Be more cautious.

The second is the Tiger Roar Sect. Members of this sect are skilled at taming fierce beasts; though their own combat abilities are weaker, they fight alongside spirit beasts such as tigers and lone wolves with cultivation, making them more dangerous than cultivators of the same realm.

The third is the Boat Guild. Unlike the previous two sects, the Boat Guild is primarily a commercial organization. There are few cultivators among them, with only one True Condensation stage cultivator, placing them at the bottom and making it unlikely for them to compete for any valuable resources.

The fourth is the Lesser Yin Sect, led by Liu Xuanfeng.

Before Consort Qi broke through her cultivation, the Lesser Yin Sect only had Liu Xuanfeng as a True Condensation cultivator, and its disciples were so few that even being counted as a second-tier sect was barely possible.

Most people currently do not hold the Lesser Yin Sect in high regard, believing that a sect relying on dual cultivation for growth lacks competitive strength.

But little do they know that Liu Xuanfeng has invited Li Miao as a powerful external aid.

“How skilled is the Master of the Fire Refining Hall?” Li Miao asked.

He had a minor conflict with Lu Yan at the Treasure Pavilion a few days ago, and if they met in the tournament today, Lu Yan would certainly try his best to regain his honor.

Consort Qi replied gravely, “He is very strong.”

“In what way?” Li Miao asked.

“He fought Sun Mansion’s fourth elder three years ago. That elder was also at the late True Condensation stage, yet had no ability to resist and was overwhelmingly injured. If Sun He, the old monster, hadn't intervened, the fourth elder would have died then and there.”

The fourth elder of Sun Mansion was the gloomy old man who had captured Guo’er earlier. When Li Miao stormed Sun Mansion ten days ago, that man was not in the rear garden and they never crossed paths. Later, Ji Lingyu casually eliminated him, so Li Miao never witnessed his true strength.

Yet since both are late True Condensation, and Lu Yan could crush Sun Mansion’s fourth elder, he must indeed be formidable.

Liu Xuanfeng asked, “Do you have confidence in defeating him?” His tone held a hint of hope.

Lu Yan was undoubtedly the strongest opponent in this tournament. If Li Miao could defeat him and seize first place, they would receive a tenth of Sun Mansion’s inheritance.

Don’t underestimate that tenth; for a small sect like the Lesser Yin Sect, it would be a tremendous fortune!

Li Miao himself was curious about the answer.

He replied, “To claim confidence seems boastful. To deny it altogether sounds too modest. So… I don’t know. We’ll see when the battle begins.”

Consort Qi smiled at his words. “Young Master Li’s confidence is truly reassuring.”

“Winning is confidence, losing is arrogance,” Li Miao responded coolly.

Soon, the three arrived at the plains outside East City.

The field was vast enough to accommodate tens of thousands of spectators, so even with several hundred cultivators and many more common folk gathered, it did not appear crowded.

Near the city walls, two temporary platforms stood, serving as the stage for the tournament.

There were two arenas: the Newcomers’ Arena and the Elite Arena.

Only cultivators under thirty could participate in the Newcomers’ Arena, presided over by Elder Ge Rou of the Hundred Herbs Sect.

The Elite Arena had no age restriction, only requiring participants to be at least at the early True Condensation stage, and was hosted by Daoist Songshi of the Cold Mountain Valley and the hermit He Jianfang of Falling Flower Lake.

As Li Miao and his companions arrived, someone pointed them out, whispering, “See? Those are people from the Lesser Yin Sect.”

“What kind of sect is that? I’ve never heard of it.”

“You may not know the Lesser Yin Sect, but surely you’ve heard of the Verdant Pavilion? Look at that lady in red—she’s the courtesan of Verdant Pavilion, reputed as one of the three great beauties of Longling!”

“Oh, so it’s her. No wonder she moves with such enchanting grace. A dual cultivation expert, indeed. I wonder if she still needs a bed partner, heh heh…”

A lewd laughter rippled through the crowd.

Consort Qi’s cheeks flushed with anger, her jade hand clenched tightly. Yet there was nothing she could do but sigh quietly.

Liu Xuanfeng forced a smile. “Letting Brother Li witness this… Our Lesser Yin Sect does not have a good reputation.”

Li Miao waved it off carelessly. “Let them laugh for now—soon enough, they’ll be the ones crying.” He strode toward the platform.

Consort Qi watched his tall figure, her expression complex.

On the platform, Daoist Songshi, who presided over the tournament, began drawing lots for the Elite Arena’s battle order.

Since only cultivators at the True Condensation stage and above were participating, the total number was not many—just over thirty.

Li Miao had already learned the rules: one-on-one battles, with winners advancing and losers eliminated, until eight finalists remained, who would then share Sun Mansion’s resources according to their ranking.

By comparison, the Newcomers’ Arena had only two slots for distribution, making ten in total.

After removing one-and-a-half tenths for each of the three major sects, five-and-a-half tenths remained.

For distribution, first place would receive one-tenth, second nine percent, third eight percent, and so on, with the Newcomers’ Arena’s second place only getting one percent.

Of course, since each sect could send three participants, winning multiple spots could result in more resources than the three major sects!

Li Miao stood below the platform, awaiting the battle order.

The Lesser Yin Sect’s participant list had already been submitted: himself, Liu Xuanfeng, and Consort Qi. All three would compete for as many opportunities as possible.

Now it was just a matter of waiting for the matchups to be decided.

“The results are out!” someone shouted.

On the platform, Daoist Songshi in his yin-yang robe finished drawing lots.

Everyone’s eyes were fixed on him, waiting for the announcement of the first round’s matchups.

In this kind of one-on-one tournament, strength is important, but luck matters too.

If lucky, one might get a bye and advance without consuming vital energy, increasing chances in the next round.

But if unlucky and facing the strongest, Lu Yan, in the first round, all future opportunities would be lost.

The cultivators below watched intently, many feeling tense.

Daoist Songshi declared, “The rules for this tournament are the same as the once-every-five-years Longling Mine Tournament: two-person duels, winners advance, losers eliminated, until eight finalists remain.”

“No means are restricted in combat—blades and spells are merciless, so I urge all fellow cultivators to be cautious.”

“The specifics are clear to all, so I won’t repeat myself.”

“Now, I will reveal the first-round matchups.”

He laid out the bamboo slips, revealing the names for all to see.

“First round, first match: Chu Qingyue of the Snowfall Sect versus Lu Yan of the Fire Refining Hall.”

Lu Yan!

A wave of commotion swept the crowd.

No one expected the strongest to step out first, while his opponent was a beautiful woman who had only recently reached the early stages of True Condensation.

Clad in blue, Chu Qingyue of the Snowfall Sect stood among the crowd. Seeing the matchup, her fine features twisted in bitterness and she sighed.

Daoist Songshi continued.

“Ji Ning of the Black Mountain Sect versus Chen Tianzhi of the Boat Guild.”

“Consort Qi of the Lesser Yin Sect versus Zhou Li of Dragon Shadow Mountain.”

“Zhao Quan of the Tiger Roar Sect versus Luo Jing of the Fire Refining Hall.”

“Master Kaize of the Azure Cloud Temple versus Yang Yuansong of the Black Mountain Sect.”

“Xu Xiaofeng of the Tiger Roar Sect versus Li Miao of the Lesser Yin Sect.”

“…”

“…”

“Liu Xuanfeng of the Lesser Yin Sect gets a bye.”

Thirty-one True Condensation cultivators, sixteen matches. Liu Xuanfeng was lucky to advance without fighting.

Having learned their matchups, the cultivators began assessing their opponents and weighing their tactics.

Meanwhile, the first round was about to begin.

Under Daoist Songshi’s direction, everyone spread out, clearing a two-hundred-zhang-wide space below the platform.

With only two days allotted for the tournament, things moved quickly. Since the rules were familiar from previous tournaments, there was little unnecessary chatter—they proceeded directly to the duels.

Hundreds of cultivators and thousands of common folk formed a large circle, awaiting the battles.

Members of the Fire Refining Hall gathered together; Lu Yan, in luxurious reddish robes, stood at the forefront like the moon among stars, his daughter Lu Yingshuang beside him.

Lu Yan, confident in his skills, appeared calm and unbothered by the tournament, scanning the crowd for someone, evidently disregarding Chu Qingyue as an opponent.

“There they are…”

Seeing Li Miao and his companions at the edge of the crowd, Lu Yan sneered coldly, a fierce glint in his tiger eyes.

Li Miao met his gaze, unfazed by the threat.

At that moment, Elder Ge Rou of the Hundred Herbs Sect, co-host of the Elite Arena, spoke: “Hall Master Lu, Fairy Chu, please enter the arena.”

Lu Yan stepped in composedly.

Chu Qingyue hesitated, her face troubled, clearly unwilling. “I… I am not Hall Master Lu’s match. I concede.”

Yielding before battle, she surrendered on the spot.

The common folk murmured in surprise.

Cultivators, however, were not surprised, knowing the gap in strength was vast and Chu Qingyue’s concession was wise.

Daoist Songshi announced, “Since Fairy Chu has conceded, Hall Master Lu wins this match and advances!”

“Congratulations, Hall Master Lu!”

“Hall Master Lu is mighty!”

The cultivators flattered him.

Lu Yan, basking in their praise, glanced toward Li Miao and smirked disdainfully.

“Next match: Young Master Ji, Boss Chen, please enter the arena.”

Lu Yan returned to his hall’s camp as Daoist Songshi announced the next duel.

As the words fell, Ji Ning in white from Black Mountain Sect and Chen Tianzhi of the Boat Guild stepped forward.

Both were mid-stage True Condensation cultivators, relatively strong among the participants—a fairly even match.

At Daoist Songshi’s call to begin, they started at once, vital energy surging, the light of magical treasures flashing as they battled fiercely.

Li Miao watched for a while, soon discerning their strength, which matched Liu Xuanfeng’s when he had fought Li Miao previously.

But now, Liu Xuanfeng possessed two superior treasures left by Sun He, making his strength much greater. Against those two, his chances were high.

But Consort Qi…

“What is Zhou Li’s cultivation?” Li Miao asked.

Consort Qi answered anxiously, “He is at the early True Condensation stage, but has been in this realm for four or five years. I fear I cannot withstand him.”

Though she now possessed two mid-tier treasures from Sun He, she had only just broken through to the True Condensation stage and was not adept at combat; her chances were slim.

Liu Xuanfeng comforted her, “It doesn’t matter. Treat this as training. Don’t seek credit, just focus on self-preservation.”

“Mm.” Consort Qi nodded.

Li Miao pondered.

Among their three, Consort Qi was unlikely to make the top eight. Their hopes lay with him and Liu Xuanfeng.

He was confident he could defeat everyone but Lu Yan, so at minimum could secure nine percent of Sun Mansion’s inheritance. With Liu Xuanfeng’s superior treasures, his chance to reach the top eight was also good—so long as he didn’t face Li Miao or Lu Yan prematurely, he could secure at least three percent.

Thus, the Lesser Yin Sect could well become the biggest winner!

Of course, it was also possible that all three from the Fire Refining Hall would make the top eight, claiming more than the fifteen percent allotted to the three major sects.

As he mused, the battle in the arena was decided.

Ji Ning of the Black Mountain Sect, superior in skill, broke through Chen Tianzhi’s protective magical artifact at the cost of a minor injury, claiming victory in the second match.

Chen Tianzhi was defeated, and the Boat Guild’s sole participant eliminated, losing any chance at Sun Mansion’s inheritance.

After the two left the arena, Elder Ge Rou announced, “First round, third match: Consort Qi, Zhou Li, please enter the arena!”

“Be careful,” Liu Xuanfeng cautioned.

Consort Qi nodded, took a deep breath, and stepped onto the field.

Her opponent, Zhou Li, was a burly, black-faced man wielding a Vajra staff, his aura steady and powerful—a cultivator specializing in physical strength.

At Elder Ge’s command, both attacked at once.

Zhou Li stomped, cracking the ground, and swung his Vajra staff at Consort Qi with overwhelming force—an attack not even walls of copper or iron could withstand.

Consort Qi dared not meet it head-on. Her jade feet danced back, sleeves sweeping out as two red silks flew left and right, aiming to entangle Zhou Li’s arms.

Li Miao shook his head at the sight.

The advantage of Purple Mansion cultivators lies in powerful spells and the skillful use of magical treasures to attack. When evenly matched, keeping distance and using spells and treasures is key to victory. Consort Qi’s attempt to restrain her opponent with her silk to seize initiative was clearly wishful thinking.

As expected, Zhou Li, facing the incoming red silk, grinned savagely, made no attempt to dodge, let them wrap around his arms, then gave a sudden pull.

His immense strength stretched the resilient lower-grade silk taut. Consort Qi was dragged forward, staggered two steps, quickly abandoned the silk, and summoned a flying sword.