Chapter 317: You just have to deny it every time

Whether it is the Heavenly Dao Assembly or the Wandering Immortal Assembly, the number of participants in the first round is always the highest, so the first round of the qualifying tournament is also the most time-consuming.

However, because it is a two-into-one elimination format, the number of eliminations is also the highest.

After two days of duels, one-third of the people have already been defeated and left the field, while the winners have successfully advanced to the next round.

Since it is a duel between cultivators, what naturally attracts attention is the arena.

However, apart from watching the duels, the eyes of the people in the viewing tower often drift toward the west side of the corridor.

Within their line of sight, Ji You is leaning over the railing, watching the duels below intently, with golden light flickering in his deep eyes.

In fact, since the start of the Wandering Immortal Assembly, although the duels often draw people's attention away, many gazes still fall on Ji You from time to time.

That day, he appeared alone, sat at the main table of the Immortal Sects, yet the five great Immortal Sects that had been hunting him down showed no reaction.

Therefore, many people want to know what exactly has happened to him.

Sometimes, when there are many people, many things are easily overlooked.

And when gazes focus slightly, the differences between each other become extremely obvious.

Thus, many people discovered that Ji You is not participating in the duels, but has been watching them all along.

However, he is not just staring at the Heavenly Tian Shuyuan's duels; he has been moving around the viewing tower, seemingly more focused on the appearances of disciples from other Immortal Sects.

If it were only him, that would be one thing, but the five great Immortal Sects seem to be the same.

Especially those sect masters, vice sect masters, and direct disciples—their states are very similar, their eyes filled only with scrutiny rather than joy or sorrow.

This feeling is as if others are just joining in the fun, while they truly have their own agendas.

It is not strange for the seven great Immortal Sects to be mysterious, but the problem is that Ji You also seems as unfathomable as those sect masters and direct disciples.

On the west side of the viewing corridor, Princess Princess Changle Zhao Zhao Yunyue is also watching him from the corridor, her eyes gradually becoming dazed.

She can never forget the scene of Ji You appearing alone in the Immortal Garden and walking to the main table of the Immortal Sects; her Dao heart has been in turmoil ever since.

"Yan Shimei Zhao Yunyue."

"Yan Shimei Zhao Yunyue?"

Liu Liu Junchi calls out twice from the side, and seeing that she does not snap out of it, his eyes turn gloomy.

Long Hui, a member of the Long family from Yongzhou, chuckles after seeing this and nudges his beloved cousin with his elbow, wanting her to see the expressions on Liu Liu Junchi and the others, only to find that his cousin has no reaction.

He turns his head to look down, only to find that his cousin is also in a daze.

Just as everyone's expressions turn dark, their eyes suddenly brighten.

The Rihua Arena is extremely large, so the circular viewing tower is no smaller than the Taigu Arena, and the viewing corridor is wide enough for horses to run.

At this moment, at the corner of the western corridor, Ji You meets the group led by the Little Appraisal Master of the Spirit Sword Mountain head-on.

Ji You walks past her with an indifferent expression, looking at nothing, and continues walking forward.

Just as the bridge of a chance encounter between strangers is about to end, the Little Appraisal Master of the Spirit Sword Mountain, who had been looking at nothing, suddenly glances at Ji You, her expression somewhat fierce, because she seems to have heard a low whisper of "little water tiger."

She is very concerned about this right now.

Because there is an old saying in Qingyun: lies do not hurt people, but the truth is a sharp blade.

But looking closely, she finds that it seems she has misheard, as Ji You's lips did not move.

"It seems this Ji You has truly offended the five great Immortal Sects."

As the two pass each other, Zhao Zhao Yunyue snaps out of it and whispers softly.

Liu Liu Junchi shifts his gaze back: "Why would Yan Shimei Zhao Yunyue say that?"

"Does Senior Brother Liu remember that during the Heavenly Dao Assembly, I once sought an audience with the Appraisal Master, and that Ji You was luckily received by the Appraisal Master because he was with me? He even ate the Appraisal Master's private banquet at the time. If he weren't on such bad terms with the five great Immortal Sects, he wouldn't even have bothered to greet her."

"What Yan Shimei said does make some sense."

"And haven't you noticed? The Little Appraisal Master's killing intent toward him seems very heavy."

Ding Yao and Zhuo Wan, who are following their own Appraisal Master, are also pondering similar things.

Ever since that night of "ying-ying" sounds, the Appraisal Master has indeed been full of killing intent whenever she sees the son-in-law, as if she cannot control it herself.

Furthermore, she is also eyeing the water-art display in the Immortal Garden with covetousness.

The so-called water-art is actually a garden landscape driven by magic tools that can spray water and create splashing effects; it is quite common in the Qingyun world.

Every time their Appraisal Master passes by that water-art display, her sword intent roars all over her body...

As time passes, the gazes on the viewing tower gather once again because of their encounter.

At high noon, Ji You walks toward the corridor where the Shanhai Pavilion disciples are dueling.

He has confirmed several disciples who have taken the fruit, and this match is one of them.

Judging by what he has seen so far, he has not yet detected any problems.

This is a good thing, but looking at the greedy gazes of the Immortal Sect disciples, he always feels a sense of unease.

Just then, a familiar fragrance suddenly drifts over and enters his nostrils.

Yan Kuangcheng Yan Shuyi also arrives here, staring coldly at the viewing platform.

Her persona is the cold and aloof Little Appraisal Master of the Spirit Sword Mountain; if she were to dodge and run away every time she encountered Ji You, it would seem unnatural.

So, it is reasonable to pretend not to see him, to have no him in her gaze, and to go wherever she wants.

The Little Appraisal Master looks down at the viewing platform with the appearance of someone who looks down on the world.

Ji You narrows his eyes slightly, thinking to himself that she claims to have cut off all love and desire every day, yet she still wants to cling to him.

Just then, with the sound of a gong, the duel on the arena begins.

Huo Huo Zhuoqun is extremely young, looking about the same age as Yuan Chen, and steps onto the stage holding a short blade.

As the gong sounds, blade light roars across the sky, slashing fiercely amidst endless wind and waves, and the thick spiritual energy directly whips up surging air currents.

Ji You watches for a long while, and only after the figure in front of Huo Huo Zhuoqun is knocked off the stage does he withdraw his gaze, then stands up and leaves naturally.

Yan Kuangcheng Yan Shuyi notices Ji You's movement and subconsciously follows him with "da-da-da" steps.

This scene is too much like when they were watching a play in Shengjing; she didn't come to her senses for a moment, but after walking several steps, she realizes it, her eyes narrow, and she immediately returns to the corridor, putting on an aloof appearance.

Seeing this scene, Zhao Zhao Yunyue, Liu Liu Junchi, and the others are stunned.

How did it seem just now that the Little Appraisal Master was obediently following him?

Especially that slightly outstretched right hand, which looked like it was going to pinch the corner of his clothes...

At this moment, some sect masters and direct disciples gathered on the east side of the viewing tower are watching this scene, their deep eyes flickering with light.

Although only a very small number of people in the Qingyun world know exactly what happened in the Dongping Mountain Range, as the heads of the Immortal Sects, they naturally know many details.

Back then, Ji You suddenly appeared and killed Bu Bu Qirong, leading to a hunt by elders from various sects.

The Heavenly Tian Shuyuan did not intervene, but the Little Appraisal Master did and took him away.

At the time, some elders disagreed, saying that Ji You was a disciple of the Heavenly Tian Shuyuan and Spirit Sword Mountain had no right to interfere, but Yan Kuangcheng Yan Shuyi said it was her family affair.

This statement was ambiguous, making people feel that Ji You seemed to be a mole planted by Spirit Sword Mountain in the Heavenly Tian Shuyuan, but others felt that there was something unspeakable between the two.

And just now, Yan Kuangcheng Yan Shuyi's demeanor and expression seemed to explain something.

The Little Appraisal Master has always been known for her coldness, and there are never too many expressions on her face, but that scene just now was particularly different.

Shang Senior Xi Yao stands with his hands behind his back on the opposite side, his eyes gradually turning cold.

"Shanhai Pavilion disciple Huo Huo Zhuoqun, eighteen years old. By relationship, he should call Huo Huo Xingzhong cousin. He comes from a branch of the fourth pavilion of the Shanhai Pavilion, and his father is a manager in the Shanhai Pavilion's Management Institute."

"This Huo Huo Zhuoqun was only in the middle stage of Micro-Illumination a year ago and was unremarkable in the Shanhai Pavilion, one could even say he was unknown, but in this Wandering Immortal Assembly, he has already reached the upper stage of Profound Understanding."

"And this Chen Le, twenty-eight years old, a disciple of the main branch of the Chen family, the twenty-eighth son of the vice sect master's cousin. A year ago, he was in the middle stage of Profound Understanding, and now he has reached the upper stage of Merging with the Dao."

"Then there is Lin Kong from the Profound Origin Immortal Mansion, and this Xu Da..."

In the main hall of the small courtyard in the suburbs at dusk.

Ding Yao and Zhuo Wan hold the letters in their hands and read them softly to Ji You.

This is information collected by the sect-travelers of Spirit Sword Mountain; their identities, ages, and past cultivation bases are all detailed.

After listening, Ji You rotates the teacup in his hand: "Judging by the speed of their realm improvement, they must have taken the fruit."

"The son-in-law has been watching the duels for a day, have you seen anything?"