Yun Man's victory shocked everyone present. Such an outcome was completely beyond their imagination.
A late Nascent Soul cultivator, and one who had even consumed a Mad Blood Pill, had actually lost to a mid Nascent Soul practitioner? How could anyone accept this?
At that moment, the crowd began to look at the Tianyuan Sect in a new light. They realized they had severely underestimated the sect, never expecting that apart from the Holy Maiden, the Tianyuan Sect possessed an even more formidable disciple.
"Yu Heguang is nothing special after all. It seems we overestimated him."
Fang Xiuxian was left speechless by the outcome. He had expected the opponent to defeat the Tianyuan Sect so that he could face Qin Xiao next, but since Yu Heguang lost, he could only contend for fifth place. As long as the Tianyuan Sect ranked fourth, he would still have a chance to challenge them.
"How is this possible? This simply cannot be!"
Luo Yunshuang felt a chill run through her. Only now did she understand why Qin Xiao had been so confident in the wager. Just how old was this Yun Man? To be so heaven-defying at such an age meant that even if she consumed a Spirit-Burst Pill herself, victory was far from certain.
Luo Yunbing and Cang Chen shared the exact same anxiety. They realized too late that they had walked right into a trap; Qin Xiao had thoroughly outmaneuvered them from the start.
"Master, I won."
Although Yun Man appeared relaxed, she had sustained considerable internal injuries. Even though her defensive treasures had blocked the brunt of the impact, she still absorbed a portion of the force.
"You were too reckless," Qin Xiao chided, though his hands readily produced a vial of Spirit Liquid and passed it over. "Don't you have your own boosting pills? Why didn't you use them? Didn't I tell you your master would back you up? Why force yourself?"
"Master, these are minor issues; they won't affect the subsequent matches. I still have plenty of healing pills."
Yun Man knew she had been a bit too headstrong, but fortunately, the victory was hers.
With that, the top four were decided: the Pure Yang Sect, the Immortal Dao Merchant Association, the Mysterious Yin Sect, and the Tianyuan Sect.
The bottom four consisted of Pure Yang City, Tianyi City, Mysterious Yin City, and an old established family.
Mysterious Yin City and the old family directly forfeited. There was no practical difference between seventh and eighth place, and they had no hope of contending for the top five, especially with two late Nascent Soul practitioners trapped in the lower bracket.
The morning matches concluded, leaving the afternoon for the top four bouts and the playoff for fifth place.
Despite the intermission, no one left the venue; everyone remained in their seats to recover their state.
Soon, afternoon arrived, and the playoff for fifth place began first.
Because of his grueling match against Yun Man, Yu Heguang failed to fully recover in time and ultimately lost to Fang Xiuxian, who had preserved his strength. Missing out on the top five, Pure Yang City lost its qualification for the Spirit Medicine Valley.
This outcome exceeded everyone's expectations. As the host city, Pure Yang City had failed to secure even a single qualifying spot.
Yu Chengfeng was utterly dumbfounded. Forget the top three-how had they failed to even retain fifth place? He had personally hired a late Nascent Soul cultivator, aiming for the top three this time, only to be eliminated outright.
Tianyuan Sect... it's all because of the Tianyuan Sect.
Yu Chengfeng muttered through gritted teeth.
"Fifth Brother, I'm sorry. I lost."
Yu Heguang never imagined his luck would be so abyssal. Using all his trump cards hadn't secured a win, and now he had even thrown away fifth place.
"Forget it, Twenty-seventh Brother. We can only blame our terrible luck."
Yu Chengfeng could hardly blame his distant cousin, as luck had indeed played a massive role.
Pure Yang City had managed to run straight into the only two uncontrollable variables in the entire tournament: the Tianyuan Sect and Tianyi City.
Next came the drawing of lots for the top four. This time, the Tianyuan Sect enjoyed good fortune, being paired against the Mysterious Yin Sect, while the Pure Yang Sect drew the Immortal Dao Merchant Association.
Surprisingly, the Immortal Dao Merchant Association truly fielded only three mid Nascent Soul participating disciples, and their strength was thoroughly mediocre with nothing particularly flashy. Naturally, they lost to the Pure Yang Sect.
Now, all eyes focused entirely on the showdown between the Tianyuan Sect and the Mysterious Yin Sect.
"This match should be an easy win for the Tianyuan Sect. After all, even a late Nascent Soul wasn't their match, and the Mysterious Yin Sect only has three mid Nascent Soul members this time. They're bound to lose."
"You shouldn't be so certain. The Mysterious Yin Sect's heritage shouldn't be underestimated. They're both mid Nascent Soul; the outcome isn't guaranteed."
"No matter how deep their heritage is, can they compare to a late Nascent Soul who took a Mad Blood Pill?"
"Who knows? We'll find out soon enough."
Everyone held different opinions regarding the clash between the Mysterious Yin Sect and the Tianyuan Sect, with supporters on both sides.
"Second, how is your recovery? You'll be facing your junior sister next, so don't drop the ball. Win at least one match, otherwise your position as Second Senior Sister will feel a bit hollow," Qin Xiao whispered as he approached Lin Shimeng.
"I know."
Lin Shimeng had naturally reserved some trump cards of her own. Knowing her side was guaranteed to win overall, she intended to save her hidden moves to deal with the Luo sisters and Cang Chen.
She had known from the very beginning that she could afford to lose to anyone else, but she could never lose to those three. Otherwise, she would never command authority as their Second Senior Sister.
Stepping onto the combat platform, Lin Shimeng shed her previous dejection. Her face radiated absolute confidence, as if the proud daughter of heaven had truly returned.
"Junior Sister Lin, offense."
Luo Yunshuang wished things were different, but she had no way out. She produced a Spirit-Burst Pill and swallowed it directly.
"This is the last time you'll call me Junior Sister."
Lin Shimeng likewise retrieved a Spirit-Burst Pill and ingested it. It was a life-saving pill given to her by Lin Tiancheng, and she could not afford to lose this fight.
"How do you have one too?"
Luo Yunshuang was somewhat taken aback. If Qin Xiao had provided it, it meant he possessed them from the start, which meant he had deliberately tricked her into bidding and driving up the price-it was all a trap!
In truth, she was misjudging Qin Xiao; he had nothing to do with it, as the pill had been given by Lin Tiancheng.
"What is Meng'er doing? She's using her trump card before the fight even starts?"
Lin Tiancheng was completely baffled. What was happening here? The two of them stepped onto the stage and popped pills before exchanging a single blow?
Luo Yunshuang refused to lose because she did not want to become Qin Xiao's disciple. Lin Shimeng refused to lose because those three were destined to become her junior peers, and she had to win to cement her status as Second Senior Sister.
Both had unyielding reasons to win, prompting them to unleash their full power right from the start.
The auras of both cultivators surged upward continuously, their cultivation realms rapidly breaking through to the late Nascent Soul stage.
Instead of attacking first, Lin Shimeng stood her ground with her sword drawn. She intended not merely to win, but to win decisively so that her future junior disciples would harbor no lingering discontent.
"Since you refuse to make a move, I will."
Unsure of what Lin Shimeng was planning, Luo Yunshuang had no intention of dragging out the engagement.
Her logic was simple: defeat Lin Shimeng, take advantage of Yun Man's unrecovered injuries, and perhaps sweep the remaining matches to secure victory in the wager. As for Qin Xiao, she hadn't even considered him a genuine opponent.
With a flicker of her figure, Luo Yunshuang vanished from her spot, materializing directly in front of Lin Shimeng the next instant.
Lin Shimeng had naturally prepared well in advance. Though she held back her attack, her gaze had never left her opponent.
Raising her sword with her right hand, she parried Luo Yunshuang's strike cleanly.
Suddenly, a second sword materialized in Luo Yunshuang's left hand, thrusting viciously toward Lin Shimeng's ribs.
Her weapon was not a single blade, but a pair of twin swords typically locked together, which could separate during combat.
The sudden maneuver caught Lin Shimeng slightly off guard, but she reacted with commendable speed, throwing herself backward to dodge the blade.
Seeing Lin Shimeng retreat, Luo Yunshuang pressed the attack relentlessly, her twin swords unleashing a flurry of distinct techniques that forced Lin Shimeng into a hasty defense.
As they exchanged blows in a prolonged tussle, both sides began to probe each other's styles while quietly brewing their ultimate techniques.