Capital of Hua Country, somewhere within the Imperial Palace.

Lin Xiyue, led by an escort, walked into a facility resembling a gymnasium. Before she even entered, she could hear the sounds of intense fighting from inside.

Upon entering, she saw four women dressed in sexy yoga outfits sparring on a cordoned-off combat stage. Each moved with agility, their afterimages and Spirit Light flickering as they fought with dazzling flair.

My teammates are all so strong… Lin Xiyue felt a momentary surge of anxiety.

As she drew closer, however, she was stunned to discover four familiar faces!

Xu Qianqing, Su Shanyue, Ye Ningxue, and Zhang Yi!

"What are you all doing here?"

At the sound of her voice, the four women immediately stopped sparring and turned in unison to look at her.

"Xiyue?!"

"Xiyue, what brings you here?"

"Mistress, Xiao Xue missed you!"

"Don't tell me you're the fifth teammate?"

The five women hadn't seen each other for a long time. Now that they were reunited, all striving for the same goal, they were overcome with emotion.

"Oh my god, Sister Xiyue, you're already at the Great Perfection of Gathering Spirit Realm! Are you using some kind of cheat?"

"Besides Xiao Xue, who's at the Nascent Soul Realm Great Perfection, you're the most monstrous one here!"

Upon learning Lin Xiyue's current cultivation realm, Zhang Yi couldn't help but exclaim in astonishment. Xu Qianqing and Su Shanyue, two young ladies from powerful backgrounds, were also shocked speechless. Only Ye Ningxue remained as dazed as ever.

Lin Xiyue smiled sheepishly. "I just fumbled around on my own."

In truth, she really had just been practicing without a plan. She would often practice the Fist Technique and sword forms Luo Xiu had taught her, all by herself and without any guidance. Her rapid, cheat-like progress was entirely due to the Holy Origin Golden Pill—a pill that contained the blood of the Azure Emperor and the Fortune-Forming Power! If her cultivation hadn't been delayed by her pregnancy and childbirth, her current realm would be even higher.

Zhang Yi stared at Lin Xiyue with a bizarre expression. "When did you embark on the Martial Way? It's been less than a year, hasn't it? And you reached the Great Perfection of Gathering Spirit Realm just by fumbling around?"

"Exactly, Xiyue! That's a serious humblebrag, you know!" Su Shanyue chimed in.

Lin Xiyue rolled her eyes. "You all are just as impressive, aren't you? You're all in the Gathering Spirit Realm, and at the Late Spirit Gathering stage, no less."

"We're not like you!" Zhang Yi retorted. "We're supervised around the clock, forced to soak in all kinds of medicinal baths and eat all sorts of elixirs. We have famous masters guiding us; it'd be harder *not* to make breakthroughs. But you're Henghai's wealthiest person! You're so busy every day, you can't have much time for cultivation, can you?"

"Honestly, people are just built different!" Zhang Yi suddenly threw her head back and let out a dramatic wail. "This is infuriatingly unfair! You're beautiful, rich, have a great figure, and your martial arts talent is off the charts! Sister Xiyue, are you trying to leave the rest of us with nothing?"

At that moment, Ye Ningxue spoke up. "By the way, Mistress, where is my master? There's been no news of him."

Her question plunged the room into silence. The other women all turned to look at Lin Xiyue.

Xu Qianqing asked tentatively, "Have you and Luo Xiu already..."

Lin Xiyue suddenly smiled. "What are you all thinking? There's nothing between him and me anymore. We haven't been in contact for a long time, and I have no idea where he is now. Xiao Xue, you should stop calling me that from now on."

The room fell silent once more.

Su Shanyue quickly changed the subject. "Right, besides the five of us on Team Hua Country's main roster, don't we have a substitute? Who is it?"

Zhang Yi's face lit up with gossip. "I asked that old codger Li Chaoqun about it. Apparently, our substitute is some Doctor surnamed Chen." She then snorted softly. "But with the five of us, we don't need a substitute. That so-called Dr. Chen is probably just here to fill a spot."

The others nodded in agreement. With three members at the Late Spirit Gathering stage, one at the Spirit Gathering Great Perfection, and another at the Nascent Soul Realm Great Perfection, their lineup was so formidable that a substitute seemed completely unnecessary.

Just then, footsteps from the entrance drew their attention. The five women, who had been sitting on the floor chatting, saw three figures approaching and quickly scrambled to their feet to greet them. The newcomers were Lu Nianjiao, Di Jiao, and Lin Jianlong.

Zhang Yi leaned close to Lin Xiyue's ear and whispered, "That stunning woman is the White Skirt Medical Immortal, Lu Nianjiao, Hua Country's wealthiest person, for real. Her medical techniques are unmatched in this world, but she's very low-key. Moreover, she's Her Majesty the Empress's younger martial sister. Since the Empress isn't in the Capital City right now, she's in charge of most things. She's the one who personally organized this year's Shi Wu Great Reef."

Hearing this, Lin Xiyue's beautiful eyes shone with admiration. She was, of course, familiar with the name of the White Skirt Medical Immortal. Anyone in the business world who rose to a certain height would eventually learn of an insurmountable mountain that lay ahead, and that mountain was Lu Nianjiao! Upon seeing the legendary figure in person, even Lin Xiyue, the infamous "ice queen" CEO, couldn't hide her excitement.

Zhang Yi continued her stream of gossip. "And that man is Long Shuai Lin Jianlong, the second-ranked on the Sky List and Her Majesty the Empress's right-hand man. And, I heard... that Long Shuai and the Empress were once an item."

At these words, Lin Xiyue's eyes widened slightly. She looked at the approaching Lin Jianlong, a faint blush rising to her cheeks. Anyone who walks the Martial Way and reaches a certain height learns that ten insurmountable mountains stand before them: the top ten of the Sky List!

"And that old woman," Zhang Yi added, "is the fourth-ranked on the Sky List, Di Jiao of the Ageless Beauties. It's said that her older martial sister, Tian Jiao, looks like a seven or eight-year-old girl and wields Electric Jiao, the fifth-ranked of the ten great swords. If those two sisters join forces, they could even take on the number one on the Sky List!"

I can't believe I'm meeting two Sky List Strong Ones today. In the entire martial artist community, how many people ever get such an opportunity? A sense of yearning and unreality washed over Lin Xiyue.

Not long after, Lu Nianjiao and the other two arrived before the five women.

"Hmm, you all seem to be in good condition," Lu Nianjiao said with a satisfied nod as she looked them over.

Di Jiao also nodded, a smile on her face. "An average age of under twenty-five, with the lowest strength being Late Spirit Gathering and even one at the Nascent Soul Realm Great Perfection. This roster is significantly stronger than in previous years. And all of you are young women. This brings honor to us women."

Receiving praise and validation from the White Skirt Medical Immortal and the fourth-ranked on the Sky List, the five young women blushed modestly.

Lin Jianlong, his face impassive, suddenly spoke. "Gender is irrelevant. Winning is all that matters."

His gaze fell upon Lin Xiyue, holding it for a long moment. His intense stare made her a little self-conscious. Then her eyes narrowed as she noticed his right sleeve was empty—his arm was gone.

What kind of person, with what kind of strength, could have taken the arm of Long Shuai Lin Jianlong, the second-strongest on the Sky List? She couldn't begin to imagine, but she certainly didn't dare to ask.

Lu Nianjiao spoke again. "Today is the last day of training camp. After a day of rest tomorrow, the five of you will head to Lop Nor. Before that, I have specially invited Long Shuai and Elder Dijiao to conduct one final training session for you."

The thought of being trained by the second and fourth-ranked members of the Sky List sent a thrill of excitement through the group. All except Ye Ningxue were visibly ecstatic.

Lin Jianlong, with only his left arm remaining, asked, "Medic Immortal, where is the alternate member?"

Lu Nianjiao replied, "He's on his way. He was delayed by some things. To be honest, I wasn't expecting him to be able to participate; the five of you would have been sufficient. But, as it happens, he has just returned."

Lin Jianlong nodded slightly. "In that case, I will have to train him separately." He turned to leave, his voice booming behind him. "You five, rest for twenty minutes. Get yourselves into peak condition, then find me outside!"

"Yes!" the five women responded in unison.

Zhang Yi couldn't help but swoon, whispering to Lin Xiyue, "That Long Shuai is so masculine... it's a shame he's a little old."

Lin Xiyue shot her a sidelong glance.

Lu Nianjiao said, "Next, I'm going to tell you about the rules of this year's Shi Wu Great Reef. But first, I must tell you that the Shi Wu Great Reef is not, strictly speaking, a simple contest of strength between national teams. You won't be fighting on a combat stage, and there won't be any live audience or television viewers."

"To put it simply, the Shi Wu Great Reef is a brutal survival test for the entire martial artist community, so it's very possible that you will not survive."

"If anyone wants to withdraw now, it isn't too late. I still have time to find a replacement."

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