"Song Yan?"

His brows furrowed, and he thought, ’This is bad.’

Coincidentally, this person had been observing the battle between Song Yan and Senior Brother Kong You on the Sword Debate Platform that day.

Three streaks of Sword Qi had rendered the 8th Level of Qi Refining Senior Brother Kong You utterly defenseless, a scene that remained vivid in his memory.

"Oh? I’ve been recognized?"

Xiao Song, to be honest, felt a secret delight in his heart.

However, the Cultivator in the tight-fitting suit didn’t hesitate, immediately throwing three Talismans at Song Yan.

Then, he turned and ran.

Boom, boom, boom!

Three consecutive explosions of flames caused air currents to swirl through the ancient forest, startling a flock of crows.

The Cultivator in the tight-fitting suit took advantage of the air currents and smoke from the explosions to flee into the distance.

"No chance of winning!"

He had been in the Immortal Sect for nine years now, without any particular outstanding qualities, but one thing had always kept him from suffering too much.

That was self-awareness.

This kind of person was simply not someone he could defeat.

However, even though he had made what he believed to be the most correct choice with the fastest reaction, it seemed he still couldn’t escape the inevitable outcome.

He suddenly heard a gentle chuckle amidst the rushing wind by his ear.

"Ho ho, Senior Brother, we met like old friends, why are you in such a hurry to leave..."

Before he finished speaking, a warm hand had already rested on his shoulder.

"Since we’re parting ways, let Junior Brother see you off."

Even though this person had prepared for a major battle, he was now so terrified that his face was devoid of color.

The hand Song Yan placed on his shoulder, within his large sleeve, had Sword Qi surging, effortlessly extinguishing the three fireballs driven by the Spirit Talismans.

With a casual move, he tore apart his protective Spiritual Qi, yet did not harm him.

This meant that the opponent was completely unafraid of his close-range, sudden counterattack.

He roared in terror in his heart: "Is he truly that strong?!"

Is he truly that strong?

In fact, no.

As the saying goes, in a narrow path, the brave one wins. If he had fought Song Yan one-on-one, properly.

Then, even if he still lost in the end, it would absolutely not have been such a vast, completely crushing defeat.

The reason for this perception was, in fact, that he had intended to avoid the confrontation from the start.

In front of a Sword Cultivator, wanting to simply flee... seemed to be not much different from seeking death.

The jade token at his waist had been cut off by a surging Sword Qi and was now held in a hand. A spirit pattern floated out from it, tracing a graceful arc in the air before merging into Song Yan’s jade token.

This jade token was specially made and could not be placed in a qiankun bag. As long as it was obtained, the opponent could be eliminated.

Almost at the same moment, the Cultivator’s figure disappeared from the Dongtian Secret Realm.

Afterward, he appeared in the plaza at the peak of Wipe Sword Peak.

"..."

His expression was somewhat dazed, as if in disbelief. It took a long time for him to recover.

He stood rooted to the spot, pondering. He could only attribute this sudden defeat to bad luck.

"Ill-fated indeed..."

The scenes occurring within the small Blessed Realm’s Wipe Sword Domain were projected above the Sword Debate Platform and the other four peaks, allowing the Cultivator Disciples and Elders to watch the competition.

However, since the Restriction had not yet shrunk, the area was too vast, and some small-scale battles happening at the edges rarely attracted people’s attention.

Seeing that not many people were paying attention to his utterly defenseless situation, the Cultivator in the tight-fitting suit quickly walked to the spectator stands and found a corner to sit down.

Then, he focused his gaze, searching for Song Yan’s figure in the illusion... Meanwhile, Song Yan had politely seen off the unfamiliar Senior Brother, and the spirit pattern number on his waist jade token had changed.

"Two."

Unfortunately, when he took out the map again, the other Cultivator’s marker had already disappeared.

It seemed he was a fellow Disciple who preferred to avoid battle, and by now, he had probably moved far away from this area.

No matter, his destination was that lake anyway.

The lake was not very far from the central area, and overall, it was quite suitable as a temporary resting place.

Within the Wipe Sword Realm, in addition to the naturally existing spiritual items, the Sect Elders had also placed something particularly interesting inside.

Specially made teleportation Talismans.

These items were not numerous, but they could appear anywhere within the entire Wipe Sword area.

Their function was that after the Talisman was activated, it could immediately teleport the person wearing it to any safe area within the Restriction’s range, at random.

This was mainly to allow those Disciples with weaker cultivation to survive longer within the Blessed Realm.

If one was lucky enough to obtain this Talisman and encountered danger, they could use it for an emergency escape.

Song Yan also wanted to look around to see if he could get one.

This was not just for the weak; he had a different idea for it.

Imagine, when the Restriction shrinks to the smallest area, he will inevitably face many Late Stage Qi Refining Senior Brothers.

With such a specially made teleportation Talisman, he could quickly escape from the chaotic battle in a short amount of time and regroup.

"..."

Recalling the strong individuals participating in the Sword-Wiping Tournament, he actually wanted to properly spar with each of them.

But if he were to say which person among those he had encountered in the Sect he found unfathomable.

The first image that came to his mind was the face of a young girl.

Xiang Zhaoling.

The scene of the two 7th Level and 8th Level Qi Refining Cultivators outside Lingxi Market dying instantly flashed before his eyes.

Originally, with his current two Sword Qi forms and his Lifebound Flying Sword, he felt he could contend with any Disciple, but only against her did he feel uncertain.

"If I were to face those two now, could I be as clean and decisive as she was?"

If he used his Sword Dao True Essence, perhaps he could barely manage it.

But it would definitely not be as easy and effortless as she was.

The several Spirit Insects and Spirit Beasts she controlled were all extraordinary.

The most terrifying thing was that no one seemed to understand her true strength.

Other Cultivators in the Sect, in their speculations about the so-called top twelve Disciples, never seemed to mention her.

"...If I truly encounter her in the Blessed Realm, I must be extremely cautious."

He composed himself, identified his direction for a moment, and then walked away.

The Sword-Wiping Tournament had just begun, the Restriction had not yet started to shrink, and there were no other Cultivator markers around.

Song Yan didn’t even use Lingyun Intent, just slowly walked towards the lake.

"Just how big is this Blessed Realm..."

"A thousand people entered, yet I can barely find anyone around."

"Truly wondrous..."

...Blessed Realm, Qingjiang Flatland.

By the originally quiet Qingjiang Lake, a dozen figures were engaged in a chaotic battle.

"Junior Sisters of Lianyou Peak, don’t let these bastards from Zuowang Peak snatch our Spirit Fruits!"

"What nonsense are you spouting?! We discovered these Vermillion Fruits first! What does it have to do with you? Stop trying to get chummy!"

The Cultivators from Zuowang Peak also refused to back down: "Don’t waste words with them, let’s settle it with our hands!"

"Junior Sister Wu! You’ve already picked one Spirit Fruit. The three of us should each take one. Why resort to fighting?!"

"Stop barking! They’re all ours!"

The female Cultivator from Lianyou Peak had a rather fiery temper and showed no intention of yielding.

Not only did she curse incessantly, but her insults grew increasingly vulgar. Even the Cultivator from Tongchen Peak, despite his good upbringing, couldn’t help but feel his temper flare.

For a time, on Qingjiang Flatland, Spells flew and Spiritual Artifacts danced.

However, although the fighting among these dozen people was dazzling, they deliberately avoided a certain spot by the lake.

Three Spirit Plants of identical form grew together in one place.

On two of them, a bright red Vermillion Fruit hung.

This was a Spirit Fruit borne by a spiritual flower named "Yu Ji."

This Spirit Fruit was also commonly known as the Beauty Fruit.

Regarding this fruit, it had a rich history, and there was even a rumor, of unknown veracity, associated with it.

Legend has it that in ancient times, in the Cultivation World of the Chu Kingdom, there was a pair of immortal companions.

However, due to certain reasons, the male Cultivator was forced to his death by enemies on the banks of the Wu River.

The female Cultivator refused to live alone and committed suicide with her sword.

Both of them were powerful Cultivators, and their blood spilled on the banks of the Wu River. The previously unknown flowers growing there, nourished by the blood, underwent many changes.

To commemorate the female Cultivator, the flower was named after her, becoming "Yu Ji," commonly known as the Opium Poppy.

The Opium Poppy flower was a treasure from head to toe.

Whether it was the petals, the Spirit Fruit, the nectar, or even the leaves, all were indispensable Materials for refining Youth-Preserving Medicinal Pills.

Among them, the Spirit Fruit and nectar could not even be replaced by other herbs with similar medicinal properties.

Hence, they were extremely expensive.

The Opium Poppy flower and its fruits were also famous Spirit Flowers from the Chu Kingdom in other regions.

After all, one Spirit Pill could preserve youth for ten years.

Among female Cultivators, few were truly carefree and completely indifferent to their appearance.

Among male Cultivators, there were also many who paid attention to their appearance and demeanor.

In the Cultivation World, the price of such Medicinal Pills that could maintain one’s appearance was always high.

In fact, they were often priceless, with demand far exceeding supply.

And each of these Beauty Fruits sold at auction in the market for approximately 420 Spirit Stones.

Here, there were a total of three.

And one of them had already fallen into the qiankun bag of the female Cultivator from Lianyou Peak.

"Rustle, rustle..."

"Rustle, rustle..."

As the battle raged fiercely, three figures emerged from a nearby thicket.

"Senior Brother Li, Senior Brother Sun."

Gu Qingqing whispered, "When should we make our move?"

Li Qingfeng raised a hand, signaling her to be patient: "No hurry, let’s observe a bit longer..."

"Oh."

"..."

Sun Zhengfu, at this moment, was somewhat restless.

He felt that a man of integrity should be righteous, and hiding in the dark to prepare an ambush seemed a bit improper.

"Uh... Junior Brother Li."

Sun Zhengfu hesitated, but finally spoke: "How about we go find Junior Brother Song first..."

The Sword-Wiping Tournament had no rules against forming teams, but usually, Disciples with lower cultivation levels traveled together.

The reason was simple: they had little chance of securing a high rank and only sought to stay longer in this small Blessed Realm to collect some precious spiritual items.

"Old Song? What for..."

Sun Zhengfu was somewhat puzzled: "Well, of course, it’s because if the four of us travel together, we can look out for each other."

Li Qingfeng pondered, his expression a bit conflicted.

Then he waved his hand: "Forget it, let’s not act with Old Song."

"This... why is that?"

Li Qingfeng sighed: "That kid is incredibly strange. With his Qi Refining Stage Seventh Level cultivation, I always feel he could contend with an Inner Sect Disciple at Level 9 Qi Refining..."

"Perhaps, he really might be able to try and break into the top twenty-two."

Gu Qingqing recalled the figure on the Sword Debate Platform that day and nodded in strong agreement: "I think so too, I believe in Senior Brother Song."

A hint of hope appeared in Li Qingfeng’s eyes.

"It’s better if we don’t hold him back..."

He sighed softly: "If we really seek him out, given his character, he will certainly want to help us."

"This Sword-Wiping Tournament is filled with powerful individuals... If he also has to worry about our safety, it would only drag him down."

Sun Zhengfu paused slightly, then nodded.

Li Qingfeng was right.

No matter how they tried to deny it, if they acted together, Junior Brother Song, with his chivalrous heart, would certainly look after them everywhere.

But he was only at the Qi Refining Stage Seventh Level!

It was already not easy for him to stand on such a stage and compete with those Geniuses and strong opponents.

If he also had to worry about his friends, it would probably be mentally and physically exhausting.

Then, as if remembering something, Li Qingfeng became a little agitated, slapped his thigh, startling Sun Zhengfu and Gu Qingqing.

"Besides! Which one of us brothers is a mediocre talent?!"

"We can’t always let Old Song help us..."

At these words, even the usually stern and upright Sun Zhengfu was stirred with a bit of competitive spirit.

"Well said."

"Exactly!"

"So..."

Li Qingfeng raised a finger, looking serious.

"If we meet Old Song, not only should we not act with him, but we should let him know that we are not cowards either!"

Gu Qingqing nodded repeatedly, her expression full of determination.

She seemed to be ignited by Li Qingfeng’s words: "Exactly! I want Senior Brother Song to know that Qingqing isn’t a coward either!"

Gu Qingqing clenched her small fists, her heart filled with resolve.

Although she admired Senior Brother Song, she didn’t want to always be seen as a Junior Sister who needed protection.

"Good! Very spirited!"

"Senior Brother Li, what should we do then?"

"Let’s figure out a way to trick him! Let him know the dangers of the world!"

"Good! Let’s..."

"..."

"Ah?"

Gu Qingqing was stunned.

She turned her head, looking at Sun Zhengfu beside her, seemingly seeking her Elder brother’s opinion.

Brother Sun also turned his head to look at Gu Qingqing in confusion. Both of them stared at each other, not knowing what nonsense Li Qingfeng was talking about.

"Senior... Senior Brother Li, can we beat Senior Brother Song?"

Li Qingfeng’s face darkened, hitting a sore spot: "Tsk, I say you’re stupid, and you’re not clever."

"?"

"Who said we were going to fight him?"

Then, Sun Zhengfu was the first to react: "You mean, use that thing?"

"Oh!"

Gu Qingqing also thought of something.

"Precisely, precisely."

Li Qingfeng smiled sinisterly: "When we meet him..."

He took out a red Talisman glowing with spiritual light from his qiankun bag.

"We’ll find an opportunity to stick this on him and directly teleport him away."

"Wow~"

The two exchanged glances and words, as if their plan to prank Old Song had already achieved complete success.

Sun Zhengfu was also infected by this peculiar atmosphere and chuckled softly.

He had grown up under his parents’ extremely "righteous" education, always needing to clearly distinguish right from wrong.

But regarding Li Qingfeng’s planned "conspiracy," he didn’t feel anything uncomfortable about it.

"Being able to teleport Junior Brother Song to a safe area, avoiding premature exhaustion, isn’t bad either..."

Perhaps this was the way he and Junior Brother Song, as good friends, interacted.

The three enthusiastically refined the details of their "conspiracy," ensuring that each step was assigned to an individual.

Just then, the dispute on Qingjiang Flatland also seemed to be drawing to a close.