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

Bai Xiaobai pushed through the crowd, her small figure squeezing in front of Lingyun.

Seeing that his senior brother was so engrossed in admiring the beautiful woman that he hadn't yet accepted the spirit stones that Lingyun had brought, he realized that his senior brother was so focused on admiring the beautiful woman that he hadn't even accepted them yet.

She finally breathed a long sigh of relief.

Hearing that Qin Yuan and the person who had bet on the outcome were both defending the Hehuan Sect, the cultivators who had come to place their bets felt that they should bet on Bai Xiaobai to lose.

"Excessive? What do you mean we're excessive? Do you even know what kind of cultivation technique she practices in the Hehuan Sect? And you're lecturing us. We were just trying to kindly remind your senior brother. Humph, you don't appreciate our kindness. Senior sister, I'll bet ten times, betting that you, a mere Qi Refining Level 1 cultivator, can't win."

"Yes, I'll buy it too."

"Ten bets, five hundred spirit stones."

"She's just greedy and protects others because she sees people betting on her to win, but I'll bet on her to lose."

"Five notes, two hundred and fifty spirit stones."

"I'll buy it too..."

Before Qin Yuan could even put away Ling Yun's storage bag, more spirit stones were thrown at the table in front of him.

Only then did he finally remember what Lingyun had said about betting on his junior sister to win, and he finally realized the seriousness of the matter.

He gestured to Bai Xiaobai with his eyes, not daring to touch the storage bag that Lingyun had placed on the table.

After all, according to their junior sister's plan, everyone had to bet on her to lose so that Xiaoyao Peak could make a profit.

Bai Xiaobai was naturally aware that if she were to bet 50,000 spirit stones on winning, she and Xiaoyao Peak would truly suffer a crushing defeat.

And it was a really bad one.

So she handed the storage bag on the table back to Lingyun.

"Sister Lingyun, thank you for your kindness. But let's skip the betting; I know my own abilities."

Hearing the slight sadness in Bai Xiaobai's soft, sweet voice, and remembering how she had just stood up for her and the Hehuan Sect with Qin Yuan, Lingyun's heart softened.

She half-squatted down and reached out to touch Bai Xiaobai's soft hair.

"So what if you're at the first level of Qi Refining? You've only just taken human form. I believe you'll become stronger. As for the spirit stones, that's Master's decision. So even if you lose, it's alright. Our Hehuan Sect isn't short of spirit stones."

Bai Xiaobai was both amused and annoyed, experiencing for the first time what it meant to lift a rock only to drop it on one's own foot.

lose?

How could she lose?

Right now, she's being pressured to win by a huge amount of spirit stones.

If she loses, she will have to pay ten times the amount of spirit stones. How can her impoverished sect, which is also in debt, possibly pay that back?

She cleverly blocked her own escape route, so she has no choice but to bite the bullet and win.

So how can she give a reasonable explanation to make the wealthy and powerful Hehuan Sect understand that betting on her to lose is actually helping her?

After thinking it over, she gave a smile that looked more like a grimace, pitifully tugged at Lingyun's sleeve, and then whispered in her ear.

After hearing what Bai Xiaobai said, Lingyun nodded, though she looked puzzled.

Although the others didn't know what Bai Xiaobai had said, seeing Lingyun put away the exquisite storage bag, they were even more certain that betting on Bai Xiaobai to lose was definitely the right thing to do.

Qin Yuan reluctantly shifted his gaze from Ling Yun, realizing for the first time that having too many spirit stones wasn't necessarily a good thing.

He was completely wasting his time trying to get close to the fairy.

Seeing Lingyun leading Bai Xiaobai back, Hua Buyu's gaze fell on the storage bag, which was still full of spirit stones.

Just then, the sound of the communication bell rang.

As the elder in charge of this sect competition unleashed his powerful and clear Thousand Sound Technique, the competition officially began.

"This competition is divided into pairs, totaling 500 pairs. Each round of matches will be conducted simultaneously by ten pairs. The first pair is Ye Qinghe, a disciple of the Qingxiao Sect's Yuling Peak, against Li Chuan of the Liuyue Sect. The second pair is Lingyun of the Hehuan Sect against Mudan of the Flower Valley. The third pair is Bai Xiaobai, a disciple of the Qingxiao Sect's Xiaoyao Peak, against Lu Feng of the Liuyue Sect. The fourth pair..."

"Only the winners of each group are qualified to enter the next round of the competition. The twenty disciples whose names were just called, you have one incense stick's time to prepare."

As the elder's voice faded, the entire training ground became lively once again.

"This year, there were a thousand participants, which extended the competition time considerably, so we adopted a ten-group format. However, out of twenty participants, only the ten who win qualify for the next round. Therefore, this round effectively eliminates half of the participating disciples."

"It means there's no revival round; if you lose just one game, that's it. That's too cruel. Wasn't it a best-of-three series before?"

"That's good too, those with poor cultivation levels will be eliminated all at once."

"But its rules are also problematic. The strength is not equal. A Qi Refining stage cultivator is compared to a Foundation Establishment stage cultivator. What's the point of comparing them?"

"Didn't you hear the competition rules? This year, opponents are no longer matched based on strength, but randomly. So, whether you're Qi Refining or Foundation Establishment cultivator, it all depends on your luck."

"Yes, luck is also part of cultivation. If you're lucky, you'll be matched with someone of lower cultivation level; if you're unlucky, you can just admit defeat."

"Lu Feng seems to be at the ninth level of Qi Refining, so did we bet too little on Bai Xiaobai to lose?"

"..."

Hearing the surrounding chatter, Bai Xiaobai couldn't bring herself to laugh.

She's really unlucky. With 500 contestants, even in the first round, it would take several days of competition.

But she insisted on going on stage right from the start.

Now that the competition was about to begin, Hua Buyu didn't ask any more questions about the betting.

Instead, they teased Bai Xiaobai, who had a long face.

"Scared? I thought Shen Ji had taught another disciple who was fearless."

Bai Xiaobai was genuinely unsure at this moment.

After all, he was only at the first level of Qi Refining, which was far inferior to the ninth level of Qi Refining.

Moreover, although ferocious beasts are brutal, they are nowhere near as intelligent as cultivators.

Furthermore, the Liuyue Sect is said to have extremely rigorous training methods.

The disciples usually train by sparring with each other.

Therefore, they have a complete advantage in this sect competition.

Seeing that Bai Xiaobai was feeling down, Lingyun parted her lips slightly and spoke to comfort her.

"May I call you Xiaobai? There's nothing to be afraid of. This sect competition is just a small part of your cultivation journey. Winning or losing is just a test. You will experience many more tests in the future."

After she finished speaking, she squatted down again.

"What Master gives away can't be taken back, so I'll bet all 50,000 spirit stones on you losing. For your plan, I think you won't lose, right?"

After hearing what Lingyun said, Bai Xiaobai finally smiled.

Ok.

For spirit stones, for her impoverished sect, and for her to become a wealthy young woman in the cultivation world as soon as possible, what is there to be afraid of?

It's just a Qi Refining Level 9, is she really afraid of that?