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They are rivals with each other, but the moment a cultivator from the Central Continent made their move, the North and South Continents became one. They had to stand together against the enemy.

Just say that in this Heavenly Venerate Mansion competition, the Four Divine Beasts Stairway, if it weren't for Lin Qi and Tan Yueqing, all the limelight would be taken by cultivators from Zhongzhou. At that time, their faces would be lost, how could they raise their heads in front of Zhongzhou cultivators?

This competition was just humiliating, next time we'll lose our allocated resources.

Both the north and south continents have huddled together for warmth for ten thousand years, naturally distinguishing between light and heavy.

After the grand competition, the atmosphere which should have been exceptionally lively was completely disrupted by the intrusion of cultivators from Zhongzhou.

The judges hastily planned the scoring system to determine the rankings and allocated the rewards to each category before quickly retreating.

This move by Zhongzhou really caught people off guard.

Not everyone, like the esteemed Grandmaster Guangmu, gathered the dispersed disciples of various sects at Nanbei Tianzun's Mansion for protection.

Besides bringing the middle-ranking members of their respective sects, other sects only had simple protection arrangements.

Wandering between the North and South Sects is acceptable, but if a cultivator from Zhongzhou ambushes halfway, staging another surprise attack, no one would be able to withstand it.

Not everyone has thousands of cultivators protecting them, nor does every family ancestor arrive so promptly. Nor can they cleave through the attacks of five Mahayana venerables with a single sword stroke.

Having received the reward, each sect leader led their disciples in retreat.

The Xuanji Sect also proposed to travel with the Tianyi Sect, hoping to take advantage of the Tianyi Sect's protective power.

The two sects have always had a mutually supportive relationship. Taiji Venerable summoned Huize Daojun and Tianxuan Daojun to discuss and agreed to Xuanjizong's request.

On the way, I encountered two Mahayana cultivators who were sent to provide support. That's when we parted ways and returned to our respective sects.

When he safely returned to Tianyi Sect, Guangmu Zhenjun had already prepared a grand welcoming ceremony.

Lin Qi and Tan Yueqing and others received an unprecedentedly warm welcome.

I was smiling so much on the way back to the sect, my face must have been aching.

Tan Yueqing, after ascending to the Lu Bingfeng summit, immediately made a high-profile announcement that she had gained some insights and would retreat to cultivate until the Five Continents Competition.

Lin Qi was a little slow to respond, and the next day she was invited to numerous banquets for drinking, appreciating flowers... She attended at least ten banquets a day, running around non-stop.

Even in the cultivation world, it's important to cultivate relationships.

Lin Qi's stunning victory at the grand competition between the North and South continents not only brought honor to Tianyi Sect, but also breathed fresh air into both Southern and Northern Continents.

She pushed everything that she could, but when it came to invitations from the elderly, Linyu sects, and Beizhou clans, Lin Qi had no choice but to represent Tianyi Sect and show her face.

It was only then that she realized, Tan Yueqing's announcement of seclusion was just an excuse to get away from the hustle and bustle.

Lin Qi climbed to the peak of the sect leader's mountain overnight the next day and had a late-night private conversation with Guangmu True Monarch. He intended to request seclusion, but he received another piece of news instead.

"...Due to the grand competition between the two states within Tianshen Mansion, which spanned several years, and further compounded by the sea beast disaster in Dongzhou and the snow calamity in Xizhou..."

Guang Mu Zhenjun had a mouthful of food and then calmly added, "Over the past two years, evil cultivators have been rampant in both the north and south continents. This has also damaged some of the vitality."

Therefore, the five continents jointly discussed and decided to set the time for the Five Continents Competition two years later.

Lin Qi wasn't concerned about when the grand competition would be held. She was more interested in another matter, "It's such a coincidence that all four continents have something going on?"

Guang Mu Zhenjun looked at her meaningfully and slowly said, "Yes, it's such a coincidence."

Since the end of the first Five Continents Competition, for countless millennia that followed, each subsequent Five Continents Competition would be postponed due to this or that reason, and coincidences would always occur at critical moments...

Competitions taking place within the five continents usually relate to resource allocation.

From exploring secret realms to shared spaces across five continents, every confrontation determines the power balance among the five regions.

Zhongzhou won first place in the first big competition, and then firmly held onto the resources that came with being first.

Besides, Zhongzhou enjoys a superior geographical location. The natural spiritual energy within its borders surpasses that of the other four regions, leading to a larger number of high-level cultivators and a stronger overall power. If not for occasional celestial beings descending from the heavens to disrupt the balance, the other four continents would be constantly suppressed by Zhongzhou.

The strong overcome the weak.

The weak prey on the weak, that is the norm of the five continents.

It's become a vicious cycle.

Lin Qi, hearing this, doesn't understand anything else?

It's feared that the ambush at the gate of the Heavenly Palace of North and South wasn't a sudden occurrence, but a carefully planned one.

It is impossible for Zhongzhou to be placed between two continents without ears.

Grandmaster Guomǔ told Lin Qi, "At the Two Continents Grand Competition, the cultivators from the South and North Continents were clearly still far behind those from the Central Continent. We, with the North Continent, have decided to take advantage of these two years to specially train a batch of outstanding disciples."

"Special training?"

Lin Qi was slightly surprised, but seemed to understand Liuzhou's urgency.

“Yes. Select a comfortable place, and have each sect nominate several Mahayana cultivators to gather together. Then, select some outstanding disciples from this competition and provide them with specialized instruction.”

This kind of instruction is definitely not a cramming of repetitive training, it's likely that these Mahayana monks would have to use all their life's knowledge and skills to specifically cultivate their disciples.

Even without the name of master and disciple, after this special training, there will be the reality of a master-disciple relationship.

Every cultivator has their own trump card, especially those who have cultivated to the Mahayana realm, each having developed their own unique cultivation system.

Let them teach their disciples without any reservations, without the title of master and apprentice... Both the north and south continents have really invested heavily in this Five Continents Grand Competition; they are determined to win at all costs!

Lin Qi's eyes lit up. "Will the Ancestor be going too?"

Great Master Guangmu nodded slightly. "I was just about to ask you, will you participate in this special training?"

Lin Qi was surprised. "I thought this was compulsory? Turns out you can choose?"

Master Guangmu: "..."

I should have known better than to ask.

To be replaced later

She was unwilling to reveal that Lin Qiling's spirit had returned, and changed the subject to Lin Jian.

Grandma's relieved heart was lifted again.

Tomorrow, Aunt will prepare the ceremony for Lin Jie to take a concubine and bring that mother-daughter pair into the house.

"This isn't right, is it?" Grandmother was on edge; she absolutely wouldn't allow Gong Shaojun to back down in this matter.

"After all, he is Lin Jue's son, raised outside, not well-mannered."

Gong Shaojun knew what the Lin family was afraid of and said calmly, "Grand Aunt, please rest assured, I also have requirements."

For some reason, when she heard this from Gong Shaojun, Granny Gu took a deep breath of relief.

"That mother and daughter can be entered into the Lin family genealogy, and enjoy the same offerings as ordinary Lin descendants." Gong Shaojun lowered his eyes to stare at the tea leaves swirling in his cup, his emotions uncertain.

She also wonders, without Xiaqi's aura to plunder and the hardships that tempered her spirit, how would a child of heaven's favor, bestowed with such blessings, grow step by step?

After Xiaqi left the Lin family, her position as head of the family was still reserved for her, and all the Lin family's resources were prioritized to support her.

"Of course!" Upon hearing this request, the great-grandmother didn't wait for Gong Shaojun to finish speaking before enthusiastically agreeing.

Both Grand Aunt and Lin Jue must swear a soul oath, to devote their whole hearts and minds to assisting Xiao Qi in this lifetime. Should they harbor any second thoughts, their souls shall be extinguished!

Great-grandmother's face turned ashen, but thinking of the Lin family's situation, she gritted her teeth and agreed.

OK!