Wang Xiaoqiang saw everyone's attention focused on himself and immediately felt a bit unnerved, glancing around at the others, he said curiously, "What are all of you looking at me for? Do you actually think I could claim victory in this sect competition?..."

"Senior Brother Wang's cultivation base is inscrutably profound, which makes us admire him greatly. In fact, everyone feels that you could claim victory..." Fang Ce was the first to speak up with flattery.

"Yes, even our great ancestor has placed great expectations on you, Senior Brother Wang, let alone us juniors..." someone chimed in.

"There are many talented young disciples in both the Penglai Immortal Sect and the Mount Hua Sword Sect. Claiming victory is not as easy as it may seem, so let's not joke about this," Wang Xiaoqiang said, spreading his hands.

"Haha, Senior Brother Wang is too modest!"

Seeing that Wang Xiaoqiang was being low-key, everyone else didn't say anymore, noticing Elder Liu and Qii Jingtian were already flying more than a hundred meters ahead, they immediately quickened their flight speed.

Afterward, there was little conversation among the group because it was daylight, and fearing to be seen by the common folk, everyone had to maintain their altitude at ten thousand meters high, and speed couldn't be slow either. Facing the rising morning sun, they all flew in the direction of Penglai Immortal Island.

Penglai Immortal Island is actually what is now known as Daishan.

Daishan Island is located to the north of Zhoushan Main Island, situated outside the mouth of Hangzhou Bay, and it functions as the seat of the Daishan County People's Government and five town governments (Gaoting, Dongsha, Nizhi, Daidong, Daixi). The county town is located in Gaoting Town in the southeastern part of the island. It is 30 kilometers away from the seat of Zhoushan City Government to the south and 74 kilometers away from Ningbo City on the mainland to the southwest. It is made up of 404 islands with a land area of 10,497 square kilometers, the highest point Moxin Mountain has an elevation of 2,571 meters and a coastline of 9,631 kilometers long. Daishan Island extends from east to west, broad in the east and narrow in the west, and has the shape of a mulberry leaf. Daishan Island is surrounded by many other islands, with many waterways, sea gates, and a winding shoreline. Along the coast are numerous fine ports and anchorages. To the south of the island lies Daishan's main port, Gaoting Port, which is the main fishing port, commercial port, and external transportation hub of Daishan County. The Dongsha Port on the north shore is a commercial port, fishing port, and refuge harbor within the county. Known as the "Penglai at sea," Daishan Island boasts the "Ten Sights of Penglai." The island is rich in tourism resources and is recognized as a provincial-level scenic and historic area.

Among the archipelago of Daishan lies a mysterious place, enshrouded in mist all year round. Although it isn't about perilous mountains and treacherous waters, it has always been a restricted area for tourists. There have been seasoned hikers, mountain-climbing enthusiasts, and adventurers who have ventured into it recklessly, ending up lost in the mists of the archipelago. The lucky ones manage to find their way back, while the unfortunate ones leave their lives there.

This restricted tourist area is where Penglai Immortal Sect is located.

To prevent the common folk from entering, the Penglai Immortal Sect set up a misty maze around its vicinity, and unless one is a disciple of the Penglai Immortal Sect, it is practically impossible for others to enter.

An hour later, the group from Taiyi Sect had flown to the borders of Zhejiang Province. Everyone gathered on the top of a strange and steep peak for a brief rest, after which Elder Liu outlined some rules about entering the Penglai Immortal Sect and then, under his lead, everyone flew toward Daishan together.

Just as they flew over Daishan Archipelago, they suddenly saw a burst of light pulsating towards the northwest, where eleven flying swords each carried a person as they flew over.

"Eh? It's the people from Mount Hua Sword Sect..." Fang Ce pointed to the arriving group with surprise and exclamation.

"Hmm, it is indeed Mount Hua Sword Sect. Let's wait for them," Elder Qii stopped and instructed everyone to do the same.

Everyone also halted.

Before long,

Eleven people from Mount Hua Sword Sect arrived.

The leader, an old man with white hair, stood on a purple Immortal Sword. The sword seemed undistinguished, without even a hint of luster, but no one dared to underestimate the elder from Mount Hua Sword Sect. Everyone knew that only experts who had reached a certain level of cultivation could contain the brilliance of their swords while controlling them.

Behind the elder were ten disciples, wearing the attire of the Mount Hua Sword Sect—eight male disciples with a proud and haughty look and two female disciples, creating a contrast. One of the females, an incredibly beautiful woman dressed in green, carried a frosty expression like a millennial iceberg. But indeed, she was beautiful, especially with her noble demeanor, surpassing Zhao Wushuang. The other woman, dressed in red, exhibited a completely opposite demeanor; although she wasn't as beautiful as the girl in green, she was still sweet and charming, her face always wearing a smile, with lively eyes darting around curiously, sweeping over the disciples of Taiyi Sect.

"Haha, Elder Liu, you're quite prompt, eh? Despite being further away, you arrived before us..." The elder from Mount Hua Sword Sect who stood on the purple sword greeted Elder Liu with a fist and palm salute, chuckling.

"Elder Ge, you're not slow either," Elder Liu returned the salute to Elder Ge.

"Eh? Elder Liu, I don't see the outstanding disciples from the last event, like Jiang Yulong, Lin Jinghong..." Elder Ge casually swept the ten Taiyi Sect disciples with his Divine Sense while feigning surprise as he probed.

"Ah, that distinguished disciple had a minor setback, so he couldn't come," Elder Liu answered offhandedly, taking the chance to scan the cultivation base of the ten Mount Hua Sword Sect disciples with his Divine Sense as well.

As Elder Liu and Elder Ge were "catching up on old times," the gazes of Fang Ce and some other male disciples were fixed on the face of the girl in green. They did not hide the admiration in their eyes.

```

Although no one introduced her, everyone could tell at a glance that the girl in the green dress was quite extraordinary, her ethereal demeanor, like the clear, jade-like rain on a desolate mountain, was peerless indeed—she must be Lin Xianshu from Mount Hua Sword Sect, renowned across the land for her stunning beauty.

Even the girl in red standing beside Lin Jishu was completely ignored. In fact, the girl in red was also quite attractive, but unfortunately, comparison can be cruel. Had she not been standing next to the girl in green, she would certainly have been considered a beauty in her own right, especially with her sweet appearance that could win the favor of many.

The girl in red, seeing the seven male disciples from the Taiyi Sect gawking at Lin Xianshu beside her like Zhu Sandog, and literally treating her as if she was air, could not help feeling a bitter taste in her heart. She rolled her eyes at the seven men in disgust and instead, looked toward Qi Jingtian and Wang Xiaoqiang, who did not exhibit Zhu Sandog-like stares. Eventually, seeing that Qi Jingtian didn't even glance at them once, the girl in red shifted her gaze to Wang Xiaoqiang.

Wang Xiaoqiang was also shocked for a moment by Lin Xianshu's aura, but her aloof, icy demeanor that kept others at a distance, similar to that of Zhao Wushuang, greatly diminished his interest. Instead, he found the sweet face of the girl in red more amiable and endearing.

So he took a few more glances.

As a result, their gazes met in the air.

Their eyes locked.

The girl in red, seeing Wang Xiaoqiang staring at her, immediately flashed him a friendly and sweet smile.

Wang Xiaoqiang, who easily becomes familiar with people, returned the girl in red's sweet, friendly smile with a nod and a kind grin upon seeing it.

The girl in red, seeing the kind smile from Wang Xiaoqiang, smiled even more joyously. She resembled a girl unacquainted with worldliness, suddenly venturing out and encountering strangers, curious and wanting to make new acquaintances. Thus, she pulled the girl in green with her and, riding her Immortal Sword, moved a few steps closer to Wang Xiaoqiang and started a conversation with him,

"Hi, hello, my name is Ye Xiaoman," the girl in red greeted proactively.

"Hello." Wang Xiaoqiang didn't expect the girl in red to be so forward, introducing herself outright, but he did not have the habit of directly giving his own name.

"I've heard that in this competition at your Taiyi Sect, a dark horse named Wang Xiaoqiang emerged, is that correct?" Ye Xiaoman blinked her beautiful, large eyes, asking with curiosity.

Just as Ye Xiaoman asked her question, the green-dressed girl, who hadn't given Wang Xiaoqiang a proper look until now, also glanced at him subconsciously, as if she too wanted to know the answer to Ye Xiaoman's question.

"Uh, Wang Xiaoqiang isn't really a dark horse, and besides, he's a human, not a horse. Such a metaphor isn't very polite to a person..." Wang Xiaoqiang rubbed his face, responding. In truth, he really disliked the metaphor of a dark horse, which had to do with his background. He came from a farming family, often dealt with horses as a child, especially black horses, which he found quite unsightly. Now being likened to a dark horse, he naturally didn't appreciate it.

Wang Xiaoqiang's response left Ye Xiaoman feeling a mix of amusement and perplexity; she smiled coyly and pursed her lips, "Then may I ask which one of you is Wang Xiaoqiang?"

The attention of the girl in green fell directly on Wang Xiaoqiang, for without needing Wang Xiaoqiang's response, she had already guessed that the young man in front of her was Wang Xiaoqiang.

"He is Wang Xiaoqiang." Before Wang Xiaoqiang could answer, Fang Ce had already responded for him.

"Ah, so you're Wang Xiaoqiang!" exclaimed Ye Xiaoman, both surprised and delighted. She had always thought that such skilled individuals were haughty and indifferent, much like Wang Xiaoqiang, the champion of this edition of Taiyi Sect's competition. She couldn't believe that the young man who was so approachable before her eyes was indeed Wang Xiaoqiang, "I've heard you're the champion of your sect's competition this time."

"..." Wang Xiaoqiang gave a simple, honest smile. He did not respond.

After confirming Wang Xiaoqiang's identity, the girl in green's beautiful eyes scrutinized him from head to toe, breaking through the wilderness. When she discovered that Wang Xiaoqiang was merely at the Mid Golden Core Stage of cultivation, a hint of curiosity crossed her face.

"Daoist Friend Ye, why don't you introduce us to the person beside you?" Although Fang Ce and the others guessed that the girl in green was Lin Xianshu, they were not sure enough to inquire brazenly, especially given her far-removed demeanor. They could only seek a breakthrough from Ye Xiaoman.

"Uh, this person beside me, I believe you all know her. She's the famously beautiful Lin Xianshu from our Mount Hua Sword Sect~!" said Ye Xiaoman, her voice tinged with a hint of sourness.

Now that they had confirmed the girl in green to be Lin Xianshu, Fang Ce and the others feasted their eyes on her from top to bottom again.

Lin Xianshu felt a tinge of fury as several male disciples blatantly stared at her. Her pretty eyes turned frosty, sweeping across Fang Ce and his companions, and where her gaze passed, the gazes of the male disciples quickly averted. Lin Xianshu's refined aura effectively pushed them back.

When Lin Xianshu's gaze passed over Wang Xiaoqiang, however, she noticed he wasn't staring at her, which inexplicably left her feeling a bit disappointed and annoyed.(To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for it with recommendation tickets and monthly tickets on Qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please go to m.qidian.com to read.)```

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