As those words fell, a deathly silence gripped the high platform.
Cang Dongqing’s face was ashen, her lips trembling, but she could no longer utter a single word.
Bu Qingwei’s words had pierced her heart, shattering her arguments—and those of all the other dissenters—beyond recognition.
It was true; the loophole was right there. Why could others utilize it while they could not? Was it really right to blame the rules for being unfair? That, in itself, was a manifestation of incompetence!
Li Nanyi and the others felt as if they were being choked, their faces full of indignation, yet they had no way to rebut him.
Immortal Venerable Ling Xiao’s face was dark, and Gong Yang looked grim. The other sect leaders and elders wore various expressions, but since Bu Qingwei had put it that way and taken responsibility for the oversight in the rules, continuing to argue would only make them seem petty and like sore losers.
"Hmph!" Ling Xiao let out a cold snort and swept his sleeves as he sat down, signaling his tacit acceptance of the result.
Seeing this, the other sects had no choice but to suppress their frustration and accept this outcome, which was as absurd as it was logical.
The disciples of the Five Elements Dao Sect, the Hehuan Sect, and the Water Moon Sect erupted into even more fervent cheers!
"We won! We won!"
"Sect Leader Bu is wise!"
"Long live Junior Sister!"
Li Nanzhu was surrounded by her senior brothers and sisters, her small face flushed with excitement and her eyes sparkling.
Liu Qingyang triumphantly tilted his chin at Li Nanyi, making the latter nearly faint from rage.
Duan Xianxing was even more excited, dancing and gesturing wildly.
Mu Wenyan looked at his cheering juniors with a gratified smile, while Rong Yuying, Chu Chenzhou, and the others also found it difficult to hide their joy.
On the high platform, the cheers and the silence formed a sharp contrast.
The disciples of the three winning sects were jubilant, celebrating this hard-won victory.
In contrast, the disciples of sects like the Sword Heart Sect and the Tianyan Sect looked miserable, their atmosphere oppressive.
However, in the elimination zone, the disciples who had been knocked out earlier had rather complex feelings.
Ji Yanzhi of the Wuji Sect and Qin Lie of the Beast Taming Sect were currently standing in a corner of the elimination zone, watching the commotion and silence on the high platform from afar.
Ji Yanzhi’s originally gloomy expression had gradually calmed after hearing Bu Qingwei’s remark about "incompetent people blaming the uneven road," especially after seeing those nearly absurd scores. A faint, almost imperceptible trace of self-mockery even touched the corners of his mouth.
"A rule loophole... Heh, so that was it," Ji Yanzhi murmured to himself, shaking his head.
Before, he had been brooding over being "designed" out of the competition by the Five Elements Dao Sect, considering it a great humiliation.
But looking at it now, even if he hadn't been eliminated then and had stayed in the secret realm, he probably wouldn't have thought of—let alone dared to—exploit such a loophole in the rules.
After all, this was no longer a simple matter of a gap in strength; it was a total crushing of strategy and audacity. Losing to such unconventional methods seemed... not so embarrassing after all?
And that little girl from the Five Elements Dao Sect, Li Nanzhu, really was... a bit uncanny.
Thinking this way, much of the resentment in his heart dissipated.
He had been outmatched; he could accept the defeat.
Moreover, seeing guys like Qu Chen and Pei Ji, who usually walked with their noses in the air, looking so frustrated now, he actually felt... a bit refreshed?
Besides, even though the Wuji Sect was at the bottom, they weren't the only ones; the Xuan Tian Sect was behind them!
The team battle was only in its first round; there were still opportunities later!
Next to him, Qin Lie’s expression was even more vivid.
He first stared wide-eyed at those terrifying scores, and then, after hearing Bu Qingwei’s explanation, the muscles on his face twitched a few times before finally settling into a helpless, wry smile.
"Damn... you can play like that?" Qin Lie rubbed his chest, which still hurt slightly, and spat. "I didn't lose for nothing! This is a different league altogether!"
He had thought Mu Wenyan’s final move was sneaky, but compared to Li Nanzhu’s score-padding loophole, it was like a small sorcerer meeting a great one!
With this comparison, he suddenly felt that Mu Wenyan was quite an honest fellow—at least he used tricks during a direct confrontation.
Furthermore, although the Beast Taming Sect’s points were dismal, it was better than coming away empty-handed. Thinking about it this way, he actually felt it was alright. At least he looked better than those "strong" guys with ashen faces who had stayed until the last moment only to be toyed with by the rules.
The two looked at each other and actually saw a trace of mutual sympathy and strange relief in each other’s eyes.
There were benefits to being eliminated early; at least they didn't have to fall from the heights of expectation to the depths of disappointment like Cang Dongqing and the others, and they certainly didn't have to endure being called incompetent.
On the other side, the disciples of the Shenmu Sect were much calmer.
Jiang Zhi, leading the team, looked at the rankings on the light screen and merely raised an eyebrow, speaking plainly to the juniors beside him. "Seventh place. It's not much different from our previous estimate."
The other Shenmu Sect disciples nodded one after another, their faces showing little loss or indignation.
The Shenmu Sect was an alchemy-focused sect; this kind of competition didn't allow them to display their greatest advantages, so they were quite detached regarding the rankings.
They had a clear understanding of their own strength. Taking seventh in the team battle was within the range of normal performance.
The Five Elements Dao Sect's ability to discover and exploit a loophole was their own skill. They wouldn't feel it was unfair or be jealous; instead, they felt a bit of admiration for Li Nanzhu, whom they already liked.
After all, on the path of cultivation, fortune and wisdom were equally important.
In comparison, the disciples of the Xuan Tian Sect were all dejected, their faces grey with defeat. Coming in last was a heavy blow to them.
As for Huixin and the other disciples of the Mingguang Sect, although their sixth-place ranking wasn't too bad, they were also quite unwilling in their hearts. It was only due to their Buddhist cultivation that they didn't show it, though the disappointment in their eyes was hard to hide.
Bu Qingwei looked at the various expressions of the people below the stage, his heart also filled with mixed emotions.
This year’s Sect Competition, because of the Five Elements Dao Sect and because of the "variable" that was Li Nanzhu, was truly... magnificent and far beyond expectations.
He took a deep breath, suppressing his internal reflections. His gaze swept over the entire venue, and once the noise had slightly subsided, he spoke loudly once more, his voice clearly reaching every corner of the high platform.
"The first round of the team battle concludes here! The performance of each sect's disciples... was remarkable." He paused, a trace of almost imperceptible helplessness and determination in his tone as he continued, "However, given the... unforeseen circumstances that occurred during this round of the team battle, to ensure that subsequent matches are more fair and rigorous, it has been decided through consultation among the sect leaders—"
Bu Qingwei’s voice rose a notch, carrying an unquestionable authority.
"The second round of the team battle, originally scheduled to begin tomorrow, will be postponed and held three days from now!"
As soon as these words were spoken, a low clamor of surprise and discussion immediately broke out below the stage.
A delay?
Everyone was stunned for a moment before they all realized the reason. Their gazes turned unanimously toward Li Nanzhu, who was still surrounded by her seniors in the Five Elements Dao Sect's team.
The reason was self-evident.
Clearly, Li Nanzhu’s slick move of "points-farming through a rule loophole" had terrified all the other sects!
They were going to hold emergency meetings overnight to fix the loophole and apply a "patch" to prevent similar incidents from happening again!
Rate on N.U.
