Just as the two were speaking, Ye Ruozai, who had completed his defense on the arena, landed steadily on the repaired platform.

Although Flamel was extremely annoyed that Ye Ruozai managed to withstand his attack unscathed, he wasn't too surprised. He was slightly puzzled about how he absorbed the attack, and he coldly sneered at the composed Ye Ruozai before him, "Hmph, no wonder you dared to provoke me. Being able to easily handle three forbidden spells, you've indeed made quite some progress during this time. This makes it better, only this way the game won't be boring."

"Ugh~! Since you think this is a game, then a game it is!" It seemed that he had absorbed too much source energy, and upon landing, Ye Ruozai couldn't help but burp inelegantly. He placed a hand on his chest to smooth out the accumulated energy before continuing, "I dislike you, but I'm not like Pei Yan. He tortured Moira to push her to her limits. There's no need or desire for me to do the same with you, so the sooner this 'game' ends, the better in my eyes."

"Of course, it will end with my victory," said Ye Ruozai, placing his hand on the sword hilt, slightly bending his body as he took a step forward. His figure swayed like a willow leaf, appearing to stagger, yet unpredictable. As he took one step, two steps, then three, his form transformed from one Ye Ruozai into three. Simultaneously, his longsword was drawn, and three sword qis, shining with colorful light, swept forward.

"Glazed Slash!"

As Ye Ruozai's low voice whispered, the three sword qis sliced through the battlefield. Flamel, not panicked, slightly raised his hand, and the ground of the arena trembled greatly once more. A towering earthen wall quickly erected itself in front of him.

"Your companion Pei Yan looks down on our Magic Realm, right? Yet you wield sword techniques imbued with magic elements quite skillfully. Your relationship doesn't seem as harmonious as you portray. Did he even refuse to teach you such minor techniques?" Flamel, hiding behind the earthen wall, couldn't help but sow discord, sneering at Ye Ruozai.

Boom! Ye Ruozai didn't verbally respond. Instead, a thick earthen wall was split instantly into two parts. Observing the neat cut on the broken wall, Flamel furrowed his brow. He could clearly feel the magic elements imbued in the sword qi. However, unlike other knights' attacks which explode on impact, these magic elements fused tightly with the sword qi, continuously attacking after slicing through the wall.

Outside the arena, within the Daoist Realm's camp, Lin Xunrou, watching from the sidelines, praised, "Brother, the technique he performed just now should be the Heart Sword Sect's Willow Leaf Following Wind Body Technique, right? One person becomes three, delivering three attacks of the same power, finally merging into one. To reach this level of mastery is quite impressive. It seems the original of the Foundation Plane has a deep relationship with our master, securing so many sect secrets from our Daoist Realm for her favored disciple. I just don't understand what our master is thinking. Isn't she afraid that our foundations might leak, and one day..."

"Watch your words!" Before Lin Xunrou could finish, Lin Daozi admonished in a low voice, "The master's relationships with other Spirit Lords are not for you to comment on. The master has her reasons for doing so. Look at today's arena—can you outshine Pei Yan? Yet no matter how much attention he garnered, he wasn't spared when the Magic Realm's supreme caught him with a single slip of the tongue."

Seeing his sister playfully sticking out her tongue and lowering her head, Lin Daozi sighed and advised, "I urge you to set aside your disdain for the investigation tribunal. No matter how things were before, now we must show enough respect to the Spirit Lord who has returned in the Foundation Plane. Isn't just Pei Yan alone enough to capture your attention, given how many who underestimated him have suffered for it?"

"Alright, brother, I realize my mistake now and promise never to underestimate anyone in the investigation tribunal again!" Facing her brother's admonishment, Lin Xunrou, usually aloof, rarely acted coy.

"It's not just the investigation tribunal, but every competitor you encounter in this tournament!" Lin Daozi corrected.

"Yes, yes, yes! Every competitor! Brother, who do you think has a better chance of winning, Ye Ruozai or Flamel?" Lin Xunrou quickly changed the topic to evade her brother's criticism.

"Ye Ruozai."

"Huh? Brother, do you really favor Ye Ruozai so much? With just a half-year of last-minute Sword Dao training, defeating Flamel doesn't seem easy," Lin Xunrou was a bit surprised at her brother's resolute answer, who was usually so composed.

Lin Daozi glanced helplessly at his sister and said, "Yet you claim not to underestimate your opponent. Do you think someone who, in half a year, can perform one of the Heart Sword Sect's secret techniques relies solely on gifted manuals and heart methods? From the start, Ye Ruozai shouldn't have been underestimated. His talent recognition in the Daoist Realm far preceded Pei Yan's. The only reason he was later surpassed by Pei Yan and didn't shine in the last team competition was because he wasn't the Child of Origin. Now that he's broken through that barrier, what reason do you have to belittle him?"

Seeing Lin Xunrou about to explain further, Lin Daozi gestured with his hand to stop her and continued, "I know what you want to say, but even if his talent is phenomenal, how could becoming the Child of Origin in half a year contend with the meticulously groomed Flamel from childhood? Yes, I thought so, too, if this were before."

As Lin Daozi looked towards the direction of the investigation tribunal, he continued, "However, Pei Yan's performance has overturned that thought. We both know how crucial this tournament victory is to the investigation tribunal, yet Pei Yan still chose to be the first to appear. And ended the first match in such a brutally high-profile manner, leaving an enraged Flamel for his teammate. Understanding Pei Yan, he is not one to disregard the lives of his comrades, which can only mean he has immense confidence in his teammate's ability to secure victory, and moreover..." Looking towards the Spirit Monster Plane, Lin Daozi added, with a hint of confusion, "During the previous battle, I sensed a familiarity from Ye Ruozai." 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

Boom! The sound of an explosion from the arena interrupted their conversation, prompting Lin Daozi to swiftly shift his gaze back to the platform. Two silhouettes gradually emerged from the swirling dust. The first to appear in his view was Ye Ruozai, whom he had just praised. At this moment, however, he looked somewhat disheveled, his previously pristine uniform now sporting a long gash on the back.