Zhang Tongtong was not foolish; she could clearly tell that Jiang Lishui's mockery was not a fleeting moment of irritation but rather a deep-seated envy and discontent that had long been hidden in her heart. She felt that her rare attempt to be the good person was being thrown into a dog's belly.

Zhang Tongtong also grew somewhat angry. "Whether I'm pretending or not, this is how I am. If it bothers you, then there's nothing I can do! There are plenty of people I don't like, and if I had to deal with every person I dislike as you do, I'd be too busy to focus on my cultivation!"

With that, Zhang Tongtong didn't even look back at Jiang Lishui. She turned and left swiftly, like a gust of wind.

Her words were not only meant for Jiang Lishui but also as a self-warning. If things continued this way, Zhang Yiyi would eventually become Jiang Lishui's mental demon, and in the end, it would be Jiang Lishui who would be destroyed.

Zhang Tongtong was the best at avoiding harm and seeking benefits. With Jiang Lishui's example in front of her, she became more introspective and her mind clearer. She would never let herself be trapped by trivial dislikes and lose sight of her path.

Jiang Lishui gritted her teeth in anger. This time, she genuinely hated both of the Zhang sisters and completely failed to realize that Zhang Tongtong's rare, unselfish reminder was wasted on her.

At this moment, Zhang Yiyi was still busy on the stage, completely unaware that Zhang Tongtong had just had a fight over her.

After the malicious targeting ended, the subsequent arena battles were noticeably more normal. At first, some people tried to pick on her because of her low cultivation level, but once they realized she wasn't an easy target, they quickly gave up and chose other opponents.

The purpose of this round was very clear: as long as one could remain on the stage and become one of the final hundred, it was considered a pass. Therefore, anyone with a bit of sense would avoid seeking out trouble and making things harder for themselves.

Otherwise, if luck wasn't on their side, they might be knocked off the stage. Even if they managed to win by luck, they would still suffer significant losses, which would directly affect their performance in the next day's matches.

In the end, Zhang Yiyi secured one of the hundred seats without any problems and successfully advanced to the one-on-one knockout matches the next day.

Pan Yuexin also advanced smoothly. After leaving the stage, she dragged Zhang Yiyi back to rest and prepared for the next day's battles.

"Yiyi, take these. You might need them tomorrow," Pan Yuexin said, handing Zhang Yiyi a large pile of low-level talismans as if they were worthless.

During the chaotic battle on the stage earlier, Pan Yuexin had also noticed a few people targeting her junior sister intentionally. However, due to the distance and her own opponent keeping her occupied, she couldn't help much.

Fortunately, her junior sister's combat power was impressive, as she managed to defeat four opponents despite being outnumbered. It seemed the many demon beasts she had killed over the years were not for nothing.

Pan Yuexin wasn't naive and knew that the targeting was not just a coincidence. Considering Jiang Lishui had been offended by Zhang Yiyi a few months ago, she feared that such retaliation might not be over.

"Senior Sister, have you abandoned array formations and switched to studying talismans instead?" Zhang Yiyi asked, looking at the large pile of talismans with a mix of amusement and confusion. "Is this for free? Where did you get so many? What will you do for yourself?"

The competition rules were quite lenient. As long as one didn't kill their fellow disciples or use excessively powerful weapons beyond their level, other aspects were mostly unrestricted. Under these circumstances, having well-equipped and high-quality items provided a significant advantage.

Zhang Yiyi didn't see any issue with this. The cultivation world had no notions of fairness, and in life-or-death situations, being able to win and survive was a skill regardless of the methods used. Although the talismans Pan Yuexin provided were the most basic low-level ones, having so many of them meant that when trouble came, their combined power shouldn't be underestimated.

"Don't worry, they're free!"

Pan Yuexin smiled and said, "Don't worry about where they come from. I have plenty, so just use them."

She also handed over two sets of simple arrays she had made herself, demonstrating that she had not abandoned array formations for talismans. She repeatedly reminded Zhang Yiyi to be extra cautious in the matches the next day and not let anyone outwit her.

Seeing this, Zhang Yiyi understood what Pan Yuexin was worried about and accepted the goodwill without hesitation, storing everything away with a wave of her hand.

As for the origin of the talismans, since Senior Sister Pan wouldn't say, Zhang Yiyi wouldn't press further. After all, everyone had their own means.

Regarding the four people earlier, she could roughly guess the situation. Someone clearly didn't like her and wanted to make things difficult for her. Well, if they used the competition to try to trip her up, at least it was a visible form of sabotage, better than an invisible enemy.

Zhang Yiyi had no fear of the upcoming matches. After all, she aimed to win first place. No matter how the arrangements or tricks played out, the competition rules were clear, and she only needed to defeat all her opponents openly.

"Senior Sister, this is for you."

In return, Zhang Yiyi gave Pan Yuexin a few bottles of recovery and healing pills, which were very useful for the competition. Considering their value was comparable to the talismans, she felt she couldn't take advantage of her senior sister for free.

"Great, I needed these," Pan Yuexin said happily, accepting Zhang Yiyi's gift.

A relationship where both parties think of each other and reciprocate would naturally be deeper and more solid. She genuinely liked this clever, considerate, and beautiful junior sister more and more.

The next morning, Zhang Yiyi arrived at the competition venue with Senior Sister Pan.

Today, there were four small arenas set up, with two each for Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment disciples, starting their one-on-one knockout matches simultaneously.

The opponents were decided by drawing lots, so whether they were strong or weak was purely a matter of luck.

Among the three hundred Qi Refining disciples who advanced, one had withdrawn due to a sudden issue, so in the first round, someone would directly advance to the next round without a fight.

Pan Yuexin had excellent luck and drew the only empty lot, advancing to the next round without a fight. As she put it, she had easily secured her place among the top one hundred and fifty.

In contrast, Zhang Yiyi's luck was notably worse. Her first opponent was a seasoned senior brother at the peak of Qi Refining, whose strength and experience made him one of the top-tier disciples among all Qi Refining practitioners.

"Isn't this a joke? Did someone deliberately set you up to face such an opponent?" Pan Yuexin was anxious upon learning who Zhang Yiyi's first-round opponent was.

A peak Qi Refining practitioner was essentially at the threshold of Foundation Establishment, far beyond the average Qi Refining disciple. Zhang Yiyi's current cultivation level was only at the eighth layer of Qi Refining. How was she supposed to fight such an opponent?