Chapter 1235

"What, can't you do it?"

Lu Yunji raised her delicate eyebrows, fully displaying her fiery personality.

"Of course I can."

Yuli giggled, then turned to Lu Yunji, her sultry expression suddenly turning serious:

"Lu Yunji, don't you remember we entered the Sacred Ground at the same time?"

Since then, we've competed everywhere, and you've always been one step ahead of me.

This Sacred Ground exchange competition is no different—you're the main contender, and I'm the reserve.

How about we compete once more? See who gets Xu Jingming first?"

"I don't have time for your boring games."

Lu Yunji sniffed lightly.

"Boring games?"

Yuli's laughter rang like silver bells, her expression turning sultry again:

"I'm serious this time.

Big Sister Lu, you'd better watch out.

Xu Xuedi is so outstanding—he might just be snatched away by me one day."

With that, she deliberately winked at Lu Yunji and turned to leave.

Her waist swayed more exaggeratedly than usual, as if showing off something.

"That girl..."

Lu Yunji furrowed her delicate brows.

Just as Yuli said, they were indeed from the same cohort to enter the Noah Sacred Ground.

At first, their relationship was quite good, but as competition grew, it gradually soured.

They became like mortal enemies.

Precisely because of this, she understood Yuli thoroughly.

Though Yuli always appeared sultry, always surrounded by men,

it was merely a tactic—using men to secure resources for her cultivation.

Over all these years, no man in the Sacred Ground had ever truly claimed Yuli.

And now, she seems to have set her sights on Xu Jingming.

If it were just that, it wouldn't matter.

But the word "serious" Yuli just uttered made her inexplicably uneasy.

"Senior Lu, what are you doing here?"

At that moment, a deep voice sounded.

Xu Jingming's towering figure appeared on the road outside the villa.

He had already removed his full battle armor and donned the signature battle robe of the Noah Sacred Ground.

"You're back?"

Lu Yunji's crimson eyes lit up, smiling warmly:

"I heard the Lingshu Empire's commerce is highly developed—I wanted to go take a look.

I asked Sister Lan too, but she said she's still busy and won't join us."

She deliberately avoided Yuli's earlier topic and brought up her original plan instead.

"Sure, no problem."

Xu Jingming nodded.

The harvest from Black Stone Star had improved his finances considerably—he could now buy some local specialties to bring back for Aimos and the others.

Plus, he wanted to see whether the commercial systems of a mid-level civilization empire differed from those of a low-level one.

"The commercial district? I was planning to go too."

Yuli had stopped walking the moment Xu Jingming appeared, her large, watery eyes fixed on him:

"Xu Xuedi, don't mind if I tag along, do you?"

As she spoke, the silver chain at her waist swayed gently, glinting with enchanting luster in the sunlight.

Xu Jingming paused briefly, then nodded: "Fine."

Yuli's face had just lit up with delight when Xu Jingming added:

"Bring Raymond along too—it'll be more fun with more people."

Lu Yunji's lips twitched almost imperceptibly upward.

Yuli's expression froze, but she quickly resumed her sultry demeanor: "Of course~"

Soon, Raymond emerged from the villa upon receiving the message.

His over-five-meter-tall frame loomed like a small mountain; each step made the ground tremble slightly.

"Hah! I'm very interested in Lingshu Empire's cuisine."

Raymond's voice boomed like a bell, his copper-bell eyes gleaming with anticipation.

The four of them left the villa district together.

According to the map, the commercial district wasn't far—half an hour's walk would get them there.

Since they had nothing else to do, they chose to walk instead of flying.

Along the way, the scenery was beautiful; strange plants emitting a faint glow lined both sides of the road, and the air carried a fresh scent.

On the road, besides themselves, they could also see other imperial sacred ground teams.

That is the Tianlan Sacred Ground team, ranked seventh overall in the last edition.

This time their lineup is even stronger; they're likely aiming for the top five.

Along the way, Lu Yunji quietly introduced the other teams they encountered.

Xu Jingming followed her gaze and saw over a dozen powerful young men gathered in conversation.

One of them, a blond youth, seemed to sense the gaze and turned his head toward them.

Their gazes met in midair, revealing Xu Jingming's faint blue lightning mark on his forehead.

The blond youth's eyes flickered with surprise, then he gave a slight nod in greeting.

Xu Jingming nodded back, silently thinking these Sacred Ground contestants were truly no ordinary lot.

Even a casual glance could be sensed.

It wasn't just Xu Jingming observing the other teams—the other teams were observing them too.

There was no helping it; their group of four was simply too conspicuous.

Raymond alone stood over five meters tall, like a moving iron tower.

Not to mention both he and Xu Jingming bore the Seed of Law mark on their foreheads, signifying their status as True Disciples of the Immortal Gods.

Even Lu Yunji and Yuli, two stunningly beautiful women standing beside them, seemed to pale in comparison.

"They're from Noah Sacred Ground—they severely injured several of our contestants in the last Genius Competition."

Far away, another group of over a dozen also noticed the presence of Xu Jingming and his team.

One of them, a sullen-faced youth, spoke with ill intent; upon hearing him, the others all frowned.

The Sacred Ground Exchange Competition is held once every ten years.

Though it's publicly promoted as friendship first, competition second.

But the ranking in this exchange directly affects the Empire's honor, and the battles are real, brutal, and lethal.

Minor and serious injuries are common; many prodigies have been permanently crippled during the exchange.

Over the years, resentment has quietly accumulated between them.

Our Black Cliff Sacred Ground and Noah Sacred Ground are roughly equal in strength.

We've had frequent clashes, so naturally we can't stand each other.

"Noah Sacred Ground got lucky this time—they actually found a Goliath Clan member."

At this Starlight Third-Rank level, except for those from Lingshu Empire, no one can overpower him."

Someone whispered, clearly envious; then another spoke up:

"Not necessarily. The Goliath Clan possesses unique bloodline power—even Lingshu Empire's people might not be able to suppress him."

At these words, everyone fell into silence.

Noah Sacred Ground and our Black Cliff Sacred Ground are evenly matched.

Now a Goliath Clan member has appeared; our overall ranking may well fall behind Noah's this time.

"If only there was a way to keep them from competing tomorrow," a short-haired youth suddenly said, his eyes glinting.

"Mark, if you have an idea, just say it."

The team captain, a Starlight Ninth-Rank, seemed to guess what he was thinking and spoke.

"I don't have any idea."

Mark shrugged, squinting his eyes:

"Captain, isn't there a chance we accidentally clashed with them?"

"And then accidentally injured them so badly they can't compete—would that really be a problem?"