"Silence!"

Nina let out a cold shout, suddenly retracting her two fingers.

As her voice fell, the multitude of bamboo slips spinning in the sky instantly froze in place.

Seconds later, the slips descended, arranging themselves neatly into pairs hovering in mid-air right before the crowd. The matchups for the first round of the martial tournament were clear at a single glance.

"The match schedule is out!"

"Thank goodness, I didn’t draw those two divine maidens from the Cold Pavilion in the first round!"

"Woohoo! Me neither! Thank the heavens I didn’t run into that little demoness from the Divine Abyss Gate right off the bat!"

"I’m ruined... it’s over... I drew the Jianlan Sect’s Holy Son in the very first round. I’m done for..."

Below the Dao Testing Stage, sect disciples from all over the world murmured as they read the bamboo slips. Naturally, some rejoiced while others despaired.

At the back of the crowd, leaning against a stone pillar, Yino merely cast a sweeping glance over the slips before closing his eyes, already knowing the outcome.

His opponent was a no-name fodder character; no need to pay him any mind. Lin Che’s opponent was exactly the same as in the game, a disciple from the Divine Abyss Gate surnamed Lin, who strictly speaking, was also affiliated with the Grand Tutor’s Lin Mansion.

Aside from that, the schedule for the two divine maidens from the Cold Pavilion was identical to the game as well.

So, in the end, this so-called lot-drawing was just a formality. The match schedule was virtually identical to the original plot.

Whether it was a sect’s leaders drawing the lots, or Nina herself, the true schedule had long been predetermined and secretly arranged by the elders of the Immortal Alliance who organized the event.

Otherwise, in a simple one-on-one elimination format, if the top masters of the major sects bumped into each other in the very first round, the subsequent matches wouldn’t be able to properly determine the true champions.

And with the tournament only lasting a few days, the Immortal Alliance couldn’t be bothered to implement complex point systems or winner/loser brackets.

Therefore... the simplest method was to evenly distribute the highly cultivated sect disciples across different groups in the initial rounds. As they advanced, these masters would naturally meet each other at the summit.

"Yino, your opponent is Zhou Qi, an Inner Disciple True Inheritor from the Cold Pavilion. I heard he’s a spirit cultivator who just stepped into the Nascent Soul stage," Yuyan said thoughtfully as she walked over from the side.

Yino waved his hand dismissively. "Just a junior. Nothing to worry about."

"I think so, too." Hearing his confidence, Yuyan couldn’t help but smile faintly.

However, she still glanced around to ensure no one was paying attention to them before deliberately stepping closer to Yino’s side.

Yino understood her intent perfectly, opening his arm to pull her into his embrace.

"Although this level of a martial tournament is nothing for you now, tonight is the night the National Advisor instructed us to unseal our Yin and Yang. husband must not slack off in tonight’s cultivation session! You must hurry and refine the cold energy that has been accumulating in my body for so long!" Yuyan said with utter seriousness.

Yet, as she spoke, she could clearly feel the energy in her lower abdomen fluttering restlessly beneath her dress. Even the hand Yino had wrapped around her waist grew noticeably warmer.

Yino naturally understood her meaning.

"Of course. After cultivating bitterly for a month and a half, it’s about time we reveal just how much our respective cultivation bases have grown!" he said with full confidence.

In truth, both Yino and Yuyan knew they had amassed an immense amount of true energy over this long period.

Yuyan was a fated heroine possessing the Innate Frost Holy Physique. Now, under the personal guidance of a demigod-level master like National Advisor, her cultivation speed was naturally skyrocketing.

Yino’s situation was even more unique.

During the battle at the Demon Abyss, he had accumulated a massive amount of abyssal Demonic Qi that had yet to be fully refined. Later, after the battle in the Liuli Illusion Realm, both he and Ruoning had returned loaded with rewards, naturally piling up even more unabsorbed experience points.

Spending this past month at the Dragon Palace, Yino could elevate his strength significantly just by refining his past gains. Furthermore, as Changli’s disciple, he was in no shortage of spirit elixirs and ancient spells to digest and absorb.

Honestly... a mere month or so was nowhere near enough time for Yino to digest it all.

It would take at least three months of refining and cultivation for Yino to fully absorb his accumulated foundation, yet even three months wouldn’t be enough to master the sword arts and spiritual spells taught to him by Changli.

But Opportunities wait for no one. The great battle at the Jianlan Sect’s Northern Region ruins from the original novel was slated for the coming spring and summer. That was why Yino didn’t have the luxury of extended secluded cultivation to push his strength to its absolute limit.

However, this was already enough.

The original protagonist, Lin Che, would only reach the Nascent Soul stage by next year. more than enough for Yino to secure victory. By then, Yino’s base state would already be at the Divine Transformation stage. If he utilized his various ancient Treasures and the power of the ancient fire phoenix during the decisive battle, skipping across two major realms to slaughter his enemies wouldn’t be impossible!

Moreover... wasn’t heading to the Northern Region ruins next year a form of cultivation in itself?

If a cultivator relied entirely on cultivation manuals and pills behind closed doors, never venturing out to engage in real combat, their cultivation realm would be heavily inflated with water. They would likely be far weaker than peers who spent years fighting on the battlefield, crawling out from mountains of corpses.

"Since the drawing results are out, Husband should return to our room early tonight to accompany me in preparing for our cultivation," the white-robed beauty murmured, her face flushed as rosy as spring.

The two exchanged a smile. Even Yuyan genuinely felt it was a bit shameless to secretly discuss such things while hiding behind a bustling crowd.

...

"The victor of this year’s tournament will have the Opportunity to receive a mysterious grand prize personally bestowed by Her Majesty!"

At the front of the crowd, the host on the Dao Testing Stage was still loudly announcing the tournament rules.

The white dragon girl stood tall, her chin raised proudly. But as she scanned the crowd below, she suddenly realized that the white-robed boy who had just been watching from the throng was gone.

Where did that brat run off to?! Was he even listening to my speech just now?!

The more Nina thought about it, the angrier she got. But standing on the stage before the masses, her regal face maintained its arrogant, worldly detachment, refusing to show her true emotions.

Amidst her thoughts, Nina finally caught sight of Yino below the stage.

She saw the youth had sneakily moved to the back of the crowd at some point. One of his hands was wrapped around Yuyan’s waist, while the other traced her jawline. The two were gazing into each other’s eyes, blushing and whispering, laughing playfully...

Instantly, the polite, professional smile on Nina’s face completely cracked.

Her lips twitched, her heart seized, and her small hands clenched tightly into fists beneath her dragon robes.

Frivolous! Both of them are utterly frivolous!

And to think I went out of my way to personally attend a commoner’s festival for once...

This time, Nina’s defenses were truly broken.

She hadn’t even finished her speech on stage, yet Yino couldn’t even be bothered to listen! He was already holding a woman, whispering sweet nothings! He completely disregarded her entire lot-drawing ceremony!

He doesn’t appreciate my kindness at all!!!

Thinking of this, she stamped her foot fiercely beneath her robes.

Then, she pursed her small lips, a sour wave of resentment welling up in her heart: You frivolous brat, we are done!

I’m never playing with you again! Even if you bring me snacks to beg for forgiveness, it won’t work!

...

Woooosh!!!

Deep into the night, a terrifying, abyssal Sword Intent suddenly erupted near the outer perimeter of the Immortal Alliance Pavilion, piercing straight into the heavens.

Inside the Jianlan Sect’s guest room, Pei Zhihan, whose physique was extremely sensitive to Sword Intent, was jolted awake from her dreams by the sheer force of the shockwave.

She sat up, gazing out the window at the formless Sword Intent surging in the distance, her brows knitting together tightly. "To possess such a majestic and tyrannical sword aura... which great master has achieved a breakthrough in their cultivation at this hour of the night?"

"But that direction... it looks like it’s coming from Yuyan’s room..."

Realizing this, Zhihan gasped. She threw off her blankets, grabbing her outer robe from the headboard and draping it over her shoulders.

"If that truly is Yuyan, she’s in grave danger!"

"This sword aura contains the profound evil of the Abyss; it is brutal and ravenous! Yuyan has only just reached the Divine Transformation stage; I fear she cannot control such a mighty and vicious sword. If she’s not careful, she will suffer a backlash from the Sword Intent and fall into Qi Deviation..."

"No, I must go check on her immediately."