During this period, Xu Yi's greatest discovery in the Xuanqing Sect was that its disciples were exceptionally fond of fighting compared to those of the Xuanji Gate.
Ever since Feng Yu's defeat against Long Haotian that day, many Nascent Soul stage disciples seemed to have found a new target, challenging Long Haotian one after another.
And just like Feng Yu, no matter how Long Haotian refused or objected, they clung to him like sticky plaster.
Long Haotian had to repel those disciples again and again.
However, as soon as one was repelled, new disciples would bravely step forward. Long Haotian appeared energetic when he visited Xu Yi daily, but his legs trembled when he walked away.
Xu Yi watched the spectacle for several days, immensely amused. But she never expected this inferno to reach her.
"You want to challenge me?"
Xu Yi's eyes widened slightly as she looked at the young man blocking her path.
The young man held a long spear, his features rugged, and his eyes dark and bright.
"That's right, I want to challenge you," Lu Ziang declared loudly.
"Senior Brother Lu," Long Haotian said with displeasure, "Junior Sister Xu is an invited guest."
"I know, which is why I'm challenging her only after she's had a few days to rest."
Lu Ziang's brows were filled with fighting spirit. "Don't worry, I just want to spar with this fellow daoist and won't be too heavy-handed."
Before coming, he had been advised by Elder Bai, knowing that this woman was Junior Brother Long's beloved. This match was primarily for testing.
Long Haotian looked at the confident Lu Ziang, suddenly unsure how to voice his true concerns.
He wasn't worried about Xu Yi; he was worried about this Senior Brother Lu, who was in the late stage of Departure from Tribulation.
The scene of Xu Yi changing the weather that day still lingered in his mind.
He feared Xu Yi might not hold back and accidentally cripple Lu Ziang, which would be quite problematic.
"Senior Brother Lu, perhaps you should reconsider," Long Haotian advised tactfully.
Lu Ziang waved his hand dismissively. "Senior Brother Long, I've already considered it."
After saying this, he winked at Long Haotian, "I understand."
Long Haotian: ...
Understand what!
How could he not understand what Senior Brother Lu was saying?
Chen Tao and Wang Yi'an, who had personally experienced Xu Yi's ferocity, also spoke up, but Lu Ziang silenced them with a glare.
Lu Ziang gazed intently at Xu Yi, "Do you dare to accept the challenge?"
Xu Yi chuckled, "What is there to not dare?"
"Good, let's go to the arena and have a match now."
"Wait a moment."
As Lu Ziang turned to head towards the arena, Xu Yi called out to him.
Lu Ziang frowned, "You've changed your mind?"
"No," Xu Yi said with a half-smile, "It's too boring to just have a fight. Why don't we add a stake and make it a wager?"
As Xu Yi said this, her old face flushed, feeling a sense of shame for bullying a junior.
However, she had come to understand the Xuanqing Sect disciples well enough during this time. She could already imagine the scene of other disciples rushing to challenge her after she defeated Lu Ziang.
Xu Yi did not want to be like Long Haotian, constantly intercepted by disciples for fights. Therefore, she planned to use a method of killing the chicken to scare the monkeys.
"A stake? Alright, what shall we bet?"
As expected, Lu Ziang did not back down because of this.
Xu Yi smiled and took out a sixth-grade pill. A rich spiritual energy emanated from it, invigorating everyone present.
"I'll bet this sixth-grade pill against you."
Lu Ziang's heart beat a little faster. A sixth-grade pill was beneficial even to cultivators in the Tribulation stage, yet she casually took it out as a wager.
Was she confident, or did she not even care about sixth-grade pills?
If Long Haotian and the other two knew his thoughts, they would have shaken their heads furiously.
If they were to say it, Xu Yi was neither; she was simply overcome by greed and wanted to make money through the competition.
"Senior Brother Lu, I think it's best to call off this match."
"That's right. Anything comparable to a sixth-grade pill is incredibly valuable. It's best not to use them as stakes."
"Senior Brother Lu, don't gamble with her."
The words of Long Haotian and the other two were from the bottom of their hearts, purely considering Lu Ziang's well-being.
However, in Lu Ziang's ears, it sounded as if Xu Yi and these three had colluded to force him to withdraw.
Lu Ziang snorted, "It's just a sixth-grade pill. I'll gamble with you."
He took out a piece of dark, ink-like withered wood the size of a palm from his storage bag, emitting a strange fragrance. "This is thousand-year-old Ink Fragrance Wood, a sixth-grade refining material, no less valuable than your sixth-grade pill. Can we proceed with the match now?"
Xu Yi glanced at the thousand-year-old Ink Fragrance Wood, her voice drifting, "Yes."
She had already given Lu Ziang a chance.
Lu Ziang strode forward, leading the way towards the arena.
"Senior Sister Xu, please go easy on him."
"That's right, hold back, don't use so much force."
"Senior Brother Lu is a nice guy, just not very sharp. Don't hold it against him."
Although Long Haotian and the other two spoke in low voices, their words stubbornly reached Lu Ziang's ears.
Lu Ziang stumbled, almost falling over in anger. He turned and glared at them fiercely, quickening his pace.
He had forgotten Elder Bai's advice. He now just wanted to prove to Long Haotian and the other two that he, Lu Ziang, was not as incompetent as they said.
Long Haotian and the other two were not angered by Lu Ziang's glare, merely sighing and shaking their heads.
After the match, Senior Brother Lu would realize that they were doing all this for his own good.
Xu Yi found it both amusing and exasperating.
She hadn't done anything, yet these three treated her like a ruthless demon who killed without blinking, someone who would inflict death or injury with every move.
She cleared her throat twice, saying modestly, "Don't say that. Perhaps it will be me who gets knocked off the arena later."
Then, she received disdainful looks from the three.
Xu Yi awkwardly touched her nose. Alright, she didn't really think she would lose either.
However, by the time they reached the arena, the plaza was already filled with Xuanqing Sect disciples, many of whom were in the Departure from Tribulation stage.
Xu Yi was somewhat surprised. It was as if they had received the news beforehand and rushed here.
Despite her doubts, Xu Yi steadily walked onto the arena under their gazes.
On the arena, Lu Ziang, who had already spread the word, looked at Xu Yi and feigned a question, "Because we've added stakes, I specially invited our fellow disciples to observe. I trust Fellow Daoist Xu won't mind?"
Xu Yi shook her head gently, thinking to herself, you've called them here; what can I do, kick them out?
"Alright, I'll briefly state the rules. Whoever falls off the stage first will be deemed the loser. Do you have any objections?"
Xu Yi shook her head again.
"Since there are no objections, the match will now begin."
Lu Ziang held his spear and proudly announced the start of the match, determined to finish the fight as quickly as possible.
However, after a long while, murmurs began to rise from below the arena. He frowned and looked at the motionless Xu Yi, "Why haven't you made a move yet?"
"You go first, otherwise, I'm afraid you won't have a chance to make a move later."