Chapter 142: The Situation Remains Undecided

Zhong Xingwei's pupils shrank slightly, he raised his sword to block, but the terrifying mental power shattered his protective spirit shield, and he was blasted flying away.

Blood trickled from Zhong Xingwei's mouth corner, his face slightly pale, he stared at Yuan Yao in disbelief.

She is clearly at the peak of the late Foundation Establishment Realm!

How can her mental power be so strong?!

Just as Yuan Yao attacked again, he hastily rolled over, then used momentum to quickly stand up.

This time, Zhong Xingwei dared not be careless; he exerted all his strength to fight Yuan Yao.

They fought so fiercely they could not be separated.

Everything around was ravaged by violent sword qi.

Several senior brothers and sisters of the Carefree Sect wanted to help, but upon hearing Yuan Yao say, "Senior brothers and sisters, step aside for now."

"But..." they voiced their disapproval.

"Don't let me get distracted."

Hearing that, their expressions turned complex; they could only step aside. To be honest, even if they wanted to join the battle between the little junior sister and Zhong Xingwei, they couldn't.

Because they couldn't keep up with the two's attack speed.

Too fast!

So fast it dazzles the eyes!

They were greatly shocked, for they had never imagined that the little junior sister could fight a Golden Core Realm expert!

And they fought on equal footing!

The crowd outside the secret realm couldn't help but be shocked at this sight.

The leaders of various sects gazed sharply, each discerning the clue.

Yuan Yao's fighting style is extraordinarily aggressive, essentially relentless and without restraint.

Facing the opponent's fierce assault, she not only showed no fear but advanced boldly, taking the initiative to strike. Even if the opponent's attacks hit her, most of the damage would be nullified by the Myriad Shroud Robe.

Thus, Yuan Yao became even more fearless, launching reckless counterattacks.

In contrast, Zhong Xingwei appeared overly cautious and conservative. Worried about getting hurt, he never fully unleashed his strength, his movements inevitably betraying some hesitation and restraint.

"This little girl..." Immortal Venerable Fan Quan sighed softly upon seeing this.

Physician Zong Rao likewise furrowed her brows, clearly disapproving of Yuan Yao's fighting style.

In her view, while this tactic could yield a short-term advantage, it easily fosters bad habits that would be hard to correct later.

Moreover, if one day she lost the protection of the Myriad Shroud Robe, given Xiao Yao'er's current fighting style, she would surely suffer grave injury, possibly even a fatal wound.

Furthermore, in the next disciple duel final, participating disciples are not allowed to wear defensive magical artifacts.

As a physician, Zong Rao extremely does not want to see Xiao Yao'er injured.

So she sent a voice transmission to Qian Jueshan: "Jueshan, do you agree with Xiao Yao'er's fighting style?"

Qian Jueshan pressed his lips, a flicker of worry in his eyes, but he only replied via voice transmission: "She will change."

Zong Rao let out a soft sigh: "Although I also dote on Xiao Yao'er, I don't want her to get hurt because of this fighting habit. You must guide her, not just indulge her."

Qian Jueshan gave a soft "hmm".

Zong Rao knew he meant well to protect Xiao Yao'er and would not speak ill of her. But she also knew he had taken it to heart.

Qian Jueshan indeed kept this firmly in mind; he also felt some guilt. Since Yao Yao said she wanted to train seriously, he had been unable to personally teach her cultivation due to various affairs.

After the sect competition ends, he will definitely personally teach Yao Yao.

And at this moment—

Yuan Yao and Zhong Xingwei were still battling.

Neither would yield!

Zhong Xingwei's expression darkened, he said coldly: "Want me to apologize to you? You're dreaming."

After speaking, his long sword was covered with ice-element energy, emitting a shocking chill.

He swung his sword again and again at Yuan Yao!

The icy sword light turned into icy spikes, assaulting Yuan Yao!

Yuan Yao's eyes turned cold; her Phantom Spirit Sword instantly burst into flames, becoming a fire dragon that instantly expanded, enveloping the ice.

Seeing this, Zhong Xingwei's gaze grew even deeper.

Each employing their own sword techniques, they fought so fiercely they lost sense of heaven and earth!

Time trickled by.

Two hours remained until the competition's end.

Yuan Yao and Zhong Xingwei had already fought over a hundred rounds, both sides injured.

Naturally, their battle also attracted many participating disciples.

Someone wanted to join the fray, vying for Yuan Yao's or Zhong Xingwei's points!

Yet Yuan Yao and Zhong Xingwei struck back with a single sword, flinging him out.

Seeing this, the participating disciples dared not act rashly.

But among them, some who hadn't ranked in the top thousand points launched attacks on others.

Among them, naturally were several from the Carefree Sect.

But just then—

A tall, frail figure like a twig appeared.

He blocked the path of those Carefree Sect members.

"Senior Brother Ao!" the Carefree Sect members' faces lit up with surprise and joy.

The newcomer was precisely the fourth disciple of the Carefree Sect Leader, Ao Su.

Ao Su was so skinny he resembled a white‑faced demon; his appearance gave the few people present a start.

He scanned the few competing disciples around who seemed ready to encircle him, curled his mouth, and said, "Come."

Having said that, he released his aura of power.

Mid Golden Core Realm.

The faces of those competing disciples around changed, and they all retreated.

Among the younger generation under twenty‑five, fewer than a hundred had reached the Golden Core Realm.

Of the ten‑thousand‑seven young disciples participating in the sect's grand tournament, those in the Qi Refining Realm made up about forty percent, and those in the Foundation Establishment Realm about sixty percent.

But the number of young disciples above the Golden Core Realm was negligible.

"Get lost!" Ao Su's smile faded as he barked in a deep voice.

Hearing that, the few fled immediately.

Ao Su's gaze quickly shifted to Yuan Yao and Zhong Xingwei.

He asked the Carefree Sect disciple beside him, "How long have they been fighting?"

"Two or three shi‑chen have passed."

Hearing that, Ao Su was startled.

Ao Su was somewhat incredulous, but recalling Yuan Yao's performance earlier in the Nightmare Beast's Nightmare Space, his surprise gradually subsided.

He had intended to intervene, but then heard Yuan Yao's telepathic voice.

"Senior brother Ao, if I can't hold on, you come again."

Ao Su pressed his lips and replied with a single word: "Fine."

And Zhong Xingwei, the instant he sensed Ao Su's appearance, left.

Because he knew very well that Yuan Yao together with Ao Su was unbeatable for him.

When he tried to flee, Yuan Yao clung to him tightly.

"How? You want to run?" Yuan Yao raised an eyebrow and smiled, lifted a hand to wipe the blood from her mouth corner, and said firmly, "But I won't let you escape!"

Before the words finished, Yuan Yao drew her sword and launched a fierce attack at him.

Zhong Xingwei's complexion turned grim.

If Ao Su didn't intervene, he might not lose to Yuan Yao!

The two continued to fight.

Time slipped away bit by bit; in the blink of an eye, more than one and a half shi‑chen had passed.

Only a quarter‑hour remained before the Secret Realm Points Competition ended.

And the ranking on the points leaderboard was something none of those present had anticipated.

First place, Lu Xiangxiang, with 9,130 points.

Second place, Ying Wuji, with 9,000 points.

Third place, Xiao Zhufeng, with 8,350 points.

From there downwards, in order, were Zhai Qingye, Xue Jin, Xiao Lingwei, Ling Huya, Wan Qi Wujiang, Fu Qianli, Yuan Yao, Nan Feiyan, Zhong Xingwei, Dongfangxiu, and others.

The crowd murmured.

"Lu Xiangxiang actually got first place!"

"Wow, she crushed a bunch of Golden Core and Nascent Soul cultivators with just Foundation Establishment cultivation and became first!"

"We should congratulate the Thousand Mountain Immortal Lord in advance!"

Many sect members rushed to congratulate Thousand Jue Mountain.

The face of Thousand Jue Mountain was very indifferent.

No one noticed anything odd, after all the Thousand Mountain Immortal Lord always wore an indifferent expression.

Only half a quarter‑hour remained in the Secret Realm Points Competition.

"It seems the overall situation is settled!"

"This Wan Qi Wujiang is also a dark horse! From a minor sect, yet ranked in the top ten! The key is he's only seventeen and has already broken through the Initial Golden Core; his future looks promising!"

While the crowd kept chatting, Lu Xiangxiang lowered her eyes to the jade token in her hand; after securing first place, a slight smile curled her lips, and she felt very pleased.

This time, she trampled Ying Wuji beneath her feet!

She's already over a hundred points ahead of Ying Wuji, and with the contest about to end, what can Ying Wuji still compare with?

Let alone Yuan Yao!

Half a quarter‑hour later, Lu Xiangxiang felt she was about to be teleported out of the secret realm; just as she was about to glance at the jade token again, everything flashed, and she was already sent out.

At that moment, the arena erupted with a deafening, uproarious clamor.

Lu Xiangxiang smiled and looked up, about to welcome the crowd's gaze, but realized their eyes were not on her, but on the—

…the Yuan Yao standing not far in front of her!