Chapter 97: As the Arena Defender

Lu Xiangxiang forcibly suppressed the urge to pull her hand back, she smiled gratefully at Shiziwen, "In the Carefree Sect, only you treat me sincerely."

Upon hearing this, Shiziwen felt even more heartache for her.

At the same time, he had already made a decision in his heart.

…

The next morning.

The entire Carefree Sect bustled with activity as disciples hurried toward the martial field to secure good spots to watch the quota competition.

The person presiding over this quota competition was the Grand Elder of Astronomy Peak, Lin Yongping.

The Second Elder of Heaven Study Peak, Zong Rao, also appeared here.

At this moment, six people descended the mountain together on Martial Peak.

The two walking in the middle were Yuan Yao and Lu Xiangxiang; at first glance, their faces bore some resemblance.

The silver‑white‑haired boy glanced at the excited ponytail girl beside him and said lightly, "I came out of seclusion just to watch your match; don't lose too badly."

Yuan Yao let out a soft snort upon hearing that.

"No way!"

"Just do your best," Xiao Lingwei said.

Cang Li had Yuan Yao extend her hand, "Come, take it; this egg will surely give you courage."

Yuan Yao looked at the bird egg in his hand, picked it up, then smashed it onto Cang Li's shoulder; the shell cracked instantly.

Yuan Yao peeled the shell and ate it in two bites.

"Like a hungry ghost reborn," Cang Li's mouth twitched slightly.

Along the way, Lu Xiangxiang remained silent, never initiating conversation.

She noticed their attitude toward her was especially cold, colder than that of ordinary junior sisters.

Lu Xiangxiang couldn't help glancing at Yuan Yao; if it weren't for her…

Yuan Yao sensed Lu Xiangxiang's gaze, tilted her head and said, "Seventh Junior Sister, if we meet on the stage, you needn't hold back—just show your true ability."

Lu Xiangxiang gave a bitter laugh, "How could I possibly beat Sixth Senior Sister?"

Yuan Yao fell into thought.

Is the female lead continuing to play the pig to eat the tiger?

On their way to the martial field, they encountered many fellow disciples.

Yuan Yao and Cang Li greeted them with smiling faces.

Xiao Lingwei and Ying Wuji nodded in acknowledgment.

Meanwhile, Xue Jin's beautiful, androgynous face bore a cold, harsh expression, and he did not respond to anyone.

Lu Xiangxiang wore a faint smile.

After they entered the martial field, the disciples on site enthusiastically waved at Yuan Yao and shouted, "Junior Sister!"

Yuan Yao raised both hands and responded with a smile.

In an instant, the atmosphere on site became even more fervent.

Seeing Yuan Yao surrounded like stars around the moon, Lu Xiangxiang felt an indescribable emotion; in her previous life, she had never received such treatment.

At this moment, a one‑eyed boy somewhere in the martial field saw Yuan Yao in person for the first time.

The girl walked across the martial field, waving her hands; her brows and eyes were curved, her eyes shone like stars, her lips were unadorned yet pearl‑like, her skin ice‑clear and her bones jade‑white; she wore a fresh high ponytail, but her hairband was a striking multicolored ribbon that swayed lightly in the wind.

Her bright aura was as warm as the sun.

It naturally evoked goodwill.

The one‑eyed boy stared blankly for a moment, then, after reacting, his gaze toward Yuan Yao turned hostile.

"She must be using enchantment techniques to make so many people like her."

【Target: Shiziwen, Awakening Value –10.】

Suddenly hearing the system's voice, Yuan Yao startled.

Shiziwen?

Why is his also negative?!

Yuan Yao's gaze swept over the crowd, trying to locate Shiziwen, but she had never even seen him.

Before she could find Shiziwen, Xiao Lingwei pulled her into the waiting area.

Xiao Lingwei instructed Yuan Yao and Lu Xiangxiang, "No matter the outcome, it doesn't matter. Anyway, you're still young; you'll have another chance to join the Ninth Province sect grand tournament later. Don't act on impulse and hurt fellow disciples."

"I understand, Second Senior Sister!" Yuan Yao nodded.

Lu Xiangxiang also nodded in agreement.

"Then I'll head to the spectator area," Xiao Lingwei said, rubbing Yuan Yao's head.

Yuan Yao nodded.

She watched Second Senior Sister and the others walk toward the spectator area, then withdrew her gaze.

"Junior Sister, I didn't expect you to join the quota competition as well..." At this moment, the senior brothers and sisters in the waiting area nearly all gathered around.

Astronomy Peak's inner‑door disciple Chen Yi crossed his arms, lightly bumped Yuan Yao with his shoulder, winked at her, and said, "Let's be clear—our good feelings are one thing, but we won't hand over the quota."

"Senior Sister Chen, there's no need to yield; I might just beat you," Yuan Yao replied, bumping back with her shoulder and raising an eyebrow.

"Hahaha…" Chen Yi laughed loudly.

One senior brother curiously asked, "Junior Sister, I heard you've been practicing swordsmanship every day lately on the back mountain of Martial Peak?"

Yuan Yao didn't deny it, "Exactly."

Another senior sister sighed, "If we could get into Martial Peak, we'd really want to go to its back mountain to see how you practice swordsmanship!"

"Junior Sister has really been putting in hard work lately; her swordsmanship keeps getting finer. So you all better be careful!" the Martial Peak disciples laughed.

Then we'll wait and see.

Some believed it, while others took it as a joke.

In the crowd, Yuan Yao was surrounded by many senior brothers and sisters.

But Lu Xiangxiang was squeezed out of the crowd.

Lu Xiangxiang lowered her gaze, appearing delicate and weak.

Just as Shiziwen was about to walk over to her, he saw that more than ten male disciples seemed to have noticed Lu Xiangxiang's presence and walked toward her.

Shiziwen's steps paused slightly.

Senior Sister Lu had once told him that, in the Carefree Sect, they should pretend not to know each other as much as possible.

Shiziwen couldn't help but glance at Yuan Yao; she was chatting and laughing happily with the crowd.

Yuan Yao is indeed beautiful, giving people a breathtaking beauty that makes her unforgettable at first sight.

His right eye faintly ached, and he quickly withdrew his gaze.

He will help Senior Sister Lu resolve her current predicament.

About half an hour later.

Elder Lin Yongping stood on the high platform, tall and sturdy, wearing a white robe, possessing the aura of a Daoist immortal. He loudly announced: 'This time, the quota competition will be held in the form of a ladder match, divided into defenders and challengers. This quota competition has a total of eighteen spots; first, we will select eighteen defenders from the participants.'

Defenders must hold their platforms; if they unfortunately lose once, they can only change identity and become challengers. As for those who were originally challengers, if they lose a battle, although they still have one more chance to challenge other defenders, if they lose again, it means they are completely eliminated.

So, as long as a participant loses two matches in a row, it means they are eliminated!

This time, there are a total of 159 disciples participating in the quota competition.

Saying this, Elder Lin Yongping glanced over the disciples standing in the waiting area, smiling slightly.

Who among you wants to be a defender?