Elder Du ultimately left in defeat, beaten down by Zhang Yiyi's questions. He didn't even have the thought to try any tricks.

"Busybody."

Now that only Zhang Yiyi and Luo Qiheng remained in the room, Luo Qiheng uncharacteristically spoke up with those two words. Zhang Yiyi paused, uncertain if he meant Elder Du or if he thought she meddled too much in Du's affairs—or maybe he meant both.

"Yes, busybody!" She nodded, repeating Luo Qiheng's words, then unexpectedly laughed, perhaps realizing she was indeed meddling.

For the next two days, Zhang Yiyi didn't concern herself with whether Elder Du would continue his efforts to persuade the Wang family head. She knew nothing could change.

As expected, on the day of the challenge tournament, the Wang family exercised their priority selection by choosing the Tang family. The Sun family, with the second selection, challenged the Li family—whom Elder Du had tried to get Wang to choose instead.

With the match-ups finalized, the remaining eighteen mid-tier families naturally became spectators, while the Wang, Sun, Tang, and Li families took center stage.

The rules of the challenge tournament were simpler than the qualifying rounds: eleven rounds of one-on-one combat, using any means necessary, life or death unrestricted. Six victories out of eleven would determine the winner, who would secure a place among the twenty mid-tier families for the next hundred years, while the loser would drop to a lower rank.

Each family sent eleven representatives, with four at the Foundation stage, four at the Golden Core stage, and three at the Nascent Soul stage. Foundation stage would face Foundation stage, Golden Core against Golden Core, and Nascent Soul against Nascent Soul.

First up was Sun vs. Li; once their results were determined, Wang would face Tang.

"Brother, don't you think this decision-making method seems a bit reckless?" Below the stage, Zhang Yiyi cast a small barrier and openly discussed the tournament with Luo Qiheng. She found it unreliable that such significant family standings depended on just four Foundation, four Golden Core, and three Nascent Soul cultivators. Wouldn't multiple rounds reduce the potential for trickery or outside interference?

Luo Qiheng, however, saw no issues with it. The list of competing cultivators was submitted beforehand, ensuring they were either family disciples or retainers; hiring outside experts on short notice would be near impossible. In the cultivation world, strength ruled supreme; often, a single powerful individual could overwhelm an entire family. Strength disparities weren't always bridged by numbers. Besides, so long as everyone agreed to the rules, there was little issue.

Zhang Yiyi was still young and somewhat idealistic. Over time, as she encountered more of the world's hidden darkness, she'd come to appreciate today's brightness. He didn't bother explaining this, knowing she was intelligent enough to understand in time.

"Hmm." So he merely nodded in response, noting her recent habit of addressing him as "brother."

"Do you think Sun stands a chance against Li?" Zhang Yiyi watched the contestants from both families line up in their designated zones under the stage.

Luo Qiheng thought she was talking a bit too much—probably because Cheng Yang wasn't there to answer her every question. He didn't quite understand why some cultivators, especially female ones, liked to chatter so much.

"I don't know," he replied curtly, casting her a sidelong glance. "Less talk, more watch."

His dismissive glance made Zhang Yiyi swallow her next question. This man had openly dismissed her chatter, which annoyed and amused her. She hadn't expected answers from someone as reticent as Luo Qiheng; she was simply asking for fun, more self-talk than anything.

"Hmph, owe me so many spirit stones plus that favor in the Luoxian Secret Realm, and still dares to rebuke me!" She glanced at him mischievously, mentally vowing to introduce someone who could one day challenge his aloof demeanor.

Sensing her gaze, Luo Qiheng reluctantly looked at her, a silent question in his eyes.

"Brother, don't you think your personality is quite unlikable?" Zhang Yiyi smiled slyly. "If your future wife disapproves, it's probably because you're so cold and stingy with words."

Luo Qiheng was baffled by her remark. He was single with no partner, nor did he plan to have one. What wife was she talking about?

"No wife now, but there will be someday, trust me!" Zhang Yiyi continued, unfazed by his scornful expression. "Then you'll end up talking her ear off."

Luo Qiheng merely snorted. There would be no wife, no embarrassment, nothing as she predicted. His sword path allowed no such distractions.

The Sun-Li duel had begun, pulling Zhang Yiyi's attention to the match. Round after round, the gap between mid-tier and small families became evident, with Li dominating despite its lower mid-tier status. Sun only managed to win four out of eleven matches, all in Foundation and Golden Core stages; they lost all Nascent Soul bouts.

With Sun's defeat and heavy casualties, Zhang Yiyi again faced the brutal reality of the cultivation world. The fallen Sun cultivators hadn't even had a chance to surrender; they were killed mercilessly.

Li sustained only minor injuries, further emphasizing the callousness and indifference pervasive in the cultivation world. Zhang Yiyi wasn't naive, but she found this cold, indiscriminate cruelty distasteful. To her, these battles should have been about family rivalries, not life-and-death grudges.

Turning her mind back to the tournament, she noted that if the Wang family faced Li, they would likely fare better than Sun, at least winning more Foundation and Golden Core matches.

As for the Wang-Tang showdown, she couldn't predict the outcome. The challenge was yet to unfold.

"Everyone, may I ask for your support in the coming matches!"

The head of the Wang family personally escorted the eleven selected members to the preparation area. While offering encouragement, he kept his words brief to avoid putting undue pressure on them.

"Rest assured, Family Head. We will do our best," Elder Du replied on behalf of the group. With his high cultivation level, he was naturally one of the three Nascent Soul representatives and the leader of the eleven. Satisfied, the Wang family head quickly returned to his seat, leaving them to prepare without further interruptions.

"Fellow Daoists," Elder Du addressed them, "once the matches begin, I hope no one acts on impulse. Each match participant must follow my instructions—no acting on your own."

Unable to change the family head's decision to challenge the Tang family, Elder Du finally compromised, choosing to take control over the match lineup. The Wang family head was pleased with this arrangement, as he had already intended for Elder Du to take the lead.

"Understood!" The others responded in unison, except for Luo Qiheng.

"What's this? Does your brother have an opinion?" Seeing Luo Qiheng remain silent as if he hadn't heard, Elder Du, keeping a straight face, turned to Zhang Yiyi instead of addressing Luo Qiheng directly.

Zhang Yiyi couldn't help but touch her nose, feeling unjustly blamed. She had already responded like the others; why did Elder Du single her out in front of everyone? She was just Luo Qiheng's nominal sister, not his spokesperson. Why did everyone skip over Luo Qiheng, coming to her instead for both good and bad news?

"No, if my brother had an opinion, he'd leave immediately. Just treat him as if he's mute," Zhang Yiyi replied with a helpless shrug.

"Hmph! All of you, fight well. Especially you two siblings who seem clueless—don't let the Tang family trick you, or you might not even walk away with your lives." Elder Du shot Zhang Yiyi a glare and then rolled his eyes at Luo Qiheng, making what should have been a straightforward remark sound rather harsh.

Zhang Yiyi, however, could hear the hidden warning in Elder Du's words. She thought the old man was rather awkward, wanting to tell them to prioritize their lives, yet expressing it in a way that sounded hostile. The life-or-death nature of the tournament was already evident from the brutal fight between the Sun and Li families, so she knew Elder Du's warning was valid.

Soon, the first round officially began. The Tang family sent out a female Foundation Stage cultivator at the peak level, and as soon as she stepped onto the stage, she directly called out Zhang Yiyi, challenging her to a duel.