I saved the entire sect by playing idly by letting things fall apart.

Ye Qiao's previous opponents were all her direct disciples, so she was quite unaccustomed to suddenly facing a group of ordinary Golden Core cultivators.

No one reacted after the fight was over.

What happened to the promise of a give-and-take?

Was it really a one-sided rout by Ye Qiao?

"???"

"Is there really such a big difference between an ordinary person and a direct disciple at the same level?"

It's understandable that others could decide the outcome with a single sword strike, as the lowest level among them was at the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm. Yet Ye Qiao, at the same level, was able to finish the match so quickly.

"A matter of luck?"

Mingxuan stood on the periphery and, hearing the discussions behind him, replied, "You can think of it as a dimensional reduction attack between a Heavenly Spiritual Root and an Ordinary Spiritual Root."

It's quite surprising that he was able to catch up with the progress of his mentors in such a short time.

"Yun Que's advancement is also very fast. She seems to break through faster than Ye Qiao, but her foundation is unstable."

Not to mention that even Ye Qiao, who was only at the Foundation Establishment stage back then, could beat her.

Someone swallowed hard: "So, are the top ten basically all these direct disciples?"

None of them are easy to mess with.

The difference lies in the order in which the top ten positions are ranked: first, second, and so on.

"It's not just basic, it's a certainty."

There were already many sword cultivators in the Five Sects, and these sword cultivators were all more ruthless than the last. Those who originally wanted to watch Ye Qiao make a scene fell silent for a moment.

"Shall we take another look?" someone suggested.

"Let's see."

Ye Qiao cannot possibly only compete in one match.

She drew several lots in a row, mostly requiring either Foundation Establishment or Qi Refining stages. Just when everyone was getting drowsy, she finally drew a Golden Core stage. The person immediately raised their hand and said, "Don't draw me, I can roll down myself."

Ye Qiao: "..."

"Give me a chance?" Ye Qiao was unwilling to give up: "Let's have a competition." She was only at the Golden Core stage, which was not enough for her to prove herself.

"impossible!!"

Other laymen might not be able to tell, but they were all at the Golden Core stage and could see it clearly. Whether it was spiritual energy or swordsmanship, she was not on the same level as ordinary Golden Core cultivators. When she fought that Golden Core cultivator just now, she didn't even use her full strength.

After only a few attempts, it was resolved quickly.

The individual competition was in full swing. Upon hearing that Ye Qiao had crushed cultivators of the same realm, Chu Xingzhi, who was practicing his sword, asked with some doubt, "Really?"

He was stubborn and, before he met Ye Qiao, he refused to believe the opinions of those fickle people on the cultivation forum.

Zhu You rested her chin on her hand, pondered for a moment, and said, "I saw it. Her sword can change shape. Be careful."

Chu Xingzhi is a brainless player; if he and Mu Chongxi were in the same sect, they would probably get along very well.

There's nothing to worry about between the two; they're both militant types who only know how to fight and kill.

But I'm afraid of encountering someone like Ye Qiao who has so many tricks up her sleeve.

Ye Qiao continued to rack up points. Apart from a few stubborn individuals who tried to challenge her, she dealt with them all with a single sword strike. After that, everything went surprisingly smoothly; all she had to do was sit there.

The forum users were still chatting, saying, "Right now, only Ye Qiao is in the second round; the other disciples are already in the third round."

"It's alright, Ye Qiao has already moved a chair onto the competition stage, drawn lots, and is sitting there waiting for the others to come up and concede defeat, right?"

She'll sit if she can, and she's definitely figured out how to just give up.

"Speaking of which, these disciples are all quite flamboyant. Yun Que from the Yueqing Sect is also quite resourceful. She took a Xuan sword and challenged several talisman cultivators in a row. Now she's almost invincible."

"Huh???" Someone was stunned: "So you can do that?"

"That's possible. There are loopholes in the rules. She cultivates both sword and talisman, and there's no explicit rule in talisman cultivation competitions that forbids her from using a sword. If you can cultivate both, you can use it too."

Couldn't Ye Qiao also cast talismans during the sword cultivator competition?

However, it is incredibly easy for sword cultivators to fight talisman cultivators. As long as Yun Que seizes an opportunity to get close, the opponent will not even have a chance to fight back.

At first, no one paid attention to Yun Que's situation. Everyone thought they would meet at the top and whoever failed to make it into the top ten would be ridiculed to the extreme.

Unfortunately, Mingxuan drew Yunque instead.

He specifically checked the other person's ranking, "Seventy-eighth?"

"She's acting like she's possessed by a mad dog."

"Isn't she supposed to be completely useless?" These were the words that Song Hansheng himself said.

After checking the forum and receiving feedback, Mu Chongxi said, "Oh, she used the Xuan Sword to fight talisman cultivators, which has basically reached the point where talisman cultivators are terrified."

Mingxuan: "??? Do you think I'll even make it out of tomorrow's match alive?"

It should be noted that talisman cultivators are creatures that are easily defeated once they are brought into close combat. As for sword cultivators fighting talisman cultivators, it is a foregone conclusion.

"Why don't you take some pills?" Xue Yu handed him the pills he had just refined, including the snail rice noodle flavored ones he had made earlier. Ming Xuan pinched his nose and leaned back tactically.

"But he also needs time to take drugs." Mu Chongxi is a sword cultivator, and he understands the speed at which sword cultivators draw their swords. "If Mingxuan were standing on the stage, he might be sent flying in the next second."

It's a matter of probability to run into so many people.

Mingxuan must have had the worst luck in eight lifetimes to run into Yun Que. The young man slumped over the table, sighing and complaining for a long time, but then he thought it through: "If I can't beat him, I'll just admit defeat."

The two were at the same level, and in terms of talisman skills, even ten Yun Que could not compare to him.

But Yun Que can cultivate dual cultivation, so there's no way he could win.

Zhou Xingyun said in a low voice, "But if she can find loopholes, so can we."

Using swords to fight in a talisman-cultivation competition is no different from a fallacy of equivocation.

Ye Qiao: "Do you have a rule sheet? Let's organize it and think about how to drill tomorrow."

"..."

You wouldn't believe it, but the end of the game was about exploiting loopholes.

No one else expected this either.

Who in their right mind spends all their time during a competition figuring out how to exploit loopholes?

*

Since their opponent was Yun Que, none of them went to the match. Instead, they all rushed off to watch. Not only were they there, but most of the people who came to watch the match were also talisman cultivators. Ming Xuan hung his head sadly and pitifully, holding Ye Qiao's hand with great emotion: "When I die, remember to buy me the best burial plot."

Ye Qiao slapped his head. Just how deep is this guy's obsession with the best burial plot?

"And they might not even die, right?" Mu Chongxi muttered to himself.

Xue Yu: "It's hard to say. Judging from Yun Que's demeanor, he probably doesn't have good intentions."

Upon hearing Xue Yu's words, Ming Xuan's heart sank even further.

As the group was discussing, a girl's voice came from behind them, "Mingxuan."

"Is this your match?" the girl asked.

"Mingyi?" Mingxuan blinked and nodded. "Yes, it's my competition."

Xue Yu whispered to them, "She's Mingxuan... his direct descendant's younger sister, right?"

In any large family, those who are direct descendants are all related to each other.

She's either the younger sister or the older sister.

Individual competitions are inherently contests where aristocratic families, independent cultivators, and their disciples engage in fierce competition, so it's perfectly normal to run into a few acquaintances.

Mingxuan raised an eyebrow. "You're here to compete too?"

Mingyi glanced at the people behind him; they were all people she knew well, or rather, practically everyone in the cultivation world knew these disciples.

"No," the girl shook her head, "Let's watch your match."

She was also here to participate in the individual competition, and before coming, she had discussed the match between Ming Xuan and Yun Que with the head of the Ming family.

The Ming family patriarch spoke up: "The four talisman cultivators from the Yueqing Sect have taken up four spots, and that little brat Ming Xuan has taken one. The remaining five spots will have to be contested with other direct descendants."

The Song and Ming families, both renowned for their talisman cultivation, have produced countless geniuses.

"The next match is between Yun Que and Ming Xuan. You can go and watch, and while you're at it, give that little brat a message: it's okay if he doesn't win, I won't scold him next time." Speaking of which, the Ming family head was quite embarrassed. Before, Ming Xuan couldn't break through to the Golden Core stage no matter what, and he would scold him every time in his family letters. As a result, he scolded the child into becoming withdrawn and still refuses to go home.

"Yun Que?" Ming Yi was taken aback for a moment, then dismissed it with disdain, "Using a sword to pick off talisman cultivators, shameless."

"If she can defeat Fu Xiu with a sword, does that mean Ye Qiao can also grab a sword and fight her?"

The Ming family head stroked his beard and said awkwardly, "I'm afraid that won't work... But Ye Qiao is here too, it's a pity she didn't participate in the talisman cultivation competition."

Not only him, but the other members of the Eight Great Families also wanted to see if the legendary Ye Qiao was truly worthy of the name.

Mingyi took this opportunity to come and watch Mingxuan's match, and also to observe Ye Qiao.

It looks... pretty ordinary.

Wearing a dark blue dress, at sixteen years old, she exudes a quiet and aloof air, especially when she's not speaking.

Ye Qiao wasn't unaware that the other person was sizing her up; in fact, she was used to it, as if everyone had to look her up and down whenever they saw her.

Mingxuan took a deep breath, and after the competition stage became available, he slowly stood up.

At the same time, Yun Que quickly flew to the competition stage, looked at her from afar, and smiled.

Seeing this, Ye Qiao smiled, her smile even brighter than hers: "You're right, Heaven doesn't reward diligence, it only favors geniuses."

Yun Que's expression stiffened slightly; she had said those words not long ago.

But back then, no one said she had a Heavenly Spiritual Root. This makes Yun Que feel somewhat ashamed when she recalls it now.

Yun Que pursed her lips, too angry to utter a sound.

Ye Qiao didn't try to keep her voice down, so that everyone outside the venue could hear her clearly.

"Heaven rewards diligence? I'll strangle anyone who says that! Just look at Ye Qiao, damn it, heaven clearly favors geniuses!!"

"Ye Qiao always throws the game, but it doesn't affect her winning at all."

After the two stood on the stage, they didn't even exchange basic greetings before starting to fight.

An objective fact is that talisman cultivators simply cannot defeat sword cultivators. Moreover, the arena is only so big, and there isn't even time to set up an array before the sword cultivators can engage in close combat and send them flying.

It's one thing to be knocked out, but you can just end the game quickly and admit defeat. Losing one game isn't a big deal anyway.

Yun Que was clearly trying to mess with Ming Xuan's mindset; instead of finding a way to defeat him, she wanted to stab him with her sword.

Mingxuan always managed to dodge the attacks by a narrow margin, using a few talismans to barely defend himself.

Zhou Xingyun objectively stated, "Mingxuan can't beat her."

"Isn't Song Hansheng able to hold his own against Ye Qinghan? How come he can't beat her?" Fu Xiu isn't that weak either; in fact, he's quite strong and plays an indispensable role in team competitions.

Zhou Xingyun's voice was as calm as water: "The venue is too small. There's no chance to unleash our full potential when fighting a sword cultivator."

"To give an example..." He paused for a moment, "Looking at how Song Hansheng was eliminated by Chu Xingzhi and Ye Qiao working together, you can see that if talisman cultivators don't have a suitable place or position, they'll be unilaterally crushed by sword cultivators in close combat."

The arena was too small, and there had never been a talisman cultivator who could use a sword in any of the talisman cultivators' competitions.

Who would have thought that so many geniuses would emerge this year?

Seeing this, Ye Qiao clicked her tongue twice: "That's why I've always thought mages are unreliable." In a one-on-one fight with an assassin, they would be completely crushed.

Fortunately, she was a sword cultivator.

With a cold flick of his sword, Yun Que aimed precisely at the most painful spots. Ming Xuan moved swiftly, and as he watched the talismans in his hand being shattered one by one, he lowered his eyes, his fingertips forming a hand seal, and the four-directional formation he had previously set up began to take effect.

Yun Que was stunned; he was trapped and unable to move his limbs.

The next second, Mingxuan kicked her to the ground, but she managed to stay upright by supporting herself with the sword in her hand.

The Four Directions Formation can lock a person within a certain area. Seeing this, Yun Que was not annoyed. He wanted to knock her out, but the talisman had no effect unless he kicked himself out.

But she was a sword cultivator, so Mingxuan couldn't get close to her.

Therefore, the Four Directions Formation only trapped Mingxuan, giving him a brief respite. He sped up the deployment of the attack formation, while Yunque on the other side was also trying her best to break through the formation.

She understood formations, so she broke them very quickly. When Mingxuan saw her come out, he took a step back, tore off a fog talisman, and smoke rose all around. After Yunque broke the formation, she saw the smoke and suddenly smiled. She turned her head as if she had eyes, and suddenly aimed at Mingxuan and stabbed down.

"??? Holy crap."

"Cheating?" Forgive Ye Qiao for this being her first reaction. Logically speaking, with the Mist Talisman, and both of them at the same cultivation level, Yun Que shouldn't be able to find the location so quickly.

"...She's really weird."

Mingxuan on the stage barely managed to avoid being pierced through the heart. He cursed inwardly, "Damn it, are you really planning to kill me?"

The default setting during the match is to stop when the opponent has made a move.

After the top ten were selected, some people became extremely competitive and even fought tooth and nail to get a better ranking. It's only the third round now, not the finals, so why the fuss?

Yun Que remained silent, each sword strike more ruthless than the last. Ming Xuan could only continue dodging with his Stepping on the Wind technique, while casually tossing down a few explosive talismans.

The girl narrowed her eyes and returned the talisman intact, pinching it between her fingers.

She had everything Mingxuan had. Although her talisman skills were lacking, she had a sword in hand, so Mingxuan couldn't do anything to her in this situation.

"no."

"If you keep playing like this, who the hell can beat you?" Mingxuan almost vomited blood. What? Dual cultivation is so great, huh?

"You forced me to do this."

After he finished speaking, he looked at the audience and asked, "Xue Yu, where's your alchemy furnace?"

Xue Yu, who was watching nervously from the audience, was suddenly called upon: "..."

Here it comes, so you've finally decided to target his alchemy furnace, haven't you?

After a night of discussion among a group of unscrupulous people, they started to figure out how to exploit loopholes in the rules, and they actually managed to find a few ways.

???