As time drew near, Luo Qianqian felt a rare surge of excitement. It was a feeling she hadn’t experienced since those distant days when spring excursions were planned for the next day.

The uniforms for the Nine Heavens Pavilion were designed early on by Huang Yueran, with the help of An Zilan and the aunts from the Luo Family. Aside from a few deviations in the participants, everything else was going according to plan.

At this moment, He Wenyu was immensely relieved...

Fortunately, she never mentioned her participation before. Otherwise, things would have been... unspeakable.

The queue to enter the arena moved exceptionally slow, as no drugs were allowed inside, and taking any was strictly forbidden during the competition.

But if they were stored in storage devices, there was little anyone could do about it.

Luo Qianqian was dressed in a red, modified cheongsam, its length just reaching the knee, with intricately embroidered double-sided peonies, giving the impression of real blossoms in the red silk. It accentuated her underdeveloped curves and drew many gazes to her slender, delicate waist.

Her hair, skillfully styled by Yue Tingyu, was transformed into a sleek, asymmetric short cut, swaying freely in the wind.

Her thousand-layer embroidered shoes matched in color and pattern, presenting a unique scene in the arena.

Everyone else wore dark red Tang suits, with peony motifs only at the hem.

Luo Qianqian, seeing the ninth person approaching to chat, felt her teeth itch in annoyance. Did these people think she was some kind of mascot?

"Shiqi, you’re grinding your teeth too loudly." This time, it was He Wenyu who teased, feeling immensely grateful she didn’t have to wear that cheongsam as she looked at Luo Qianqian’s disgruntled expression.

"Ahem, Shiqi, do you think if these people saw a picture of you looking like charcoal, they’d be scared away?" Luo Shufan chimed in, his face full of emotion. "Without realizing it, our little girl has grown to the age where she’s being approached."

Luo Qianqian turned her head and smiled slightly at Luo Shufan, saying, "If you’re not afraid of being skinned alive by Grandpa and Grandma, go ahead and bring out the pictures."

She raised her eyebrows provocatively, looking at the people behind Luo Shufan: "I don’t mind if you get beaten up."

Luo Yanran cooperatively stepped forward, throwing an arm around Luo Shufan’s neck: "Yo, Fifteen, tell your brother about this charcoal business?"

Luo Shufan instantly felt stumped, all right, he would always lose when dealing with Luo Qianqian. After all, she was always the one being protected.

As they got closer to entering the arena, the seven of them exchanged glances. However, what was reflected in their eyes was not unease or fear, but excitement, curiosity, and passion.

After such a long period of training, Luo Shufan was eager to test his skills. Last time, Nine Heavens Pavilion rose to fame due to Luo Qianqian; this time, they would place Nine Heavens Pavilion at the continent’s pinnacle!

Inside the arena, Luo Qianqian instinctively looked for her grandparents in the audience, but unexpectedly spotted Lin Jiayou, smiling as he guided them into the waiting area.

Suddenly, her eyes widened: "Brother Jiayou? What are you doing here?"

Lin Jiayou pressed his index finger to his lips, softly whispering, "Shhh..."

As they walked, he quietly explained to Luo Qianqian, who was beside him, "I was planning to head back. Then I happened to see a job posting. I heard they were hiring people to serve in the Sect Competition, so I came to check it out. Later... I ran out of money, so I had to keep working."

"Lin Jiayou, are you an idiot?" Luo Qianqian whispered vehemently after a moment of silence, unapologetically chastising him despite being his sister.

"Doesn’t Forget Worries Tea House have a branch in Southern Li? You could have contacted someone there to confirm your identity and returned, right?"

Massaging her temples, Luo Qianqian felt a headache coming on. Who did Lin Jiayou live his life for to end up like this?

"I’ll tell you more later. For now, focus on the competition and be careful of that chubby steward."

After saying this, Lin Jiayou gracefully led the group to their seats and departed without a hint of hesitation.

"What’s going on?" Luo Shufan, sensing something amiss, promptly furrowed his brows and approached Luo Qianqian to ask quietly.

"I’ll explain later. Be wary of a chubby steward. I don’t know why, but just be cautious," Luo Qianqian replied, certain that Lin Jiayou wouldn’t warn them without reason. Whatever the issue was, it remained a mystery for now.

He Wenyu huffed, "With so many chubby people, how would we know which one he’s talking about?" Nodding towards Luo Qianqian with his chin.

Standing in the area were not just one or two robust figures. People often said broad-minded people are plump; however, in this world, only those who can’t cultivate would be overweight, accumulating useless fat.

For cultivators, why would a mere mortal be worth their caution?

Though they didn’t fully understand, it was wise to stay cautious; better safe than sorry.

Luo Yanhai, with a stern expression, remarked, "Aren’t we a bit few in number?"

Other rest areas were filled with dozens, while they only had a handful, appearing quite sparse. Luo Qianqian hadn’t even finished scanning the area when a deafening shout rang out: "Hey, Shiqi, I’m here to cheer for you!"

Bai Jian was being foolish.

Luo Qianqian looked up, then quickly lowered her head, pretending not to recognize the familiar figure in white. Wasn’t it their teammate Bai Jian from Star Path?

The large swath of white-clad figures around him drew countless eyes.

This white robe represented a sect, the Ten Thousand Swords Sect.

The Ten Thousand Swords Sect, having been one of the top three in the last competition, naturally had a strong following. Seeing such numbers gathered for a sect piqued much discussion and confusion.

Luo Qianqian found herself at a loss, a streak of black lines crossing her forehead.

"This idiot," Huangfu Yihui muttered, just as perplexed. To avoid drawing attention, he and Yann Yao both donned masks, each positioned on one side. Yan used special paint to draw patterns on their exposed skin, obscuring their true identities.

"I can’t stand him. Let’s pretend we don’t know him," Luo Qianqian mumbled as she calmly turned to observe other opponents, with Huangfu Yihui nodding in agreement. That idiot? Nobody recognized him...

"Strange, didn’t she hear me?" Bai Jian frowned slightly, holding a gift he had specifically brought from the sect as a token of thanks for Luo Qianqian’s past support.

With that in mind, he stood up again, ready to call Luo Qianqian’s attention.

"Senior Brother..." a young person next to him quickly grabbed Bai Jian’s sleeve, "They’re about to go on stage. Please, don’t cause a scene!"

"But..."

"Senior Brother, you’re just painting a target on Nine Heavens Pavilion." The young person continued persuading.

Noticing the expressions around him, Bai Jian sat back down. He was simply too excited from not seeing any familiar faces for a while, so he calmed down.

Meanwhile, Luo Qianqian quietly breathed a sigh of relief, muttering softly, "That scared me. I thought he was going to stand up and greet us..."