Wu Tian, however, was unaware of what Xiao Qilin and Dong Weiqi were planning.
But even if he had known, it wouldn't have mattered to him. It was all just for fun, after all, what was the big deal?
Following this, the quarter-final matches continued.
Unsurprisingly, Su Qiannai, Dong Weiqi, and the third person, Su Qiannai, all defeated their opponents with overwhelming force and advanced to the semi-finals.
The prestige of the top three seats among the elite disciples of the Divine Doctor Sect was indeed significant.
According to the draw, Wu Tian was pitted against Dong Weiqi, while Xiao Qilin would face Su Qiannai.
From this round onwards, the competition format changed. The arena was abolished and replaced with a much larger area.
This setup allowed the contestants to display more freedom in their movements, preventing them from being too restricted by the confines of an arena.
Before the matches began, Wu Tian and Su Qiannai stood on one side, while Xiao Qilin and Dong Weiqi stood on the other.
While the arena was being prepared, Wu Tian turned to Su Qiannai and asked, "How are you feeling about facing Xiao Qilin? Do you have confidence?"
"No matter how annoying he may be, he is still your sect's chief disciple, so his strength is definitely not to be underestimated."
"Fighting against him might not be a good thing for you."
Su Qiannai smiled and replied, "You really do care about me. But to be honest, as Xiao Zhanyun's son, Xiao Qilin has been trained by him since childhood."
"His strength is indeed formidable. I'm not sure how much of a chance I have against him with my current abilities."
"Is that so?" Wu Tian said, "But no matter what, safety should come first."
"That guy is not a good person. If you find yourself at a disadvantage, he will definitely seize the opportunity to strike."
Su Qiannai nodded and said, "Thank you for the reminder. I know what kind of scoundrel he is, so I will be careful."
As she spoke, her gaze became somewhat nuanced.
"However... if it truly comes down to a fight to the death, I won't hold back."
"Because I must obtain the Immortal Root. Even if my final opponent is you, I will show no mercy."
Seeing Su Qiannai's stubborn resolve, Wu Tian felt a slight stir in his heart.
He then asked softly, "Why? Is it because you are desperate to ascend to immortality?"
Su Qiannai shook her head and said, "No, the Immortal Root is not for me to use. I just..."
At this point, Su Qiannai realized she had said too much.
She quickly changed her tune, "This has nothing to do with you. In short, I must get the Immortal Root, and I won't let anyone else have it."
Wu Tian's feeling of being touched grew even stronger.
How could he not understand Su Qiannai's thoughts?
He just hadn't expected that Su Qiannai would value him so highly.
He recalled how, in his mind, Su Qiannai had once seemed so aloof, like a venomous woman who enjoyed toying with people's hearts.
But now, he suddenly realized that, in the end, Su Qiannai was just a girl of a similar age to him.
When facing outsiders, she might appear profound and ruthless, as if everything were under her control.
But perhaps this was her true self.
Once she identified with someone, she would dedicate everything she had, even her own life, without reservation.
Thinking of this, Wu Tian's expression shifted.
He looked at Su Qiannai seriously and said, "I am certain I can defeat Dong Weiqi. And if you can also defeat Xiao Qilin, then without further ado, I will yield the Immortal Root to you in the finals."
"What did you say?" Su Qiannai could hardly believe her ears.
She exclaimed in surprise, "Why would you do something like that?"
Wu Tian smiled and replied, "It's nothing. I was never particularly interested in the Immortal Root myself."
"Didn't I tell you? The only reason I came this time was to prevent Xiao Qilin from obtaining the Immortal Root."
"Since you can defeat Xiao Qilin, my objective will be achieved. What difference does it make to me who gets the Immortal Root?"
Su Qiannai remained very surprised and said, "You're saying you're not interested in the Immortal Root?"
"As far as I know, the Ye Shen family doesn't have many Immortal Roots stored currently, do they?"
"Bai Hezi has one, and the remaining Immortal Roots are not something that can be given away so easily. How could you not want to obtain them?"
Wu Tian smiled and said, "What, you don't believe me? I said I don't want it, but only if you can defeat Xiao Qilin first."
"However, as the heir of the Heavenly Phoenix, I believe you might be capable of it."
Su Qiannai froze for a couple of seconds, then her delicate eyebrows furrowed.
She looked at Wu Tian and said, "Honestly, I'm starting to not understand you. What exactly do you mean by this?"
"It seems we aren't that familiar with each other. Why are you helping me so much?"
Wu Tian paused, realizing that he had indeed gotten too close to Su Qiannai.
If it were from his own identity, this would be perfectly fine.
But he was Ye Shen Yidao now. Why would Ye Shen Yidao say such things?
Because of this, he quickly said, "It's nothing. I'm not doing it to help you. I just think that since I don't want the Immortal Root anyway, it might be nice to fulfill someone else's wish."
"Besides, owing the heir of the Heavenly Phoenix a favor... the thought of it seems rather appealing, haha."
With that, he put on a somewhat embarrassed expression and scratched the back of his head.
"You're a strange person," Su Qiannai also laughed, her phoenix-like eyes suddenly fluttering twice. She asked, "Hey, are you perhaps in love with me?"
"Then I must tell you first, I already have someone I like."
"And I belong to him for this lifetime. So don't think that offering an Immortal Root can win my heart."
Wu Tian was a bit stunned, then realized Su Qiannai was surely joking, so he laughed and said, "Is that so? Since your heart is already taken, that's truly a shame."
"But it's okay. In that case, consider this gift my wedding present."
"If you get married in the future, I won't be sending anything else!"
Originally, Wu Tian was just joking.
But unexpectedly, Su Qiannai suddenly looked directly at him, her tone lowering slightly, and asked, "Really? Do you really think that he and I... can get married?"
Wu Tian's mind immediately went blank.
No, why did Su Qiannai's attitude seem so strange?
It was as if... she were treating him as Wu Tian, asking him.
And under such a question, even Wu Tian didn't know how to respond.