The sun blazed overhead, the ranking battle arena alive with noise and clamor!

All the smaller platforms had been abandoned and dismantled entirely, with several thousand spectators packed shoulder to shoulder around the central arena. Beside the judges’ platform, three enormous red curtains hung down, as though descended from the heavens, immense in scale.

One curtain displayed row upon row of neatly arranged names — the very same roster from before. The names of every clan that had been eliminated were now crossed out with a massive red “X,” leaving only the three great clans and the Hai clan untouched. It was a banner of shame.

The other curtain likewise displayed rows of neatly written names, with four lines left blank at the top. Starting from the fifth line down, each row began with a sequence number, followed by the clan’s surname, and then the individual’s name.

This curtain held both glory and shame combined — Liuxian Island’s newly updated clan ranking, showing at a glance who had fallen behind and who had risen.

Only the top four positions remained unfilled — and in truth, what was really being contested was the top three.

For anyone ranked below third place, the fight was to break into the top three. But for those already in the top three, the fight was unmistakably for first place alone.

Whether rising or falling in rank, the impact would ripple through an entire generation of the clan — a lasting effect. But for whoever held first place, the consequences were most immediate of all, because the moment they lost, the very first thing they’d have to do was surrender Liuxian Mountain, surrender the great estate atop it.

Today, how many eyes must be fixed on every single member of the Gu clan!

The third curtain remained blank — soon, the results of the drawing would be written across it, visible from every corner of the spectator stands, and the losers would be crossed out with an “X” for all to see.

The guest seats of honor had now been moved directly opposite the judges’ platform. City Lord Situ watched Situ Haonan with a cold eye, displeasure lurking beneath his gaze, while Situ Xin’er had already noticed Jun Beiyue was nowhere to be seen.

“Father, where’s Beiyue? If Beiyue doesn’t show up, today really won’t be worth watching at all!”

“Is there anything in that head of yours besides Jun Beiyue?” City Lord Situ scolded coldly.

Situ Xin’er wasn’t the least bit afraid of him, and said earnestly, “Well, I’m just telling you now — I won’t marry anyone but Jun Beiyue. I’d even be willing to be his concubine. Wherever he goes, I’ll follow!”

City Lord Situ was rendered speechless with fury. Situ Xin’er gave a cold snort and turned her head away, ignoring him entirely.

The seats for the Hai clan and the three great clans had all been moved to the arena itself, positioned on either side of the platform. The Yu and Hai clans sat to the right, the Bai and Gu clans to the left.

At the center of the arena stood an enormous golden basin, wide-mouthed and shallow, ensuring everyone could see clear down to the bottom. At the moment, the basin sat entirely empty, waiting for the two Qinse elders to drop in the bamboo lot-sticks.

The drawing used specially made bamboo sticks, with the numbers written on the underside of the bark, requiring the bark to be peeled away to reveal them — a system designed, to some degree, to prevent tampering.

Those who drew matching numbers would be paired together, with a representative from each clan stepping forward to draw and handing the stick to the judge to be opened and examined publicly!

The two Qinse elders personally oversaw the entire process — cheating in the midst of this would be no easy feat at all.

Gu, Bai, Yu, Hai — for these four great clans, the pairings mattered enormously!

Given how lopsided the current balance of power was, whoever ended up facing whom would, in most cases, essentially determine the outcome without even needing to fight!

For this reason, in a sense, this particular drawing had drawn an unusual amount of attention, and both Qinse elders took it with the utmost seriousness.

At that moment, the various clans were filing into the arena one after another. Before everyone had even taken their seats, Bai Feiyao’s sharp eyes caught sight of Jun Beiyue’s absence, and she immediately gave a cold sneer. “Well, it seems the Gu clan really does have hidden talent lurking about after all! Even some random senior disciple can hold his own single-handedly — quite the embarrassment for the rest of us by comparison! Father, why don’t we just forfeit outright?”

The moment she said this, all eyes instantly turned to the Gu clan’s group!

Patriarch Gu walked at the front, with no sign of Jun Beiyue behind him, no sign of the three hall masters either — instead, a handful of utterly unremarkable young disciples, and only after them came Ziqing and Situ Haonan.

Such a lineup — there was no denying it — was, without a doubt, the weakest group in the entire arena.

Faced with Bai Feiyao’s provocation, Ziqing paid her no mind at all. Just then, the Yu clan patriarch couldn’t help but speak up as well. “Patriarch Gu, the roster you submitted clearly listed Jun Beiyue — so where is he now?”

“The drawing hasn’t even happened yet — why is the Yu patriarch already so eager to lose?” Patriarch Gu shot back coldly, his own commanding presence still very much intact.

Ziqing glanced over, finally somewhat satisfied, and settled lazily into her seat. The space between her and Situ Haonan sat empty — needless to say, everyone could tell it was reserved for Jun Beiyue.

“Patriarch Gu is certainly confident. Seems it’s just as young Feiyao said — your house really does have hidden talent lurking about. The Yu clan is thoroughly impressed, thoroughly impressed!” the Yu patriarch said with a mocking laugh, only then taking his seat.

Ziqing’s sharp gaze swept unhurriedly over the Hai clan’s group — the most low-key of them all, having said not a single word thus far.

On Liuxian Island, a place where clan hierarchy was so starkly evident, lesser clans typically bowed and scraped before the three great houses in humble deference. But Ziqing could tell — this Hai clan group was low-key without a trace of humility, every one of them a male disciple, and whether judging by their posture or the look in their eyes, these were clearly no ordinary disciples at all — they looked far more like soldiers specifically trained for battle.

One by one, everyone settled into their seats, and even the two Qinse elders kept glancing at the empty seat beside Ziqing. Not to mention outsiders — even Situ Haonan and the others had grown anxious on Ziqing’s behalf.

She’d said she wanted to stall for time, but here they already were, right at the arena, with everyone assembled, everyone seated — the drawing could begin at any moment!

What more was there left for her to stall?

“Han Ziqing, this isn’t remotely funny anymore — don’t tell me you actually want to lose!” Situ Haonan couldn’t help but whisper.

But Ziqing’s answer had nothing to do with the question at all. “Wait three days and three nights. If Jun Beiyue doesn’t come back, I’ll go find him myself.”

Situ Haonan felt his whole body tense with frustration, genuinely unable to understand how he’d ever taken a liking to a woman with such a bizarre temperament in the first place — and even less able to understand how Jun Beiyue had ever fallen in love with someone so strange!

She was going to worry everyone straight into an early grave, alive and well as she looked!

Just then, Elder Qin couldn’t hold back any longer either. “Gu, Bai, Yu, Hai — if everyone is now present, let us begin the drawing!”

The entire arena, thousands strong, knew perfectly well that Jun Beiyue hadn’t shown up. For Elder Qin to say such a thing now was plainly forcing Patriarch Gu’s hand, demanding an explanation.

What could Patriarch Gu possibly say? Could he say, wait, let’s wait for Jun Beiyue?

He instinctively glanced toward Ziqing, only to find her sitting with her head bowed, lost in some thought of her own. A surge of frustration rose up in Patriarch Gu at once — could this girl Han Ziqing not focus for even one moment, at a time like this?

Seeing Patriarch Gu offer no answer, Bai Feiyao couldn’t resist stepping in uninvited. “Patriarch Gu, could it be that Jun Beiyue intends to forfeit the singles match?”

“No!” Patriarch Gu blurted out anxiously.

“Then where is he?” the Yu patriarch demanded at once.

“Yes, where is he? Why hasn’t he arrived yet?” Elder Qin pressed as well.

“Just a moment, just a moment!” Patriarch Gu said, thoroughly embarrassed, glancing repeatedly toward Ziqing. Bai Feiyao refused to let it go. “How much longer must we wait? The ranking battle has never once waited for anyone — who does Jun Beiyue think he is?”

At those words, Ziqing finally, slowly lifted her head from her deep thoughts…