Fellow Daoist! That scoundrel has written a new book again.

Dusk has fallen, the sun is setting, and the evening glow on the horizon is like flames unfurling.

The boat moved steadily and slowly in the afterglow of the sunset, as if sailing on an orange, shimmering sea.

A golden veil covered the deck, and a gentle breeze rustled through it.

The disciples of Zhaixinglou stood on the deck, gazing at the distant scenery. The sadness of parting before their departure still lingered in their hearts, and the high hopes placed on them by the elders and fellow disciples felt as if a thousand pounds were pressing down on their shoulders.

Until a huge bird spread its wings and soared by.

Its tail seemed to be trailing surging rays of light, and when it spread its wings, it seemed as if particles of light were being annihilated.

Tang Xin gazed at its silhouette and murmured, "So beautiful..."

Ying Mang, equally captivated, echoed:

"I have never seen such beautiful prey in the mountains!"

Xu San'er turned around and glanced at the senior sister who had chased him all over the place during the sect competition.

He turned back to stare at the large bird and sighed:

"Wow, how much would this one cost...?"

In addition to the ten disciples who won the sect competition, Senior Sister Gu and Senior Brother Song from Zhaixing Tower also came along.

In addition, there was Elder Chi, and two other elders I didn't recognize.

Zhu Wuyao noticed that one of the elders he didn't recognize looked familiar. Wasn't that the elder who had been guarding the Treasure Pavilion that day?

She even gave herself a piece of spirit ore.

It has to be said that this method of cultivation is really too expensive. Those several pieces of spirit ore with different attributes actually shattered after being circulated around in the spirit energy a few times.

Zhu Wuyao thought he could solve the problem once and for all.

The process of refining the bladeless sword was extremely difficult, but the results were very gratifying.

It remains entirely black, without any unnecessary decorations, appearing simple and unadorned, yet possessing a more upscale feel.

When Zhu Wuyao grasped the hilt of the sword, he could sense a strange connection. This feeling of subtle resonance with the spiritual power within his body added a touch of agility to the Wufeng sword, making it exceptionally easy and effortless to use.

With a thought in mind, spiritual energy can be instantly injected into the bladeless sword, and the precise control over its power has reached a new level.

In particular, when Zhu Wuyao wielded the Wufeng Sword, the blade seemed to shimmer with a faint five-colored radiance. Before the sword energy arrived, it cleared the way with spiritual light, and this radiant spiritual light, concentrated at a single point, was entirely under Zhu Wuyao's control.

Her cold transformation can thus be used quickly.

Its power has been greatly reduced, and it can no longer directly cut off someone's life force, but it has some miraculous effects in dissolving protective shields, weakening formations, and neutralizing incoming attacks.

all in all--

Through arduous efforts, the bladeless sword transformed from a monotonous black into a multicolored black.

That's a huge step forward.

In addition, because a portion of the spiritual energy was cut off and attached to the Wufeng Sword, Zhu Wuyao was finally spared the risk of breaking through to the next realm.

The spiritual power occupied by the Wufeng Sword, nominally residing in Zhu Wuyao's dantian, has actually been moved out of his dantian.

The remaining spiritual energy in the dantian was no longer crowded, and it no longer stirred up trouble at the slightest fluctuation, trying to break through the realm.

To this end, Zhu Wuyao also repeatedly polished the plaque that read "Thank you Wuyu, you saved my sister's life" as a control experiment.

After Yosugong refines spiritual objects, they become associated with him.

Just as the Wufeng Sword was destroyed, Zhu Wuyao would inevitably be seriously injured, so she did not refine anything with spirituality.

It is estimated that Xiao Qingyu had this concern as well, worried that the things she refined might be damaged by the enemy and become a sharp sword against her. Therefore, she only had one Daoqing Umbrella, which was constantly being strengthened.

However, plaques without spiritual power, even after being refined, lack connection with the wearer and cannot occupy any share of spiritual energy.

The spiritual energy consumed in refining the plaque will slowly return to its original state afterward.

Following the transformation of the bladeless sword into a multicolored black, the plaque also became even harder.

On the Poyun boat.

Elder Chi overheard the disciples' discussion and walked over. He saw the large bird about to fly away and smiled as he introduced it:

"This is the Glazed Cloud Bird, named so because of its brilliant plumage and the fact that it often appears at dusk."

"Many people believe that it feeds on the sunset, but this is a misunderstanding."

"To be precise, it feeds on various minerals. Don't be fooled by its soft wings; when it encounters danger, it can instantly transform into a mineral-like texture. What it can transform into depends on what minerals it has eaten."

Xu San'er's eyes lit up when he heard this:

"Elder, if we feed it spirit stones, will it continuously shed spirit stones when it sheds its fur?"

After all, spirit stones are a type of mineral!

Zhu Wuyao was watching the large bird's silhouette and pondering the "Concealing Breath and Moving Wind Technique" when he heard this and came back to his senses. This Xu San'er is truly a talent.

Elder Chi gave Xu San'er a complicated look and said:

"Do you think no one has ever had such thoughts? This Glazed Sunbird is proud by nature and will never accept the fate of being imprisoned. It would rather be shattered into dust than let others gain any benefit."

"On the Beast Mountain of our Star-Picking Tower, there are many birds and beasts, but not a single Glazed Blazing Cloud Bird. The reason is this."

……

The journey was not urgent, and the Cloud-Breaking Boat maintained a steady pace, not much faster than riding a horse, but much more relaxed and leisurely.

Disciples in the Qi Refining stage rarely have the experience of floating in the sky and looking down at the earth. In addition, with seniors explaining things to them, they don't feel bored.

Zhu Wuyao seized the time to study and comprehend the "Wind-Gathering Technique," spending most of his time on the deck feeling the wind.

Xiao Qingyu walked to her side and said:

"Wind is generally associated with escape techniques, speed, and concealment of breath, but in a closed arena, what truly determines victory is still martial prowess."

Zhu Wuyao slowly opened her eyes, not looking at him, but at the twinkling stars, and asked in return:

"This is your second time participating in the Immortal Cultivation Tournament. Is the martial arts arena the only challenge in the Immortal Cultivation Tournament?"

"No, but the highest number of casualties occurred in the arena."

Zhu Wuyao roughly understood what he meant.

Each sect will try to weaken its opponent's strength during the competition.

This prevents those who pose a threat from unleashing their full power at the second checkpoint.

Therefore, the top player from each sect needs to be extremely vigilant in the arena.

Other sects might use a strategy similar to Tian Ji's horse racing, sacrificing an undervalued disciple and risking disqualification, just to severely injure the prodigy of another sect.

This time, the leader of the Star-Picking Tower is Zhu Wuyao.

Xiao Qingyu believed that if they wanted Zhaixinglou to gain more chances of winning, they should not study escape techniques at this time. In the first round, there were people like Tang Xin and Xu San'er who were useless in the flag-capturing stage, who would go and face the geniuses of other sects.

For key players like him or her, the focus should be on improving their combat capabilities in order to achieve a good ranking in the capture-the-flag phase.