cen Ning have both reached the late stage of the Golden Core realm, while Pei Shubai has advanced two minor realms in succession, reaching the half-step Nascent Soul stage. He only needs an opportunity to break through to the Nascent Soul stage.

Even Yun Qing and Jiang Mian, who had the lowest cultivation levels, advanced to the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm.

In the sect competition, the sect leader usually leads his disciples to the competition venue.

Except for Yan Li, who was in seclusion, everyone else gathered at the mountain gate.

The four elders who remained at the sect were reluctant to part on the outside, but overjoyed on the inside. They were finally able to live a life where they had no elders above them and no children below them!

After giving them some instructions, the group quickly helped the five people onto the flying boat, afraid of delaying their relaxation time.

However, when no one was paying attention, a thin stream of light slipped into the airship. After licking its paws, it settled down in a corner and fell asleep peacefully.

This year's sect competition is more grand than any previous one, with all sects, large and small, from the cultivation world participating. It's sure to be a spectacle, and everyone wants to know which sect will be the leader of the seven major sects.

So even before everyone had arrived, many sect disciples were already placing bets at the competition venue.

"Take a look! Check it out!! The latest odds for the Sect Competition. Once placed, no refunds!"

The betting stall owner stood behind a table, holding a megaphone. His voice, amplified by spiritual energy, resounded throughout the entire area: "Jin Yu Sect pays 1 to 2, Xuan Ming Sect pays 1 to 3... Cheng Tian Sect pays 1 to 15! Don't miss out! It's better to bet wisely than early!"

Before he could finish speaking, several rogue cultivators gathered around: "Chengtian Sect offers a 1:15 payout? How can that be so high? Aren't they one of the seven major sects?"

The stall owner looked up at him and said, "It's true that it's one of the seven major sects, but it hasn't had any outstanding achievements in recent years. In addition, the Chengtian Sect died out a hundred years ago, leaving only two direct disciples, and each subsequent generation is worse than the last."

The rogue cultivator hesitated for a moment, "But Chengtian Sect won first place in the last Spirit Ruins Secret Realm."

"That only means that Cheng Tian Sect has one or two strong individuals," the stall owner continued. "But the sect competition is about overall strength, and which of the other sects isn't stronger than Cheng Tian Sect?"

"I have some inside information for you. The Golden Jade Sect has only one Nascent Soul cultivator."

"Really?!"

"How could it be fake?" the stall owner said. "Are you going to buy it or not? If you don't, someone else will."

The rogue cultivator made up his mind, "I'll put up thirty spirit stones as a bet on the Jade Sect!"

The stall owner was somewhat displeased, "After all that explanation, you only bet this little bit... You've wasted my breath..."

"I'll offer 500,000 spirit stones!"

The stall owner's eyes lit up instantly. The newcomer was dressed in finery, clearly a wealthy person. He quickly put on a smile, "Which sect does this immortal master wish to bet on? The Golden Jade Sect?"

Si Mingche placed the storage bag on the corner of the table near Chengtian Sect. "No! I'm betting on Chengtian Sect!"

"Alright! Jin..."

The stall owner was about to write Jin Yuzong's name in the ledger when he suddenly realized, "Huh?? Not Jin Yuzong? You really are Cheng Tianzong?"

Si Mingche crossed his arms, chin held high, and proudly declared, "I'm betting on Chengtian Sect! Chengtian Sect will definitely be number one in this sect competition!"

The stall owner neither understood nor respected, but who would refuse money that was offered to them?

So he quickly wrote down the voucher and handed it to Si Mingche, saying, "When the competition ends, if Chengtian Sect really wins first place, the Immortal Master can use this voucher to collect the spirit stones."

Si Mingche put away the receipt and swaggered away.

The people around him looked at him like he was an idiot, and couldn't help but shake their heads. He's a fool with too much money!

"Ten thousand spirit stones, deposit to Yu Zong!"

"I'm betting on the Xuanming Sect!"

"I'm betting on the Sumeru sect! Those monks are pretty tough too..."

After disembarking from the flying boat, Pu Heng went to the stands with the other sect leaders.

Pei Shubai and the others stood not far from the stall waiting for Si Mingche to return.

Seeing his grin, Yun Qing asked, "How's it going? Are a lot of people betting on Chengtian Sect?"

Si Mingche chuckled and shook his head. "No, almost no one bet on Chengtian Sect except me."

Yun Qing sighed, "Then why are you laughing so happily?!"

Si Mingche said, feeling wronged, "Can't I just naturally love to smile...?"