Upon hearing Qing Yun's introduction, a gleam appeared in Zhang Po's eyes, as if he had caught the scent of blood: "Is he strong?"

Qing Yun and Qing San both nodded: "Very strong! He is the strongest swordsman I have ever seen, definitely stronger than you."

After listening, Zhang Po's expression immediately turned excited, and Xiao Yifei even felt that the light in his eyes was a bit dazzling.

"Is it worth it to be so excited?" Chang Wei curled his lips, never quite understanding Zhang Po's mindset.

"What do you know? Do you realize, as a swordsman, the ultimate desire in this life is to duel with a strong fellow swordsman, not feeling guilty even if defeated by their sword."

Zhang Po then wiped the saliva from his mouth and continued, "I really want to fight him, even if he cuts me down."

Everyone present couldn't help but look at Zhang Po with a look of fascination, even Xiao Yifei didn't realize he had this kind of preference.

"But after tomorrow's competition, the Xiao Family will arrange opponents for the advancing contestants. If you want to fight Li Huoke, it depends on the Xiao Family's decision." Qing Shan said.

"I don't care, even if the competition is over, I will challenge him privately. The aura he gives off is unlike any swordsman I've encountered before. Through battling him, I am sure I can learn a lot. I must fight this battle." Zhang Po clenched his fists, looking determined like a brave warrior at the Great Wall.

"Alright, alright, after the competition, I'll cheer for you." Xiao Yifei replied dismissively, and upon hearing that Xiao Yifei would watch his fight, Zhang Po even tidied his hair: "Just watch how your brother takes him down."

The playful banter between the two thoroughly eased the atmosphere, and everyone, including Chang Wei, joined in on the laughter, making the atmosphere very harmonious.

Not far from them, in another room, a group of women were discussing today's matches involving Xiao Yifei and the others.

"Those three are quite unusual, to have taken down the team from Hundred Beast Mountain, their strength is not to be underestimated." The purple-robed woman said to the team members sitting in the hall.

Looking again at the audience below, all women clothed in purple robes, with an incense burner emblem embroidered on their chests, clearly identified as the group from Poison Manor Qing Shan introduced to Xiao Yifei.

"Yes, especially that kid who sparred with Qing Shan last; apart from being strong himself, I also noticed he healed the wounded from earlier matches, even his opponents from Hundred Beast Mountain. A normal wood attribute Qi wouldn't have such a healing effect, there must be something unusual about him."

"Indeed, think of a way to get rid of them."

"No, private battles are not allowed after the match. If the Xiao Family finds out, we'll be in big trouble, since this is their territory after all."

"So what do you suggest? One Li Huoke is already hard enough for us to handle, now there's another group, and those pretty boys aren't easy to deal with either. If Sister Jingxiang weren't holding me back, I'd have drained their Yang energy long ago."

"You're really feisty."

The people below started discussing in a chorus.

"Silence! Shut your mouths. I've thought of a good plan for the finals."

Then she quietly set up protective measures in the room and started speaking to her team members.

After a simple and cordial dinner with the team from Beast King Mountain, Xiao Yifei and his two companions returned to their room. Even though they weren't competing the next day, they decided to observe the matches to have at least a basic understanding of the seed contenders' abilities.

After all, knowing oneself and knowing the enemy is the key to triumph; facing an unknown opponent can easily lead to disadvantageous surprises.

"There are seven matches tomorrow. Currently, teams seven, three, and five are eliminated." Xiao Yifei had already learned about tomorrow's match system from Qing Shan and explained to the two.

"As far as I know, there are three matches worth watching: the Long Hand Clan vs. Poison Manor, Li Huoke against a team of Clay Monsters, and another of Li Huoke's matches. His opponent is a team of unknown origin, but likely not too strong; through his match, we can gauge his strength."

"What about those handsome young men? Who are their opponents? I have a feeling they are our biggest rivals." Zhang Po asked after hearing about the captains of the seed teams from Xiao Yifei.

Xiao Yifei replied, "The young men's team withdrew for some reason. This is recent inside information; it seems some family issues came up, so they won't be attending tomorrow's match, missing the finals altogether, unfortunately until the next competition."

"That's really a pity." Zhang Po showed a faint sign of regret.

And Chang Wei, after battling Qing Hong, both his puppets were destroyed, leaving him temporarily without combat ability, as a puppet master without puppets is like a soldier on the battlefield without a rifle.

"Chang Wei, you should just rest for the next few days. With no combat ability, stepping in recklessly to get injured would be pointless." Xiao Yifei, aware of Chang Wei's situation, advised him.

Zhang Po nodded, agreeing with Xiao Yifei's suggestion.

"Don't worry, I don't intend to end it here. I still have my trump card." Chang Wei winked playfully at them.

Hearing Chang Wei's implication, Xiao Yifei and Zhang Po were taken aback. This guy still has a trump card? He's already so strong, what will it be like when he shows his full strength?

Xiao Yifei couldn't help but ask, "That day in your family's cave, why didn't you stop us? With your strength, even if you couldn't kill us, you could have at least secured your father's safety."

Seemingly recalling a past he didn't want to revisit, Chang Wei's expression turned gloomy as he responded to Xiao Yifei's question: "I knew you were good people. I didn't want to kill or hurt you, but my father..."

At this point, Chang Wei's voice choked up, stirring compassion.

"Alright, let the past stay in the past; as long as we grow stronger and follow our true selves," Zhang Po and Xiao Yifei both comforted him.

Chang Wei soon cheered up, nodded, and the three didn't talk much after that, performing their usual pre-sleep exercises before falling asleep.

The night passed without incident, and the next morning, the three went through their daily routine, channeling spiritual energy in the open, only to unexpectedly be approached by the young men's team.

Xiao Yifei was very surprised; though both sides regarded each other as rivals and yearned to battle, this sudden visit left Xiao Yifei a bit at a loss.

"Did you drop out for some reason?" Xiao Yifei asked the leading young man.

The young man nodded and then led Xiao Yifei's group to an isolated place, cautiously scanning his surroundings. Once assured of safety, he lowered his head and said to Xiao Yufeng, "If I'm not mistaken, you three should be from the Lin Family, Zhang Family, and Chang Family, the Seven Ancient Clans, respectively?"

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