Ye Chen and Yao Xi's duel.

  Everyone, from the sect master to the elders and disciples, paid close attention.

  They all wanted to know if Ye Chen would hold back.

  And if so, how he would do it.

  On the viewing ptform, Gu Yunyun squinted her beautiful eyes at Ye Chen.

  Although Ye Chen had just assured her through a voice transmission.

  Gu Yunyun still felt uneasy.

  After all, her disciple even dared to give away the Five Elements Cave slot.

  If Ye Chen dared to deceive her.

  She would definitely let him know why those elders were so afraid of her st night!

  ...

  Amidst the anticipation of the crowd.

  The duel officially began.

  Yao Xi was afraid that Ye Chen would hold back too obviously, making it hard for him to expin to his master ter.

  So she pnned to take the initiative.

  But just as Yao Xi was about to cast a spell, her expression changed.

  Because she sensed a slight fluctuation of magic power beside her.

  She immediately turned to look and found that within five meters, a giant hand had appeared without her noticing.

  It was coming towards her.

  Yao Xi immediately smiled.

  Ye Chen indeed wouldn't hold back too obviously.

  But this giant hand was clearly much smaller than when Ye Chen fought before.

  The purple-gold light wasn't as strong either.

  It showed that Ye Chen was still holding back.

  Yao Xi immediately cast a protective shield.

  Confident that she could block it.

  The onlookers also noticed this.

  They shook their heads and sighed.

  No matter how strong this direct disciple Ye was, he couldn't help but stick out his tongue when facing Yao Xi.

  The sect master on the ptform frowned.

  The peak master of Law Peak smiled happily.

  As for Gu Yunyun, her fists clenched.

  ...

  However, just as Yao Xi was thinking about how to counterattack after blocking the giant hand, to defeat Ye Chen without hurting him.

  The giant hand swept over.

  The protective shield shattered instantly.

  Yao Xi's expression changed.

  But at this moment, there was no time to do anything.

  "Bang..."

  A loud crash.

  Yao Xi's delicate body smmed heavily against the light shield at the edge of the formation.

  Then fell to the ground.

  A mouthful of blood spurted out.

  At this moment, the entire venue fell silent.

  Wasn't he supposed to hold back?

  How did it end in one move?

  This wasn't what everyone expected.

  Looking at Yao Xi's state, everyone felt a bit of a toothache.

  Too miserable.

  But the sect master's frown rexed.

  The peak master of Law Peak frowned.

  And Gu Yunyun's lips curled up.

  Her disciple might have many issues.

  But at critical moments, he was reliable!

  ...

  "Sister Yao, are you okay?"

  Dazed and in pain all over, Yao Xi felt herself being lifted by a pair of strong arms.

  Who am I?

  Where am I?

  What am I doing?

  Held in Ye Chen's arms, Yao Xi felt her mind was a blur.

  She looked up at Ye Chen, her big eyes filled with countless questions.

  Wasn't he supposed to hold back?

  How did this happen?

  Am I just too weak?

  At this moment, Yao Xi was questioning her life.

  Meanwhile, Ye Chen took out a healing pill and quickly and firmly pced it into Yao Xi's red lips.

  He spoke in confusion: "Sister, why did you hold back?"

  "Didn't you tell me to give it my all?"

  "This is too..."

  Yao Xi immediately recalled what she said on the stage.

  She would accept the outcome regardless of winning or losing.

  She told Ye Chen to give it his all, or she would be upset.

  But...

  Yao Xi felt something was off.

  Yet it seemed just right.

  Ye Chen, because he loved her, listened to her and chose to give it his all.

  But she thought Ye Chen would hold back.

  Instead, she inadvertently held back for Ye Chen.

  So, all the problems were really because of her.

  For a moment, Yao Xi felt a bit withdrawn.

  When Yao Xi felt a bit better, she groggily left the stage for treatment.

  Her junior sister beside her was indignant.

  "Sister, I don't think Ye Chen loves you as much as you say!"

  "All that talk about selfless devotion, not expecting anything in return, it's all fake."

  "When it comes to the Foundation Establishment Pill slot, didn't he go all out?"

  "He even hurt you like this."

  "It's just too much!"

  However, Yao Xi shook her head at these words!

  "No, I asked him to give it his all. He did this because he cared too much about what I said."

  "Actually, it's my fault!"

  Her junior sister didn't agree: "Come on, if he really loved you, he would understand how important the Foundation Establishment Pill is to you."

  "You're just one pill away from starting your Foundation Establishment breakthrough."

  "Yet he took the slot without hesitation."

  "With his third-grade spiritual roots, can he really break through with the pill? It's impossible, a complete waste."

  "I think he just doesn't want you to break through, because once a cultivator reaches the Foundation Establishment stage, they're on a different level."

  "He just wants to keep you by his side."

  "All that talk about selfless giving, not caring about gaining the world, just hoping you get better, it's all lies."

  Her junior sister's words made Yao Xi ponder.

  Did Ye Chen not want her to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage because he feared losing her?

  It seemed quite possible.

  Thinking about this truth, Yao Xi sighed but wasn't too disappointed.

  "If that's the case, I can accept it!"

  Her junior sister's eyes widened at this...

  What's wrong with her sister?

  Did Ye Chen's affection mess with her head?

  That's a Foundation Establishment Pill!

  Seeing her junior sister's expression, Yao Xi smiled: "You're still young, so you don't understand. The essence of love is actually selfishness."

  "Ye Chen can selflessly wish for me to be better, to go further. That's because he's overcome his nature."

  "But Ye Chen hoping I don't break through, to stay by his side, to become his Dao companion in the future, that's also love."

  "This kind of love is actually more real."

  "So I won't bme Ye Chen."

  "On the contrary, the fact that he made such a choice, wanting me to stay by his side forever, makes me a bit happy..."

  Yao Xi's words made her junior sister feel like her brain was about to explode.

  Something's not right, something's not right.

  Clearly, Ye Chen was blocking her sister's Foundation Establishment, yet her sister was happy?

  Could it be that her sister was infected?

  Yao Xi noticed her junior sister's confusion and couldn't help but ugh: "When you find a man as devoted as Ye Chen, you'll understand!"

  Her junior sister's mouth twitched at these words.

  It's not just her.

  What female cultivator wouldn't want that?

  But a lick spirit like Ye Chen, there's probably only one in the entire cultivation world.

  Where could she find another?

  Yao Xi didn't want to say more.

  Her physical injuries were almost healed.

  "The Law Peak direct disciple match seems to have concluded as well."

  "Let's go cheer for Ye Chen!"

  "Even if I lose the Foundation Establishment Pill, it doesn't mean I can't break through. But if Ye Chen gets the pill, his slim chances will increase a lot."

  "Just not sure if he can defeat the Law Peak direct disciple."

  Her junior sister shook her head at these words.

  To be honest, the Law Peak direct disciple was too formidable.

  Absolutely the top among the current generation of sect disciples.

  Defeating him would be extremely difficult.

  ...

  The Law Peak direct disciple easily dealt with his opponent.

  When asked by the steward, he said he didn't need to rest.

  He could proceed directly to the finals.

  Ye Chen had no objections.

  Thus, the finals were about to begin.

  The smile reappeared on the Law Peak peak master's face.

  While Gu Yunyun, who was in a good mood earlier, frowned slightly.

  The Law Peak direct disciple was indeed formidable.

  His mastery of fire magic was exceptional, far surpassing the average ninth level of Qi Refining.

  Facing the Law Peak direct disciple, Ye Chen's chances of winning seemed very low.

  This was the thought of almost all the disciples and elders present.

  Only Ye Chen himself remained calm...

  CPDD