I courted death and then tried to escape, so the whole sect wants to get rid of me.

Apart from the two direct disciples, the other disciples only knew to participate in the secret realm to bring glory to the sect, and they rushed to participate in the sect's internal competitions and selections one after another.

In the end, it was decided that Cheng Yue and Ming Ran would be the couple, along with a slightly older senior.

Ming Ran was originally not qualified, but she broke through to the Golden Core stage the day before the competition, broke through three levels of the Seven Continents Twelve Swords, and fought her way out to successfully obtain the last spot.

Cheng Yue was even more unexpected for Song Yao.

This girl was usually quiet and didn't talk much. Apart from giving her a sword in the sword tomb last time, the two of them had no further interaction.

I never expected her to have such strength.

Before setting off, the Second Elder gathered everyone together and said solemnly, "This sect competition is different from internal sparring. Disciples from all sides are a mixed bag, and they use all sorts of underhanded methods. Remember, never cause trouble. Always prioritize harmony and do your best. Never be reckless, and never initiate conflict with anyone."

Jiang Jin and Ming Ran were as excited as if they had been injected with chicken blood.

The young man's eyes burned with fierce determination, his chest ramrod straight: "Second Elder, rest assured, we will do our utmost to slay the evil spirits, seize the treasures of the secret realm, and not let everyone down."

The Second Elder showed no sign of a smile; his brows furrowed even more. He waved his hand and said, "The ranking of the treasures is secondary. The most important thing is that you all return safely."

His gaze swept over the group, finally settling on the older disciple: "Chen He, you're a bit older than them, so you'll be leading the team this time. Make sure everyone's safety is guaranteed."

Chen He quickly cupped his hands in greeting: "Master, rest assured."

"Furthermore, the Ten Thousand Bones Forest Secret Realm is located within the territory of the Northern Shaking Sect. Although all three major sects will send people to keep an eye on it, there are restrictions on this secret realm, and we cannot enter. Everything still depends on yourselves..."

After giving a series of instructions, the Second Elder was about to wave the crowd away when he suddenly met Song Yao's gaze, who was standing in the corner with an expectant look on her face.

Second Elder: "..."

He coughed lightly and added reluctantly, "Also, Lin Mu is a pill cultivator and not skilled in magic, so you must protect her."

Mingran: "?"

Cheng Yue: "?"

Chen He had been in seclusion practicing swordsmanship, and only knew that Song Yao and Jiang Jin had been taken in as disciples by the hall master, but he did not know the specific reasons.

Hearing this, he replied, "Don't worry, this disciple will definitely protect Seventh Senior Sister."

-

The Northern Shaking Sect was quite far from the Nine Saints Hall, so the Ninth Elder led the way to take the participating disciples there and also kept an eye on the situation in the secret realm.

To prevent the chicks and ducklings from jumping off the cliff again, before leaving home, Song Yao sent all the chicks, ducklings, and fish from Linshui to Baicao Peak, entrusting them all to the Seventh Elder and He Yu.

With tears in her eyes, the Seventh Elder patted her chest and promised to take good care of her children, and told her to take good care of herself and come back safely.

Even though He Yu was heavily in debt, he still managed to scrape together a few more bottles of pills for her to take with her.

Even the Fifth Elder sent Ning Zhou to bring her some steamed buns, mantou, and cured meat to eat on the way.

Song Yao inexplicably felt like the hope of the entire village.

My usually calm and uneventful emotions fluctuated slightly.

If one did not experience a past life.

If the people of the Nine Saints Hall didn't hate Song Yao that much, this place would indeed be a good place.

-

After traveling for about a day and a night, Song Yao slept on the spirit boat for a day and a night, holding the cinnabar book in her arms.

After instructing the others on sword practice, the Ninth Elder returned to his cabin, incredulous: "She just ate and slept all day, and became the champion of the New Year's Grand Competition?"

Mingran shook out a blanket and carefully covered Song Yao with it: "Little Master is so amazing. Ninth Elder, please speak softly and don't disturb her."

Ninth Elder: "..."

Fine.

It's pointless to explain to these talented freaks who don't like to cultivate their talents, or to their followers.

He left.

Chen He and Jiang Jin followed closely behind back into the cabin.

Seeing the book in Song Yao's arms, Chen He sighed, "No wonder Seventh Senior Sister is able to become a personal disciple; she's so diligent. I wonder how many levels she's reached in the Dao of Alchemy?"

Jiang Jin: "...Hard to say, maybe he hasn't taken the test yet."

The Dao of Alchemy differs from other forms of cultivation in that it requires passing examinations.

The first requirement is to be proficient in three or more methods of refining elixirs, which is not difficult.

But as far as he knew, Song Yao only knew how to refine Qi-replenishing pills...

Moreover, the side effects are alarmingly severe.

Chen He seemed to understand something, and then realized: "Seventh Senior Sister must be planning to make a name for herself. I heard that some people directly skipped levels and passed the exam to the third or fourth level."

Jiang Jin: "..."

You may have some misunderstanding about her.

He coughed twice, didn't answer, and sat down by the window.

Having spent time together these past few days, he has given up on the idea of ​​letting Song Yao become a pill refiner or a medical cultivator.

Her soul is missing, so reading might be difficult for her.

It's better to just be a pretty vase and stay by his side.

Anyway, he has the ability to protect her.

only......

He turned his head to look.

Mingran and Cheng Yue were sitting on either side of Song Yao, not saying a word, just sitting there, occasionally shielding her from the light or tugging at the blanket.

He was a little jealous.

She hadn't done anything, yet she seemed to effortlessly attract everyone's attention.

It's really unpleasant to feel like you're being overshadowed by the person you love.

It gave him a strange feeling... that he wanted to pull her down.

-

At the hour of Wei (1-3 PM), the sun was setting, and the light boat landed outside the North Yaozong Mountain Gate.

Unlike the Nine Saints Hall, which is composed of continuous mountain peaks, the Northern Shaking Sect is more like a palace built of jade. From the foot of the mountain to the gate, the thousand steps are all made of whole pieces of warm white jade.

The entire sect radiated an air of nobility.

Song Yao had visited the Northern Shaking Sect several times before. Each time he came, he wanted to carve out a brick to sell, but he had to give up after being scolded twice by the sect leader of the Northern Shaking Sect.

The others were all visiting for the first time and were stunned, exclaiming, "How luxurious!"

"How sacred."

"I should have come to the Northern Shaking Sect."

The Ninth Elder's temples throbbed, and he picked up his sword and slammed it on the heads of the group: "Don't look like you've never seen anything like this before, get down."

The light boat was stowed away, and the group stood on the steps.

Disciples from various sects came and went in an endless stream, gathering in twos and threes.

The Ninth Elder was still worried and turned around to give a few more instructions.

He glanced at Song Yao and Jiang Jin, about to say something, when a clear female voice drifted down from above the jade steps.

"—Sword Immortal Yun, if you had told me it was you coming, I would have sent someone to the Nine Saints Hall to pick you up personally."

Upon hearing the sound, the Ninth Elder turned his head and saw Feng Qing, the sect leader of the Northern Shaking Sect, leading a large group of disciples down the jade steps.

She wore a gauze dress with gold-embroidered lotus patterns and jade flowers, and her hair was adorned with a red gold and jade hairpin, which jingled as she walked.

The Ninth Elder immediately interrupted, raised his hand to bow to Feng Qing, and said politely, "Sect Master Feng."

"Why are you being so polite?"

Feng Qing waved his hand, his smile deepening, and said in a familiar tone, "We've known each other since we were young, and it's been a long time since we last met. Let's find a place to have a drink together and reminisce. The secret realm hasn't been opened yet, so let the children get familiar with it on their own."