Inside the room, Ming Yi enveloped Fan and Chu with pure white Yuan Power until Yan Xiao finished suturing all their wounds and applying medicine.

Yan Xiao looked at her. “You should release it now. If you deplete too much Yuan Power, how will you compete tomorrow?”

She slowly withdrew her palms but said coldly, “For others, an hour of Yuan Power use might be a great consumption, but it’s nothing to me. Tomorrow, I’ll still step on their heads and claim victory.”

If before she was only competing for money, now Ming Yi’s desire to win came from the depths of her heart. She even began to recall the faces of today’s competitors and the city emblems they wore. A flash of black flickered through her pure white Yuan Power.

Yan Xiao sensed her heavy killing intent and was about to advise her when a clear voice rang out from outside: “Ming Yi, Ming Yi!”

The killing intent instantly dissipated. Ming Yi turned to see Xiu Yun rushing towards her, tears on her small face, worriedly looking her up and down before finally sighing in relief. “I heard people say you broke the rules and Yuyue City was going to punish you.”

“Yuyue City is only hosting the Six-City Tournament. They don’t have the authority to punish cultivators from other cities.” Ming Yi’s eyes sparkled as she patted Xiu Yun’s head. “You seem to have become more powerful.”

Xiu Yun beamed. “Really? I’ve learned to cook more dishes recently, and I’ve even learned double-sided embroidery…”

“No, I mean your Yuan Power seems to have become stronger.” She examined Xiu Yun’s meridians, raising her eyebrows in surprise. “Has someone opened your meridians?”

“What do you mean, opened my meridians?” Xiu Yun asked innocently. “Recently, I’ve just been practicing some techniques with Master Zheng Tiao occasionally.”

She wasn’t like Ming Yi; how could she have Yuan Power?

Mindful of the injured in the room, Ming Yi led her to the courtyard. She released a bit of Yuan Power from her fingertip and said, “Try to take this from three steps away.”

How could she take it from so far? Xiu Yun hesitated, instinctively reaching out.

Then, she saw cyan-blue Yuan Power emanating from her fingertips. With a hook, she pulled Ming Yi’s white Yuan Power towards her.

Startled, Xiu Yun nearly lost her balance and almost fell to the ground.

Zheng Tiao and Ji Bozai, standing nearby, also witnessed this. Zheng Tiao quickly stepped forward to steady Xiu Yun, shocked. “Why didn’t you say earlier that you had Yuan Power?”

“I… I didn’t know!” Xiu Yun was just as shocked. “I’ve never tried this before.”

Although she had studied Yuan Power and cultivators due to her role as a Fengrila Girl, she had never considered it for herself. Recently, she had been practicing with Zheng Tiao, but only as his training partner. She had nearly cried when she got hurt a few days ago, hardly seeming like a cultivator.

Ming Yi came over smiling, patting her head. “Women are born with Yuan Power just like men, but many have never practiced, so they can’t use it. You’re a natural talent. Your cyan-blue primordial Yuan Power already matches many who have trained for years.”

Xiu Yun’s eyes brightened but soon dimmed again. How could she, a girl, practice Yuan Power? People would gossip, she wouldn’t be able to marry, and she’d have no one to rely on in old age.

However, Zheng Tiao excitedly grasped her hands, his gaze more intense than ever before. “Practice well. I’ll handle any problems that arise.”

Xiu Yun was stunned. “You… you’re not afraid of being looked down upon for marrying someone with Yuan Power?”

Zheng Tiao frowned. “Yuan Power is a good thing, and those who have it are capable people. What’s there to look down upon? Those who look down on you are just people who don’t have it themselves and don’t want you to have it either.”

The gloom in her heart gradually dispersed. Xiu Yun cheered and hugged his neck. As long as he didn’t mind her practicing Yuan Power, she had nothing to worry about.

Aware of the many onlookers, Zheng Tiao coughed lightly and quickly pulled her down, mumbling, “Don’t talk about marriage in front of all these people. We’ll discuss it later.”

“What’s wrong with talking about it? In my view, if you like someone, you should marry them and grow old together. I have feelings for you, so I hope you’re willing to marry me. I’ll just say it directly,” Xiu Yun said matter-of-factly.

Ji Bozai’s eyebrows twitched as he listened.

He found her words absurd. Why did one have to marry to grow old together? Couldn’t people grow old together without marrying? And it sounded like not wanting to marry meant not having feelings for her. He hoped Ming Yi hadn’t taken it to heart.

He nervously glanced to the side.

Ming Yi’s gaze was calm but with a hint of envy.

Ji Bozai thought, “Oh no, Ming Yi feels the same way.”

But he didn’t want to marry. Marriage was too troublesome, confining oneself to a home for the rest of one’s life, so unfree. He’d rather drink wine under the moon, watch stars by the lake, and live a carefree life.

Just as he was about to correct her thinking, Ming Yi suddenly became serious and said to him, “I will participate in every remaining competition.”

Ji Bozai was startled, then smiled. “What a coincidence, I just told Master the same thing.”

“The competitions for the next two days require three people. You, me, and Luo Jiaoyang will be enough. But the day after tomorrow, there’s a competition that requires four people.”

“I’ve thought about it. Let’s have Meng Yangqiu…”

“No,” Ming Yi said. “I want to bring Fan Yao and Chu He.”

Ji Bozai was stunned. Nearby, Qin Shangwu also froze. “Bring them? How?”

“Their flesh wounds are severe, but more importantly, their Yuan Power is depleted, damaging their meridians,” Ming Yi explained. “I can wrap them in Yuan Power and carry them on my back. This way, we can complete the competition and use others’ Yuan Power to nourish their meridians.”

The idea was good. After all, neither her nor Ji Bozai’s Yuan Power was purple, so they couldn’t directly infuse it into Fan and Chu’s meridians. Luo Jiaoyang’s Yuan Power was limited and needed for later competitions. The best solution was to bring them to the arena to absorb the excess purple Yuan Power from others.

However, the four-person competition was already challenging. Not only would they be two people short, but they’d also be carrying two burdens. How could they compete like that?

Qin Shangwu shook his head repeatedly. Luo Jiaoyang also disagreed. Everyone around thought she was being unrealistic.

But Ji Bozai stroked his chin and said, “Interesting. It achieves multiple goals. We can try it.”

Her eyes lit up with a smile as Ming Yi looked at him. “I can guarantee the people on my back won’t be jostled. Can you?”

“Who are you underestimating? I’m much better than you now.”

They stood facing each other, exchanging smiles. This made Qin Shangwu even more anxious. “We’re here to win the competition. If we do this and lose, it won’t be worth it.”

Bo Yuankui’s words today, though cruel, weren’t entirely wrong. Everyone who came here was prepared. Perhaps Fan Yao and Chu He’s injuries meant they could never compete in the Six-City Tournament again, but they chose this path themselves. He felt sad but couldn’t change anything, nor should he try to change it.