After transmigrating into the body of the protagonist's childhood friend, he was targeted by a

The two were startled.

Gu Yunxuan turned his head and smiled, "Junior Brother Yan, what are you talking about? Junior Sister Shen is participating in the competition for the first time, so she's a little nervous. I was just offering her a few words of comfort."

Shen Yue nodded repeatedly, not daring to look Yan Qinghan in the eye.

Gu Yunxuan added, "As for you, you'd better perform well today. The swordsmanship of the Ten Thousand Swords Sect rests entirely on your shoulders."

Yan Qinghan glanced at him, then coldly looked away.

The time was almost up, and the spiritual light barrier around the venue began to slowly close. Several elders of the Tianheng Sect frequently looked back, their hearts filled with anxiety.

Just as the barrier was about to completely close, two figures broke through the air and landed steadily on the high platform.

The elders were overjoyed.

Yu Linzhou leaned back in his chair and quietly let out a long breath.

Yan Lingcang sat down beside him without looking at him or even glancing at him.

"Why are you so slow?" Yu Linzhou turned his head and lowered his voice. "Is that kid alright?"

Yan Lingcang finally turned his face and said coldly, "I'll settle accounts with you after this is over."

Yu Linzhou choked.

Luo Yiyan stepped down from the high platform and walked towards the Tianheng Sect disciples' group.

The crowd automatically made way for him, and he paused slightly as he passed Lin Zhixu.

Their eyes met briefly in the crowd. For the first time, Luo Yiyan did not smile. She calmly looked away and continued walking forward, standing at the other end of the line.

Lin Zhixu lowered his eyelashes and remained silent.

Zhou Tong watched from the side, feeling that the atmosphere was subtle.

Luo Yiyan would never show such a cold expression to Senior Brother Lin. What exactly happened between them?

However, there was no time to think about it, and the competition started soon.

The most traditional lottery method was used.

The nameplates of all participating disciples were placed into a bronze cauldron shimmering with spiritual light. The referee elder stirred the cauldron with spiritual power, and then the nameplates flew out of the cauldron.

The first round of the draw is often the most nerve-wracking, because no one knows what kind of opponent they will face.

The cauldron surged with spiritual light, and nameplates flew out in pairs, with the disciples in charge announcing the names one by one.

Lin Zhixu and Luo Yiyan's opponents were both disciples from unknown minor sects.

The two men each received their assigned numbers, their expressions calm. Several Tianheng Sect disciples nearby breathed a sigh of relief for them.

Zhou Tong's luck wasn't so good.

When the disciple in charge loudly chanted "Zhou Tong of Tianheng Sect, to Chu Yueyao of Lingyun Sect," he visibly stiffened for a moment.

After the numbers are called, the disciples whose numbers are called must go up on stage to compete.

Fortunately, the venue was large enough, with hundreds of arenas available for the disciples to use for competition.

Chu Yueyao leaped onto the dueling platform, drew her longsword, and her gaze swept over the crowd, landing precisely on Zhou Tong, a hint of undisguised contempt on her lips.

Zhou Tong took a deep breath and stepped onto the stage. Before he could even perform the customary greeting, Chu Yueyao coldly asked, "You're Zhou Tong?"

Zhou Tong was taken aback, then nodded subconsciously.

Chu Yueyao looked him up and down, a contemptuous smile curving her lips. "That good-for-nothing Chu Yan refuses to return to the Chu family because of you, doesn't he?"

Zhou Tong tightened his grip on the sword.

He was never one to tolerate things, and besides, the name Chu Yan was his most vulnerable spot.

"Chu Yan is no good! Your Chu family is no better either, it's better if he doesn't go back!"

A cold glint flashed in Chu Yueyao's eyes, and the sword, already imbued with sharp spiritual energy, came hurtling towards her: "You've got quite the nerve. Let me see how much you're capable of saying those words for him."

Before he could finish speaking, Chu Yueyao's sword was already upon him.

Her swordsmanship followed the fast sword style, with sharp blades and light movements. Every strike accurately landed on the weakest point in Zhou Tong's defense.

Zhou Tong gritted his teeth and persevered. His cultivation level was already a small realm lower than Chu Yueyao's, and he had only recently broken through to the Foundation Establishment stage, so his foundation was still shallow.

However, his advantage lay in his frequent sparring with Chu Yan, which made him very familiar with the Chu family's swordsmanship, preventing him from being defeated too quickly.

Chu Yueyao's sword strikes were faster and faster, the sword light pouring down like a torrential rain, forcing Zhou Tong to retreat step by step.

The disciples watching were terrified, and even some disciples from the Lingyun Sect whispered among themselves, "Who is this person? How could he make Senior Sister Chu so angry?"

After enduring a full hundred rounds, Zhou Tong was finally knocked away by Chu Yueyao's sword. He staggered and crashed into the barrier of the arena, a trickle of blood spilling from the corner of his mouth.

Chu Yueyao wanted to press her advantage, but when she caught sight of the referee elder approaching, she reluctantly sheathed her sword and looked down at him: "Go back and tell Chu Yan that if he doesn't return to the Chu family, he should never come back. The Chu family will expel him."

Zhou Tong clutched his chest, struggled to his feet, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and turned to leave the arena.

As he descended the last step, his legs buckled and he nearly collapsed to his knees, but a hand steadily supported him.

"What's going on? Do you have a grudge against her?"

Lin Zhixu's opponent was a disciple who had just established his foundation, and the opponent was quickly defeated. Afterwards, Lin Zhixu watched half of Zhou Tong's duel.

Zhou Tong shook her head, her voice a little hoarse: "I have no grudge against her. It's Chu Yan who has a grudge against her."

Lin Zhixu helped him sit down on a stone bench in the waiting area, and took out some healing pills from his storage bag and put them into his mouth.

Zhou Tong swallowed the pill and took a while to recover before explaining in a low voice, "Chu Yan is a member of the Chu family, but he is an illegitimate son and has not been valued since childhood."

"The Chu family once had an ancestor who was an elder of the Heavenly Heng Sect. Later, he committed a crime and was expelled. Since then, the Chu family has not been as glorious as before."

"The Chu family believed that the ancestor must have been framed, and they sent several messages to Chu Yan, asking him to find out who had harmed the ancestor back then. Chu Yan did not comply, so the Chu family threatened to expel him from the family."

"Chu Yueyao is Chu Yan's half-sister. Knowing that I was close to Chu Yan, she also hated me."

"An ancestor of the Chu family?" Lin Zhixu frowned and thought for a moment. "Surnamed Chu, and expelled from the sect... Could it be that Elder Chu who was expelled a couple of years ago?"

Zhou Tong nodded: "That's the one. The Chu family has always felt that the Tianheng Sect is making a mountain out of a molehill and is heartless, so they harbor resentment towards the Tianheng Sect."

Lin Zhixu: "..."

I never imagined the circle was so small.

Zhou Tong lowered his head, clenched his fists and placed them on his knees, his voice filled with shame: "I encountered Chu Yueyao in the very first match. Her cultivation level was much higher than mine, and I couldn't beat her... I've embarrassed you all."

Lin Zhixu comforted him, "Don't think like that. In a competition, there are winners and losers. It's not your fault that you encountered a strong opponent in the first round; the draw is all about luck. The fact that you could withstand over a hundred of her moves already shows that you're better than most people your age."

"Now you should rest well and observe the techniques used in other people's matches; you'll learn a lot from that."

Zhou Tong nodded vigorously, and his face finally regained some color.

Luo Yiyan saw from afar that Zhou Tong finally smiled again after they finished talking, and then looked away.