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

Song Kezi saw what seemed to be an argument over there, but because of the barrier separating them, he couldn't hear what they were saying. Very curious, he muttered:

"Senior sister, what's going on over there?"

Gu Yiguan sat calmly in front of the seats in the Star-Picking Tower, talking with Hua Yingting.

In today's capture the flag battle, Zhu Wuyao has reached the Foundation Establishment stage and can no longer participate in the battle, which is equivalent to having his strongest combat power removed.

Although the Juque Sect is still at the bottom, the situation is not optimistic.

Hearing Song Kezi's question, she also glanced in that direction, frowned slightly, and shook her head.

Behind her, Ye Xiaozhou leaned back in her seat, crossed her legs, and looked up at the sky, while Zhu Wuyao lowered her head, holding a pen and paper in her hand, seemingly deep in thought about a new plot.

The two were exceptionally honest.

It wasn't until the capture the flag battle began that Ye Xiaozhou regained his usual energy and started chatting with Song Kezi.

"Look at that disciple of the Qingyun Sect who is at the ninth level of Qi Refining. He is exceptionally talented and may very well shine."

"And there's Ruan Ayao from the Taibai Sect. She's the strongest among these people, and she'll definitely be able to keep her cultivation level firmly at the Great Perfection of Qi Refining."

"Are you right?"

Song Kezi scratched his head, somewhat speechless.

Under Ye Xiaozhou's expectant gaze, he opened his mouth, then closed it again. Ye Xiaozhou was a little annoyed and said angrily:

"You usually ramble on and on when you shouldn't, so why aren't you refuting me now?"

"Little Leaf, your hints are too obvious! I already know what you want me to say. Trying to say it on purpose won't work!"

Zhu Wuyao, who was listening to the two bickering, suddenly remembered that he still owed Ruan Ayao a favor.

If she hadn't consistently used the sound of the flute as a guide, she might not have been able to break through the barrier when the heavenly punishment struck.

She looked towards the fighting platform, where a fierce battle raged on.

The Star-Picking Tower stands before the Water Mirror.

Elder Xiaobai started the live stream on time and sighed:

"I was thinking yesterday that the disciples of Zhaixinglou who participated in the Immortal Cultivation Conference this generation are exceptionally outstanding, so how come they didn't get good rankings?"

"Who would have thought that such an unexpected turn of events would force Zhu Wuyao to break through his cultivation level."

Although in yesterday's arena battle, Zhaixinglou seized the opportunity and kicked their opponents off the stage before the incense burned out.

Furthermore, Zhu Wuyao's battle with Wei Zhang also resulted in a victory for Zhaixinglou, ultimately securing first place.

But the tallest tree in the forest is bound to be felled by the wind; today's flag-capturing battle is not going well.

Especially Qingyun and Juque, who were kicked off the stage yesterday, kept a close eye on Zhaixing Tower and kept Shi Yi and Xiao Qingyu occupied.

Now, Shi Tao and Hua Yingting are the leaders.

The two were not weak, but Ruan Ayao from the Taibai Sect was simply too powerful. She had been at the Great Perfection of Qi Refining for twenty years and could break through at any time.

Not to mention Hua and Shi, even if Zhu Wuyao, who has already reached the Foundation Establishment stage, were to participate, Ruan Ayao would probably still be a match for him.

There are ten factions that have qualified for the capture the flag battle.

The situation on the field was practically like the six major sects besieging Bright Peak.

Tang Xin would occasionally cast a divination to determine which flag to seize, while Hua Ying would occasionally heal someone during breaks in their fights.

Xiao Qingyu and Shi Yi were tied down, while Shi Tao, Feng Xie, and Feng Chen held off the main offensive.

On the contrary, the Soul-Chasing Arrow, Yingmang, shone brightly in the flag-capturing battle.

Her arrows were always deadly, striking at unexpected times, and she always roamed around. Because her cultivation level was not outstanding, no one paid special attention to her.

Ying Mang coordinated with all sides, while Xu San'er took advantage of the chaos.

This struggle is truly arduous.

Xu San'er originally wanted to get a reward. In his opinion, his strength was too weak, so he could just follow behind the main group and pretend to be someone else.

Unexpectedly, things took an unexpected turn. Zhu Wuyao broke through his cultivation level, and Zhaixinglou was somewhat unethical in the arena matches. Now, the only ones with the spare energy to run around and who could make a living are him and Ying Mang.

Zhu Wuyao frowned as he saw the pink lotus blooming.

Just then, Ye Xiaozhou came over and transmitted his voice:

"Elder Chi just came to remind us to clean up the traces."

Zhu Wuyao had not yet mastered the skill of transmitting sound into ears, so he could only nod silently.

Last night, with a swift and clean sword strike, she picked up Ye Xiaozhou's copper coins and transferred ownership to herself.

The signal flare that was shot down could not be used to track down the perpetrator.

After thinking for a moment, she pointed to the apple.

Ye Xiaozhou transmitted his voice, "Don't worry!"

Evidence could not be found, and suspicion could not be eliminated. Zhu Wuyao knew that no matter how thoroughly he covered up the matter, as long as Juque sent people to investigate, suspicion would always fall on him.

Waiting until the Immortal Cultivation Conference ends and then temporarily leaving the Star-Picking Tower would be a good choice.

In this way, there is no need to bother concealing the Star-Picking Tower.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

After the battle to capture the flag ended, the four major sects gathered at the residence of the Juque Sect.

When Elder Chi thought about the rankings, he couldn't help but sigh deeply. And when he thought about the two murderers he had harbored, he felt that his hair was about to turn white.

This is so upsetting, so incredibly upsetting!

Despite everyone's concerted efforts to pull him down, Zhaixinglou unsurprisingly came in last place, and after combining the two matches, they became third.

Taibai Sect, on the other hand, was truly fortunate this time, ranking first on the list.

The victory of Taibai Sect was not only due to its strength, but also because Qingyun Sect lost Wei Zhang, Zhaixing Tower lost Zhu Wuyao, and Juque Sect lost Xu Yicheng and Qu De.

This result not only disappointed Elder Chi, but also puzzled Gu Yiguan, who was skilled in observing qi.

She recalled asking her master if the fortunes of this generation of Zhaixing Tower had fallen on Zhu Wuyao. Her master hadn't given a direct answer, but instead said—

"Why bother with all that? They're all kids from the Star-Picking Tower."

He sighed softly.

Looking back now, perhaps my master already knew the rankings in the Immortal Cultivation Conference back then.

Following Elder Zuo Rao to the Juque Sect's residence, they saw the mess around them. When they saw the state of the corpse, not only did Gu Yiguan frown, but everyone else was also somewhat surprised and suspicious.

The Qingyun Sect's attitude changed instantly, and they began to take things much more seriously.

After careful observation, Qi Jun said:

"This is death from exhaustion; all vital energy and blood are gone, and all life force is lost."

On the surface, it is no different from evil magic. Many cultivators are classified as evil cultivators because they can absorb the life force and cultivation of others to strengthen themselves.

Seeing this, everyone couldn't help but have some doubts.

Elder Chi was even more shocked. If a disciple in his sect had practiced evil arts, then it would be unreasonable to protect him.

He had not anticipated this situation at all, and his brows furrowed, feeling somewhat caught in a dilemma.

Zhu Wuyao has a history of murder, which is not uncommon among divination practitioners who are truly involved in fate. If one gets involved, there is a risk of becoming part of the story and possibly getting tainted by karma. This does not necessarily mean that one's heart is evil.

But with this evil magic added...

He is now eager to return to his residence in the Star-Picking Tower and find out what exactly happened.

Gu Yiguan also guessed who the perpetrator was, after all, Sect Leader Fang knew the true appearance of the Falling Leaf Sword, and so did she.

He Yue looked down at the wounds on the deceased's body, gleaning a lot of useful information. He stood up and said with great certainty:

"The murderer used a knife!"