Stop pretending, the seemingly useless junior sister is the real boss.

Shen Ji's explanation was finally more convincing.

"Alright, go and attend to the sect's minor competition. Your junior sister has Changling and Xiaoqi with her, so there won't be any problems."

Although Ling Tian suspected that his master had not told the whole truth, he did not press the matter further.

As an inner elder of the Deacon Hall, he certainly had many things to attend to.

"Yes, Master, you should go back and rest. This disciple will take his leave."

"Okay, go ahead and get busy."

After Ling Tian left, Shen Ji's upturned lips slowly fell back down.

He raised his hand and glanced at the black crescent mark that had reappeared on his palm; his expression gradually turned cold.

The black crescent moon mark is appearing more and more frequently, and he doesn't have much time left.

He turned his gaze back to where Bai Xiaobai was, and saw a small clump in the bamboo forest, its deep eyes unfathomable.

Perhaps the comfortable life on Xiaoyao Peak made him yearn for it.

Or perhaps it was seeing her being fiercely attacked by a group of disciples that day, her pitiful little body crawling on the spirit-testing pillar, that moved him to pity.

He somewhat regretted the decision he made back then. Perhaps Bai Xiaobai hadn't come to Xiaoyao Peak, or perhaps he would have already left Qingxiao Sect.

As for Ling Tian and his disciples, he was not worried about their cultivation.

Thanks to the teachings they've received over the years, these disciples have developed the ability to protect themselves.

Even if they leave, they can cultivate and grow on their own. Breaking through to the Nascent Soul Realm is not a distant prospect.

Furthermore, the Qingxiao Sect can also protect them.

But then Bai Xiaobai, the little princess of the spirit world, arrived, disrupting his plans to leave.

Bai Xiaobai felt as if a gaze was watching her from afar, but upon closer inspection, she found nothing.

Thinking he was overthinking things, he then focused on getting to know Changling.

......

On the third day, the Qingxiao Sect became lively very early in the morning.

This sect competition is the most grand and lively one Qingxiao Sect has ever held since its founding.

Dozens of sects, large and small, came, and the number of disciples participating in the competition reached a thousand.

The entire Yuling Peak was bustling with people.

On the tall stands, Li Qingshan waited and waited, but Shen Ji and his disciples never appeared.

He was anxious and even wanted to go to Xiaoyao Peak in person to see what Shen Ji was up to.

Beside him were Lu Tian, ​​the sect leader of the Sword Sect, and Ling Qu, the master of the Flower Valley.

These two greatly admired Shen Ji, the peak master of Xiaoyao Peak, and knew that under Shen Ji's tutelage, all five disciples of Xiaoyao Peak had broken through to the Golden Core Realm in less than two hundred years. They both had plans to befriend Shen Ji.

Seeing Li Qingshan's anxiety, he smiled and said.

"Sect Leader Li, there's no need to rush. Peak Master Shen must have been delayed by something. Besides, it's not time for the sect competition to start yet, so waiting won't hurt."

As soon as Lu Tian finished speaking, Ling Qu echoed his words.

"Sect Leader Lu is right. We're all on the same side, so waiting won't hurt."

However, as soon as Lingqu finished speaking, a cold snort was heard.

"He's just a minor peak master. Everyone else is here, so why is he the only one being treated differently? A junior in the late Nascent Soul stage, he's so arrogant just because he has some strength. Sect Master Li, we only brought our disciples to participate in your Qingxiao Sect's minor sect competition because of you, but your sect's peak master is so negligent. Isn't Sect Master Li being too lenient?"

The speaker was Zhou Li, the vice sect leader of the Liuyue Sect and the elder brother of Zhou Xuan of the Yuling Peak. Both of them came from the Zhou family, a cultivation family.

After arriving at the Qingxiao Sect, Zhou Li learned that his younger brother had been severely injured by Shen Ji.

He was already holding a grudge, and now that Shen Ji was late and was being protected by the Sword Sect and Flower Valley, he was naturally even more displeased.

After Zhou Li finished speaking, others quickly echoed his words.

"I've heard that Shen Ji is arrogant and doesn't respect anyone. Even if Sect Master Li is on par with him, he probably wouldn't dare to provoke him easily."

The person who echoed Zhou Li was from a small sect that was affiliated with the Liuyue Sect.

No sooner had the man finished speaking than a seductive and alluring female voice rang out.

"He's just a dog from the Flowing Moon Sect, yet he dares to bark at the person I've set my sights on. Zhou Li, your Flowing Moon Sect really doesn't even know how to raise a dog properly these days. Aren't you afraid that one day you'll get bitten by such a blind dog?"

The woman speaking had a captivating figure, and her crimson dress accentuated her perfect curves.

Her eyes were slightly upturned at the corners, and they seemed to hold shimmering spring water. With a flicker of her gaze, she exuded captivating charm without saying a word.

The woman who just spoke was none other than the old hag Shen Ji had mentioned—Hua Buyu, the sect leader of the Hehuan Sect.

At this moment, a half-smile played on her lips, her face alluring yet not gaudy, carrying an enigmatic allure.

Beside her were two women with captivating eyes and alluring charm, namely the vice sect leader of the Hehuan Sect and Hua Buyu's beloved disciple.

With the arrival of these three, almost everyone's attention was drawn to them.

The male disciples, in particular, didn't even blink.

The women of the Hehuan Sect are all beautiful, and the three who appeared today are even more stunning.

The man who was angrily rebuked by Hua Buyu blushed, but dared not utter a single word.

After all, the Hehuan Sect is a major sect whose strength is on par with the Qingxiao Sect, Sword Sect, Flower Valley, and Liuyue Sect. It is completely incomparable to his third-rate small sect.

Zhou Li, who was also mocked, turned liver-colored.

"Hua Buyu, don't go too far. Shen Ji has always considered himself superior, and he probably wouldn't even look down on your dual cultivation method. You'd better put your mind to it now, lest you be rejected and lose face."

Upon hearing this, Hua Buyu's smile deepened, but her alluring eyes were filled with coldness.

"So what if I'm rejected? I'm willing. As for you, Zhou Li, I remember you were kneeling in front of my Hehuan Sect's gate, begging to cultivate with me. Ugly people are always up to no good. Don't you even look at your ugly face before you come here to dirty my eyes?"

Upon hearing this, the others in the stands looked as if they had just heard some juicy gossip.

Zhou Li's expression turned even uglier when the fact that he had been rejected years ago was revealed in public.

"Hua Buyu, don't spout nonsense! This sect leader would never look at an old hag like you. Your Hehuan Sect is nothing but evil and heretical, relying on seductive arts to bewitch immortal sects, using the evil practice of 'sexual cultivation' to plunder the foundations of cultivators, corrupting the Great Dao, utterly shameless!"

Zhou Li's reckless words caused Hua Buyu's expression to turn completely cold.

"Our Hehuan Sect advocates harmonious coexistence and uses emotion to prove the Dao, which is neither lustful nor greedy. Yet you speak of it so disgracefully. Everyone, do you see? This is the vice sect leader of the Liuyue Sect. He is not even as good as that dog who was just groveling to the Liuyue Sect."

"You old hag, don't think that no one here dares to lay a hand on you."

"Come on, you incompetent, barking dog, do you think I'm afraid of you?"

Seeing that a conflict was about to break out between Hua Buyu and Zhou Li, Li Qingshan's temples throbbed.

It's all because of Xiaoyao Peak. From top to bottom, there's not a single lamp that's easy to deal with.