On the other side, in the Demonic Dao camp, Yuan Muyu was entirely shrouded in a black robe, her face mostly hidden by a hood. She coldly watched Lu Xingzhou disembark with Ye Tinglan.

Earlier, when she overheard them through the jade talisman, she thought her sister wouldn’t casually get intimate with a man and was probably just trying to provoke her. But no matter how confident her judgment, a sliver of doubt remained. Now, seeing Lu Xingzhou and A’nuo accompany Ye Tinglan, Yuan Muyu’s anger surged.

What does the Grand Competition of Tianyao Sacred Land have to do with you, Lu Xingzhou!

Are you a member of Tianyao Sacred Land?

Even I am not considered a member of Tianyao Sacred Land, so how can you be?

Fortunately, they disembarked with some distance between them. Lu Xingzhou and A’nuo had to maintain appearances in public, showing reverence to the “Sacred Lord.” They walked several *chi* behind Ye Tinglan, alongside Dugu Qingli, their steps orderly, looking precisely like disciples following an elder.

Yuan Muyu’s gaze shifted between Lu Xingzhou and Dugu Qingli for a moment, then she seemed to calm down.

Who would be interested in that white-haired freak? Xingzhou wouldn’t be so unpicky. Besides, from their appearance, they weren’t even interacting, separated by A’nuo, seeming quite distant.

After her mind eased slightly, her beautiful eyes fixed on Lu Xingzhou’s figure and couldn’t move away.

He stood so tall…

When he was in a wheelchair, his pale, broken appearance had a unique beauty and made one feel protective. Now that he stood, he had a completely different style—confident, composed, with the stride of a dragon and the gait of a tiger. His former sickly appearance had vanished, his physique had become much stronger, replaced by a vibrant spirit that truly embodied the phrase “a jade tree in the wind.”

He also looked very handsome like this… perhaps even more so than before.

But being so handsome would attract trouble, a swarm of female flies from who knows where, utterly annoying.

Yuan Muyu’s gaze followed Lu Xingzhou intently, watching Ye Tinglan ascend to the main seat on the high platform. He stood behind Ye Tinglan.

Even though Tianyao Sacred Land arrived last, the host was still Ye Tinglan.

She heard whispered conversations from many female cultivators: “Who is that person behind the Tianyao Sacred Lord? He’s truly handsome.”

“I saw the participant list for Tianyao Sacred Land; there’s a Lu Xingzhou. Could it be the Lu Xingzhou from the Daqian New Talent List? The compiler gave a comment for him.”

“The one that said ‘A gentleman like jade on a foreign road, unequaled in the world’? I always thought the Daqian Heroes List’s exaggerated praise was ridiculous, but now it seems they weren’t exaggerating; he’s so handsome, ahhh… I admit I spoke a bit too loudly before.”

“Stop being so infatuated… If anyone’s going to be infatuated, it’s me. You go away.”

“Do you think if we fight him, we can touch how many abs he has?”

Yuan Muyu: “…”

As the female disciples chatted, they noticed a murderous aura emanating from the mysterious elder behind them.

“Are you here for the competition or to flirt with men?” The voice was like it came from the Nine Netherworld, a chilling sensation creeping in. The young girls got goosebumps, bowed their heads, and dared not speak.

Yuan Muyu gnashed her teeth.

She had worked hard to come and teach these rascals how to target the weaknesses of Tianyao Sacred Land disciples, only for it all to fall apart in front of a handsome man. If these young hussies encountered Lu Xingzhou in battle, they would probably already be weak before even fighting.

Ye Tinglan, you’re an idiot! Such a man should have his legs broken and be hidden away. Yet you parade him around and even let him compete!

No, why should Ye Tinglan hide him?!

“Esteemed guests.” Ye Tinglan’s voice now echoed across the entire island. “The tradition of the Grand Competition of the Sea has continued for nearly ten thousand years. I recall that back then, this Lord and my unworthy younger sister also competed in this arena. Decades have passed in a blink, and it truly makes one sigh with emotion…”

Yuan Muyu: “…”

Who is unworthy?

“…Regarding the format and rules, everyone is already familiar, so this Lord will not elaborate. Please, representatives from each immortal sect, come up to draw lots to determine the matches.”

Yuan Muyu looked at an old man beside her. The old man understood and interrupted Ye Tinglan. “Hold on.”

Ye Tinglan sneered, “What new tricks does your Nujiao Island have now?”

The old man said, “Excellent disciples from various families are mostly known throughout the sea, even those cultivated in secret for long periods or in perennial seclusion. There are usually whispers, just like Miss Dugu Qingli from your sect. Although she has never appeared in the sea, we are aware of such a person.”

Ye Tinglan said lightly, “So?”

“The Grand Competition of the Sea, continuing for ten thousand years, has its own regulations. The practice of temporarily inviting people from outside and claiming them as one’s own disciples, exploiting loopholes, has long been explicitly forbidden. Does the Sacred Lord not know this?” The old man continued, “If such suddenly appearing people are counted, then we could also invite people from outside to fight on our behalf. Wouldn’t the competition fall into chaos?”

These words were very reasonable, causing an uproar. “Exactly! Do you take us for fools? This Lu Xingzhou is clearly a guest elder of Tianxing Sword Sect, written on the New Talent List! How has he become a disciple of Tianyao?”

Under Yuan Muyu’s hood, her pretty face was smiling.

You still want to use Xingzhou to help you? Are you worthy? At most, you can use A’nuo. I’ve deliberately ignored A’nuo; isn’t that fair enough to you, elder sister?

Then, Ye Tinglan said leisurely, “How is ‘temporarily invited people’ calculated? How long after joining is not considered temporary?”

Someone then said, “There are already regulations for this. At least three years of entry is to prevent this loophole. Where was Lu Xingzhou three years ago?”

“But Lu Xingzhou and Lu Nuonuo have been disciples of Tianyao Sect for at least ten years,” Ye Tinglan said leisurely. “It is well known that I have an unworthy younger sister who ran away from home ten years ago. However, the sect did not remove her from the registry. Her identity is still a Tianyao Elder, and her disciples are naturally Tianyao disciples, only needing to be added to the registry.”

Yuan Muyu: “…”

Everyone was astonished: “Then how can you prove that they are disciples of Fairy Fuyao?”

Lu Xingzhou: “…”

Fairy Fuyao… Are you talking about that fish? How incongruous…

Ye Tinglan’s expression turned cold. “How does one self-certify such a thing? Even if he uses my sister’s core cultivation method, you would say he learned it recently. Am I, with my golden words, going to lie to you?”

Everyone exchanged glances, momentarily speechless.

Ye Tinglan’s status and position were evident; she was a person whose words carried immense weight. The probability of her lying about such a matter was extremely small; it was highly likely to be true. Moreover, such a matter truly had no way of being self-certified…

Just as they were thinking this, Lu Xingzhou spoke: “It is not impossible to self-certify, but there would be a price. Once I self-certify, how will those who doubted the Sacred Lord apologize? Let’s discuss that clearly before proceeding.”

He could actually self-certify?

As soon as these words were spoken, even those who were genuinely skeptical now believed him. Who would dare to gamble on any price? If this person truly self-certified, there would be no way to back down.

For a moment, the arena was silent. Ye Tinglan smiled with satisfaction, “Since there’s nothing more to say, let’s draw lots.”

Watching the representatives from each family go up to draw lots, Yuan Muyu gnashed her silver teeth.

I am against your Tianyao Sacred Land!

And then you use my people, and my name, to participate in this Grand Competition!

This is practically no different from being violated in front of everyone.

When did Ye Tinglan become so shameless? Didn’t that foolish woman used to be the most principled and dignified? When did she become like this…?