No matter what, the Hall Master's face had to be saved in front of the crowd. Answering with a "Yes," Jiang Beiran stepped into the line of Blue Heart Hall disciples. This time, Blue Heart Hall was sending a total of six disciples, including Jiang Beiran—two for chess, two for martial combat, one for swordplay, and one for leg techniques.

From the selection of participants, it was clear just how varied the events of the Young Heroes Tournament were. There were specialized competitions for sword techniques, blade techniques, palm techniques, and so on... But the most prestigious event was undoubtedly the comprehensive martial combat competition.

No matter what moves or weapons you used, you could step onto this stage to face off against your opponent. The final victor would naturally be the strongest among all the disciples. Compared to Blue Heart Hall's meager six participants, the neighboring Water Mirror Hall had far more.

Just the musicians playing instruments like the pipa, fiddle, xiao, flute, se, and zither numbered over a dozen. Add in ensemble performances, group singing, and martial combat, and the total came to a full twenty-eight disciples—the most among all twenty-four halls.

"Senior Brother Jiang, I hope you can give me some pointers on the way there."

Seeing Senior Brother Jiang standing beside him, Mo Xia spoke softly. As a nominal disciple who was rarely present in the hall, not only had many female disciples from Water Mirror Hall never seen Jiang Beiran before, but even within Blue Heart Hall, many disciples had little interaction with him. Mo Xia, however, was an exception.

Mo Xia was the other chess player representing Blue Heart Hall. As a disciple who had often played chess in Blue Heart Pavilion even before the collaboration with Water Mirror Hall, he had seen Jiang Beiran many times.

But his understanding of this senior brother was limited to the fact that Jiang Beiran didn’t play against other disciples in the main hall—instead, he always sought out Hall Master Cheng for matches. Hall Master Cheng's skill was acknowledged by all Blue Heart Hall disciples as peerless.

Even if he played against a hundred opponents simultaneously, he could still dominate them effortlessly. Thus, Mo Xia was deeply curious about this senior brother who had earned Hall Master Cheng's recognition. Seeing Mo Xia initiate the conversation, Jiang Beiran replied, "Pointers are too strong a word.

Let’s just exchange insights." Jiang Beiran also had some impression of this Mo Xia. Last year, while playing chess with Hall Master Cheng, the latter had mentioned that a talented new disciple had recently joined and might become a worthy opponent for him in the future.

It seemed Hall Master Cheng’s eye for talent was as sharp as ever. Despite having joined Blue Heart Hall for only a year, Mo Xia was already selected as one of the chess representatives—proof of his rapid progress. The other four Blue Heart Hall disciples, however, had no impression of Jiang Beiran whatsoever.

After all, they specialized in martial arts. They were like four students preparing for the imperial exams—they might have heard of the top scorer in mock exams or which class had a particularly strong math prodigy, but they wouldn’t pay attention to which student played the zither exceptionally well or was a master at chess.

It wasn’t that they looked down on such things; it was simply that their paths didn’t intersect.

"Dang…"

Once the bell atop the peak ceased ringing, Zhang Heqing leaped down from the boulder and addressed the Blue Heart Hall group.

"Ascend the mountain."

Because the main peak housed the ancestral temple dedicated to past sect leaders, as a sign of respect, no one was permitted to fly up. Additionally, climbing the mountain required walking step by step without using any cultivation techniques. On the other side, Yu Manwen also gave the order for Water Mirror Hall’s disciples to begin their ascent.

Thus, the two halls’ disciples set off together up the mountain path. But as they climbed, the number of Water Mirror Hall disciples seemed to grow larger and larger.

"Junior Sister Ye, watch your step. The path up Rising Cloud Peak is deliberately uneven to temper disciples. Be careful not to slip."

"Thank you, Senior Brother Lin. You’re so knowledgeable."

"It’s nothing… just trivial things I’ve picked up."

"Not at all! Caier thinks it’s always useful to know a little bit of everything. See? It’s already helping me now."

"Being able to assist Junior Sister Ye is my honor!"

"Junior Sister Ye, come this way. I checked beforehand—this path is the easiest."

"Wow, Senior Brother Yan, you’re so well-prepared! How thoughtful."

"It’s nothing, Junior Sister Ye flatters me."

"Junior Sister Ye, don’t listen to his nonsense. This guy only knows this path because he came here last time."

"Lin! Are you trying to ruin my reputation again? I discovered this path just the other day. Got a problem with that?"

"What? You wanna fight?"

"Caier doesn’t want to see two senior brothers arguing because of me. Please don’t fight, okay?"

"We’re not fighting, we’re not fighting."

"We’re just bantering. No need to worry, Junior Sister Ye." …

"Tsk…"

Watching the scene unfold before him, Jiang Beiran decisively slowed his pace to distance himself from the crowd. There was no helping it—the overwhelming mix of hormones and the scent of tea was simply too much for him to handle.

As he retreated, he noticed that Liu Zijin and the other four girls were also surrounded by a swarm of valiant male disciples. Jiang Beiran couldn’t help but feel relieved that he had drawn a clear line with them last time.

He had initially been worried about how to respond if Liu Zijin and the others suddenly greeted him on the way. Now, it seemed his concerns were entirely unfounded. No wonder the System didn’t present me with any options this time.

Looks like they’ve already forgotten about me.

Thank heavens.

By the time they reached the mountainside, Water Mirror Hall’s procession had grown into a massive parade. Nearly every female disciple had a—no, a male disciple fussing over her, showcasing just how united and loving the disciples of Heart Returning Sect were.

"Junior Sister Ye, are you thirsty? I brought some honey water. Would you like some?"

"Senior Brother Lin is so thoughtful, but Caier isn’t thirsty yet."

"Alright, just let me know when you are. I’ll keep it chilled for you."

"Thank you, Senior Brother Lin."

After thanking Senior Brother Lin, Ye Xincai’s gaze once again drifted toward Liu Zijin’s direction. Hmph, what a fake. She clings to Senior Brother Kong while seducing Senior Brother Pang, yet still acts all pure and innocent.

And these senior brothers are so stupid, falling for her act. As the former "flower of the hall" in Water Mirror Hall, Ye Xincai had once been the dream of every male disciple in Heart Returning Sect. Many would wait outside Water Mirror Hall for an entire day just to catch a glimpse of her.

Even the most talented young men in the hall would find all sorts of excuses to fawn over her—including Kong Annan, the most formidable among them. What did it matter that he had earned the title of "Spear Armybreaker" at such a young age? Hadn’t he still groveled at her feet?

But everything changed after that Liu Zijin entered the hall. Kong Annan no longer came to "pay his respects" to her every day, instead orbiting around that little vixen. Even the senior brothers who used to detour just to see her when visiting Water Mirror Hall had all changed their routes.

Now, the ones surrounding Liu Zijin were practically the most elite young disciples in the sect, while those left around her were merely the leftovers who knew they couldn’t compete with the more powerful senior brothers. The more she thought about it, the more fiercely the flames of jealousy burned in Ye Xincai’s heart.

"Haah…"

Exhaling deeply, Ye Xincai suddenly turned her gaze toward Jiang Beiran, who was lagging far behind. It’s probably impossible, but that Liu girl seems to have some special feelings for this no-name Blue Heart Hall disciple…

Earlier, when everyone else had curiously looked at Jiang Beiran, Ye Xincai had kept her eyes fixed on her "rival" and noticed a different light in Liu Zijin’s gaze when looking at him compared to other male disciples. Maybe just curiosity? No, it’s not that simple…

Hmph, let me test her. Having made up her mind, Ye Xincai broke away from the group. Ignoring the puzzled looks from the senior brothers, she turned and walked toward Jiang Beiran.

"Um… if I remember correctly, you’re Senior Brother Jiang, right?"

As she spoke, Ye Xincai’s peripheral vision remained locked on Liu Zijin. To her surprise, not only Liu Zijin but also the four other girls she found equally irritating all turned their heads simultaneously. Though they quickly pretended to casually glance around, that initial synchronized gaze toward Senior Brother Jiang was unmistakable.

"Oh-ho… interesting."

Confident in her guess, Ye Xincai immediately flashed Jiang Beiran an even more enchanting smile.

Damn it!

Why is this woman coming after me… Among all the female disciples in Water Mirror Hall, Jiang Beiran had pegged this one as the most "combat-ready." He had already retreated so far—how could he still catch her attention?

Does she have some kind of collection fetish? Does she need to conquer every male disciple in Blue Heart Hall to feel satisfied? Jiang Beiran’s thoughtful expression, in Ye Xincai’s eyes, translated to being stunned by her charm.

Nearly every time she greeted an unfamiliar male disciple, they would freeze up like this.

"I noticed Senior Brother lagging behind, so I came to see if you needed any hel—ah!"

As she spoke and stepped closer to Jiang Beiran, Ye Xincai suddenly lost her footing, stumbling toward him. At the same time, three options appeared before Jiang Beiran.

[Option 1: Catch Ye Xincai in your arms. Reward: Ten Thousand Armies Holy Seal (Earth Grade, Mid Tier)] [Option 2: Steady Ye Xincai. Reward: Phantom Dragon Claw Manual (Mysterious Grade, High Tier)] [Option 3: Dodge swiftly. Reward: Random Basic Attribute Point +1] (End of Chapter)