Yuan Muyu didn’t hear what the old man was saying at all.

Even if she had heard it, she probably wouldn’t have been able to answer. She didn’t know the opposing general, Dugu Qingli, well, making it difficult to offer any targeted advice. As for Lu Xingzhou and Lu Nuonuo, she thought she knew them, but deep down, she realized that after such a long separation, with Lu Xingzhou progressing from a seventh-rank to a third-rank cultivator, he couldn’t possibly be the same person she remembered.

Even if she did understand them, she couldn’t help others fight Lu Xingzhou. At most, she could tease A’Nuo… But the problem was, if she couldn’t offer any help, her initial idea of using others to undermine Tianyao Holy Land’s prestige would be shelved, and it would also affect her strategic alliance with various demonic sects.

For ten years, working under Lu Xingzhou’s guidance, she had always received his assistance. This was the first time Yuan Muyu felt what it was like to have Lu Xingzhou on the opposing side, even though he hadn’t actively done anything. It was a mix of sweet, sour, bitter, and spicy, like a spilled spice bottle, with every flavor imaginable.

From this verification, “severing ties” was indeed correct. Being entangled in emotions could only disturb her heart and leave her full of flaws. Even after “severing ties,” seeing him again still stirred her heart like a surging tide. What kind of great Dao was that? Only by completely cutting ties could she remain undisturbed.

But at least for now… it wasn’t clean. It felt so awful… seeing him stand by her elder sister’s side.

“Yan Jun? Yan Jun?” The old man’s voice came to her ears, sounding as if from the ninth heaven.

Yuan Muyu mumbled in a dreamlike state, “Anyway, the first group isn’t fighting them. Let’s just watch for now.”

With Lu Xingzhou by her side, Yuan Muyu hadn’t needed to think much for a long time. But with him gone for so long, she had no choice but to think more deeply herself. It must be said that at this moment, Yuan Muyu was closer to the Yan Jun in people’s minds, at least capable of discerning many things clearly.

For instance, she acutely realized that this grand competition had a slightly different flavor from previous years. In previous years, the imperial family might secretly trip up Tianyao Holy Land, but it was always done covertly, absolutely in secret. Thus, the tricks they could employ were limited, like a gentleman’s competition. Just as she was secretly guiding others this time, they would never openly declare themselves enemies.

But now, Gu Zhanting’s secret plot with Frozen Moon Cold Stream and Tianshuang Kingdom had been exposed. Even if he could still deny any involvement, saying it wasn’t his doing, Ye Tinglan wasn’t a fool to be easily brushed off. The relationship between the two sides had clearly reached a breaking point, and Ye Tinglan had already begun to support Si Han, the ruler of Tianshuang Kingdom. In such a situation, Gu Zhanting might become even more brazen and do more severe things.

Furthermore, it seemed that visitors from the ancient realm had appeared in Tianshuang Kingdom and had some conflict with Ye Tinglan. The vast sea world, full of mysteries, had always been a place with frequent interactions with the ancient realm. Who knew if there were other troubles brewing here?

Yuan Muyu had initially intended to be the mantis stalking the cicada, but what was Lu Xingzhou doing here?

While she was distracted, the first match had already begun. The combatants had nothing to do with everyone else, and Yuan Muyu was initially too lazy to watch.

Then, with a “bang,” one of the combatants was sent flying out of the arena. A young man, who looked to be of similar age to Lu Xingzhou, stood proudly in the center and said calmly, “Thank you for the concession.”

The more than ten groups of people outside the arena were momentarily stunned. Ye Tinglan and Yuan Muyu simultaneously narrowed their similar eyes.

A third-rank match, a one-hit kill. This was not something an ordinary person could achieve. As the host, Ye Tinglan had to first inquire, “What is the situation? Are there any casualties?”

The masters of the person who was knocked off the stage gathered around to examine him for a moment, their expressions not looking good. “Thank you, Holy Master, for your concern. He’s not dead.”

From that tone, even if he wasn’t dead, he was severely injured. The opponent had been quite ruthless. Ye Tinglan waved her hand, and someone from Tianyao Holy Land stepped forward to provide treatment.

In a sense, if Tianyao Holy Land couldn’t control the arena and someone died immediately in the match, it would be a severe blow to their prestige. Ye Tinglan’s beautiful eyes fell on the young man in the arena, her expression unreadable, and she simply announced, “Fang Qihao of Jinfeng Island wins. Both sides, please send out your second contestant.”

Fang Qihao cupped his hands and asked, “May I ask the Holy Master if this junior can continue to fight?”

Ye Tinglan said calmly, “No. The Grand Competition of the Sea is about the general cultivation of disciples, not individual geniuses. Even if you can dominate the entire arena, one person alone is not enough.”

Fang Qihao sighed with a hint of regret, “Understood.” He then turned and left the stage.

Lu Xingzhou was asking Ye Tinglan in a low voice, “Did he intentionally strike a heavy blow?”

“Yes,” Ye Tinglan responded in a low voice. “This master was careless. I didn’t expect someone to do this at the very beginning and couldn’t stop it in time.” Most of her thoughts were still on scanning for Yuan Muyu’s presence… Never mind. Regardless of whether Yuan Muyu was there or not, she still had to first look after the situation in the arena, otherwise, her existence as the Holy Master would suffer a great disgrace.

She just didn’t know which faction this unknown Jinfeng Island belonged to, suddenly being so aggressive.

Soon, a young girl, smiling brightly, jumped onto the stage. “I’m the second one.”

Ye Tinglan looked at the list of participants: Duan Ning of Jinfeng Island, seventeen years old, early third-rank. This age… was even younger than Dugu Qingli and Pei Chuyun when they broke through to the third-rank. She wondered if the age was accurate. Ye Tinglan’s divine sense scanned her bone age and found that she was indeed under eighteen.

This didn’t necessarily mean there was no deception, as it was just a divine sense scan, not a detailed physical examination. Like A’Nuo’s situation, a blood test and a divine sense scan would yield different results. However, such matters involve dignity, and no one, male or female, would be willing to undergo a detailed physical examination. Generally, the elders responsible for this task would only scan the bone age, so there was a certain possibility of being deceived.

The person was already on stage, so there was no point in discussing it. Ye Tinglan simply nodded slightly, “Let the Du’e Immortal Sect send out their second person.”

The Du’e Immortal Sect was the sect of the person who had just been injured by a single strike. At this moment, they were extremely angry, and a brawny man, who was an upper third-rank cultivator, quickly jumped onto the stage. He seemed to have originally intended to be the final fighter, but his junior brother being injured made him unable to hold back, eager to get even.

Duan Ning looked at the opponent’s full beard and said with a smile, “You’re so old, aren’t you ashamed?”

The brawny man said in a deep voice, “I’m very sorry, but the one of similar age to you has already been injured by your senior brother, so don’t blame me for bullying the younger.”

“Are you sure you can bully me?” Duan Ning was still smiling, but a small umbrella suddenly appeared in her hand. The umbrella began to spin, its edge like a blade, rapidly moving towards the brawny man.

The brawny man snorted coldly and struck with a punch, raising a powerful gust of wind. With his upper third-rank strength, this punch could blow the opponent’s umbrella-shaped magic weapon away. However, the umbrella swayed and floated up but didn’t fly backward. Instead, it floated above the brawny man.

The next moment, the brawny man’s expression changed dramatically. An unknown suction force came from the umbrella, trapping him inside. The umbrella was small, and the man was large, but the umbrella seemed to contain the universe. The entire brawny man was contained within, without even a bulge visible, as if he had disappeared.

“What a wonderful Heavenly Net Umbrella,” Ye Tinglan’s voice came from the stage. “Little girl, if you don’t release him, are you waiting for him to be refined to death by your umbrella?”