The person facing Cheng Qi was a wood cultivator from Haoyue Immortal Sect. As soon as he came on stage, the opponent showed a wary look, as if worried he would use the Sky Thunder Talisman again.

However, Cheng Qi did not use the talisman this time. He just held the long whip and prepared to compete directly. When the opponent saw this, he was secretly relieved but did not dare to be careless at all.

For a time, green vines began growing on the stone platform. As soon as Cheng Qi touched the tiny buds of the vines under his feet, he suddenly felt the spiritual power in his body draining away quickly, as if something was sucking it away. Only then did he realize that it was the spirit-taking vine.

Seeing the vines growing rapidly, Cheng Qi dodged the entangling green vines and used both hands to create a spell disk. The purple flames turned into pillars of light. Wherever they went, the green vines that spawned were instantly swallowed up by the flames, and the entire stone platform became a sea of fire.

Fire could overcome wood, so the wood cultivator was unlucky to face Cheng Qi.

The cultivator on the opposite side still refused to admit defeat easily. With a flick of his hand, a cork covered with spikes was drawn toward Cheng Qi’s position like a spiritual snake. This cork, called the non-burning wood, was specially found for dealing with fire cultivators.

When Cheng Qi saw the cork coming, he swung his long whip and connected with the cork, tightly intertwining with it. However, he didn’t expect that as soon as it touched the cork, the purple fire on the whip weakened a little. The wood could actually restrain the flame.

At this time, the burned spirit-taking vine on the ground was about to resurge. Cheng Qi used the Nether Fire Burning Life Technique. The Nether Fire on the whip was not strong but continued to grow. After a stalemate with the cork for several breaths, the Nether Fire finally covered and burned it.

When the wood cultivator saw this, his eyes widened in shock. Before he could react, he was caught by a whip and sent off the ring. Cheng Qi won this time and successfully secured a place in the secret realm.

Naturally, there were people in the arena who recognized the non-burning wood. When the wood cultivator brought it out, they thought there was still suspense in the duel, but they didn’t know the ending would be so unexpected.

“That purple fire can actually burn even non-burning wood. It’s really amazing.”

“To cultivate such a powerful fire power at the Qi condensation stage—when he builds the foundation, the flame will be even more difficult to deal with. This time, Tianfan Immortal Sect produced two top geniuses.”

After several days of competition, Cheng Qi was gradually remembered by everyone. Not only for his appearance but also for his strength, which was hard for everyone to ignore. Now, when people thought of him, their first impression was no longer just as Li Tianyan’s Taoist companion.

Cheng Qi’s fight ended quickly, so he took the lead back to the viewing platform to watch the other battles with Li Tianyan.

His eyes, however, glanced at the place where Haoyue Immortal Sect was from time to time. The young master had clearly said that Cheng Yu would come to him soon, but two days had passed and there was no movement.

Cheng Qi’s eyes fell on Cheng Yu, and the other shuanger looked back as if sensing his gaze. Their eyes met inadvertently. Both of them were stunned for a moment. In the end, neither knew who looked away first.

The atmosphere in the finals was much tenser than in the previous two games, and everyone’s focus was on the arena. At the end of the last battle, Tianfan Immortal Sect won nine places.

Ranking first was still Haoyue Immortal Sect, with sixteen places, nearly half more than Tianfan Immortal Sect. This showed that Haoyue Immortal Sect had many outstanding disciples. Second was Biluo Academy. In the last round today, Biluo Academy used all kinds of means to get 13 spots, but it also created a lot of grudges.

The two sects in the Northern Region had a total of seven people, and the Southern Region only secured five spots in the end.

Since then, all the competitions among the Qi Condensation cultivators ended. The competition, which was originally planned to take half a month, was completed in three days.

.

Cheng Qi looked at the Canghong Token he had received with a look of excitement on his face. He could finally enter the secret realm with Li Tianyan without worrying about being left behind.

Although he didn’t have to compete with others the next day, Cheng Qi still took off his clothes early and went to bed. Li Tianyan had just laid down beside him when he suddenly opened his closed eyes. Not long after, there was a knock on the door.

Hearing the knock on the door, Cheng Qi, who was already drowsy, sat up and rubbed his eyes. “Young master, it’s so late. Why is someone knocking on the door? Who’s outside?”

“You can find out for yourself.” However, Li Tianyan still got out of bed, wearing his middle coat. He sat in front of the low table and lit a candle, casting warm light into the room.

Cheng Qi glanced at Li Tianyan strangely, then quickly stood up, put on his clothes, donned his mask, and walked over to open the door. He saw a man wearing a black robe standing outside, his face obscured by the thick hat.

“Is it Cheng Yu?” Cheng Qi asked in a low voice, sounding cautious. Cheng Yu’s appearance gave him the air of being associated with an underground organization, making him inexplicably nervous.

Cheng Yu’s anxiety melted away upon hearing Cheng Qi’s voice. He nodded and stepped into the house after Cheng Qi moved aside.

As soon as the door closed, Cheng Yu took off his hat, looked at Cheng Qi, and asked, “Do you recognize me?”

“Yes,” Cheng Qi replied, studying Cheng Yu, who bore a resemblance to himself, feeling both relieved and somewhat hesitant.

Cheng Yu wanted to say more, but upon opening his mouth, he noticed another person sitting in the room and paused abruptly. Despite the spaciousness of Cheng Qi’s room, everything inside was immediately apparent upon entering.

At that moment, both people in the room had their hair down, and Li Tianyan was casually dressed in just a single garment. There was a bed that clearly had just been slept in, providing clear evidence of their relationship. Cheng Yu couldn’t help but wonder if Cheng Qi was already involved with this man…

“What’s the matter?” Cheng Qi asked, seeing that Cheng Yu hadn’t spoken for a while.

Cheng Yu glanced toward Li Tianyan, hesitated for a moment, and then said, “I’d like to speak with you alone. Is that possible?”

Cheng Qi looked puzzled, thinking Cheng Yu was concerned about being overheard. He reassured him, “Don’t worry. This room is protected by the young master’s wards. Even an elder of Core Formation can’t eavesdrop on us. You can speak freely.”

Cheng Yu, “….”