The day of the grand competition arrived as scheduled.

There were many disciples of Yunxian Sect who had signed up for the Qi Refining stage, so the first day began with a large-scale, array-enhanced arena melee.

In each arena melee, 500 participants fought, and only the top 100 would qualify for the one-on-one elimination matches the next day.

In other words, after three rounds of the super arena melee, only 300 Qi Refining disciples would continue to the next day's competition.

Zhang Yiyi and Senior Sister Pan were assigned to the last match. By the time they took the stage, the excitement among the spectators had reached its peak.

However, Zhang Yiyi had no time to pay attention to the crowd. From the moment she stepped onto the arena, she was immediately targeted, becoming the focus of an assault by four practitioners at the ninth layer of Qi Refining.

These four opponents were unfamiliar, and their intentions were clear from the start—they teamed up to force her to the edge of the arena, which was far from a normal match.

Zhang Yiyi paid no heed to why they targeted her. She faced the attacks head-on, just as she would with demon beasts outside Wanze Mountain, showing no sign of fear.

"Wow, what a tough nut. Not bad for someone so young, with such a temper!"

The attackers were surprised that a mere Qi Refining eighth layer practitioner dared to confront their four-man assault without dodging. Their mocking tone grew sharper, and they looked down on Zhang Yiyi even more.

"Little junior sister, you should just admit defeat and get off the stage. If you get hurt, don't come crying. Your senior brothers might be heartbroken."

The most lewd-looking, short, fat one became even more audacious as if Zhang Yiyi were already a defeated foe. The timing of her exit from the stage was just a matter of their will.

They saw this as a lucrative opportunity. Originally, their goal was to defeat weaker opponents on the stage, but now they could also earn a few extra spirit stones. They couldn't wait to have more of these opportunities.

Zhang Yiyi maintained her composure as if she didn't hear them. She nimbly moved between the attackers, blocking and countering their punches without showing any signs of surrender. After testing their limits, she had gauged their skills well enough and was ready to get serious.

"Little junior sister, you're quite beautiful. I almost feel reluctant to go all out. How about you call out to your senior brothers for help? We could..."

The short, fat one grew more self-satisfied, treating Zhang Yiyi like a piece of meat on a chopping board.

However, his words suddenly choked off. His eyes widened in disbelief as the girl, who had just been surrounded by the third and fourth members, seemed to appear right in front of him.

"Bang!"

Before he could figure out what happened, he was kicked off the arena and crashed to the ground, barely moving.

"Too much talk!"

Zhang Yiyi calmly withdrew her leg and turned her attention to the remaining three.

Indeed, villains are always defeated by their own verbosity!

If they spent less time talking and more time using dirty tricks, they wouldn't have lost so disgracefully.

The situation changed abruptly. The remaining three's expressions changed as they lost their earlier contempt and arrogance.

It became clear why they needed four people to deal with one Qi Refining eighth-layer practitioner. There truly was no such thing as a free lunch.

To kick a Qi Refining ninth layer practitioner off the stage with a single move, they had underestimated Zhang Yiyi's combat power. Her strength was clearly not that of an ordinary Qi Refining eighth-layer practitioner!

Unfortunately, realizing this made little difference. Even though the three dared not underestimate her and used all their strength, they still couldn't overcome Zhang Yiyi and became increasingly alarmed.

By the time they understood that Zhang Yiyi hadn't even used her full strength before, they only managed to struggle a little longer than the short, fat one.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Three more kicks, and in no time, the remaining three were also kicked off the stage, just like the short, fat one.

With just Qi Refining's eighth-layer strength, Zhang Yiyi's ability to decisively and swiftly defeat four Qi Refining ninth-layer attackers was truly impressive.

Fortunately, there were so many participants in the super arena that the occasional fighter being knocked off didn't attract much attention except from a few keen observers.

"Hmph! Useless trash!"

Somewhere below the arena, Jiang Lishui cursed with frustration. She hadn't expected these opponents to be so easily defeated.

Four Qi Refining ninth layer practitioners being beaten by a Qi Refining eighth layer so quickly and easily showed that Zhang Yiyi's strength exceeded her previous expectations.

If the grudge had started with Zhang Yiyi slapping her face, then now she had to cut off her path while her wings were still unformed. Otherwise, the future consequences would be endless.

Fortunately, she still had other plans. This time, she was determined not to give Zhang Yiyi, that lowly person, any chance to shine!

If she could ruin Zhang Yiyi's foundation, she wanted to see what else that arrogant person could rely on.

"Was that arranged by Senior Sister?"

Zhang Tongtong, dressed in white like snow, disapproved of Jiang Lishui's actions. "Senior Sister, why are you fixating on her? We are all from the same sect; she won't affect you."

Since learning that Zhang Yiyi had strongly rejected marriage and even had the ancestor's support, Zhang Tongtong's feelings for this cousin had become more complicated.

Dislike remained, but the specific reasons were unclear. It felt like an inherent emotion in her soul as if the two were naturally incompatible.

However, Zhang Yiyi's temperament, demeanor, and methods repeatedly refreshed and shocked her understanding, making her both admire and even yearn for her.

Upon hearing Zhang Tongtong's words, Jiang Lishui discarded even the pretense of civility and mocked, "Why play the good person? I've never seen you genuinely care about this cousin. Isn't it just right for me to teach her a lesson?"

Zhang Tongtong was slightly embarrassed by the unmasked ridicule but did not lose her composure.

"You're right, but also wrong."

She frowned slightly and admitted, "I do dislike Zhang Yiyi, but I would never cause her trouble without reason or constantly think about setting traps for her. Whether she's good or bad is her own business and doesn't concern me."

"Pfft, you talk more sweetly than you act! You always present yourself as an icy, refined lady, but don't bother pretending in front of me."

Jiang Lishui's sharp tongue was relentless, each word striking right at Zhang Tongtong's most vulnerable spots.

She was already envious of Zhang Tongtong, who was stronger in everything. Usually, she suppressed her jealousy, but because of Zhang Yiyi, her frustration erupted, and she directly attacked Zhang Tongtong with both sarcasm and scorn.