"How did it go, little sister, did you learn?" Meng Jingzhou leapt onto the treetop and guzzled down the fruit juice that Meng Jingyu was about to drink.

Meng Jingyu looked at her brother with a brooding expression, and after a while said, "Then why don't we set up an underground betting ring and bet on Ning Fan winning?"

Meng Jingzhou waved his hand dismissively, "Our Meng Family colludes with officials and merchants, but we still cannot engage in illegal activities."

...

The little puppet's swordsmanship was extremely exquisite; Sun Chuanxian had seen many sword cultivators, but never one with such skill.

"Ice Dragon emerges from the sea!" Sun Chuanxian shouted loudly, summoning two ice dragons. The dragons breathed frost, icing the ground and leaving a layer of frost on the leaves above.

The little puppet continued to chuckle indistinctly while brandishing its wooden sword, forming a rudimentary domain of swordsmanship around itself. Neither the dragon's breath nor the extreme cold could harm it!

"Ning Fan, I didn't expect you to have such a trick up your sleeve!" Sun Chuanxian's impression of Ning Fan changed. He had sparred with Ning Fan many times, and Ning Fan had never revealed his identity as a puppeteer. On the stage, he even used the puppet's cute appearance to deceive him; what a deep schemer!

Ning Fan was also surprised, not expecting the little puppet to be so formidable. The five hundred thousand spent was worth it.

"It seems my biggest competitor in this competition is you! With this trick, even Lu Yang would have a hard time if he encountered it!"

The second round of the competition was happening simultaneously, and Sun Chuanxian noticed that Lu Yang, who was tied to a chair, was always paying attention to this side, indicating that he also thought highly of Ning Fan's puppetry!

Ning Fan believed in getting what you pay for, so since Ning Fan had shelled out five hundred thousand spirit stones, the service he provided had to be worth that amount; therefore, he controlled the puppet clone with great dedication.

"Slash!"

Just with a light *whisk*, the little puppet decapitated the two frost dragons and, like a small hammer, knocked Sun Chuanxian out of the arena.

"Ning Fan wins!"

"Did I really win?" Ning Fan's eyes brightened with joy.

Just as he was about to retrieve the puppet, he saw the little puppet run into the crowd and disappear from sight.

The service worth five hundred thousand had thus come to an end.

The other matchup in the second round was equally eye-catching, involving the Minister of War's son, Luo Wushuang, and the national guardian's granddaughter, An Nan'er.

𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

"Daoist An, I didn't think we would meet here," said Luo Wushuang clad in armor and wielding a halberd, looking as though he had burst through a battlefield, awe-inspiring and formidable.

"Unfortunately, this time I cannot give you any leeway. My father has commanded me to defeat Lu Yang, to wash away the shame of his previous defeat to Daoist Buyu!"

An Nan'er's expression was calm as the two jade bracelets on her wrist enlarged, transforming into two jade rings that buzzed in the air.

"What a coincidence; my grandfather also admonished me to acknowledge Lu Yang as my brother. I am determined to win this battle!"

Upon hearing this, the prize Lu Yang was about to say, "If it's just about acknowledging a brother, there's no need for the battle," when he saw Meng Jingzhou, as if anticipating Lu Yang's words, dashed over with a leap and shoved a cloth in Lu Yang's mouth.

Just kidding, did you think you could take all the good fortune for yourself?

This was an unequal battle. Luo Wushuang was at the early stage of the Divinity Transformation Stage, while An Nan'er was at the peak of the Nascent Soul Stage. One was an undefeated genius of warfare, and the other was an extraordinary individual born with strange phenomena. If both were on the same level, they could have fought an even battle.

But with a realm's difference, there wouldn't be much competition.

The two looked at each other, each seeming to have made up their mind, and said simultaneously.

"Daoist An, if I defeat you with a higher realm, you probably won't accept defeat meekly. Now I will suppress my realm. If you lose then, you will be convinced in both heart and words," Luo Wushuang said, as he formed hand seals to bind himself, suppressing his level to the peak of the Nascent Soul Stage.

"Daoist Luo, don't think that because I am a realm lower than you, you are sure to win. Truthfully, I have already broken through to the Spirit Transformation Realm, but until now, I simply sealed my cultivation," An Nan'er made a gesture on her forehead, and her aura surged dramatically; in the blink of an eye, she advanced to the Divinity Transformation Stage.

Luo Wushuang: "..."

An Nan'er: "..."

The scene fell into a deadly silence. An Nan'er was the first to speak up, breaking the stalemate.

"Won't you recover to the Divinity Transformation Stage?"

After a moment of silence, Luo Wushuang said, "...that would take an hour. How about you continue to seal your cultivation level?"

"Once the cultivation level is unsealed, it takes two hours before it can be sealed again."

Both parties once again fell into a prolonged silence. It was not possible to have everyone dryly wait here for an hour.

"Luo Daoist friend, I apologize in advance!" An Nan'er made up her mind. Although dominating someone with her realm was not her intention, it was the only option she had now.

"Damn it, wait a minute..." Luo Wushuang hadn't expected An Nan'er to act so decisively, and before he could react, the two jade rings behind her pounced forward, knocking him away.

"An Nan'er wins!"

Elsewhere, Zhong Yi, the son of the Chief of Staff, who was also held in high hopes by everyone, encountered a quite challenging opponent.

"Who is this person, so capable of fighting? It looks like Zhong Yi is going to lose."

"Probably some household's illegitimate child, hidden away and unwilling to meet people."

Zhong Yi was sent flying by his opponent and stumbled back several steps before steadying himself. Panting, he glared at his opponent: "I never imagined there would be such a master hidden in the Imperial City; you've kept yourself well concealed. Who are you? How come I've never seen you before!"

The opponent seemed to be a young man about the same age as Zhong Yi. Hearing Zhong Yi's question, a slightly embarrassed expression appeared on the young man's face as he explained slowly.

"Actually, I'm just a cultivator from outside the city. I heard that the Luo Heavenly Forest in the Imperial City is quite famous, so I came to check it out. Then you all appeared, pushed me into the crowd, and I felt it would be inappropriate to leave at that time, so I didn't. That guy surnamed Meng even insisted on drawing lots with me.

After the draw, I started fighting in a daze and then encountered you."

"By the way, I'm at the Body Integration Realm."

Zhong Yi: "..."

How can you, as someone at the Body Integration Realm, have the nerve to fight with a bunch of us young people? Don't you have any shame?

The Body Integration Realm young man slapped the back of his head and laughed: "Having shame wouldn't get me to the Body Integration Realm now, would it?"

Then he left the field nonchalantly, not even leaving his name behind.

"Zhong Yi wins!"

Zhong Yi was terrifyingly strong. He overcame all obstacles and met An Nan'er in the final round, eventually defeating her after three hundred exchanges.

"Congratulations to Daoist Zhong Yi for the victory." Meng Jingzhou clapped with a smile, revealing a path that exposed the tightly bound Lu Yang behind him.

"Now, whether Daoist Zhong Yi wants to challenge Lu Yang or become sworn brothers with him, he can do either."

Actually, there was no need to ask. Meng Jingzhou could see the burning fighting spirit in Zhong Yi's eyes; he was definitely here to challenge Lu Yang.

But could someone at the early stage of Spirit Transformation really defeat Lu Yang?

Zhong Yi didn't answer directly but said in a deep voice, "Our ancestors braved thorns and hardships, passing down a cultivation system through generations. At the end of the Great Yu era, the Jiang Family rose, leading countless troops to establish the Great Xia Dynasty, which shows that some things can't be done by a single individual. Unity is strength."

Zhong Yi pointed at Lu Yang and stated resoundingly, "I choose to gang up on Lu Yang!"