Qing Shan was taken aback as he listened to Xiao Yifei speak, his eyes filled with a complex expression, as if contemplating something. After pondering for a moment, he nodded at Xiao Yifei and said, "You're truly impressive. I lost. Our Hundred Beast Mountain team withdraws from the competition. Additionally, I'm very grateful you saved my brothers and sisters."

After saying this, Qing Shan bowed deeply to Xiao Yifei, then turned to Xiao Zhentian and said, "I lost. Fifteenth team can advance. Announce the result."

Xiao Zhentian nodded. Although he had his own little schemes for organizing the 'Martial Artist Conference' over the years, as a strong figure, he highly recognized such righteous battles.

"The winner of the third round, fifth match, is the fifteenth team. Congratulations to the fifteenth team for advancing."

For the audience, the Hundred Beast Mountain team had always been a troublesome presence in past 'Martial Artist Conferences.' For the fifteenth team, participating for the first time and defeating the Hundred Beast Mountain team in their first match was a testament to Xiao Yifei and his team's strength, earning the recognition of everyone present.

Upon hearing Xiao Zhentian announce the result, the entire venue erupted in genuine cheers. Although they might face each other as opponents in the next series of matches, there was significant respect for the fifteenth team that emerged as a dark horse.

Qing Shan and Xiao Yifei helped each other off the stage, and Zhang Po, Chang Wei, and members from other three teams came forward to greet them. The team members were not dejected despite losing the match. Instead, they were filled with relief, their eyes welling up as they watched the two descend from the stage.

"Let me tell you a secret, if we had gone all out earlier, I wouldn't have lost to you. I still have trump cards," Xiao Yifei winked at Qing Shan and whispered.

The latter was full of shock, but recalling Xiao Yifei's performance in battle, he soon felt at ease, tightly pressed his lips, and spoke no more. In his heart, he had already completely lost to Xiao Yifei.

"You rest for a while. Once I recover, I'll heal your wounds." Xiao Yifei left these words and waved goodbye to the three teams, returning to the rest area with Zhang Po and Chang Wei's assistance, while Qing Shan acknowledged his opponents from the heart, accepting the result of the defeat, and returned to the three teams' rest area to meditate and rest.

The fifteenth team, to which Xiao Yifei belonged, successfully advanced after a hard-fought battle, and their opponents, the third Beast King Mountain team, were utterly impressed by their character and strength.

Since both the third and fifteenth team were quite strong, the third round lasted nearly three hours. By then, the sun had set, and night was gradually falling. After a simple discussion between Xiao Zhentian and the Elders, they decided to move the remaining seven rounds to the next day.

The entire crowd slowly began to leave the venue, returning to their apartments to prepare for the next day's battle. After a short period of breathing adjustment, Xiao Yifei also recovered and found Qing Shan with Zhang Po and others.

"I'm fully recovered now, and I see you're seriously injured. Let me heal your injuries," Xiao Yifei said to Qing Shan with a cheerful smile.

Seeing Xiao Yifei and others approaching, the members of the third team all came forward and nodded friendly gestures, to which Xiao Yifei responded one by one.

"No need, since we've already been eliminated and don't need to continue fighting, I'll recover from this level of injury in a few days. You'd better conserve your strength for the next round," Qing Shan said. By now, his wounds had received simple treatment, and he was wrapped in bandages, resembling a living mummy.

Xiao Yifei wanted to laugh but couldn't, forcing an awkward smile as he said to Qing Shan, "Alright then, take care and rest. We'll meet after the tournament ends."

Seeing Xiao Yifei's expression, Qing Shan felt both like crying and laughing, unsure how to respond, creating a sudden awkward silence. After a while, Qing Shan seemed to recall something and said to Xiao Yifei, "I believe you've already identified the truly strong opponents among these twenty teams, haven't you?"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yifei's expression immediately grew serious, nodding to Qing Shan, "Yes, including our two teams, there are a total of seven. I have a general impression of them."

Qing Shan nodded and continued, "Among these seven teams, there's one you must be particularly wary of—the people from Poison Manor. These people have no concept of martial ethics and no shred of kindness. For them, any opponent weaker than themselves is mercilessly slain. In the last competition, two of my brothers were killed by them, so our teams harbor an irreconcilable enmity."

Initially, Xiao Yifei thought Qing Shan was warning him about that group of young pop idols' team, but after listening to Qing Shan, he felt that the people from Poison Manor described didn't match those he had in mind. He asked, "What are the characteristics of those from Poison Manor?"

Qing Shan said to him, "All members of Poison Manor are women, dressed in purple robes with their family's emblem, a Pill Furnace emblem. They are infamous for killing using poison. Their mastery of Poison Element Cultivation Techniques is unmatched, killing invisibly, and they're always surrounded by a poison fog, making it hard for people to approach."

Once Qing Shan described them, Xiao Yifei began recalling which team shared those characteristics. Indeed, there was a team he noticed that morning, all dressed in purple robes, and all were females.

It's them, without a doubt.

"If you happen to encounter them, be extremely cautious. If things take a turn for the worse, leave the stage without signaling. Otherwise, the consequences could be unimaginable. To prevent unnecessary sacrifices, I advise you to heed my words. These people from Poison Manor are truly detestable," Qing Shan said through gritted teeth, reminiscing about his fallen brothers with clenched fists, wishing he could avenge them himself.

"Although we respect and appreciate you for healing our team members, given the limited acquaintance, we don't expect you to retaliate on behalf of our Hundred Beast Mountain. It's just a simple piece of advice," Qing Shan said, emerging from his thoughts and addressing Xiao Yifei.

Xiao Yifei nodded, "Are there any other opponents we should be wary of?" He wanted to use this chance to thoroughly understand these seven teams, considering Qing Shan had participated in several 'Martial Artist Conferences' and likely had in-depth knowledge of these marked opponents.

Upon hearing this, Qing Shan thought for a while and then said to Xiao Yifei, "Besides the people from Poison Manor, there's probably Li Huoke. Hmm, those handsome young men also seemed like first-timers; haven't seen them before. Then, there are the Long Hand Clan and Clay People, whose strengths are similar to ours. Though relatively formidable compared to past young participants of the 'Martial Artist Conference', they're no terrifying presence."

"Li Huoke? Who's that?" Xiao Yifei asked with a puzzled expression, wondering why Qing Shan singled out a name when participants are usually teams. Then, he suddenly recalled the boy with a giant sword practicing alone that morning. Could it be him?

Qing Yun jumped in front of Qing Shan to answer Xiao Yifei, "A once-in-a-millennium genius from Wudang Mountain. He has participated in several tournaments alone, each time reaching the finals but always losing to someone from the Xiao family."

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