After I left the sect, the entire sect knelt down and begged for forgiveness.

Before they could ask, someone explained, "This is the number of bettors. I don't know who came up with this idea, but they increased the actual number of bettors. They said it's to give the cultivators betting a better reference!"

"..."

Isn't this a bit disrespectful to cultivators entering the third round? How embarrassing would it be if no one placed bets on them? Isn't this just playing on their mentality?

After hearing this, Liu Si went over to take a look. The three disciples of the Miaofa Sect who entered the third round had a decent number of bets placed, and all of them were betting on the top ten.

She took out several high-grade spirit stones and placed two on each person's bet.

Upon seeing this, a disciple quickly intervened: "Hey, junior sister, why are you betting on Senior Sister Li Qiu for third place? You should be betting on Senior Brother Wen Gui."

Liu Si pouted and asked, "Why can't I suppress Senior Sister Qiu?"

"She is indeed very capable, but Senior Brother Wen Gui has a higher probability of making it into the top three."

"The two are evenly matched and both have a chance to make it into the top three, but I think the senior sister has a higher probability!"

"She's a female cultivator, and I heard she was injured and had been in seclusion until the day before she was to leave for the Xuan Tian Sect. Besides, as a female cultivator, how could her combat ability be as strong as Senior Brother Wen Gui's?"

Hearing her senior brother say that made her feel extremely uncomfortable. It was as if he thought her not making it into the top three wasn't because her injury hadn't healed, but because of her gender!

Perhaps he said it unintentionally, without malice, because it was a subconscious feeling, so he said it naturally without realizing there was anything wrong with it.

"I'll press my own!" Liu Si said, taking out two more high-grade spirit stones to absorb and press her senior sister.

"Junior sister, what you're doing..."

She ignored her senior brother and continued checking the list of cultivators for the third round. Since the rogue cultivators were at the back, she started looking from there and found Lin Yan's name at the very end.

There were only a dozen or so people betting on Lin Yan, a pitifully small number compared to the number of people who placed bets on her.

“I’ll give her two more high-grade spirit stones,” Liu Si said, pointing to the last name on the list.

Someone nearby reminded her, "She's just a rogue cultivator; she can't even get into the top ten. It's pointless to bet on her!"

Liu Si was speechless, and glared fiercely at them! Why are there so many meddlesome people here?

"Hey, I was just trying to give you a friendly reminder, why are you glaring at me?"

At this moment, another senior brother pushed the talkative cultivator aside: "Go away, do you need to remind me! Junior sister, you bet on her, bet on tenth place. I think she's pretty good, maybe she can really make it into tenth."

Many people present were discussing the competition rankings to determine how to bet, and they couldn't help but laugh when they heard this.

Some sect disciples believe that rogue cultivators are the lowest level of cultivators. Unless they are desperate, others would rather be a sect servant than a rogue cultivator!

Lin Yan used the recording stone to record the schedule before heading to the betting area to place a bet on herself and try to make a quick buck.

I overheard the others discussing that in previous years, the cultivators who entered the third round would draw lots to determine their opponents. This year, there was a draw for the first two rounds, but not for the third round.

She absolutely refused to believe there wasn't something fishy going on!

The third round is a single-elimination format, not a points-based system. So, to improve their own sect's ranking, they're directly matching their disciples with weaker opponents, right?

If it's done by drawing lots, how can they match their sect's disciples with weaker ones?
The most disgusting tactic of having the organizers decide the opponents is to arrange internal battles among cultivators of the same sect. This way, powerful opponents can be eliminated effortlessly. As a rogue cultivator, it doesn't matter who I fight, since the sect won't assign relatively weak opponents to rogue cultivators anyway.

There weren't many people in front of her, so she easily walked to her list. She took out a thousand high-grade spirit stones from her storage bag and placed her bet on the champion.

Some people saw her placing bets, some were incredulous, and some mocked her.

A weasel-faced cultivator was the first to react, shouting in a mocking tone, "Is she crazy? She actually bet a thousand high-grade spirit stones that she's the champion!"

He spoke loudly, and many people around heard him; some even laughed without covering their mouths.

"I think she felt that there were too few people betting on her, so she spent a thousand high-grade spirit stones to bet on herself in order to save face."

"Hmph, it's already quite impressive that a rogue cultivator has made it this far. He still dares to dream of winning the championship!" A sect disciple came over to watch the spectacle.

Many eliminated cultivators echoed her sentiments, saying that betting on herself was a waste of spirit stones.

This rogue cultivator has the potential to be a dark horse by reaching the third round, but they don't think she can win the championship.

Many cultivators believe that disciples of sects are definitely more powerful than independent cultivators. Otherwise, why would so many people fight tooth and nail to join a sect?

Lin Yan ignored the harsh words and calmly placed her bet. Sometimes words are powerless; only a strong fist can shut these people up.

Liu Si shook off her senior brother's pull and directly used the spirit stone to press down on Lin Yan Kui Shou again.

"I don't have many spirit stones, but I'll bet them along with you."

Lin Yan looked at the people squeezing through the crowd with a complicated expression, and finally just nodded slightly before turning and leaving.

"These guys must have so many spirit stones they don't know what to do with them!" someone said sarcastically.

"Hmph, money can't buy my happiness, what business is it of yours how others behave!" Liu Si glared at him, and was about to say something when her senior brother pulled her away.

Many people, upon seeing Lin Yan's opponent in the first round, assumed she would be eliminated in the very first game. That opponent was a direct disciple of the top sect, someone with the potential to reach the top three.

This rogue cultivator dared to bet on himself to be the champion in the first round, but he's probably going to be beaten to tears in the very first round!
Various mocking voices echoed from the crowd, and many cultivators began to bet on how long she could last in the first round of the third round.

The stands for the first match of the third round were packed, with many people there to see how the rogue cultivator was defeated by a sect disciple.

Lin Yan's performance in the first and second rounds was outstanding. While some admired her, others were jealous and resentful. Therefore, their focus was not on the excitement of the game, but on the final outcome.

As is customary, after selecting their magical treasures, both sides would exchange pleasantries or pleasantries. Before she could even speak, the other side had already showered her with compliments.

"I watched your previous matches; you are indeed very strong and a respectable opponent. But I must win this one!"

"..."

What's the point of saying such things? Is it to try and influence the enemy's emotions with words?

If this were a battle outside, there would be no chance for anyone to speak at the start; they would just attack directly, launching various sneak attacks and risking their lives for each other!
The referee had barely finished speaking when the opposing team made their move!
The moment the opponent's attack landed, her figure instantly turned into a phantom.

Some of the cultivators below the stage were several levels lower in cultivation and couldn't see how she cast the spell at all. (End of Chapter)