"We are quite lucky, for we didn't encounter Karma Fire Island, but if we win this round, we will ultimately have to face them," Bi Shuirou nodded as she spoke.

"Seeing the smile hidden in your eyes, there must be some other good news, right?" Xi Ying blinked and asked with a smile.

"Our opponents tomorrow are from Luoshan Island," Bi Shuirou said with a gentle smile.

"Hehe, then let me take the field tomorrow, and the final round will be yours," Xi Ying perked up upon hearing this, glanced at Yuan Ming, and said.

Yuan Ming shrugged, with no objections.

"Tell me, what result do you want?" Xi Ying looked at Bi Shuirou and asked.

"Serious injury! Or better, cripple the opponent if possible," Bi Shuirou said without any hesitation.

When she finished speaking, she suddenly felt a palpitation and couldn't help but cover her chest, her face also showing some abnormality.

After thanking them, she hastily bade farewell and left.

Xi Ying didn't seem to mind and went back to her own room. Yuan Ming watched Bi Shuirou leave and frowned slightly.

...

The following morning, the second round of the competition commenced.

The seats in the square were reduced by half, but the number of onlookers outside multiplied instead of diminished.

Compared to the first day, the intensity of the battles on the second day clearly escalated a notch, with almost every match ending with the opponent too seriously injured to stand.

Among them was a match between two hostile Second-class Islands, where neither side showed any mercy. In the end, one of the competing cultivators was killed on the spot, becoming the first person to die in the competition.

However, Yuan Ming observed that the surrounding crowd was not at all surprised, looking as if such events were commonplace. Thus, he deduced that this was not the first occurrence of its kind.

After a dozen matches, it was finally the turn of Red Ganoderma Island to confront Luoshan Island.

Xi Ying leaped up onto the Martial Arts Arena, her gauzy garment fluttering as she landed gracefully and stood with her hands behind her back, exuding the air of a grandmaster.

On Luoshan Island's side, a young man with a soft and sinister complexion, who had been sitting to Luo Wanshan's left, saluted towards his Island Master with a fist.

"Rest assured, Island Master, I will take very good care of Red Ganoderma Island's cultivator," he said.

After speaking, his face revealed a shadowy smile.

Luo Wanshan sipped his tea lightly with just a nod, looking utterly unconcerned.

The soft and sinister man leaped, soaring onto the stage.

He narrowed his eyes at the veiled woman across from him, his smile fading as he patted his Spiritual Beast Bag at his waist.

A streak of black light flew from his waist, revealing a black bat hovering in mid-air, engulfing in black mist. With its crimson eyes and malevolent aura, it exuded an indescribable fierceness.

Yuan Ming felt a sense of revulsion with just one look as if he had seen something extremely filthy.

"Has he actually cultivated the Blood-eyed Bat to such an extent? Such an evil and dirty aura must have required the lives and souls of countless people," Bi Shuirou muttered with a frown when she saw this.

Yuan Ming averted his gaze, not particularly worried. Instead, he scanned the crowd, searching for Wulu's figure.

After looking for a long while, he still didn't see him.

The seat to the side of Luo Wanshan, which had been empty, was taken by Island Master Liu.

"Island Master Luo, since when have you had such a fierce warrior under your command?" Island Master Liu, having fully recovered from his injuries, inquired with a smile.

"He's not exactly a fierce warrior, but he has been tempering himself in the outer seas for many years. His return coincided perfectly with the Immortal Fruit Conference," Luo Wanshan replied nonchalantly, yet somewhat proudly.

He valued this subordinate highly, who had been hidden on the island practicing in secret. Later, as the subordinate sought to enhance his power further, and the demand for human blood and soul food increased, he had no choice but to let him cultivate in the outer sea on his own.

Now that he had returned, he became a trump card for Luoshan Island.

"I suffered quite a stifling loss for Island Master Luo yesterday. Today, you must help me save face and ensure Red Ganoderma Island is defeated miserably," Island Master Liu whispered.

Island Master Luo gave him an assured look, then gestured across his throat.

He not only intended to subdue Bi Shuirou but also aimed to suppress Red Ganoderma Island. He planned on using a dual strategy to realize his goal of devouring the island and its people.

"Then I'll look forward to a good show," said Island Master Liu with satisfaction.

No sooner had his words ended than a burst of Golden Light suddenly erupted on the Martial Arts Arena, like a Sky-splitting Golden Saber descending vertically.

As the light touched down, the square was eerily silent for a moment, followed by an outburst of fervent cheers.

"How could this be..." Island Master Liu looked in the direction of the voice, his hand that had just lifted the teacup suddenly froze in mid-air.

Then there was a "snap", the teacup in Luo Wanshan's hand shattered completely.

He was holding the broken pieces of the teacup, his hands covered in tea leaves and liquid, a loss of composure that drew sidelong glances from many.

However, at this moment he was too preoccupied to care about that, the sudden change that appeared on the stage had directly challenged his perception, causing his pupils to involuntarily tremble.

On the Martial Arts Arena, the blood that splashed upwards took on the form of a jet, spreading outwards like two gigantic wings of spilled ink, unfurling across the clean stage.

In the center of the two blood-red wings, the effeminate man and his Blood-eyed Bat lay on the ground, one in front of the other, split into four distinct pieces, their bodies each sliced in half from head to toe.

"Too fast, too fast..." gasps of shock rose continuously from the square.

"Did you see what happened?" an old cultivator, appearing to be an elder, asked the person beside him.

The latter, still not recovered from the shock, simply stared blankly without responding.

"I saw it, I saw it... That woman, it was just one strike, really just a casual wave that sent out a golden light, and the cultivator from Luoshan Island was cut in two like paper, she's too powerful..." A young cultivator, so excited that his words came out incoherently, incredulously described to the person next to him.

On the stone platform, the representatives of the thirteen First-class Islands were also staggered by Xi Ying's performance.

"That fellow from Luoshan Island should have at least been at the Mid-stage of Core Formation, right? He couldn't even block a single move?" said the representative of Golden Turtle Island, a burly man dressed in a golden robe.

"The gap in strength is too large. The speed of that woman's golden light is almost impossible to defend against, and the sharpness of her power is without equal. The cultivator from Luoshan Island didn't even have a chance to react, let alone... block it," said another figure, an old woman with white hair leaning on a cane, the principal representative from Kongling Island, gently shaking her head.

"I remember there's no blood feud between Luoshan Island and Red Ganoderma Island, so why did that woman act so ruthlessly?" The principal from Red Rain Island asked, somewhat puzzled.

"Who knows... What I'm curious about is when did Red Ganoderma Island acquire such a formidable character?" A young man, looking relatively youthful but with frosted temples, mused.

As his words fell, several of the principals' gazes involuntarily drifted toward the Island Master of Karma Fire Island.

He was a middle-aged man clad in a fiery red robe, his face resolute, his fiery brows slanted, exuding an uncommon air, at the moment also frowning slightly as he looked toward the Martial Arts Arena.

"Fellow Daoist Yan Xiang, Red Ganoderma Island seems quite aggressive this time. Who do you plan on sending out to compete tomorrow?" The principal from Red Rain Island leaned in towards Yan Xiang, asking with a smile.

Yan Xiang turned his head to glance at him, but did not answer.

"Did you see the person sitting next to Bi Shuirou? If nothing goes wrong, the one fighting tomorrow should be him," persisted the Master of Red Rain Island, continuing to speak despite the lack of an answer.

At these words, Yan Xiang followed the direction of his pointing finger and saw Yuan Ming rising to greet the returning Xi Ying, and ultimately couldn't help but ask, "Who is he?"

"Like that woman, he's also an unfamiliar face, but by the looks of it, he's no simple character," the master of Red Rain Island continued provocatively.

"Hmph, they're just hired help from a Second-class Island; no matter how strong they might be, there's a limit," Yan Xiang snorted, dismissively saying.

"Haha, compared to the disciples of Karma Fire Island, of course, they amount to little. I guess I'll have to watch the drama tomorrow," the master of Red Rain Island laughed.

On the other side, Yuan Ming looked at Xi Ying returning to the square and asked with some curiosity, "Why so heavy-handed? Was it just to avenge Fellow Daoist Bishui?"

Bi Shuirou also looked towards Xi Ying, her eyes filled with complex emotions, including triumph over Luoshan Island's heavy blow as well as a hidden concern.

"Not entirely. The main thing is, I sensed a killing intent from that scoundrel. Since he wanted to kill me, why should I hold back?" Xi Ying shook her head, saying it as if it didn't matter.

"Then he was courting death," Yuan Ming responded, nodding.

After that, the two bid farewell to Bi Shuirou and took their leave first.

However, for Bi Shuirou today, her emotions were too tumultuous; she never expected Xi Ying to possess such formidable strength. Unable to maintain her composure like the day before, she found herself distracted during the continuing competition.

...

In the evening.

Inside a secret room on Fusang Island, Luo Wanshan sat in a chair, his face grim.

Opposite him, the expression on Island Master Liu's face was no better.

"Island Master Luo, how goes the investigation into the identities of those two?" Island Master Liu asked.

"All I know is that they've recently joined Red Ganoderma Island, can't find anything else useful. But judging by the strength that woman showed, I fear that man is no trivial matter either," said Luo Wanshan.

"Bi Shuirou must have paid a hefty price to enlist those two. I was too hasty this time, believing your tall tales and muddling into these murky waters. If they really win against Karma Fire Island tomorrow, we won't have easy days ahead," sighed Island Master Liu with a look of regret.

"Afraid of what? I've already planted the Silkworm Heart Gu in Bi Shuirou; even if they win, Red Ganoderma Island is still meat on my chopping block," Luo Wanshan forced a composed smile, stating.

"That's easy for you to say, but both their strengths obviously exceed that of Bi Shuirou. Even if you control her, you might not be able to command them. If that man wins tomorrow, Red Ganoderma Island will qualify to upgrade to a First-class Island, do you think they won't kick Bi Shuirou aside and take the reins?" Island Master Liu countered with disdain.

Hearing this, Luo Wanshan's heart tightened, instantly understanding Island Master Liu's concern.

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