Completely engrossed in his moment of enlightenment, Luo Qiheng was oblivious to the events around him. He had cultivated for many years but never imagined his first breakthrough would be sparked by a tinge of jealousy toward a younger female cultivator. However, the reason didn't matter at the moment; what mattered was that this enlightenment came at the perfect time, and he seized it fully. As for whether the place or occasion was appropriate, it happened too suddenly for him to consider, and the opportunity was fleeting. Fortunately, this moment of insight came quickly and ended swiftly. For Zhang Yiyi, who was keeping watch nearby, the time felt unbearably long.

When Luo Qiheng finally awakened, his state of mind was clearer than ever, his thoughts more transparent, and he experienced a newfound sense of comfort throughout his entire being, as if he had ascended to a higher spiritual level. If not for the unsuitable timing and location, he could have used this breakthrough to attempt advancement directly. But in the end, he remembered where he was and held it back.

Opening his eyes, he saw that he was discreetly hidden within the crowd and surrounded by many depleted mid-grade spirit stones. He realized that he owed Zhang Yiyi a huge favor for this. But before he could speak, he heard her voice in his mind, sounding relieved, "One high-grade isolation talisman, plus all these mid-grade spirit stones—remember to pay me back, every last one!"

It was finally over. Luo Qiheng had, thankfully, completed his enlightenment without wasting her efforts or taking too long. If he had taken any longer, she might have had to throw in even more spirit stones. Interest aside—after all, they were companions, and mutual help was expected—she still intended to recover the resources she had expended; it wouldn't make sense for her to bear the entire cost.

Luo Qiheng blinked, then nodded without hesitation. Instead of using voice transmission, he spoke aloud to convey his sincerity, "Alright. Thank you!"

His words of gratitude showed his acknowledgment of Zhang Yiyi's support and protection during his enlightenment. If not for a trustworthy companion beside him at such a crucial moment, he likely wouldn't have been able to seize the opportunity for enlightenment.

"No need to thank me. It's what I should do," Zhang Yiyi replied with a smile. Seeing Luo Qiheng agree so readily, she felt as if she had been the one to reach enlightenment. The sting of using the high-grade isolation talisman and all those spirit stones vanished. Her companion's gain was good for her too; his strength would enhance their team's safety. And if she ever encountered an unexpected situation herself, she believed Luo Qiheng would also be there for her.

Luo Qiheng didn't respond further but made a mental note to be even more diligent in hunting beasts in Canglang Sea, as he probably didn't have enough savings to repay his debt.

Cheng Yang, on the other hand, was clueless as to why Luo Qiheng suddenly thanked Zhang Yiyi. He had meant to chat but found himself speechless, his expression inevitably odd. He couldn't help but feel that this pair of "siblings" was shrouded in a peculiar mystery, tempting him to probe further, though he knew better than to indulge his curiosity too much.

"It's starting." Just then, the preliminary qualifying round began, giving Cheng Yang a reason to shift his focus away from Zhang Yiyi and Luo Qiheng.

Luo Qiheng discreetly scanned the area, realizing that Zhang Yiyi's isolation talisman was extraordinary. Despite all the commotion he had caused, it hadn't drawn any attention. Clearly, the talisman was of exceptional quality; he'd need to repay her accordingly so that she wouldn't be shortchanged.

The Wang family, one of the stronger among the ten competing clans, was confident in the first elimination round and immediately implemented their pre-arranged battle plan. This round, Zhang Yiyi and Luo Qiheng didn't participate. Evidently, the Wang family was keeping them as surprise trump cards, saving them for crucial moments.

Once the massive arena rose, the group battle commenced. At first, Zhang Yiyi assumed the elimination round would pit two families against each other. To her surprise, all ten families were on the arena at once. The so-called "chaos battle" was indeed true to its name.

Each family sent twenty Foundation Establishment and ten Golden Core cultivators onto the field, for a total of three hundred cultivators, with varying levels of skill. Other than prohibiting killing, they were free to fight however they pleased. The battle continued until only five families remained, who would then advance to the next preliminary round, even if only one cultivator was left standing from a given family.

"This battle format really is... quite lazy," Zhang Yiyi observed the chaos on the massive arena, marveling at the genius who had devised such a competition structure. Objectively, it was not only a lazy method but also one that tested each family's overall strength. Each family had to strategize, deciding how to form teams with mixed strengths, coordinate tactics, and even determine if alliances or temporary partnerships were viable. It was a battle of not only strength but also intelligence, connections, and resources.

"This format has been around for ages. Everyone's used to it and thinks it's great," replied Wang Xiaodan, who had just arrived, taking over the conversation from Cheng Yang, who was currently sweating it out on the arena for the Wang family.

"Uh, the Fifth Miss is right. Actually, it's quite good," Zhang Yiyi nodded, agreeing with Wang Xiaodan's assessment. She wasn't surprised to see her, as this young lady had been eager to get closer to their group, or more specifically, to Luo Qiheng. But she rarely found the right opportunity, so naturally, she jumped at the chance to join them now.

"Miss Han, can I call you Linlin?" Wang Xiaodan asked, seeing that Luo Qiheng hadn't spared her a glance and was entirely focused on the arena.

"Sure." Zhang Yiyi smiled and nodded. After all, a name was just for people to call; she didn't mind, especially since it was an alias.

"Then I'll call you Linlin from now on." Wang Xiaodan seemed pleased, perhaps feeling that her relationship with Zhang Yiyi had deepened, or maybe she genuinely liked her and wanted to be friends. "Linlin, you don't have to call me Fifth Miss. If you don't mind, you can just call me Xiaodan."

"Alright, Xiaodan."

Seeing this, Zhang Yiyi naturally didn't refuse and obediently called Wang Xiaodan "Sister" as she wished.

Whether or not anything would come of Luo Qiheng and Wang Xiaodan was none of her business; she just needed to focus on herself. She wouldn't distance herself from Wang Xiaodan because of Luo Qiheng's indifference, nor would she speak well of her to Luo Qiheng just because of Wang Xiaodan's deliberate friendliness. Wang Xiaodan, pleased by Zhang Yiyi's use of "Sister," was even more delighted. Her eyes sparkled, and she sneaked a glance at Luo Qiheng, as if feeling that by getting closer to Zhang Yiyi, she was also indirectly becoming closer to him.

Zhang Yiyi observed this silently, pretending to see and understand nothing. She truly didn't understand the appeal of love—if someone didn't like you, why waste time on it? Wouldn't it be better to focus on cultivation? Cultivators' lifespans might seem much longer than mortals', but in truth, the path of cultivation was filled with countless challenges. One careless mistake, and they could find themselves nearing the end of their lifespan before even preparing for their next breakthrough. Where was the time to waste on unrequited love?

"Linlin, the next round might require you and your brother to enter the arena. Be extra cautious," Wang Xiaodan advised softly after a pause. "While killing opponents is still prohibited, severe injuries and even ruined foundations are common and aren't restricted."

Even though this was just the preliminary stage of the qualifiers, each round became increasingly brutal. In this first chaotic round, it seemed like a mess, but in reality, it was primarily a test of overall strength and provided the most protection for individual cultivators. Although people were occasionally knocked off the arena, very few sustained serious injuries, and foundational damage was almost unheard of.

However, in the next round of one-on-one matches, many families, seeking to eliminate perceived threats in advance, would employ all sorts of underhanded tactics to secure the best placements in the final rankings. Though Wang Xiaodan hadn't participated herself, as the legitimate daughter of the Wang family, she was well aware of these matters. She viewed Zhang Yiyi and Luo Qiheng as siblings unfamiliar with their customs, so she naturally felt the need to provide some extra guidance.

By the final challenge round, the rules became even harsher: whether challengers or the challenged mid-sized families, every cultivator who stepped into the arena was implicitly accepting a life-or-death battle. This meant that when the day came, once on the stage, it would be a matter of either victory or death, with no limits on the methods used. It was cruel, but also a normal consequence for those trying to displace one of the twenty mid-sized families. A certain price had to be paid.

Zhang Yiyi listened to Wang Xiaodan's explanation with a calm expression, though her attention remained focused on the large arena in the center. The battle was progressing quickly, with noticeably fewer people on the stage now, though no family had been completely eliminated yet.

The Wang family hadn't allied with anyone, instead concentrating on their designated opponent, securing a corner of the stage with clean, efficient combat. The Wang family's preparedness was evident, as no other family had come to aid their opponent, allowing the Wang family to control their fight smoothly. Given the clear disparity in strength, it was only a matter of time before the Wang family's opponent would be entirely knocked off the stage.

Sure enough, as expected, the Wang family eventually eliminated their last opponent with ease while still retaining over half of their members. Then, they gathered defensively in a circle, watching the remaining eight families continue their chaotic battle. The Wang family had clearly secured one of the five spots; now they only needed to wait for the remaining four to be determined to conclude the first round and move on to the second.

Half an hour later, the first round of chaotic fighting was officially over.

The rules for the next round were equally straightforward and brutal. Each of the five families would send five Foundation Establishment cultivators, five Golden Core cultivators, and two Nascent Soul cultivators into the arena. Foundation Establishment would only face Foundation Establishment, Golden Core would only face Golden Core, and Nascent Soul would only face Nascent Soul, in a wheel battle format. Each cultivator could fight once, earning two points for two consecutive wins, three points for three, four for four, and so on, up to a maximum of ten matches. As for Nascent Soul cultivators, since there were only ten in total, each win counted double.

In the end, the scores of each family's cultivators would be totaled across all stages, with the top two families earning the right to participate in the final challenge round.

Zhang Yiyi was chosen as one of the Wang family's five Foundation Establishment contestants, while Luo Qiheng took one of the Golden Core slots. The Nascent Soul battle would clearly have to wait, likely until tomorrow or even the day after, depending on how long the Foundation Establishment and Golden Core battles took.

Zhang Yiyi joined the other four Wang family contestants in the preparation area. Apart from her, the other four Foundation Establishment cultivators were all at the peak of Foundation Establishment. Two of them were from the main Wang family branch, while the other two, like her, were guest cultivators recruited earlier.

The other families were in similar situations, with most of their Foundation Establishment cultivators at the peak, though there were a few at the later stages. However, there wasn't a single other mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator like Zhang Yiyi.

Thus, when Zhang Yiyi appeared in the preparation area, many people instinctively glanced at her, wondering why the Wang family would send a mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator. Was the Wang family just using anyone to make up the numbers? But given the strength they'd shown in the first round, that seemed unlikely. The only logical conclusion was that this mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator must have some hidden strength.

A variety of looks were cast in her direction—curious, speculative, and even cautious, as if treating her as a serious opponent. This left Zhang Yiyi feeling slightly awkward.

Hadn't the "face-slapping" stories she read always said she'd be ridiculed in such situations? Here she was, clearly a weaker presence in the preparation area, yet instead of scorn, she was met with wary respect. Well, this only went to show that in the true cultivation world, those with real skills and ambition were rarely idiots.