The Sect Masters exchanged hurried discussions, quickly sending their commands down to their disciples.
This time!
Whether their own sect placed first or not did not matter. What mattered most was that the Wushuang Sect must not be allowed to claim first place again. At least on the surface, the sects all reached this consensus.
Hua Ran of the Bitiao Sect gave the same orders, but added an extra line to her most trusted disciples.
"Just follow along with the other sects to put up appearances. Do not be the one who sticks out, and do not go too far," Hua Ran instructed.
Not joining in the encirclement of Wushuang Sect would appear uncooperative, something Bitiao Sect could not afford.
But she had no intention of truly offending Wushuang Sect either.
To speak bluntly—
The future ruler of the Qingxiao Region was still undetermined.
Unlike Liu Hua and the others, who had bound their interests tightly to Qingxiao Pavilion, Bitiao Sect had always been at the tail end, receiving little attention. To expect her and Bitiao Sect to wholeheartedly strike against Wushuang Sect? She was not so foolish.
And she clearly was not the only one holding such thoughts.
Several sects had made the same decision. Outwardly they echoed the plan, but in truth they intended to play a passive role. Neither Qingxiao Pavilion nor Wushuang Sect did they wish to offend—and neither could they afford to.
Yun Jin, however, cared nothing for these little schemes. Looking at her disciples, she said with a bright smile, "During this points battle, do your best to strive for more points. But if you face a fatal danger, do not force yourselves. Remember, crush the token in time."
She paused, then said, "Every one of you is more important than points."
At this last moment, the Wushuang Sect disciples had expected their Sect Master to proclaim some overblown declaration.
Yet unexpectedly—
Yun Jin gave them such words instead.
Every one of you is more important than points.
The Wushuang Sect disciples were moved, responding one after another.
Once Yun Jin finished her words—
Lin Xiao slowly opened his eyes. "The incense stick's time is up. Enter the teleportation arrays on your own."
The blue teleportation array was already prepared, flickering with a faint light.
According to the previous ranking order, starting with Xinghe Sect at first place, each sect's disciples entered the array one after another.
Wushuang Sect was the last.
When their disciples had vanished into the teleportation array, the Points Battle officially began!
Above, the water curtain captured random images of disciples.
"Whoa! What kind of luck is that! Look, two disciples from Xinghe Sect actually bumped into each other after just a few steps!"
"This luck is heaven-defying!"
"That poor fellow from Wanli Sect is miserable. He landed right on the head of a beast!"
"The unluckiest ones are those who fell straight into the IcyLake! That water is not something ordinary people can even touch."
Everyone craned their necks toward the water curtain, excitement surging as discussions broke out. In the cultivation world, there was little in the way of entertainment. To them, watching the Points Battle was itself a form of amusement.
Once the Points Battle began, the blue teleportation array closed, while the others opened. Sect disciples eager for adventure chose their arrays according to their cultivation levels and teleported away.
The Sky City instantly emptied by half.
"Senior Di, you're interested in the Points Battle as well?" Lin Xiao smiled toward Di Xiao. "Why not sit and watch slowly?"
Di Xiao raised his brows and glanced at Yun Jin.
They had agreed beforehand—
Once the Points Battle began, they would go search for the Palace Pearl together. He could understand Yun Jin being concerned for her disciples, but the battle lasted half a year. He could not afford to wait here for half a year.
Yun Jin saw his thoughts and smiled. "Since these disciples entered my sect, they've focused entirely on cultivation. As their Sect Master, I wish to see their results. Three days—three days should be enough to judge."
Three days.
She gave a definite time frame.
Di Xiao was no longer anxious.
Three days later, they would depart from Sky City to search for the Palace Bead.
"Sect Master Yun seems quite confident in her disciples," Lin Xiao remarked.
"Not bad, not bad," Yun Jin said casually. "The only pity is that Qingxiao Pavilion does not participate in such points battles."
What did that mean?Lin Xiao's expression did not change, but Qingxiao Pavilion disciples erupted in anger.
"Sect Master Yun ! A Holy Land is a Holy Land. Do not think that winning a few first places qualifies you to contend with us!"
"If it were Qingxiao Pavilion disciples competing, we could have won those matches easily!"
"If we joined the Points Battle, what business would your Wushuang Sect have!"
The Qingxiao Pavilion disciples grew increasingly agitated, speaking all at once.
Lin Xiao arched his brow but made no move to stop them.
Yun Jin covered her ears with her hands. "If it's a contest of making noise, then indeed, my disciples cannot compare to you lot."
That did it.
Everyone grew even more furious.
The scene became utterly chaotic.
Yun Jin remained calm, sitting leisurely beside Lin Xiao, even picking up one of his prepared pastries to eat.
Di Xiao: "…"
Once again, he doubted his life.
Truly now—
How could someone like Wan Dao Saint produce a disciple like Yun Jin?
He even began to understand why Lin Xiao had wanted her dead.
One could not find a more infuriating person!
"Palace Master Lin, you don't mind me taking a bite, do you?" Yun Jin asked.
Lin Xiao glanced at her, utterly unmoved, a strange calm about him. "As you wish."
"Yun Jin, do not get too arrogant. To challenge a Holy Land, first pass us," Liu Hua finally could not resist speaking. "This time, do you really think you can still take first place?"
"Why not?" Yun Jin replied merrily, sipping her tea.
As they spoke—
Suddenly a shivering figure appeared within the blue teleportation array.
"It's Senior Brother Jiang of Juling Sect. He fell into the Icy Lake and had the bad luck to be caught by an Amber Whirlpool. He had no choice but to crush his token."
"What a pity."
"Still better than working hard to accumulate points only to be forced to reset later."
"That's true."
Senior Brother Jiang's face was pale as he sat among his sect and began to regulate his breathing.
Soon after, several others crushed their tokens and were sent back. These were all the unlucky ones who had landed straight into deadly danger.
Barely a quarter of an hour into the battle, more than ten people were already eliminated.
Yun Jin glanced over.
So far, not a single Wushuang Sect disciple had returned.
Suddenly—
An excited shout rang out.
"Look quickly! A Wushuang Sect disciple is about to suffer misfortune!"
What? A Wushuang Sect disciple unlucky?
Everyone's anticipation surged as they turned eagerly toward the water curtain.
Yun Jin was too infuriating.
They all wanted to see Wushuang Sect disciples eliminated quickly!
Yun Jin also looked toward the water curtain.
This disciple was indeed unlucky.
She had landed on a tree—not unusual in itself.
But this tree happened to conceal a hive of venomous bees!
These bees were no ordinary swarm. Though small, even the weakest were of Divine Transformation level, their venom potent enough to injure even Unity cultivators.
And among them was a leader bee, its abdomen marked by three purple stripes.
That signified it had reached Unity—and judging by the depth of purple, it was even a strong one among Unity experts.
To encounter a Unity-level venomous bee swarm right upon landing—this luck was truly something remarkable.