The eldest sister just wanted to give up, while the spirit swords vied to recognize her as their mas

Yun Fuzhao was greatly shocked. Was this something a second male lead should say?

Or has her involvement altered the original plot?

Yun Fuzhao took a sip of tea to calm his nerves and said to Yu Ze, "You should rest."

Yu Ze remained calm, his dark eyes as deep as an ancient well. He said, word by word, "I can become your blade."

His tone was devoid of any romantic undertones; he spoke casually, as if Yun Fuzhao could immediately bring over someone's head if he mentioned their name.

Yun Fuzhao looked at him suspiciously, "How much for each kill?"

"?"

"How about this, considering how long we've known each other, how about 100 high-grade spirit stones for each kill? We'll deduct the cost from the debt you owe me."

This price is high enough, isn't it?

There's no reason not to use free labor that's offered up by the workers themselves.

Yu Ze didn't speak, just looked at her for a while, and then nodded hesitantly.

"Okay, then it's settled."

While the villains haven't fully turned evil yet, let's take advantage of whatever we can.

The days passed quickly, and Yun Fuzhao followed the routine, practicing his sword techniques and supervising the four people's training when he had free time.

As for Song Ying, she didn't need any prompting at all.

And just like that, a month passed quickly.

"The advancement competition is tomorrow, and I'm actually a little excited."

"Hey, did you guys hear? Yun Fuzhao made a bet with Senior Sister Yu."

"Everyone knows that; all the inner disciples are waiting to see them make a fool of themselves."

"Isn't it said that this guy named Song has made rapid progress these days, reaching the early stage of the Spirit Realm in no time? Maybe Yun Fuzhao can really turn the tables this time."

"Are you kidding me? He's only at the early stage of the Spirit Realm, while Ding Ling is at the early stage of the Golden Core Realm. The difference is so huge, it would be strange if he could turn the tide."

The disciples discussed among themselves, with most believing that Yun Fuzhao was bound to lose this time.

Some disciples even secretly placed bets with spirit stones on who would win between the two, with nearly 90% of the disciples betting on Yu Nian'er.

Only a small number of curious individuals suppressed Yun Fuzhao.

"Boss, someone has delivered a large bag of spirit stones."

The disciple who placed the bet weighed the bulging cloth bag in his hand. There was only a note on it, saying that he had bet everything on Yun Fuzhao. "A hundred high-grade spirit stones all on her, what courage!"

One hundred high-grade spirit stones is a huge sum of money for ordinary disciples; I never expected someone would be so willing to spend it.

Seeing this, those who had bet on Yu Nian'er increased their bets, fearing they wouldn't get enough to go around.

"I'm sorry, Senior Sister Yun, I've let you down..."

Song Ying sat dejectedly under the tree, saying, "No matter how hard I try, I'm still only at the early stage of the Spirit Realm."

"It's alright," Yun Fuzhao comforted her. "You've done your best."

The other four stood quietly to the side, their expressions equally dejected.

Yun Fuzhao clapped his hands, "Alright, alright, we haven't even started yet and the morale is already gone. This won't do."

"Senior Sister Yun, what are you doing here?" Yu Nian'er asked, feigning confusion, as she rode on the Snow-Treading Spirit Deer. "Song Ying, why are you crying?"

Song Ying wiped away her tears fiercely and angrily retorted, "What are you doing here?"

"Why are you being so fierce?" Yu Nian'er said with a smile. "I just came to check on how your cultivation is going."

Yun Fuzhao naturally didn't believe it, "I think it's more like they're just trying to find out our strength."

"Senior Sister Yun, how could you think of me like that? I clearly came here to show my concern for you all."

Song Ying drew her sword, "They're clearly here to kick me when I'm down!"

Unexpectedly, this time Yu Nian'er did not refute, but looked at Yun Fuzhao with her round almond eyes, "Senior Sister Yun, it's not too late for you to regret it now."

"I have never regretted it."

Yu Nian'er's smile deepened. She patted the spirit deer's head, and the deer obediently carried her away, leaving behind only the words, "Good luck to you."

After leaving, Yu Nian'er summoned five inner disciples. She smiled gently and said, "I know you will win tomorrow, so I sent you here in the hope that you senior brothers will show mercy. After all, we are all from the same sect."

Her calling him "senior brother" made the others blush with embarrassment.

Although Yu Nian'er was younger than them, she was of noble status, and it was inappropriate for her to call them senior brothers, but that did not stop them from being moved.

Ding Ling: "Senior Sister Yu, don't worry, I'll make sure they don't lose too badly for your sake."

The rest of the people echoed this sentiment.

"Once you're on the competition stage, there's no reason to hold back. Senior Sister Yu, you're too kind."

"I wonder which rascal will end up with the beautiful and kind-hearted Senior Sister Yu."

Yu Nian'er pursed her lips and smiled shyly, then changed the subject: "I asked Zhenwei Pavilion to prepare some food for you in advance. I wonder if you senior brothers would do me the honor of joining us?"

The food at Zhenwei Pavilion is famous for its delicious taste. Not only is it tasty, but the ingredients used are all nourished with pure spiritual energy, and the food made from it can even enhance a cultivator's cultivation level.

It was highly sought after by many cultivators.

Similarly, the items here are very expensive, often costing several hundred mid-grade spirit stones.

The group's eyes lit up when they heard the name.

"Senior Sister Yu, you're too kind."

Yu Nian'er tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, her doe-like eyes sparkling. "It's not just politeness, it's just a small token of Nian'er's appreciation."

"Then we would rather obey orders than be respectful."

While they were laughing and chatting, the atmosphere on the other side was far less cheerful. Everyone was training intensively, hoping to increase their chances of winning tomorrow.

Yun Fuzhao looked at them and sighed deeply.

"Hey--"

The next day, the morning sun pierced through layers of clouds, illuminating the surging morning mist, and the surrounding scenery gradually became clear. A drop of condensed morning dew rolled down a green leaf.

With a "plop," it dripped onto the translucent scales.

The white animal was startled and quickly darted to the window and crawled into the warm bed.

Yun Fuzhao suddenly opened his eyes, and the ice-cold Jiaoyu was pulled out.

She yawned, slowly dressed, and went out.

At this time, Song Ying had finished practicing his sword and returned.

Qi Huai followed closely behind, his big tail swishing back and forth.

"Senior Sister Yun, I'm so excited!"

Yun Fuzhao wasn't fully awake yet. He squatted down and casually stroked the fox, making its soft fur stand on end, before raising his head and asking, "You didn't sleep all night, did you?"

"Yeah. I couldn't sleep, so I went to the training ground and practiced my sword all night."

"Ruthless person."

At this moment, sounds came from outside one after another: the disciples talking, the splashing of water, and the sound of footsteps all mixed together.

"Dang Dang Dang——"

A heavy, muffled bell tolled from the mountain.

Song Ying's eyes lit up, and she exclaimed excitedly, "The advancement competition has begun!"

Jiaoyu was placed in Yun Fuzhao's hands, and Qi Huai jumped into her arms, looking like he wanted to go watch the show together.

Yun Fuzhao hadn't introduced them to anyone else yet, so this was a good opportunity to broaden their horizons.

"Senior Sister Yun!"

Yi Nong and the others also came to her side.

Without exception, a faint bluish tinge was present under their eyes.

They're working late into the night!