It turns out, they were the main characters.

As for Ye Yu's provocation?

Who cares about a person who is incompetently furious?

Ultimately, there are many ways to defeat Ye Yu; taking matters into one's own hands is simply the least brain-intensive method.

Before long, Ye Lingxuan, Ye Qian and the others had arrived near the Ascension Platform. Then, an elder stood up and took out a bead that was entirely golden.

"This item is called the Spirit Calculation Pearl. Regardless of whether they are disciples of our sect, all those who have entered the sect this time should be carrying a temporarily crafted sect token."

His voice, transmitted through spiritual energy, spread throughout the vicinity of the Ascension Platform.

"I will infuse spiritual energy into the Spirit Pearl shortly."

"After that, the name of your next opponent will be displayed on the back of your sect token."

"Today's competition will determine the top ten in this Ascension Tournament."

Everyone took out their sect tokens and turned them over.

The elder infused a wisp of spiritual energy into the Calculation Bead. Subsequently, the Calculation Bead emitted a faint white light, and a name slowly began to appear on the sect token, which originally had no patterns.

Mu Zhian also flipped the sect token to the back and glanced at the name that appeared on it.

Then, a hint of amusement appeared in his eyes.

...Ye Yu.

Almost at the same time, Ye Yu suddenly raised his head, staring intently in Mu Zhian's direction, a sharp glint in his eyes.

Finally... what excuse can you make at this point?

surrender?

If you were to surrender in front of so many people, especially Ruoxi and the Azure Emperor, you would probably never be able to hold your head up again for the rest of your life!

Ye Yu gripped the sect token tightly, feeling boundless power surging within his body. He was now close to the fourth level of Refining Spirit. If he added the various trump cards within him, and even the old man inside him, what could Mu Zhi'an possibly use to fight him?!

Boom!

At that moment, the ground trembled slightly, and several high platforms rose silently from the ground.

At the center of each high platform, a large circular door was slowly rotating.

A grotto-heaven!

Stepping onto the high platform, one can enter the competition arena, and thereafter, everyone can see various scenes inside through a mirror created by magic.

As the participating disciples flew into their respective platforms, ten ice realms appeared out of thin air in front of the Ascension Platform.

"Mu Zhian and Ye Yu bumped into each other!"

Immediately, some people in the audience spotted Mu Zhian, who had already stepped into the cave, and Ye Yu, who was following closely behind, in front of one of the ice mirrors. For a moment, many people's eyes lit up with interest.

Mu Zhian and Ye Yu officially clashed!

This scene piqued the interest of many people present.

With the Ye family ancestor backing them up on one side and the Azure Emperor's Daoist partner on the other, their encounter is quite interesting.

Inside the cave, red runes seemed to flicker faintly behind Ye Yu. He suddenly raised his head, his eyes filled with an astonishing chill:

"Mu Zhian, you will repay a hundredfold for stealing my Heavenly Dao Qi and deceiving my sister that day!"

Before the Ascension Platform, the eyes of the several chief disciples flickered slightly, all of them appearing somewhat surprised.

Although they had been quite optimistic about Ye Yu before, after all, he had defeated a prodigy from a holy land yesterday with a third-grade Refining Spirit, three grades higher than Ye Yu, they still did not expect that he would have been holding back until now and only now was he revealing his strongest form.

"The runes flashing behind him are quite astonishing; I've only ever sensed such a terrifying aura in a first-grade cultivation technique."

"Although Ye Yu is only at the third level of the Spirit Refinement Realm, if it were an ordinary cultivator, even an eighth-level Spirit Refinement Realm cultivator might not be able to guarantee a victory over him... If his cultivation level hadn't plummeted in the past, he would probably be at the high level of the Spirit Refinement Realm now."

"This time, Mu Zhian has met his match."

Everyone present was a cultivator from an ancient family or a holy land, and their eyesight was naturally sharp. They could immediately see just how amazing the spiritual energy emanating from Ye Yu was.

If Mu Zhi'an were to lose in this situation, although the Azure Emperor had said he didn't care about Mu Zhi'an's cultivation level, it would probably be quite unpleasant for Mu Zhi'an himself.

Of course, they were unaware that Young Master Mu didn't mind being a kept man.

As for the match with Ye Yu...

If this had happened back in Tianxuan City, he might not have been able to defeat Ye Yu.

But now...

Mu Zhian calmly observed Ye Yu, whose back was flashing with mysterious black runes and whose feet were surging with spiritual energy, but he did not seem to be taking it too seriously.

Such a frivolous attitude naturally angered Ye Yu.

"Mu Zhian, have you thought about what would happen if you lost today?"

Ye Yu tried to put psychological pressure on Mu Zhi'an through words.

After pondering for a moment, Mu Zhian smiled and said, "I've lost... I should probably ask Ruoxi or Sister Qingdi to comfort me?"

"Actually, Lingxuan and Qian'er are not bad either... Your ancestors were also peerless beauties, tsk tsk tsk."

Every word he spoke was transmitted to Ye Yu's ears, and with each name that was mentioned, Ye Yu's expression grew increasingly grim.

"Mu Zhian, you are despicable and shameless! Not only did you bewitch Ruoxi and deceive my sister, but now you're even setting your sights on my ancestor?! Do you really think she'll be swayed by your instigation?!"

Ye Yu's face was extremely ugly, and his features were even slightly distorted.

Mingming initially intended to provoke Mu Zhian, but Mu Zhian broke her defenses with just a few words.

He didn't expect that while he was trying to provoke Mu Zhi'an, Mu Zhi'an was doing the same thing.

Moreover... the effect is immediate.

After all, his affection for Ancestor Ye was not simply a junior's respect for an elder; there were also certain indescribable emotions involved.

Upon hearing that Mu Zhian actually wanted to lay a hand on Ye Qingxin, and recalling all the things that had happened in the past, Ye Yu's anger instantly erupted.

"Die—!"

Beneath Ye Yu's feet, red runes flickered like a halo, forming a massive array.

Second-grade formation, the Refining Flame Formation!

Everyone was somewhat shocked, not expecting that Ye Yu was not only an alchemist but also a formation master!

Blazing flames swept across the sky, accompanied by a vast amount of spiritual energy, heading towards Mu Zhi'an.

Clearly, Ye Yu was getting desperate.

When Mu Zhian mentioned Bai Ruoxi and the others, he realized that he should have had so much more today: beautiful women, cultivation techniques, and rare treasures. They should all have been his, but now Mu Zhian had taken most of them away.

Moreover, in order to demonstrate his power, he directly unleashed the second-grade formation he had recently learned.

Unfortunately, all of this was exactly what Mu Zhian had anticipated.

"Boring."

When Mu Zhian gently shook his head, Ye Yu was taken aback.

The Refining Flame Formation has completely surrounded Mu Zhi'an, yet he remains completely at ease.

The next instant, as Mu Zhian raised his eyes, a surge of spiritual energy rushed forth, and black-gold light silently spread out from the center of his feet.

It is also a second-grade formation, the Hundred Birds Linked Formation that Yan Ruyu once gave me!

The next moment, the sound of phoenixes echoed throughout the entire cave, and black-gold birds wrapped in black flames danced in the sky, making the ground seem to tremble.

The Hundred Birds Linked Formation used to be golden, but now it has been affected by the mysterious black flames of the Heavenly Phoenix Technique, and has reappeared in the world in this form.

Before the Ascension Platform, Ye Qingxin's eyes flickered slightly as she looked up at the mirror in mid-air and the black flames with surprise and uncertainty.

I have a feeling that I've seen this before.

Yao Meng narrowed her eyes slightly and immediately recognized the origin of the black flames.

—The Heavenly Phoenix Technique.

The eerie black runes behind Mu Zhian flickered, and many cultivators of the same realm as him felt a tremor in their souls.

Both are second-grade formations, but it's clear that Mu Zhian's second-grade formation completely outclasses it.

boom!

Countless fierce birds wove black and gold threads in mid-air, binding the Flame Refining Array within.

As the threads connected, the Flame Refining Array was forcibly severed and shattered, scattering sparks in all directions.

A cold glint flashed in Ye Yu's eyes, and runes flickered on his palm.

Another second-grade cultivation technique!

However, this time Mu Zhian seemed to have lost interest and sighed softly.

He took a step forward, and the space suddenly trembled violently. Behind Mu Zhian, a dark golden blade silently appeared before his eyes.

Ask the Heavenly Lock!

The spiritual energy was absorbed into the Heavenly Lock in an instant, and then the whole world turned grayish-white.

Time stands still at this moment.

Mu Zhian raised his hand, and the Heavenly Lock on his back transformed into a sharp blade. Without any fancy moves, it swept straight towards Ye Yu with an irresistible and terrifying pressure.

Two seconds later, time continued to flow.

There are many ways to defeat Ye Yu, but Mu Zhian chose the simplest and most brutal method of attack.

Even the expressions of the many elders in front of the Ascension Platform changed slightly, their hearts filled with shock.

"This attack is so powerful that even a cultivator who has just begun to understand the Void Realm might not be able to withstand it." The chief of Drunken Dream Peak also had an extremely solemn expression.

When Ye Yu looked up, the Heavenly Lock had already reached him.

If it were an ordinary cultivator, they would probably be in despair by now.

boom!

The blow landed squarely on him, and Ye Yu spat out a mouthful of blood, his face turning deathly pale.

However, Ye Yu revealed a cold smile.

Behind him, there seemed to be faint black flames burning.