In the grand hall, Lu Ye humbly asked for advice, feeling somewhat confused about why Su Yuqing suddenly brought out such a pearl. Upon hearing his question, a slightly unnatural expression flashed across Su Yuqing's face: "You don't need to know what it is, just know that by consuming this pearl, you qualify to enter the Black Abyss." Lu Ye was speechless: "Since you have such means, why make it so complicated before." He didn't have to choose a Dao companion from the Immortal Spirit Peak, which was what was said on the surface, but if Lu Ye really had to choose, he could only choose Hai Tang. Then he was strung along for two months; if the date of the Black Abyss Martial Arts Meet wasn't approaching, he might not have taken out this pearl. Su Yuqing didn't look at him, just stared at the pearl in her hand, saying faintly: "If so, are you willing to help our domain participate in the Black Abyss Martial Arts Meet?" "That's naturally no problem." Lu Ye readily agreed, though he thought that even if he proposed to leave after the Black Abyss Martial Arts Meet, he wouldn't be much obstructed. But since our domain placed so much importance on the meet, he should lend a hand if he could. Anyway, he gained a lot from this trip to Mount Fangcun, as the four-level jade slip at Xiyuan Pavilion was of great significance to the current Nine Provinces. After thinking for a moment, he spoke up again: "However, I do have a request." "After the Martial Arts Meet, I would trouble you, senior, to send my senior sister and me back to the location where my senior sister fell at Mount Fangcun." This way, it would save him the trouble of finding the way home, and save quite a bit of time as well. "Okay!" Su Yuqing readily agreed, as this was not difficult for her, then shifted her focus: "You have a request, I have a request too." "First, do not mention the pearl to anyone! Second, I will publicly declare that you and Hai Tang are now Dao companions. Of course, this is false, only known to you, me, and Hai Tang. You can explain to your senior sister after leaving Mount Fangcun, but within Mount Fangcun, this must not be disclosed to anyone." Lu Ye frowned, a bit unsure of Su Yuqing's intentions. Su Yuqing didn't intend to explain much, but considering for a moment, she still said: "The Dwarf Race knows that to enter the Black Abyss, one must bear the aura of the race. When you enter the Black Abyss in the future without a Dao companion, there's no way to explain it to the outside, hence you must publicly claim you and Hai Tang as Dao companions. You don't need to take it seriously; it's just an excuse." Lu Ye understood, nodding slightly, acknowledging, it must be said that Su Yuqing had thought of things thoroughly. A bit worried, he said: "This won't affect Senior Sister Hai Tang's reputation, will it? What if she wants to become Dao companions with someone else later on..." "Future matters, we discuss in the future." Su Yuqing continued: "There is one more thing I need to clarify with you before you decide whether to go to the Black Abyss. I believe Hai Tang already mentioned that the Black Abyss Martial Arts Meet is not life-threatening." "Indeed!" Hai Tang did say that, and she also mentioned that the meet is not just about pure combat, but a contention under a set of complex rules. "In general, there is indeed no mortal danger, as it is a contention within the Dwarf Race. If there are frequent deaths, it is detrimental to the unity within the race. This is the result of the predecessors' efforts and also due to the special nature of the Black Abyss." "Generally?" Lu Ye keenly sensed something. "The normal situation is when our race's cultivator enters the Black Abyss, or someone who has cultivated jointly with our race and bears our race's aura enters the Black Abyss." Lu Ye understood: "Entering the Black Abyss by taking advantage like in my case is an abnormal situation!" Su Yuqing gently nodded: "So if you enter the Black Abyss, others will possess the Undying Body, but only you, will face real death!" "Understood!" Lu Ye realized. Su Yuqing said with surprise: "Even so, are you still willing to help our domain participate in the Martial Arts Meet?" She thought, even if Lu Ye was truly willing, he would surely weigh things before giving an answer. After all, entering the Black Abyss as she planned inherently had more disadvantages than other people, and he probably wouldn't agree. To her surprise, Lu Ye immediately replied as if he hadn't thought much: understood... This kid, what's his problem, he'd rather risk his life than choose a Dao companion on the Immortal Spirit Peak. Lu Ye said: "Where in this world is there something completely risk-free? Like the Taichu Realm, fraught with dangers, thousands of geniuses across domains went in, only a hundred or so came out alive. The risks of the Martial Arts Meet surely can't exceed that, right?" Honestly, although he had heard from Hai Tang that the meet posed no mortal danger, Lu Ye never took it to heart, as he inherently never considered this issue. To him, if he was truly participating, then it was to go all-out. He wouldn't overthink whether there was mortal danger or not. Cultivators tend to overthink and thus get confused, so often those with a simple mindset have fewer obstacles on the cultivation path. Su Yuqing was slightly taken aback, vaguely enlightened, but couldn't immediately put her finger on the exact thing. There was a light feeling in his palm when the crystal-clear orb fell into Lu Ye's hand. He casually pinched it between two fingers, failing to notice the slight tension in Su Yuqing's expression, as though the orb held great significance for her. Without waiting for her to speak, Lu Ye casually tossed the orb as if it were a sugar bean, consuming it whole. Su Yuqing's expression suddenly became unnatural. Lu Ye wasn't sure what the orb even was, but she couldn't explain it in detail, so she only said, "This orb is very important to me, it's not meant for you. Remember to return it to me after the Martial Arts Meet." "Understood!" Lu Ye responded, thinking that since he'd already swallowed it, would she not mind if he regurgitated it to return it later? But Su Yuqing had initially said that this thing needed to be ingested. Yet, it was apparent this orb was extremely important, considering a Sun Blaze Realm would go so far as to request its return. "There are five days remaining until the Martial Arts Meet. Here are the various rules of the meet; take a close look and familiarize yourself with them." Having said this, Su Yuqing handed Lu Ye a jade slip. Lu Ye accepted it, didn't immediately investigate it, and nodded, saying, "Then I shall take my leave." "No need to return to Sleeping Dragon Valley. Since I need to publicly announce your union with Hai Tang as Dao companions, going back there would not be appropriate. Stay here for now." Clearly, this was to create a false impression for others. For more chapters visıt 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝~𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖~𝕟𝕖𝕥 Lu Ye understood and did not refuse, following Su Yuqing's arrangement. Soon after, Su Yuqing led Lu Ye to a secret chamber and settled him there. Before leaving, Su Yuqing advised, "The orb you swallowed needs you to refine it with all your strength for five days; only then will you qualify to enter Black Abyss." "I understand," Lu Ye replied earnestly. Su Yuqing departed, and Lu Ye activated the chamber's restriction, sat cross-legged on the ground, attempting to refine the mysterious orb he'd swallowed while immersing his mind, exploring the contents of the jade slip. A short half-day later, Lu Ye was well-acquainted with the various rules of the Black Abyss Martial Arts Meet. Though Hai Tang had mentioned that the meet was a contest under specific complex rules, no matter how complicated these rules were, for someone like him at the Constellation stage, they were just something to memorize with a single glance. Indeed, it wasn't very simple, because this meet differed from Lu Ye's expectations, emphasizing the cooperation within teams; of course, individual strength was also important. No wonder the meet required the participation of nine people. Such a contest couldn't really be played with fewer participants. The more he understood these rules, the more Lu Ye anticipated this Martial Arts Meet. Such an interesting event, had it not been a chance encounter, he might never have come across it again in the future. However, for now, the situation in this main domain was at a disadvantage, as among the predetermined candidates, only Hai Tang was at the Constellation Mid-Stage, and everyone else was uniformly at the Constellation Early Stage. This was thanks to the emergence of someone like Hai Tang in this generation. Previously, participants from the main domain at least had all been at the Constellation Early Stage because only a few Constellations were born every fifty years, with no extra choices available. In contrast, the other two Dwarf Race troops, due to their domain's stronger foundation, produced more Constellations. While their teams might include some at the Constellation Early Stage, there's always at least one at the Constellation Mid-Stage, and occasionally a Constellation Late Stage appears! The three-way contest was basically between the South and West troops, with the East troop merely along for the ride, which would explain why the three Sun Blazes of the main domain were willing to lower their status to act, hoping to involve Lu Ye in the affair. To them, any chance to change the main domain's situation in the meet was worth an attempt. Through the previous probing by that chubby cultivator, the three Sun Blazes had confirmed that although Lu Ye was only at the Constellation Early Stage, he definitely possessed Constellation Mid-Stage strength, which was an extremely rare aid for the main domain; the supposed lack of personnel might just be an excuse. Having familiarized himself with the rules, Lu Ye simulated various possible situations and response strategies for the Martial Arts Meet. If he hadn't agreed, it would be one thing, but since he had agreed, he naturally had to give it his all, not to mention that he found the matter quite intriguing himself. The audio talisman he kept close suddenly reacted, and upon checking, it was a message from Nian Yuexian. Seeing he'd been away for so long, Nian Yuexian was worried, unclear about whether he'd encountered some trouble. Lu Ye quickly responded, informing her that he was going to participate in the Black Abyss Martial Arts Meet and indicating that the situation was complex. He'd explain clearly once he was out of Mount Fangcun. Half a day later, a message appeared on Immortal Spirit Peak. Lu Yiye from the Nine Heavens World and Hai Tang from Immortal Spirit Peak had formed a joyous union, joined in matrimony. Upon hearing this news, Nian Yuexian was momentarily stunned. She didn't believe Lu Ye would agree to such a matter, yet Immortal Spirit Peak had disseminated this news, making it somewhat intriguing. However, since Lu Ye had already mentioned the complexity of the situation, Nian Yuexian realized that the matter was likely not as simple as it appeared on the surface. She didn't send another message to inquire. Since Lu Ye had said he'd explain after leaving Mount Fangcun, there was no need to ask anything at this moment.